Episode 1: Factory-Fresh Assault
Chapter 3: Die C.I.S. Scum! (Prequel Memes)
Previously on SH50K:
The Galactic Republic's war with the Confederacy Of Independent Systems has reached its peak, as the top-secret experimental Stargates were deployed for the first time, and what started out as just a simple artillery bombardment became a full-on close-quarters urban slaughterhouse of epic proportions.
Buzz Lightyear and his battle-buddies are knee-deep in scrap metal from broken battle droids, who just keep coming with no end in sight. Spartans, Astartes, DnD adventurers, and Mandalorians are all brought into the swirling carnage, with casualties mounting on both sides.
If they don't destroy the droid factory deep inside the hive city, there won't be an end to this!!!
But good news has arrived! The Space Marines have located the facility churning out all these metal soldiers, and are planning on planting explosives to bring it down. It won't be easy, though... all the Geonosians in the city have holed up in the factory, explaining their absence everywhere else, and plan on defending to the death.
First to the droid factory's entrance, before any of Lightyear's other field commanders, was Warsmith Gaius of the Legio Astartes, and his battalion of fire support Space Marines. There were eight types of warrior in this formation, including:
Hellblasters (plasma rifle equipped specialists,)
Eradicators (using Melta microwave weapons,)
Eliminators (veteran snipers and marksmen,)
Suppressors (bulky airborne troops with heavy autocannons,)
Moritats (nimble airborne troops with dual volkite death-ray pistols,)
Aggressors (heavily armored ground troops with auto boltstorm gauntlets and rocket launcher racks,)
Devastators (default heavy weapons specialists,)
and Devastator Centurions (super-heavy infantry in house-sized battlesuits which count as mobile artillery platforms.)
Author's note: There will be female Space Marines in this story, which I labeled as Battle-Sisters, please don't be mad, I just like the idea of 7-foot tall Amazonian warriors looking somewhat like Cara Dune, Ellen Ripley, or Lara Croft. I made sure they weren't as thick and swollen as how Space Marines are usually depicted.
Each Astartes warrior carried an additional pack of explosives with them, to destroy the factory through a chain reaction of big blasts.
Towering over the crowd of super-soldiers was a squad of giant warriors from Faerun and the Forgotten Realms, who had just lost a man to the precision shots of an AAT droid battle tank. Complementing the giants' immense physical strength was a cadre of specialized wizards (also known as Psykers,) some of whom had sacrificed their lives at the very start of the conflict in order to summon the Stargate.
Needless to say, this was the perfect unit for the job at hand. The droid factory was essentially a giant bunker filled with industrial equipment, stretching many miles underground. Explosives, giant fists, and telekinesis would be SUPER EFFECTIVE here (that was a Pokémon reference!)
"Captain Lightyear said we are free to carry out our operation," said Gaius. "However, we gotta do it as quickly as possible. Commissar Lycan will be leading the way in."
The Commissar, who was said to have a terrible werewolf curse upon him, hence his name, took out a war horn, and blew it, beginning the attack on the Geonosians' industrial foundry.
"SHOOT, SMASH, CHOMP, STOMP!," roared Ragnar and his fellow giants. They smashed the massive gate of the factory down, expecting a raging tide of adversaries.
But strangely, when the small army charged into the dim, cavernous interior of the building, there were no defenders to be seen. Still, the tension was high as ever.
"Stay on your guard," Commissar Lycan said. "We don't know exactly what awaits us down here."
Suddenly, a bolt of pure kinetic energy from a sonic disruptor gun streaked out from the darkness, and hit a single Space Marine sharpshooter, causing her to explode in a shower of gore, splattering blood and showering armor fragments all over her battle-brothers.
"AMBUSH!!!"
Then mayhem erupted inside the cavern, as Geonosian workers, soldiers and alates swarmed out of rapidly expanding holes in the walls, firing their sonic weaponry and causing a catastrophic cacophony that mowed down Astartes left and right.
The four remaining giant fighters, Ragnar, Corswain, Vajra, and Mikhail, used their immense power-armored bodies to shield their allies from the shockwaves the Geonosians' weapons were causing. A curious thing that Vajra and Mikhail noticed was that the concussive impacts of the sonic guns had no effect on the structural integrity of the droid factory.
"Why aren't we all buried in rubble yet?," Vajra asked Mikhail, in sign language.
"Maybe because we need a much stronger explosion," Corswain chimed in.
Noticing what the giants were saying, Gaius made a grim statement over the vox-caster communications (which were supplemented by sign language:)
"I'm sorry to say this, my fellow warriors, but we might be on a suicide mission. We do indeed have enough explosive power to make the droid foundry collapse on itself. But detonating the munitions will be the death of us."
After he said this, the last of the Geonosian attackers had been driven off or killed. But more were inevitably coming. The heroes needed to act fast.
Lycan: How do we get out of this alive?
Ragnar: Beats me.
Gaius: Hold on... I forgot something! The wizard squad that came along!
Gaius pointed at the battle psykers, and they turned to look at him.
"You there! I don't remember the name of the leader of your platoon! Tell me his name!"
"It's Sergeant Lucas Cauthon, sir," the head sorcerer said. "What orders will you give us, lord Astartes?"
"I want you to put up a really strong force field, AND THEN detonate ALL the explosives we are carrying!"
Sergeant Cauthon was very alarmed by this idea. He knew the risks.
"You acknowledge the possibility of the force field collapsing and us all getting buried alive?"
"I don't care," Gaius said. "Just try your best to protect us from the explosions."
The psykers then began constructing their force field, concentrating their physical and mental stamina to power it up, but the magic had the unfortunate side effect of activating Commissar Lycan's lycanthropy.
He turned into a werewolf, and pounced on a nearby Mandalorian soldier, but Ragnar the giant plucked him off the ground and held him still, preventing him from potentially interfering with the spell.
At that moment, more Geonosians burst from the deeper layers of the foundry to try and stop what was happening, but it was too late for them.
The magic-users were able to put up a suitably strong force field, and then activate the explosives, causing a detonation bigger than an average nuclear bomb to shake the hive city, and completely destroying the Separatists' biggest droid factory.
When the smoke cleared, after an hour passed, Gaius discovered that he and all his allies were completely unharmed. The wizards had severe bloody noses and terrible headaches from channeling so much power, but no permanent or debilitating damage had been caused to their bodies.
Noticing that they were still alive, the warriors applauded Sergeant Cauthon and his sorcerer platoon for saving everyone's asses.
"Three cheers for Cauthon and his unyielding protection! The God-Emperor is with us today!"
Following the destruction of the factory, Buzz Lightyear was informed of the success, and he rallied all the troops to gather together and find Gaius's group.
To make a long story short: They destroyed the remaining battle droids in the way and made a rendezvous at the ruins of the droid factory.
The Stargate was a two-way door between worlds, which meant that the surviving soldiers could all return to their base. The campaign was a success, a blow to the Separatists that would significantly weaken them.
"Mission accomplished, ladies and gentlemen," Lightyear announced. "We're headed home now. Your courage and willpower is what's keeping the Republic strong, don't forget that!"
But... the war is just getting started... even though it's been going on for quite some time already!
END OF EPISODE 1
Stay tuned for more!
Next time on Starhammer 50k: Episode 2: Rookie Courage
