"Normal speech"
"Gothic around non-Imperials."
"Mental Links."
"Ship Names."
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To Warp Ligia Obscura: Thanks for the review. Now to answer your question, the castle is human built over an Ancient lab which contains some very interesting and old things.
Okay I'm really sorry. Really sorry. My computer had decided that all word files are its enemies and committed digital genocide. So after slapping the thing around for a while I had to re-write this chapter. Reason for taking so long? Honestly I had more important stuff to redo first. So after a long pause which I can only blame on my aging laptop I present the new chapter. As always enjoy and please review.
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"Angelus, we have established a geo-synchronous orbit above the Eldar vessel." Nestor said, turning to face the enraged marine captain.
"Transport our men into the ship." Angelus replied, getting up from his chair.
Nestor tapped a few keys on his station before twisting his neck to face Angelus again. "That's impossible; their shields have been raised and are covering the immediate area around the ship. Its mostly powerless now, but it is still deflecting our transporters and the results could be messy to say the least."
"Teleport?" Angelus asked, the more tactical, less genocidal parts of his mind shifting into gear.
"I would advise against it for the main force, our pads can only send infantry in ten man squads." Nestor countered. "The dense forest would make any teleport exceedingly dangerous."
"Then it's a landing operation." Angelus said, his frown deepening slightly.
"I agree, the faster the better, before they establish some form of coherent defense." Nestor concluded with a small nod.
"Eldar." Angelus growled as he rushed off the bridge.
Several minutes later the massive hangar doors of the Fenrir and the Ragnarok split open and the first wave of thunderhawks, puddle jumpers and I-301s soared out.
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Thieri Ghen'Hòar blew her silver hair out of her face while disconnecting another series of power cables as she helped her crew detach another of the Kaerathaì Baermon`s remaining undamaged shuriken cannons. She was already dressed in the light armor common to most Zerfàrim fleet personnel. It was the normal metallic dark green of the Zerfàrim military with grey shoulders and boots. Ghen'Hòar's was marked with a broken silver line around her waist marking her as the ship's captain. The dark green garment was highly flexible, with the ability to easily dissipate several Wraith stunner blasts along with a small defense against kinetic impacts.
The small ship lay crushed against the foothills of a massive, near impassible, mountain range. To the east no more than a half kilometer was the sea or at least a very large lake, they didn't have time to check, to the south lay a massive, fast flowing, river that twisted through a thick forest and ended in the huge body of water. The west was the open forest that lay between the foot of the mountains and the river's bank, a massive dark thing, which probably housed many dangerous animals, in another situation that would have been an entertaining area for a hunt.
With the screech of metal grinding against metal the shuriken cannon fell from its housing into the waiting arms of three Domìnar-Suit wearing Zerfàrim. The Suits gingerly moved the large, smooth-surfaced weapon over to a waiting harness attached to a drop ship floating above their heads. Most of the Kaerathaì Baermon's unneeded point defense weapons had been stripped off and moved over to the sea's beaches and the river's delta in an attempt to make an effective anti-aircraft battery to protect there flank against any attempted landings from that direction, as they simply didn't have enough fighters to provide effective cover in all directions.
A roar like thunder and a blinding flash suddenly washed over the landscape as four huge beams of white light tore viciously through the sky and plowed up the land. Three ripped through the forest, burning massive flaming scars into the world all leading towards the downed Zerfàrim Frigate. The fourth struck the river and with an angry hiss filled the sky with thick, hot mist.
Seconds latter a low rumbling filled the air and through the rising clouds of water vapor hundreds of little black dots could be made out. Suen limped over to Ghen'Hòar his left arm hanging in a sling and a bloodstained bandage wrapped around his right thigh.
"I suggest you take a squad and rally our forces; that strike probably took out most of our forward scouts. I'll stay here and help with in the command center." The Goa'uld said politely, grimacing as another wave of pain washed over his body, gods weren't used to being injured.
"Agreed. Continue to repair the self destruct device, we cannot let the Kaerathaì Baermon and the information she carriesfall into enemy hands." Ghen'Hòar ordered before running off towards the remains of the Kaerathaì Baermon armory.
"As you command." Suen said with a little bow. After she was out of earshot he glared at Ghen'Hòars retreating back and muttered. "I'm going to enjoy watching you burn!" His eyes flashing golden at the last word, then he started to limp back towards the Kaerathaì Baermon newly improvised control room.
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The pitch black thunderhawks bucked in the gale force winds as they sped towards the smoldering landing sites the Ragnarok had so kindly provided. Wings of closely packed I-301s hung around them, the Imperial fighters sliding into the atmosphere with much less turbulence than the boxy thunderhawks. Around the large force of Imperial craft, like the membrane of a cell, cloaked puddle jumpers soared along with little more than a mild hum easily keeping pace with the manmade vehicles.
Suen watched patiently as the holographic projection of the soon to be battle ground came to life. The dark green blob of the Kaerathaì Baermon nestled against the quickly rendered hills, the large spheres of the anti-air platforms, the three hundred tiny scurrying dots of the individual soldiers as they readied for battle, the twelve isosceles triangles of the fighters and the seven equilaterals of the transports, the squares of the nine Domìnar-Suits that wandered through the small dots. He flicked through the memories he had stolen form his former human host, the Imperium would use their main assault tactic, an armored wedge followed by foot soldiers. A simple maneuver that had proven devastatingly effective in the Milky Way. Continuous, well placed and lightning-fast ambushes would slow them down, thus allowing the Zerfàrim to establish a better defensive perimeter while forcing the Imperials to adopt secondary tactics ranging from blitzkrieg to simply burning the forest down, when that came to pass he could have his massacre.
Two other Zerfàrim that had been rendered unable to fight by the unpleasant landing of the Kaerathaì Baermon slid up beside the hunched Goa'uld as they watched the sky fill a single large mass of moving unregistered crafts. The computer, not sure what to make of the crafts that fitted no known silhouette, made them all blood red spheres. Suen donned a two way transmitter in his ear as he prepared to issue strategic commands.
A second passed before the hovering isosceles of the Zerfàrim fighter broke away from their mother ship and sped towards the approaching red spheres. Suen looked on with anticipation through remaining sensors of the Kaerathaì Baermon as the two sides drew ever closer.
Sheppard grabbed onto the oversized yoke as the thunderhawk lurched again, behind him the ever impassive Teal'c tightened his grip slightly on his staff.
"May I inquire about the reason you wished to fly this craft?" Teal'c asked, not taking his eyes off the front panels as wispy clouds whipped past them.
"I've never flown one before and wanted to try it out." Sheppard replied, his eyes flickering over to the co-pilot who simply muttered a small prayer and pressed a series of buttons on a panel labeled 'landing gear'.
"Incoming." The ex-first prime stated calmly as the green screen of the auspex lit up with flashing dots closing at high speeds.
Sheppard narrowed his eyes out the window in the distance the as the same fighters they had engaged in space came shooting towards them in a large crescent formation. A click in his ear alerted him to the puddle jumpers moving to intercept.
Suen watched as the Marnith Koòr pattern fighters closed in to weapons range with the Imperium's landing craft. His face twitched as his host threw another attempted revolt at the Goa'uld but to no avail. Suddenly the two crafts in the line of fighters disappeared.
Sheppard half glanced at the approaching fighters that seconds ago threatened to tear apart the lumbering thunderhawks were shredded by the zipping yellow specs of drones. The Zerfàrim fighters were sent into disarray as puddle jumpers continued to de-cloak and fire into their ranks with the infamous weapon of the Ancients. The shielding around the hawk-like fighters flared a brilliant blue-white as the yellow balls of rampaging light rammed into them.
The initial shock of the Ancients weapons in the hands of the Imperials faded and the Zerfàrim fighters began to tear into the puddle jumpers. Lasers flashed through the sky sending a jumper spinning to the ground and lighting up another in a ball of flames, the crescent formation dissolved as individual fighters hunted down the elusive jumpers. Sheppard winced as the computerized voice of the fire control servitor blasted out targeting data; Sheppard had a dislike for the reanimated dead. The thunderhawk lurched again as the heavy bolters along its nose and wings opened up. At this distance the weapons were not very effective but the torrent of explosive rounds did discourage the Marnith Koòrs from getting any closer.
"All jumpers break off!" Sheppard shouted into his radio as orange streaks screamed passed his cockpit windows.
The light green cylinders immediately entered near suicidal nose dives as the sidewinders of the I-301s laced through the sky. Onboard the Zerfàrim fighters counter measures normally reserved for evading dart patrols sprang into action. Sensor ghosts and false heat signatures sprang up around the Marnith Koòrs sending the majority of the missiles speeding off in random directions. The few missiles that got through overwhelmed the lead fighter's shields almost instantly. The two man fighter exploded as the plasma enhanced Tau'ri weapons mercilessly consumed its armor plating.
The remaining nine fighters fell back into their crescent formation as the mass of black I-301s sped towards them, like some flock of angry crows. Suddenly the Zerfàrim broke formation and charged the I-301s from multiple directions using their faster movements to outmaneuver the I-301s. The flock of fighters shifted into separate wings intent on hunting down their enemies, the long ranged plasma cannons mounted on the underside of the Imperial craft spat irradiant death at the sleek Zerfàrim fighters. However the specialized shielding of the Zerfàrim shrugged off the energy weapons with contemptuous ease; their quick reply to the attack, a hail of deadly light tearing more I-301s to shreds.
The thunderhawks touched down as several of their I-301 escorts exploded in fire balls or plasma storms. The two forces intermingled in an embrace of death, their shorter ranged weapons proving even more deadly. Assault cannons screamed in blissful fury as they launched thousands of armor piercing rounds at their enemies, the Zerfàrim fighter's shields doing little to stop the mass onslaught of Forty First millennium inspired death, so their Armor took more than a small bruising. The Zerfàrim's reply was to unleash their fusion guns, the anti-armor weapons effortlessly blowing through the Imperial fighter's armor.
The aerial duel continued overhead as the dark outlines of I-301s and Marnith Koòrs twisted around each other far too occupied to worry about the mass of humans moving on the planets surface.
O'Neill walked down the ramp of the thunderhawk he had hitched a ride in. All around him the well oiled war machine of the Imperium shifted into high gear. Not since his days on the frontlines fighting the Goa'uld side by side with the space marines had he seen so many tanks. It still made him a little giddy to think how much they had changed the nature of war in the Milky Way, no one fought with human waves anymore, now it was all about tactical and technological advantages.
His radio hissed at him in the usual way a vox connection did. "Supreme Commander, all landing sites are secured. Armored columns are ready to move out. The Sentinel detachment is moving into the forests" A voice said crisply.
"Roger, general advance." O'Neill replied donning his favorite cap as the other members of SG-1 and Davidenko formed up around him.
"This is very different to what I am accustomed to." Teyla said looking at the smoke belching from a Leman Russ tank's exhausts as they rumbled over the flash baked earth and twin legged Sentinels bounding into the tree line.
McKay looked over two battalions of men as they marched behind the wedge formed by the tanks. "I suppose this is how we fight now."
"It's a bit different but it shouldn't be a problem." Sheppard said gently. "Are you coming or not?" He shouted over his shoulder into the confines of the thunderhawk.
"That wasn't at all like you described." A very pale Ommarin groaned followed by a grinning Levis.
"Okay, now that you're ready, let's go!" Sheppard said, jogging after SG-1.
Suen looked attentively at the holographic display. The red spheres had settled into the gashes in the forest. Very soon red lines would begin to advance on the Kaerathaì Baermon. With a deep breath Suen began to organize the Zerfàrim forces moving them into easily defendable positions and less defendable ones. He had just over three hundred Zerfàrim to play with on the ground.
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The two man team of Domìnar-Suits crouched just behind a rocky outcrop that overlooked one of the Imperium's bombardment fashioned roads. Hidden in the massive trees that had not been felled by the lance strike lining the makeshift track two squads of Zerfàron-Elite armed with the long ranged pulse weapons and deadly laser rifles the Ancients had given them to fight the Wraith so long ago. A rumbling in the distance told them that the tanks were approaching. A quick jump and they were on top of the blackened rocks. The leader's twin laser rifles mounted on his shoulders focusing in on the lead tank. And so was the first shot fired.
The Northern column was advancing without any trouble, the I.G.L. soldiers beginning to relax, although the humidity dampened their spirits a little. Suddenly two beams of gold-white light struck the lead tank in its turret, slicing through the armor and speeding on over the heads of the human foot soldiers. The battle cannon's barrel had melted under the bombardment and the main turret was split open. The Imperial response was fast and furious. High explosive rounds shredded the rock, which the two Domìnar-Suits had stood upon a moment ago, covering the immediate area in a cloud of smoke and dust that hid the two large humanoid forms that soared away from the battle.
A voice hissed over the general vox. "Be advised, enemies have deployed heavily armed walker-style combattants."
The Zerfàron-Elite, his bulky dark green armor blending in with the foliage, watched through the pulse rifles scope from the trees as the column stopped, the larger vehicles forming a protective barrier. A head poked out of the twisted remains of the lead tank's turret, inspecting the damage to his vehicle, the team leader squeezed the triggers on his pulse rifle. A blink of an eye later a blue flash impacted the human's head, spraying blood over the tank as the body slumped back inside. Immediately the area of forest that the shot had come from erupted in flames as the battle cannons pounded away to no avail. A tank at the flank suddenly lurched to the side spewing flames from its ruptured fuel tank as the group armed with laser rifles struck from the opposite side. The I.G.L. turned to face the forest where the laser beams had come from and unleashed their deadly return fire. A las rifle was almost useless on its own but en-mass they were one of the most deadly forces in the galaxy. Red light mauled the forest easily burning through trees and any Zerfàrim unlucky enough to remain in their massive kill zone.
A series of blue flashes streaked into the battalion of riflemen felling several of them as the Zerfàron-Elite on the right tried to lessen the deadly hail on their allies. The sponsons-mounted bolters on the Leman Russ tanks sprang into action, well drilled crews shredding the tree line were the blue pulse blast came from. Several of the Zerfàron-Elite fell lifeless to the ground unable to evade the sheer mass of firepower being brought to bear, the mass reactive rounds either blowing them apart or sending shrapnel like wood flying through the forest tearing up anything in its way.
Suddenly another Leman Russ exploded the firestorm igniting its deadly ammunition sending stray rounds everywhere, forcing the soldiers to dive to the ground as the deadly metal shards shot over their heads. Then as suddenly as it had started, the ambush was over, the Eldar vanishing in a split second. The I.G.L. Soldiers, no longer pinned down by the snipers or stray rounds, spread out into the woods intent on hunting down their attackers but they failed to make contact and soon the wedge was grinding forward at a steady pace again only to be attacked again from several different angles.
Beside the Southern track twin squads of Zerfàron-Guard moved through the dense trees watching the bulky vehicles of the Imperium`s Southern column advance. Their orders had been to distract the human soldiers and allow the seven man Fiery Eye squad on the other side of the path to attack the vehicles without interference. The leader fiddled with the hilt of his short sword as the tanks rumbled by followed by hundreds of marching humans. The first signal they got that the attack had started was one of the small vehicles at the back right exploding. Cursing the brash actions of the Fiery Eyes the Zerfàron-Guards opened fire on the humans.
After the initial attack on the Northern column everyone had been put on alert, so when the Chimera exploded the response was coordinated. The tanks began to reverse from the ambush while pouring heavy bolter rounds and las into the forest on the right firing their battle cannons in patterns the machine spirits said the enemy would follow. A hail of shuriken caught several I.G.L. riflemen off guard, the high speed projectiles cutting through weak points in their flack armor. The Zerfàron-Guard squads scattered in different directions as red beams of las swarmed their position. One Guard squad regrouped behind a small hill while the other scattered into the forest, both waited until the distinctive crack of the Imperial weapons stopped.
The Fiery Eyes, who wore a bulky suits of pure white armor plates that fitted together seamlessly with the hands, outside thighs and shoulders painted crimson red, their helmets were bulky, slightly resembling a smoothed out terminator's helmet, with a bulge on each cheek that followed the jaw line, it was composed of the same white plates as the main armor with a single deep red v-shaped visor that covered the eyes began to advance. They shifted through the dense trees, the whipping red lasers and explosive rounds doing little to deter them, suddenly a massive explosion caught the Zerfàrim at the back, tearing him limb from limb. The Fiery Eyes roared in fury, their fusion weapons being fired with less care and precision, their advance becoming more erratic.
The leader of the Guard squad behind the hill poked his egg shaped helmet above the crest of the hill his squad was hiding behind. Las tore at the hill leaving smoking min-craters forcing the Zerfàrim to dive down again. The entire Zerfàron-Guard knelt up and opened fire on the approaching humans, the shurikens tearing through the I.G.L. as they took cover behind the large trees before returning fire. A few of the Guards fell a patchwork of blacked marks and the occasional smocking hole covering their dark green armor.
The squad behind the trees added their support to the fight forcing the Imperials to retreat out of the trees. The two squads prepared to move again just like they had been taught when several arcs of flames leapt through the trees. The fire splashed against several trees on its way down towards the Zerfàrim, igniting the trees and sending droplets of flames everywhere. The squad in the trees scattered deeper into the forest a few unfortunate being hit with falling droplets of the flaming liquid but the ones behind the hill weren't so lucky. A pool of fire washed over the hill crest and covering them in the burning liquid, the fires wouldn't extinguish, no matter what they did as the Guard squad thrashed and died behind that little hill. Realization dawned over the reaming Zerfàrim, the humans had charged just to locate them. What kind of Empire would use its men like that and more importantly why did they accept it so readily? The remaining Guards retreated back towards the Kaerathaì Baermon not sure if they should be appalled or terrified by this new force. Probably both.
The Fiery Eyes were infuriated even further after listening to the gurgled screams of their comrades as they were burnt alive, now they were fixated on killing as much of the Imperial armor as possible. So they advanced relentlessly, their fusion guns blasting holes in the Imperial tanks, running through the forest in random patterns not letting the humans even have a chance at getting them, not that it mattered much, as their thick armor shrugged off most of the human weapons besides the slow firing battle cannons.
The Imperial's were already heavily damaged at least six tanks in flames and a couple more crippled, they needed the Sentinel backup, and soon. The Fiery Eyes grinned under their helmets; they were getting close to finishing off the armor that stood huddled on the other side of the path. A hydraulic hiss behind them made the leader spin around only to receive a bright white bolt of plasma to the face, his body crumpled to the ground remains of his helmet melted into his face. The other Zerfàrim spun around as the Imperial tanks stopped firing. Emerging from the forest were five Sentinels. The front three were Dakara patterns, armed with a cross between an Imperial plasma cannon and the staff version giving it superior power over the Goa'uld weapon but not as temperamental or as powerful as Imperial plasma weapons tended to be. The head of the weapon was the classical almond of staff weapons while the stalk glowed with white light seen on Imperial plasma weapons. The remaining two were what would have been referred to in the first Imperium as Cadian patterns.
Before Fiery Eyes could fire the Cadian patterns opened fire, the autocannons blasting holes in the trees and dirt. A Fiery Eye fired his fusion gun at the boxlike cockpit of a Cadian pattern, the weapon blowing a glowing hole straight through the light armor and vaporizing the pilot within. A large metal foot connected with the attacking Zerfàrim sending him smashing into a tree, the Fiery Eye slid down the plant leaving a deep dent in the wood. A Dakara Sentinel exploded as the fusion guns of the Fiery Eyes ruptured the weapons plasma core. A scream filled the forest as another Fiery Eye died by having an autocannon shell blow apart his arms, showering the forest in blood. The Sentinels suddenly scattered their large chicken-like hydraulic legs letting them bound through the forest quickly. The Fiery Eyes tried to follow them but the fast machines kept weaving through the trees. A plasma blast hit a Zerfàrim in the back, his armor barely saving him, although he could feel the heat burning his skin, spinning around to fire at his attacker he was rewarded with a volley of autocannon shells from behind. The already weakened armor didn't offer much resistance to the attack.
The final two Zerfàrim saw the I.G.L. running towards them and the tanks reforming into their wedge. Deciding that the ambush had taking a high enough toll on both sides they made a break back towards the Kaerathaì Baermon their speed impressive for the weight of their armor. The Sentinels ground to a stop as their enemies retreated from battle, a call for aid from the Northern column was more important.
In the centerline O'Neill was casually sitting on top of a Leman Russ chatting to the I.G.L. riflewoman who manned the pintle-mounted storm bolter as their column passed through the oddly pleasant landscape. The rumble of the surrounding tanks was distinctly reassuring to him, he had missed being on the front lines, in the thick of the action. Sitting behind a desk, waging a galactic scale war just didn't suit him. A high pitched whistling caught his attention but before he could investigate the woman who he had been talking with head split in two, the upper half falling forwards while the bloody fountain that was her body fell backwards. A large white shuriken easily the size of his hand streaked passed his face, leaving a shallow gash on his cheek.
Time seemed to slow for the General but his reactions remained the same, almost beyond human reflexes. The scream of ambush was half way out his throat by the time his P-90 was spraying the forest with metal death. The world suddenly caught up and O'Neill found himself sitting in a hailstorm of white blades.
The Angry Stars, who wielded massive shuriken launches closer to the vehicle mounted cannons than the rifles used by the more numerous Zerfàron-Guard, their armor was dark red made of the same material as the Guard's armor with ocean blue, medium thickness armor plates over the chest, shoulders, legs, and forearms their helmets were rounded with a star shaped black visors in the centre giving them a very bulk appearance. They let up on their barrage of shuriken after a few seconds and then dashed to their next position, their weapons being too unwieldy to be used on the move.
Two Domìnar-Suits were crouched behind a hill hiding them from the Imperials. A signal from the Angry Star team that the humans had been engaged whispered from their comms. The two moved further up their hill till their tear drop shaped head poke out. The powerful targeting sensors of the suits locked onto the first couple of tanks, the shoulder mounted laser rifles tracking into place, the shuriken rifles useless at this distance and against armor. Two beams of light struck out, eviscerating the unlucky Leman Russ that had been targeted; the tank bust into flames the crew's screams lost in the noise of battle.
The tanks refocused their efforts on the new, more dangerous targets. The Imperials return fire chewed up the dirt around the Domìnar-Suits or scored glancing blows that marred the machines armor but did little else. The protective earth mound allowed the suits to lay down relentless laser fire on the exposed vehicles, the white beams damaging or destroying the tanks they touched. With the foot soldier's harassment taking its toll on the I.G.L. who couldn't shelter behind the protective steel of the tanks out of fear of being blown up or charge the tree line as they would get shredded; it didn't look to good for the center column. O'Neill ducked as another super sized shuriken flew between the tanks, nearly scalping him.
"Sir they've got us pinned!" Carter shouted over the roar of the Leman Russ's battle cannons.
"You don't say?" O'Neill said sarcastically noting one of the large humanoid machines attacking them getting struck by a shell, the machine stopped firing for a second but returned to the fray seemingly unharmed.
Carter covered her head as the vengeance attack from the hit Domìnar-Suit took out another Hellhound sending a pillar of fire into the air. "It's going to be costly to get out of this."
"I see that Carter. Time to play our ace in the hole I guess." O'Neill muttered firing into the tree line.
"Ragnarok. Target illuminated positions two hundred meters east of my position and transport a dreadnought." O'Neill said into his radio, fishing out a laser from his pocket and aiming it at the suits.
A moment passed as the small laser was detected by the on-board computers of an I-301 locked in the extended dogfight with a Zerfàrim fighter and relayed to the waiting battleship in orbit. The Zerfàrim continued to pick at the Imperial line until the telltale flash of white light that signaled an Asgard transport fluttered behind the entrenched suits.
Both suit twirled round as fast as their legs could propel them, their sensors going berserk blazing with alerts and hazard warning. Before them stood Orpheus, his boxlike body on top of his stubby legs his power fist pulled back in what to a human would have been vicious left hook.
"Die Xeno!" The ancient marine roared in his hollow metallic voice as he drove his four fingered hand through the first Domìnar-Suit, the destructive field pausing a moment to eat though the armor. In a second it was done the deadly claw plunging straight through the machine, crushing the pilot and vaporizing his body.
The second suit fired its laser cannon at the dreadnought the beam of light leaving a smoldering hole in his assault cannon's barrel. Orpheus rounded quickly on the attacking Domìnar-Suit, using his damaged assault cannon like a club he smashed it into the tear drop shaped head of the suit sending it tumbling away from the near-dead marine. Lifting the now limp Domìnar-Suit in his left arm he threw it at the nearly recovered suit.
The pilot slammed on his jet pack as his former teammate's suit came flying at him. The remaining suit shot up into the air, propelled by the thrusters on its back the hulk of its compatriot's dead body missing it by an inch. Orpheus tilted upwards, his single red lens of an eye following the rising suit, even as lasers and shuriken flashed around him. The pilot let out a sigh of relief as he flew away from the strange black machine. A very large and very worrying rune flashed up on his display, seemingly that shell had done something after all. The suit's thrusters sputtered and flared for a second before the machine plummeted to the ground like a stone, twisting in mid air the pilot unloaded everything his suit had at the dark box of his opponent intent on taking the deadly machine with him.
Orpheus lumbered over to where his computer aided senses told him the falling enemy would land ignoring the little shuriken and laser bolts that thronged the air around him. The Domìnar-Suit thudded into the ground the chest plate crumpling under the impact, its heavy armor no match for the planets gravity. The dreadnought strode up to the machine his red eye fixed on his fallen foe, with a hydraulic hiss its leg kicked the bent and buckled suit over. The pilot cradled his shattered arm in the blackness of his cockpit, the sudden sound of metal tearing and the hum of machinery snapped his eyes to the main display quickly he drew his pistol. He was only mildly surprised when the screen crumbled in on itself and shot away, a dark shadow obscuring the light of the sun.
Orpheus dropped the mangled piece of chest armor, the Eldar inside the war machine stared at him defiantly and fired the woefully underpowered pistol at the symbol of the Emperor's divine might even as Orpheus raised his flamer, the dreadnought had seen so many men and Xenos die valiantly it hardly registered anymore, the ignition flame sparked to life at the weapons muzzle. "Grinding to dust all who oppose Him. That is my duty."
Flames poured into the cockpit burning the Zerfàrim to death before he could even scream. The delicate circuits sparked and died as the raging inferno melted them together. The flamer ceased firing, leaving a few flickering flames feasting on anything they could inside the blackened interior. A report of success shot up to the Rangnarok from the dreadnought's vox.
Orpheus turned to face the tattered I.G.L. line giving them a salute with his mangled assault cannon he bellowed. "The Emperor protects!" Before vanishing in a pillar of white light.
With the suit menace gone the tanks and I-301s turned their attention back towards the Angry Stars. Battle cannons pounded the forest while Hellhounds sent arcs of flaming promethium into the trees and the fighters dropped canisters of the deadly liquid corralling the Zerfàrim with a wall of flames.
The squad commander looked at the smoking ruin that was his second in command as bolter rounds and lass flashed around him. When that strange machine had appeared they had fled, trying to get away from the ambush that had gone so terribly wrong.
They had almost escaped from the area when streams of fire had come splashing down through the trees setting everything on fire including the two Zerfàrim unlucky enough to be caught in the blaze and creating a impassible wall of flames that had quickly spread through the forest.
A shell landed in the middle of the sheltering group sending three of their number into the air shredded beyond recognition. The Angry Star leader wasn't sure what to feel, their culture was littered with stories of glorious heroes fighting to the last but very few Zerfàrim actual died in battle, their superior technology and caution winning out over the Wraith almost every time. A shadow passed over them and the high pitched screaming that the Zerfàrim instantly recognized as a jet pack drew their attention to the sky, they all waited for one of the few Domìnar-Suits, piloted by the best of the Elites, to land in front of them and lead them to safety.
A black form smashed through the trees much smaller than any Domìnar-Suit. The Angry Star commander's eyes widened as a massive man clad in pitch black armor landed feet first on one of his squad, crushing the unfortunate victim under his massive weight. A barking noise drew his attention upwards as another four descended firing pistols in one hand and holding vicious looking swords in the other, Zerfàrim all around the commander died as the mass reactive rounds blasted holes in them before the survivors weapons could be turned upon the falling humans, the assault marines landed with a heavy thud and charged into battle. A shadow loomed over the squad leader as the first armored opponent charged him, the human's deadly looking sword held high. The Angry Star, rather unsuited to hand to hand combat, blocked the downward swing with his gun. Again his eyes widened in fear and shock as the serrated blades that he had just assumed were for intimidation started to saw through his weapon.
Brother-marine Actern, Sergeant of the Assault squad Fear. Pressed down harder his Eldar foe's weapon neared it breaking point. These Eldar seemed to suffer the same weakness as the Eldar the marines knew. Identifying the aspect of their assailants had cost the I.G.L. but it had allowed the marine counter strike to be devastatingly effective. The exotic material of the Eldar weapon groaned a little before it gave way and the chain sword bit into the Eldar's neck sending blood spraying over the marine. Actern kicked the limp body off his growling sword and turned to face his squad, the last of the Eldar was on its knees the stump of its arm pumping a river of blood onto the ground. A bolt to the chest finished the Xeno and the blood soaked marine vanished in white light.
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The sun beat down on the world, it was midday and the Imperials had made little more progress than two kilometers of the seven in their journey to the Eldar ship. The advance had ground almost to a halt, the constant surprise attacks scratching away at the Imperial battle force far faster than O'Neil liked, not to mention the rapidly weakening morale.
Sweat covering his face from the horrible humidity created by the lance strike on the river that the shattered environment control of the Kaerathaì Baermon could do little about, Suen looked down at the sluggish red of the Imperials and the retreating green shapes of the Zerfàrim. The initial exchanges had been fruitful, by the reports at least thirteen tanks had been destroyed and several more damaged. On the other hand the casualty list of the Zerfàrim ran into the low sixties most from surprises at Imperial weapons or the annoying new way the Astartes were being deployed.
O'Neill swung his P-90 around as he walked through the forest surrounded by SG-1 and Major Sheppard's team along with several I.G.L. riflemen; they were moving to scout an abandoned castle that could prove an effective forward command post. Teyla and Teal'c had remained behind with the central column to help load the wounded onto the thunderhawks. The few remaining Marnith Koòr fighters had fallen back to their ship after the long aerial battle that saw the forest littered with smoking wreckage from both sides leaving the Imperium with uncontested control over the majority of the sky, though at a high price. With the advance of the main columns stalled by the guerilla tactics of the Eldar the Imperials were attempting to scout a path through the forest.
"Why couldn't those walker thingies do this?" McKay asked, trying not to crush the P-90 in his new hand.
"All the Sentinels are engaged keeping away ambushes." Carter replied, trying to make the auspex they had been given scan further than five meters, and completely failing at the attempt.
"Still, those things were cool. You think I could, you know, take one for a ride?" Sheppard almost pleaded a look of hope on his face.
"If you can wrestle it away from one of the pilots. Those guys are nuts." O'Neill stated with a sigh, never in his life had he been called 'old' so many times.
An I-301 screamed overhead, two orange lights detaching from its wings and shooting off out of sight, followed seconds later by a loud explosion and a pillar of smoke. A laser reached up trying to annihilate its wing, but the beam of light missed by less than an inch. The craft banked sharply before anyone else got a shot off and soared back towards the Imperial landing sites.
"I don't like it, it's to quiet." Levis hissed as the forest fell silent again.
"Calm down. You're almost as paranoid as McKay." Sheppard said dismissively, even as he tightened his grip on his weapon.
"Hey!" The aforementioned scientist shouted in protest.
"Shhhh, something's off here." O'Neill almost whispered crouching down as he scanned the surrounding forest.
"Like what?" Ommarin asked drawing her sword very slowly.
"Davidenko you see anything?" O'Neill asked the Russian woman as her eyes flashed green.
"No sir, nothing suspicious." The redhead replied quietly.
"Okay let's go and keep it down." O'Neill said glancing at McKay.
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Angelus strapped himself into the drop pod, the harness clamping down with the locking mechanism's reassuringly loud click. Levi, Samuel and Vanem were all in similar positions as they waited for the entrance to seal shut.
"Why aren't we transporting again?" Samuel asked, leaning his head back against the cold metal of his seat.
"Lieutenant Colonel Stuart's team, which we are supposed to rescue, has lost their designator and triangulating their position and then adjusting for terrain, even with the Asgard sensors, would take too much time." Vanem replied, the vocalizer in his helmet translating his sigh as a lump of gargled static.
"Brother-captain, may I enquire as to your involvement in such a mundane mission?" Levi asked politely wriggling slightly in his harness.
"Eldar." Angelus whispered, like the word was some evil curse. Which under the obligations of the Sons of Sol blood vengeance it actually was.
"Angelus, jumping at every chance to kill isn't the way to avenge the fallen. How would the dead of Bodhistivitican Primus feel if they knew that the captain of the Second Company was turning into a berserker?" Levi asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter.
"I don't know, but I cannot punish those Eldar any longer. So I will continue the blood vengeance here until they know our pain a hundred fold." Angelus replied, taking a deep breath as the drop pod was roughly swung into position.
"The Emperor protects." A voice whispered from the four marine's voxs as the clamps on the pod disengaged and it entered free fall.
The black drop pod seemed to float peacefully until it hit the atmosphere and a halo of fire erupted around it. A single Marnith Koòr broke away from the tight defensive perimeter they had formed around the Kaerathaì Baermon to investigate the bright new star that plunged towards the planet.
The flames faded, revealing the black pod as it continued its uncontrolled descent. As soon as the Zerfàrim pilot saw the large pod hurtling towards the center of the battlefield he opened fire on it.
The three lasers on its nose and wing tips missed the insanely fast dark craft. The Marnith Koòr fighter swooped past the drop pod, already far above it. Banking heavily the craft pulled into a steep dive unleashing its fusion weapons.
Angelus gritted his teeth, for some reason the ride seemed bumpier than usual, not to mention hotter. The fighter's fusion guns and laser strikes cooked the armor off the side of the pod even as they approached the critical height for the pods deceleration thrusters to fire.
The co-pilot's console bleeped twice as the sensors picked up two incoming hostiles. The Marnith Koòr banked sharply away letting off one last blast from it fusion gun, if it wasn't for the inertial dampeners the pilot would have liquidized his bones, as the craft screamed back towards its own lines followed by two I-301s.
Angelus looked up at the corner of the drop pod as it seemingly warped. Cursing loudly he braced himself as the metal suddenly burst out and the high pressured air inside the pod rushed out, putting the drop pod into what a normal human would have found to be a very nauseating spin.
O'Neill looked up as a dark shadow passed overhead; tumbling through the sky automated thrusters attempting to slow the craft, a marine drop pod screeched past them and impacted into the ground with a low thud. Turning to his followers he nodded towards the crash site and set off deeper into enemy territory; intent on getting to it before the Eldar did.
Suen had watched the little triangle intercept the similarly sized sphere, watched as it suddenly changed course and impacted far away from its original destination, he knew exactly what it was: a tear shaped black pod that plummeted uncontrollably. Space marines, a quick glance at the reports scrolling across a screen at his elbow he found the best candidate for the job. Ghen'Hòar was leading a squad of twelve Guards through the area in an attempt to discourage Imperial patrols, so far she had met with little success the squad they had been teamed with being massacred by a rare pincer movement from the Imperial's Sentinels and I.G.L.. With her out of the way he would be in direct command making his self appointed task much easier.
Ghen'Hòar had also watched the pod fall to the planet and wasn't surprised when the voice of her second in command told her that her squad was required to investigate. She nodded over her shoulder towards the crash site and the Guards took off at a light jog easily understanding the command.
O'Neill walked around the edge of the mini-crater the now sideways pod had made. Dammed if he knew how to get into one of those things without a tank or maybe a really big battering ram. The rest of his impromptu platoon was gathering at the side awaiting the automatic bolts to fire and release the ramps.
"Do you think it's broken?" McKay asked scratching his scars.
"Don't tempt fate Rodney, the last thing I want is to spend all day and night cutting through that thing." Sheppard responded with a grimace, a drop pod could survive atmospheric re-entry the small blow torch they had wouldn't make a dent.
"There has to be some kind of manual release." Carter said jumping down into the shallow hole.
"Yeah on the inside." O'Neill said, following the excitable Colonel.
No sooner had Carter begun to mess with what she thought might be the cover of a panel did explosive bolts of fire start blowing the hatches open and making Carter almost jump out of her skin. A blue hand clamped onto the side of the pod's hatch, pulling out a mildly annoyed Levi.
"I don't care what you say Vanem, if the harness fails it's a bad thing." The Librarian shouted back into the pod ignoring his audience.
"That was so much fun." Samuels voice drifted over the newly formed clearing, as he pulled himself out of the wreckage.
Angelus emerged next took one look at the assembled humans and grinned. "Good afternoon O'Neill."
Vanem came out next his servo arm folded tightly to his back. Turning to face the sideways pod he bowed his head. Almost immediately after he nodded to himself and climbed out of the hole to greet their wannabe rescuers.
"What are you guys doing here?" Sheppard asked the four marines.
"We were sent to back up Stuart's team but I guess we're lost now." Samuel said checking the life signs monitors on his three Brothers.
"Fenrir, can I get a direction on Stuart's team?" O'Neill questioned as the marines unloaded their weapons from the pod.
"Negative, there is no need; Colonel Titov's team has reported all contact has been lost." The communications officer reported.
"Okay, then I've got four marines that need a beam out." O'Neill said after a sigh, it was painful to lose those under your command but he had to be focused right now.
"Standby." The voice said and cut the line.
O'Neill waited for the four marines to vanish in the usual hum and flash of light, as did everyone else. They stood waiting for a minute before O'Neil's radio hissed at them.
"Sorry sir, the computer won't let us transport them. It says that we can't establish a proper lock. Sorry sir but looks like you'll have to clear that area." The communications officer said very apologetically before cutting the line again.
"Well my happy campers lets get back to the column." O'Neill said fixing his cap before resting his P-90 on his shoulder.
"I should have brought the terminators." Angelus muttered walking back towards the Imperial lines.
Ten minutes latter Ghen'Hòar and her Guard squad melted out from the tree line and cautiously stepped into the clearing made by the pod's impact.
"Thàen, the humans are no longer here." One of the Guards said pointing at the large set of foot prints leading back towards the Imperial positions.
"We shall follow and try to intercept, whatever was in that pod must have been important." Ghen'Hòar said judging by the size of the force that was sent to retrieve it.
The Zerfàrim quietly moved back into the dense forest following the large imprints left by the passing humans.