Welcome to the third chapter of What Was Once Forgotten. Once again I do not own either Harry Potter nor do I own the 40k Universe. I hope y'all like this chapter, a bit more violent action, and some plot development. Leave a review and let me know what y'all think.
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The three Thunderhawk gunships screamed over the heads of the disgruntled and battered Imperial Guardsmen. Inside the belly of the middle Thunderhawk stood Captain Harry Potter of the Forgotten Warriors Chapter of Space Marines, and he was on his way to what would undoubtedly prove to be a decisive battle of the early campaign. Imperial Guard forces had reported the use of sorcery on one of the battle fronts that had sprouted up inside the massive hab city. While no one from the Guard knew of Lieutenant Ibsen and his fate it did not worry Captain Potter. It would be assumed that they had fallen with the rest of the Guardsmen deployed in that ill-fated landing mission.
Grabbing a hand rail as the Thunderhawk shook violently in the air as it dodged one of the captured anti- aircraft emplacements that had been set up around the main cultist/ heretic 'fortress' This 'fortress' had been the massive Administratium complex that kept the hive city working efficiently. It had long since been captured, essentially gutted of everything inside of it, and had been turned into a massive fort completely filled with the Chaos infested heretics.
It was near here where the Guard forces had reported the use of sorcery. That entire area had been bombed heavily, with aircraft and with artillery. Nothing stood at all there anymore, at the recommendation of Captain Potter. It was the most effective way to deal with the tainting influence of Chaos, after all.
The main cannon of the lead Thunderhawk boomed out a heavy rapport and an explosion from below signalled the destruction of one of the anti-aircraft guns stolen from the PDF. The 'fortress' was defended by the squads of Arbites and PDF that had defected and been influenced by Chaos. They would prove a harder foe than the simple mobs and masses had before.
As the Thunderhawk shook again Captain Potter gave the signal over vox, telling the other two Thunderhawks, and both squads inside of them, that it was time to disembark. Reaching the designated Landing Zone, what used to be a plaza dedicated to the Saints, the Forgotten Warriors moved out.
Deciding that the best way to take the structure from the enemy would be to storm it. 30 some odd Space Marines would prove a very significant challenge for whatever defenses the heretics had managed to build, especially with more Marines and more Forgotten Warriors on the way.
Sergeants Sarno and Ansel, the two Marines that had been inside the Thunderhawk when Ibsen had arrived with Captain Potter, would each be leading their squad through the Administratium compound. Captain Potter would be leading his honor guard.
As the Space Marines gathered near the far edge of the plaza, about a kilometer away from their target, and went over the simple plan of a frontal assault, the Imperial Guard launched a new offensive. The Marines were deep inside heretic territory, or what was still standing of heretic territory, and the Guard were not. The Guard were attempting to close in on the Administratium complex as well, and cut off any escape.
"We will be able to receive reinforcements once we take the upper levels of the complex, and destroy the anti-aircraft gun there. Sergeant Sarno that will be your objective." The Sergeant nodded in assent. "Sergeant Ansel your objective will be to destroy the three heavy bolter emplacements. Lukas, Tiron, and I will be hunting down the Sorcerer." His honor guard nodded, Lukas was the Space Marine wielding the chainsword and bolt pistol, and Tiron was the Marine wielding the heavy bolter.
"Move out, Brothers! The Emperor watches this day." Captain Potter finished speaking, and went to speak to Sergeant Sarno.
Just before the Sergeant Sarno went to join the rest of his squad in preparing to leave the plaza Captain Potter spoke to him, "Sergeant, you must complete your mission with speed. Without reinforcements we will never be able to hold against a counterattack. The Guard will not reach us in time and we will be on our own. You must knock out the guns."
"Yes sir. It will be done." Sergeant Sarno went to speak to his men, and Captain Potter returned to the honor guard.
Shortly after this conversation all of the Space Marines had left the plaza and were on the way to the complex.
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Captain Potter squeezed the trigger of his bolt pistol, and watched as the head of another heretic exploded into a fine pink mist. Kicking the fallen corpse out of the way as he moved down the corridor Captain Potter looked around. He and his honor guard had been searching every corridor, hallway, and room inside the Administratium Complex, yet they had found no sorcerer.
A few minutes earlier the entire building had shook to it's very foundations from an explosion on the roof, signalling that the anti-air gun had been taken out by Sergeant Sarno and his squad. A couple smaller explosions had rocked the area, signalling the almost complete success of Sergeant Ansel, but the third heavy bolter could still be heard barking a steady and deadly rapport.
Watching as Lukas disemboweled a heretic and kicked in a door to a room Harry was frustrated. The reports of sorcery had been from a sector near here, and this was the only place that the sorcerer could have retreated to. But, as it turned out, Captain Potter did not have to wait much longer to find the Sorcerer.
Hearing the clash of chainsword on metal from the room Lukas had just entered, followed by a blood curdling scream that was suddenly cut short with a wet crunch Harry instinctively knew they had found their target. The display on Harry and Tiron's helmet of Lukas' vital signs suddenly went dark. He was unquestionably dead. Locking eyes with Tiron and crouching slightly Harry raised his bolt pistol and took aim at the open doorway. Tiron repeated the action with his heavy bolter and the two Space Marines simultaneously opened fire on the room.
Tossing a frag grenade into the room and waiting for the explosion, and sending dozens and dozens of bolt rounds into the room seemed like an effective way to deal with the Sorcerer inside.
Revving up his own chainsword and preparing for the worst Harry charged into the room, Tiron a few steps behind. The frag grenade had taken care of every bit of sparse furniture and decoration the room had that the intense hail of bolter rounds had not destroyed. This unfortunately included the corpse of Lukas, now mutilated and full of shrapnel.
Scanning for the Sorcerer did not take long. The Chaos Space Marine was propped against the wall, the once terrifying warrior, scourge of a thousand worlds, brought low by shrapnel piercing his stomach, and bolter rounds taking his legs. As the Sorcerer lay quickly bleeding to death, with a crazed look in his foggy eyes he shrieked out one last time sentence. "The Forgotten Warriors will know the touch of Chao-" His shrieking voice was cut short by a single round from Harry's bolt pistol.
Harry could tell that Tiron wished to ask what he thought of what the Sorcerer had meant, but that his training and stoic nature refused such an action. Hearing a third explosion that could only be the third heavy bolter nest falling to Sergeant Ansel Harry carefully picked up Lukas's corpse and began to make his way up through the complex, with Tiron guarding him and killing all of the few heretics they ran into. Killing the sorcerer had been easy, but it had come at a price.
Harry was regretful that Lukas had died, they had fought together for decades. It was, however, rather unsurprising in the manner of his death. He had always been impatient, and this time it had cost him severely. If Lukas had simply waited to breach the room as they had been doing before, as a team, and not been too overly confident in himself. But now it was done, and the Space Marines had effectively taken the Administratium complex, and had the reinforcements to hold it until the Guard arrived. It was now only a matter of time before the rest of the hive city was purified of the heretics and the touch of Chaos. What would have taken the Imperial Guard hours or days and dozens if not hundreds of lives had taken the Forgotten Warriors a few hours and no more than three lives total. While this was impressive, Harry was still puzzled by what the Sorcerer had said.
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Well that's the next chapter. A bit shorter than the others I think, but hey it's what's getting put up. I might come back and add some more or just have a longer chapter next chapter. Let me know what y'all think and leave a review. Feel free to PM me with any questions, suggestions, or comments.