Kaida stood with her protector. She gripped her pulse carbine, held it firm, braced against her shoulder and gazed down the sights at the enemy. She found herself holding the switch for the inbuilt markerlight, marking targets to aid the aim of her allies. It was muscle memory, once she noticed she was doing it, she stopped. The noise marines had no use for a markerlight.
The enemy was coming closer, she could make out the shapes of the larger vehicles, they were sleek and elegant and seemed to be using sails to ride the wind or perhaps harness some other form of energy. These were designed for speed not durability, and could not survive a direct hit with a lascannon; another of them burst into flames and crashed to the ground.
As the enemy closed into range the Noise marines started up their own engines of destruction. Each Sonic blaster, creating a different noise, each one a tailored instrument, unique to its user. Culminating in a sound akin to a great unholy orchestra, blasting down the smaller flying vehicles as they approached.
One of the single pilot speeder bikes came close to Reptile and Kaida at lightning speed, Reptile just moving out of the way of it's blades. The bike circled around and looked like it was about to come back again, for a return pass. Kaida lifted her Pulse Rifle and tried to stop him. The pulse rifle fired quickly and it was hard to control the kick, but one of her shots managed to connect with the craft, pitching the nose of it into the ground and vaulting the pilot from his seat.
Kaida looked round and saw that the rest of the eldar force had reached the Space Marine lines. It was now a brutal close combat. Reptile was fighting off two eldar on sky boards. Reptile managing to parry their long staff weapons with ease. He locked his sword with one, while quickly whipping his pistol round to shoot the other out of the sky, then with a twist brought his power sword down to chop the first board rider from shoulder through to waist..
A loud crash was heard behind Kaida, she whipped round and saw that one of the Marines with the Jump pack had just smashed a sky board rider into the dust, before blasting off again.
The Terminators stood at the end of the battle line, shooting down any clear targets. They were not being troubled by the close combat forces of the eldar, the eldar perhaps seeing them as too dangerous to engage.
The lascannon Team was being swarmed by lightly armoured foot soldiers in close combat, one of the marines had taken to holding his lascannon by the barrel and was swinging it like a hammer.
The eldar Numbers were thinning, but there were still some more in the sky. Winged figures circled above, Kaida didn't need to think twice, she had a clear shot and was not in danger of hitting a friendly target. She sprayed the air where one of them was hovering and clipped it to bring it down, flapping helplessly on it's way to the ground.
Reptile grabbed Kaida's shoulder and shouted, "Myrsinus needs aid!" they were being outmatched in close combat and Reptile wanted to join to even the odds. "Stay with the Noise Marines!"
It was clear the tide was turning, except one could say the momentum of the battle was never in the favour of the eldar. Winged eldar had descended from the sky and had thrown their weapons down in front of them, signalling their surrender. Other eldar were giving up the fight and were stepping back from combat, there weren't many left now, and the close combat squad Reptile had engaged were now subdued.
The Astartes had total control over this engagement. An easy fight.
Dresarieth sat in the dust with his defeated kin, the marines were too much for them; they destroyed them and forced the eldar into surrender. What's worse, there was only the smallest amount of suffering caused to the Chaos marines' ranks, he only saw a few marines fall, and even then, not all of those were dead. One marine with a jump pack wielded a husk blade; the whole reason for their venture.
Dresarieth's group of scourges, the Shard Rain, had surrendered after losing three of their five, Dresarieth and Feraset were not stupid, they knew that it is better to be taken prisoner and have a chance of survival than to be killed on the battlefield.
He watched them, the marines, the simple way they moved and talked, clearly made from the inferior human species. Strong and worthy enemies, but deplorable to an end, for these were space marines of Slaanesh. A vile, sick and twisted religion, worshiping the very thing that destroyed eldar civilization as it was entering it's apex. Everything they did, they did for Slaanesh, or 'she who thirsts'; but more than that, they enjoyed it.
He watched the marines converse, it was a simple human language they used and Dresarieth knew it well enough to understand. One of the squad leaders with a power sword approached one of the Marines holding a lascannon "I watched you fight," said the squad leader, "I was very impressed, and I didn't see you miss a single shot. It would feel as if I was doing you a disservice if I did not know your name."
"My name is to be forgotten," said the marine with the lascannon, "For I am named after our primarch."
"Surely it would be best to wear that name proudly, as an affront to the Imperium."
"I would rather be given a new name, one that does not remind me of the past."
"Very well, my brother," the squad leader looked him up and down, "you have kept your armour clean, and your aim is pure. Then you must be named for your purity. I would name you Ermine if that would please you."
"Ermine," repeated the marine slowly. He removed his helmet, to reveal a face undeformed by war or chaos corruption, and took a deep breath while gazing over the landscape. "My name is Ermine, and I am a Knight of Ecstasy. You have my eternal gratitude, brother Brutaka."
"Eternal gratitude is not required, brother Ermine" laughed Brutaka, "only your love."
"And what would be a good token of brotherly love?"
Brutaka turned his head towards the Dark Eldar prisoners, "It would strengthen our bond greatly if we could enjoy the pleasures of Slaanesh together."
Ermine looked over the Dark Eldar, "But I am unable…"
"If you are lacking, Slaanesh will provide."
Feraset, shuffled closer to Dresarieth and whispered in his ear, "We need to get out of here."
"How?" asked Dresarieth, "My arms and wings are bound, and so are yours."
She had no idea how to get away from the marines, she whipped her head from side to side, looking for any sign of a possible escape route. Dresarieth had given up looking for a way out of the immediate situation, even if he could free himself from his bonds, he would be gunned down by the terminator with the assault cannon watching over them.
"Look at that," mentioned Feraset, looking over at one of their captors. "Have you ever known a Tau to join with chaos?"
"That is unusual," agreed Dresarieth, the Tau was moving towards one of the captured wyches, "I wonder what it's going to do?"
"Not preaching about the greater good, I'm sure," said Feraset with a smile.
They shuffled towards the conversation; Dresarieth glanced up to the terminator who was watching them. The great hulking sentinel kept his gaze on them as they moved, but he did not act on it, he knew they weren't trying to escape. If he did suspect an escape, two scourges forced to shuffle around on their knees would not be hard to recapture.
The Tau had her helmet under arm and her plain blue face was unblemished. She was kneeling at a distance from the wych, for even a bound wych could be dangerous. The leader of the noise marines loomed behind the Tau, watching over the encounter.
"Can I talk to you, what's your name?" asked the Tau, she spoke gothic just like a human.
"Get away from me, filthy Slaaneshi whore!" spat the wych in one of the many tongues of Commorragh.
Dresarieth covered his mouth to hide his laughter at the abruptness of the wych's reply.
The tau looked round at her noise marine guardian, who just shrugged his massive shoulders, then back at the captive. "I'm sorry, I thought you would speak gothic." She got to her feet and was about to get up and leave, but the wych interrupted.
"I know the human language; it was made for simple minds and I see you speak it well." This reply was in gothic and the tau understood it fully. "But I will not speak with you, your very existence is a sick joke."
The tau didn't respond.
"When that great hulking beast behind you fucks you, does it hurt? Do you enjoy it? Does he split you in half every time he enters?"
The tau was stunned.
"Don't act like he doesn't, I know what your cults involve, you are an insult to your species which was already a pitiful excuse of a lifeform; short lived and physically weak. My name is Gillezra and I will enjoy revelling in the agony of your death. Not only will your suffering give me strength, but I will have the pleasure of making the galaxy a better place by removing the stain of your life from it."
The tau got up and turned to the noise marine leader and walked off with him, "they do not make for good conversation," he told her.
"That was fun," said Feraset with a smile. She looked around searching for a way out, but there was none. It was a barren featureless landscape and there were many space marines, the only notable feature was a rhino transport tank that was parked not far away. "We need to get out of here," she told him, "got any ideas?"
Dresarieth leaned in closer to Feraset, "I do; but we need to wait. There is no way out now."
Feraset worked at the bonds around her wrists. She tried biting and wriggling, and then with one big pull that looked like it dislocated her wrist, she managed to slip one of her hands free. "Look, I can do it," she said. She continued to pull and her other hand came loose, much easier than the first one.
The two scourges had their wings bound, but not tightly. Perhaps the marine that tied them was not familiar with scourge wings. Dresarieth was grateful for this, the last thing he would want is for the wings to be damaged. They were expensive after all. However with his hands bound in front of him, he was unable to reach round and remove it.
Feraset with her hands now free quickly slipped the single bond from her wings and without hesitation, stood up and unfurled her wings to their full span. They were glorious, beautiful white, wings, like a mythical white bird, shining brighter than the desert sands in the sun. Dresarieth could only wish that the surgeon that gave him his wings was as gifted as Feraset's.
A Space marine has spotted Feraset on her feet and ran to catch her, but with one beat of her wings, she was off the ground.
"Rubex!" came a call from another marine and in a moment a noise marine took aim and blasted her out of the sky with a single shockwave.
She landed in the sand again, but got up and darted in the direction with the least guards. A space marine just caught her before she had space to fly again. He threw a punch but it was dodged. He swung his hand again, and again hit nothing. She took three acrobatic steps up the space marine's torso to land a heavy spinning kick to his head. This forced the marine to stagger back clutching his helmet. Now in the air again, she tried to beat her wings to get away but the space marine recovered and grabbed hold of her foot dragging her back down to the ground, pulling her face into the sand.
She tried crawling away, but the marine held her wing up and raised his massive boot.
"NO!" screamed Feraset eyes wide with terror, "Not my wings! Please!"
Dresarieth couldn't watch, he did not show much empathy, but seeing a fellow scourge having their wings mutilated was too close to home. He would never want this fate on a scourge of an enemy faction, never mind a friend with glorious white wings such as hers. He knew what was best for himself though; he just looked away.
"Stop!" came the voice of a marine; Dresarieth looked to see that it was the leader of the noise marines who was walking over to the marine and the scourge. "Don't you see what you're doing?"
"I'm stopping this one from flying"
"Look at what you are destroying. Get her on her feet," commanded Reptile; the marine lifted Feraset to her feet by her shoulder. "Now just look at those wings, rarely have I seen such beauty." Reptile turned to walk away, "do not break them."
"What should I do?" asked the other marine.
"Bind them again; bind them tight."
Dresarieth watched the marine bind Feraset again, this time it was tight, Feraset winced when he pulled the strap with enough force to cut into the feathers on her wings.
They were now approached by another marine with a power sword, this one was the leader of what they called the tactical squad.
"Brother Mikah," said the marine with the power sword.
"Brother Brutaka," responded the marine.
Brutaka glanced at the scourge in the sand and said, "are you ok? It looks like that small Xeno woman hit you pretty hard."
"They are stronger than they look," said Mikah.
Brutaka moved closer to Mikah and lifted the helmet from his brother's head to reveal a handsome human face with unkempt brown hair. "No child of pain is going to destroy your beautiful face."
Mikah held the hand of Brutaka and moved it to caress his face; with his other hand Mikah lifted the helmet off his squad leader and said something softly to him that Dresarieth could not hear.
"Perhaps later, my brother," said Brutaka with a smile, followed by a kiss. Brutaka then turned to a group of marines. "Get them all in the rhinos!" he ordered, "We need to get the eldar moving."