Zethina was just about to give the order for her sisters to move when movement up on the platforms caught her eye. She held up her hand quickly and stopped the others.
"What is it, Sister?" Diona's hushed voice was barely audible under her rebreather.
Zethina pointed up and gritted her teeth in rage at what she had spotted. Striding across the platform's walkway was the traitor company's chaplain, easily distinguishable in his black armour and his skull helmet. A red clad armoured pilot and ten tactical marines shortly followed the Chaplain, all of them marching in a rank and file formation. They all headed past the smaller storm talon crafts and towards the nearest storm raven.
"What are your orders, Superior?" Kaltia asked, her pistols were now drawn.
The awkward bulky transport's front ramp lowered and they all headed inside. The pilot appeared inside the cockpit and another red armoured marine entered and appeared inside the topside turret. The ramp closed and the engine began to power up.
"What are your orders, sister?" Kaltia pressed.
"We wait for the transport to leave." Zethina said. She wanted more than anything to engage and attempt to take the traitor Chaplain's life, but she knew that they would not survive such an engagement and there was too much at stake. "We'll move in after they head off."
The other sisters' vox's clicked in acknowledgement. They all waited and watched as the transport hovered up and away from the platform before switching into flight mode and zooming gracelessly away over the fortress walls.
"Ready to move, Sister." Diona said.
"Confirmed. On my mark." Zethina took one last look up at the platforms, the few pilots and servitors up there were too pre-occupied with maintenance on the storm talons to notice anything else. "Go."
Zethina sprinted away from the cover and into the open. She heard the hurried footsteps of her sisters following her and kept running in a straight line.
"Any second now…" She thought to herself, waiting for the unique sound of Diona's multi melta firing.
And there it was. The searing melta blast hooked over onto one of the support beams for the platforms and immediately steam began to rise from where it had impacted. Diona fired another two shots onto different structures and began to run again.
Jezail and Kaltia had their weapons poised up towards where the techmarines were maintaining the vehicles and the moment one of their enemies poked his head over the edge of the platform to investigate the noise, they fired. Two short bursts from Jezail's bolter and a barrage of pistol shots spat up at the Techmarine who attempted to dive back to no avail. Several bolt rounds struck him in the face, killing him instantly. Shouts of alert followed from this and Zethina grinned. The enemy were too late, she and her sisters were already across into the cover they sought. She listened out as the support structures gave way under the torture that the melta substance wrought. The massive beams screamed as they collapsed and dragged several platforms and aircraft with them. One of the stormravens had been in the middle of being re-armed with skyhammer missile rounds and when it landed on top of them it exploded. The individual missiles in turn exploded causing a cluster of explosions rocking the area and sending echoes that drifted over the entire fortress, killing all of the techmarines and servitors present.
"With me, Sisters!" Zethina cried out, "Death to the heretics!"
Kaltia let out a shrill laugh and followed the Superior.
Zethina ran down the passage in the shadow of the landing pads desperately looking out for the immolator.
"I can't see it." Zethina breathed, forgetting to hide the panic in her voice.
"Sister!" Phebia called out. Zethina turned and saw the Celestian pointing further down the passage and there it was. The Canoness' Immolator sat next to the edge of one of the battlement walls right out of the way and a bit to the left of where the landing pads had been. Its chassis was decorated with purity scrolls and battle litanies, its double barrelled multi melta turret was adorned with golden sculptures of heroes of the past and it looked very much functional.
"Move, sisters." Zethina grinned again.
The team sprinted towards the vehicle, time was of the essence as the explosions would have no doubt attracted a lot of unwanted attention. They reached the vehicle and Kaltia used her jump pack to boost onto the top of the chasis. She reached down and pulled Zethina up, who then entered the vehicle through the top access hatch and then moved into the driver's area. Her sisters followed suit and set themselves up in the transport section of the vehicle. Phebia sat herself in the turret and activated the targeting console.
Zethina had driven Immolators many times in the past and turned on the engine with several finger swipes across the vehicle's console. The Immolator roared into life and a belch of black smoke shot from each of the vehicle's exhaust pipes.
"Melta turret primed, Superior." Phebia called out.
"Here we go…" Zethina muttered to herself as the vehicle pulled forward. The Immolator sped past the destruction that the demolition of the skyshield platforms had wrought and continued around towards the battlements beyond it. Half way down this wall would be an access gate where the fortress' original occupants had accepted shipments of rations and ammunition. The gate was abstract enough that the traitors would have little if any deffence around it and would act as a perfect exit point.
The edge of the supply gate was in sight and already the desecrated bodies of their sisters were in sight. Dozens of silver clad warriors were chained and nailed to the battlement walls either side of the gate but to Zethina's relief there were no guards. As the Immolator drove through the gate Zethina vowed to avenge their deaths.
The vehicle hadn't driven thirty metres away from the fortress, when Jezail cried out.
"We are being pursued!"
"How many?" Zethina's eyes widened as she felt adrenaline rush through her system.
"No more than a squad, Superior." Phebia answered this time, "Assault marines, jump packs."
"How close?"
"They'll be upon us within ten seconds, Superior."
"Open the top hatch and be ready to engage." Zethina ordered.
"Superior." Kaltia stood from her seat and placed her helm onto her head, "Allow me to engage the foe in the skies."
"Negative. Our shots could hit you, we would work better as a shooting platform."
"Superior, they are upon us!" Phebia's voice was immediately followed by the thrumming sound of the multi-melta turret firing and then the clunky sounding shots of bolt rounds striking the vehicle's chassis.
"Sisters! Engage!"
Kaltia looked up just as one of the crimson clad assault marines landed with a slam on top of the Immolator. She could see him through the now open access hatch, the warrior was facing away towards Phebia, his bolt pistol leveled towards her. Kaltia wasted no time. She activated her jump pack and boosted out of the Immolator, her sword poised forward. The marine turned at the last moment and held up his chainsword in an attempt to parry. The attempt was to no avail, the searing edge of Kaltia's blade cleaved clean through the top half of the marine's chainsword and followed through into his chestplate. On top of this strike, Kaltia's knee collided with the marine's faceplate sending him stumbling back. She landed in a crouch and immediately swiped the marine's shin with a roundhouse kick. Without the momentum of her jump pack aiding her, the kick did nothing to the marine's stance. Before the marine could use this to his advantage however, Kaltia fired her bolt pistol into the marine's faceplate. The round detonated inside the marine's skull and sent the bulky warrior careening off of the speeding vehicle, his body rolling and bouncing in the dirt.
"Sister!"
Kaltia turned towards Phebia who she saw was already aiming the multi-melta turret in a different arc. Kaltia turned to see what Phebia was aiming at just as he struck her.
The power fist had barely missed her head but the Sergeant wielding it had used his weight to slam her against the Immolator's hull with such force that Kaltia's helm flew from her head.
"Remember me, bitch?" The marine growled, his faceplate inches from her own.
"All too well, Heretic." Kaltia grinned back, blood dripping from her teeth. Behind the marine looming over her, she saw another two assault marines coming in for a landing. One wielding a bolt pistol and chainsword, the other a pair of lightning claws. The Sergeant raised the bulky power fist once more and was about to slam it down into Kaltia, when a burst of bolter fire from inside the Immolator exploded across his jump pack, causing him to stumble clumsily forward. Kaltia acted quickly and boosted upwards into the marine. She punched the marine in the face and while still hovering in air kicked him in the chest. Already buffeted from the bolter fire, the sergeant was powerless to resist and fell from the Immolator with a cry of rage.
Before Kaltia could celebrate her victory, Phebia cried out in pain causing her to turn once again. The chainsword wielding marine had landed on top of the multi-melta turret and had swung his chainsword down at Phebia.
Kaltia had her own problems though. The marine armed with the twin set of lightning claws had landed inbetween her and Phebia, the red soulless eyes of his corvus pattern helm staring back at her.
"I'm going to make you regret that. Wench." The marine said coldly.
"Adoine." Kaltia's eyes narrowed as she spoke the name. Before the betrayal at the fortress, her Seraphim squad had been dispatched to the same area's of Keelo as Adoine's.
Kaltia looked around for her sword, luckily one of the Immolator's exhaust pipes had stopped it from sliding off the hull and she quickly skidded over and picked it up.
The marine hadn't moved but as soon as she was armed, he moved into a defensive stance. Kaltia boosted towards him and swung her sword with both hands clasped firmly around the handle. Adoine blocked the incoming blow, his lightning claws catching the blade with ease. An array of blue crackling energy erupted from the weapons as the clashed. Kaltia stepped back and swung again, Adoine once more parried the strike and this time boosted forward with one claw swiping downwards. Kaltia flicked her wrist and angled her blade to parry the incoming claw. Adoine's thrust had enough momentum to make her wince as her wrist enflamed with strain. She only just saw the other lightning claw coming at her and even then she knew it was too late to try blocking it. She arced her head backwards and activated her jump pack. The tips of the four razor sharp claws all barely met their marks, slicing four uneven streaks down Kaltia's right cheek and continuing on to singe cuts into her breastplate.
Kaltia cried out as she felt the searing pain as the blood escaping her cheek began to sizzle. Her jump pack carried her away from the Immolator and her attacker, she paused a moment in mid air watching the Immolator zoom away. She once again boosted her pack and caught up with the vehicle just in time to see Phebia's assailant fall away from the turret. Phebia spun the turret on its axis and fired into the marine killing him instantly.
Adoine turned to the new danger and began to run towards Phebia's vulnerable side.
"Celestian!" Kaltia cried out, but it was too late. One of Adoine's set of claws struck downwards towards Phebia, all four of them penetrating her helm and neck brace. Phebia spasmed for a moment and a muted cry was heard before she dropped limp. Adoine's claws slid free of Phebia's body and he turned back to Kaltia.
"One less for the slaughter." He chuckled cruelly.
"Traitor bastard!" Kaltia roared as she ran at him, Adoine once again forming a defensive stance but this time Kaltia was ready.
She skidded down into a crouch in front of Adoine and swiped to the left with her blade. Not anticipating the move, Adoine went to block with his claws but fell short, allowing Kaltia's blade to cut under the armour upon his knee. The marine cried out in pain and stumbled forward into an attack. Kaltia rolled to the side, dodging the hasty attack and once again swung her sword, this time severing the power source of the lightning claw on his right hand and digging into his arm.
Adoine turned and backhanded Kaltia with his powerless claw, slamming her against the melta turret. He quickly followed up the strike with a kick to Kaltia's stomach, he kept his foot pressed down, pinning her to the side of the turret and without saying a word pulled back both sets of claws for another strike.
His left set of claws flew forward with a terrible speed and it seemed as though Kaltia was dead, but just as they were about to meet their mark upon her chest, the Immolator swerved to the left, causing them to instead embed themselves within Kaltia's shoulder. She screamed out in pain, the burning sensation within her shoulder was nearly unbearable.
Adoine audibly growled and began to pull the claws free from her shoulder, the pain intensifying as he did so, but before he could go in for another attack, the trum of a melta shot erupted from behind him.
Adoine cried out as the melta caused his jump pack to explode. Kaltia's vision began to blur, but she still saw the lava like substance began to leak through the marine's stomach. Looking past him, she saw Diona and Jezail both sticking out of the Immolator's access hatch. Jezail fired a burst from her bolter, finally sending Adoine falling from the speeding vehicle, his cries of agony still audible as they left him in the dust.
Jezail lifted herself from the inside of the Immolator and pulled herself across the hull over to Kaltia's ruined bloody form.
"Seraphim?" Jezail's worried tone sounded distant to Kaltia, "Kaltia?"
"I-" Kaltia managed to say before she felt a tightness in her chest. She looked down at her torso and saw the puncture marks in her armour still had steam rising out of them.
"Get her inside!" Diona called.
Kaltia felt tears leaking from her eyes and blood from her mouth as she began to pass out. Jezail had begun to pull her back to the hatch just as the darkness settled in.
That's it for this chapter guys hope you enjoyed it. This story will be wrapping up soon, i'm expecting no more than three or four more chapters, thank you to everyone who has stuck with it this long, i really appreciate the reviews you guys leave.
More to come! - Jed.