Saeva Abyssi Chapter 17
In the dim, turgid sky the rock drifted slowly along as it had for countless millennia. It was buffeted by wind currents that made it move incrementally and sway from side to side like a boat on the high sea. Occasionally a gust of errant wind would make it bob downwards but the internal lift gases brought it back it again every time. It had quietly existed like this since the dawn of history, its long vigil never changing until now.
Upon the sheer rock face a group of tiny specks was anchored to the side of the wall, hanging there in perfect stillness. They were unmoved by the movements of the wind and the motions of the stone behind them, alert and ready for action. They were tiny armoured figures; clad in blue and grey with bulky jump packs attached to their backs. They were the assault squads of the Storm Heralds Third Company and they were waiting for the call to action.
Clinging on, with his back pressed against the rock face was Sergeant Lorath. His twin lightning claws were retracted and his armour was clipped to stations driven into the soft rock. The Sergeant had positioned himself among his Marines, and those of the other Assault squad, now they were waiting for the time to strike. Lorath had hand-picked his squad from the most aggressive and straight-forward Marines, not for them long-winded speeches and light-hearted comradery. These were the Space Marines who simply wanted to get on with the job and had no patience for anything else.
There was one other person present, Chaplain Wrethan, whose black armour was decorated with skulls and had been fitted with a jump pack of his own. Lorath considered the Chaplain for a moment; he had served with Wrethan before and found him to be a fierce and zealous fighter as befits a spiritual leader of the Chapter. Several years earlier he had been grievously wounded and the recovery process had been slow and painful. Yet he had refused to let that hold him back and now he was on the front lines once more. A man to admire, except for the fact that he was also given over to an unfortunate belief in the Divinity of the Emperor.
It was a contentious issue that was dividing the Chapter and causing vicious strife. Lorath had no idea why the Storm Heralds seemed determined to complicate matters of war with politics and theological discourse, as far as he was concerned it was a complete waste of time. Why couldn't they just fight and be content like he was?
He was distracted from his brooding by a sudden shift in the rock beneath him, a slight change in its orientation relative to the sky. Lorath looked outwards and peered into the gloom, his auto senses struggling to see very far. The thick clouds swirled before him, growing darker as they sank down into the infinite depths. Anybody who fell into those bottomless deeps would never be coming back. From afar Astu may have resembled a brilliant emerald, but from the inside it looked more like thick swirling fog. Still Lorath supposed he should be grateful that they were on the sunward-facing side of the gas giant; on the other side it would be pitch black.
Lorath realised that the changes he could see were not just the winds stirring the clouds; it was also the rock itself shifting. The wind was causing the slightest spin to occur, making them rotate on a vertical axis. Lorath swore and muttered, "Damnation, this is the last thing we need."
From his own perch Chaplain Wrethan voxed, "Is there a problem Sergeant?"
Lorath answered, "We're swinging about, changing our position. We didn't anticipate this, if we move too far then we won't be able to spring the trap."
"Have faith," Wrethan replied, "The Divine Emperor looks favourably upon us and Captain Toran's plan will work."
Lorath bit back his first crude retort, Sergeant or not nobody back-talked a Chaplain. Instead he said, "Do you think that the Captain can pull it off?"
Wrethan said confidently, "Its simple enough, the Thunderchild runs out there and makes a lot of noise to attract the Dark Eldar. Then it lures them past us and we jump it."
Lorath glanced over at him and commented, "You took Toran under your wing, you see him as a protégé don't you?"
Wrethan said, "He is a promising young officer who has already made his mark. I expect his name will be recorded prominently in the annals of the Chapter before he is done."
Lorath was about to inquire as to how long they would have to wait when there was a distant flash that lit up the fog like a lightning on a dark night. Lorath called, "Energy spike, I think the Dark Eldar have found the Thunderchild."
Everybody tensed and prepared for action, long minutes passed and then there was another flash followed by another. Each one getting closer and closer, signalling that the battle was moving their way. Lorath gritted his teeth as he eased the safety clamps free from his armour; knowing that time for action was close at hand.
Suddenly the thick fogs down below their position parted as something truly gargantuan forced its way forward. A vast blunt point emerged, covered in thick slabs of armour plating and reinforced ribs as wide as a Titan was tall. It tore forwards at a tremendous pace and as it did so the point widened and widened and widened until it became a ship's prow that was over a mile wide. Following on behind it came a vast conurbation, rising to become a ridged spine. The mass rose towards them like a leviathan breaching the surface of an ocean and upon that spine were sited towers the size of skyscrapers, auspex arrays, void shield projectors and chapels. From the top the beast sloped away down to two broad flanks that were covered in rank after rank of guns, each one the size of a hab block.
It was beyond massive, it was a city torn from the dirt and set free to travel the skies, it was the Thunderchild and it was moving at flank speed. Electrostatic discharges surrounded it, the by-product of its void shields and anti-gravs and even hanging far above, they could still feel the tingle of the energies washing over them. Despite himself Lorath gasped in awe, the size and power of the starship taking his breath away. He had known intellectually how vast even the smallest Imperial starship was but to actually experience it was another thing. His whole life he had seen ships from far enough away to reduce them to specks in the distance or so close that they became a world around him. But now the Thunderchild was just far enough away to allow one to grasp its true scale and that was stupendous indeed.
The Thunderchild was travelling at hundreds of miles an hour, the drag of atmosphere slowing it considerably but still fast enough to be impressive. As they watched the vast ship ploughed past, the wake of its passage making the rock sway and bob with turbulence. Lorath held on as the world jumped around him and the wind battered at his helm. The Thunderchild disappeared into the fog, her main drives causing a glow to linger long after she disappeared. Then the fogs parted again and a much narrower, spiked prow emerged in hot pursuit.
Lorath tensed but Wrethan cautioned, "Hold Brothers, timing is everything. We must be precise to the split second."
Lorath paused and held on, then Wrethan called, "Now!"
With a thunderous roar the Assault Marines leapt from their perches, blasting away on twin contrails of rocket exhaust. They surged into the sky, accelerating so fast that the skin pulled back on their faces and their eyes watered behind their helms. They cut a glorious sight and yet they depended on going unobserved, counting on the fact that such small falling objects would not trigger an alarm. Below them the spindly shape of the Dark Eldar frigate emerged, all strange curves and long wings built around the long protuberance of a Phantom Lance. It was travelling fast, gliding along on its wings with seemingly no effort or visible means of propulsion. As the Assault Squads fell towards it Lorath saw that they were travelling too slowly, the craft would pass them by before they could intercept it. He cried "Follow me!" then twisted about downwards and fired his Jump Pack once more.
The Marines plummeted downwards, blazing fire in their wake as they hurtled towards the racing craft. It grew and grew in their vision, detail becoming clear, the jagged spikes and lurid artwork bedecking its hull becoming sickeningly sharp and defined. Lorath heard warning chimes scream in his helm, alerting him that he was pushing his jump pack too hard and for too long but he ignored it. They had to match the craft's velocity lest it splat them like bugs on a windshield, or worse they would miss entirely and fall into the crushing deeps. It was a race against time, a desperate attempt to reach their goal before it disappeared and it made Lorath's twin hearts pound.
The Dark Eldar craft grew ever larger then in a split second it was upon them and they collided body first with its hull in a tremendous clatter. Lorath felt like he had been hit by a freight train, the impact making his bones ring and even cracking a ceramite greave on his shin. He instantly mag-locked his boots but snarled when nothing happened, the Wraithbone hull proving immune to such measures. The passing wind shear tore at Lorath and dragged him backwards, threatening to tear him from the hull entirely. He growled angrily and activated his lightning claws, plunging them into the hull to arrest his fall. He felt like his arms were going to be ripped from his shoulders but refused to let go and after a second he came to a halt.
There was no time to congratulate himself though, for all around him ceramite bodies were tumbling past. The other Assault Marines trying to grab spikes as they fell or plunge knives into the hull. Lorath saw two brothers of his squad falling past him, Kasich and Melas, tumbling helplessly off the side of the craft. Lorath instantly deactivated his right claw and retracted the blades so he could reach out, crying, "Take my hand!" His fist grabbed Kasich's hand firmly and he managed to arrest his fall but Melas whipped by, thrashing helplessly as he fell away into the dark depths below.
Lorath snarled to himself, one Brother lost before the fight had even started and in such an ignoble manner. A Space Marine should die facing his enemies with a blade in hand, to die of a mere fall was not a death worthy of any Astartes. Lorath shook off the anger and focussed on the task at hand, pulling Kasich up until he could gain a grip then together they made their way hand over hand up the hull.
The wind tore at them as they crawled onwards but they refused to relent and swiftly ascended to join the remaining Assault Marines along with Chaplain Wrethan. They found them to be clustering around what looked like a Xeno version of an airlock, hidden under a point defence turret for a modicum of shelter. One Brother was tapping futilely away at a rune panel and not having much success, while another messed about trying to position a melta bomb as a back-up. Lorath snarled impatiently and shoved the pair aside, then rammed his right Lightning claw into the rune panel. There were a shower of sparks and then the airlock slid open, allowing the Assault squads into the interior.
Wrethan gripped his Crozius and said, "This is it Brothers, be ready for anything. Assume not that just because this is a mere frigate that the fight will be easy, the Xenos are treacherous and deadly even in small numbers. Summon your zeal and show no mercy, leave not one alive."
As the Assault Marines drew their chainswords Lorath flexed his Lightning claws and grinned declaring, "Well what are you waiting for, you heard the order: Kill them all."