Fame Cimex Chapter 32

The Hormagaunt pounced forwards with bestial fury written all over its face, its claws outstretched ready to strike and its maw wide. Toran met it with the sword of Thiel, plunging the blade within its chest and pinning it like an insect. He shook off the corpse and then he smote the next one in line and the next and the next. All around him the Tyranid boarders pressed in, but he was resolute and fought them back with wide sweeps of his blade, hacking off limbs and ripping apart thoraxes with every blow.

All around him Third Company fought on, the various squads having come together in the white heat of combat to defend the Light of Terra from the Tyranid boarders. The corridors of the ship writhed with endless hordes of snapping monsters, but the Space Marines were undaunted and fought on to defend the critical junctions of the ship. Currently they were fighting in a nexus of the ship's access ways, filled wall to wall with gibbering, fanged monstrosities. Toran sliced and smashed and hacked at everything he saw, his body stoked with hyper-adrenaline and flushed with combat stimms from his armour. To his left Furion was battering a warrior form down with sheer brute force, while to his right Bylan held the Company Standard high for all to see and draw inspiration from. Almost a hundred Space Marines were spread out along a thin line, hacking away with combat blades in the close quarter's battle, every Marine determined to sell his life dearly. They fought hard and stoically, giving their all to hold back the tide of horrors, but the truth was they would have been lost without the presence of Honourable Ajax.

The Contemptor Dreadnought was at the centre of the melee, anchoring the line with his height and bulk. His mighty power fist smashed knots of enemies apart, sending broken, bleeding bodies flying over the mass of foes in crumpled heaps. He set them alight with his built-in flamer and crushed them under his great weight, staining his mechanical feet with vile ichor. Tyranids tried to surround him and stab into his piston joints but the Dreadnought denied them at every turn, shattering all within his reach. Toran was just behind the venerable ancient and hacked down a Guant trying to skitter up to the Dreadnought's rear. He felt like he had been fighting for many hours but his helm was telling him it had been less than one since the Hive Ship had latched onto the Battlebarge.

To his right Bylan blasted a Guant with his bolt pistol and said, "+How many are there?!+"

Furion cried aloud in answer, "It matters not, for they shall not break us. In the Emperor's name we shall never yield. No Mercy, No Respite, No Fear!"

Toran however was distracted by the sight of a looming shadow, a massive form towering over the lesser beasts. It was swollen with obscene muscles, thick chitin and gigantic crushing claws that threw aside smaller creatures and squished them under its weight as it barrelled forward with unstoppable momentum. Toran felt dread edge into his consciousness and he yelled, "Carnifex… Carnifex!"

Ajax however was already in motion, lowering his assault cannon and spinning it up to speed as he bellowed, "SUFFER NOT THE ALIEN TO LIVE." A tongue of fire erupted from his canon and the effect on the horde could not have been surpassed by a threshing machine. Bodies were blown in half under the weight of fire, breaking them apart and ripping hardened carapaces to shreds. Ajax panned his fire left and right, carving apart all he hit and clearing a path to the oncoming Carnifex. The Dreadnought took a lumbering step forward, crushing broken bones under his weight, then another as he charged right at the Tyranid monster. The Carnifex hissed loudly as it rumbled forward, claws already snapping and with a thunderous crash the two mighty behemoths smashed into each other. The impact shook the deck while their roars and bellows would have shattered mortal eardrums .

Ajax smashed his power fist into the reinforced carapace, tearing out great chunks with every blow. In return the Carnifex chopped down with its gnarled claws, cracking the Dreadnought's armour and sending splinters flying. The power of the two combatants was staggering, a clash of titans that made the surrounding melee seem insignificant in comparison. The Carnifex roared as it lashed out, gouging a great tear from the Dreadnought's thigh armour, but Ajax returned an uppercut that sent it staggering back. The Carnifex rallied and leapt at Ajax with its maw wide open, a long proboscis snapping out at his sensor dome. The dart smashed into an eye lens and sent arcane optic circuits flying, spraying around in a shower of broken parts, but with his organic remains safe inside his sarcophagus Ajax was unbowed. The Carnifex paused, seemingly confused why its opponent was unfazed by losing an eye.

Ajax hammered back with a blow from his power fist and managed to knock the Carnifex back a step, then he brought up his assault cannon and levelled it in preparation to fire. The Tyranid was faster though, snapping out to catch the spinning barrels in a great claw. It growled as it applied overwhelming pressure and with the shriek of tearing metal the barrels collapsed, splintered into mangled wreckage. Ajax roared in fury and snapped his bulk forward, head-butting the Carnifex back. The monster recovered swiftly, hissing as it opened its mouth again and making its proboscis quiver in readiness to strike. Ajax struck like lightning, plunging his fist forward and catching it by the jaw, two of his mechanical fingers clamped inside its fanged maw. The Carnifex paused in surprise and in that moment Ajax heaved his fist back, ripping free the entire lower jaw and taking the proboscis with it. The Carnifex collapsed in agony and Ajax stepped forward, he raised his great fist high and cried, "GET OFF MY SHIP!" With those words he brought the fist down right upon the Carnifex's head, shattering its skull and spraying brains all over the area.

The whole the battle seemed to pause as the Carnifex collapsed, the whole balance of the battle shifting now that the great monster was dead. Toran saw it all happen and roared as he led his men forwards, cutting down all before them and carving apart the hordes of Tyranids. With the Carnifex dead the Tyranids were no match for the Storm Heralds and they swiftly cleared the area, killing every last beast down to the last Gaunt.

Silence fell as the Space Marines took stock, seeing the defeat of these foes but knowing that there were countless more still pouring into the ship with every moment. Toran was standing over the body of the last gaunt he had slain, resisting the urge to lean over and gasp for air. He had been fighting for hours and even his transhuman body had its limits but he knew that his Marines were equally wearied by the battle and needed to see that their Captain was undaunted. He forced himself to stand stiffly at attention and looked about, seeing the dead and wounded all around being tended to by Apothecary Memnos and the last rites being given by Chaplain Wrethan.

The command squad gathered about the Captain, their weapons stained with ichor and Bylan proclaimed, "+We did it+"

He was disabused of that notion by Ajax who growled, "DO NOT BE SO CONFIDENT, THIS WAS BUT ONE BATTLE. THE SHIP IS BEING OVERRUN BY MILLIONS OF THESE HORRORS; WE HAVE BOUGHT NOTHING BUT TIME HERE."

Toran nodded, knowing this battle was far from over and for the first time took a moment to count the heads of those assembled. The fighting had drawn most of the Third Company together, the various Sergeants all responding to the call to unite… with one exception. Toran frowned as he realised that Sergeant Priyar's tactical squad had never arrived and he opened his vox link calling, "Sergeant Priyar this is Captain Toran, report your location and status immediately."

The vox crackled for a moment and then a tinny voice came back, distorted by the sounds of heavy fighting in the background, "Captain, this is Sergeant Priyar. We are in the Engineerium section and under heavy assault, the Tyranids are massing here in overwhelming numbers."

Toran waved his squads to form up as he called, "Sergeant fall back and withdraw, we are moving to your location to support you."

Priyar however said, "Negative Captain, negative. The enemy are too many, if we leave cover we will die. There is more, the plasma reactors are at critical mass, the Enginseers say that they will overload in minutes."

Toran's jaw dropped and he said, "Hold on Sergeant, we will come to you and stop the overload before it destroys the ship."

There was a long pause and then Priyar said, "Captain, you misunderstand me, we are not trying to stop it. My squad is holding the Tyranids off so the Tech-Priests can enact the rite of Self-Immolation."

Toran couldn't believe what he was hearing and said, "What?! Why would you do that?"

It was Ajax who answered him saying, "THE HIVE SHIP IS TOO POWERFUL TO DEFEAT CONVENTIONALLY, BUT RIGHT NOW IT IS LATCHED ONTO US. IF THE REACTORS OVERLOAD THE BLASTS COULD WELL FINISH OFF THAT MONSTER AND BREAK THE HIVE MIND UTTERLY."

Toran saw the truth of the statement and knew that it was irrefutable but he still said, "Priyar we hear you, set the overload in motion and then withdraw, we can still extract you."

However Priyar's voice came back saying, "Captain, that's not going to happen. The Tyranids press forwards even now, they must sense what we are attempting. Somebody has to hold this line right up until the end."

Everybody shared a significant look and Bylan said, "+But we can't leave him to die... we just can't+"

Toran however was looking at Furion, whose steady unwavering gaze was fixed firmly on the Captain. Toran's mind flashed back to their previous conversations and he thought of all the losses he had endured, all the sacrifices he had made. Toran knew that many thought him too naive and too young to lead and in his hearts even he didn't know if he had the steel to make the necessary sacrifices for victory. Toran knew that there was no way to save the ship and this action could the turn the tide of the whole war, but the cost was high, so very, very high.

Toran had had never knowingly left a squad to die before, could he do it now?

Something in the Captain's soul died as Toran made his decision, a decision only a few weeks before he would never have even considered making. Grimly he proclaimed, "All squads are to fall back to the Thunderhawks, we are leaving. Persion raise the bridge, tell them to sound the general order to abandon ship, all hands will abandon ship."

Bylan sounded aghast as he said, "+No, no, no… not that, surely not+"

But Priyar's voice came back over the vox saying, "Captain, it's the right call and you know it."

Toran swallowed his shame, knowing he had just ordered ten heroic Astartes to their deaths as he said, "Priyar… tell your squad that I will see all your names carved into the Rock of Heroes for this."

Priyar snorted one last time and said, "Captain don't you remember, we blew that up ages ago."

Toran replied in total seriousness, "Then I will get them to erect a new one and personally see to it that your names are the first to be carved upon it."

There was a moment's pause and then Priyar said solemnly, "Goodbye Captain, it has been an honour to serve alongside you. I wish you well in the wars to come and know that my squad could ask for no better deaths than these."

Toran swallowed in apprehension, knowing that he would never speak to the Sergeant again. He forced his sorrow down and said, "Priyar… Fight hard and die proud my friend."

Priyar said in return, "I will see you again Toran, by the Emperor's side."

"Until then," responded Toran, making his final goodbyes, "You will never be forgotten."