WH40K: Old Enemies... (prologue)
Lähetetty: Ti 28.09.2004 19:13
A fearless eye watched forward to the silent hills which lay in front of rough barricades built by the Imperial Guard of the planet Talas IX. Most of the guard had died during the last few years before an overwhelming enemy, 80 percent of the cities were ruined as the horde of monstrous Tyranids advanced on the planet. No one knew how they came, but hell they came quickly and unpredictably. Some two million decent citizens of the Imperium were killed instantly as the attack commenced by spore bombing. The fungi disease worked even better than the ‘Nids predicted if they even know how to think… Hills lay silent, but even Captain of the 2nd regiment of the Ultramarines Chris Redfield knew that they were going to be full of monstrous insects after few hours. The orbiting vessel, Storm Sword, had sent him some recon data, which indicated that several thousand ‘Nids were approaching the Hive city of Magmas.
Chris had several hundred space marines with him and the last of the Talas mechanized legion. The Chimera APCs moved around with a hurry, there wasn’t much time left. The Guard sentries arranged themselves in the trench checking and double-checking their power packs, the marines divided their bolter magazines so that everyone with a bolter would have at least two magazines. The guardsmen said their prayers and hymns to praise the almighty Emperor in his glory and power.
Suddenly the ground started to tremble. Guardsmen who sat in the trench rose and started to stare at the hills, unspeakable fear in their eyes. Something horrible was going to happen, everybody sensed it. Captain signalled the assault squads to take off and seek a place appropriate for ambushing. Colonel Huntington talked to vox-caster and Captain heard how Huntington ordered the storm trooper squads to get in a Chimera and follow the assault marines. The co-operation was smooth; everything seemed to work as it should. Would that be enough?
“Cap’n, are we gonna die out here?” a lonely guardsmen asked the captain. “Soldier, your sole purpose is to die for the protection of the mankind”. Chris answered still watching forward as if he was waiting to see something new and different. The guardsman was gone, probably not satisfied in the answer he got. Captain turned around and walked across the battlements to a command post. On his way Chris saw many guardsmen shaking and shivering. “Brother Redfield, I’m glad to see that you’ve survived the bombardments of hive city Tyrhus. I didn’t expect you to get out of there alive” said an arrogant voice. Chris answered with a malevolent grin. “I will not tolerate such an expression from a captain under my command!” the voice seemed to be angrier this time. Chris replied quickly: “And I will not tolerate those who won’t respect the dead comrades, for instance, those who died in the battle of Prima II, Julius, you have no respect for your fellow brothers in this chapter, dead or alive…” Chris saw how the commander in the terminator armor raised his storm bolter and aimed at Chris, who had only power armor for his protection. High-commander’s and captain’s eyes met and seemed to battle a silent combat. All the officials watched and waited for the conclusion, but that moment didn’t last long for a junior officer ran screaming: “They are coming!”
Captain took his helmet and bolter and headed back to the front line. High-commander Julius started to arrange basilisks for immense bombardment. As Chris ran back to the line, where his soldiers and marines were already at their posts, he saw something he had never ever seen before: Swarming gaunts approached like waves of water over the hills, ground shook more and more intensely. Sudden explosions blasted the ground ahead; dead bugs, soil and rock flew in the mid-air. Artillery attempted to kill the large monsters which roamed among the vile and smaller gaunts. Chris also saw some guardsmen running away, but the keen eyed commissars delivered deadly bullets into the backs of the deserters; the unfaithful were not tolerated and they were truly the damned. The line of gaunts got nearer and nearer and suddenly so near that the heavy firing of the ground-force-infantry started; bolters, lasguns, plasmaguns and several heavy weapons tore apart the lines of ferocious gaunts. Heaps of carcasses started piling up; it seemed that none of the beasts got five feet nearer the battlements. ‘Nids died as if there were no difference between the gaunt in front and the one behind. Something disturbed Chris Redfield, because if the artillery could keep down the big monsters and the combined firepower of the Ultramarines and Talas Mechanized halt the lines of gaunts, how could the ‘nids win? Then, as an immediate answer to his pondering, terrifying beasts came from the skies. Winged gargoyles made wide sweeps killing guardsmen and marines alike. Especially guardsmen seemed to be light enough to raise up and drop. Consequently leaping gaunts started to approach the faint-hearted guardsmen already involved in intense close combat.
A Lascannon flashed and a bright beam of light hit a carnifex, who got a nice hole in his scythed limb. After that three gargoyles grabbed the cannon and tossed it somewhere where nobody would find it. As Chris’ chain sword tore the gaunts apart he managed to fight himself to the nearest vox-caster. “Damn! Signal the mobile troops, storm troops and assault marines to attack! It’s an ORDED soldier!” Guardsman tried to send the message as Chris tried to protect him but as he turned to see his condition, guardsman had been pierced by a long and curved talon. Chris killed the beast instantly but he wasn’t sure if the ambush force got the signal. He tried to find out by opening comm-link in his MkVII helmet radio, but it was no use, there was only static. He saw several guardsmen lying dead. Few marines were also killed, their heads were chopped off. He needed the heavy support here; infantry could not handle waves after waves of ‘nids. As his comm-link didn’t function so he needed to find a marine, whose comm-link was working and who still was alive.
The battlefield was foggy as the smoke of intense bolter-firing surrounded the outskirts of Magmas, where a bloody battle was fought. Captain Redfield ran along the trenches firing his bolter at the masses of carnivorous insects. He saw a devastator squad further off; they ought to have a working comm-link. All nine devastator marines had heavy bolters and their immense firepower kept that area of battle quite clear of Tyranids. “Brother-Captain! Good to see you here!” a devastator marine sergeant yelled. “How are the things in that end?” he continued. “I need you to signal the tanks and our ambush forces to attack” Chris replied. “I don’t have the access codes on high-rank radio channels, sir.” Sergeant said “ABX867-443CVX4 is the code, now send the signal!” Chris ordered and sergeant inputted the code and gave the attack-order to all reserve and ambush forces. In a matter of seconds sergeant pointed his finger at the sky; the jetpack marines with close combat weaponry were on there way. The battle had its turning point as the gargoyles had an opponent they couldn’t handle and the bigger monstrosities were being pierced with lascannon fire of the predator tanks, and missiles of the infantry ripped them to pieces. Suddenly the endless waves of the Tyranids started lessen and the intensity of the battle was diminishing.
Chris saw couple of guardsmen, who were being harassed by a gigantic hive-tyrant. The beast seemed not to care for the lessening numbers of his fellow kind. The monster slashed everyone, who tried to come near it, even the power armor couldn’t protect against sharp talons the tyrant had. Chris yelled loudly his battle-cry: “Courage and honour!” and some thirty marines nearby charged towards the beast. The tyrant made wide sweeps with its razor-sharp talons trying to kill as many as it could. Then Chris Redfield took a krak grenade and threw it at the monster, the hive-tyrant swallowed the grenade nice and easily. A big boom occurred and the head of the beast was gone! Still it continued to mutilate the brave marines. It didn’t see quite so well without its eyes so the assault marines dived at the beast; they had deadly melta bombs in their hands. The passed the beast and after few seconds it exploded pushing some marines back. As the pressure wave didn’t harm the marines they rose up and came to celebrate the captain.
The battle was won, though it surprised the captain. The ‘nids seemed to have lost by purpose and everyone was hooraying and celebrating for the victory, everyone but the captain.
“Oh, the captain is still alive? How can one marine survive such terrifying battles, I wonder?” Chris heard the awfully familiar voice, and he cursed that the speaker didn’t die during the battle…
Chris had several hundred space marines with him and the last of the Talas mechanized legion. The Chimera APCs moved around with a hurry, there wasn’t much time left. The Guard sentries arranged themselves in the trench checking and double-checking their power packs, the marines divided their bolter magazines so that everyone with a bolter would have at least two magazines. The guardsmen said their prayers and hymns to praise the almighty Emperor in his glory and power.
Suddenly the ground started to tremble. Guardsmen who sat in the trench rose and started to stare at the hills, unspeakable fear in their eyes. Something horrible was going to happen, everybody sensed it. Captain signalled the assault squads to take off and seek a place appropriate for ambushing. Colonel Huntington talked to vox-caster and Captain heard how Huntington ordered the storm trooper squads to get in a Chimera and follow the assault marines. The co-operation was smooth; everything seemed to work as it should. Would that be enough?
“Cap’n, are we gonna die out here?” a lonely guardsmen asked the captain. “Soldier, your sole purpose is to die for the protection of the mankind”. Chris answered still watching forward as if he was waiting to see something new and different. The guardsman was gone, probably not satisfied in the answer he got. Captain turned around and walked across the battlements to a command post. On his way Chris saw many guardsmen shaking and shivering. “Brother Redfield, I’m glad to see that you’ve survived the bombardments of hive city Tyrhus. I didn’t expect you to get out of there alive” said an arrogant voice. Chris answered with a malevolent grin. “I will not tolerate such an expression from a captain under my command!” the voice seemed to be angrier this time. Chris replied quickly: “And I will not tolerate those who won’t respect the dead comrades, for instance, those who died in the battle of Prima II, Julius, you have no respect for your fellow brothers in this chapter, dead or alive…” Chris saw how the commander in the terminator armor raised his storm bolter and aimed at Chris, who had only power armor for his protection. High-commander’s and captain’s eyes met and seemed to battle a silent combat. All the officials watched and waited for the conclusion, but that moment didn’t last long for a junior officer ran screaming: “They are coming!”
Captain took his helmet and bolter and headed back to the front line. High-commander Julius started to arrange basilisks for immense bombardment. As Chris ran back to the line, where his soldiers and marines were already at their posts, he saw something he had never ever seen before: Swarming gaunts approached like waves of water over the hills, ground shook more and more intensely. Sudden explosions blasted the ground ahead; dead bugs, soil and rock flew in the mid-air. Artillery attempted to kill the large monsters which roamed among the vile and smaller gaunts. Chris also saw some guardsmen running away, but the keen eyed commissars delivered deadly bullets into the backs of the deserters; the unfaithful were not tolerated and they were truly the damned. The line of gaunts got nearer and nearer and suddenly so near that the heavy firing of the ground-force-infantry started; bolters, lasguns, plasmaguns and several heavy weapons tore apart the lines of ferocious gaunts. Heaps of carcasses started piling up; it seemed that none of the beasts got five feet nearer the battlements. ‘Nids died as if there were no difference between the gaunt in front and the one behind. Something disturbed Chris Redfield, because if the artillery could keep down the big monsters and the combined firepower of the Ultramarines and Talas Mechanized halt the lines of gaunts, how could the ‘nids win? Then, as an immediate answer to his pondering, terrifying beasts came from the skies. Winged gargoyles made wide sweeps killing guardsmen and marines alike. Especially guardsmen seemed to be light enough to raise up and drop. Consequently leaping gaunts started to approach the faint-hearted guardsmen already involved in intense close combat.
A Lascannon flashed and a bright beam of light hit a carnifex, who got a nice hole in his scythed limb. After that three gargoyles grabbed the cannon and tossed it somewhere where nobody would find it. As Chris’ chain sword tore the gaunts apart he managed to fight himself to the nearest vox-caster. “Damn! Signal the mobile troops, storm troops and assault marines to attack! It’s an ORDED soldier!” Guardsman tried to send the message as Chris tried to protect him but as he turned to see his condition, guardsman had been pierced by a long and curved talon. Chris killed the beast instantly but he wasn’t sure if the ambush force got the signal. He tried to find out by opening comm-link in his MkVII helmet radio, but it was no use, there was only static. He saw several guardsmen lying dead. Few marines were also killed, their heads were chopped off. He needed the heavy support here; infantry could not handle waves after waves of ‘nids. As his comm-link didn’t function so he needed to find a marine, whose comm-link was working and who still was alive.
The battlefield was foggy as the smoke of intense bolter-firing surrounded the outskirts of Magmas, where a bloody battle was fought. Captain Redfield ran along the trenches firing his bolter at the masses of carnivorous insects. He saw a devastator squad further off; they ought to have a working comm-link. All nine devastator marines had heavy bolters and their immense firepower kept that area of battle quite clear of Tyranids. “Brother-Captain! Good to see you here!” a devastator marine sergeant yelled. “How are the things in that end?” he continued. “I need you to signal the tanks and our ambush forces to attack” Chris replied. “I don’t have the access codes on high-rank radio channels, sir.” Sergeant said “ABX867-443CVX4 is the code, now send the signal!” Chris ordered and sergeant inputted the code and gave the attack-order to all reserve and ambush forces. In a matter of seconds sergeant pointed his finger at the sky; the jetpack marines with close combat weaponry were on there way. The battle had its turning point as the gargoyles had an opponent they couldn’t handle and the bigger monstrosities were being pierced with lascannon fire of the predator tanks, and missiles of the infantry ripped them to pieces. Suddenly the endless waves of the Tyranids started lessen and the intensity of the battle was diminishing.
Chris saw couple of guardsmen, who were being harassed by a gigantic hive-tyrant. The beast seemed not to care for the lessening numbers of his fellow kind. The monster slashed everyone, who tried to come near it, even the power armor couldn’t protect against sharp talons the tyrant had. Chris yelled loudly his battle-cry: “Courage and honour!” and some thirty marines nearby charged towards the beast. The tyrant made wide sweeps with its razor-sharp talons trying to kill as many as it could. Then Chris Redfield took a krak grenade and threw it at the monster, the hive-tyrant swallowed the grenade nice and easily. A big boom occurred and the head of the beast was gone! Still it continued to mutilate the brave marines. It didn’t see quite so well without its eyes so the assault marines dived at the beast; they had deadly melta bombs in their hands. The passed the beast and after few seconds it exploded pushing some marines back. As the pressure wave didn’t harm the marines they rose up and came to celebrate the captain.
The battle was won, though it surprised the captain. The ‘nids seemed to have lost by purpose and everyone was hooraying and celebrating for the victory, everyone but the captain.
“Oh, the captain is still alive? How can one marine survive such terrifying battles, I wonder?” Chris heard the awfully familiar voice, and he cursed that the speaker didn’t die during the battle…
