Forge World Gramm IV

[Ufthak]

You could have Marvius sort of imply it, for example by saying something like "The Warmaster will need all the war machinery we can provide him with" without actually stating anything else...

 

But no matter, keep it up, looking forward to the next part! :) As I said once before, it's great to have some Night Lord action for a change!

[Darkchild130]

As night lords are my favourite of the traitor legions, i'm liking this story.

MORE!

 

Darkchild

[Sons of Horus]

Rosarch wrapped the detonation cord around the vast support column twice. He began punching in the timer sequence on the melta charge until it read six-zero. So far no hostiles were aware of his presence or of the melta charges he had already planted through out the vast area of the forge. He had just the right number of charges capable of destroying the forge as long as they were deployed in strategic locations. He set all the charges to sixty minutes but the count down would only begin once the last charge was activated. This was the last charge.

 

"I hate having to be the sapper." he whispered to himself.

 

This was the third time in a row that Rosarch was named the sapper of Night Wing. He wasn't sure if Raychev just wanted him out of combat or if he just had some bad luck, either way he just wanted to be part of the fighting again.

 

He unsheathed his power sword and activated the energy field. The blade came to life and was instantly surrounded by coruscating streaks of lightning. He smiled for a while but then realized that he had to hurry. The timer now read five-seven.

 

He sheathed his energized blade and stood up when a voice suddenly came from nowhere.

 

"Halt. Intruder. Do. Not. Move."

 

The voice sounded robotic. Clearly it was an automaton of sorts. Rosarch only had one problem, the robot was behind him. He had no idea what type of cybernetic creature it was. He couldn't see it and so he didn't know if it was armed or not. For all he knew it could be anything from a servitor to a cataphract. He didn't even know how many of them were there.

 

How was the robot even able to sneak up on him, he wondered. It was probably when he was fooling around with his sword. It didn't really matter now. He had to get himself out of this situation quickly.

 

Rosarch heard the distinct sound of a chainblade behind him and almost too quickly, he reacted.

 

He threw the armed melta charge at the automaton which he now recognized as the one from the entrance to the forge, or at least it was of the same class. The robot swatted it aside with its chain sword before rushing towards the astartes. The plan worked. Rosarch had just enough time to pull out his own blade.

 

The robot swung high but he ducked beneath the blow. In one smooth motion, the astartes rammed the tip of his blade into the robot's chest area. The energy field assisted the sword which cut straight through to the other side of the robot as easily as it would have cut through flesh. The automaton didn't move.

 

Rosarch took a step back and saw the machine in detail this time. It was taller and slightly bulkier than he was. It was roughly humanoid in shape and from the looks of it, the thing only had one arm. Instead of a face, it had a blank plate of steel that was so smooth it reflected light like a mirror. There was something else about it, something Rosarch couldn't see but he could sense it. He could tell from the way it spoke, moved, and most importantly, from the way it stalked him. This machine seemed to possess an intelligence above that of any robot class.

 

He pulled the blade from the automaton's chest and sheathed it. He moved towards the charge and picked it up. By the looks of it, the melta charge was completely undamaged and so he returned it to the base of the support column.

 

Rosarch turned to the robot but it was no longer there.

 

~~

 

The data cores of Gramm IV were cyclopean blocks that seemed as though they had been fashioned from black glass. At the center of the collection of data blocks stood a vast glassy cone shaped structure. That was where all the data on this forge world was stored. That was squad Talon's goal.

 

"Can you see the entrance?" asked sergeant Malikov.

 

"Yes, lord. It appears to be a small cave-mouth and is guarded by two automatons. They seem to be featureless and unarmed. Both are roughly humanoid in shape and are taller than us." replied Astorel.

 

"We'll have to break cover and charge them. This is the only entrance to the data core so we don't have any alternatives." stated captain Varin.

 

"Astorel, you cover our entry point. Stay concealed in your current position and take out any hostile reinforcements." said Malikov.

 

"One shot, one kill." said Astorel in a calm and quiet voice.

 

"Good then. Talon, we'll charge in five minutes." said captain Varin.

 

Astorel was the best sniper in the 9th company. It was rumored that he could make a headshot from over two miles away. He was a serious crackshot and was probably the best choice to be sternguard in Talon. Some even made jokes that he was more suited for the Vindicare Temple than for the Night Lords however no one doubted or denied his usefulness in covert operations.

 

"Alright, Talon. We go in three... two... one!"

[Ufthak]

Great addition!!! :) I really like Rosarch (although, every time I read his name I somehow automatically read "Research")

 

Durr...I hate AI...

 

Keep it up!!! :)

[Darkchild130]

I read it as Rorschach (wrongly), like from Watchmen!

 

Darkchild

[Sons of Horus]

Thanks again brothers :wink:

 

Rosarch's name was sort of inspired by Rorschach from watchmen :P

[Sons of Horus]

Therion marched down the stormbird's assault ramp. The metal clanged under his dreadnought body's heavy tread. The sky was dark as usual but the vast chemical clouds were now acting up. The heavens were in turmoil as colourful flashes of lightning danced across the sky. Toxic storms were not uncommon on forge worlds but they were capable of damaging unprotected machines. Therion's body was impervious to such chemical winds. The dreadnought looked up into the sky as the first drops of acid rain reached the ground. He savoured the light patter of rain against his plasteel and ceramite skin. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began to drift away. He had not slept in decades.

 

"Brother Therion! The eldar have breached our eastern flank. We need to fall back. We can hold the line at the river."

 

"No. We are astartes and we do not retreat! Contact squads Novus and Fractum. Tell them to support the east flank." said Therion.

 

"But my lord..."

 

"Do it!"

 

The astartes opened his vox network to the two squads to issue Therion's orders when a bright streak of light punched a hole into his chest armour.

 

"Lord, we can't hold them any longer! The western flank won't last another hour." said another Night Lord.

 

"My order will not change. We will either claim victory here or die in the name of the Emperor!" replied Therion.

 

Four eldar warriors armed with power blades charged Therion's position. An astartes soldier blasted one of the xenos' heads clean off its shoulders. The remaining three reached the Night Lord's lines. All together they unleashed a horrific scream from their face masks which caused most of Therion's squad to fall to their knees in agony. The astartes lines were now in chaos. Everywhere he turned, super human soldiers were dying. The eldar 'banshees' were wreaking havoc and more of them continued to reach the astartes' positions.

 

The battle was turning into a melee. Blades clashed throwing blue sparks into the air while guns were fired at point-blank with terrifying results. The Night Lords were losing the battle and Therion knew it. Sooner or later they would have to fall back or be killed.

 

Therion turned to his squad and realized that only one of them was left. An astartes named Karin was locked in close combat with two eldar banshees. Karin was an excellent swordsman but he had been disarmed and was now fighting with a broken chainsword which he had taken from a dead Night Lord. The xenos were agile and surprisingly strong. Karin's Mk.III power armour was in terrible shape and yet he continued to fight.

 

Therion charged the xenos bowling over one of the aliens. He began to pummel its head with his power fist launching strike after strike after strike. He tossed the bloody body away and noticed that the other banshee had been killed as well. He looked around once more and knew that his men could never hold. They were too vastly outnumbered.

 

More eldar warriors began to pour from the other side of the clearing. These aspect warriors were clad in green armour of some kind. They were armed with roaring chainswords that resembled the Night Lord's own weapons.

 

More astartes were now locked in a bloody and chaotic melee with the xenos scum. Sergeants were being taken out by enemy sharpshooters. Even astartes knew when they would lose, the only difference was that they faced their deaths without fear.

 

Therion knew what he had to do.

 

"9th company fall back to the river immediately!" shouted Therion over the inter-suit vox. "We'll hold the line on the other side."

 

One by one each sergeant affirmed the order and hurriedly fell back. The retreat was barely organized as indivudual soldiers ran while firing their bolters behind them.

 

Therion fired a few more snap shots, each one killing a xenos creature, before it was his turn to run.

 

He continued to fire at his back while sprinting from cover to cover. He could see the river now, in the distance. The raging water seemed like a safe refuge compared to the eldar onslaught they had faced in the clearing. He could make out the shapes of devastator teams on the other side of the river.

 

He was less than four hundred meters away when suddenly a shell impacted the earth six feet to his left. Therion was thrown through the air. He landed hard on the earth ten meters away from where he stood before the shell exploded. He couldn't move, and his helmet was gone now.

 

He took in what had just happened. The shell that hit him was an earthshaker round. An imperial artillery round had hit a Night Lord. They were shelling their own men!

 

The army had its coordinates wrong. Night Lords were dying because of the imperial army. Therion didn't know how to feel. It was a mixture of anger, confusion, and hatred.

 

He tried to stand up but as he mustered all his strength, another artillery round impacted his position.

 

Therion's world faded into darkness.

 

The dreadnought awoke with a mechanical growl. As his senses reasserted themselves he noticed that the earth around him was littered with dead mechanicum protectors and skitarii. Broken servitors and robots were scattered all over as well. He observed his monstrous body and realized that he had been hit by two missiles however the damage was minimal.

 

Visions of his past haunted him every time he was under threat. He never recalled fighting as a dreadnought.

[Ufthak]

Whoah, pretty dangerous dreadnought the company's got there!!!

 

How come he hasn't slept for so long? Has he been in continuous action?

 

Good post, keep it up!

You might want to explain how the Mechanicum forces found the stormbird though...

[Tanhausen]

Neat chapters ;)

 

Only thing I find "wierd" is using feet and metric system in the same parragraf :o

[Ufthak]

Ha, I do that all the time :( It's kinda convenient...sometimes you need a distance that is just about as long as a metre, but then, at other times, a yard is just a little more fitting...

[Tanhausen]

But we use metric system in Continental Europe as you probably know :) I would never tell someone here "yeah, its real close, something like two yard and 3/16 of a foot and 3 inches... and a half" xDDDD

[Ufthak]

Fairly and honestly, I often - really often - find myself in situations where a "mile" is just far more fitting than "roughly 1,5 Kilometres". I think both systems are good and have something going for them, and I also don't think it's such a bad idea to use both!

[Tanhausen]

Never said it was a bad idea... just that it sounded wierd :tu:

 

Anyway...we DEMAND more chapters! :P

[Sons of Horus]

Yes the dread has been in constant action which will be explained later on. On how they found the stormbird... well I haven't worked that out yet :tu: I'll try to stick to one system of measure as much as possible but I can't promise that it'll be pure haha.

 

Next chapter up in a day or so.

[Ufthak]

Want MORE...when's the next part up?

:D

[argo-titilius]

loving it so far, keep up the good work! ;)

[Sons of Horus]

Rosarch sprinted towards the chamber of the Magos where the rest of his squad was caught in a brutal melee. He was unaware of the whole story since the vox transmition from Night Wing only said that they were under attack. How in Terra's name were five astartes being held off by a single Magos. He picked up his pace and pushed his body to run faster. Stealth was no longer important here since the automaton had probably alerted the entire forge complex by now. So far he had come across several menials and half a dozen servitors, none of which posed a threat to him so he let them be. Soon the vast threshold to the chamber of Magos Marvius was within sight. With a mighty roar he charged towards it ramming his right shoulder into the plasteel and ceramite frame. The cold metal buckled and gave way under his inhuman strength. The chamber was dark and silent with a single figure on his knees at the center. Sergeant Raychev held his energized halberd out across him, the haft blocking a blade-arm from a powerful robot. Rosarch had never seen such a robot before and wondered whether this single cybernetic creature was really mighty enough to hold down the captain. He rushed towards the automaton in hopes of catching it unawares but halted midway upon seeing a gruesome display. The other four astartes of Night Wing lay in pools of their own blood. One of them, brother Maverik was bifuncated at the waist and yet he lived on. He was crawling towards his bolter which lay six meters to his right side. Rosarch was shocked at the sight of so many of his brothers brought low by the forces of the trecherous Mechanicum. He barely had enough time to mourn as a bright streak of light shot in his direction. Instincts kicked in as he pushed himself from the plasma bolt's flight path. It impacted the steel floor in a bright burst of light melting straight through it. Raychev called out in a desperate voice.

 

"Rosarch! Kill the magos! He's hiding somewhere in here."

 

"He's using a shrouding device?" asked Rosarch as he dodged another plasma bolt.

 

"It's more advanced than anything I've seen. None of the auto-senses can detect him at all!" replied Raychev as he ducked beneathed a sword stroke aimed for his neck.

 

"I've got it sarge." said Rosarch.

 

"Hurry! I don't know how much longer I can hold this mech-beast."

 

Rosarch looked around for something, no, anything that would be able to help him out. Right now he was pretty much helpless unless he could find a way to see the magos. A lasbolt glanced his left pauldron scorching the winged skull symbol. Minor warning lights flashed across his helmet display. He ignored them for now and continued thinking. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. Since the magos was probably the one shooting at him all he had to do was watch where the next shot would come from. Patiently, he waited for his hunter's next move. Suddenly he saw the muzzle flash from some sort of bolt weapon. It came from the darkness above and yet when he looked in the very direction from where it came he saw absolutely nothing. He needed a better way of seeing his hunter and thought of another idea. He searched for some sort of liquid carrying pipe and found a water pipe running along one of the walls all the way up to the ceiling. He pulled out his melta gun and in one smooth motion blew the pipe open. Water rushed from the breach in the pipe bathing everything in it. It would still be barely visible but the water would splash around the magos' presence and trickle from his body. He looked closely until he found what he was looking for. Launching himself into the air with his jetpack, Rosarch slammed into the invisible form of the magos with a loud thud. He clipped a frag grenade to the invisible body and jumped away quickly. Just as he dodged another lasbolt, the grenade exploded destroying the shrouding device. The magos' form was finally revealed and they both saw that the grenade had actually taken out his legs. He tried to crawl away helplessly when a bolter was unloaded on full auto into Marvius' head blowing it to peices. Rosarch turned to see brother Maverik holding a smoking bolt gun in his right hand. Slowly, the life faded from him and his body slumped.

 

"Help me take this beast down Rosarch!" shouted Raychev.

 

"I'm coming sarge!" replied the astartes. He almost forgot about the sergeant and the massive cyber-hulk he was dueling with.

 

Raychev smashed his left elbow into the robot's face plate with little noticable effect. Rosarch joined the duel throwing several blindingly fast sword strokes all of which were either parried or blocked by the automaton. The cyber-hulk renewed its assault with a skill it had not previously possessed. The two astartes were forced to fight on the defensive. The robot was unrelenting and highly skilled... maybe even too skilled for a pre-programmed machine. Another weapon arm emerged from the automaton this time it resembled a large drill of some sort. It gave the Night Lords no quarter, nearly severing Raychev's arm and nearly impaling Rosarch with its drill-arm. The two would have to fight in an unconventional manner to defeat this creation.

 

"Sarge, I have an idea." said Rosarch over the inter-suit vox.

 

"Then do it! I'll follow your lead."

 

"Okay then, good luck!" said the astartes.

 

Rosarch broke from the melee and ran towards the magos' dead body. He broke off the plasma cannon and began to fire it rapidly at the robot.

 

"What are you doing!? That thing is going to overheat!" screamed Raychev.

 

"Exactly." said Rosarch with a laugh.

 

The robot sensed the new threat and charged towards the astartes carrying the plasma cannon. Rosarch landed three solid shots before the cyber-hulk was able to close the gap.

 

"CATCH!" shouted Rosarch.

 

He threw the heavy weapon at the automaton which exploded with the force of a miniature star. Parts of the robot melted off like molten slag but it still wasn't enough to bring it down permanently. It moved slowly now but fought on with the ferocity of a cornered animal. A servo-arm emerged from its back grabbing Rosarch by the neck and throwing him into a wall. Raychev stole the opportunity and sliced off the cyber-hulk's drill-arm with his power halberd. It reacted quickly however and punched the sergeant away with its servo-arm. The automaton suddenly spoke in a monotonous and metallic voice.

 

"Did you really think you could kill me so easily?"

 

"Who the #$%^ are you?" asked Rosarch.

 

"Why, it's me. Magos Marvius." replied the cyber-hulk.

 

"Throne of Terra!" shouted Raychev.

 

"Yes, the power of forbidden technology courses through my veins. Such is the prize of following the Warmaster Horus Lupercal. Don't you see? Great change is happening in this galaxy." said the magos.

 

"The only change I see is me lopping your ugly head off!" replied Rosarch.

 

"Such is the way of the ignorant. The imperium can no longer exist as one force. The emperor has betrayed us all and Horus has shown us the truth of it."

 

"You lie!" spat the sergeant. "The Warmaster would never betray his father!"

 

"Oh but it was he who was betrayed. All of us were betrayed. He was simply the first to see the truth and now he is taking matters into his own hands. The galaxy will be plunged into the greatest civil war history has known. We will march to Terra and into the emperor's very own palace. We will overthrow the corrupt imperium and establish a new world order with Horus Lupercal as the true emperor and leader of humanity." said the magos confidently.

 

"Impossible! No one will join you and your petty rebellion. Even if the Warmaster does turn against the light of the emperor he is but a single Primarch with but a single legion." argued Rosarch desperately.

 

"But he is not alone. Seven more of his brother Primarchs have already pledged themselves to his righteous cause. Seven astartes legions... including your own!" said the magos with a mocking tone.

 

"That would never happen! Konrad Curze would never...

 

"He is the Night Haunter now. And he already has."

 

"I'll kill you right now!" shouted Rosarch as he leaped through the air towards the robot.

 

The cyber-hulk blocked his stroke and bashed his chest causing him to stagger backwards. Raychev joined the fight once more swinging his halberd in a wide arc which narrowly missed.

 

"I am offering you the chance to join the right side in this war. It isn't too late yet to join the forces of the Warmaster. I'm sure your beloved legion will still take you back.

 

"Shut your mouth traitor scum!"

 

Raychev swung his halberd with all his strength shattering the automaton's chest open while Rosarch jumped backwards avoiding a decapitation strike. The robot seemed unaffected and continued to attack. It cut a deep gash across the sergeant's abdomen spilling his intestines out. Raychev attempted to hold his entrails in but he could do nothing. Rosarch knew that the battle was getting desperate and he thought of another great idea. He unstrapped all his krak grenades and tied them to his jump pack. He detached the cumbersome engine from his backpack and as the magos turned to face him he sent it at full speed like a missile. It impacted the automaton square in the chest obliterating the machine.

 

He ran over to the dying sergeant and tried to assist him but realized that it was too late for both of them. His suit's internal chrono read: three... two... one... zero.

[Ufthak]

Hey, brilliant addition!!! :) Really good, no mistakes and plenty of action!

 

Rosarch seems to be the Legion MacGyver :)

 

Just a question, if the machine was the Magos, then who was the invisible guy?

[Sons of Horus]

The whole magos --> invisible guy --> big robot thing will be revealed towards the end of the story :D

[Ufthak]

Good, I'm intrigued :)

 

Not looking good for the force though, what with Raychev and his squad all totally dead...

 

In any case, what's the dread doing? Will he be in the next installment?

 

Looking forward to more, the story's really good!!! (though you're a bit slow with writing) :cuss

[Sons of Horus]

With a roar of fury, four of Talon's members charged towards the entrance of the data-cores. The remaining four including Captain Varin opened up with a storm of bolt shells which impacted the two guardian robots. Astorel did not risk giving away his position and so he simply watched as the rest of his squad fought on. The automatons were contemptuosly tough and the bolt rounds were barely doing any damage at all. Finally the first four squad members closed in with the robots and the second half charged this time. Each of the robots revealed their previously concealed weapons. One was armed with a power mace and a rotating blade sheathed in energy while the other had four power swords that were sleak and slim. They reminded the Captain of some exotic alien weaponry he had seen throughout the course of the Great Crusade. The entire squad fought with the two automatons in a brutal melee and yet the robots were holding out. They defended themselves like a living, thinking being would. They somehow never repeated the same move twice and to some extent they seemed unpredictable. A thought suddenly jumped into the Captain's head: could this world be producing an advanced type of abominable intelligence? He immediately pushed the thought aside and remembered that even renegade adepts were too afraid to delve deeply into such forbidden technology. Talon continued to fight hard against the two robots and one of the astartes, a brother named Anaris, was able to land a lucky shot on one of them. His powerfist punched a hole into the automaton's abdomen revealing a strange looking cogitator. Another brother, by the name of Jacobin, seized the chance and unloaded half his clip into the cogitator. The robot instantly lost control and began flailing around like a wild animal cutting a deep groove into sergeant Malikov's right pauldron. The Sergeant returned the favor by firing a quick snap shot from his plasma pistol into the automaton's brain melting it like butter. The second robot, now alone, could not hold out against the fury of the assault. Varin ran his powered chainsword straight through its chest. The power field allowed the toothed blade edge to penetrate deep and grind its cogitator to pieces. The entrance was now clear and the squad proceeded into the data-cores.

 

"Check for battle damage." said the Captain over the vox-link.

 

"Superficial damage only." replied sergeant Malikov.

 

"Good. Jacobin, get the data extraction device ready." said Varin calmly. "I want this to be a quick in and out mission."

 

"Ready in four minutes, Captain." replied the astartes.

 

"Let's proceed to the main core. Vince, you take point. Anaris, you're sternguard." said the Sergeant. "Like the Captain said, let's make this quick."

 

The passageway to the central data-core was deathly silent. The entire structure of the data-cores was like a strange glassy material which was a deep black-purple. It somehow radiated an inner light of its own. Vince wondered whether the Mechanicum on this world was able to reverse engineer some type of xenos technology. The huge blocks of data appeared as though they had been grown instead of built. He recalled one of old Therion's stories about the Eldar and their highly advanced weapons. This collection of buildings reminded him of those eldar materials. Vince pointed his autocannon straight in front of him but before he could react, an invisible fist sent him flying down the corridor. The rest of the squad opened fire to the front. The passageway was so small that whatever struck the astartes was not able to dodge their volley. The invisible body was caught in a bulletstorm and torn apart. The shrouding device was not destroyed so all they saw was a pool of blood coating 'nothing'.

 

"You alright?" asked Anaris as he helped Vince get back up.

 

"Never been better." replied the astartes with a chuckle. Vince's chest plate was flattened by the force of the blow.

 

"Let's get moving. We don't want an enemy we can't see out in the open." said Captain Varin.

 

Several minutes later the squad reached the central data-core. It was a vast edifice that loomed over the rest of the data blocks. It was composed of the same glassy material as the rest of the structure but this time it seemed to throb like a living organ. The light it emitted was more intense than everything else around it. The entire area was bathed in a strange cloudy gas that left after images whenever something moved.

 

"That's it. Jacobin, is the device ready?" asked Varin.

 

"It's ready, Captain. I'll begin the extraction procedure now." replied the astartes.

 

Jacobin held a small, flat slate in his left hand. He pushed it flat against the huge data block and it read "extraction complete in ten minutes." The rest of the squad took safe firing positions in case something else still tried to stop them.

 

"That slate better work faster." said Malikov.

 

"It's already programmed to take important data only." said Varin.

 

"Captain, movement at eleven!" said Vince who had taken shelter behind a smaller data block.

 

"I see it too." shouted Anaris.

 

"Astartes, hold your fire until I say so." replied Varin.

 

Vince could see two groups of ten men. These were some of the first human soldiers they had encountered on the forge world. Each man was wearing blackened carapace armour and holding a new pattern of lasgun. Each group had a single flamer which gave away their position due to the pilot lights at their muzzles.

 

"Skitarii!" spat Anaris.

 

"Be thankful they're just skitarii, Anaris. Remember those robots at the entrance? Imagine having to deal with twenty of those." said the Sergeant.

 

"No one move. Jacobin, how much longer?" asked Varin.

 

"Two minutes, Captain." said Jacobin.

 

"Astartes, pick your targets. On three. One. Two. Three!"

 

Talon opened fire all together. Every bullet found its mark and in less than a second, one of the skitarii groups was cut down completely. Vince broke cover and let loose with his autocannon. He singlehandedly massacred the remaining ten skitarii soldiers.

 

"Good work, Talon." said Malikov.

 

"Captain, extraction complete." came Jacobin's voice over the vox.

 

"Great, now let's get out of here!"

 

The squad ran back the way they entered. They met no resistance on their way out until they reached Astorel's position. A maniple of ten automatons identical to those guarding the entrance previously was heading their way quickly.

 

"How in Terra's name are we going to deal with ten of those things?" asked Anaris.

 

"Quite frankly we can't. We'll need support." replied Astorel.

 

"I'll call in the stormbird." said Varin.

 

~~~

 

Therion was waiting in the assault ship's cockpit when a vox transmission suddenly burst into life.

 

"This is Captain Varin requesting support. Blackbird, please reply."

 

The dreadnought connected its mind impulse unit to that of the stormbird.

 

"This is Blackbird. I'll trace your vox transmission to get to your current location."

 

"We need you to hurry, Therion."

 

"Tracing complete. I'll be there in approximately ten minutes. Good luck, Captain."

[Ufthak]

*click* now I geddit...Therion's the Stormbird's pilot via his MIU! Ok, that definitely solves a riddle.

 

Very good addition as usual, kinda reminded me of Modern Warfare 2 for a moment, defending the position until a data transfer is complete :(

 

One thing irked me a little: Astartes sensoria have infrared, night vision, autosensors, all sorts of gadgets, wouldn't that allow them to see someone who's shrouded/invisible?

 

But then, the Mechanicum probably have a load more gadgets which beat the Astartes' sensorium...

 

In any case, want more!!! Keep it up ;)

[Sons of Horus]

thanks :lol: like i mentioned in the previous chapter, the shrouding devices are pretty much more high tech than the astartes autosenses and stuff ;)

[Sons of Horus]

The stormbird rose on trails of jet-fire until it hovered a thousand meters above the groud. Therion pointed it in the direction of the vast data core complex with a single thought. With a sudden sonic boom, the assault craft shot through the sky like a flaming dart. The dreadnought looked towards the forge of Magos Marvius as he wondered how Night Wing's mission was going. Without warning, an intensely bright flash of light appeared in the distance exactly where the forge was located. Therion was shocked at the sight of such an explosion. What it Terra's name was happening to Raychev's squad. The ancient opened up his long distance vox transmitter and tried to call out.

 

"Night Wing, this is blackbird. Status report." said Therion.

 

There was nothing but static over the vox.

 

"Night Wing, what's happening over there!"

 

Still there was no reply.

 

"Raychev, can you hear me? Can anyone hear me!?" he said in a desperate voice.

 

The ancient attempted to hail the squad several times more before continuing to the extraction point for squad Talon. He couldn't believe that Night Wing had been wiped out. He opened a link to the Captain shortly afterwards.

 

~~~

 

"No one move unless I say so." came the voice of Captain Varin.

 

"What if they're able to detect us using their scanners?" asked Jacobin.

 

"We'll find out soon enough don't you think?" replied Sergeant Malikov.

 

Talon was hidden amidst an iron jungle several meters from the entrance to the data-core complex. It was by far the best place to take cover in the immediate area. Magnetic scanners would not be able to detect their presence as they would simply blend in with the metallic scraps around them.

 

"Astorel, what can you see through that targetting telescope of yours?" asked the Sergeant.

 

"The ten robots have been joined by thirty plus foot mobiles. They've got three chimera transports as well as one rhino armoured personel carrier. One squad appears to have a heavy weapon of some unknown pattern and three missile launchers. Captain, we could really use the stormbird anytime now." said the sharpshooter.

 

"Therion should be here in a while. We'll just have to stay down until then and hope they don't find us first." replied Varin.

 

A vox transmission suddenly cut through to the squad. It was coming from the stormbird.

 

"Captain, Raychev and his squad have been taken out. I'm assuming their status is K.I.A. now." said the venerable warrior.

 

"What did you see, Therion?" replied Varin.

 

"The entire forge complex was destroyed. I attempted to hail the squad dozens of times over but there was no reply. I fear the worst has happened, Captain."

 

"Then there is nothing we can do for them. How much longer will you take to get here?" asked the Captain.

 

"ETA five minutes."

 

"We've got ten heavily armed automatons accompanied by thirty six skitarii foot mobiles. Four vehicles and watch out for missile launchers."

 

"Got it, Captain. Blackbird out."

 

"Stay safe old friend. Talon out."

 

Malikov lay on his belly next to an astartes armed with a combi-melta by the name of Ozil. They watched as the ten robots approached their position slowly and cautiously.

 

"They've detected us damn it!" spat Ozil.

 

"Who's approaching?" asked Vince.

 

"Those damned automatons that's who!" replied Ozil.

 

"Calm down, Ozil. They're pretty clever sending those robots first. They're expecting us to engage them in the open so the skitarii elements can pick us off from a distance." said the Captain.

 

"Choose your targets. Astorel I want you to take out the skitarii first. The rest of you will take the robots." said Malikov.

 

"On three, brothers." said Varin. "One. Two.....

 

A huge fire ball engulfed five of the ten robots without warning. Several seconds later another one blasted the remaining automatons. All ten cyber-soldiers melted in the intense fury of the missile strike. Talon looked up to see the stormbird circling the battle field.

 

"Just in time as usual, Therion." said the Captain with a big smile.

 

The skitarii all ran for cover behind their vehicles and as one, opened fire on the stormbird. The assault craft was too quick for them and not a single enemy landed a hit. Astorel began picking the soldiers off one by one with his specially designed bolter.

 

The stormbird fired three more missiles knocking out two thirds of the skitarii forces including all four of their transports. The survivors tried to run for their lives but Talon now emerged from their concealed location and began firing at the skitarii. Vince mowed them down with his autocannon easily.

 

The flaming wreckage of the transports lit up the darkness around them as did the fires from the missiles. Thirty six men were killed but only four bodies remained relatively intact. The rest were mutilated horribly and none of them still appeared to be human.

 

"Great timing, Therion." said the Captain.

 

"You're welcome."

 

The venerable warrior landed the craft in font of the waiting astartes. With a pneumatic hiss, the assault ramp lowered to the ground allowing the squad to enter the gunship once more. All nine of them had survived the mission and more importantly, they now had the information they needed to continue.

[Ufthak]

Great addition, I liked how the Astartes used the metal forest for cover in order not to be detected, very veteran-y :lol:

 

Only thing that disturbed me a bit was how emotional Therion was. Aren't dreadnoughts rather impaired in that direction? After all, they are more machine than man, and the Astartes who are put into the dread armour often have only hazy or no recollection at all of their lives before they were put into the machine.

 

And a question:

I may have lost track of the story a bit...what was it again that destroyed the Forge?

 

And lemme guess, Rosarch somehow managed to get out of there :P