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A/N: See first chapter for disclaimer. Here it is folks, the first part to the multipart battle for Suliman. I hope that you'll enjoy it and I'm free to take any criticism or advice for the story. Also I want to give a thank you to Carlo for the review. I started this story before the new rulebook came out Carlo, so I can't change it back to abhuman now. Anywho onto the battle, straight into the action!
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Suliman- Angelus Hive
Angel Hive, or in the High Gothic speak of the Imperium Angelus was Suliman's only hive city. When the colonists, former guardsmen and their families, arrived on this world there were three main landings. One went to the Tallern's, for which this world was named after their command, thus was called Imperatue Akbar. To the guardsmen of Patria they settled in Teckokol and spread out to the jungles beyond. Finally there was Angel Hive, which had over the centuries gone from Angel's Fall, to City of Angels to the final Incarnation which it bore now. Though the official Imperial records have it as just Angelus to save on confusion, caused to the already over stressed book keepers and tax collectors of the intergalactic empire.
Founded by two regiments of Amerigo Secondous, it quickly grew into a large city and after another century of development was able to send out colonists to another part of the continent. Since then it had grown and grown to a population of over 50 million, spread out on a flat of land and some ocean over 30 square miles. Its spires reached over a mile in height while a vast majority of the hive was spread out on one to three story concert and buildings. Though it was named after an ideal image of a divine being, Angelus Hive had never been pretty, especially now that there was a full on war being fought in its streets between its defenders and xeno invaders.
For the past three days the battle had gone both ways, both sides gaining an advantage then losing it. The day that the xeno invaders arrived they were able to use advance flyers to knock out most of the local PDF flyers, pushing most of the defenders to the outskirts of the hive. Then the next day a squad of PDF troopers almost single handily destroyed a command and control facility that the xeno's were using to direct their flyers. The Defenders counter attacked and as it stood it was a pitched battle between the armies in the streets and spires.
This was the environment that Private First Class Jack Johnston found himself in. For the past half an hour his squad and the rest of his platoon had been exchanging fire with the Xeno's in a dome-park. His platoon had tried to reach the other side and secure it, but were driven back under the heavy fire of the enemy's… arm guns and grenades. The enemy for their part tried to take his side of the park but were driven back by the heavy stubbers and his platoons autoguns. So the two forces were limited to potshots against each other that is till now.
"Eyes up, enemy advancing, 400 meters." His sergeant called out, nine autoguns and one heavy stubber answered with safety's being clicked off or rounds being charged. Jack looked through the broken windown of a residential house that served as his cover. From across the park, he could see advancing towards a rare tree still with its leaves and standing unlike those that had the misfortune to be caught in flames or blasted over by heavy weapons, a line of xeno soldiers was making its way across the field. Among them were the 'Dog Walkers', mechanical walkers that looked almost like dogs that shot over half a dozen rockets and were controlled by a line trooper, and also one of the damn hover tanks. The heavy stubbers of his platoon 'might' be able to take down one or two of the walkers, but the hover tank was a different proposition and required heavier weapons that his platoon didn't have.
"Fuckin' A." His sergeant, the acting commander after his lieutenant had his guts blown out, swore as he saw the enemy." Justin's, tell command that we have at least 3 to 4 platoons worth of enemy troops advancing on our position. We need an artillery strike." He ordered the squads vox-operator. After a moment of talking to the other end of the line the vox-operator shook his head." No can do Sarg. The Higher Ups won't call it in, something about not wanting the dome caving in and destroying cultural heritage or some othe shi-… hold Sarg." Justin pressed the vox bead to his ear." What is it?" The Sergeant questioned."… Sarg were getting re-enforcements." The Sergeant quirked an eyebrow." From where? I thought we were the re-enforcements?" Justin's looked at his commanders." Sir were getting an Imperial Guard… forward task force under the commands of Captain Rizzo."
"How the hell did they… who's… aw screw it. Hold the line till the IG get here boys, pick your targets!" He then raised his autogun and took aim at an xeno line trooper." Fire!" He, Johnston and the remains of the platoon then opened up on the xeno's at three hundred meters. Unlike at close range, less than a hundred meters or so, they didn't use rapid fire but instead took time to aim at the long distance. The shots were directed towards the chest, around where the heart should have been, and the xeno's started to fall.
The Xeno's fired back with their arm guns, but where fairly bad shots, even at the speed of full auto only a few of their rounds were even impacting against the houses the platoon were stationed in. But despite that fact they were firing hundreds of rounds per minute and a little under two hundred of them were using their weapons, not to mention that they had the heavier weapons of the hover tank and Dog Walkers. So the PDF troopers were starting to take causality's. A house was blown out by a cluster of rockets, a squad of PDF taken out of the fight in that instant. Another squad took three KIAs and two WIA by the arm guns and heavy machine guns of the hover tank. Even Johnston's squad took a hit with Justin's getting a lucky shot through his helmet, killing the vox operator.
After two hundred yards the Xeno's had lost over fifty of their number to the PDF troops and a Dog Walker from lucky glancing hits. But the platoon had been hit hard as well, over half their number was now on the causality list and they hadn't even dented the hover tank. Then the house Johnston was in rumbled and shook, he stopped firing his auto-gun and heard the clank of a treaded tank. One of the other PDF troopers shouted." It's the Imperial Guard!"
The eight Chimera's rumbled past the house on a street next to it, crushing automobiles beneath their treads. The front tank opened up with its Multi-las and a pintle mounted stubber. Something was wrong to Johnston though, the heavy stubber operator had a… odd mask to say the least. Its mask was like that of a rat and it was highly detailed. He realized that the Guardsman was wearing a full costume, after all its arms was bear and showed fur, his chest covered in a flak jacket and-
It was then that the sergeant said what he realized." Holy Shit, they aren't regular guardsmen that's for sure." The front Chimera advanced into the park enough that the others could go around the rear of the vehicle and take up position to either side. Then they started to disgorge the troops within their bellies. One squad was that of heavily armored Vostroyans, their green/gold coats marking them from the grey-brown of the other IG troopers.
As Johnston and his platoon watched they could see that the guardsmen were clearly not wearing costumes but were born that way. They were men… no rats that walked on two legs. They each carried a las-gun, bayonet and wore a flak jacket, grey or brown pants and some type of head covering, but that's where the similarity's ended. Each of them were individually tattooed, fur or haired dyed or had a particular haircut. From out of the lead Chimera a command group, better dressed (as in wearing leather coats and white tank tops) emerged, the commander of this expedition wearing a pair of sun glasses and a power fist. A standard was unfurled, it showing a beach and a nuclear power plant against a green sky, underneath it read in bold gold lettering 'Josey Hive'.
" Alright youse guys. I want lines infront of the clankers now!" He shouted and his vox operators repeated the message, as well as a platoon command squad. Johnston was surprised that he could hear the shouting over the battle and even more so that he could understand that guttural form of low-gothic" Now youse in the front get on ya knees and start firing, guys behind shoot em' up." The rat-men then did as they were told, though raggedly and under enemy fire, they started to fire shots at the enemy mowing them down. As they fired their las-guns and the PDF troops watched, Johnston could hear a clear gothic voice also shouting, but this time he could understand the dialect.
"Do not falter! Do not waver! Do not think, save for the destruction of the Xeno fiend! For today the Emperor is watching you and I shall be his judge!" Jack could see that the person speaking was a tall and broad man, in a long black coat and peaked cap…." A commissar!" He exclaimed at the realization. There was a commissar fighting at a front of a monstrous force of, possible, mutant guardsmen. What in the name of the Holy Emperor was happening to his world? His sergeant again vocalized his squads thoughts." Looks like every screwball from Saint Diego just showed up."
"Wooosh!" A chimera launched a hunter killer missile at the hover tank scoring a lucky shot and blowing it sky high, another Dog Walker was destroyed by a kark grenade, scores of xeno's were falling under the fire of the guardsmen. Under all that awesomeness the sergeant called out to his men." Well let's not let them have all the fun. Let's get out there!" He then slung his auto gun and drew his pistol and bayonet, then he leapt out of the ground floor window, Johnston and the rest of the platoon following his example. They joined the Imperial Guard on the firing line and unleashed more rounds.
The Xeno's then broke and started running back to their side of the dome, the sergeant of the PDF troops, feeling zealous over the enemy breaking then gave an order." Charge! Run them down!" He, his men and a squad of IG that thought that they were supposed to follow orders whenever given, moved out of the line and after the enemy troops.
After making it fifty yards across the field a Chimera pulled up in front of them, blocking their path. The sergeant looked pissed at the fact that he had been stopped from killing more Xeno's by some rats. The back hatch opened and it wasn't the a Ratical officer that steped out, but the commissar." What in the Warp are you doing!" He glared at the twenty five troops, the sergeant cowered underneath his gaze." Sir, I was just running down those Xeno-."
"Under who's orders?" The commissar stepped to the sergeant." Who gave the order to advance when Captain Rizzo hadn't?" He pressed his chest to the sergeants." Um… I did sir." The man looked up at fear at the commissar, the very visage of death that haunts guardsmen just a little more than deamons." That was incredibly stupid of you, what gave you the right to order Guardsmen in service to his Holy Emperor-" The Chimera's multi-las then opened up on a new target." Oh throne what is it now." The commissar pulled away from the sergeant to look at the new threat, he followed the line of las fire and saw… a new sight." What in the warp…." He saw the Xeno's, mounted xeno's, on smaller versions of their Dog Walkers. They were integrated with long arm blades and small barreled pistols, they were also riding towards them at a full gallop. The commissar bit his lip and said." Right you lot, I want two ranks ten wide, form up on the left of the Chimera." The mix unit did as he told forming up under fear of death. The Chimera turned towards the enemy cavalry as well and its two gunners and heavy flamer operator readied their weapons.
From behind the troopers they could hear the heavy ratchet of a bolt pistol slide then the low hum of a power sword, the commissar reading himself for the charge." Take aim." He growled as they got closer, the chimera opening up with its heavy weapons killing off three of the twenty riders. The enemy were in charge range, but before the commissar could give the order they opened up with their pistols, spooking the humans and killing the sergeant." Fire now!" The men then fired their auto/las guns but their aim was off, the only ones to do any real damage were the Raticals and even then they were able to kill only two of the enemy.
Then the Xeno's horde were on them blades coming down like guillotines, another ten humans fell under the onslaught before they struck back. Though the Commissar sliced through two of the enemy the troops were able to kill only another three of the cavalry. The Chimera though used the flamer on one unfortunate that was cooked, its metal mount melting under the heat.
"Fall back. Lets get out of here!" Johnston shouted and tried to run, his moral having been broken. The last words he heard were." Hold the line and die as heroes-" There was deafening blast as his head was taken off by a bolter round.
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"Or die a coward's death." Lord-Commissar Danolov Bracket finished. He looked up from the dead trooper and raised his sword." For the Emperor!" There was a ragged cry as his men took up the cheer and they fell upon the Xeno's once more. A xeno's raised its arm blade, about to stab forwards at Danolov, he raised his power sword up not trying for a block. The xeno then stabbed forwards, but its blade was split up the middle by the crackling power sword, cutting it in half down the tang. Bracket then shot the rider off his mount then ripped his sword free and with a yell of triumph he brought the blade down on another rider and mount. Then time his sword cut diagonal and sliced through the semi-organic rider and its dog like mount.
Around him other guardsmen were doing better now that the effects of the charge had worn off. The Ratical sergeant used a switch blade to get into the joints of one rider to sever its weapon joints. A trio of Raticals used their bayonets to surround a rider and mount and slice it to death. All around him the humans and Raticals were winning the fight due to holding on and holding the line. The Xeno's felt the change and fell back." Hold the line, reform." Bracket ordered and this time they held their victory in and reformed.
From their right flank came new fire, this time it was the white streaks of las-guns." Ah good, the special weapon squad is finally earning their pay." Danolov mumbled under his breath. The special weapon squad was a trio of sniper teams, armed with Jezails-pattern sniper-las's. Their pin point auccuracy and the weapons of the remaining guards as well as the Chimera scythed down the rest of the Xeno cavalry. With the threat removed of the Xeno' removed for the moment Bracket said." Right you lot, back to the line. Load up the wounded and the intact dead into the Chimera first." The remains of the three squads did as told, putting the dead and those to wounded to move into the Chimera before heading back to the line. Danolov rode back on top of the APC
Once he arrived at the line he hopped off the tank and talked to Rizzo after the Captain finished consulting with his Vox-operator." Update me captain." He didn't ask." Da guys from 2'd and 3rd companys have taken the other parks. We would be addin' this as well, if da gals from the scout pack haddn't called in regi sized Xeno force. I'm pulling back the task force till the rest of da company gets here. I'm leav'n Alexei's squad here to call in arty when dem xeno's gets halfway 'cross da dome. By da Big Cheese on Earth I hopes dey xeno's gets squished from the dome."
Danolov could understand the gist of what the captain had said and nodded." Yes sir, I'll see to the men and await your order to leave." Rizzo smirked, his incisors showing." Thank's Commissar. You saved dem boy's tails when I told ya about them breakin' rank. Ya didn't have to do that ya know and left them to the Xeno's?" Bracket shrugged." I'm here to protect the servants of the empire, both from the enemy and from themselves. Nothing more nothing less." With that he walked off to minister to the Raticals and give words of encouragement, his mind drifting back to his son at the command station on the outside of the city.
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A/N: This will be my last chapter for awhile. So unless I win the lottery, school comes first for the next few months. See y'all later and remember to review.