-XXX-
"Protocol Alpha! Breach mark minus five!" voxed in Ioras punching a fresh mag into his boltgun.
The giant spent mag clanged on the surface as he strode by.
Squad moved onto the fortified bunker door. Luckily this was a backdoor that was weaker. Lion's wasn't expecting any attack from their flanks.
Horatus and Julius took positions side of the door and the squad fanned out around them in a breach position.
Rexus' heavy flamer was at Julius' column and on order he was able to scorch the close spaces of the armoured bunker if necessary.
Achagon was all they way back ready with his boltpistol and combat knife drawn instead of the sniper rifle. Long range rifle would be a hindrance in the bunker.
Ioras put his hand atop Horatus' backpad and waited for them to plant the charges.
"Kraks, primed." came in Julius' vox.
"Armed." confirmed Horatus.
It was time.
Bunker door blew inward, it's metal buckling under the impact of the anti-armour krak grenades.
Pieces of sharp metal rained into the room inside. Extus stayed still, expecting enemy to be dug in.
Julius peered his boltgun over the corner and used it's barrel-pic-feed to see inside. Boltgun rounds welcomed his investigation.
"Hostiles." Julius reported even though everyone was aware of the fact.
"Count?" asked Ioras.
"Two, either corner." Julius voxed.
"Horatus! Frag!" Ioras voxed nudging the Space Marine's powerpack.
Bolt fire had ceased, Lions waiting for the enemy not wasting their ammo needlessly.
Horatus lobbed a primed frag grenade from his belt into the breach but did not shy away from it.
Frag's explosion might not be enough to kill a Space Marine in blind luck but it would give them time to make the breach.
"Invade and clear." voxed Ioras pushing at Horatus' backpack.
Horatus half-crouched marched into the breach, his boltgun aiming from his chest.
Inside was grey smoke and a dimly lit corridor. Frag had blown out the lights in the bunker corridor.
Horatus moved in carefully with Ioras on his heels.
Boltfire came through the smoke, much louder than open space. The ringing echoed down the corridor but Horatus was hit.
Bolt round hit him in the shoulderpad then a second richocect off his chest, it's head didn't prime due to bad angle.
He went down by the impact and crashed sideways, out of Ioras' path. Ioras aimed towards the point of origin and fired a burst.
He knew whoever was shooting would not be there to take a bullet but prayed he thought the Spears were stupid.
Now that half a second had passed the attacker would thought the line was clear again, but Julius was beside Ioras waiting for such an opportunity.
He fired at the point of origin and heard the dull crack of ceremite. He hit someone, but his target did not fell, meaning that the attacker was probably unharmed.
Ioras grabbed Horatus and slided him sideways to the wall, trying to keep him out of line of fire.
Deciaci filled the gap made by Ioras and fired at the attackers. Blowing out rockrete of the bunker walls.
Julius kept firing at the end of the corridor as well pinning their attackers.
The duo with the rest of the squad behind them advanced through the corridor, firing single shots towards the corners at the end of the corridor where their attackers were covering.
A grey object flew towards them from the end of the corridor.
"Frag! lob it away!" voxed Julius.
Frag fell right between Herean and Fextus and spinned around itself. Herean kicked the frag towards the end of the corridor and it exploded just as it passed Julius and Deciaci.
Smoke filled the corridor again, obscuring all sight. Bolt-fire started raining down again and hit Julius in the right-pad. Deciaci took a shot at his knee-pad but managed to stay upright.
They moved metre by metre towards the end firing single shots and getting burst of rounds in return.
Deciaci took another shot at his leg and forced into a crouching position. He manage to fire a burst towards the point of origin and hear ceremite crack.
His gap was filled by Herean and he kept firing, busying the attackers.
"We advance." reported Julius.
"Keep it up. Julius, take the helm." voxed Ioras, he was tending to Horatus at the breach-point.
They were so close now, but Julius's gun was spent.
"Switch!" he voxed unjacking his magazine at the same time. He turned sideways and Fextus marched forward laying down bolt-fire as Julius reloaded.
Behind Julius was Rexus and Iulius carrying their heavy weapons. And behind them was Cussax and Achagon marching.
"Protocol Gamma-Epsilon." ordered Julius and the marines behind the heavy weapons crouched at the foot of the side walls.
There was a fire-gap in the instant and Iulius stepped into the middle. He laid down a pinning fire firing indiscrimanatly.
Then he backed and Rexus took the gap. He charged a few steps and spewed forth a column of flame. The closed interrior of the bunker carried the flame farther than it's usual range.
The heat blast was immense and the rockrete walls glowed light red with the confined heat.
"Charge!" Julius shouted and the marines charged at the end of the corridor.
As Julius covered the smoke he saw Herean and Fextus grapping with a Lion Warriors. Luckily the Lion Warrior had his hand broke, his gauntlet was fractured in many places and his fingers were loose.
"Deciaci's shot." Julius thought.
Two Spears was able to pin the Lion Warrior to the ground finally, overpowering him after a clean punch to his face.
Julius looked to the left and saw a Lion Warrior laying at the wall. Blood leaked from his cracked helmet.
"Mine." Julius thought as he realised that his shot almost killed a Space Marine.
He probably continued fighting on and did not regard his injury despite it's severeness.
"These Lions are prideful nontheless." he thought.
Extus had reached to the sealed-door which probably led to a command deck.
Julius knelt beside the Lion Warrior and tried to remove his helmet to see how bad the wound was.
Just as his hands touched the helmet, Lion Warrior's hands grabbed his wrist.
"Don't." his voice came through the cracked mouth grill.
"You can trust me." Julius said.
"I would never trust an enemy." the Lion Warrior said.
"I am no enemy."
"You did this to me." he replied showing his eye.
"I'm sorry but you needed to be put down." Julius said.
"Then you made a bad job. I still live." Warrior replied.
"Just let me take this helmet off you damned fool." Julius said and forcefully released his hands from the grip by twisting his hands and pulling sideways.
He grabbed the helmet and removed in carefully.
As soon as he had the helmet free it cracked in two pieces in his hands, he dropped it to the floor.
Lion Warrior had one of his eyes pierced by a broken piece of the helmet lens that still remained in his eye. His blood had clogged on it. And there was a deep gouge of flesh wound on his forehead. It bled all over his face and almost drowned his other eye. He was almost blind for all purposes.
Julius' helmet hid his expression but he felt guilt from wounding a fellow Space Marine in such a horrible way. His face was mutilated and he was half-blinded because of him. He killed many people over the years and he could take even horrible dismemberments with casuality but the guilt was something he had to cope with a lot recently.
He caused this, just as he caused the deaths of his brothers.
"What did you expect?" the Lion Warrior toyed thinking the blank expression of Julius' helmet meant horror or shock.
"I-We have an Apothecary with us." he said raising to his feet. He wanted to be away from his guilt.
Lion Warriors also got up on his feet saying "Don't bother, they won't grew an eye."
Lion Warrior had his knife drawn in the instant and shouldered into Julius knocking him down in his confusion.
Julius hit the floor hard but Iulius was watching over the exchange from the beginning and raised his Heavy Bolter towards the Lion Warrior.
"Move and I pump you with bolt rounds." he threatened.
Lion Warrior lowered his arms but still waited in a combat-ready relaxed stance, his legs spead.
"Drop the knife." Iulius said.
Combat blade clanged onto the floor and Deciaci moved forward.
He kicked the Lion Warrior at the back of his leg and forced him into a crouch.
"That was for shooting at me." he snarled.
"Tough luck." commented the Lion Warrior on his knees.
Ioras and Horatus had arrived and were looking the sealed bulk-door.
Ioras moved towards the prisoners, squad had already disabled their armour's power-backpacks which turned them into cages for their wearers.
He knelt on one knee and tended to the wounds of the half-blinded Lion Warrior.
He removed the piece of glass and injected his eye with an Astartes-Grade healing medicine from his narthecium.
"Thanks, will it grow back an eye?" the Lion Warrior mocked the Apothecary.
"No, I wouldn't waste an eye on you." Ioras replied disinterested and looked at the broken hand of the other Lion Warrior.
"Just a flesh wound, it'll pass." he commented. Actually Lion Warrior's hand had several dozen fractures but the Astartes physiology would keep it together.
"I don't need anything from you!" the Lion Warrior growled.
"Good, we agree in that." Ioras said and turned back towards the sealed door.
Squad Extus was around him, some covering the corners and other corridors while others stayed close to him.
"Do we breach it?" Horatus asked.
"That's no weakling outer-door. Trust me I've dealt with armour before." commented Iulius.
"We do brother, but we need to get in nontheless, explosives or not." Ioras said.
"Maybe we can by-pass it." suggested Julius.
"How? We are no Techmarine." replied Horatus as rash as always.
"You think they sealed these Lion Warriors outside? They must have some means to get in." he said.
"Yeah, that's exactly what they did, they must have to vox in to open the door." replied Horatus.
Ioras looked at the circular sealed door for a second thinking. Then he turned and walked at the prisoners lying helpless in their disabled power armour.
"How do we get in?" he asked.
"You can't be serious. You're expecting us tell you the way in to our own bunker?" said the blinded Lion Warrior.
"He has a point." voxed in Horatus not wanting the Lions to hear his opinion.
Julius closed in "What's your names?" he asked.
"I ain't telling you my name, traitor!" spat the Lion with broken hand.
"We are not traitors, we are loyal to the Emperor same as you." he said.
Ioras gave space to the Tactical Sergeant and let him work his ways on the prisoners. He had no patience for human psychology and it's social mazes. He only saw human psyche as a toy to be played with, via drugs and mind-altering-chemicals. He let the Librarians to meddle with the ups and downs of the meaningless human soul.
"And why were you assaulting an Imperial bunker belonging to an Astartes Chapter?" asked the eyeless Lion Warrior.
"We needed to get in" Julius said.
"And you needed to kill our brothers on the outside too? Traitor!" said the broken handed Lion almost screaming in rage.
"Orks did that, we were too late to interfere." said Julius pushing guilt into his voice.
"And where are the Orks now? I bet you were allied with those aliens to murder our brothers!" shouted the angry Lion again.
"You accuse us of consorting with aliens?" roared Horatus but Deciaci put a hand on his shoulder-pad to prevent any rash actions.
"Maybe even worse, for all we know you might be controlling these Xenos." Lion accused.
Deciaci grabbed Horatus' arm just as it was going for his bolt pistol's mag-lock.
"Don't." he voxed in.
Julius stood between Horatus and the Lion Warriors breaking the talk between the two sides. He needed the conversation to be focused on him. Horatus was not clever enough to see the way in which Julius made himself the victim of this whole deal, even though they did cause the deaths of the Lion Warriors by luring in the Orks. But the Lion Warriors didn't knew that.
"Look, Orks manage to get to your brothers, not us. We just arrived on the planet surface and was making our way through the streets." explained Julius with a half-truth.
One eyed Lion Warrior looked at Julius with his only eye. "You aren't fooling anybody, but I'll humour you." he said.
"I am Renon and this is Grilleo of the Koota Tactical, 3rd." said the one-eyed Lion Warriors.
"I am Julius of Extus and this is our lord Ioras, we are Emperor's Spears." Julius said presenting Ioras with a hand when he uttered his name.
Ioras looked as disinterested as before while being introduced.
"So what now? Julius of the Spears." Renon asked.
"We need to get in to the bunker, we need to contact your lord of command." Julius said.
"That ain't happening, we aren't letting you just walking in that bunker." Grilleo roared.
"Your brother made his argument clear, how about you?" asked Julius to Renon.
"What makes you think we have any access to the inner bunker?" asked Renon.
"No marine would be locked outside like a common guardsmen just to defend a corridor." stated Julius thinking of any dents in his argument.
"Fair enough, but that is no reason for me to betray my Chapter. That door will not open, not by us at least." Renon said.
"Enough with this waste of time." roared Horatus charging ahead.
Deciaci's grip slipped but Ioras stepped in.
"We are not harming these brother marines, not even if they wish to cooperate with us." Ioras said standing in front of Horatus.
Julius realised that the Apothecary was making himself the hero who defended prisoners against an enraged marine.
"We aren't getting anything out of this." voxed in Ioras.
"I know, we need to breach it." replied Julius back.
"Kraks won't dent that thing." said Iulius.
"We are running out of time, they must have reinforcement coming in as we speak." said Achagon.
"We can carve through it." said Horatus nodding towards the powersword strapped at the backpack of Julius.
Julius unslung the powersword from his backpack and slid it out of sheat. The silver blade shone even in the dim bunker with light.
"I knew it, Emperor damn your souls, renegade scum." said Renon once he recognized the Lion Warrior powersword.
"You traitors, you have no right to that blade!" roared Grilleo.
Extus ignored them.
Julius looked at the blade of the sword for a moment admiring the killing power mixed with beautify of craftsmenship.
He dropped the blade on his other hand, holding out the hilt towards Ioras, presenting it to his lord.
"You keep it, I don't care about blades or swords." Ioras said.
Julius rose the blade again holding it in both hands. He felt-something he did not felt in a very long time.
He could swore he felt like a child again, his euphoria overwhelming his senses.
Assertiveness established itself like a dark ice storm. His happiness froze into obedience. He felt the sword in his hands. It meant power. Power even to cut through Terminators if necessary.
He pressed the stub and the powersword came to life. It's energy field buzzing like contained lightning strike, he could feel the partial magnetic field the powersword was causing.
His hair rose as the blade hummed in his hands, ready to strike.
He pointed it towards the sealed-door and pierced it deep. He was shocked how the solid door let the blade slip through itself. Like cutting into live magma. The blade went deep. He almost had the hilt-guard slam the door but stopped awkwardly.
"You don't even know how to use it." mocked Renon.
Julius gave no notice to the Lion Warriors and slashed the blade downwards.
"Just like any other sword." he repeated in his mind.
He practiced with spears and sword in the training ground a hundred times but wielding such a hollowed blade made him shiver.
His training started to take over and he gripped the blade like he gripped his chainsword.
He slashed again and again at the door peeling it in hot melted metal.
"That's deep enough." said Iulius and stepped in.
"Breach it, Protocol Beta." ordered Ioras.
Extus spread out in breach position taking cover all around.
Herean planeted the Krak grenade into the peeled metal and took cover.
"Breach." voxed in Julius and the Krak went off.
Door withstood the explosion but the force peered it inwards bending it. The way was clear.
They did not charge the breach for Lion's were sure to wait them inside.
A second later a Frag was lobbed out of the door.
It exploded but they were far from the door and in cover. The shrapnels and the explosion only scratched their armour. However the tunnel was filled with dust once again.
"Frag and invade." ordered Ioras.
Horatus lobbed a Frag in and they moved in not waiting for it to explode.
Frag went off deep within the room. Inside was now filled with smoke but it was no matter.
Extus set their visors to termal and came into the room boltguns ready.
They were greeted with bolt rounds and they returned fire.
Julius realised that this indeed was the command room of the bunker. Filled with dozens of consoles and servitors manning the communication devices.
The Frag grenade had wrecked the room, killing several of the servitors. The rest of the was unfazed by the whole event working their stations casually.
Horatus fired at a Lion Warriors blowing several bolt rounds on his chest.
Julius took two bolt-rounds on his chest and fell back. Deciaci and Cussax shot the marine who downed Julius.
"Aim low, maim if you can." said Ioras but he knew that fight had no certainties.
Two more marines were ahead taking cover behind seperate consoles. One of them fired and hit Cussax right between the shoulder-pad and the chestplate.
Luckily the bolt-round exploded outside the flesh only breaking Cussax' shoulder. He kept firing single handedly his broken hand in too much pain to use effectively.
He managed a headshot and a Lion Warrior went down.
The last Lion Warriors was a sergeant, he rose from cover firing at Ioras. Bolt-rounds exploded at Ioras' plate forcing him back.
Iulius fired a burst from his Heavy Bolter, blowing the sergeant back.
They scrambled around the Lion Warriors taking away their weapons and keeping them down.
Lion Warrior Alpha Sergeant was about to rise when Ioras stepped on his chestplate and pointed his boltgun at his head.
"Sergeant Orson, I presume." he said.
Orson looked up at his assailants with an recognizing face.
"Emperor's Spears." he breathed through his teeth.
"Let's have a chat." said Ioras.