This story is an unofficial story based, without permission, on the Warhammer/Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property owned by Games Workshop Ltd.
Prepare To Hate Me
This Night Will Hurt You Like Never Before
(Night Lord Cravex)
The sky was black with regular bursts of orange from the explosions overhead; the sound was thunderous, followed by the empty cries of death. Two gun ships circled above battling from the sky, each with large oversized laser cannon's blasting away. With each shot they fired they smashed through the half standing buildings, tearing the fleeing people apart. Tanks crashed their way through the rubble, gunning down anything that moved, leaving no trail of mercy in their wake. Soldiers, attired in dark blue ceramite armour with patterns of lightening pasted to their legs and wearing bat wings atop of their helmets, stormed the streets. They laughed aloud, whilst killing the women and children within their grasp, who were fleeing for safety.
Syakotus stood at the cliffs edge, looking through his binoculars across the long narrow rusty grey bridge; he saw the last of the Imperial citizens fleeing from the onslaught. Many of them ran covered in flames, screaming out in agonising pain. Their screams echoed throughout, whilst the laughing of the tormenting Night Lords dampened out their mere cry's for a merciful death.
From were he stood, he saw that all whom ran had more than a terrified look of fear. He could smell the charred flesh that drifted over with the grisly winds, flapping the front strands of his neatly tied hair. Overhead the roar of the attacking gunship engines was deafening, the explosions were like watching a cabaret of fireworks.
"Lieutenant can your men hold position?" he asked, lowering his binoculars.
"Yes. But I'm not sure they can suppress the traitors for long."
Commissar Fenerson, a short stumpy man who stood akin to Syakotus covered in his long black trench coat down to his feet, turned to the Cadian Lieutenant, looking him square on with a slight smile to his pale and old face.
"They will not have to. Just long enough to get some of those civilians across the bridge."
"Forgive me for asking." The lieutenant paused, shaking with his nerves. Reels of sweat rolled from the back of his neck, even though he had to ask the question, but knowing he wouldn't want to hear the answer. "How long is long enough?"
Commissar Fenerson looked down at the nervous Lieutenant and smiled. "When they're all dead, of course, Lieutenant Tyde."
The lieutenant broke into a cold sweat from those words, feeling for the loss of his men. Syakotus put his crimson right hand on Tyde's shoulder. "If it eases your conscience, their deaths shall not be forgotten."
Tyde looked up into the eyes of Captain Syakotus then back at the raging battle across the bridge, and finally down to his men defending the fleeing civilians. "It does not."
Behind Syakotus stood Chaplain Quornas, attired in his black ceramite armour with stains of dried blood and soot across his chest plate, holding his Crozius tightly, watching the attacking gun ships launch their missiles into the escaping civilians.
He closed his eyes to say a prayer to the Emperor for their deaths.
"Can we suppress them long enough?" he asked, looking at Syakotus, who merely gave him a blank expressionless stare. The silence of his Captain answered all of his questions.
Grailin, the Company's Chief Librarian, watched from behind both men as a flurry of rockets exploded, flinging its targets upwards with the explosion.
"May the Emperor have mercy upon their poor souls," he said, softly.
Both Syakotus and Quornas turned to face him. A half smile crossed Syakotus' face. "I'm sure the Emperor will have mercy for all his people."
Grailin stood firm. His armour was coloured in a light blue, yet his hands were coloured crimson like that of the Chapter. Looming over his head was his psychic hood, with wires running into the back of his shaven bald head.
Without warning, a stray rocket flew into the cliff side from below Syakotus' feet, shaking the ground with a blast of bright yellow sparks from the rock face. Quornas stepped back, grabbing his Captain's hand to stop him from falling to the thrashing waves banging against the rocks below, then pulled him back.
"They're getting closer," Quornas said, levelling his footing.
Syakotus looked back to the far entrance of the bridge, watching the Cadians fight for their lives endlessly, yet the fight was not in their favour. The Knight Lords and cultists out numbered them greatly.
"They will not hold out much longer," Syakotus said, lowering his binoculars in gesture to Fenerson to look for himself.
The Commissar took the binoculars from Syakotus' hand to see the massacre for himself.
"It will have to be you and your Marines that storm across the bridge and take the fight within the city. Our only option is to destroy Volcane. You must try, at least until the reinforcements arrive," he said, removing his cap to stroke his neat grey kemp hair, "while I will remain here and ensure the safety of the civilians," he finished. Syakotus looked down at the Commissar with a disgruntled look pressed upon his face.
"You are Space Marines. If I am correct it is your duty to die protecting the people of the Imperium," Fenerson said, using each of his words cautiously.
"It concerns me that you are willing to waste the lives of my Marines so easily for your personal safety," Syakotus said, grimacing at the Commissar.
"Why should it bother you? We will all die at some point and if fate picks you and your marines today then so be it. We are all here to die for our Emperor are we not?" retorted Fenerson.
Syakotus fed a wired chamber connected to his pack into his storm bolter, strapping it to his wrist and cocking the chamber back with a cling. "It bothers me that you are so willing to give our lives to the Emperor's name above your own, Commissar," Syakotus said, as he walked off down the hill to the bridge.
Tyde looked at the Commissar as the Captain walked off.
Quornas tapped Grailin on the shoulder and both men followed their Captain down the grassy hill towards the bridge.
"What if they fail?" he asked.
The Commissar smiled. "Then it will be your turn to give your life in the name of our god Emperor."
Smoke rolled across the bridge like a thick layer of fog. At the foot, the explosions were exceptionally loud with more of a ringing echo. The ground raged like an earthquake from the impact of cannon fire.
"Captain," Sergeant Xaros called, stepping from the smoke to greet Syakotus.
Xaros' helmet had a deep crack embedded into the visor, his dark ceramite armour was stained with thick black charcoal.
Watching Librarian Grailin and Chaplain Quornas follow his Captain, he nodded at them in acknowledgement while clenching his bolter tightly to his chest. Retaining his stance he stood still before his Captain, as did the rest of the ten man squad Xaros.
"Get your men into the Rhino, Xaros, we're going to cross the bridge into Volcane."
Syakotus unsheathed his Power Sword from the scabbard on his back. Tactical squad Korde, followed by assault squad Gevedin, approached his side waiting for orders.
"You ride with Korde. Gevedin, mount up your men follow our rears," he ordered.
Another explosion rocked the ground, this time with a heavier impact at the far entrance to the bridge. The Crimson Fists watched as the defending Cadians were flung high into the air.
"Tyde's Men," Syakotus muttered. Raising his sword high above his head, he flicked the switch; across the handle and the sword there was a low hum, before the blade began turning slightly red.
Behind him on the battered road the Rhinos started roaring as the drivers revved up the engines.
"Quornas, remain here. Make sure the Commissar doesn't betray us."
"Do you think he will?"
"He is a coward, and all cowards have the taint of betrayal."
"Good luck Captain Syakotus." Quornas finished stepping back from the Rhinos.
"Grailin I need you to return to the Forge hand and get us some reinforcements."
Grailin bowed his head in acknowledgement. "As far as I know the Salamanders are the closest to our position," he explained, stepping back.
"It matters not whom is closest. As long as they can fire a gun they will do."
"Understood," Grailin replied.
"Crimson Fists, saddle up!" Syakotus bellowed, stepping up inside the bulky armour plated lead Rhino.
Mounted atop was Grissom, his crimson fingers clutching the mounted storm bolter.
Korde stepped in behind Syakotus, watching as the defending Cadians at the far entrance began to lose more ground as they were cut down by more bursts of gun fire.
"C'mon, get your arses in. Now!" he bellowed at his squad, giving them a stern glare as they stepped in one by one.
The lead Rhino spat out a burst of black fumes the moment it revved up with a release of heavy smoke from its aft engines, then stormed across the entrance onto the bridge. The eleven man crew felt the wrenching of their stomachs while they jerked backwards in their seats, gripping their bolters tightly.
Grissom clenched his fingers around the trigger of his mounted storm bolter, with his eyes trained on any sign of their oncoming adversaries, as the Rhino sped up across the smoke filled bridge. Behind him another three of the company's Rhinos followed in hot pursuit.
Suddenly, without any warning, gun fire came at them from the approaching entrance. `Bolter fire danced off the front of the Rhino in wisps of dancing sparks the moment it hit the armour, creating a scent of burning metal filling up the air.
Grissom squeezed his finger on the storm bolter, trying to hit anything he could see. The bolt shells thumped out from both barrels, streaking across the bridge.
The Rhinos closed in on the far entrance, to be greeted by several Chaos space marines: Night lords.
The lead Rhino swerved, smashing its way through the dead Imperial Guards' barricades, skidding off the bridge into two of the Night Lords, instantly crushing them under its huge tracks. The clanging of the Rhino screeched, with flying sparks, grinding to a sudden halt, rocking its crew from the sudden stop.
Syakotus stood from his seat, clenching his power sword. "Lower the ramp, we're going out."
Korde stood behind, grabbing his bolter plasma combi-weapon from the gun rack. Bullet shells echoed through the Rhino as they slammed against the outer hull with a clatter, rocking it side to side, forcing the marines to stumble.
Korde clenched his Thunder Hammer tightly as he swiped it from were he sat.
Grissom kept his finger on the trigger, killing another before receiving a killing shot to his head followed by his upper torso, his body slumping forwards. The back ramp of the Rhino opened up with eleven Crimson Fists charging out, led by Syakotus.
Hive World Terra