The Siege Of Iyanden-Part 1

Written by Spiritblade

Disclaimer: Warhammer 40K belongs to them, not me. I wrote this story almost 7 years ago, and Azarail had been my pen-name then. I have made some subtle alterations to the original transcript. This story was posted on Time to consolidate all my work in one place - past AND present. Now, for the future...

The Tyranid Wars Saga

Bennu Silverflame, a veteran of countless battles, gazed at her fellow Eldar as they pulled on their armour in preperation for war and loaded their shuriken catapults and readied extra grenades for the inevitable fight. Bennu had fought everything, from the courageous Imperial Marines of the Emperor, who would rather die than surrender any piece of ground to their enemies, to the blasphemous, hated enemies of the former, the Traitor Marines and their Chaos allies. She had slaughtered Orks and crossed swords with the Dark Eldar. But none of these threats are greater than that of the Tyranids. The first invasion, the human Imperium crushed, but even they had sustained grieveous casualties. The second, Hive Fleet Kraken, dispersed its forces along the Imperial worlds, and now, it seemed, it had one of its tentacles wrapped around Iyanden. The Space Marines of the human God-Emperor hated Tyranids as much as their Chaos brethern, if not more. Already, many planets in the sector were feeling the brunt of the Tyranid hive fleet, and the Imperium mobilised for all-out war. And in any case, even the Eldar or the Orks would not want to be caught in the middle of the Imperium's wrath once it was channeled. Bennu had armed herself with a shuriken shrieker cannon, a laspistol and a power sword. Fighting was going to be heavy. She turned and was about to march out of the armoury when she nearly hit the armoured wall that stood before her. She jumped back in surprise, looking into the stern and unforgiving features of a Space Marine.

Clad in power armour and standing good seven feet, the Space Marine captain was indeed a formidable sight to behold. His eyes bespoke of countless decades of combat against the enemies of the Imperium, and this was one soldier Bennu would have liked to have each time she went to war. One of her friends in the Dire Avengers had told her about the battered Imperial warship that had been caught in a heavy fight with the Tyranid invaders. Of the twenty warships, only one remained, but they had exacted a bloody toll upon the Tyranid fleet. Without any choice, they docked with the Eldar Craftworld and the Space Marine captain spoke to the Farseer of her Craftworld, asking for a truce in the forthcoming war and giving information to them of the Hive Fleet's strength. The Space Marine captain hailed from the dreaded Blood Angels Space Marine chapter, but under his command were Space Wolves, Dark Angels and Ultramarines Space Marines, numbering up to over a hundred and twenty of the Imperium's best warriors. With the Space Marines were three battalions of Imperial Guards, sending the number up to half a thousand human soldiers. Many of the Eldar balked at the presence of the human Imperium's warriors within their craftworld, but the wiser ones did not argue. With the encroaching Tyranid threat, the Eldar were more than willing to accept help from any allies- even if it came from the Imperium. There had been some of here brethern who had said that it was better to fight alone than accept help from the inferior race of humans. The Exarchs quelled all signs of discontent with firm rebukes, for those Exarchs knew what manner of men the Space Marines of the Imperium were. Constant warfare against uncountable enemies had turned humanity into a race that acted more than it spoke.

Bennu took note of the beautifully-crafted Nova storm plasma pistol and the Concilliator power sword that was a symbol of the captain's authority. "We are almost ready, brother Captain,"she spoke, using the term that most of the human marines used. The Blood Angel's noble facade pulled into a smile, and he spoke, revealing the sharp teeth that could tear through skin and flesh with frightening ease for the blood the laid beneath,"I know."

"And yours?"

"They have prepared their defensive positions. I came to see how your people are doing."

"Oh?"

The Blood Angel chuckled to himself, and said,"Oh, how I wish Mephiston were here. He would damn hate to miss this party. I need to ready myself for one of our punch-ups, if I live through this. I hope Commander Dante doesn't wrap his hands around my neck for helping you."

Bennu smiled, and placed a slender hand on the marine's shoulder,"You lived this long. I think you will survive."

I looked at the Eldar woman that stood beside me, clad in her strange alien armour and armed with strange weapons that I recognised. On one slender arm was a shrieker, a short form for a shuriken shrieker, for the cannon unleashed a wail like that of a tormented soul when it fired. Among others was a laspistol and a power sword. Her long, cascading silver hair cascaded about slender shoulders framed a face that was pure beauty. Her face was thin and delicate, yet strong and war-hardened at the same time. Her strong cheekbones seemed chiselled as though by an artisan of Terra's long-gone era, and gave her the look of an archangel queen. Her eyes were a shimmering gold that seemed capable of reading even my blackened soul, and her moist, ruby lips inviting and speaking of temptations that I could hardly understand. She carried herself with the confidence and grace I found hard not to admire. For the first time, my heart burned, as my Primarch Heart spoke, Marriage is often to that of duty. Like a father who raises his child, he does so because he loves what he had given life to.

I could admit to the truth spoken in those unspoken words. I turned towards the silver-haired Eldar,"Get your hair done and your helmet on. This day, the Emperor and the War God sounds the clarion call to war.". The voice in which I spoke to the Eldar was one that I myself did not recognise. She smiled again, and went to obey my command. Beneath my heart, I sensed the Black Rage, waiting, patient, like a daemon waiting to be unleashed upon hapless mortals. I knew the price I would pay if I joined the Blood Angels, but I did not care then, thinking that I could conuqer the Black Rage like Mephiston. It was only then did I learn the extent of my arrogance. The death of our Primarch, Sanguinius, haunted my dreams almost each night, and I sometimes woke screaming with wrath and grief. Rare were the nights I slept peacefully as the death of my Primarch echoed in my very ears as he fell before Horus the Traitor. I could count them ten times the fingers of my hands, and for one who has lived for over two hundred years, that is a very short time. Truth be told, I would have liked to have been with my Primarch when he had crossed blades with Horus the Traitor. It had never been your fault. All men, even those as mighty as I and my brother Primarchs, can die.

I turned and looked a the other assembled Eldar, who made their final prayers to whatever gods they worshipped, and prepared for the conflict. They stood up and marched out of the armoury, weapons ready, their demeanours grim. Bennu stood before me, her features covered by a strange mask,"It is time, brother captain."

I smiled and lowered my crimson, angel-winged helmet onto my head before I drew my plasma pistol and my Concilliator power sword,"Then let us reap a bloody harvest."

Captain Valkaze Stormguard of the Dark Angels Space Marines looked about him, where his brother Dark Angels readied their heavy weapons alongside the Eldar forces. Above him, the shrill roar of vyper jetbikes heralded the arrival of reinforcements. Valkaze had stood with his childhood friend, Shateiel Muhammad of the Blood Angels, on his decision to join forces with the Eldar. As had brother captain Gewesen Strongsword of the Ultramarines, and Jacobus of the Space Wolves. The only protests had come from the commanders of the Imperial Guards, but that had quickly been squelched. What with the heavy damage to their warship, they would never get far. At least, standing with the Eldar, would at least be a wiser choice. Then and there, they would have someone guarding their backs. Brother Librarian Cardius had discovered that the usage of psychic powers on the Craftworld was enhanced, and that the results would be most satisfying. The Warlocks had explained that the psychic wraithbone core would support the Librarians' powers, at least for the time being.

"Brother captain, we are ready,"came the Imperial Guard captain's voice on his helmet's comm. link.

"Confirmed, captain. Be ready."

"Roger."

Of all his brother captains, Valkaze was the only one who wore Terminator armour while the rest wore power armour that allowed them more freedom of movement. Damn, he still remembered the day his friend had said,"You look like a gigantic, outsized beetle, old friend.". He had grinned, and answered,"Oh? So do you. Only you look like an undersized one!".

Valkaze's group consisted of four squads of Terminator Space Marines and a squad of Devastators for artillery backup, inclusive of a Chaplain, a Techmarine, an apothecary and two Librarians that formed his command group. A Dark Reaper, one of the Eldar warriors, stood beside him, and Valkaze turned to face the skull-helmed warrior,"Are all the defences on this sector ready?"

"Almost. Within twelve hours, the Tyranids can expect a bloody fight."

"And I'll guarantee you, Eldar, that we'll give them just that. I intend to stick this,"and tapped his power sword,"in the right ear of the Hive Tyrant, and pull it out the other side.". The Dark Reaper chuckled,"A wager, then! If I can claim more kills than you, you'll give me a good sword."

"And if I win?"

"Then I'll personally fix a shuriken catapult to your Terminator battle-gauntlet."

"Eldar technology, eh? Very well. You have your wager!"

The Eldar laughed, and turned to the direction of new arrivals. More Striking Scorpions, Guardians and Warp Spiders have arrived onto the scene, bolstering the defences of this sector. Valkaze turned and grumbled at the Eldar,"I have a feeling that I may lose this wager..."

"Damn, I am uncomfortable around these humans, Allatarn. They're on our side, I know, but these lot seem very determined to take a fight to those cursed Tyranids."said the Dire Avenger Kolarin to his friend. The Eldar had been very uncomfortable with the human Imperial troops, for they had been enemies for many times over the centuries, but they have also been allies as well. Particularly against the forces of Chaos and the Tyranids. But, the human Imperial troops seem single-minded in their bloody thirst for Tyranid blood. Obviously, this thirst for vengeance stemmed from the sight of the death of their comrades-in-arms.

They dug in their emplacements, waiting for the inevitable. Men and women of the Imperial Guard regiments clasped their lasguns and boltguns, while others aided in the setting up of heavy weapons emplacements. Heavy bolters, rocket launchers and lascannons were set up alongside Eldar plasma cannons and scatter lasers. The Eldar soldiers exchanged grim looks with the human Imperial guards and Space Marines, all knowing what they fought against would depend if they could fight as one army. This day, all hatreds were buried. Kolarin watched a Space Marine Librarian of the Ultramarines stride past him, bearing a force axe and a bolt pistol. He conferred for a moment with the massive form of the Dark Angel Terminator Captain, before taking his place amongst the Eldar forces. Many of the Eldar looked at the marine in surprise, but continued with the preparations.

An amused voice said,"Do not worry, Kolarin. You'll be fine.". Kolarin turned to face the masked facade of a Howling Banshee. He recognised the voice of Allarana, a childhood friend whom he had grown up and played at with. "Worry? I am not worried. I am scared."

Another voice, this one belonging to a Space Wolves Grey Hunter Sergeant, said, "Fear is a useful ally, Eldar, but it is a slave that longs to be your master. Keep that fear leashed, and it shall serve you well."

"I wish I had eaten whatever it is that gives you human marines iron stomachs."Kolarin grumbled.

The Space Wolves sergeant chuckled,"I lived with my fear for so long, that it no longer controls me. I have faced death and dishonour, and found only that I feared the latter. There are many things worse than death."

"Will you be joining us for the fight, sergeant?"

"Please, call me Thor. And yes, I and my entire squad have been assigned to help in holding this line. and watch over your sorry behinds."

I looked down upon the area I was assigned to protect. From the heavy defences here, I had a feeling that this place would soon be a battleground. The Craftworld was enormous, ten, perhaps, fifty times larger than the largest Imperial orbital fortress. And that is enormous, trust me. It would at least be at least three times the size of Luna, Terra's moon. I had taken the liberty to arm myself with storm bolter and additional ammo clips for the fortcoming battle. The Eldar were rushing, but they were disciplined as they set up their heavy weapons. Outside, in the star-lit emptiness of space, three dozen Eldar destroyers prepared for the Hive fleet. It wouldn't be long now. My comm. link chirped to life,"Brother captain, the defences have been set in sectors 2, 5, 8 and 7."

"Confirmed. Give me half-an-hour, and sector 1will be up and ready."

"Aye, brother captain."

Bennu loped up towards me, holding that seemingly heavy shuriken shrieker cannon on one slender arm with amazing ease. She asked,"The Farseer sends me to ask if your forces are ready, brother captain."

"Fear not, they are."

Bennu turned to the myriad Imperial weapons my forces had brought in. Lascannons, heavy bolters and rapier laser cannons were black contrasts compared to the beautiful weapons of her people, though they were no less deadly. A Blood Angel Chief Librarian strode up towards me, and said,"Brother captain, one of the Eldar have told me to tell you that the Hive Fleet will be upon us in five hours."

I exchanged a grim look with the Eldar war maiden beside me, and she nodded. She reached up and kissed me on the cheek, "Be careful."

The five hours passed swiftly as the Hive fleet dropped out of warp space, the enormous bio-ships numbering up to the thousands. With an echoing roar that shook the Craftworld of Iyanden, heavy defensive batteries and the sleek Eldar destroyers sent bolts of light streaking towards the approaching hive fleet. The Hive fleet retaliated, as one, launched thousands upon thousands of landing spores towards the Craftworld.

I gripped my storm bolter in my armoured hands as I saw the fiery streaks, as many as the stars in the void of space streak towards Iyanden at incredible velocity. Each of those streaks, I knew, was a landing spore that contained a Tyranid monster. And the entire void of space were filled with those shooting stars. Bennu and her Guardians suddenly appeared at my side, with the latter bearing rocket launchers used by the Dark Reapers. I had no time to berate the Eldar war maiden as the first swarm of spores crashed into Iyanden and throughout the city-domes. I snarled angrily and turned towards Bennu, "Have your brethern established interior city defences?"

"Yes," she answered, "The Farseer saw to that, and made arrangements for the other aspects to guard the cities."

"Captain," shouted an Eldar, "They're coming!"

I whirled around and pulled the trigger of my storm bolter, howling, "Open fire! Kill them all!". My order was unnecessary, as the entire defensive line opened fire upon the charging host of monsters. The harsh yells of my Imperial forces and the shrill, unearthly cries of the Eldar were deafened by the sounds of gunfire and the dying roars of the charging monsters. My comm-link chirped to life as my other brother captains reported the arrival of the tyranids in their respective defensive zones. The enormous number of the ravening hosts of monsters were such that even the heavy weapons' loaders were busy firing a lasgun with one hand and helping to reload the heavy weapon with another. The Tyranids soon retaliated with their own long-ranged weapons, many of these aimed at the heavy weapons emplacements protected by the plasteel-reinforced bunkers. Hails of crystallized acids and bio-toxins smashed against those protective bunkers. I knew what the hive mind was attempting. The heavy weapons were second to our battle-tanks and possessed a higher rate of fire that was no less destructive, and thus, it sought to destroy them. Doing so would give the tyranids a tactical advantage on the battlefield. Many of those bio-weapons, however, were also turned against the defensive lines, who showed no signs of giving way whatsoever. Fire returned for fire, and lascannon bolt was retaliated with a hail of crystallised venom crystals that could easily melt through armour. Out of my twenty Terminators, only four were armed with assault cannons, and three with Heavy Flamers. Eight were armed with the double-barrelled storm bolters, while the remaining five were armed with lightning claws and thunder hammers with storm shields, in preparation for the bloody close infighting that would be inevitable. The bodies of the tyranid slain piled up, but for every one slain, five would step in to take its place.

I have fought against Tyranids before alongside the Lamenters and the Scythes of the Emperor Space Marines, and their First Company veterans told me about how to fight these cursed hellspawn. The words of Captain Altair of the First Company returned to my mind, "Tyranids are mostly close-combat, brother Captain Shateiel , and do not discount the strength of their bio-weapons. Even though Terminator armour can take much damage, repeated poundings by a long-raged weapon known as a Venom Cannon can kill them. Beneath all of our armour, brother marine, is a human man. Superhuman, but still human. You can die.". His words rang in my mind, but the enormous alien horde that stormed towards the battle-lines, a wave of snapping claws and snarling, bared fangs that, was nigh unstoppable despite the hellish punishment dealt out by the Eldar and my human troops. There, a Leman Russ Demolisher sent a plasma bolt crashing into one of the enormous sickle-armed carnifexes, blowing a hole right through its heavily armoured carapace. There, one of my Imperial Guards writhed in pain as the projectiles of the Devourer tore through his flesh, and the living organisms burrowed through his flesh and made its way to his brain. An Eldar Striking Scorpion put his chainsword, ending the Guard's misery, and his companion used a nearby hand flamer to torch his fallen comrade's corpse before he turned to face his enemies, firing with a renewed and venomous fury. My men and I have held a long standing hatred of the Tyranids and Chaos, and I was no way in hell letting the Eldar fall to the Tyranids. This was the Emperor's universe, and I wanted these two out of the picture. The Chaos Forces would deal you a swift death, but bot so for the Tyranids.

On one portion of the battlefield, I caught sight of a Carnifex vomiting out a ball of crackling plasma, the flaming ball of destruction growing larger as more power poured forth from its fanged mouth. I had no doubt that it would hurl that ball of flaming destruction right into the defensive lines. The Black Rage threatened to overwhelm me yet again, and I fought it back down, snarling, "Bennu! The Carnifex! Take it out!"

The Eldar war-maiden gave swift instructions, and five rocket launchers and a shuriken shrieker cannon soon blasted the carnifex into oblivion. The ball of plasma it had been holding at the tip of its four sickle-arms exploded amidst the ranks of the monstrous horde, incinerating those too close to the explosion. I felt the Black Rage threatening to spill forth once again, and I gritted my fanged teeth and fought it back down. My charging into the host of monsters would see me dead, and my death would do those under my command no help. My storm bolter unleashed a withering hail of armour-piercing explosive bolts, cutting down dozens of the hellspawn as they loped towards us. But, despite the punishment that we piled upon the tyranids, they just kept on coming. The Craftworld of Iyanden would be another reenactment of Macragge all those centuries ago, when the Ultramarines Chapter destroyed the Hive Fleet Behemoth, but lost most of its First Company in the process. The consequences on Iyanden would be more catastrophic. The Swooping Hawk aspects glided in and fired their lasguns and grenade packs into the advancing hordes of monsters. Suddenly, from above, the dome of the city cracked open as flying monsters swooped from the monstrous form of a harridan. I swore. Gargoyles. These fire-spewing buzzards are a threat to the defensive lines.

The Swooping Hawks, seeing them, disengaged from the battlefield and sailed upwards to meet the gargoyles. One of the Fire Dragon Exarchs used his firepike and blasted a charging hormagaunt to a cinder, before turning that lethal weapon onto another inrushing genestealer. Then, a blast of lightning shot out of nowhere, blasting a crater in the middle of the snapping host of monsters.

Bennu's voice emerged in my helmet's comm-speaker, "The Phoenix Lords! They've arrived!"

I turned to the direction of where a mighty Farseer stood, clutching a writhing runesword in one slender arm as he hurled anotehr bolt of lightning amidst the monstrous Tyranids. I knew him, for I have, in my long centuries of life, seen him. Eldrad Ulthran, Farseer of Ulthwe, had arrived with what reinforcements he could spare from his Chaos-embattled craftworld. And I recognised two others. The one that wielded the Shuriken Shrieker cannon like a scythe and bore a grim armour that was like those used by the Dark Angels Chapter, was Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls. The other was a woman, holding a deadly power blade in the shape of a halberd, and a three-pronged chakram that was known as the Silent Death. That one was Jain Zar, warmistress of the Howling Banshees. Three of the most infamous of the Eldar's warriors have come to join in the fray. Above, in the skies, the Eldar destroyers performed daring hit and run attacks, lashing out with reinforced plasma and heavy lascannons at the hive ships, before darting out of the way. Dozens of Eldar fighters did the same, trying to cripple as many of the hive ships as they can.

Then, an Eldar charged up beside me, and spoke as he lowered his firepike and blasted the incoming hormagaunt to a smoking cinder. He looked like one of the Fire Dragon Exarchs, but his weapons were not those used by those elite Eldar warrior lords. In his other hand, he wielded a burning axe, upon which the runes were writhing, as though in eternal pain and anguish. He spoke, "I thank you, warrior of the Imperium, for coming to our aid in our direst hour. Your assistance shall not be forgotten."

To be continued………