"Power plant spotted about a kilometre from your position, brothers."

Captain Gaius' voice was calculating and matter-of-fact. This was, in Akileus' eyes, the damning quality and the greatest strength of the 1st Company Captain. He was a vicious, emotionless fighter, jaded by hundreds of years of warfare and a fitting contrast to the often boisterous nature of Apollo Diomedes, who took control of the Chapter Honor Guard. However, this calm, matter-of-fact demeanor sheltered and nurtured a vicious side of his personality. Indeed, he was one of the most vocal supporters when the time came to decide whether to attack the Governor-Militant or not.

Of course, Gaius was still a competent commander, as expected by all Space Marines to hold such high ranks, and Akileus would follow his Captain to the ends of the galaxy, but he did not feel the same way about the First Company Captain as he did more emotionally driven Captains, like Davian Thule or Diomedes.

The two Terminator squads were leading the formation across the ruined military camps and mounds of debris that made up the vast majority of this region of Victory Bay. Behind them strode Squad Tarkus and Chaplain Mikelus, taking advantage of the bulk of their Terminator-armored brethren to minimize casualties amongst the power armored battle brothers. They'd heard reports of Leman Russ tanks in the region. On top of that, the power plant was sure to be well-defended by the Governor's most trusted soldiers. This would be the hard part.

Akileus began to pick up the pace as much as his Terminator-armored frame could bear, and soon after, his brothers did the same. Tarkus' squad and Mikelus had no trouble following, armed in normal power armor as they were. Akileus was almost beginning to miss his own suit.

"Tell me something, Sergeant Tarkus."

Tarkus looked at Akileus' back as the Veteran spoke.

"Yes, brother Akileus?"

"Why did you find yourself above the Litany of Fury? Did Captain Thule opt to keep you in reserve?"

"No, brother. I had escorted Avitus' squad back from a disastrous ambush. Our assault upon the main encampment east of the crater did not go as well as intended. Avitus' squad was cut down by the combined fire of six heavy weapons teams. He survived an autocannon round himself before we could extract him. His squad has been restored to full strength with reserves from Captain Angelos' Third Company, and are back to full strength. He will most likely have to accept new Battle-Brothers for his squad when this campaign is over."

"I see." Akileus said. This did not bode well. This loss would only serve to deepen Avitus' animosity and hatred for the Imperial Guard.

"Do not worry, brother Akileus. I will ensure Avitus' bloodlust won't be a problem on this mission."

"I trust your judgement in this, sergeant."

"Your faith in your brothers is an inspiration to us all, brother Akileus", Mikelus said, pride in his voice.


Akileus was impressed. He'd imagined a series of vaguely interconnected plasma generators built haphazardly and without any seeming thought to their construction. What he was met with was a series of professionally lined-up plasma generators, each providing power directly to the Titan Cannon. They'd have to take each and everyone one down before they'd truly power down the cannon.

What impressed him even more as he stood there, barely two hundred yards from the power plant, was the line of Guardsmen who had already prepared for their arrival. In front of them were rows and rows of Guardsmen, probably two hundred in total, huddled behind well set-up sandbags and barricades, exposing as little as possible, lasguns and grenade launchers pointing above the sandbags. Behind them were three Leman Russ tanks, one of them brandishing an enormous plasma cannon. An Executioner, thought Akileus. This would be difficult. The plasma cannon mounted on the tank would shear right through even Terminator Armor.

"In hindsight, perhaps it would have been preferable to use Storm Shields" one of the Assault Terminators said, a lightness of tone in his heavily distorted voice.

"Perhaps", Akileus responded "but at least this way you will have to move towards the enemy fast. Mikelus, would you please recite the oath of the Blood Ravens before we go?"

Mikelus started laughing, powering his Crozius Arcanum and yelling at the top of his voice, augmented by the black skull helmet that was his second symbol of office:

"My armor is Contempt. My shield is Disgust. My sword is Hatred. In the Emperor's Name, LET NONE SURVIVE!"

As he finished the last sentence, Mikelus and the Assault Terminators surged forward, and Akileus revved his assault cannon. He was out of range of the Executioner, but perhaps he could make the Guardsmen bleed a little before the Assault Terminators reached their lines. The instant the Assault Terminators came within range of the Guardsmen's lasguns, they started flaring, the cracking shots of almost two hundred simultaneously fired lasguns making it appear as one bright, powerful beam surging towards the Terminators, who remained unfettered by the volume of las-fire.

"Squad, split up. Brother Ahvon, keep that lascannon firing. The faster we can bring down those tanks, the better." Tarkus' voice was hard to hear over the deafening noise of assault cannon fire, Akileus' ever familiar instrument of destruction scything down ten Guardsmen in one volley. Suddenly, the first lascannon blast fired from behind him, though the shot went wide.

Tarkus' combat squad started moving then, keeping as great a pace as they could as to avoid the regular Leman Russ tanks and their blasts. Even a Leman Russ' standard cannon could easily dispose of a Marine if struck, and Tarkus would need to get up close for the flamer in his squad to be worthwhile. They fired as they moved, taking pot-shots at the Guardsmen who were now engaged with Mikelus and the Assault Terminators.

That particular fight was less like a battle and more like a slaughter. Mikelus' words were audible across the battlefield, and the strikes of his Crozius Arcanum hit their mark every time. The Assault Terminators around him were no slouches either, their Lightning Claws quite capable of scything through the Guardsmen with almost contemptuous ease.

However, the Executioner was nearing its mark. This was, if anything, the greatest strength and weakness of the Imperial Guard. As the average Guardsman was worth notably less than destroying a full squad of Terminators, the Executioner was free to fire on the Assault Terminators, though it would undoubtedly destroy much higher numbers of its own allies. The Guardsmen were little more than living obstacles to keep the Terminators in place for the Russ to take the shot.

The Executioner charged up its first shot, and although the shot went wide, one of the Assault Terminators went down, along with at least fifteen nearby Guardsmen. The second shot took another of Akileus' First Company brothers, down, but miraculously still alive, and the third went wild, obliterating little more than a line of sandbags. Still Mikelus and the Terminators fought on, unfettered by the loss of their brothers. If anything, it only inflamed Mikelus, who seemed to be attacking even faster now.

At that moment, Captain Gaius and his Vanguard Veterans joined the bloody melee, crashing into a group of Guardsmen, Gaius swinging the Fist of the Father in gory arcs, protecting himself with his shield, and his Vanguard Veterans fighting back-to-back behind him, their power swords crackling with every strike, a Guardsman falling at their feet with every violent riposte.

In that instant, another lascannon blast flared, and this time, Ahvon's lascannon found its mark - the now exposed side armor of one of the Leman Russ tanks. The blast scythed straight through the tank, and a violent blast soon ensued, the tank exploding from the inside out. The blast took three Guardsmen with it, and slowly but surely, the Guard's numbers were reduced.

Akileus' squad were finally in range to fire, and soon enough the scything blades of the melĂȘe were complimented with the hymn of storm bolter fire and the roar of Akileus' assault cannon, scything through anyone foolish enough to leave their sandbag posts. Soon enough, one squad gave a full retreat after seven went down in a hail of bolt shells in seconds.

Suddenly, a roar came from overhead as a Drop Pod landed close to where Ahvon's combat squad was placed. Out came five Space Marines, four of them hefting missile launchers, none of which took very long to start finding targets amongst the Guardsmen, bombarding them with frag missiles. The last of the Marines hefted another lascannon, his grey-haired face exposed to the elements. His teeth were gritted, and the look in his eyes would kill a mortal man. Avitus had arrived now, of that there was no doubt.

A combined blast from Avitus and Ahvon's lascannons soon brought down the Executioner. Even the formidable front armor of a Leman Russ chassis was no match for two concentrated blasts in such quick succession, and the tank soon began smoking from the hull, forcing the crew to evacuate. As they desperately tried to flee their burning tank, they were shot down by concentrated bolter fire, and Akileus noticed Tarkus' squad, now having moved close enough to the sandbags to start using the flamer. Soon after, a gout of promethium set another six Guardsmen on fire, and set the remainder of their squad running between the hammer of Tarkus' flamer and the anvil of Mikelus' deadly Terminator assault.

At that moment, however, the last Leman Russ tank, a normal chassis, took note of Tarkus' squad and fired another round, determined to bring at least some of its adversaries down. The shot was fired as if blessed by the Emperor, and three of Tarkus' squad mates were instantly hurled back, two of them dead on the spot, and the last breathing, but unstable. Only Tarkus and the flamer marine remained.

In that instance, Tarkus lifted his combi-melta and fired, a gout of vaporized air making a line between him and the tank. The instant the shot struck, smoke began rising from the main gun of the tank, and though it was not destroyed, it was effectively a non-threatening entity, having no sponsoned weapons to speak of. This time, the terrified crew stayed inside, no doubt wishing not to suffer the wrath of the no doubt very aggravated Tactical Sergeant outside their tank. This turned out to be a sound move as Tarkus turned his back to the tank and pointed towards the few Guardsmen still dueling the Assault Terminator squad. His squad mate lifted his flamer once more, and one last wave of promethium sent the last of the Guardsmen running.

Regrouping did not take long after that. When they regrouped, Akileus noticed the numerous dents and scorch marks from bayonet strikes and lasgun shots on his fellow Terminators, and on Mikelus. The fighting had taken its toll on all of them. Especially the initial volley seemed to have done more damage than intended, and their armor was heavily scorched in places. The Techmarines would have a field day littering the squad with complaints about their disregard for the sacred armaments of war that they wore, Akileus mused. They would not let even their eldest brothers get away with such flagrant acts.

"Captain Thule, can you request for immediate Apothecary deployment to our position? We have wounded here who may be salvaged yet. Either that, or send a Thunderhawk for immediate extraction."

"Confirmed. I will send a Thunderhawk to pick up the wounded and deliver you to me. I'm granting you some melta charges from the armory to destroy the facility. Once you've ensured its destruction, board the Thunderhawk and report to me. Thule out."


Akileus sat in the cargo bay of the Thunderhawk, his eyes darting over what remained of the task force with his own eyes, having removed his helmet inside the transport, where he was convinced no danger would find him. Of the five Vanguards, five Assault Terminators, five Terminators, ten Tactical Marines, and five Devastators that had originally embarked on the mission, ignoring Mikelus and Gaius, both of whom were alive, two Vanguards, four Assault Terminators remained, though one was in critical condition and it would be days before he would fight again, eight Tactical Marines, and five of his own squad mates remained, as well as Avitus' squad, which had also suffered no casualties.

Below him, he knew, what little remained of the power plant burned, the melta charges having levelled the plasma generators. The titan cannon would fire no more, and the Space Marines could now safely cross the valley and engage the Governor-Militant's last forces. Akileus could smell the victory. The boy general had been ill-prepared for fighting Space Marines, and the delay caused by the Titan Cannon had only lasted so long. They were coming up on the last leg of the journey.

Akileus' thoughts of regret had been erased now. Only the desire to finish the fight was left, the determination to end this slaughter of a campaign, and move on to fighting the true enemy who dwelled on Kronus. To take the last leg of one journey only to embark on another campaign of bloodshed and war in the Emperor's Name.

The desire to see Lukas Alexander broken so the Blood Ravens' secrets would be kept with those who had witnessed it. Secrets who would die with them.


And so the second-to-last bit of the Lukas Alexander arc comes to an end. From here on out it's going to be C:SM and Necrons, oh my!

More fighting, good lord. I've managed to do two fighting chapters in a row and keep them at somewhat consistent quality. I actually think this was one of the more fun ones to write, though I still think I have a general issue with balancing out the battle so it actually seems like this is a challenging fight rather than the greatest curbstomp fight in the history of 40k. Hopefully I can fix some of those issues when we get to the Chaos arc.

As always, constructive criticism is looked upon with reverence. Trolls die in shame.