Sabius swung at the terminator armoured traitor but despite his cumbersome size, he was too quick and countered with a swipe of his power axe. Bolstered by the ruinous powers, the axe bit deep into the framework of the heretical warlord titan. Sabius dodged and purchased enough distance to fire his bolt gun at Ferrum Umbra. It hit the long, mammoth styled tusk that jutted from the traitor's helm, splintering it into a thousand pieces. Geltus, barely conscious, touched a live arc of his severed limb to a fuel leak pooling by him; igniting the space of the duelants, hoping to have set Umbra ablaze. He failed and Ferrum Umbra took another swing at Sabius, this time hitting true. Sabius fell in a pool of genetically enhanced blood as Geltus watched it pool and coagulate with a smorgasbord of other coolants, oils, fuels and lubricants that had been showering the inside of the Ferrum Mundi as its movement became more active.
"What's going on in there?" Voxed Karagon. "We're getting slaughtered out here." Ferrum Umbra heard the vox.
"No." He said into the siege dreadnoughts vox. "You', are next" before punching into the exposed head that controlled the dreadnought, breaking the skull and several neckbones of the corpse as its casing shattered and the fluids that kept the unit alive drained onto the floor.
"No" said Sabius, "you really were next." And a bolt round bit into the back of the skull of the terminator.
"Sabius? Geltus?" Karagon voxed. Neither answered. The terminator turned to face Sabius as the gaping hole in the back of his skull dripped brain matter into the cocktail of fluids mixing on the deck. He went to raise his hand to retaliate with what strength he had left, but Sabius stabbed his power sword deep into the seal between the terminators once tusked helmet and his armour and drove it home where it tickled the traitors black hearts until they would beat no more.
"Sabius, Geltus, report!" Voxed Karagon.
"Come brother." Said Sabius to Geltus, ignoring Karagon's voxes. "Let's find the cockpit and end this madness."
"I'm stuck brother." Said Geltus, unable to even gesture to his condition. "Besides, there is no need."
Sabius looked at Geltus quizically.
"No step protocol." Said Geltus as he spluttered blood with every word. He was referring to the self-destruct mechanism coded into him should he ever become compromised beyond repair.
"Brother, you exaggerate. The tech priests can fix-" Sabius stopped and looked at the body dangling precariously from various tubes and wires both still attached and pulled loose from the sarcophagus, as well as the brutalised state of the biology therein.
"No brother. Remove yourself. My final deed for the Emperor will be to insure this bastard titan never walks again."
"I can't." Said Sabius. "Spare me some time. Hold on brother." He touched his helm. He was sending a private vox. Shortly after, Apothecary Zargan arrived.
"Congratulations brothers on…" he stopped when he saw the condition they were in.
"Brother he's too far…" He said.
"Do, the other thing." Said Sabius and the dying corpse of Geltus drew enough strength to raise a lip in appreciation for the harvest about to be sewn. The Apothecary sighed and wasted no time. There would be no final words.
"It is done brother." He said as he gently sealed the gene seed into his redactor.
"Warning, warning." The alarm began to ring from Geltus' dreadnought armour.
"We must go now." Said Zargan as he aided Sabius in his escape. The alarms continued ringing.
"All units fall back. I repeat, fall back and find cover." Voxed Sabius.
"Do not follow that order!" Replied Karagon. "I repeat, fight on!"
"There's no time! All units fall-"
The first explosion rippled through the titan as Geltus kept his promise. Plates came loose and rivets popped as light shrapnel flew sporadically across the battlefield. Realising what was happening, the Red Scorpions retreated.
"Warning, core damage sustained, core damage sustained, meltdown imminent."
A gush of radioactive heat melted all those who had no time to purchase cover.
Sabius and Zagan, themselves barely able to make it back in time; cultists still throwing themselves at the trenches until the final white light of victory swam over the battlefield. Again, there was silence and when the light and dust dissipated, the clean up operation began.
The End.