Death Shroud; Scythes of the Emperor

[AL.]

Death Shroud

 

Chapter 1

 

As Captain Justinian Anvil lifted himself from the piles of rotten Xenos flesh that had amassed atop him during his unintentional period of unconsciousness he realised one thing immediately, the screams had stopped. No more were the vile screams of the Hive fleets worst terrors searing through the atmosphere of the now doomed agri world of Calypso VI, all that was left was the whisper of a stench filled wind blowing over the piles of rotting corpses around him, those of both Xenos and much to Anvils horror his Astartes brothers.

 

Justanian Anvil was a robust man, his thick brown hair was matted with the blood of his enemy and his usually immaculate black and yellow power armour was a battered mess. His huge thunder hammer lay on the floor beside his feet, a gift from Roboute Guilliman himself, it was a small piece of beauty in the carnage that surrounded it. As he staggered to get his footing he slipped on the remnants of what looked like a Xenos head although he could no longer make it out for sure, its carapace armour was the only surviving part of the formerly massive creature Anvil had come to know was a Carnifex.

He quickly realised that this was the creature he had been locked in conflict with when everything went black. Thoughts and memories came rushing back to the veterans mind. Images of his brothers beside him were quickly replaced by images of the most disgusting of deaths, the Tyranid swarm had overran the PDF in an instant, and those Astartes assigned to bolster their ranks had been overran with relative ease soon after. With no bastion defences and little time to organise or prepare the Astartes, the Scythes of the Emperor chapter, even at relative full strength, were no match for the Tyranids in such numbers. The disarray of the unexpected attack had called upon the Astartes most primal of instincts to come to the fore. Kill and survive.

 

Anvil quickly assessed the surrounding area, hefting his blessed thunder hammer onto his shoulder. His shield was nowhere to be seen. To accompany the winds foul stench his bio enhanced eyes could barely see a thing, the entire planet seemed to be blanketed by a cloud of thick mists, its black ash like sands veiled from sight. Anvil had seen this death shroud before, when he served in the Scythes 10th company at the very beginning of his long and honoured service to the chapter. He had been in a scouting force that had been sent at the request of the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself to clear the last remaining green skins from Iax, a garden world in the Ultramar system, to allow the Ultramarines to give chase to the marauding aliens as they smashed their way towards the Ultramarines home world. He briefly remembered being grateful for the chance given to him by Chapter Master Thrasius whom personally picked him for the mission despite his lack of experience. He had a great many thanks he owed to Thrasius over the centuries if truth be told. As Anvil and his fellow Brothers of the 10 man squad disembarked the thunderhawk gunship he remembered the very same mist being present. He had named it the death shroud in remembrance of the thousands of fallen Astartes that it held in its respectful dim. The meaning, he feared, would not be lost here on Calypso VI either.

 

A loud thud of bolter fire broke Anvils lamenting mind in an instant. There were more survivors. As he ran towards the bolter fire he muttered a prayer of will and purity to the emperor, and disciplined himself for not moving to find his surviving brothers more quickly. The bolter fire drew closer and Anvil drew his hammer into an attacking position ready to aid his brave brothers. Along with the bolter fire he could now hear the spew of promethium which he recognised to be that of a heavy flamer. That was at least two surviving brothers, his hearts lifted. “Praise the Emperor for we are his Scythes!” he bellowed through the thick mists.

The standard reply was not returned. Instead the voice was a stern and forceful one, barely distinguishable through the bolter fire, which was now numerous. “Step forward and be recognised in the name of the Emperor of Mankind!!”

As the silhouette approached through the mist Anvil quickly realised that this was not one of his Scythes of the Emperor brothers, “I am Captain Brother Justinian Anvil of the Scythes of the Emperor.” Just as he finished he recognised the distinctive silhouette of power armour fitted to a woman, it was one of the Sisters of Battle. “We are the Sisters of Battle and we deny your claim to being Justinian Anvil!” The scream of bolter rounds smashed into a pile of massive corpses beside him. “Hold your fire for thrones sake!” bellowed Anvil, his voice was deep and intense like a clap of thunder in the darkness. The bolter fire came to a sudden and abrupt halt. Even Anvil was surprised. “That’s the Justinian Anvil I know, that whimper before sounded like a beaten man. The Captain Anvil I know will never be a beaten man.” Anvil was not a man to smile often but the sound of Corsenna Rosarium lightened his two hearts, which were still working hard trying to repair his numerous injuries.

 

“Corsenna, you’re not the expert marksman I remember you being, I feel more time in the training cages may be required” Anvil stated bluntly as he placed a massive gauntleted hand on the shoulder of the much smaller sister. “With respect Captain I wasn’t trying to hit you, I was afraid of damaging you further in your fragile condition” with a curt nod of her head she gestured towards the arm propping itself up on her shoulder. “Besides we in the Inquisition have little time for games in practice cages.” It was only a mere decade since Anvil had last fought alongside Corsenna Rosarium and her Sisters, he remembered being hugely impressed by them when they last met, especially Corsenna. Whilst he was very pleased to see her and her sisters he was also curious as to the reason for her being here, and first and foremost he wanted to know what fate had beset his brothers. “Tell me what you know of my chapters situation here Corsanna” Anvils voice was suddenly worn, distressed and sombre. The remainder of the squad of sisters were tending to the task of burning the Xenos corpses. “I will of course captain. But first you must come with me.” As they walked off into the mists Corsenna Rosarium continued “We have found several of your chapter brothers. Many of them are badly wounded, much like yourself. Those that are able have been looking for other survivors, im sure your presence will bring them some relief Captain” he noted that Corsenna sounded disheartened.

 

Anvil thought to lift her hearts again “At least we stopped the Xenos before we fell, there are still Astartes of the Scythes standing, the emperors will be done!” Corsenna replied with a quieter tepid tone to her voice “Had the Ultramarines relief forces not arrived I fear the hive ship would have left the planet as a rotting corpse” Anvil was shocked, the Ultramarines were 2days warp travel away from the planet last he checked. Had he lost track of days during the battle? Not likely. He must have been unconscious for the entire time. Surely not? He stuttered slightly as his mind tried to process the information “I…I do not remember the Ultramarines arrival, nor do I remember any hive ship being present?” “The initial Tyranid assault destroyed all of your long range scanning ability Captain, in fact that’s why we are here” they had to pause for a short time as the rumbling form of an Exorcist appeared out of the mist in front of them, Anvil was always impressed by the Inquisitions vehicles he felt they added a certain presence on the battle field that added to a forces impressiveness, he pondered whether it was intentional.

 

A short distance away the even larger outline of a thunderhawk drop ship came into view. The ship loomed over the Captain and the Sister, making the mist in its shadow even more difficult to pierce. “Captain!” a voice from the lowered rear doors of the thunderhawk shouted out almost sounding as if the exertion of the shout itself was causing searing pain to the clearly stricken voice. A second more composed voice quickly followed “Brother be still, or I cannot perform the necessary…” the apothecary was cut off mid speech by the captains shadowing form standing over him, “I apologise Captain Anvil, but this Astartes must be still so I can assist his body in its healing process.” The Captain noticed the apothecary had stopped working. “Please Brother Apothecary, continue your works. I can assure you sergeant Torr will be still for the remainder of your workings” Sergeant Ismailia Torr was one of Anvils most respected sergeants as well as a great friend. In many centuries experience of war alongside the Captain, fighting every manner of enemy on every manner of world, they had forged a strong appreciation of each other’s abilities and Anvil trusted no one, besides perhaps the Emperor himself, more. Seeing him allowed the hope in Anvil to rise like an unstoppable tide, if he was alive there will be others. “It is good to see your eagerness is still intact Sergeant. Perhaps you can enlighten me as to our situation?”

 

The sergeant began his tale, he explained the Tyranids initial assault, the captains fall and the arrival of the ultramarines force with haste. “From my position we seen your plight Justinian but I regret we could not reach you in time, throne we tried! The Tyranid force came from behind our lines, out of huge holes that appeared in the ground. Had they not of had difficulty boring through the ceramite floor plating of the armoury we may not even have noticed there approach. Praise to the emperor we managed to put some squads in a position in time to lay suppressing fire on the Xenos as they emerged” Torr was clearly reliving the experience as he relayed it back to Anvil. “I seen you fall under the talon of one of those Carnifex, it seemed more of a clubbing hit actually” Torr angled his head slightly and noticed the captains left arm, he shifted nervously expecting a reprimand from his injured Captain and quickly continued “Then the Ultramarines came, Bless the Emperor they were very welcome too! There drop pods and thunderhawks ploughed through the Xenos like a fist through the wind. With the extra time this granted our remaining force, we managed to consolidate our position and take up defensive positions, I last counted 20 of our brothers around me” the captain was quick to interrupt “The Ultramarines have my gratitude but our priority now is to regroup our chapter, as soon as you are able brother get me a sit-rep, I’m sure the inquisitors won’t be keeping our forces status as much of a secret as they are keeping their reason for being here a secret” The captain had almost forgot the stealthy presence of Corsenna Rosarium standing behind him “I will aid your sergeant Captain, and if you will allow me I will arrange for you to discuss our being here with my superiors.”

 

Justinian was not the type of man to be sorry for speaking out of turn but he was a man of honour and respect towards every member of the imperium despite rank or place and he bowed his head courteously before waving Corsenna away to carry out her duties. “I will begin to rally our remaining forces Captain, once the vox link is re-established it will prove easier.” Anvil hadn’t noticed that his vox wasn’t online. In fact he had been completely ignoring the multi coloured warning runes that were flashing on his display panel. Now he started to take note. A sudden realisation of his plight hit him just as hard as any Xenos had. He had been on the brink of death several times during his life, but never as close as his data logs were indicating he had been this day. “I can attend your wounds captain if you require me to do so?”Whilst Justinian could feel his implants healing the vast array of wounds he had suffered he knew he needed the help of the apothecary if his left arm was to heal quickly. Although it still had mobility, there was little else. “If you could Brother, to speed up the process of healing” he said as he thrust his arm towards the gleaming white space marine “Of course Captain Anvil” was the only reply.

The Apothecary had worked for a long time on the left arm of Captain Anvil.

 

Sergeant Torr had been hard at work since he had left the Captain. With the vox link fixed and the vast majority of the remaining Scythes of the Emperors forces reunited, the extent of their loss was clear for all to see as the death shroud rose. The grim reality of the rotting flesh of thousands of Anvils battle brothers lying amongst perhaps three times that number of mutilated Xenos. Justinian Anvil was clearly not a man to be moved by such things, this was nothing new to any of the Emperors finest. He had seen this particular foes slaughter his brothers before, as had all of the remaining Astartes in the Scythes of the Emperor chapter, only on a much larger scale. It was forbidden to discuss such matters and all Scythes Astartes knew the tales of Sotha, the home world of the Scythes, from there indoctrination process. This time the Tyranids were once again the enemy, a hive fleet had once again been the vessel that had brought them to bare, Perhaps it was random aggression, or perhaps not. It was a disturbing thought. With the remaining forces assembled it fell to Captain Anvil to lead the remaining forces back into space to reunite with the Heart of Sotha, the vessel they now called home. Chapter Master Thrasius would decide when and where or indeed if they would take their revenge. “Revenge shall be ours, revenge for Sotha! and revenge for Calypso VI!”

[Skirax]

first attempt at righting anything ever! C&C please

It shows :)

 

It's a nice story, keep up the good work!

[AL.]

first attempt at righting anything ever! C&C please

It shows :lol:

 

It's a nice story, keep up the good work!

 

:lol: My spelling is woefull so i will have to be excused on that front! :lol:

 

Ill post up the second chapter in a few minutes once ive checked the spelling! :)

[AL.]

Chapter 2

 

As Captain Anvil strode confidently down the halls of the Dominica's Fury he remembered the thanks he must purvey to the Ultramarines. Knowing the pompous attitude of Cassius, he knew his thanks would be accepted with maximum ceremony and recognition. This did not sit well with sergeant Torr who was striding along proudly a few steps behind. “it’s almost as if they’ve closed all the access hatches and emptied all the corridors on purpose, it’s like a ghost ship.” remarked Torr over a secured vox channel between himself and his Captain. “That’s because they have, the inquisition are very secretive of their works and inquisitor Vaduz will be no different.” Anvil was resplendent in his armour of black and yellow, the Chapter colours proudly displayed once more, the gore of a thousand Xenos having been cleaned off lovingly by servitors. Anvil had requested his armour to be repaired fully before his meeting with the inquisitor and the Ultramarine representatives, determined to look his best in the company of his fellow Astartes.

 

Torr knew his place and wouldn’t air his thoughts openly about the inquisition however Justinian Anvil knew of his good friends temper and he knew his opinions as well. “I expect perfect order here Sergeant Torr” he reminded his Brother flatly, knowing of his temper “We owe the Ultramarines a great debt of thanks” “Why whatever do you mean?” replied the veteran sergeant whose relic bolter, a gift from a very thankful member of the mechanicum, swung gracefully in his grasp as always. As they were lead into the room where the meeting was to take place, Anvil noticed an armed guard. Odd he thought for a non urgent meeting of three chapters. They were lead into a large Navigational room, similar in size to that on the Heart of Sotha, but much more intricate, wiring and strange pulsing light orbs hung from the arched ceiling. As the Astartes warriors entered through the door a presence to the Captains left grabbed his attention. In the corner of the room was one of 5 battle sisters. There was another to his immediate right and three more evenly positioned around the room, all stood like statues in the blue green hue of the ships lighting. They each held bolters at the ready, trained from birth in the use of the weapons they were not to be overlooked as lesser warriors.

 

Anvil noticed Torr move to a defensive position in a few quick yet subtle steps ready to defend his Captain should the need arise. With a swift swipe of his shining black gauntlet Anvil dismissed the motion as an unnecessary one. “Good to see you again Captain Anvil” The voice was crisp yet harsh at the same time. Justinian recognised it immediately, it was Cassius the Ultramarines most senior Chaplain and actually someone that Justinian admired, besides his seeming arrogant. “Here we go” mumbled Torr. “What is to become of the planet Cassius?” queried Anvil. “I know as much as you my old friend, these inquisitorial types, well you know what they are like. I see your thirst for Xenos blood has not faded any since last we met, good” There was a tone to Cassius that Anvil loathed, however he took his opportunity to thank the Ultramarine Chaplain for the aid he rendered. “Grave thanks Chaplain Cassius, to you and you Ultramarines for your aid with the Tyranid Assault. Were it not for you intervention I fear we would have been drawn into centuries of war with the abominations.” Anvil knew the Scythes of the Emperor wouldn’t have lasted long against the Tyranids without the Ultramarines aid but Cassius did not need encouraging. “It was the will of the Emperor Brother.” Cassius reply took Anvil and evidently Torr by surprise, not expecting him to reply in such a manor. “Even so I fear we owe you and your Astartes great thanks, they will each be honoured when I return to the Heart of Sotha” “The Scythes of the Emperor are a most honourable chapter, it is always our honour to fight alongside them” With that said the two warriors clasped each other’s wrists with massive gauntlets in a show of mutual respect. Whilst Cassius’ acceptance of the Scythes plight was not what the captain had expected of him, it was what he would have expected from any other Chaplain and therefore it was very welcome. Moment’s later inquisitor Vaduz's eerie silhouette stepped into the centre of the room.

 

Vaduz was a man of immense stature even without power armour, he wore robes of black with a silver trim and he had many augmentations and bionics grafted to him no doubt to enhance his psychic and physical abilities but a dark hood and the long sweeping robes helped hide them from view, only small wires around his face showed any sign of change. “Inquisitor Vaduz, I understand you requested my presence?”Cassius sounded slightly puzzled which in turn puzzled Anvil. The Captain noticed that Sergeant Torr had taken up a position near the door they came in through. An Ultramarine Veteran had also taken up a similar position on the opposite side of the vast circular door. “Yes Chaplain” began Vaduz “I require both yours and Captain Anvils aid in a matter most pressing.” Vaduz was quick to get to the point, not what Anvil had become accustom to when dealing with the inquisition. It left him intrigued and shocked. The Inquisition asking for his chapters aid? “There is one condition. I cannot release any information regarding the task to you until you have accepted the task other than to tell you that it will not be easy and it will require all of your might. The entire force of Ultramarines you have available Chaplain and your entire remaining force of Scythes Captain Anvil.” Cassius and Anvil were warriors of the Emperor, regardless of the colour of their armour they were all bound to the same oaths. Cassius spoke first “I am only passing through this sector Lord, my intention is to meet Lord Calgar on Ultramar prime, and I regret Lord Inquisitor I may not assist you” Vaduz would know the Chaplain did not have the authority to re-direct an entire force even on the behest of an Inquisitor Lord. “I have many flaws Cassius however presumption is not one of them, I have spoke with Lord Calgar directly and he has given you the blessings of the emperor to proceed as you should see fit” Cassius’ reply was quick and assertive “Then aid from the Ultramarines is what you shall have.”

 

The inquisitor turned his attention quickly to the pacing Captain Anvil clearly wanting to continue with what had now became a briefing of sorts “Captain, I sense a lot troubles you. You and your chapter have proven yourselves many times against the Xenos threat. Your Astartes are vital to my needs in this case. What are your reservations so I may appease them?” A million doubts were running through Anvils mind, his chapter had almost been wiped out several times, he had less than half the force he commanded 2 weeks ago and almost no heavy armour support. What use was he to the inquisition in this state? “If I may Lord, the Scythes of the Emperor have suffered terribly these past weeks. We are severely in need of rendezvousing with the Heart of Sotha and our Master Thrasius to report our losses and begin to rebuilding our chapter. Of course I would have aided your cause had we the numbers of the Chaplain Cassius’ Ultramarines” Vaduz stepped towards Anvil and spoke in a softer tone “I require only the force you have captain. No more” “You can understand however Lord, that the future of our chapter must be preserved, I cannot risk that on a whim” Vaduz’s’ face was not that of a calm man and he spat his words like poison towards the defiant Captain “I promise you Captain Anvil, this is no mere whim!” Vaduz composed himself and continued “As with the Ultramarines Captain, I have contacted Master Thrasius and explained my needs. He was most shocked to hear of the Tyranid assault. We agreed that I would send the harvested gene seed back to the Heart of Sotha with all haste, but he was most adamant that you were to make the decision regarding your remaining force Captain.” With a multitude thoughts running through his mind Captain Justinian Anvil could not see past one of them, revenge. His fallen brothers needed to be avenged. The Chapter needed to be avenged. He would take his remaining brothers into the heart of whatever war the Inquisition was planning and take that revenge from whatever foe Inquisitor Vaduz had in mind. “The Scythes of the Emperor are at your disposal Inquisitor Vaduz.”

[raptor1199]

looks good :yes:

[calgar101]

Looks really good, especially for your first go. Umm how can Captain Justinian Anvils' Thunder Hammer be a gift from Roboute? Theres some debate over this but Thunder Hmmers as we know them were not used pre-heresy and also Captain Justinian Anvil cannot be 10,000 years old... Just one minor thing ;)

[Skirax]

I agree with Calgar except for one thing; Thunder Hammers have always been this design, hence the 'Hammer' part.

[AL.]

Looks really good, especially for your first go. Umm how can Captain Justinian Anvils' Thunder Hammer be a gift from Roboute? Theres some debate over this but Thunder Hmmers as we know them were not used pre-heresy and also Captain Justinian Anvil cannot be 10,000 years old... Just one minor thing :)

 

Thanks Calgar101, im expecting a lot of these comments to be honest because im not that brilliant with the facts of 40k, ill do my best to research before i post things though. I didnt even think of the timescale. I did however thin that a hammer had always been a hammer.

 

Chapters 3 and 4 on there way in a sec

[AL.]

Chapter 3

 

The Captain was surprised to learn that the Inquisitor intended on splitting the two forces. Cassius and his Ultramarines would go to the assistance of another inquisitor force to aid in an assault on a planet believed to be a Xenos stronghold. This was all the information Anvil could gather with regards to the Ultramarines assignment.

“So then my friend, what would this inquisitor have us do?” Torr was uncompromising and relished the chance to prove his worth further fighting alongside the Inquisition. “Calm Ismailia, you forget yourself!” Torr seemed angry, Anvil could understand his anger but it was his place to keep his mind true to the cause. He began to explain the briefing he had had with Lord Vaduz. “We are to assist an Inquisitor incursion force in the eradication of a Xenos threat from a planet on the outer fringes of the Ultramar sector. The inquisition feels it a threat to the imperium, Vaduz seems to think the Tyranids are using it as a launching platform for their assaults on the outer rim planets. Therefore we will go and emperor willing we will wipe this scourge from the planet!”

 

Captain Anvil was pleased to finally be aboard his own ship, the Victrium Emporius was a wonderfully crafted vessel of which Anvil and his men were immensely proud. She had been hidden behind Calypso’s 4th moon for the duration of the battle. The vessels Navigator was a short imperial officer by the name of Regimon Boromir, the Captain admired his abilities as a ships captain and respected him as an equal despite Boromir not being an Astartes. Boromir stood on the flight deck of the Victorum Emporius bolt upright. “Captain Anvil, we are pleased you and you Brothers have returned” He was clearly pleased to see the Astartes and the captain was equally pleased to be back on board “We have little time for pleasantries I fear Regimon, we must prepare to transverse the warp” The ship was ready as always the mass of displays and readouts on the screens in front of the Captain showing full readiness. “I see you have been keeping my ship in good order captain Boromir” Boromir replied with regimented accuracy, “Yes Captain Anvil, she is ever ready to serve the Astartes of the Scythes” “Then take us into the warp as soon as we are able, our destination is Alpherion XXI”

 

Torr had assembled the Squads that Captain Anvil had asked him to, they were a ramshackle group of Astartes. Most of them were still visibly injured, their armour was worn their souls toughened to the grim realities of a harsh war. They had all been on Calypso VI, they were now veterans of a Tyrannic war. There was to be 4 tactical squads made up of 10 Astartes in each and they would be supported by the two remaining company Dreadnoughts Brother Baddon Aspe and Brother Valden Grest. As well as the honoured Dreadnoughts Anvil was pleased to learn of the survival of two of the companies Land Raiders. The Dawn of Spartas was in good condition. The same however could not be said for the Fall of Sotha. Both Captain Anvil and Sergeant Torr were surprised at the small size of the force the inquisitor Lord had specified. They would be accompanied on the mission by Corsenna Rosarium and her squad of Sisters. Anvil was proud to be serving with Rosarium again, her deft aim and expertise with a bolter would prove to be a valuable asset.

 

Anvil called the sergeants to ease in his ready room on board the Victrium Emporius. The room was where Anvil spoke to all of his senior Warriors before conflict and they all looked optimistic at the thought of seeing battle once again. He had been so busy with the Inquisitor Lord he had not had even a moment to assess his chapters surviving Astartes. Of the 4 Sergeants Anvil knew only two, Torr and Terness Glyphion. The others Manuel Calibre and Xavior Sass he had never met before however Torr had recommended them highly and Anvil trusted his judgement as always. “I understand we are to assist the Inquisition my lord?” Sass was a well spoken man with a regiment haircut and a broad scar down one side of his face. Clearly a man of Terran descent, Anvil instantly liked the Sergeant. “You are correct Sergeant, you will all be briefed by Sergeant Torr whilst we transverse the warp” Torr seemed restless and unsettled “Sergeant Torr what seems to be the problem?” asked Terness Glyphion taking the words from the Captains lips. “I am troubled by our losses Brother, many have fallen” replied Torr “We all feel your pain brother but we will not allow our grief to sway us from our path” stated the captain determined not to let the morale of his men drop on the eve of battle. Whilst the captain was aware of the enemy they would be facing the exact numbers of the Tyrinid force were unknown even to the Inquisition Lord. “Our fallen Brothers will be granted the honour of revenge by our own hands!”

 

Glyphion was almost a mirror image of the well groomed Sergeant Sass. He had know the Captain and Sergeant Torr since his becoming an Astartes with the 3rd Company, his stone faced demeanour was matched only by his skill with a chainsword. His long hair and beard made him look like he belonged in the halls of the Great Fang. His armour had been badly damaged in several places, and Anvil wondered how the Sergeant made it without losing at least one of his legs looking at the huge chasm across the black plating.

As the four Sergeants walked down the long alley, Manuel Calibre, the youngest of all the companys remaining Astartes, despite already seeing past his first century of service, was quietly mumbling litanies of hope and strength for himself and his Brothers. He was taller than the other three Sergeants, but not quite as battle worn. He had a completely shaven head which was in stark contrast to Glyphions longer locks. He walked with a slight limp. Anvil had assumed he suffered an injury on Calypso VI and that it was taking his enhanced physiology a little time to heal it properly, however, Calibres’ limp was no injury. It was due to a faulted gene seed, it made him look somewhat cumbersome but never hindered him in combat. Calibre was known throughout the company as being a specialist marksman, in fact he had once beaten Torr in a competition held on the Heart of Sotha during the days of remembrances' traditional games. The master crafted bolter he had won in that contest was slung proudly over his shoulder and shone like a beacon in the dim lights of the Victrium Emporius.

 

“I remember that contest” Commented Torr nodding his head towards the bolter “I had you beaten until the last shot!” Torrs voice was light hearted and only intended to pass the time “I beat you all the same” Remarked Calibre. “That you did my brother, any time you want a re-match you know where to find me!” the four Sergeants smiled at the remark and went their separate ways to prepare themselves for what was coming.

 

Chapter 4

 

Calibre turned to see the smaller Xenos creatures had encircled his and Sass’ squads. Bolter fire hissed from their bolters bursting into the bodies of the advancing horde. Two of the Astartes had been equipped with heavy bolters which were destroying waves of the creatures with every shot. They were slowly and methodically exterminating the horde even though they were surrounded, the Xenos creatures simply having no answer to the Space Marines fire power. A lone Gaunt managed to break through the lines of fire. The suicidal Tyranid surged towards Sass coming from the Sergeants blind side. Calibre noticed the gaunt moving at lightning speed across the killing zone. He hurried into a position to fire and let loose a double tap from the exquisite bolter. The Xenos head exploded with the impact of the shells, showering Sass in is blood and brain matter. Sass looked over his shoulder, pulling a piece of the aliens carapace armour from his pauldron he nodded a polite gesture of thanks toward Calibre before continuing on his killing spree.

 

From there advantageous viewpoint high above the impending battle below Anvil, Torr, Glyphion and Corsenna Rosarium could see the wave of Tyranids approaching Sass and Calibre’s squads. They had been expecting the two squads to draw out the Tyranid swarm, and that they did. Taking immediate note of the position the Xenos came from Glyphions squad and Brother Dreadnought Baden Aspe descended the steep sloping hills towards the already surrounded Sass and Calibre.

 

As the squads in the elevated position split Anvil and Torr mounted the two Land Raiders, Anvil was pleased to see the Tech Priests had managed to fully repair the Fall of Sotha. Corsenna and her sisters rode in the Dawn of Spartas with him whilst Torr and his Astartes mounted the Fall of Sotha. The Crews of the two huge vehicles knew the destination, and immediately set off.

Calibre could see the second wave of Tyranids approaching from the east. He immediately keyed his vox channel open “Contacts to the east! Delta Squad adjust your firing positions!” His well drilled squad reacted immediately as did Sass’ squad, quickly adjusting to the change. No longer encircled the two squads now formed a semi circle facing the slopes of the north eastern mountain ranges. The Tyranids were being funnelled towards them by the landscape, much to the delight of Sergeant Calibre, who’s only worry for the moment was the speed at which he could re-load to maximise his kill count. The ground was shaking under the relentless pounding of the Xenos creatures. Although the Space Marines had almost halved their numbers the pounding was not relenting.

 

Suddenly the ground below Sergeant Sass shifted violently, he regained his footing quickly and inspected the terrain around him. Pressed by the swarm the sergeant continued to unload his magazines into the onrushing cannon fodder. The battle went silent. Sass and four of his men were thrown into the air in a violent explosion of earth and rock. Huge clouds of super heated steam and dust from the surface were thrown into the air. Calibre and his men turned to see Sergeant Sass land in amongst the Xenos horde which was now threatening to outflank the surprised marines. Calibre quickly reloaded his bolter and drew his chainsword. “You and you” he shouted at the two marines closest to him, “With me, they shall have no sport with Sergeant Sass this day!” The two marines instinctively took up flanking positions around Calibre and they began to clear a path towards the motionless body of Sergeant Sass.

No sooner had they started to move a huge figure of a Xenos emerged from the blast hole that had thrown Sass and his men into the air. A second quickly followed and after that an almost fluid flow of the smaller Xenos poured into the ranks of the Space Marines. Two Carnifex now stood between Sergeant Calibre and the downed Sergeant Sass.

 

The sound of whirring chain blades filled the air as the Scythes slashed left then right dismembering scores of Aliens with every swing of the blades. Calibre instantly dived to his left to avoid the massive talon of one of the Carnifex “you will be first!” he said scowled at the monstrosity in defiance. He managed to regain his fighting position, standing upright just in time to see one of his flanking marines being torn in half by the hugely powerful Tyranid beasts, his body thrown backward into the oncoming horde. Calibre unlatched a frag grenade from his belt, primed it and rushed towards the first of the Carnifex! His speed surprised even himself and he unloaded an entire magazine of bolter rounds in seconds. He had created a human head sized puncture in the front of the Monsters torso. With a quick sidestep and a slash of his whirring chainsword Calibre deposited the primed grenade in the dark oozing cavity. The Carnifex exploded from within, falling to its knees in a cacophony of fire and gore! The force of the explosion threw Calibre to the floor. He heard bolter rounds flying over his head as his squad tried to cover him from the swarm of rampaging Gaunts.

 

The air darkened as the second drooling Carnifex stood over Calibre ready to take the kill. Thoughts of impending death assaulted Calibres mind as the Carnifex pushed one of its talons deep into the shoulder of the Sergeant and lifted him to his feet, its vile stench close enough to make Calibres throat tighten. With his good arm he fired as wildly as he ever had done before, trying to free himself before the beast could land its killing blow. Pain seared through his body as he fought to stay conscious. The predator wailed in defiance, Calibre would die.

 

His last moments were a blur of damned thoughts and terrible realities. Calibre grasped his blessed bolter tightly in his gauntlet. Everything seemed still and quite for a fraction of a second that seemed to last a decade. The Carnifex head disintegrated with a harsh slap of reality. When the noise returned Calibre could hear the distinctive sound of a Dreadnoughts auto cannon at full rotation. Brother Baden Aspes’ presence was very welcome. A brother marine lifted him to his feet as two others wrenched the talon from his shoulder. He screamed aloud in pain. Over the vox he could hear Glyphion calling for order within the ranks. The marines immediately regrouped on him and began to push back the Xenos under hails of endless bolter fire. Calibres wound quickly began to heal, his enhanced organs working ferociously to overcome the pain and repair the gaping wound. He opened a secure vox channel to the Ancient Dreadnought that had saved his life. “Brother Aspe, pray thanks to the Emperor for your timely arrival!” The Ancient brother Dreadnought of the Scythes chapter was not one to have long conversations. Over the thousands of year’s service he had heard everything they wanted to hear and said everything he needed to say. The reply was short “The Emperors will be done young Sergeant!”

 

 

Chapter 5

 

“Glyphion!? Sass!? Calibre!? Where are you for thrones sake?” Torr was desperate. His entire squad had fallen to the Tyranids surprise attack. The remaining three sisters were firing with their backs pressed hard against the wreckage of the Fall of Sotha. “Ismailia, we must complete our objective!” Captain Anvils voice was stern and unforgiving. “We must destroy this hive before it can grow! We will suffer no Xenos to live!” the captain never stopped smashing skulls. Static hummed over the vox channel, nothing. Torr had fallen.

 

Anvil smashed his hammer into the xenos, crushing their carapace armour beneath his boots, his terminator armours huge stature a silhouette on the horizon of the battle, he swung his mighty hammer as if the fate of the Emperor himself was dependent on every blow, bludgeoning the creatures’ ranks. Multiple varieties of the Xenos force lay at his feet, none could stand in his wake. He fought like a man possessed! The remaining sisters turned their gunfire towards Torr’s heaped body. Laying heavy fire across the area and clearing it of the hungry horde. The Lascannons of the Dawn of Spartas fired incessantly levelling vast numbers of tyranids with every glowing shot. Torr burst up from beneath a vast mound of Gaunts corpses, his mighty power sword glowing bright blue through the thick gore that stained its length. “Revenge for Calypso VI!” Torr bellowed as he took aim and felled an emerging Carnifex with an expert headshot.

 

Captain Anvil quickly assessed the situation, the Tyranids were faltering. For the first time since the battle began he could see a weakness emerging. As if on cue a few hundred yards from the Captain something new appeared. The screaming monster that now stood proudly over the Battle field was like nothing the Captain had ever seen. It was the height of three Carnifex, and it possessed a long whip like tail that was curled underneath its heavily armoured trunk. The Creature possessed four powerful looking talons, again a lot larger than the now seemingly small Carnifex. The Captain exchanged an inquisitive look with Sister Rosarium. Her and her sisters hadn’t faulted throughout the entire battle, even when they lost two of their sisters to the marauding horde the remaining three merely redoubled their efforts.

 

Torr took up a position alongside the Captain as they prepared to assault the creature. “This should be interesting!” Stated Torr, no fear in his voice. “For Sotha, and For the Emperor!” replied the Captain as he levelled his hammer ready to charge. Anvil and Torr charged into the beast. Torr fired his bolter with sublime accuracy. “Let Calibre see me now!” He thought as round after round of blessed bolter fire ricochet off the shining wet armour of the giant Tyranid. What Torr hadn’t noticed was its vicious tail swooping around intent on smashing every bone in Torrs eager body. It hit Torr in the chest like a shot from a Vindicator. His chest armour smashed in two under the power of the blow. Anvil seen his friends fall, knowing this time that the Sergeant would not recover so quickly, he adjusted the pattern of his approach to compensate for the flailing tail of the Tyranid. He dodged left and right, deflecting the creatures’ massive talons with his relic Storm Shield.

 

Anvil and the Tyranid were locked in a bitter battle to the death. Neither Warrior was prepared to die today. Anvil prepared himself. His enhanced physiology enraged by the want of revenge for his fallen chapter brothers. Nothing would take that from him. He had never fought a creature of such immense stature, dodging its blows became almost second nature as he ducked and swooped to avoid taking hits. Landing blows of his own was proving more of a problem. The creatures’ tail was too heavily armoured, even for Anvils mighty hammer. He needed to reach higher.

 

As he was almost out of ideas, a friend’s withered voice reminded him of his goal. “For Sotha” groaned a dying Torr over the vox. Instinctively, Anvil rolled towards the fallen Scythes position, loosing his trusted hammer and shield in the process. The Tyranid, noticing the disarmed Captains struggle, closed in for the kill, its huge jaws opening expectantly. With Anvils Hammer and Shield lost during his energetic roll, he was an easy target. A youngling’s mistake he thought as the Xenos creature encroached upon his position. He hurried to adjust his body as the enemies talons smashed into the rock either side of him, creating uniform puncture marks. As it closed in further, Anvil uttered a prayer of eternal service to the Emperor.

He lay on his back, ready to die. Or so the creature must have thought.

 

Anvil drew Torrs bolter as fast as he could from his friends’ side and brought it to take aim on the eager Tyranid, firing at near point blank range into the monsters open jaws. The creature reared in pain, blood and rancid Xenos organs spilled into the air, Anvil kept his finger firmly on the trigger. Now he was standing, firing into what was once the creatures head. Nothing but a smouldering mass of wet flesh remained. The creature fell to the ground in with a deep thud, its tail still twitching. Revenge was Anvils.

[raptor1199]

tyrannids dont use forward bases they simply drop pods from hive ships until planet or the hive ships are dead

and nice trygon prime kill from Anvin

[Captain Juan Juarez]

Thunder Hammers have been used since the Heresy, Lord Commander Eidolon of the Emperors Children carried one.. Just to go back to an earlier point.

[AL.]

tyrannids dont use forward bases they simply drop pods from hive ships until planet or the hive ships are dead

and nice trygon prime kill from Anvin

 

It wasn't supposed to come accross as a forward operating bas type planet, it was supposed to be where another Hive fleet was currently pushing the boundries. I guess it didn't come accross very well. Lesson learned. Thanks for the info i'm taking it all in, the next few chapters should be better, but i will be taking more time over them so may have to wait a week or so.

 

Thanks for all the comments guys, they really do help. Especially pointing out any factual mistakes, MASSIVE help.