Chapter 7: Shield World
When the Warp tunnel opened up, the ships of Lord Bale's fleet were greeted to a brown, green, and blue planet that featured several holes drilled into the surface. Clouds danced around other parts of the surface, mountains and jungles decorated the orb's landscape and in all it was fairly scenic. But the Forces of Chaos have no appreciation for the beauties of nature. The power and secrets held on the planet on the other hand...
"There it is Lord Bale" Sindri said breathlessly. "There's our Shield World."
"And those are our ships means of entry" The Arbiter observed, pointing to the holes in the planet.
"I will concede that you have done well this time Sindri" Lord Bale said. "Come, let us enter and claim our prize"
"Actually Lord Bale, might I suggest that we have our ships cloak themselves and set up an ambush? The UNIM and Eldar forces are undoubtedly on their way here as we speak, and I believe that if it appears to them that they beat us to the Shield World we will be able to spring a trap that could wipe most or all of them out in one fell swoop"
Lord Bale snarled. "I detest hiding. And how can we be sure that the humans and the Eldar are coming?"
"Oh they are, trust me. The Eldar's Farseers undoubtedly read the relic's contents same as my Zealots, and will be determined to keep us from setting foot on the Shield World. I recommend we go with my plan"
Lord Bale seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding. "Very well Sindri. Because you've done well so far, I shall allow you to go through with your latest scheme. But I want to see the Eldar and human ships obliterated when they show up!"
"Of course Lord Bale, do not fret. The pitiful fools will never know what hit them until it is far too late…"
-X-
When The Spirit of Fire at last came out of Slipspace, they found that the Eldar vessels were already waiting for them in orbit over the Shield-World.
"There you are" came Eldrad Ulthran's voice from his vessel.
"We were beginning to wonder if you were going to make it". Macha said from on board the same vessel.
Eldrad turned to her. "Remember Macha, their vessels do not use the Warp, and though it keeps them relatively safe from the corrupting powers and influence of Chaos it also makes their crude excuses for ships a great deal slower…"
"Less speed for less risk" Macha summed up. "Personally, I find that to be a reasonable trade on the human's part"
"So…" Colonel Dawson said through the comm. channels as he looked out at the Shield-World. "…this is Eden?"
"Yes. Our scanners are not detecting any life on the Shield-World, and what's more, the Forces of Chaos do not appear to have gotten here yet…"
But as Eldrad said this, the ships of Lord Bale's fleet deactivated their cloaking devices and opened fire on the Eldar vessels. One of them was destroyed in a matter of moments, exploding in a brilliant, bright explosion of multi-colored fire that the oxygen-less vacuum of space snuffed out as quickly and mercilessly as the Covenant had the Eldar lives on board the vessel.
"It's a trap!" Macha shouted in horror. "Those damned Covenant…curse them to the pits of hell"
"There will be time for revenge later" Eldrad said as his and Macha's vessel began to take a vicious pounding as well. "We need to get into the Shield World, now!"
"Understood" Macha said before giving out the order: "Attention all Eldar vessels! Retreat to the Shield World! I repeat, retreat to the Shield-World!"
The other three Eldar vessels attempted to do as instructed, but they were hit hard by the Covenant ship's plasma cannons, and another Eldar ship was blown to pieces before it could reach the safety of the massive tunnels built into the Shield World. Yet another sacrificed itself so Eldrad and Mahcha's ship could get through safely. That just left one other Eldar vessel plus The Spirit of Fire. Plasma cannons rained down on the two ships mercilessly, with whole chunks of both vessels being blasted off. As both ships threatened to be utterly destroyed, Eldrad and Macha's ship turned around and provided covering fire long enough for both to get through the tunnels with them, the vibrant arsenal streaking through the blackness of space at the ships of Lord Bale's fleet. The three vessels then retreated deeper and deeper into the Shield World's cavernous depths and labyrinthine tunnels in a desperate attempt to escape the merciless wrath of the Covenant.
-X-
On board his vessel, Lord Bale was livid. "SINDRI! Three of the enemies' vessels escaped! THREE!"
"Yes, but another three were destroyed. So the enemy is now down to half strength. And not to mention that two of the three remaining vessels are badly damaged, and will not be able to take much more of our ships plasma cannons before being destroyed completely. That just leaves one Eldar vessel, and no single one of their ships could ever possibly hope to stand up to your fleet's power"
"Flattery will not save you Sindri" Lord Bale snarled through his mandibles. The Elite Zealot was all set to pop a blood vessel, and also considered having the Arbiter gut Sindri for his impudence. But then he relaxed himself a little and said in a marginally calmer tone: "Tell the fleet to follow those human and Eldar vermin through the tunnels. I want them all found and obliterated as soon as possible!"
-X-
When The Spirit of Fire and the two remaining Eldar ships at last came out of the tunnels and into the Shield World, they were greeted with a lush jungle that stretched on for miles as far as the eye could see. The impressive sight reminded the humans of the remaining rainforests back on Earth, though notably there were no animals of any kind.
"Quite the sight huh Donald?" Alexander asked as both continued to stare out at the sea of green in front of them.
Donald nodded. "Yes, its quite scenic" he agreed.
"Well, we're not here to enjoy the view" Colonel Dawson pointed out. "Our ship's trailing fire and we need to find a place to lie low and make repairs."
"This jungle's pretty dense" Donald observed. "…but I'm not sure we'd be able to hide a ship as big as The Spirit of Fire here…"
"Well we'll have to set her down soon either way" Alexander pointed out. "May as well do it in the jungles…"
"I agree" Colonel Dawson said. "Helmsman, set her down in the densest patch of jungle you can find"
As The Spirit of Fire began to descend into the lush jungles and vanish beneath the tree-tops, the two remaining Eldar vessels landed as well, and in mere moments engineers were hard at work on repairs. While they did this, the Farseers left the ships to discuss their next move.
"Well, we made it to Eden" Macha observed. "Unfortunate that the wretched Covenant beat us here…"
"We can still salvage the situation" another Farseer pointed out. "These jungles are large and go on for miles. Our scouts can easily hide here and decimate any Covenant patrols that come their way"
"That won't work once they send in Hunters and Vehicles." Eldrad interceded. "No, I believe we need to keep moving until we find the Forerunner ruins on this Shield World where we can better reinforce our position"
"But it could me miles away" Macha pointed out. "We'll have to abandon our ships"
"No. We will wait until our vessels have undergone sufficient repairs and then we will search for ruins from which we can better defend ourselves. In the meantime, I am going to go talk to the humans and work out a strategy with them. We all need to be, as the humans are fond of saying: "On the same page here"
-X-
"Any good news?" Eldrad asked Colonel Dawson upon making it to the Spirit of Fire's bridge.
Colonel Dawson shook his head. "No. Our ship got banged up about as badly as yours did. It will be a while before she's ready to take off again."
"You must hurry with your repairs. The Covenant will be sending search parties after us, so we cannot linger. As this is a Shield-World there will undoubtedly be Forerunner ruins somewhere on this planet that we can hole up in until our ships are fully repaired"
"What makes you so certain that the Forerunner's base on this world will provide adequate protection?" Ellen Anders asked.
"I would think a fortress would be preferable to a forest." Eldrad said in a deadpan before adding: "The Forerunners warred with the armies of Chaos for three centuries. They knew how to resist them in mind, body, and soul. And their armor defenses were lightyears ahead of anything that your race or mine has ever conceived of."
"Fair enough, but all of that doesn't change the fact that The Spirit of Fire's still not going anywhere for a while."
"As I have already said, you must make your repairs quickly. The Covenant will be here very soon. In fact, they are likely sending patrols down into the jungles after us as we speak…"
-X-
Thel Vadamee' led one of the small armies of Covenant soldiers that had been sent to the Shield World's surface to look for the humans and Eldar forces that had retreated there. Thel's group was patrolling the northern fringe of the forest, while Rtas 'Vadumee's force went in from the southern mouth of the jungle. Between the two of them they hoped to trap the humans and Eldar on both sides, then gut them all while their ships were still recovering from the damage they had sustained from being ambushed earlier.
Thel kept his energy sword handle securely fastened at his hip, with a plasma rifle on his other hip and a Covenant Carbine in his hands. As a Zealot, Thel Vadamee' represented a Sangheili who was a servant of Chaos Undivided, bound to not one of the Four Powers but rather their combined might and glory manifested in pure debauchery and destruction.
A Sangheili servant of Tzeentch came down on his jetpack and approached Thel. He bowed in respect to the Zealot before giving his report: "My scouts have searched for miles, but the humans and Eldar have used the jungles well. We have still not located them through the tree-tops."
"Keep searching" Thel replied coldly. "The vermin cannot hide from us forever. Once you locate them, send out a signal and wait for us. Your rangers alone will be no match for the combined might of the humans and Eldar forces."
The Sangheili devotee of the Lord of Change bowed respectfully again. "As you wish herald of Chaos Undivided"
-X-
While the Spirit of Fire and Eldar vessels continued to undergo repairs, Eldrad and Macha took it upon themselves to lead a small group of Eldar scouts to move ahead of the main force and start looking for any sign of the Shield World's Forerunner installation. Accompanying them were Ellen Anders and Sergeant Forge's Imperial Fists squad.
"Do you see anything brother?" Macha asked the head Eldar Scout.
The head scout shook his head. "No. I see and hear nothing. I cannot smell the taint of Chaos either, so I am confident that we are safe for the moment"
"I didn't take you guys for having a sense of humor" Sergeant Forge quipped.
"It wasn't a joke"
As the group of humans and Eldar continued trudge through the mess of trees and undergrowth, armored boots plunging into the mud and leaves of the forest floor again and again, Eldrad and Macha used their psychic senses to scan the entirety of the jungle, but detected nothing for miles. Then after a few miles they sensed the oppressive evil of the Four Powers servants, like swimming in a vast ocean only to suddenly swallow a mouthful of bitter saltwater.
"The Covenant have sent scouting parties." Macha said to the other Eldar and humans. "They're combing through the jungles looking for us right now"
"Where are they?" Sergeant Forge asked.
"At the other end of the jungle" Eldrad replied. "There's another group far, far behind us. We're safe for right now, but expect a few firefights soon enough."
"Should we double back to the ships?" Ellen Anders asked.
Eldrad shook his head. "No, not yet. The Covenant scouting parties are a ways away from both us and our ships, so we can afford to be here a little longer. I wish to continue searching for the Forerunner ruins. Once the Covenant forces do find us, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of their army comes after us, at which point we'll want to be in the most defensible position possible. That would be the Forerunner ruins"
"You've got a hell of a lot of faith in something we don't even know is here" Sergeant Forge pointed out.
"Don't be an ignoramus. Every Shield World would have bases and other fortifications built on it. And those bases and fortifications held for nearly three hundred years against the Four Powers. They will be able to serve us well too"
And with this counterargument, Eldrad and his fellow Eldar pressed on, and their human allies followed right behind. They didn't walk that much farther though before coming upon something else in a clearing.
Lying there were piles of half-destroyed metals and structures that were now mostly gone, with only just enough remaining for the humans and Eldar to realize that they were in fact ruins of a structure. Not only that, but many of the nearby trees were dead, with black ash all over the clearing. This in turn caused the humans and Eldar to realize that the clearing was as big as it was because of whatever it was that had reduced so many trees to dust and splinters.
Eldrad observed both the ruins and the devastated chunk of the forest grimly. What he was seeing was not the work of plasma fire. Where that left scorch marks, here the rubble was missing entire chunks, as if a large knife had just cut pieces of the struck metal off, leaving behind large gaping holes. As for the trees, there was nothing left in many cases, not even a stump. The only reason Eldrad thought that there had even been trees was because of the ash where the trees had once stood. Everything had been disintegrated.
"What do you suppose did this?" Sergeant Forge asked Ellen Anders.
"Why are you asking me?"
"I can tell you both that the Covenant were not responsible for this, not unless Hunters or a Lord of Change had been through here. And even they can not leave neat gaping holes in pieces of structure like this. No, whatever did this has weaponry capable of disintegration."
"What kind of things would have weapons like that?"
"I do not know. Only that I do not wish to test myself against such foes"
The group advanced a bit further through the jungle but as they did, they saw more and more trees that had been reduced to ash much the same way the ones behind them had. All around them entire patches of forest had been reduced to nothing. Even the soil in the ground was devoid of nutrients and black as coal.
Then, moving further a little more the group saw a Grunt.
The little alien shrieked in terror upon seeing the small army of humans and Eldar and made a run for it. A single shot to the head from an Imperial Fists' DMR killed it. Unfortunately, this attracted the attention of its fellows, and out of the jungle a squad of Elites and Grunts de-cloaked and opened fire at the grouping of Eldar and humans. Mere moments later they were all cut to ribbons by the combined firepower of the Eldar Farseers and Imperial Fists.
"Well that was easy enough" Sergeant Forge observed as the last Elite's bullet-ridden body fell to the muddy ground.
"Don't get used to it human" Macha said. "That was but a scouting party. The Covenant are on to us now"
As Macha said this, Eldrad continued to observe the dead ground and disintegrated trees. And the longer he looked at it all the grimmer he became.
"…this isn't good. Whatever did this possess weapons the Eldar have never seen before. I can't sense anything with my telepathy but my intuitions seldom lie. There is something wrong about this place, something dangerous. We must keep moving"
Sergeant Forge shook his head. "No. Either we stay here in the dense jungle were we can easily defend ourselves or we double-back to the ships. If what you said about the Covenant forces closing in is true, the ones at the southern half of the forest could be there any minute now"
"The Covenant forces won't be there for a while, we still have time"
"Then we should stay here. Past all of these dead trees the jungle's pretty dense. If the Covenant find us, we'll have the best chance here."
"Not if they send in Hunters you won't. And in any event it is not the Covenant here that worries me. At least not as much as whatever it is that dwells here. And something does dwell here. Something destroyed this entire area, and whatever it was destroyed it so utterly there's almost nothing left. I don't fancy taking my chances against something like that"
"What if you're wrong?" Sergeant Forge countered. "No offense man, but I'd take common sense over a "hunch" any day".
"…alright, that does it. I'm done debating with you"
And as he said this, Eldrad stormed off in a huff, catching the attention of the others.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ellen Anders called out to him.
"I'm going to seek company with the only person here who's got any sense" Eldrad replied angrily. "...me!" Then, grumbling as he continued to march away from everyone else: "I've had enough of Mong-Ki for one day..."
-X-
"Sergeant Forge and Doctor Anders have been gone with the Eldar for a while now…" Colonel Dawson said. "Truth be told I'm starting to get a little worried. Do you think we should call in and see where they are?"
"All due respect colonel, but I believe they can handle themselves."
"I suppose" Colonel Dawson conceded "but still. We don't know a whole lot about this place and I don't like the idea of them going out into the unknown for an extended period of time. Call it paranoia, or maybe fear of the unknown"
"…I'm pretty sure those two things go together colonel"
"Either way, you'll forgive me for wanting to check. Try and contact them"
"Yes Colonel"
-X-
"Something's wrong" Macha said, her normally calm and stoic voice taking on a slight edge of urgency. Almost panic to the ears of Sergeant Forge.
"You mean besides the fact that your touchy boss just got up and left us here?"
"Eldrad Ulthran is the chief of the Farseers" Macha said harshly. "You will treat him with respect at all times or I will teach respect to you. But no, it is not Chief Farseer Eldrad's absence that is worrying me. Its…something else."
As the words left Macha's mouth, the air around the group twisted and distorted, until soon the humans and Eldar found themselves surrounded by a large number of lithe, black armored humanoids, with those that did not cover their faces with black bullet-shaped helmets having skin that was ghostly white and hair an orange red and fastened into a pony-tail. The guns they held in their hands did not look like any the humans had ever seen before and some had a curving hook-like bayonet attached to them, which also adorned the shoulder pauldrons of some of the soldiers.
"Heretics…" Macha hissed under her breath.
"What?"
"Heretics. Traitors. Servants of the Prince of Pleasure and his depravities. They are monsters without hope of salvation"
"Now, now" one of the Dark Eldar said. "Is that any way to treat family?"
Author's Note: This chapter and the next one or two will be my last ones for a while. I have other projects I'd like to work on and frankly I've been getting one too many harsh reviews for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate feedback, but once someone drops an F-bomb that should generally tell you something. So I'll be taking a break from this story after this chapter and the next. Sorry to those of you who have been enjoying it so far, but don't worry, I will continue this one day…just not for a while.