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Indeed! What will happen next? We will find out. The end of book two is near. I cant believe it but its true.

The ship banked and Shar-Takazz took another look. The expansive walled city was largely intact but everywhere he looked he saw heinous acts of violence. People were hanging from buildings, cages held remains, spears were driven into gardens and people were jammed upon them. Shar-Takazz had fought this kind of xenos and coming late to the battle was almost always worse than arriving first. Once they got ahold of an area, it became their playground. They would commit acts that would sicken a normal human and infuriate everyone else.

He turned away from the sight and watched as yet another Dark Eldar ship was shot down in the distance. The forward strike force had already stopped hundreds of vessels from leaving. Quicker and more powerful ships had already escaped, but the slower were being systematically obliterated. His Imperial force was paying back in force wherever the enemy remained.

His losses so far had been minimal. His fleet owned the sky and his forces would soon retake the ground. Once the orbiting xenos ships had been shot down or fled, the surviving ground forces from around the planet began to reveal themselves. Several Mechanicum sects had spoken up along with countless pockets of survivors. The fleet master was handling the organization of it all. Shar-Takazz would aid in the process but he had to do something first.

He look at the hundreds of Imperial craft now broken into detachments each with their own targets and tasks. They were spread throughout the world with a large concentration being centered around Shar-Takazz. This region was hardest hit and still contained the largest threat of resistance. Reports flooded in to fleet command. The enemy had no organized resistance and the overwhelming coordination of the Imperial was working as planned.

Shar-Takazz put down his dataslate and let it retract back into its armored shelf. The planet was being liberated and he felt... hollow.

“Sir, I am picking up a signature. Brother Zaloti,” the co-pilot spoke with a slight hint of excitement. Finding anyone would be a success at this point.

Brother Zaloti was a member of the white and one that Shar-Takazz was unprepared to meet with. Shar-Takazz took a deep breath while wondering what kind of condition he would be in. He looked at the location it was half a mile from where the drop pods from Nefas had come down. Memories flood his thoughts, with a burdened effort he pushed them aside.

“Take us down as close as you can,” he commanded while sending updates to his other combat squad. The reclamation units would follow. They would sweep the combat area once it was deemed relatively safe. They had to locate and return as much chapter equipment as possible.

Within minutes they changed their speed and were hovering above the jungle. They came across a river that was large enough for them to set down. Brother Nillahfin spoke his prayers with a hint of sadness. They silently waited for the forward doors to open. When they did, Shar-Takazz and four other members of Squad Rimsin leapt out the back of their Thunderhawk. In perfect practice formation they swept forward through the jungle with weapons raised. Shar-Takazz ran point his lightning claw quietly urging him to activate the blades. The spirit of his weapon was very anxious.

A cry of frustration made every marine freeze in place. They scanned all around them but they saw nothing in the thick jungle. Shar-Takazz moved forward with Zaduga and Nillahfin at his side. On the other side of a shattered tree trunk they found a crashed dark eldar vessel. The metal of the vehicle was burnt and twisted beyond recognition. Around the vehicles remains were corpses, dozens of corpses. Shar-Takazz spotted a broken blade from a power spear piercing a jumble of machinery. Zaduga knelt down and picked up a gore covered helmet. Another grunt came from the wreckage.

Weapons snapped in that direction. Shar-Takazz strode forward towards the sound. He rounded the debris and found a pinned figure. The legless, one armed Ice Angel was clawing futilly at a metal bar that had been driven through him deep into the ground.

Shar-Takazz lowered his weapon but approached with caution. “Brother Zaloti,” he spoke firmly. The damaged marines eyes snapped open and he twisted to regard Shar-Takazz. For a moment they stared at one another. Zaloti with his eyes of fury and hatred. Shar-Takazz with his helmet of black and ice blue. Slowly Shar-Takazz removed his helm. He locked it to his side.

“Brother Zaloti, do you remember?” he spoke while trying to mask his emotions. Zaloti’s face was smeared with blood, most of which was not his. He had a feral look and his left eye was twitching. His breathing was sporadic.

“Brother Zaloti, do you remember?” Shar-Takazz hesitated. “Do you remember me?”

Zaloti continued to stare with his penetrating and hate filled gaze.

Shar-Takazz saw that his combat squadmates were behind him and they all watched with sorrow. Zaduga turned away feigning to watch their backs.

With stern effort Shar-Takazz stepped closer. He remembered what Zaloti had been. He thought of what Sergeant Zaloti had been, back when he was in charge of squad Rimsin. The memories hurt and without thinking Shar-Takazz powered up his lightning claw.

“Do you remember this Brother?” Shar-Takazz held up the weapon and its charged two prongs crackled. He began to shout. “This was yours! You saved my life countless times with it. You saved all of our lives with it. Damn it! Why do you not remember!?”

Without warning Zaloti sank down on the bar. He exhaled and his slow breath turned into words. It was a whisper but the jungle seemed to quiet to listen in.

“I can’t, I.” Zaloti looked up and it was him again. The real him. “I remember. All of it. All of you, but… I can’t go on like this. Kazz, please. I can’t fight this any longer. I don’t want to hurt any of you.” He looked up and met the gaze of Shar-Takazz, a single tear rolled down his face. “Please,” he whispered.

Shar-Takazz never took his eyes off of his old sergeants while he severed his head from his body, using Zaloti’s own lightning claw.

“I’m sorry,”

Oh god, that would be tough, even for cold and calculating killers like marines, having to mercy kill someone who trained/mentored them.

Very emotionally touching.

I agree! I always LOVED the death company and I am very happy to finally get a chance to write about them. I am glad you are liking my ideas so far.

Well written! And nice way to bring some old favourites back, I was always a bit sad Inushi was out of the picture, really liked him

Thanks Khaine. I'm glad to have him back too. He was a good character to write about.

After they had tagged the site for future retrieval, squad Rimsin departed. Shar-Takazz did not speak nor did any of his brothers. A mood had fallen upon them and it was one that had to run its own course. They concentrated on their movements and their formations. He was unnerved by his experience and it had only just started here on Mortimon Secondus. He had lost countless brethren but this, this bothered him on a deeper level. He pushed it aside. He still had a job to do and a squad to lead.

Quietly they prowled through the jungle, like drakes hunting in the void of space. On multiple occasions Shar-Takazz hoped an enemy would appear so they could direct their pent up anger but all they found was dead Dark Eldar, many of which were already being eaten by the various jungle creatures. There did not seem to be any pattern and so far no other Imperial citizen or angel had been located.

They headed towards the drop pods from Inquisitorial Captain Nefas. The first could be seen through the jungle vines up ahead when a shrill whistle blew. It was in a high register that a normal human would not be able to perceive. The squad stopped and looked closer. Shapes could be made out ahead of them, several were in the trees.

The Ice Angels held their position when a muscular human with dark black skin walked around a tree ahead of them. He wore black armor and a visored helm that covered the top half of his face. Gear was strapped to him and an axe hung at his hip. He casually held a belt fed combat shotgun in one hand. A drum was on his back. It was a rig Shar-Takazz was unfamiliar with.

“Good afternoon Sir,” he snapped, saluted, then held the pose.

Shar-Takazz stepped forward and waved at ease at the soldier. “You must be one of Inquisitorial Captain Nefas’s men?”

“Correct sir, I am Sergeant Ocean.” he went into parade rest and shouldered his weapon. It looked heavy, much too heavy for a normal human. Shar-Takazz looked closer and noticed the quality of the armor and the weapon. This was an elite soldier and it made Shar-Takazz think even more about his situation.

“What were your orders from Captain Nefas?” he eventually asked.

“Aid Master Aquilum and Master Inushi in their departure back to their own chapters. Protect Inquisitorial assets here until they can be delivered to Captain Razzik of the Ice Angel chapter. If he is not found or is deceased we are to deliver everything to your chapter master on Shattermantle,” Ocean quickly rattled off.

“How many did Nefas commit to this mission?” Shar-Takazz asked as he began to review the other soldiers that were hidden nearby.

“My unit and Sergeant Savannah’s. Twenty of the best, Sir.”

Shar-Takazz noticed that they were a mixed unit. Each member had a unique weapon load out and no two were from the same planet. Very odd indeed, Shar-Takazz thought.

“Where are Aquilum and Inushi?” Shar-Takazz asked when his gaze returned to Ocean.

There was a slight hesitation before he began. “They have left the LZ and have taken supplies with them. We are unsure of their current whereabouts. Aquilum has deactivated his vox and we are unsure if Inushi is conscious.”

“Conscious? Was he wounded?” Shar-Takazz asked.

“Yes sir, he was taken out due to severe head trauma during our previous engagement. We sent him down with Aquilum armored and ready but do not anticipate him being active.”

“I’m sure we will come across them. Continue Sergeant Ocean, we will be in contact once we have secured a larger area.”

Ocean saluted perfectly as the combat squad walked past. Shar-Takazz and his four astartes walked past the drop pods and past other members of the two squads. More than once Shar-Takazz noted irregular weaponry, bionic modifications, and an impressive collection of armed servitors that were holding the tight perimeter. Two taurox’s and three wheeled chimera were parked around it all.

Shar-Takazz had more questions and he gladly let his mind dwell on them. They continued to walk in silence for sometime before the jungle cleared before them. In front of them the jungle ended and an uneven field began. The massive gray fortress of the vault lay in the distance snuggled up against the base of the ruined Spire. The defensible position looked like a perfect place to fight off hordes of rushing enemies but as he examined it he saw that it was crumbling. Weapon mounts had broken off, jagged cracks and much of the top battlements had fallen away. What could have caused that kind of damage?

They paused at the edge of the jungle and scanned the area. They waited to leave the cover of the jungle. The ground was glistening and above it all birds and all manner of bugs flew. Broken and shattered remains of vehicles, weapons, and armor dotted the landscape but no at all as he had expected. He could not ascertain any useful information for what he saw. After a moment more of scanning Shar-Takazz motioned to move out in a wide staggered formation. They left the jungle, crossed the grass, and entered muddy ground. After one particularly deep rut they paused once again. The glistening they were seeing was a carpet of insects all feeding on the ground.

“What happened here?” Nillahfin asked as he reached down into the ground. His question hung in the vox channel they were communicating in. Insects scampered away and he dipped his fingers into the gore soaked ground. He pulled out a piece of dark eldar armor that had been broken into smaller shards. Ichor fell off of it back to the ground. It splattered with a sloppy slap.

No one answered. “Report,” he asked into the full squad channel.

The gruff voice of combat squad leader Larsa spoke up, “Sir, we have searched throughout the vault. There is no one here. The halls are damaged beyond repair but empty. I fear for the structural integrity of what remains. The enemy had breached the walls and had entered but something had happened to them. They are now in piles of goop on the floor near the doors. Judging by their position I assume they were all xenos but it is difficult to ascertain what exactly they were. We did locate vehicle tracks departing the vault. We are at the edge of them now.” A waypoint appeared in everyones HUD.

“We will be there shortly,” Shar-Takazz stated. With a quick hand gesture his squad changed direction to headed that way. They left the field of decomposing remains, more questions piled into Shar-Takazz’s mind. He had anticipated finding his company dead on a battlefield after a last stand. He had anticipated mounds of dead dark eldar that he would have to climb to get to the remains of his brethren. Instead he found very little but mounting curiosities. A lot of it bothered him, at least he should feel bothered. Shouldn’t he? Why would the fortress be empty? What would have made them flee?

Shar-Takazz was on high alert as was his men, his feeling of dread was lessening but he was far from having any hope of survivors. The weight of numbers and the time without reinforcements……. He mentally shook the dark truths. No, he can not look for hope in this. It would only lead to further pain. He will find where their bodies have fallen and reclaim what he can. Being a dedicated soldier to the Imperium was a life of pain. Pain and suffering so that others could live without. He allowed himself to wander back into the teachings of the Imperium. The tenants of faith to his Emperor, the codes of his chapter, the chants of his squad. The familiar routines calmed him. He had to know more before he could allow himself any false hope.

Didn’t he?

Jesus, thats some suspense building right there.

I also liked seeing the Inq warband guys again, and an interesting naming convention again

The ten members of Squad Rimsin stood along the crest of a metal canyon wall. They surveyed the massacre below them from fifty yards up. Shar-Takazz had released his squads skull servitors. They hovered about in controlled patterns recording and scanning everything before them. While they waited Shar-Takazz thought again about what they had seen on the way here. Shortly after they had left the vault, they saw signs of the White moving in full force. Leaps of the jumps packs and the deep steps of the dreadnoughts made the path easy to follow. The first combat they had found was a carpet of humans, all from the crew of the Alabaster Reflection, with Dark Eldar slaughtered on top. Scattered throughout were several Ice Angel bodies, members from Squad Samsu. Afterwards the White had proceeded to this position. Here it looked like they had come upon Dark Eldar fighting members of the 10th company.

To his far right Shar-Takazz saw toppled trees from the jungle strewn about. Parts of the ruins had been knocked over in the fighting. Countless xenos war machines were wrecked all around the trees and ruins. Raiders were torn in half by a blunt weapon. Bikes and speeders were splattered against the walls around. The edge of the jungle had piles of Dark Eldar along with Wardens from the Alabaster Reflection. It looked like the Wardens and the 10th were falling back into the Spire when the assault had taken place.

When the final scans from the servitors were complete the information was sent to the ships above. A perfect holographic image would be studied and examined later. Shar-Takazz was unsure he would need to. He could see the battle unfolding before him. He picked one corpse, a member of the White that carried the standard power spear, he could not tell who it was from this distance. Shar-Takazz back tracked his movements based on the line of Dark Eldar corpses coming from the jungle. An expertly placed slice had removed the marines head from his body. Two other members of the White were dead nearby, each missing their heads. Around the three jump pack members of the Death Company, known as the White, were scores of Dark Eldar. In places the bodies had fallen to create small ridges and dips on top of the canyon floor. Around the members of the White corpses were a unique group of xenos. Half of them wore white masks, others look more like snake people, the Sslyth, they were called.

This small scene was one of many as he examined the array of corpses. Shar-Takazz deciphered where they had fallen. He studied the patterns around each death. Despite the battle occuring weeks ago and many of the forms having been trampled upon, he could still envision the actions. He could see the motions, the ghosts of violence that filled the canyon. The longer he stared the more he felt like he was being transported back to the action. He could almost hear the gunfire and feel the heat from the blasts.

His gaze passed over the carnage from right to left. He looked into the dark tunnel that led deeper into the skyscraping ruins. For a moment he stared into the darkness seeing the trail of bodies and death continuing into its shadows. Something within that cave called to him. With a moment's thought he altered the scan area of the servitors, he used his HUD to control them further. While he was there he saw flights patterns and estimated arrival times of the reclamation units. He reviewed several reports and battle updates. The stiffer areas of resistance were being uncovered through painful casualties but large areas have already been declared void of xenos. Others, had sadly been declared void of living humans. The City of Clambermast was completely empty, several hundred thousand humans, gone. Imperials had spoken of a harvesting ground outside the city. The Eldar were dug in and defending those the humans that had not been shipped. Requests for additional air support was being approved as Shar-Takazz read the report. Seven marauder bomber wings were being dispatched with Avenger air support.

The reports made Shar-Takazz cease his reading and rethink what he had seen. Around them, there had been plenty of air resistance, where are the ground forces? Perhaps the local xenos were already leaving before the Ice Angel fleet had arrived. Sergeant Shar-Takazz gritted his teeth. “Move out. Vallum Pattern,” he commanded. They moved down the canyon wall and were quickly swallowed by the darkness of the tunnel. Floating skulls swarmed ahead of them in an air borne grid, their red and blue lights scanning every surface as they entered the gaping maw of the Spire.

The march had been relatively quiet and surprisingly fast paced. The filthy robe of Brother Micus quietly swished back and forth as they moved through the overgrown ruins. He moved briskly and would randomly stop and listen to the jungle from time to time. Inushi followed. The drugs were helping to clear his head, and the general chore of marching helped to loosen up his body. The more they moved, the better he felt. His head still pounded and his senses were dulled from the drugs that he routinely injected via his armor, but he was slowly beginning to feel like a contributing member of the three man squad. He now noticed when Micus stopped before he ran into him.

Behind the two of them the pink and yellow Contemptor form of Aquilum stomped along, his long strides easly keeping pace with the jogging marines. On multiple occasions Inushi looked back to regard his friend. He could remember the obnoxious stories and poorly timed jokes that he would often share during combat or routine activity. He could hear the raucous laughter in his pounding head. During one small break, as Micus stared into the canopy, Inushi regarded the gold edged dreadnought with its ornate depictions of battle and good times. The dirt crusted orange banner he had taken from the ork vessel still hung upside down over his shoulder like a partial cape.

Inushi lost himself in the memories of those fights. The escape from the ship with Philosir and the others. With a grunt Micus began to move again. Inushi followed absentmindedly.

“This seems like a perfect inopportunity for you to share a story Aquilum. Any reason why you have not?” Inushi asked. His head burst into pain in response to his own words. He opened his mouth and blinked several times to try and dissipate the reaction.

“I would like too but I am unsure I can.” Aquilum said half hearted.

They marched for a moment, rounding a tree that had expanded up over the decades and was now wider than a rhino chassis. They climbed up several steep steps immediately afterwards.

“Why is that?” Inushi finally asked.

“Nefas had said that my vox would cease to function if I exceeded a rather low word count for the day,” Aquilum added a moment later.

Inushi blinked several times before looking over his shoulder. He stood on a higher platform at the moment and at the time was eye to eye with the large armored dreadnought.

“He did?” Inushi asked while deep in thought about what that would mean for Aquilum.

“No. He did not.” Aquilum retorted matter of factly. “But I am still getting accustomed to this,” he paused for a moment, “to me,” he corrected. “You take for granted the simple actions of walking and seeing. This new forms, in many ways, is better than what I was but it is also a prison. One that I take wherever I go. I find it distracting.”

They kept moving higher up the ruined covered slope of the Spire. Gnarled roots and twisted branches made forward progress slow. Brother Micus did not seem to mind. Inushi had noticed that the mumbling marine was eating yet another nutrition bar.

A few minutes later they all held still as a trio of Dark Eldar ships flew overhead. A squadron of Imperial fighters on their tail. They heard the firing of their weapons as the group continued to fly past. Without comment the marines resumed their hike. Distant explosions could be heard as one of the ships fell to the ground.

Finally Inushi shook his head, “Aquilum, I understand that it is going to take some adjusting, but I do not think this melancholy attitude is befitting an Emperor’s Fool. In the short time I have known you, you have taught me valuable lessons about fighting and about being a marine. This new body of yours is simply that. A new body. It is no reason to stop being the marine you were before.”

They continued on, passing through a gap in the jungle canopy. Brilliant sunlight poured down upon them.

“But am I still the marine I was? I do not recall there being much left of me after that Nob got the drop on me.” He mused and quietly said.

“Aquilum, everyday we change. Am I the same marine that spoke out of turn and was forced to join the Angels by the Inquisition? I am, and I am not. That chapter of my life has helped me get to this new version of myself.”

They passed through a metal archway that seemed out of place, almost untouched from time itself. No rust, no damage, it simply stood. The ground around it fading and shifting, leaving its golden archway a reminder to what this area once was.

“If I understand what you are hinting at, I am,” he paused seeking for the right words before starting over. “This new condition is the sequel to my previous tome?”

Inushi chewed on the words for a minute, “I guess so, yes.”

“I wouldn’t read this tome,” Aquilum groaned.

Inushi rolled his eyes and moaned a complaint.

“Aquilum,” Inushi began, “you are not nearly as amusing as you were and I for some unknown reason find myself missing that. I was growing accustomed to having that ridiculous entertainment in the middle of having near death experiences. If you stop bringing that level of amusement it will make your company much less worth while. I would prefer to not have to seek that kind of brotherhood from any one else. And I can not imagine finding any else out there who was as over the top as you.”

“YOU!” a voice pierced. Inushi drew his plasma pistol and aimed at the sound. Above them, with two wicked swords in his hands, stood a marine. He pointed at Aquilum with one of the blades. His armor was battered beyond recognition. Bits of orange and red could be seen throughout but it was mostly dented and revealing nothing but the gray undercoat on the ceramite. The one exception was his left leg, the symbol of a unicorn on a green background was on his knee cap.

Ohhh Ice! I love the split time line approach. And I like the moments and the conversation between Inushi and Aquillum. Well done brother

This is really going from strength to strength in terms of narrative, hearkening back to an earlier post on what it means to be a dreadnaught now, you can't go back to being a normal marine, everything you physically were is gone, mentally you should be the same, but the way you experience the world would be alien and new in a way.

It really makes you think.

I am very happy with those comments. Thanks guys. By the way, the other day was name an Ice Angel day. Do you guys have any new suggestions? I have slowly been using up the ones you guys created last time.

Thanks again!

Rul D'kka
Dravok Artak
Sar Be'va
Kath-Lo Nix

- Just some ideas, trying to keep in theme of your names currently.

Nice write-up, especially on Aquilum's feelings. Interesting to see how this will evolve

Thanks guys. I like the name suggestions too. Thanks!

MAN I wish I had some time to get some writing done. I feel bad being this close to the end and not having it done.

Wow.

So close........

The END????

Azalle. It is okay. The end of book two is in sight. You will love it.

Gah, Ice strikes again, I see the book 2 thread has a post by Ice, I get super excited....

And no fluff! You're teasing me now aren't you.

The booming laughter that erupted from Aquilum shook the jungle ruins. The dual wielding marine narrowed his eyes with seething disgust. Inushi watched the eye brows of the marine begin to twitch.

“BOOTS!” Aquilum roared while laughing. “I knew Nefas had sent you on some fools errand but this,” he laughed. The sound had lowered to a rumble as if the speaker system could not properly handle his voice commands. “This is truly a sign from the Emperor.”

“Do not speak of signs from the Emperor,” the marine named Boots, hissed through clenched teeth. He still held the sword pointed at the dreadnought. His nose twitched at the end of the statement.

“Oh come now Boots, we have always had so much fun when we have adventured together.” Aquilum added. He took several steps up the incline towards Boots. Inushi tilted his head slightly towards the towering dreadnought before slowly lowering his plasma pistol. He silently watched, both amused and concerned.

“You speak of signs. You speak of the Emperor. You speak of things you could not fathom.” His voice crescendoed before he took a sharp breath and opened his mouth to speak. Aquilum quickly interrupted him which further infuriated Boots. “Of course I do, so do you. We are space marines. We have been genetically created to speak of things as if we truly know what in the galaxy the Emperor is thinking of. Why does that bother you?” Boots started to speak again when Aquilum cut him off. Boots nostrils flared and his eyes bulged with fury. “If it makes you feel better, I think the Emperor is currently thinking about cute fuzzy animals, like purple kittens.”

Inushi stared at the marine and wondered if he was going to cease up and break. He twitched and his breathing was erratic. Aquilum stepped up next to the marine and looked around the ruins looking for Micus.

After a few moments Boots blinked in rapid succession. “If you think I will go on any adventure with you,” he spat the last word, “you will be gravely mistaken.”

From behind Aquilum and Boots, Micus rounded a collapsed wall and spoke, “Aquilum, Inushi, Olivero, please follow. Our opportunity approaches.”

“Excellent!’ Aquilum said merrily. Inushi holstered his pistol and moved up to follow the Emperor’s Fool. He stepped past the still furious marine and hesitated. He then took a respectul bow. “My name is Tano Inushi.”

“I do not care,” the marine said without regarding the Mantis Warrior.

Inushi paused before taking several more steps and look back. “Will you be joining us Boots?”

Olivero spun with blades at his side. “DO NOT CALL ME BOOTS! I AM THE CELESTIAL UNICORN!”

Inushi regarded him for a moment before he casually turned and continued after Micus and Aquilum, “so are you coming?” he asked over his shoulder.

For several minutes he walked with only his thoughts. Aquilum was speaking with Micus up ahead as they moved through dense ruins and jungle. Bugs and birds made noise all around him. Distant weapon fire could still be heard from multiple directions but it was moving further away. Inushi rounded a tree that had wrapped itself around a metal beam. He stopped between strides in silence just long enough to hear the footfalls of Olivero who stalked after them all. Inushi smiled to himself before continuing on.

BWAHAHAHAHA YESSSSSS

Booooooots!

I liked writing that section for some reason. I am still undecided on why Aquilum calls him boots, but I'm sure something good will come to mind. Any suggestions?

Side note: I want to see if I can get my fluff on the popular thread page. If you guys like my fluff, please exalt this page. I would appreciate it. More importantly, give me feedback. I want this to be enjoyable and fun, and still feel like 40k. 40k lite would probably be more accurate but I think you know what I mean. Thanks, you guys are awesome.

Funny, I went to find the exalted button only to see it was all ready pressed... huh.... can't figure out why I would have already done that

Boots, we'll there could have been an attack where he hit/shot/exploded a bunch of enemies and they only thing left were a number of smoking boots on the ground (maybe kind of lame)

Or

He was captured and escaped using only a pair of old boots?

Or

They had to rapidly deploy and he had activated his maglock boots to the deck and took a fraction longer than normal to release them?

Lovely fluff. Exalted

Thanks guys! I appreciate the responses and exalts. Now, back the fluff!

Red lights passed over the walls and mounds in controlled patterns. Spotlights from several servitors bobbed and weaved through the air as images were captured. Darkness quickly consumed the carnage when the small devices moved on. Shar-Takazz stood in the middle of it all overlooking the progress. The other nine members of his squad were behind him looking inside abandoned vehicles and side rooms.

Three massive tunnels converged in this location. The ceiling was lost in the darkness above him but quickly lowered at the mouth of the tunnel that the Ice Angels had been defending most likely only a few weeks ago. Vehicles had been moved aside and cleared, the kill zone was a thick carpet of now rotting flesh. In places they were waist deep, piled up like in artificial waves of death, created by their own patterns of destruction.

Ahead of him he looked at the wall the Imperials had held. It was several stories tall and created with bricks made from vehicles and metal detritus. The mortar holding it together were bodies of eldar crammed into the gaps, the only openings were higher up the wall. The one exception was that at some point an explosion had torn the wall apart creating a tunnel wide enough for four eldar abreast could run through. The tide of the battle had then shifted and the Dark Eldar swarmed inside.

Shar-Takazz noted in his HUD the locations of fallen weapons and bodies. He was about to step forward when his vox clicked. “Sergeant, you should see this.”

Brother Dravok was at the lip of the larger tunnel that lead to here. A metal slab had fallen onto a vehicle shearing it nearly in half. Shar-Takazz strode over along with several other members that had finished their task.

“What is it?” he asked while reviewing the vehicles.

Dravoks answer was to hold up a triangular piece of metal that he had removed from the wreckage. He brought it over and held it up. Shar-Takazz looked at it and furrowed his brow, “and?”

Brother Dravok, who was the most technical of his squad, looked disappointed. “This is a diamond edge Kriot tooth.” No one seemed to realize what that meant and with another disappointed look, he elaborated. “This is a chain blade tooth designed for use by a knight.” He pointed to the metal slab, “that is one of the weapons. It would explain some of the damage we have seen on these larger Eldar vehicles. It would also lend to their ability to craft these kill zones and traps for the Eldar we passed to get here.”

Shar-Takazz looked at the tooth and revisited in his mind the damage they had seen all along the path. Questions he did not know he had, began to answer with the new found knowledge. He continued to think about some of the sites they had passed by while watching several members of his squad move forward through the gap in the fortified wall.

He moved to follow with more members of his squad. Servitors floated along with the unit giving the area more light. The tunnel had a thick film of congealed ichor and blood. There were countless markings of where bodies had been pulled aside. Shar-Takazz noted where the Eldar had probably cleared the tunnel so more could get inside once the battle was done. Past the end of the tunnel two members of his squad stood staring down at a mangled heap of Ice Angel ceramite. Shar-Takazz walked up and followed their gaze.

The form of a terminator lay on its side. The armor was heavily damaged everywhere he looked. Every joint had puncture wounds and slashes. Shell casings were scattered all around them and a shattered assault cannon was in pieces at their feet. It was hard to decipher how he fell but Shar-Takazz knew his brother had given his life so that the others could have escaped back to the next fallback point.

Shar-Takazz took a breath and looked away. This trip into the bowels of this mountain of metal weighed on him. His steps seemed to be slowing. He returned to mantras he had learned and mental clarity exercises to help, for the time being they did.

The beam from a servitor passed over a side panel twenty feet away from him and something caught his attention.

“6-2, revisit prior sweep.” he commanded. The servitor hovered in reverse for a moment before he commanded it to halt. An Ice Angel rune was painted on the wall. The markings were on a metal slab that seamlessly fit into the wall of the hall.

“Zaduga, Larsa, Barru, on me. We need to move that panel,” he commanded. He tried not to let any emotion sneak into his words, but he felt a flutter inside.

The panel was held in place with a handful of expertly placed wields. A few cuts from a lightning claw separated it from its mounting. The Ice Angels held it in place and lowered it back into the hallway crushing and displacing body parts and corpses. Inside was a short hallway and a room. Shar-Takazz was the first to move inside. The hallway took a right turn and opened into an ancient vaulted room. An altar sat at the back of the room with metal pews all around. Walls held empty banner mounts and the room was ringed with alcoves. The place at one point would have been brimming with religious iconography to the god Emperor.

Now the room was filled with bodies. Dozens of Ice Angels were lined along the floor. Broken weapons, empty cannons, shattered armor pieces lined the alcoves. The room was a tomb to be discovered. Captain Razzik had hidden away as much as he could so that the chapter could recover them. He must have done so before the wall had fallen outside.

Around the Ice Angels were bodies of others, warriors from the planet in their own torn livery. Closest to the altar in a sitting position was a marine in yellow. A white and black checker pattern was on his one remaining knee and opposite shoulder pad. He had slumped over during his vigilance here and had succumbed to his wounds. Shar-Takazz sent forth half of his squad to tally and confirm that none still lived. He, for the hundredth time today, wished he had been here with his brethren during the fight, not recording their demise.

Holy moly this is gut wrenching, not knowing how they fell and only seeing the destruction, I now want to know whats further in the mountain

Great question Knightley. Let's find out!