The oasis that the Leopards called home turns into a battleground as the forces of Haikk attempt to force the Eldar and two Imperials out. Even with the advantage of a trench system and defensive preparations, the fight will still not be entirely easy...

Deep in the trench system the Eldari had so elaborately crafted, Roger, Moire, and Cruniach stood around an impromptu map made from the dirt floor of their little makeshift bunker. Their opponents, marked by small debris they had collected from their convoy raid, were slowly pushing into their oasis. Roger was about to give an order when an Avenger entered, taking off their helmet and revealing a face serene, but with the first beads of sweat from exertion starting to form on his forehead.

"Serjeant?"

"Ah, Joreau. Anything to report?"

"I am afraid that our foes have breached the northern trenches. Me and two of my comrades engaged what seemed to be a scouting party. We have to assume that everything from here-"

He pointed an armored finger to a stretch of lines near the first set of defenses. They had been abandoned shortly after the first infantrymen had gotten within a few hundred yards, part of a strategy to drag their attackers into fighting a vicious close combat.

"Has been taken by the enemy."

"Excellent. And judging by the fact that my ears aren't ringing and the ground isn't shaking, that damned Baneblade is no longer an issue."

"As good as any news," Moire agreed.

"My warriors report that the southern attack has been eliminated," Cruniach reported.

"So our escape route is secure, good."

A few more figures entered, also taking their helmets off. One of them looked at Roger and grinned.

"I take it that the Baneblade was no issue, Kallen?"

"We are lucky Roger, I pray your comrades under the Emperor's service are not nearly as incompetent as our foes."

"What do you mean?"

"Would you leave an armored vehicle so defenseless? Especially one as important and essential as one of that size?"

"I must add, your kind must have a serious need for compensation of some sort," Gwyndair added. "Still, for all those weapons and all that armor, it was no match for our Chainswords."

He held the weapon that had sliced through the Baneblades main gun with admiration.

"Imagine serjeant, this could cut through one of your peoples finest vehicles. What could it do to mere flesh and body armor?"

"Not a thought I'd want to dwell on Gwyndair. Did you destroy it?"

"Merely the main gun. It retreated shortly thereafter. I would believe that they did not wish to lose such a valuable piece of equipment."

"The rest of my warriors are already in position throughout the trenches to ambush our visitors," Kallen said.

"Excellent. Moire, I want you to provide Avengers to assist the Scorpions ambush operations."

"Understood."

Roger pointed to a position marked by a pair of bird feathers.

"Cruniach, secure the Serpents. Wynoc's told me they are ready to go at a moments notice, but I don't want some lucky rebel to stumble upon them and make our retreat a mess."

"Understood."

"If these last few hours are anything to go by, Helene was right saying this is amateur hour."

"Agreed."

"Speaking of her, where'd she go?"

"I last saw her in one of the auxiliary trenches connected to this position. I believe she is listening in to enemy communications," Gwyndair remarked.

"Right. Well, I think we're now in phase two of our plan. Keep pulling them deeper into the trenches, slow them and inflict as much pain as you can, and when I give the signal, we get the hell out of here."

"This strategy seems rather obvious Roger," Kallen said playfully. "Do you think our enemy is so foolish as to continue charging straight into our trap?"

"The only thing more intolerable to Imperial command than disobedience to orders is showing initiative. Even with the lack of resources this planet has in manpower versus the Imperial Guard, we face officers who have little experience in real combat, and even if they did, they would blindly follow Guard tactics to the death. Or more accurately, their men's deaths."

"I trust Edmund is not such an officer?"

"Well, I'm still alive and I haven't been shot for not blindly obeying orders, right?"

Kallen frowned.

"But you were going to be executed at one point."

"For associating with Xenos, yes."

Moire looked at him in what seemed to be amusement.

"I was not aware that was a crime."

"Theologically, not militarily," Roger said as he left the bunker, throwing his battered kettle helmet on his head and swinging his Lasgun over his shoulder.

The hiss of Lasgun fire, screaming of orders, or the screams of death, echoed through the trench lines as Roger went to find Helene. In his ear, the Eldari communication device was almost totally silent, giving him intermittent updates from various ambushes. In true Eldar fashion doing more with less, some ambushes were Avengers gunning down rebels, others solitary Scorpions, masters of close ambushes as they were, tearing through the enemy before they had a realization of what was going on. The rebels were moving through, but at a miserably short pace. And every foot they gained was paid in blood. Even worse, only the bravest would call artillery fire on their own positions or troops, and they had no Basilisks anyway.

"Yeah! Eat that cocksuckers!"

He stopped when he heard the familiar voice, and the even more familiar coarse language. He turned a corner to see Helene in her full Cadian gear, khaki uniform and green armor, standing over a voxset.

"I take it we're winning?" he asked, leaning on the wall.

"Amateur hour. They had a Baneblade run away!"

"Kallen and his boys decided to cut its gun off."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"With what?"

"One of their chainswords."

"A chainsword cut through a fucking Baneblade cannon?"

"Their swords are different than ours apparently. More technologically advanced. They don't even activate until they make contact, so you only hear them when they're at work."

"I wouldn't mind having one of those."

"You'd probably have to pull it from their cold dead hands. And even then, their friends would tear you apart to get it back."

"Why can't we have nice shit?"

"Because we're the Imperial Guard, we do more with…more. That and the bloody Space Marines take all the good toys."

"Aren't statements like that heretical?"

"The Inquisition or a Commissar will have to come all the way out here and detain me then."

"I'd try to get one on the Vox, but I don't think it goes that far out. And I don't think Black Bob or Edmund would be willing to lose us over something that small."

"Probably. I take it they're still trying to push in from the north?"

"Since they lost comms with the southern attack, they've given up and started throwing everything they have that way. Ya know, typical Guard tactics."

"I'm aware and thought they would do so."

Helene rubbed her face and sneezed.

"The heavy duty Vox is in the back of the troop carriers. This one I'll just destroy when it's time to go."

"Gonna shoot it?"

She held up a long, gray colored cylinder.

"WP solves everything. Long as you don't watch it burn."

"Well it's going to be sooner than later. They already got through the first set of trenches."

"Got it."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the cracking of weapons fire and screaming echoed from the north.

"We're probably going to be stuck for another half an hour or so here. I told them to kill as many of them as they can. Less troops makes things easier down the road."

"Does that make us heretics?"

Roger frowned at the question.

"What do you mean?"

Helene ran a hand through her golden hair and sighed.

"I understand they are rebels, but we are associating with Xenos in the death of fellow humans. Does that mean the Emperor will still accept us? Shit, the Inquisition will have a field day if they find out about us. And our own comrades probably figured out what's going on, so what would they do?"

"Ohhhh," Roger said with a bit of embarrassment.

"What?"

"They didn't tell you, did they?"

"Who the fuck didn't tell me fucking what?"

"You really need to watch your language. And what I mean, is that you weren't told protocol for our situation."

"Which is?"

"We're both dead. Legally and according to the Munitorum. Or missing in action, likely killed."

Helene stood up and grabbed his arm.

"What!"

"Yes, I understand it's not the best way of hiding us, but it's what D'Uxford decided on. My story, far as I know, is that everyone was told I was sent for some secret mission and never came back."

"But how do you report in?"

"Small circle of Edmunds personal knights know, and those who need to. Everyone, or at least ninety-nine percent of the Corps, thinks I'm dead. When I get back to the Cathedral, it's in disguise and I meet with a trusted member of Edmunds retinue."

She let go of him and covered her mouth with her hand, thinking the news over.

"So I'm dead."

"Legally speaking. Or missing in action. The two have a tendency to be interchangeable."

"But what if we need to be involved with his command staff?"

"Different identities or they don't care. NCO's and Guardsmen are hardly worth noticing. Stay in the shadows, stay out of notice."

She sat down next to the Vox, but took no notice of it.

"So all my friends think I'm gone."

"It takes getting used to. I left a group of good men behind, but I have a second lease on life and I get to be near my social betters and not be a damned servant."

"So running around and getting nearly killed while being forced to help Xenos isn't being a servant?"

"It's… something."

"Yeah. It's some fucking nightmare."

"You seem to be getting along with them better than I thought you would."

"Because I have no choice."

"You want to go back to your regiment and get stood in front of a firing squad?"

Helene wanted to say the bog-standard Guard answer, the answer befitting a soldier of the Emperor, but it is one thing to show pride and utter loyalty, and another entirely to live by.

"Not really."

"Then you do what I do. Tolerate it and make the best of it. If it'll make you happier, when we get back, I'll put you in touch with the Bishop of Chelmster. He knows about us and is more than happy to soothe your soul and conscience if you need it."

The Cadian smiled.

"I would appreciate that Roger."

"I had the same issues as you when this all started. I wasn't even supposed to be in command. Just be the go-between for the Farseer nd the Prince."

"You told me when I got here."

Roger chuckled.

"Yeah, but I still can't believe it."

"Well, I think that-"

What started as a low whistle turned into a horrific scream as a massive explosion threw the pair into the ground. Another followed, then another, and another.

"Fuck!" Helene yelled.

"Agreed!" Roger grunted.

As he struggled up to his feet, he saw a dark figure rush towards him. Moire's black hair and blank face stared down at him, grabbing his extended hand and lifting him up.

"Are you two uninjured?"

"I seem to be fine, what about you Helene?"

"Fine. Pissed, but fine."

"We were taken as suddenly as you were. Thankfully no casualties reported."

"What the hell hit us? Cruniach said there was no artillery identified!"

"I was under the same assumption. We are pulling our forces back towards the Serpents. I believe we need to leave shortly."

"I agree. Was the bunker hit?"

"A close miss, as your people say. Kallen, Cruniach and I extricated everyone inside shortly after the first barrage. Additionally-"

Her long, pointed ears twitched and her face went serious. She grabbed him and dove into the alcove Helene was already curled up in. Much to his displeasure, two or three hundred pounds of armored Eldar landed on top of him, but four or five new soul-rattling explosions answered any questions he had. After a few moments of silence, Moire lifted herself off of him.

"Apologies serjeant."

"My thanks for the save."

As she lifted off of him, he could have sworn she made a slight smile before patting his cheek.

"Would not want to lose you yet."

"Er-right," he said as he checked if anything was broken. He didn't know why he bothered, he knew that even with their armor, the Eldar were impossibly light.

"That ain't goddamn artillery. Fucking amateurs."

Roger and Moire turned to the Cadian in confusion. She rolled her eyes and explained to the uninitiated.

"Those are Leman Russ rounds. My guess is they decided not to get in the fight but give support."

"Are you sure?"

She looked at him with more than a bit of fury.

"I know a fucking artillery round when I hear it. And that wasn't one."

"I'll defer to your judgment. All the more reason to start getting out of here."

"I have already started moving our ambushes closer to the oasis proper."

"Good move Moire. Well, let's move back before they fire again. Helene? I'd finish off that Vox set now."

"Roger Roger," she said emphatically, waving the two off as she pulled the pin.

Leaving the alcove, the bright light of the grenade flickered off the trench walls, followed by the hiss of melting metal. Helene followed moments later, cracking her neck before snorting and spitting a glob of phlegm on the sand.

"Taken care of."

Rolling his eyes, Roger nodded and pointed to the southern end of the trenchworks.

"Let's try to find the rest of our group. We're going to have to move ahead of schedule on phase three."

A few more whistles came from the sky, the three quickly throwing themselves into what cover they could find. The ground rocked, and the sound of flowing sand went through the trench.

"Dammit," Roger groaned. He quickly pressed the earpiece and asked for a status report. He got more than a few responses, and it was all bad news.

"What seems to be the issue?" Moire asked.

"A few of those shells that just hit us blew a couple holes through the trenchworks. If those troops play their cards right and take risks, they'll be on top of us in a few minutes."

Helene dusted herself off and laughed.

"That's why they're doing this. They know they can't find and kill us, so some fuck showed initiative and decided to just blow their way through our defenses. That's Guard tactics to a T."

Roger waved his hand for the two to follow him, which they did. Moire held her Shuriken thrower at the ready and watched the rear.

"I wanted to ask you Moire, what is the Eldari way of fighting through trenches?"

"Going around them."

"I see. But if you are stuck in one, like we are now-"

"We fight in them and leave as soon as possible."

"Sarge, I think we chose the wrong friends for this."

"Thank you Helene. Let's just find the rest and-"

He realized what was about to happen when Moire did, whirling around and unslinging his Lasgun, pointing it at the end of the trench they just left. The Cadian looked bewildered before understanding what was going on. He used his hands to wave her off and head to the rally point. She quickly obeyed and rushed south.

"Ready for a fight?"

"I would be lying if I said I was not, Roger."

"Good."

And sure enough, fifteen rebel soldiers poured from the trench, into the waiting guns of Roger and Moire.

XXXXXX

Kallen watched in satisfaction as more of his Scorpions returned from their ambushes and enter the oasis, nearly all of them covered in blood and gore. There was a part of him, that ancient Eldari feeling of honor and pride that inhabited the hearts of their species, that made the retreat abhorrent, but not only did he prefer to acquiesce to the orders of his superior, he had come to deeply, deeply hate the desert.

The constant change of heat and cold had physically tortured him, from head pains to overexertion in the oppressive heat. Even better, with no action on the convoys, he could at least satisfy himself on the idea of inflicting as much pain on his opponents as possible. Under his helmet, his face crumpled in anger at the thought. He had not wanted to admit it, but he was finding his emotions less and less controllable with every passing day. He could feel the War Mask nearly shattered. He needed to return to Ducaish soon, or else-

"Brother," came a familiar voice.

"Gwyndair. I take it your ambush was as successful as we hoped?"

Keeping the helmet on, the body language and hand movements, almost as essential to the communication of the Eldar as the spoken or written word, answered in the affirmative.

"I hate to admit this, but I believe I am becoming sloppy."

"Do tell."

"I was successful in my ambush, but I had not planned it. I had blundered my way in the middle of what seemed to be a small squad. They still died as quickly as the rest of my kills today."

"Good work. Have you seen any sign of Roger? I believe he left the bunker shortly before the first barrage of artillery."

"No. And I would like to question Cruniach on the fact he did not notice our enemy had such fire support."

"Mistakes are rare for him, so I will give him the benefit of my personal doubt."

"I don't. The Rangers have been very poor as of late."

Kallen was disappointed at the seeming distrust and contempt his friend, and second in command, showed his fellow warriors, but did not say anything.

"It was unfortunate enough that there are factions in the Avengers and Rangers at each other's throats, but now I must deal with the sloppy work of what should be-"

"If you wish to speak ill of my leader, I would prefer it if you did so in comfort of your own dwelling, or preferably not at all."

The two Scorpions turned to see a Ranger, her freckle spotted face almost as red as her hair.

"Ah, the Farseer's daughter wishes to join the conversation. I guess given her nepotistic qualifications, we must listen to her."

"At least I know about my parentage. We can not say the same for you."

Gwyndair, never one to take a slight, raised his bloody Chainsword and took a fighting position. Anya took another step, already pulling her sword from its scabbard. A few Avengers, having returned from assisting their Scorpion brethren in a few of the ambushes, ceased their conversations and watched the spectacle in passive amusement. No other Rangers seemed to be in the area, an oddity given how closely knit their unit was.

"The both of you will cease this nonsense immediately!" Kallen snapped, fury boiling up in his voice.

"I am your battle brother-"

"You are being an insufferable prick!"

Gwyndairs helmeted visage turned to him, but his body showed confusion at the statement. It was not every day you heard a human phrase come from an Eldar, but either his time spent with the Mon-Keighs all those cycles ago or being as close to Roger as he was had rubbed off on him.

"What?"

"I do not know if either of you are aware, but we are still in the midst of a fight. Under artillery fire as well."

As if to accentuate the point, five more explosions ripped across the trench works in front of them, throwing up hills of sand.

"He has insulted my commander!" Anya hissed.

"And you have insulted my honor beyond toleration!"

"You both are wasting valuable time while the enemy approaches!"

Where was Moire? She normally was able to soothe any injuries given to one faction or another that made up the Leopards. Better yet, where was Roger?

XXXXXX

"You all right?" Roger yelled as another Lasbolt seared the sand next to him into glass.

"To think such weapons would be harmful to us," Moire growled, trickles of blood running down her face.

Though the first squad had fallen quickly, their comrades following them rose to the challenge. Though out of range, the point man, armed with a shotgun, had gotten a few lucky pellets to hit the Avenger. She had thrown five shurikens into his skull a moment after, but she was injured, slight as it was, by one of the most primitive weapons wielded by a primitive race.

"Where's your helmet?"

"I was pre-occupied with evacuating the bunker. Maybe one of these-"

She let loose a few more shurikens, the shrieks that followed proof of her aim, even with the distractions of pain and the continued supporting fire from the distant Leman Russ', was accurate as ever.

"Rebels will find it and take it as a trophy. If I let any of them survive."

Roger laughed and fired his own Lasgun, feeling an odd comfort as a hole tore through the chest armor of one man, who toppled over and rolled on the ground, tripping one of his comrades. The two had retreated slowly from trench to trench, having spent nearly twenty minutes holding the oncoming tide of infantry back. But the tank fire was getting closer, the numbers overwhelming, and the increasing fear of having their rally point, and more importantly, escape, cut off was getting to the two.

"Moire, we need to cut them off, now. Do you have any of those explosives on hand?"

She tossed one of the small, egg looking Eldar devices over to him before opening fire again, cutting another man down. Grabbing three fragmentation grenades he had pulled off a few corpses earlier, he tied them all together using some scraps of clothing. Slamming the abomination of explosives together into the trench wall, he gave a hand motion for Moire to pull back, and after she confirmed, he chucked one last frag grenade down the trench. Hearing the yells of panic and the enemy fire stopping, he pulled one of the abominations pins and ran behind the Avenger. Taking cover next to her, he covered his ears and heard a thump that felt like a punch to the chest. Sand rushed over their cover for a moment or two, and then all went silent.

"I think it worked," Roger said as he lowered his hands from his ears.

"I believe it did."

They looked over the cover and saw, much to their satisfaction, the entire trench wall collapsed, a massive obstacle to the continuing assault.

"It is a good thing we only made one path to the oasis, dangerous and risky as it was."

"Danger and risk is what we live for, correct?"

The two stood up and moved at a brisk walk to the trenches exit.

"I do not live to constantly have near death experiences."

"Your loss."

A little while later, having finally found the trenches end, and having gotten nearly lost twice, much to Moire's frustration and embarrassment, the two finally saw the familiar trees of the oasis.

"Finally," she muttered.

"I don't blame you for getting lost."

"Please do not tell anyone of my inability to path find, ironic as it sounds."

"Your secret is fine with-what the hell!"

Moire looked to where Roger was staring, and noticed the Scorpion and Ranger with drawn blades facing one another. She could tell even from a distance who the two were.

"-time while the enemy approaches!" Kallen yelled.

"What is going on here!" Roger barked.

The group turned to him, Kallen showing relief in his face.

"Roger, these two are about to engage one another over some poorly worded comments."

The serjeant looked at Kallen, then at the two would-be duelists, and gave a grunt of disappointment.

"Are you serious? You two can deal with whatever issues seem to be bothering you, but we are in the middle of a goddamn fight, getting shells rained on us, and are looking at a full on assault about to pour from those trenches!"

"She has-"

"I don't give a- it's- I don't give a shit!" he spluttered in outrage.

Moire and Kallen looked at him in surprise. Using such words was not in his character.

"We are about to get hit with the full force of Haikk, and you two are fighting like children! This is the second time I-"

He stopped himself and looked at Anya, who quickly shook her head in a desperate plea to stop him from continuing.

"Second time?" Gwyndair said in confusion.

Roger was about to make an answer up on the spot, but the whistle of Leman Russ shells echoed from the sky.

"Cover!" he yelled before diving on the ground.

The explosions were close, almost on top of them, throwing dirt, grass, and splinters of shattered trees everywhere. Even worse, as he rolled to get back on his feet, he saw silhouettes of troops coming from the trench exit. Opening fire on them, the Avengers and Anya quickly followed suit.

"We're out of time!" Kallen yelled as he ran over to Roger and pulled him off his rear.

"Dammit I know! Why didn't you stop those two!"

"I was not given enough time or a captive audience. We can discuss it later!"

"Agreed!"

XXXXXX

As the Avengers, Moire, and Anya let loose covering fire, Gwyndair, Kallen, and Roger made a rush for the camouflaged Wave Serpents, already prepped for evacuation.

"Do we have everyone!" he nearly screamed to Cruniach, who had taken command of the rally point and its defenders.

"Two Avengers are in this craft, four in the first, four missing, Moire included, along with one of my Rangers, but we have the full complement of Scorpions with those two here. The other Mon-Keigh, human, apologies, is in the second craft as well. "

"If you're looking for Anya, she was giving us covering fire along with Moire and the rest of her warriors. We just escaped the trenches."

The Eldars wizened face looked at him in confusion.

"What was she doing there?"

"I don't know. I wish I knew what was going on in her mind somedays."

"It is difficult enough to get in the mind of one of our kind, Roger."

He leaned in and looked around.

"Even more so for a female."

"No difference with my kind. The rest will be soon behind us. Get the fully loaded Serpents out of here, keep the last one for the stragglers!"

"Roger, that would mean abandoning-"

"Go dammit!"

"Understood."

Cruniach rushed to Kallen and Gwyndair and motioned them to the other transports. Moments later, the first two craft rushed off. Stepping inside the last one, he saw the two Avengers inside and prepared to go, who motioned their hands in greeting.

"We're waiting on a few more to get here."

Two Avengers in here, he saw Moire and three others at the trench end, and Anya as well. Considering no one was barking at him over the comms bead, he assumed that everyone was accounted for. Moving to the cockpit, the driver turned around and nodded.

"We are prepared to leave on your orders Serjeant. The enemy approaches in great numbers."

"I'm aware. Who operates the turret on top of this thing?"

"It is fully autonomous."

"Will it aim at me?"

The pilot looked down in thought for a moment and shook his head.

"It should know who you are."

"Should?"

"It will fire at enemies. I do not know if it considers you such. It is turned off at the moment-"

"Turn it on now, and we'll face the consequences if need be. We're about to get more company than we want."

"Understood."

He pressed his long, armored fingers on what looked to be a datascreen and nodded again.

"Active."

"Fire at will."

Roger exited the Serpent and saw the shapes of five Eldar rushing towards him. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Come on! You're almost there! We need to leave now!"

Anya got to him first, running a finger along his cheek as she brushed past him. He was about to say something when he saw the Avengers a short bit behind.

"There we go! Let's get mov-"

His blood froze as he heard the whistle of tank shells again. And his face went pale as the shells landed almost on top of the hapless Eldar.

"Throne," he said in horror.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like hours as he anxiously watched the dirt and sand splatter back to the ground. He only realized he had stopped breathing when he finally saw the Avengers again, still running towards him.

"Too close!" Moire said, her face covered in soil, spitting and coughing as she nearly leapt into the Wave Serpent.

He chuckled, still feeling on the verge of panic, but relieved as he saw the other Avengers following her. Whirling into the passenger compartment, he looked out into the oasis one final time and spat, watching in grim delight as it landed on the floor of the oasis and its benighted desert, no longer his home. He turned around with a grin and was about to say something when he realized that Moire did not seem collected. The others who had followed her, having taken off their helmets, showed something approaching fear.

"What?"

Moire turned to the others, one of whom shot his face up in terror at Roger.

"Where is Morgyn?" he asked in panic.

XXXXXX

The last thing Morgyn had seen was the Wave Serpent. It had only been a few hundred yards away, but when she had heard the whistles from above, she had made an amateur mistake: trying to figure out what it was. She had endured the bombardment since it had started, having spent most of the battle making the slow retreat assisting the ambushes of the Scorpions. But that momentary pause had been enough to make her a victim of the barrage.

She was still alive, her armor and body naturally able to endure more testing and painful experiences. But she knew something was wrong. As she lifted her self up with her arms, she could feel her limbs were still all attached, but the searing pain in her legs told her something was horribly wrong. She rolled over and quickly realized that metal splinters, probably from one of the close hits, had torn into her legs. Nothing that would be permanently damaging, or even leave a mark given the advanced medical abilities of her people, but more than enough to immobilize her.

"Khaine, why have you forsaken me now!" she hissed, realizing her helmet had been damaged beyond repair.

Grabbing the latches with her hands, she tossed the useless item away, and started crawling towards the Serpent. Her Shuriken thrower had also been destroyed, nearly shattered in two. For all the ill-luck she was having, fate had given her, all in all, a good deal. She had obviously survived a nearly fatal hit that only spared her by inches.

"Hey! I think this areas clear!"

She froze again, hearing the human language, but not recognizing the voice.

"At least we're out of that fucking trench!"

"Shut up and keep your head on a swivel! The Emperor knows whatever we've been fighting never lets their guard down!"

Five figures moved towards her, seemingly not recognizing or noticing.

"What the fu- SARGE! Over here!"

Another figure rushed over to join them and much to her horror, soon were standing over her.

"So that's what a Xeno looks like," one of them spat.

"Can't run no more, ya coward."

Five bayoneted Lasguns were pointing at her now, all trained either at her head or chest.

"Legs are shredded," another said. "Lemme give a check quick."

He kicked her right leg, and she hissed in pain, trying her utmost to control her emotions and not give whoever they were the satisfaction of knowing their sadism was working. One of the younger ones stared at her in curiosity, looking at her face and trying to figure out what he should be feeling, either pity, fascination, or hatred. He turned to the one who had stripes on his shoulder armor and carried no weapon.

"Sarge?"

"Put her down. But don't ruin the body. We'll take it back to port and maybe someone at Golgotha knows what to do with it. Study it or whatever. One of you does it, not all of ya."

"I will," the one who kicked her leg quickly answered. He pushed another of his comrades out of the way, stood at the right side of her head, and grinned through a mess of ill-ordered teeth.

"See ya in hell Xeno," he laughed, raising his weapon to her head.

She closed her eyes and whispered and prayer before opening them, wishing to look into her killers eyes. Something dropped on her cheek, and before she could figure out what it was, she saw a large piece of metal sticking from her would be assassins chest, his face twisted in surprise. A second later, the blade disappeared and she heard a slashing noise followed by a scream.

As two dead men crumpled to the ground, she saw a figure in simple uniform and armor plate, wielding a sword, parry a bayonet thrust and slam his helmet into another mans face. A red lasbolt nearly hit the swordsman, who grabbed the attackers weapon and pulled, dragging its hapless owners throat straight into a waiting sword point. Pulling the choking and bleeding victims body in front of him, another lasbolt from the last men standing finished him off, but not before the swordsman swung his human shields Lasgun in the last two soldiers direction, and a stream of red flashes tore into them. She heard the pair flop to the ground, and finally saw the meat shield collapse, and one man standing above her, blade dripping crimson and his face nearly as red with rage or exhaustion.

"You all right Morgyn?"

"Roger," she said in disbelief, almost joy. "You came back for me-"

"We noticed you were missing. Can you walk?"

She pointed to her legs. He looked down at them and grimaced.

"Damn, are you sure you're alright?"

"I can not walk."

"Then I guess-"

Roger went to her side and dug his hands underneath her armor and lifted her up with a grunt.

"I have to help as usual."

She looked at him blankly, unsure of what to say or think.

"Wrap your arm around me."

"W-what?"

"Your arm, wrap it around my neck. Makes it a bit more manageable. You're a bit heavier than I thought."

"I'll ignore that comment."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get-"

Suddenly the wind picked up, and a massive craft lowered itself almost on top of them, the front of it looking directly at them. It was a Valkyrie.

"Now it shows up," Roger growled through gritted teeth.

He turned away from it and sprinted with her towards the Serpent. Morgyn looked behind his shoulder.

"It is turning away from us!"

"It has heavy bolters in the side doors!"

"Oh no," she whimpered.

Moments after speaking, a thunderous roar came from the Valkyrie, large mounds of dirt and sand being thrown up around them.

"Only a few more yards, only a few more-"

A great heat flared into their faces, and they both were blinded for a moment, but no sooner had that happened than a massive explosion came from behind them, throwing Roger off his feet. The two floundered on the ground in confusion before Morgyn called out with a proud cry.

"The Serpents turret destroyed it!"

"Fantastic! We have to leave now!"

Still a bit dazed, he reached again under her and yelped in triumph as he felt the solid floor of the Serpent under him. He slammed the door controls quickly.

"GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"Understood!"

Inertia nearly knocked him back as the Wave Serpent roared away from the oasis, throwing off the camouflage protecting it as it darted into the desert. A few pings and thuds in the moments after confirmed a few rebels had survived or still had their wits about them to fire on the escaping craft, but to no avail. Panting in exhaustion, Roger turned to Moire, who looked astonished at the sight of him carrying one of her warriors.

"She's hurt. Help her."

Standing from the jump seat, Moire and two of the Avengers lowered her onto the floor of the Serpent and looked her over, whispering in Eldari and motioning their hands. Morgyn looked up at Roger and smiled.

"Thank you Roger."

She closed her eyes and her head rolled over. He felt his heart plummet as she did so.

"Throne-don't tell me she's..."

"She is not dead, our bodies have ways of controlling pain and injury, which includes going into unconsciousness after heavy wounds. She does not seem to be bleeding externally or internally, and is in stable health. I have been through something like this before."

"Thank you Moire."

Roger moved up to the cockpit.

"Good shot, you have my thanks."

"It was far too close for comfort. I was worried my craft would be damaged. But… you are welcome. And it is one more kill for me to brag about."

Roger laughed and stepped over the impromptu medical session and sat down at the only empty seat, next to who else, but Anya.

"That was very brave of you Roger," she politely said.

"I know-" he said as he slumped into the jump seat. "But I can't imagine your mother would be happy to know I got one of her people killed because I left them behind."

"Yes, it would-"

Roger turned to her after she stopped, seeing her face almost pale.

"What?"

"Your arm."

He looked down and saw a piece of metal sticking out from a bloody patch on his uniform.

"Oh dear."

It must have been a piece of the Valkyrie, and he never noticed it. He didn't even feel any pain.

"Well that's a problem."

"Stay still."

"What?"

He felt a pinch, causing him to take a sharp breath, and saw her holding a long splinter of metal. She placed a hand over the wound, and he suddenly felt ice, then heat, over it. She lifted her hand, and to his amazement saw the wound not only healed, but almost as if it never happened.

"How-"

"Mother taught me some things."

"Hm. Didn't know your magick worked on humans."

"It can if you know how to."

"I'll-" he yawned. "Remember that."

"Are you tired?"

Roger snorted.

"Course I am. Fought a battle and nearly got killed multiple times. I need a nap."

"Get some rest then. We have time before we return to our encampment."

He nodded and closed his eyes.

"True. Very true."

As he dozed off, he felt something warm on his hand, but he was too tired to notice, and cared even less.