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Deathwatch Reborn:- Georme Operation

Started by Necris, December 09, 2009, 02:40:11 PM

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Swarbie

Artos noticed when Demos staggered. No doubt the breach Rant had made in his armour had allowed an incursion of the virus. As long as the Brother-Captain remained in control of himself, all was well.

If, however, he began to further succumb to the virus's effects, he would doubtless be the first to die, picked off by a sudden attack.

Artos strained all his senses to their limits as they advanced, drawing on the lessons he had learned more than a decade earlier. He had almost lost Rant.

He would not come so close to losing Demos.
And I saw her body burning,
With it, my world
To dust returning

Kallidor

Laran moved cautiously over an area covered in rough gravel and scree. Huge flaked of rust covered the metal floor and smaller flakes, like orange snow drifted from above. Everywhere was black, and oily darkness that seemed to devour the light but up above them was a dull grey illumination that hung in the air amid the scores of gently swinging chains that must have been hundreds of metres long although Emperor knew what their purpose was.

Crouching low at the base of a pillar Laran pulled his head into his neck, peering through the viewer of his helmet which moved to his unconscious command to look up. The Broodlord was rocking on its feet, squatted on top of the column, hugging its knees with its rearmost arms. It was looking over Laran, back towards the rest of the squad and he was unsure if it was aware of his presence.

Keeping his eyes locked onto the grotesque thing he slowly moved his arm round so that he could transfer Kah'Brosh to his other hand. The moment seemed to stretch out, the monstrous genestealer rocking back and forth ever so slightly, its breath coming in low wheezes. Laran felt the weight of his weapon drop down into his left hand and he carefully angled the barrel up toward the beast. He would still need his other hand, awkwardly twisted at this low angle, in order to use the weapon. With a burst of movement he stood up and sent a squirming rod or sonic power thumping into the Broodlord.

Plascrete exploded from the pillar and the genestealer dropped to the ground with a crunch and then the thing was leaping at him, sinuous body flexing like a fish out of water. It was easily half again his size and it knocked him flat to the ground but Laran screeched into its slavering face. It reared back, one eye burst and dripping ichor from atonal assault. He thrust the palm of hand into its chest and threw the creature from him, hitting it again with another shoutand then, on his knees, used Kah'Brosh to hit the thing with a bellowing gale of sound and the Broodlord flexed and spasmed under the attack, curling into a fetal ball as the wall of sound crushed its body.

Discarding his weapon in a fit of bloodlust Laran dived upon the quivvering alien, gauntlets out before him clutching for the Broodlord's throat. A clawed hand gouged deep into his pauldron but he ignored it, squeezing tight with a hiss of hatred for this fowl xenos abomination. Weakened, wounded and disoriented the massive strength of the Broodlord was already severly diminished, it was the only reason Laran, in his mad rage was able to succeed in his insane attack. The Broodlord's remaining eye rolled back in its skull and its eyelid fluttered before the giant thing flopped still, unconscious. Laran panted hard from the exertion but stayed his hand, perhaps they could capture the thing, if not he was more than happy to finish it off.
Be Pure!
Be Vigilant!
BEHAVE!

Necris

Demos stalked forward like a lord of war unafraid he looked upon the broodlord in Laran's hands the rest of the squad formed up round him as they took in the sight.

"Finish it."

He turned from the scene to look at the others as a loud audible snap signalled the demise of the Tyranid beast.

"Something is amiss here, would you not agree Brother Artos?"

Artos nodded looking to Rant slightly, the gesture would have been unnoticeable but under the solid gaze of Demos Artos knew that the Captain had seen it.

"There are too many tracks for a small group of survivors, I make a few dozen."

"More."

Rant interjected.

They all turned as a hissing roar washed through the ruined manufactorium towards them, the sound of hundreds of creatures roaring in anger.

"They know their lord is dead."

"And we do not have the ammunition to step the tide."

Demos nodded at Pelesus' assessment of their armaments.

"Prep for immediate extraction."

He looked to the gathered brothers

"Corvin your swords will be of little use, I trust you to set us the teleport beacon, the rest of you switch you live ammunition and form a firing line on me."

He unslung his bolter tearing the magazine from it and replacing it with a fresh one as Corvin gathered the last teleport homers to set up a beacon behind them, the line formed up on him a solid wall of Astartes each one armed with their weapons ready, he turned to Rant who stood in the line unarmed but ready to stand with his brothers his hand offered him a fresh magazine.

"Can you be trusted?"

This here is my very favourite gun...I call her rita.

The Order of the Iron Rose - Necris' Inq28 Plog

Koval

Beneath his helmet, Rant grinned sadly and allowed himself a strained chuckle.

"Unknown."

"Now is probably not the time for uncertainty, brother," Laran observed from behind him.

"Then, no."

"Get behind us, brother," Demos ordered. "If nothing else then assist Captain Corvin with the teleport beacon."

"Negative."

Demos faltered and turned to face Rant.

"That was an order, Sergeant Rant, not a request," Demos stated flatly.

"Genestealers, psychic organisms. Enough of them form psychic beacon, put me at risk again, ergo, put kill-team at risk," countered Rant. "Cannot risk sabotaging beacon."

"Then stay close to me," Demos commanded, "and should the madness take you once more, I shall administer the Emperor's Peace myself to save your soul and ours."

A sudden crash roughly a hundred metres away, in front of them, drew Demos' attention and on cue, he and Artos raised their weapons, Laran readying Kah'Brosh an instant later.

"Brother Corvin, hurry," Demos urged. "They're coming."

"For the Emperor," Corvin responded, nodding as he got to work.

Another loud crash echoed in the tunnels, this time much closer, and Rant watched as first one genestealer, then another, punched a hole in the ceiling and fell through into the tunnel, bounding along on all six limbs.

"Open fire!"

Bolters roared in Rant's ears, the harsh booms punctuated by the loud screams of Kah'Brosh off to his left. The foremost genestealer barely stood a chance, converted into a black mist, itself blown away by a sonic blast from Kah'Brosh that ruptured the second alien's brain.

"Stagger your shots, do not allow them a window while you reload," advised Artos, pausing for two seconds before lining up another shot and taking a genestealer in the back as it forced its way through the breach in the ceiling.

A noise from above met Rant's ears, barely audible over Kah'Brosh, and he looked up just in time to see another genestealer opening a hole right above Demos, the genestealer's slavering maw opening wide as its limbs coiled, ready to pounce.

"Captain!" Rant shouted, barging Demos aside and knocking him into Peleus as the genestealer dropped. Instead of Demos, it landed on Rant and punched its claws into his pauldrons, standing on Rant's knees as its head lunged forwards to bite Rant's face.

And then it stopped for just a split-second, the aliens' brood telepathy strengthened in numbers and focused through this genestealer, staring into Rant's eyes. For that single, terrible split-second Rant saw his own death in the genestealer's eyes, a death that should have come twelve years ago, a death alongside his brothers.

His hands flew up on instinct and as his bionic fist crossed his vision to clamp around the genestealer's throat, he felt the hive mind reaching out again for the still-bleeding wound on Rant's soul; yet in that same moment he saw the hand of Ferrus Manus himself reaching out, superimposed over his own, choking the life out of the genestealer and the hive mind with it.

"Die, alien!" Rant roared, crushing the genestealer's throat and throwing it down to the tunnel floor before stamping on its skull. "Die!"

"He's regressed," Artos observed, trepidation in his voice as Rant took a step towards the oncoming horde, now growing more numerous.

"In the name of the Emperor, I command you to face me!" Rant shouted, his helmet vox apparently switching to external address of its own accord. "Face me, and die! Die for the Emperor! For the Emperor!"

Before Demos could reach out to restrain him Rant leapt into the horde and crashed into a genestealer, landing heavily on his side and squashing its thorax beneath him. Rising in a violent motion and barging into another alien, Rant lifted another genestealer off the ground and hurled it into its fellows with near-hysterical strength, before turning to wrench the arm from yet another as it lunged to impale him.

"For the Emperor!"

"Keep firing," ordered Demos.

"What?" queried Artos. "And risk hitting our own brother?"

"Then check your aim. Brother Rant has regressed and I would sooner grant him a quick death now than hold back and imperil our own lives in the face of the horde."

Lunging, Rant caught a genestealer by the face and carried it into the wall, smashing its skull, before lifting another bodily and hurling it out of the hole in the ceiling with yet another cry of "For the Emperor!". It collided with another two and fell away from the tunnel, dragging its fellows with it in a tangle of limbs.

The next genestealer scored a hit before Rant could kill it; his reflexes kicked in and a poorly aimed punch batted the genestealer away, but the damage had already been done and even before the sluggish life-eater virus in the air could get to work, the genestealers, scenting Rant's spilled blood, redoubled their efforts and converged on him in a surging rush of claws and teeth, fortunately concealing him from the view of his comrades.

Rant was dead before he could even keel over.

Swarbie

Artos snarled in frustration and rage. There was not a chance of Rant surviving the wave of genestealers that had just poured over him. Artos had failed. He had lost Rant despite everything he had done to keep him alive. At least he had died a warrior's death.

Artos fought against the urge to enter the mass of genestealers, to rip, to tear, to shed blood. The blood-lust of his Chapter was normally quiescent, except in battle. Artos knew it was important that he kept his place, kept firing. He shifted his stance slightly, grounding himself. The genestealers were dying in droves, but they were coming closer with every second. If they reached them, Artos would show them what a vengeful space marine could do.

The images of his brothers from the Scout company, now long dead, hovered wraith-like at the edges of his vision. They held out their hands to him, reminding him of other oaths he had sworn, when he was blind with the rage and pain of losing them. They were joined by a new figure now.

Rant, a solemn look on his face, was staring at him. He opened his mouth and spoke. "Brother," he whispered.

The last of the genestealers were mere meters away now. Artos flung his bolter to the ground, screaming. He ran to meet them. Rant and his brothers dissolved into mist.

Artos heard Demos shouting. He ignored him. There were only a dozen of the beasts left. Even as he ran forward, bolter fire killed another four. The genestealers saw Artos hurtling towards them like a juggernaut. They hissed.

Fist met claw.
And I saw her body burning,
With it, my world
To dust returning

Necris

Demos roared as the life indicator in his helm went black for Rant, his roar increased as Artos leapt forward and he felt the rage build up within him, unlike many of his cousin chapters the Blood Templar's were able to direct their rage he could feel it now the desire to rend flesh and taste blood with Artos amongst the genestealers he growled his orders little more than a feral beast within his armour

"Fall back to the beacon, Corvin I have need of your swords."

Corvin looked up from his work and nodded the twin blades in his hands as he spoke.

"They are yours Demos."

His bolter tumbled from his grip his own sword in his hand the bone dagger of his home world in the other.

"I will not leave Rant to this world, Pelesus Corvin with me. For the Emperor!"

He launched forward blade singing through the air cutting through a Genestealer sending the separated parts spinning through the air he stepped up behind Artos his blade cleaving one of the foul beats in two before a backhand of his dagger made it into four, Artos turned on his his fist lashing our and Demos caught it in a lock for a brief moment the pair of them locked eyes then Demos span away as another threat presented its self  his sword leaving a bright trail which ended another two genestealers, he stopped turning back to Artos and offered his powersword to Artos.

"Use it well."

His act snapped Artos from his Berserker rage and as he released the grip and threw himself at the next genestealer the weight of his armour and his speed dragging it to the ground Artos took the weapon feeling the weight of the honour placed upon him, the weapon was master crafted a relic weapon inscribed with the words of Sanguinius which caused his to pause before using the weapon. when Demos came up he did so with the beasts thorax in his free hand.

"For Rant! For the Emperor!"

The others joined his cry as they slaughtered Corvin moving like a dancer weaving in through the throng of genestealers his twin swords leaving a trail of death followed by Pelesus his claws slashing and killing with a primal efficiency, his eyes landed on the black shape in the throngs of the Genestealers and he pointed to it.

"Artos, our brother lies ahead."

He stepped forward Artos at his side and drove into the genestealers once more his fists smashing aside the tyranids as Artos clove them, reaching to fallen body of Rant he stooped and gripped his armour Artos following him they dragged him dagger and sword slashing at the genestealers as Corvin and Pelesus swept in to give them relief, Bolter fire rang around them as the others stepped in to assist as the pulled Rant back to the beacon, Laran stepped forward having taken the task of setting the beacon from Corvin.

"All is set Captain."

"Then get us out of here."

With a blinding flash of cold blue the task force vanished as the genestealers washed over the beacon.

They rematerialised on a hangar deck of one of the Imperial ships dropping to one knee Demos growled.

"Sheltron." 

The marines formed up in a circle round Demos, Artos and Rant, as he stood again he stepped beyond the wall of black to look upon the startled imperial guard.

"Order a planetary bombardment on our last location immediately."

A senior officer stepped forward his face flustered at the sudden appearance of the marines.

"What of your mission?"

"Our mission is over, the hive is infested with genestealers, on my authority as a Deathwatch captain you will open fire immediately or face my wrath."

Demos pulled his helm from his head tossing it to one side, his eyes burned red which caused the officer to back away in fear.

"Order the weapons batteries to set target and fire."

"Render the site a crater of molten slag."

"Do as the Astartes orders."

He sighed as he reached up to his vox link.

"G'Huk, the mission is over extract your marines we are to render this world lifeless properly this time."

An acknowledgement came but he ignored it returning to his own marines he stepped into the circle of them and knelt by Rant's body.

"Rogal's Might prepare for collection lock onto my locator beacon."

Artos knelt by his fallen brother the sword still held in his hands.

"Corvin, Pelesus help me and Artos carry him."

He nodded at Artos and the four of them picked him from the ground bearing him on their shoulders the task force marched from the hangar.
This here is my very favourite gun...I call her rita.

The Order of the Iron Rose - Necris' Inq28 Plog