Please favorite, follow, share, and/or review
I had killed before, not just ordering my broods to attack Orks. Those were sentient weapons and not worth worrying about morally. But when the Eldar had first attacked the outpost and then kidnapped Absalom. I shot off the arm of one then fired upon another trying to cut into my tent. Ordering and shooting at people, are different but even more so now... because now I was getting right up into them.
I landed atop the Corporal and dug my thick claws into his neck the man didn't have time to even scream. Much less feel, which is what I was after then, as I yanked hard and tore his neck off like pulling apart a Twix really. Some stiffness but breaks away easily with some softer material desperately trying to hold on but failing. Except this was flesh and bone being ripped apart and I tried not to look at it nor pay much mind to the red liquid spraying over me.
There weren't the typical ten men of a Guardsmen squad. Four others including the Sargent but excluding the one I killed and possibly one or two others inside the Chimera.
"Good it means I have to kill less."
My left hand droved into the Corporal's chest, claws digging into his flak vest to secure themselves. While my right grabbed at the lasgun's grip and tore it off its strap to flick the latch to automatic. None of the opposing Guardsmen had their weapons at the ready, having assumed the Ravener was the only threat here. Which was sensible enough there was only one trail and nothing else jumped out with it to attack them.
"Until me that is..."
The dead man became an impromptu shield, the lack of a head meant I could peer over while not exposing my core body. I was certain I could tank a few lasbolts but decided to only do so when necessary. The sand was barely a hindrance as I charged. The barrel of the gun spewed out a volley of ionized beams. The Sargent had the sense to throw himself to the side and even tackle the man to his right away from the fire. While the trooper to the right dropped to his knee. The Private furthest to the left was still standing and was the only one leveling his rifle. So I shifted my aim, the great strength I wielded allowing me to hold the rifle steady one-handed while in rapid fire. Momentary adjustments needed to be made before an uncounted number of red bolts melted the man's mask and penetrated his face. A shot or two even blowing out the back to leave a scorch mark on the Chimera.
They were only four maybe five yards away and even with the body I was carrying, I closed the distance fast. The kneeling Guardsman had raised his gun at that time. Return fire came and lapped against the back of the corpse I held. The body gave slight jolts but Lasguns weren't known for their kick anyway. At least in the version of the lore I was in. It was always odd to have lasguns written to have serious kickbacks and blast limbs everywhere in one book, then act like true laser-based weaponry with no mass in a different book.
The thick flak armor and body held up sturdily enough as I blind-fired around and the two troopers on the ground join in. They would have eventually melted through it with their combined fire but it was the Chimera's turret swinging around that frightened me. I threw the body to one side and let go of the gun, those three needed to be dead now. Crossing the few feet still between me and them. I was past the Sergeant and private still laying on the ground but the man kneeling could maneuver better and he did sand to move and fire backward. Had I not been so fast nor he was wearing what I assumed was their voxset on his back. It might have worked out better.
But as he brought the weapon around to fire, I was right in front of him. Gripping the tip of the barrel and squeezing hard to crush it then yank his arm out. My left hand launched out, the forefingers positioned as of I was going to scoop out snow instead they were plunged into his neck. That was the most exposed part that allowed me to quickly kill him. He gurgled for just a moment before I pulled up and severed the throat and surrounding muscle from the body. It still hung on loosely by the spinal cord and I regretted the fact this man didn't have a mask. I peered into those pained brown eyes and expressions with blood tricking down his mouth.
That moment of pause I had to regret my kill almost cost me. As the crackle of a rifle and a burning sensation on my back to me at least one of them guys on the ground had turned and I threw the body over me and he rammed into the Sargent's gun, burying it into the ground. Now stuck my mind wandered to the turret still rotating and I leaped onto the remaining two Guardsmen and my left hand's long thick claws easily pierced the Sargent's mask. My right jabbed into the back of the other trooper's neck as he tried to crawl away and I ignored the fearing instincts that caused that and pulled back. Out of the sights of the turret that just began to fire when I moved, the larger beam of energy would have singed any hair, if any was left.
Then hit the sand and roasted it almost to glass. I fell back onto my cloth-covered butt as my left hand was momentarily stuck in the Sergeant's face and yanked out at my sudden movement. The lasmachine gun adjusted a few short degrees and I desperately crawled backwards and more beams of photons flew past creating a dark line in the sand. My feet and bloody claws, caked in sand now too, moved franticly to keep myself out of range until the turret's barrel hit the side of the rectangular Chimera didn't allow it to go further at the angle it was using and I took that as my cue to flip myself around and charge. The eight or so feet between us were closed within seconds and sand even blew out when I leaped atop the troop carrier and then crawled towards the hatch. The barrel tried to swing around but I was already stopping the turret and banking on my strength and claws drove both hands into the thin line of the hatch's seal. My fingers successfully got the metal to bulge and I yanked up...
Only to have it not budge an inch, the continued rotation combined with my hands now being locked into the top. Meant I was carried over the side and my legs slipped off causing me to dangle painfully over the edge, my elbows and shoulders and it stopped. It was there, toes unable to touch the floor, for a few painful moments before the hatch unlocked and I managed to thankfully fall on my feet. The guy who opened it tried sealing it up quick as they could. I was blindingly fast in comparison, as I lept back up and hoisted atop the Chimera once more. The heavy hatch slapped against my palm, stopping dead in its tracks. Although gravity and the man within tried valiantly to pull it shut, my free hand came over to shove it wide open. The Guardsman grabbed at something on his belt, it didn't take a genesis to realize it was a sidearm. My claws bit deep into his shoulders, anchoring to the armor pads there to unceremoniously yank the poor man out. His helmet was the first to hit the back of the Chimera and he managed to get his laspistol out. But I would not allow him time to recover and flew onto his back and buried both clawed hands in either side of his neck. Yanking hard like the first time, the flesh tried to hold on but tore off in short order. They rolled across the metal and came to a stop just at the edge, a frightened look stared back at me. The tiniest piece of the spinal cord was still attached and blood began to pool around the stump and severed neck. I didn't have time to tally and after tearing the pistol from his hand steadily poked my head into the hatch. The laspistol first of course.
Cautiously I aimed in but no red beams of energy came out to greet me. The vehicle was empty and this fight was over...
I sighed long, I wasn't the least bit tired and felt this all took about two minutes but I found myself cautiously turning my gaze out...
Bodies were strewed about. Some heads away from their bodies, with trails leading away. The stumps leaked blood from their stead beating hearts. That muscle was a stubborn one and would keep going for some time...
I kept looking about at the five lives, with hopes, dreams, relationships, and families they'd never get back to. All because I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. Even looking away didn't help because there was fresh blood all over my hands. Claws caked with a bit of sand as well as that crimson life that was now scattered everywhere. Bits of skin were also on them and I couldn't bring myself to reach out and scrape them off. So I just wiped my hands the best I could on the heated metal hull. There was no denying I had killed and done so personally, every action I took was to end their lives.
"I was all quick and I had no choice in the manner, these guys knew what they were up against. Well aware this mission or the last would be the one they died in. None of them would have lost any sleep in killing me..."
But my God, the pain that one look like he was in... He died a second later, but somehow that felt like a weak excuse. I felt my back and found where I'd been hit, the armor had burned and lost its smooth texture. An indentation the size of my clenched hand was there. Yet the round hadn't penetrated the carapace. It held up and I relaxed, if only slightly at this revelation. I couldn't stay here so I toss the pistol away and unslung the lasgun to grab a fresh power cell from the voxman, instead, I just took off the ammo belt. It would fit around my waist just fine.
"I'll just get this... sand off me then grab the spirit stones and head outta here."
I stepping off the burning hot metal to step through the equally heated sand felt fine. It kept my mind off the bodies and on the pond, the water was still a bit mirky and a few swirls of purple ichor was floating around when I dropped my lasgun and the ammo belt. The water was cool and calming after the fight, dipping below the surface to let the stuff on me flow off and I surfaced a second later. I couldn't make the same mistake as last time, even if these guys called in an all clear someone was going to notice them gone.
So I had to move now and gathered my gear and the stones for the remaining haul towards the hide-y hole.
I would be tracked, there was little I could do on that front. Somebody would notice after an hour or maybe two if they were too busy looking at the crashed Aquila and batch of 'Nid corpses. Then find the bodies and organize another, likely far larger team to go after the new set of tracks.
"They probably just sent one Chimera and a fire team to follow that trail because it was just one long line. Assuming one creature could be traced and perhaps taken out by the armored vehicle and accompanied troopers."
I mean they were kinda right there. Ravener's especially Alpha variants were fast and strong but wounded as it was the creature couldn't have put up much of a fight. Even if I had allowed it to lay in wait to ambush or just charge the Chimera. I mainly have one here because of speed and surprise... Their bodies tore like wet towels really, claws pierced the flak armor on the Corporal easily enough. So I guess those vests wouldn't be that big an issue. They died quickly, mostly painlessly too. But it was me assuming I could hide away in a tree of all places that got them killed. I should have just run away, had the Ravener charge it, and banked on the idea they wouldn't look far enough to find my tracts. Even if they did I could've put enough distance from me and then they could have fallen back or I would find a better hide-y hole. Or just not have taken the oasis for granted and left after the cooldown, allowing myself to get nostalgic got those men killed.
No manner how I tried to cut it, I broke Spirit Stones because I couldn't control my rage for a moment. Then I killed those men because I was an idiot.
This was all a lesson I would not soon forget.
Back to the manner of being tracked, the sun had been steadily dipping lower and lower as it flew over the canyon. I had made good time, my Tyranid speed and endurance allowed for a consistent pace, essentially on pair with the Ravener. So that time was not wasted as the synaptic link became greater and greater. The sun still burning hot and bright though so thinking the darkness could help conceal me wasn't something to bet money on. At least the location I would arrive at had plenty of places to hide. Scouting from the Lictors and intel sent by the Tyranid Warrior told me there were structures where they were at. A lot of them really, all with no signs of life.
I had assumed these were the ruins found about Calderis, but imagery showed it was the sandstone building of the populous.
"An abandoned town. Done either during the Ork Waaagh or the Tyranid invasion."
If there were no signs of life, especially well beyond a year later probably meant people weren't rushing to fill it. The Black Legion attacks will cause any such plans relegated to vital locations. Or just canceled many outright as people scrambled to throw anything they had to support the already crippled Blood Ravens.
"Plus the House Vandis soldiers... Yeah, they would need all the Guardsmen they could get with noble houses rising up against the sub-sector."
Six dead guys weren't going to cripple this world's ability to stop Chaos. I already know how it all ends, ten more years of war, but in the end they'd win. I've played all the games.
"Except this isn't a game, this is real life and death and that lasround to the back could've been a lot worse. If only they had a Hellgun or just increased the power of the shots. That turret's gun had me dead to rights if it could only turn a bit more."
If I needed to kill I would, I more than proved that with the Eldar. But today showed I was willing to get out there and kill myself. That was different than shooting at someone or ordering my brood to end them. My mind wander briefly to the pained look he held when I took a second longer to kill one of the... Shaking my head free of that, I knew keeping my mind on getting where needed to go was important. Tripling would be embarrassing after all...
The canyon gradually got wider until spilling outwards to reveal the town. The place was as scattered as with its building as the Tyranid Warrior said. The smooth sandstone huts with their curved, almost igloo-esque appearance. Then the two-story ones with the domes on top.
Finally arriving I was met by a Lictor who took the spirit stones from my arms. I was getting tired of holding them after the long run, my legs strained and in general exhausted. I used to go on mile-long walks and runs, so pushing myself to the limit I could handle. But I was at my limit and wanted to lay down and just sleep the rest of the night away. The stars began to glimmer as the Sun disappeared below the distance range of rock. I likely had a tail by now and we needed to move, hopping onto the back of the Lictor, it carried me to the hideout of their synaptic leader. They'd be the ones to carry me away.
"I can rest in the Warrior's arms as we relocated further into the range whilst any pursuers waste time checking this place."
No dilly-dallying so all Lictors still wondering about the settlement were recalled to my location. Which quickly became stationary as we arrived at some darken area behind a large set of buildings. It was out of the way and close to the cliffside so it was good as any location for them to sit about and launch scouting missions. This town fed out into many different abandoned roadways so there were plenty of options to choose from, plus no immediate signs of life so there we go.
I was laying there just for a quick moment. Enough time for myself to recoup a bit before leaving. My body was still pretty hot from the afternoon of jogging through the canyon, my skirt had dried up completely and the sand on me had long fallen off. Swept away as sweat poured down my body. Even with the sun was gone it still didn't get colder, it was significantly cooler but fairly warm. I could feel it seeping into my back from the sand.
"Finding that Genestealer Cult would be a top priority when I've gotten to my new base. After I had them under control and ready to leave we'll..."
We'll have to hijack some spacecraft to get off Calderis. Preferably something to gather as many people as possible or nab multiple vessels. The fewer trips we had to make the less of a chance we'd be spotted by someone. Although one thing at a time I needed to get the heck outta here first-
I shot up into a sitting position, as my senses lit up with something. I didn't understand what though. It felt off, the presence of power from somewhere, perhaps northwest of us. Past the outskirts of town and spiking fast. The Tyranid Warrior felt it too and peered off into the rock wall as I did, the general direction of where this power was coming from. It was far away but whatever it was must have a serious presence in the warp if we could feel it on the other side of town. I was assuming the warp was involved because if it was a Tyranid of significant synaptic power I would already know what it was by now. So the only reason I could feel a power active elsewhere in this town would be because it's a Psyker. As it stood, the nearest Lictor could camouflage and check it out, while the rest hide and keep an eye out for anything.
"Warp powers such as that cannot be in this nowhere ghost town for no reason at all."
I tried to focus on the synapse link to get a general sense of what force this was. I had an inserting theory forming and one I was reluctant to have confirmed. Yet if I was going to deal with this situation, I first and foremost needed to know what I was dealing with. My eyes shut and images from a taller stance came as the Lictor crept through the shadows and peered over one of the igloo buildings.
My heart stopped at the blue glow radiating out of an oval-shaped vertical disc. It was placed in the courtyard of what I assumed was a marketplace or something. But it was the figures fanning out from and coming through the obvious portal that most concerned me. There were dozens of human-sized, jittering ones with torn clothing and an assortment of rifles, pistols, and crude melee weapons. From here with the Lictor's enhanced eyesight I could tell all their gear was crude and shotty in making. Then there were the far larger figures, just short of a Tyranid Warrior in height clad in thick spike-covered armor and wielding equally large bolt guns. Emblazoned with the colors and insignia of the Black Legion were well over a dozen Chaos space marines. With more coming through the portal likely kept open by the sorcerer next to it, which was most certainly the presence I had felt.
"Why the hell are the Black Legion in some abandoned settlement?!" I said aloud. Deciding they were too far away to hear me shout through clenched teeth. "Is the importance of this town greater than I assumed?! Is there something here I don't know about or are they just trying to make this place into an outpost of sorts?"
I didn't know which but I sure as hell wasn't sticking around to see nor ask them! I made to disconnect and flee, leaving most of my Lictors to lag behind. But another Lictor detected movement due North of my position. Switching over I saw as down the road a lot of sand was being kicked up and it most likely was a lot of vehicles. More Chaos or someone else I couldn't say.
"Oh god... Something's gonna go down in this town and I'm getting caught in the crossfire."
