"I don't presume you have brought more than a four-person team to support us, however…" Colonel Nulla spoke, looking at them all, then mumbled, "Nor that you have the blessings of the Machine God. Your equipment looks like a very interesting mix…" only to pause as she heard the man at the table clear his throat. She sighed deeply.
The woman turned to the Inquisitor and said to him, "I'm aware I should introduce the Servants of the Emperor first, my lord, but are you particularly aware that we still are in a severe amount of danger from those abominable intelligences outside?" and, as if to accentuate her point, the thunder of a Rapture's missile striking the building's roof echoed, dust falling from the already-damaged ceiling.
The man stared for a moment, then nodded to the Colonel, motioning for her to continue. She bowed her head in thanks, then looked at the confused members of Counters. She told Matias, "You're dismissed, Major. Get yourself a fireteam from Amy's line and move to the Northern Front. Regnum has requested you."
The young man slammed his balled right fist into the left side of his chest. He then turned toward the four, nodded to them and put on his mask, goggles and helmet. He ran off, gear rattling on his body. Alyosha stared at the woman next, stating, "... How did you all wind up here? I swear, the Ark would've told us if they suddenly started deploying armed units."
"Especially ones armed with laser weapons!" Neon spoke, visibly excited to a fault.
Anis snorted, then added, "And, by the way, our gear can deal with the Raptures. It's kinda why we're on the surface," with a smirk on her face and her hands on her hips. Her confidence in flaunting their gear was nice, if not a little worrying, Alyosha thought to himself. He nodded, patting his own heavy .338 PKM.
"I see," Nulla hummed, having taken note of the mention of the 'Ark'. She added, "Apologies for underestimating you, then," and she motioned to the table, "Join us," and she turned to face the man. She told them, "This is Lord Inquisitor Charon Helghath, of the Ordo Hereticus. He was assigned to us to protect during the destruction of our Homeworld," as they approached.
"Your… Gonna assume brother," Alyosha spoke calmly, "Mentioned your 'homeworld' got cracked. Either him or the girl."
She nodded, "Indeed. We're Cadian," and her lilac eyes seemed to glow for a second as she said that, "From the planet Cadia. The First Youth, also known as the three-hundred-thirteenth Heavy Infantry Regiment. We were the first unit of youngsters put into service by order of the Lord Militant to protect our homeworld."
"... My condolences," Alyosha spoke softly, sighing. Humanity seemed to know all too well what losing one's homeworld was. He hummed, then said, "Oh, right. I don't think we introduced ourselves properly. I'm Commander Alyosha Harris, part of the Ark Military and commander of the Nikke Squad 'Counters'. These are my team-mates, Neon and Anis and my second-in-command, Rapi."
"Emperor's blessings be upon you, Commander. Ladies," Colonel Nulla spoke, bowing her head.
"Indeed," The Inquisitor, a smooth-voiced man with a calm demeanor, added, "You say you're soldiers, too, correct?" as he examined them. He didn't seem to believe it much, considering the fact the girls didn't exactly look the part, unlike Nulla and her soldiers, or those women in battle armor they'd seen outside.
"Yeah," Alyosha nodded, staring at the Inquisitor with mild concern. The man seemed nice, but he clearly had something about him he never mentioned. Why the hell would they even need Inquisitors in the first place, he thought to himself. He then asked, "If your line needs reinforcing, we'll be glad to help you. Fellow humans help each-other, after all."
"Indeed," Nulla breathed a sigh, "Many thanks for the offer, Commander. Our forwardmost line could use the assistance," before pausing as thundering footsteps caused the very ground around them to shake. The entire team paused, turning toward the door to watch a figure clad in massive, bulky blue-grey armor step in.
The armor was a beautiful piece of machinery, ornate, with golden pauldron linings protecting massive pauldrons, one of which was marked yellow, with a black wolf's head painted on, its eyes wide open, mouth snarling, fangs visible. On his right shoulder, a fur cape hanged down, hiding his right arm, while a loincloth bearing chain and yet more dark-brown fur sat. He was an eight-foot-tall behemoth…
One hand held a massive weapon, what looked like a stockless rifle bearing a golden skull with two eagles on each side of the upper receiver and a massive barrel that still smoked from recent use. Its ejection port was massive, the bolt currently forward and safety on and his helmet was a massive, domed shape with a grill at the front and a pair of burning scarlet eyes.
"Milord," Nulla smiled, putting her hand up to her chest, "Welcome back."
"My thanks, Colonel. The fight is harsh, just as I and my brothers like it," The massive man spoke calmly, even sounding slightly friendly to the Colonel despite the voice booming from the helmet-mounted speakers. He then turned toward the man by the table and snarled, "Inquisitor," only to pause as he saw the four ahead of him, all of whom seemed stunned at the hostility. He took a minute, watching the stunned members of the Counters looking at him as if he was a monster.
He spoke, "Greetings to you, locals of this planet," and he tilted his head forward. Alyosha gave a nod in greeting, too, mouth agape, while the others simply stared at the warrior. He took his helmet off, revealing a gentle-faced, if sharp-featured man with hardy blue eyes and ginger hair, as well as a five o'clock shadow. He smiled at them and said, "Calm. I'm no hostile," as he put a hand to his chest.
"U-Uh… Sorry," Alyosha spoke, "This is the first time I've seen someone this size…"
"Pretty common reaction to first seeing Astartes," The massive man replied, then introduced himself, "I am brother Sergeant Aesur Ravnssen, of the Second Company, Space Wolves. What are your names?" and he seemed surprisingly friendly for someone with actual freakin' fangs in his mouth. The members of the Counters had all noticed them.
"C-Commander Alyosha Harris, Ark Military, Counters Squad, sir…" The young man blanked, staring up.
Rapi stated, "We're his squadmates, sir…"
He chuckled a little, then looked at the Colonel and told her, "I do firmly believe I understand some of my Cousins now. This is a rather interesting development," before pausing as the artillery of a Rapture landed close yet again. He scoffed and said, "Of course those damned things won't give us a simple break to talk…" before sliding his helmet back on. He told the two officers and Alyosha, "I and my squad will be at the front. Join us once you see fit to do so, Colonel, Commander."
"Yes, milord," The woman snapped another one of their fist-to-chest salutes, smiling. The surprisingly friendly superhuman Giant looked at Alyosha and the others, then bowed his head. He then stepped off, raising his strange weapon to hold with both hands, ever-so-slightly shifting his cape as well to show the other weapon on his belt:A massive battleaxe.
"... Okay, who or what was that?" Anis asked, stunned.
Nulla told them, "That would be one of the Emperor's Avenging Angels… The Adeptus Astartes," with reverence in her voice. She told them, "They are the bulwark made by the Emperor to protect humanity against all that is vile in this Galaxy. Transhuman warriors forged as guardians…" then she saw the entire team's eyes widen.
"Gene-engineered supersoldiers," Alyosha barely let out, "Holy crap, you guys really aren't from here," before he scratched his chin. The woman tilted her head slightly, then showed them to follow her to the table. A rough map of the area had been drawn by the Imperial forces present, showing the various defensive perimeters built around the Forward Operations Base.
She pointed at the area marked with dozens of red arrows, stating, "They seem to be focusing here, on the western flank, where most of our companies are focused. We have troops still streaming in from across your strange City to reinforce us and Scout units sent forward as Pathfinders, but the bulk of our Regiment is already present."
Alyosha hummed, then asked, "What's your overall strength?"
"Twenty-five thousand men and women of the Guard. Vehicle count unknown as we've been scrounging up supplies while fighting on Cadia," She stated as she marked out a few of the areas where their tanks were engaging, "We have several of those vehicles on the front line right now. You've seen our Chimera IFVs and maybe even Leman Russes."
"Holy shit," Anis whispered, "That's massive," and that was with her louder voice, "We saw a lot of wounded outside, too."
"Comes with the territory. Many are from Cadia. More are streaming into the infirmaries and field hospitals now," The woman hummed, then licked her lips and looked at their base. She told the four-man team, "Like I told you… We could use backup from people who know how to fight these damnable things. Chatting can wait until after we've secured a foothold."
Alyosha spoke, "We'll help. We've got the firepower for it, even if it may not look like much," before Neon beside him let out an ecstatic giggle, racking the pump on her shotgun. Anis grinned, too, her launcher already prepped, while Rapi gave the commander her approval with a nod of the head. He then asked, "What about other troops? How strong's the 'Astartes' contingent with you?"
"Only a squad of the Wolves for now," Nulla replied. She added, "We have a Coven of the Adepta Sororitas with us, too, approximately five hundred Battle Sisters and several dozen Hospitallers. Medics if you will," and she sighed deeply, "We also have a mixed Maniple of Mechanicus units with three Magoses. A Biologis is among them."
"So we can figure out the 'Sororitas' are the girls in that power armor outside, looking like nuns," Anis spoke, tilting her head back, "But what the heck are the Mechanicus?" only to freeze as she heard the skittering of metal against the concrete floor. The Inquisitor cracked a small smile, leaning back, while the four yet again turned toward the door.
It was almost terrifying to look upon it. Nothing remained of whatever human must've been at the core of it, a walking warform of metallic appendages and skittering legs layered in armor plate and shrouded in a scarlet robe bearing a cog with a skull split in half on its chest. Whatever it was, it spoke through a vocoder, "Colonel. Query:New arrivals?" with such a cold tone it genuinely caused a chill among the team.
"Indeed, Archmagos Bellatris," The woman nodded, "New reinforcements. Locals who know how to duel the Abominable Intelligences outside."
The machine marched toward them, escorted by two now-visible humanoid individuals clad in similar modifications, bearing long-arms that looked more like World War 2 relics with attached pieces than normal weaponry. It looked down at Alyosha, peering through a multitude of emerald machine-eyes that glowed beneath the robe.
Then, it spoke, "Local lifeforms… Query:What are the machines we fight? They match no known configuration of War Engines and their presence unnerves our Machine Spirits," almost calculating, mechanical, terrifying. Alyosha swallowed empty, pale as bone as he looked up at the Human-Machine hybrid. He saw a single lock of grey hair, ancient, appear from beneath the robe.
The voice was also unmistakably close to a female one, too. Rapi seemed the most stunned, hell, horrified by the sight. Alyosha cleared his throat, then said, "Raptures… We've been fighting them for the past Century here. They occupied our world and have been running the show ever since they reduced Mankind down to a few million people hiding underground…"
"Statement:I understand. They shall be dealt with," The machine replied in that same cold tone. Though Alyosha could swear he heard a twitch in the vocoder, almost a furious one. It… No, She extended her hand to Alyosha and said, "Introductory:Archmagos Bellatris Alpha-09. Forge World Agripinaa. Query:Names?"
The man stared at the semi-skeletal robotic appendage, which looked like it was attached to an armored-up fleshy stump that was pale. He swallowed empty, then shook it and said, "... Commander Alyosha Harris, of the Counters Squad, Ark Military. These are my Squadmates, Anis, Rapi and Neon," and he paused as he looked at the latter. He saw Neon's eyes had drifted off to some of the extra appendages attached to the machine's back, one of which bore a weapon.
"Statement:The Machine God's Maniple will serve in battle. From the Rage of the Beast, Iron Protects Us," She told Alyosha, then looked at Nulla and offered, "Statement:Battle Line reinforced. One Cohort of Skitarii, assisting Archmagos Biologis Zander and his force. Query:Guard Reinforcements and these 'Counters' available?"
"Of course, Lady Archmagos. They were just about to deploy if you wish to take them with," The woman stated, stunning the Counters with just how calm she was. The machine's breathing was audible now. She nodded her head, then showed the group to follow along, to which Nulla stated, "We appreciate the aid, Commander. Let it be known we will repay this debt… Cadians don't leave anything unsquared away."
"Any time, ma'am," The man replied, still slightly shocked by the sights around him. As they stepped out of the impromptu command post in what was once an ancient store, the Counters watched as multi-launch rocket systems fired from another artillery base nearby and flak guns covered the sky in blasts and shrapnel, keeping at bay the Raptures' aerial units.
The Counters didn't dare question the Magos as she brought them to a heavily-armored repulsorcraft of some kind, painted in a stark black with red outlines and bearing that same symbol as on the Magos's robe on its side. The half-man, half-machine skull in a Cog. Manning the vehicle whose ramp was down were dozens more of the same soldiers they'd seen before.
"Statement:Skitarii Cohorts ready for deployment. Query:Are you?" The Machine-Woman spoke as they entered the vehicle. Alyosha couldn't say much except for giving a nod, still dumbfound by how someone could even do this to themselves. He held onto the vehicle's side while the rest of the girls spoke among themselves.
Rapi tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn toward her. She said to him, "I think it's best to keep what Nikkes are a secret for the time being. At least from the Magos and her troops," in a whisper, before looking over at the machine. Alyosha sighed and gave an affirmative huff, shifting his MG a little and grabbing it properly so he can shoulder it when they go out.
Gunfire grew louder outside as the vehicle, surprisingly moving with no discomfort to its passengers, approached the front-line. The scanner screens on-board began to blare with warnings and the crack and pings of bullets striking the armor filled the group's ears. The Magos's weaponry, dozens of smaller tentacle-like appendages that sprouted from her robe and were tipped with heavy weaponry, whirred to life.
Her Skitarii, the soldiers beside them, raised their rifles. When the red light within the hold switched to green, the troops descended from within onto the battlefield, to the sight of dozens of Squads of Imperial Guardsmen firing their weapons. Defensive positions set up behind sandbag walls and within collapsed buildings, each bearing dozens of rifles and several heavy cannons and weapons.
One sandbag position, a shell crater, had been set up with a heavy tripod-mounted cannon of some kind in the middle. It was being fed by drum magazines, which loader, one of three crew, replaced while the gunner and spotter laid waste to enemy units. Though it had a low rate of fire, the autocannon ripped through small and Medium Raptures with little issue.
They watched a platoon of Guardsmen stream into the trenches that they'd built, forming a firing line and laying into a larger Rapture with volley after volley of Lasgun fire, the entire field ahead set alight by the bursts of energy weapon fire. Platoons of Kasrkin had been divided between defensive positions, too, providing supporting fire with their own weapons.
The Skitarii moved forward, with one of them taking a knee and aiming for a massive Rapture flyer. Its eyes locked onto the machine as it squeezed the trigger. The rifle almost seemed to scream as it bucked in his hands, the bullet fired out of it ripping through the atmosphere like an electrical arc. When it struck the Rapture, it detonated, tearing the core within asunder.
Yet still more Raptures streamed in, seemingly intent on killing the Imperial Guard and their allies. Alyosha watched them all fighting for a moment, their officers guiding them with blades and pistols drawn. Without a second thought, he sealed his helmet properly, hefted his MG and moved forward, calling out, "Move in!"
"Encounter!" Rapi spoke as she racked the bolt of her rifle. They moved forward, jumping over the trenches much to the surprise of the Cadians, with Rapi being the first to fire, shouldering her rifle and firing a burst into a trio of the smaller quadrupedals, each shot ripping apart the machines' armor. Anis followed up with a grin and a grenade for their troubles, breaking them.
Neon then came up next, belting out, "FIREPOWER!" as she shot three explosive shells into the Lord-class Rapture up ahead. The Thermite shifted its aim from an Imperial Guard platoon toward the girl, charging its twin rail rifles as Neon moved to dodge the shots. She called, "COMMANDER! IT'S YOURS!"
Alyosha smirked, now set up, then opened fire. The machine gun ripped holes through the body of the machine, tearing armor off and opening it up the Cadians who were shooting at it first. He shifted fire left, bullets cutting through synth-flesh and damaging the core. Two Cadians joined him in his little foxhole, firing lasguns at it at maximum power, the bright flashes of laser fire searing skin and cutting into the core, too.
The machine collapsed, destroyed. Alyosha was about to thank the kids when one on his right took an energy blast to the chest. His comrade, a girl, called out, "MEDICAE!" as she knelt to help him. She looked at Alyosha as the young man was about to turn and see what had happened, before telling him, "YOU KEEP COVERING US, LOCAL!"
He nodded, though he saw in the corner of his eye that a Rapture's plasma round had melted the breastplate, fusing it with the boy's clothes and the skin on his chest. He groaned in pain as a soldier similar to those he saw in the Medical tents on the way in jumped into the hole, sliding his rifle onto his back and tending to the wounded.
He waved to the girl to get back to helping Alyosha, which she did, shifting her aim and firing, bolt after bolt striking the same enemy unit that Alyosha was now laying into with his gun. Bullet and laser melted armor plate as a suicide drone on four legs ran toward them. The girl aimed properly and fired right into the glowing core, causing it to explode. Another monster rushed forth, but was soon cut down by a volley of explosive rounds from the right.
They then watched another platoon arrive… A squad of the white-haired warrior nuns approached. The leader of the formation, clad in heavier and more ornate armor bearing a panoply of images depicting ancient battles and angels, drew her strange, glowing sword and cried, "BY THE EMPEROR'S LIGHT, PURGE THESE ABOMINABLE MACHINES!"
Terrifyingly, as the squad stepped forward, firing their weapons into the ranks of the enemy, they began to sing. Like a Battle Choir, they marched forward, the daughters of the Emperor. They joined the formations at the front, with the officer stopping in front of the Commander and the Guardsmen that now joined him in his foxhole, before stating, "Good to meet Local humans who can fight!"
Their armors glowed in the light of the sun as they fired their weapons, supporting their comrades. Bullets from the Raptures' guns deflected off the battle plate. Even as Cadian casualties seemed to rise momentarily with the arrival of bigger Raptures, the Sisters' presence drove forth the soldiers of the Imperium.
The Magos beside them fired her weaponry, while the other members of the Mechanicus, all of them seemingly grotesque machine-man combinations, fired their own batteries at the advancing hordes, support elements laying waste to the enemy ahead. Even so, they were losing their own, with Alyosha personally witnessing two more Cadians and three Skitarii being cut down by the enemy.
He paused, however, when, like blurs in the night, five Astartes surged forth, boltguns singing in unison with those of the Sisters of Battle. One of them, a man clad in a far more ornate battle armor than the others, drew his own Power Ax and swung, bisecting a Rapture Lord from bottom to top, before he moved at high speed, dodging past several Raptures' beams before cutting down another.
He raised a plasma pistol and fired at another Rapture unit, tearing it asunder while his brothers, including Sergeant Aesur. Aesur himself gunned down a Rapture force with his heavy rifle, explosive rounds penetrating and ripping through the mid-size creatures, tearing their armor off. The Guardsmen around them and the Sisters cheered their comrades' arrival.
Aesur joined Rapi, Anis and Neon at the front just as Alyosha got out of his foxhole, firing his weapon to provide support. He told them, "A pleasure to see you fighting!" as he saw Rapi stomp down one of the smaller Raptures, pin it and empty her magazine into its belly. Anis and Neon both fired HE Rounds at the other aliens. He laughed heartily at that, nodding in approval, "If even your women are such hardy fighters, Commander, then Russ would be proud to have us working with you!"
"Good to see you, too, Sergeant," Alyosha spoke, slightly stunned as he watched the Astarte squad cut down several enemies. It was extremely impressive, just how well the Brothers seemed to be fighting side-by-side with one another. The coordination between the Imperials was something to behold, genuinely, too.
Even with losses, the Cadians kept up the fighting, artillery raining at the beck and call of Officers as they pushed forward, their tanks joining the assault. The Leman Russes' main guns roared to life, while Chimera transports disgorged yet more infantry, firing their own multi-lasers and autocannons all the while.
Their weapons could also easily kill Raptures. Even the Autocannons were doing numbers on the alien force, which was surprisingly overwhelmed. One Rapture, a leading unit clad in battle-damage, roared a cry that seemed to call upon its brethren to retreat. They did. Whatever remained of the mass Rapture strike force began to skitter away, leaving the forces of the Imperium a few dozen men down, but alive.
Alyosha breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the troops around them. They didn't cheer or celebrate for now, simply watching the retreating force, mortars and artillery harassing the Raptures until they got out of range. The Sergeant beside him took his helmet off, stating, "Your soldiers did well, Commander. Truly… You have to tell us more about them and yourself."
"Statement:Indeed," The Archmagos stated as she approached, "You are not normal humans by any definition of the words. Even your equipment looks powerful, if not incredibly familiar. Objective updated:Learn more… If it is of no trouble, of course," And she gazed upon the group with all of her machine eyes.
Great…