-XXIII-
They heard the Orks way before they saw them. Their machines rumbled while coughing black smoke and their tracks groaned under the weight of their bulk.
Two StreetBlockas revealed themselves at the far side of the street coming in from the dust and smoke.
Achagon sighted Orks moving around the StreetBlockas.
"Permission to fire." he voxed.
"Granted." Ioras' voice came in crackling through the vox.
Achagon sighted an Ork he deemed bigger than the rest and took him in his sights.
"Here, have one." he said grinning to himself and fired.
Bolt round blew half the Ork's head and the body collapsed. Other Orks started shouting and flailing their arms and shooting at the sky.
Orks realised the four basilisk and some started to run at them but it was too late.
Ioras rose from hiding and shouted "Adir, open fire!".
Officer Adir was in his basilisk waiting for the command. Each duo of basilisks had their cannons aimed at the high towers up above the Orks.
He opened the vox channel to all basilisks and voxed in "Mark your targets."
"Marked" returns came back through the vox.
"Fire!" Adir ordered and four basilisks took fire. Their long cannons rumbling as they lobbed their shells high over the street and into the towers.
Even with his helmet on Ioras was half-deafened.
"Guns of the Emperor." breathed Horatus in amazement awed by the awesomenity of the basilisk heavy artillery pieces.
Powder smoke rose about dark blue painted guns.
One round missed the towers and trailed off into the distance, a few seconds later explosive sound came from afar. Rest was on mark and the towers crumbled under their own weight.
Columns shattered, windows cracked in and rockrete walls buckled and broke as the huge weight of the towers gave in.
As the first piece of rockrete was landing, Orks was still oblivious to their doom. As they saw the grey rocks raining on them, they looked up but it was already too late.
A great avalanche of masonry rained on the greenskins and a great cloud of dust settled upon the street. Entire width of the street was covered with a wall of dust that hang in the air. Orks was completely buried under the massive destruction.
"Great Terra, good shot boys!" screamed Adir into the vox in his excitement he did not realised that Space Marines was also tuned into their vox channels.
Julius grinned at the euphoric state of the guardsmen and the artillerymen was also cheering.
Horatus was silently watching the dust cloud.
Iulius was the first one to break the silence.
"Don't celebrate yet, there are still signals." he said looking into the auspex.
"Extus! Get ready for protocol beta-duae." said Ioras.
The quickness of the marines dazzled Adir as ten marines changed position almost instantly, heavy weapons taking flanking position and the ones with the melee weapons forming in a wedge ready to charge ahead.
First Orks appeared from the dust cloud bellowing war-cries and curses as the ran through the street.
"Contacts, Ten sluggas." reported Achagon looking through his scope, he could shoot one in the head but didn't waiting for an order instead.
Ioras rose through the debris pointing towards the Orks.
"Adir, fire heavy bolters!" he shouted.
"Lay fire!" ordered Adir into their vox channels and front mounted heavy bolters of four basilisk opened up at the Orks.
Orks were mowed down by the scything fire. Heavy bolters pounded their flesh and ripped limbs from bodies relentlessly.
Julius realised that the guardsmen had terrible aim and was mostly missing, shooting the pavement and nearby debris instead.
But the sheer amount of bolt fire was enough to kill the Orks.
"Cease fire!" shouted Ioras and a second later heavy bolters fell silent their murderous rattling echoing down the street.
Street fell silent for a second.
Guardsmen manning the heavy bolter waiting tensely, expecting more Orks to come through the dust cloud like angry ghosts.
"Report." voxed Ioras.
"Nothing." reported Achagon scanning with his scope but seeing nothing but grey clouds.
"I still pick up signals." said Iulius, he holstered his auspex and hefted the heavy bolter aiming it at the cloud.
"I can checked it." offered Julius.
"No." said Ioras curtly.
Julius was not sure if he was refused because of the tactical disadvantage it caused or because Ioras' growing distrust of him.
Thanks to the Orks the wait was over as more Orks broke through the smoke and came forth.
"Contacts!" reported Achagon more out of duty than necessity, everyone was able to see the Orks for themselves.
"Something is amiss." said Iulius looking at the Orks.
Orks weren't charging ahead but instead stumbling forwards senselessly.
Achagon saw that they were covered in dust from head to toe and many had broken limbs, bone showing off.
Ioras wasn't sure to waste bullet on these ones and didn't order the kill command.
A huge rumble came from the dust and a second later a huge shape came forth from the smoke shrugging off piece of debris and showing them over it's tracks.
"Vehicle, it survived!" shouted Achagon warning his brothers.
StreetBlocka rumbles forwards like a wounded beast its engine screaming angrily.
It rolled towards the Imperial line with the intention of destruction, it reached the wounded Ork group first.
A sickening crunching and rending sound filled the street as the grinder in front of the StreetBlocka impaled the wounded Orks and carried them into it's teeth and made Ork paste of them all.
Orks were too dazed to realise their death just before the grinders teeth grabbed their flesh and carried them to a gory death.
StreetBlocka's tracks was also off and it lifted the bulky vehicle a few inches every few tracks.
"It's guns are still operational." reported Achagon as he eyed the main cannon trying to turn towards the marines.
It fired spewing a black smoke and a huge round.
Thankfully it missed greatly and managed to explode a window outwards in some distance.
"Destroy it." ordered Ioras and the squad was on the move in the instant.
Before the guardsmen had time to react the marines was halfway to the StreetBlocka.
Ioras and seven marines was charging the vehicle while it showered them with dakka fire.
Achagon shot the shoota-turret gunner on the left side and silenced the gun.
Iulius braced his heavy bolter and fired in short burst at the right shoota-turret. Bolt round exploded at the turret hitting the mark with precision.
Turret itself was not fazed but the barrel of the shoota ripped off under hail of exploding bolt rounds. Grot gunner inside opened the rear hatch and ran off leaving its broken gun.
Driver of the StreetBlocka saw the marines charging at them and in his eagerness fired the engine full throttle to crush them.
Marines scattered around the incoming bulk and flanked the vehicle.
Second wave of shoota-turrets was situated towards the back of the StreetBlocka, they trailed the marines.
Ioras and Julius was on one side and was showered with shoota fire. The duo raised their boltguns and fired a burst into one turret. Bolt rounds exploded at the visor slate of the turret and exploded inward. The grot inside was showered with shrapnel. His face was ripped by blowing metal and a second later there was three huge chunks of iron logged in his tiny brain.
Rexus aimed his heavy flamer but didn't fire when he saw the turret stopped firing.
On the other side Deciaci and Fextus fired their bolters at the last turret disabling it.
Herean on one side and Ioras on the other climbed atop the StreetBlocka over the grinding tracks.
Ioras pointed towards the front hatch and Herean moved towards it.
Ioras himself went to the top hatch atop the main turret, he grabbed the metal door but it was locked from inside.
His armor groaned as he pulled the metal hatch and tore it from it's place.
He let it go and the hatch clanked to the hull, he already had his bolter ready at the other hand.
Ioras grabbed the bolter and aimed inside the hatch, grot inside was startled to see a huge barrel at his face and squirmed in a pathetic attempt to escape.
Apothecary shot him in the face blowing his flesh inside the vehicle. He heard another boltgun going off and saw Herean shooting inside the vehicle same as he at the other hatch.
There was a third door escape hatch at the back of the StreetBlocka apparently. Rest of the grots started running towards it but the Emperor's angels had no mercy whatsoever.
The lead grot opened the circular escape hatch and came face to face with a heavy flamer muzzle.
Ioras and Herean descended from the vehicle as burning promethium came pouring out from the hatches.
Screams of the grots was short but Horatus was pleased with them nonetheless.
"Burn greenskin." he commented as one grot broke off and started running, flames had stuck on his back burning into his flesh. He stopped and fell after a few seconds, screams ceasing.
The quickly returned to the position of the basilisk expecting the burning StreetBlocka's ammunition to go off.
Their expectations became reality a minute later. StreetBlocka's turrets and tracks blew to a short direction when the few ammo exploded due to heat build-up.
Adir was waiting as the marines retuned to the basilisks.
"Well. That was. Angels of death indeed" he said.
"Emperor's will is done." Ioras replied.