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Silver Knights ~ Gladius IV
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Daeron Primaris. M41 997.
''Skree-'' the Gaunt's face exploded as Vandius expended the last of his clip. He drew his axe instead, pressing the activation rune, causing the axe to light up with crackling blue lightning. He promptly bisected yet another Gaunt.
Wilkes screamed in fear but the Astartes ignored him. The five Silver Knights formed a perimeter around the remaining survivors as they escorted them through the dark halls of the research facility. Much of the main power had already failed, leaving only the backup generators to struggle onwards.
However the darkness was no great obstacle to the Astartes. Their enhanced auto-senses easily pierced the gloom as cleared out room by room of any lurking Gaunts or Genestealers. On occasion they ran into a Tyranid warrior, but they were quickly taken care of.
Eventually Vandius's team reached the hanger bay. Here the research base received transport shuttles when necessary. On the roof was the landing pad, their current objective for extract away from this place.
''Khaden. Override the roof elevator. I'm calling for Thunderhawk extract,'' Vandius opened up a channel to the Pegasus in orbit.
Khaden accessed the control panel and looked over it for a few seconds before trying to activate it. About a half-minute later the Iron Warrior cursed and stepped back.
''Sir?'' the Iron Warrior turned to talk to Vandius.
''Yes?'' Vandius paused in his call.
''The thing is wrecked. The Tyranids must have done something to it.''
''We'll have to take stairs then. Let's go.''
They had a six story climb. Vandius obligingly took point as the scientists were escorted in the middle, Dovah bringing up the rear. Bolters were holstered because of the close quarters. Up the steps pounded the Astartes with the Adepts struggling to match their pace.
''Sir, I'm getting readings on the auspex,'' Khaden looked up.
''Where?'' Vandius tightened the grip on his axe.
''I think it's all around us, but I don't see-'' Khaden paused, realizing the truth.
The walls. The genestealers were traveling in the walls. The Astartes could hear the scraping of claws faintly. Then suddenly one of the metal walls ripped open and a huge, four-armed clawed killer leapt out. Vandius turned, his power axe flashing, barely managing to cut it in half, the two halves of the genestealer falling to the ground.
''Skree!''
Dovah summoned flames to his hands and fired off a funnel of flame into the genestealers as they appeared. However another form, even bigger than the first, leapt out of the walls with blinding speed to land on the stairs.
Khaden gave a mechanized squawk of surprise as a claw lashed out, tearing through his armored chestplate. Cestus tackled the Broodlord, his storm shield protecting him from the flailing claws as both he and the Tyranid fell of the stairs and down into the darkness below.
''Cestus!'' Vandius checked the life runes on his visor. Cestus was still alive for the moment. Only curses came over the vox.
Flames licked from the walls as Dovah finished incinerating the genestealers. Nicander learned over awkwardly as he inspected Khaden's form. The Iron Warriors was still breathing although there was blood all over his gleaming argent breastplate.
''Still alive, the augmetics kicked in and saved his life.'' Nicander told the Captain.
''Grab him. We can't treat him here. We move to the roof now.'' Vandius empathized.
''But Cestus-'' Dovah looked at him.
''-Is still alive. But we are sitting targets here. Move.'' Vandius empathized, his tone brooking no room for argument. Up and up the Astartes went until Vandius hacked open the door with his axe. Outside laid the landing pad, now utterly empty.
Cestus and the Broodlord fell down from the balcony rapidly. The Genestealer leader's claws carved strips of ceramite from his MKIII war plate and almost gutted him, tearing off the surface of his trident-embossed chestplate before Cestus managed to lash out with his power sword, cutting off one of the Broodlord's arms.
The White Consul hit the ground hard. Rapidly runes flashed on his helmet visor, letting him know his jump packs had sustained damage during the fall. With a groan of servos the Silver Knight got up, power sword in hand.
Quickly Cestus spotted the form of the Broodlord and then his storm shield. Rapidly the White Consul leapt to grab it as the Broodlord got up with inhuman speed and jumped from the other side of the room at him.
The Silver Knight barely managed to grab his storm shield and get it up before the Broodlord collided. The diamond hard claws of the Tyranid beast scraped against the energized force field projected by the storm shield as Cestus counterattacked.
It was a tough fight; even with one arm missing the Broodlord was still faster than the Silver Knight. Its claws could shred ceramite like paper. Right now the only thing that was keeping Cestus alive was the storm shield. Sword and claws flashed at incredible speeds as Cestus ducked, parried and lashed out with his blade, the two combatants locked in intense combat.
The Silver Knight's sword flashed out, cutting deep into the Broodlord's chest as the thing leapt forward, claws scraping on the armor as suddenly the Broodlord's chest heaved, launching a set of flesh hooks around the shield.
The Broodlord began to yank the shield of out Cestus's hand. The White Consul felt like his arm was being ripped out of its socket. He barely managed to activate his jump pack in time. The pack gave a sputtering wheeze before a sudden burst of fire gave the Silver Knight a boost.
That happened right as the Broodlord tore away the shield and rushed at the Silver Knight, three remaining arms outstretched. Cestus's quick movement brought him just out of the way of a killing blow while he swung his power sword.
The blade cut through the Broodlord's right claw between the thumb and forefinger before continuing on to cleave off the Broodlord's head. The Tyranid leader beast stumbled on before falling over, ichor spurting out of the stump.
''What happened?'' Khaden wheezed out as Nicander propped him up and began looking him over, drawing a pack of wound staplers and sealant from his belt. Vandius meanwhile opened up a vox link.
''This is Gladius Actual requesting extract.'' The Ultramarine Captain said as he established a vox link to the Thunderhawk flight in the atmosphere.
''This is Gladius Wing. We're having some trouble with Tyranid air creatures. We won't to be able to get there on time.'' the pilot responded. Vandius cursed.
''Khaden is stable,'' Nicander reported, having done his customary good work.
''Well, are we going to get out of here or not?'' Marvian asked nervously.
''The Thunderhawk is having trouble, we have to hold until they can get here safely,'' Vandius told him.
''We have company,'' Dovah warned.
Below hundreds upon hundreds of Tyranid warriors skittered below, converging in the distance. But they were not the real threat. No, the real threat was the massive form of a bio-titan in the distance, a massive shape the size of a Warlord Titan crawling about a mile away. It let out a deafening bellow.
''Shit,'' Marvian was sweating bullets in a state of pure fear. Nobody had expected a bio-titan.
Vandius was silent as he looked over the horde. He could spot the forms of winged Tyranid warriors closing in. He calmly reloaded his bolter and considered his options. It really wasn't looking too good, especially not that his rescue was delayed.
Vandius was reminded of Tallasarian sharks back when he was a boy. When he was young he had seen a wounded whale be devoured by sharks. Those sharks had smelt blood and came circling in, waiting to overwhelm and consume the whale.
''Prepare for contact!'' he shouted, helmet targeters selecting a single Tyranid warrior flying in. The Ultramarine fired a single shot. The round struck the Tyranid warrior, blowing off one of its wings. The creature fell shrieking down into the ground.
''Captain I do hope you have a plan for this!'' Nicander shouted.
''I'm going to call in backup,'' The Ultramarine responded, shooting down another Tyranid warrior. He paused to open a new vox channel…
The Tyranid warrior descended down, claws and fangs outstretched. Vandius and Nicander calmly selected their targets and picked off warrior after warrior while Dovah concentrated and raised a vast kine shield around them
The Tyranid warriors hit the shield hard, the psychic construct buckling under the repeated blows. Blood leaked down Dovah's eyes and lips under his helm as he struggled to maintain the shield under the repeated blows.
Suddenly a single silver figure rose up. It was Cestus, armed with only his power sword. He promptly bisected a Tyranid warrior from behind and beheaded another. Three Tyranid warriors turned around to converge on him.
''Lower the shield now.'' Vandius voxed to Dovah, who let it go in a moment. The Emperor's Child and the Ultramarine promptly filled all of the Tyranid warriors with a hail of mass reactive rounds, shredding them with Hellfire shells.
As the last of the Tyranids dropped from the tower, Cestus hauled himself up. Vandius looked him over. He looked like hell, his armor rent and gouged in countless rents. Cestus's superhuman physique had already clotted the wounds. He held a severed head in one fist. It was the Broodlord's head.
''I killed it. What a tough fight.'' Cestus looked behind him. ''Did I miss something?''
''We're all gonna die! We're all gonna die!'' screamed Wilkes. Vandius ignored him. He promptly grabbed a device on his belt and pressed the signal-rune. It was a teleport homer.
There was a loud crack of light and a single figure appeared on the tower roof. When the light faded Marvian and his fellow adepts saw it was Esin, all in her magnificent glory.
''L-lady Esin!'' Marvian squeaked.
''I see you've gotten in a bit of trouble here Knight-Captain,'' Esin remarked as she looked out of the tower.
''I do hope I did not inconvenience you Lady Esin. I would have not requested your support unless I thought it necessary,'' Vandius apologized.
''No. It's fine. Marshal Zukas can handle the battle perfectly fine,'' Esin raised her hands.
A vast screaming force of howling winds tore apart the Tyranids. Hundreds of Gaunts, Tyranid warriors and Gargoyles were blown to pieces or flung hundreds of feet into the air. The bio-titan was tossed around and ripped apart like a child's toy in the face of a tornado.
The Adepts were speechless.
This was the immense power of a Senshi, and Esin was one of the stronger ones. Vandius was well-versed in the capabilities of a Senshi, but it never failed to amaze him each and every time they had unleashed their powers.
Vandius himself had seen Lady Amphithoe unleash her powers before, creating a tidal wave to drown an entire ork horde that had been attacking a hive. Now here gale force winds and tornadoes were tearing apart the Tyranid swarm. Privately the Ultramarine wondered how it must appear to Dovah's psychic senses.
Then, as quickly as they came, the winds disappeared with a snap of Esin's fingers, leaving a shattered Tyranid swarm.
Vandius opened up his vox again.
''This is Gladius Actual to Gladius Wing. I need extract. Repeat. I need extract, I have to battle brothers in need of medical attention.''
''This is Gladius Wing. I read you loud and clear. We shook off the hostiles. I'm coming in.''
''Good thing too,'' Nicander flicked off some sort of guts from his MKIV shoulder guard. ''I've got Tyranid ichor everywhere.''
''Did you think you made the right decision?'' Lady Esin asked.
The battle barge Pale Horseman silently orbited Daeron as the last of the transport ships finished evacuating the place. In the distance the Tyranid ships clashed with the Imperial picket line as the Imperial fleet made the last stages of evacuation.
Senshi Esin stood at the viewing portal, hands clasped behind her back. They had evacuated everyone they possible could. Now the Tyranids were crawling over the planet and started to consume it and its rich biomass.
They would not get far, the Navy would initiate Exterminatus on the planet. She regretted it, she honestly did. Anyone left on the planet would die in the fires of massed orbital bombardment, but it was a better death than being consumed by the Tyranids.
Behind her, standing at perfect attention, was Vandius.
''Yes, I would say so. Such a weapon was not sanctioned. More to the point I do not believe Lady Serenity or any of the Senshi would have approved this kind of work.'' Vandius answered.
''We interrogated the Adepts after the rescue. It's unclear if the weapon would have worked or not, but there are some who would insist you brought it along.'' Esin pointed out.
''With all due respect, do you believe I should have brought it along? If you are displeased I will accept any punishment you believe necessary.'' Vandius told her.
''No, no punishment is necessary. I believe you made the right call.'' Esin turned to face him. ''This is only the beginning Marcus, we have many more battles to come. You may take your leave, I'm sure you have other duties to perform.
Vandius bowed.
''Yes my Lady.''