Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Warhammer 40K games, books, or movies. They belong to their creators and/or copyright owners. It is not for sale or rent.
Chapter 9: Storm-front
=ATBS=
Part 7
=ATBS=
Webway Nexus
Craftworld Ulthwé
Rohan flew past rows upon rows of marching walkers of all stripes, lines of Grav Tanks moving to their assigned areas. Small groups of infantry and civilians swarmed all over the place, appearing tiny beside the neat lines of war-machines, preparing his second home for a siege. Instead of being right beside them, the Ranger headed for a war of his own, and he couldn't chase off the nagging feeling that his mission had something to do with whatever shook the Farseers so much. Details were still not forthcoming, however, everyone who wasn't blind and deaf could figure out that something bad was coming. There was an oppressive feeling of fear and anticipation in the air, the kind he hadn't felt outside of a heavily contested battlefield, usually not even then.
People could make a rather accurate guess about the coming trouble because, for ten thousand years, Craftworld Ulthwé had been stuck on the edge of the Eye of Terror. She-Who-Thirsts and her cohorts would be coming to claim even more Aeldari souls. Who else would dare attack a Carftworld, especially one stuck out here, on the edge where reality clashed with insanity?
This wasn't the first time the Primordial Annihilator assaulted Ulthwé, not even the first time since Rohan swore himself to his new home's service and protection. However, everything he saw in the past few days indicated that a great calamity was on its way – he certainly hadn't seen such amount of frantic preparation before, neither here, nor back at Biel-Tan.
In the distance, Rohan could barely perceive colossal war-machines striding, high above the Webway Nexus, Ulthwé's fleets gathered, along with units from friendly Craftworlds.
The Ranger banked left and descended, slowing down so a squadron of accelerating interceptors could fly by, before heading for the designated Webway Gate, where his command gathered, doing one final check on their gear before deployment. Rohan weaved past a column of empty transports heading for a nearby active gate after delivering their cargo and landed his Jetbike besides a waiting Fire-Prism class Grav Tank.
"Commander!" A Warlock nodded when she noticed his approach. "Assault force assembled and ready for deployment!"
Two thousand Black Guardians, a hundred Grav-Tanks and thirty walkers, all heavy on ranged weaponry. It wasn't the largest of forces, yet if utilized properly, it could tie up and take apart much larger enemy formations, given enough time and the right circumstances. Hopefully, it was going to be enough. In that regard, a large proportion of grav-platform mounted heavy weaponry and Jetbikes for additional firepower and lighting-fast strikes would come useful.
Yet, against what Eldrad suspected awaited them on Kronus, Rohan's new command might not be enough…
"Good. We're deploying now. The primary objective is to establish a forward operations base, figure out the situation on the ground and if practical, make contact with the Biel-Tan's remaining combat effective units on Kronus." Rohan spoke, using his armor's communication system to ensure everyone would be on the same page.
Then we should figure out how to disrupt the unmitigated disaster created by those warmongers… That Rohan didn't say aloud. He did note that except for five Warlocks, one of whom was his second in command, his force was particularly light on psychic support, which wasn't exactly ideal considering what he knew about the opposition on Kronus. At the same time, it wasn't surprising – Ulthwé would need all the help it could get if the preparations he saw were anything to go by.
More concerning were the possible developments at their destination. Rohan's information about events on Kronus was already out of date and it would take even more time to get there and formulate a proper plan for tackling the disaster in progress in a way that wouldn't blow up in their faces sometime in the future.
=ATBS=
Solemnace Galleries
Necron Tomb World Solemnace
Trazyn, Necron Overlord of Solemnace, and more importantly, Archeovist of the best and most complete galleries in the galaxy, hummed happily while considering how to best display his newest acquisitions - a million years old artifacts from long-vanished species. What made these particular relics particularly interesting wasn't just how unique they were, their creators created them after obviously studying Necron technology and when all was said and done, they were anything but crude knock-offs undeserving his attention. It was a real pity he wasn't aware of their existence back in the day so he could go and visit them in person during their height, oh the things he could have picked up for his collection!
At the same time, having agents scout the Caligari Sector for such delicious morsels was exhilarating and with the disruptions ongoing over there, sooner or later Trazyn would have the opportunity to pick up certain different additions to his collection – there were Aeldari, both the Craftworld sub-type and those who did their best to imitate their ancestors from the collapse of their Empire, who would make a great addition to the galleries dedicated to the Necron's ancient enemies.
There were even some of those fascinating Tyranid beasts running around, ripe for the picking…
Truly, Trazyn would never know how he missed the fact that the Caligari sector of space was so interesting! Even better, preliminary analysis hinted at even greater prize hidden somewhere in that sector, and as every self-respecting Archeovist knew, the best treasures laid at the end of an exhilarating treasure hunt!
While the Necron Overlord was preoccupied with his latest acquisitions, an ancient alarm rang through his mind, irritatingly shattering his revere.
"Now what?!" Trazyn grumbled aloud, decidedly not happy with this utterly uncivilized distraction. It took his systems mere moments to clear up the signal, while sensibly shunting it through a stand-alone system, before carefully decoding and dissecting it. Distress signals from freshly awakened Tomb Worlds were anything but common, even if such events have been occurring more and more frequently as of late.
Trazyn was about to dismiss it as of no consequence compared to his newest interest when a different set of monitoring equipment sent a different message. The first distress call had been received and answered by someone else. Now, that did warrant a quick check, to see if someone else new had awakened and slid under Trazyn's attention if nothing else…
The Archeovist's mind froze for a moment when sensor platforms scattered far away sent more information and he processed it. Anrakyr was wide awake and on the move, something that was out of character back in the day, when most Necrons heeded the Silent King's final orders and went into slumber. Anrakyr wasn't particularly stable back then, and the irony of that statement was very much lost upon Trazyn. The mere fact that his ancient acquaintance was racing to the rescue of a crippled and unremarkable Tomb World was telling. Either Anrakyr was as mad as a Necron could get after all those years, or there was something interesting on Kronus that Trazyn didn't know about, and more importantly, might even deserve a place in his galleries.
It was time for another expedition then. He looked longingly at the ancient shards suspended in stasis fields and called a few of his legions for another acquisition trip.
=ATBS=
Part 8
=ATBS=
Morriah Coast
Kronus
The Morriah Coast was a deceitful name. While pleasantly hot golden beaches covered the actual coast of the region, inland it was quite different. Technically cooler jungles and wet forest bisected by rivers and salty lakes made for a particularly treacherous and unpleasant area, one which accounted for most of the region.
As far as the Imperial forces in the area were concerned, the place was perfect for their purposes. It did help that they were either Astartes, Stormtroopers, or the small detachment of Kasrkins on Kronus, and every single one of them enjoyed the benefits of properly sealed armors complete with more or less efficient environmental control. Not sweltering in their armors was a pleasant side-effect of the primary function of said systems – to keep them alive in hostile environments and when practical, decrease their thermal profiles as much as possible. Depending on the enemy they faced, that feature occasionally came in useful.
The primary downside of making the ambush in the jungle was the fact that the enemy had spread soon after entering it, moving more like a mob heading into the same direction than a proper military formation on the march. This meant that the explosives Victus placed on what passed for a road through the forest would be less effective than usual. On the other hand, the amorphous blob of traitors would be hard-pressed to properly apply for their numbers.
The heavy-weapon specialists were the first to open fire. Several Astartes carrying missile launchers and meltas moved out of cover with inhuman precision, aiming in one smooth motion and firing before the traitors could even register the threat. Stream of intense heat struck heavily modified Sentinels or APCs, burning through their armor. Three walkers went up in flames when their ammunition or fuel cooked off, while a fourth fell down like a puppet with its strings cut. Even as missiles streaked through the jungle's twilight, more Tactical Marines left cover and aimed at the infantry, prioritizing Officers and NCOs. Single Bolter shots turned heads into fine red mists or blew apart torsos, letting the legs to fall on the ground or slide back into vehicles in a shower of gore.
Two APCs ground to a halt after missiles defeated their armor and turned their interiors into slices of hell. A Leman Russ tank became the personal crematorium of its crew as a Krak warhead sliced straight into its ammo storage.
As soon as the onslaught began, a mix of melta and fragmentation charges detonating, bathing the leading elements of the traitor Regiment in fire and steel. The enemy's reaction was varied. Some cried in shock and fear, while many more roared in exhilaration, forgetting most of their training and charged into the jungle, thirsting for blood. The Astartes threw enhanced smoke grenades and retreated behind cover.
"Begin the bombardment." Brother-Sergeant Whent ordered the only regular Guardsmen to take part in the ambush. It was an unnecessary order really, however it was always nice to cover your bases. The mortar teams were two kilometers away, set up in small clearings, which provided nice firing sites for their weapons. They went to rapid-fire as soon as they heard Victus' charges go off, using a mix of fragmentation, promethium, and Krak warheads.
A handful of seconds later, mortar rounds shrieked through the air and the second part of the ambush went into effect. Stormtroopers and Cadian commandos struck from their camouflaged positions, hitting the distracted traitors in the opposite flank. It was telling that whatever training and discipline those troops once had, it was not nearly non-existent. Only a handful of them kept their vigil and continued to cover their own sectors once the shooting started. Almost everyone else turned in the direction of the fighting, with many abandoning their dis-orderly advance so they could race towards the fight.
The loyalists naturally singled out those who remembered their training for their particular attention. Hot-Shot Lasguns and snipers scythed through the alert traitors like a Power Blade cleaving through mere flesh. Plasma guns and meltas struck the vehicles on the flank, boiling armor and turning fighting compartments into ovens. More Sentinels died before they could unleash their significant armaments, while a tank slid to a halt, throwing mud and half-melted tracks in all directions. Its right sponsor gun was gone, it's engine was a burning ruin, yet the tough machine was still able to turn its turret at those who dared damage it and opened fire, it's battle cannon sending shell after shell into thick clouds of sparkling smoke.
The mortars struck then, explosions blossoming throughout the traitor's "formation". Corrupted Guardsmen went down screaming, others ran without directions, howling in agony while burning promethium did it's best to cleanse them. Others were luckier – they were far enough from the blasts or only Krak warheads detonated nearby, so they had just enough time to properly figure out what was happening, and in some cases, actually remember their training. The traitors roughly redressed their lines in something that might actually pass for a proper formation if you squint hard enough, and launched a ragged counter-attack, all the while mortar shells did their best to break their cohesion. Their vehicles led the way, auto-cannons, multi-lasers, Heavy Bolters and Battle Cannons shaking the jungle, shredding trees and bushes alike.
They struck only smoke and two particularly unlucky Stormtroopers. A handful of shots glanced off Astartes armor, in one case, barely causing the super-soldier to stagger, before he threw a second smoke grenade and legged it to safety.
When the dust settled and the furious counter-attack ran out of steam, the traitors found only a single enemy body, a ravaged jungle, and not a single Corpse-worshiper willing to stand and fight. Some laughed or roared in derision, furious that there was no blood to spill. A few, who managed to keep most of their wits after receiving their new gods' blessings, took stock of the situation and were even less pleased. More than two infantry companies, butchered to a man. Multiple vehicles were taken out, their advance to the objective slowed down, enemies lurking in the jungle, undoubtedly preparing another ambush, and there was nothing to show for it.
Their new commanders wouldn't be happy about this turn of events...
=ATBS=
If you want to support my writing or discuss this story, see the following links:
Pat re on: Delkatar's writing corner
the space battles forums - this is where most discussion over my stories takes place
the sufficient velocity forums
the alternative history forums
