Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

    Mont'hai activated the burnout thrusters in the XV-90. Normally designed to stop the suit from a high atmospheric drop or as an emergency escape system, they would burn all the jet fuel in his suit but get him where he needed to go. The battlesuit reacted, shooting upwards like a rocket into the orange sky. The Xor-Vesa's gravity compensators activated, keeping Mont'hai from being killed by the sudden accelleration. Nonetheless, he could feel on his chest a pressing weight and his vision went dim.
    As the warning tones and fuel indicators sounded insistently, his mind was already back at the Temple. The red warnings droning across the control screen were replaced by the face of Ko'Leez staring back at him with dead eyes.
    "Where is the Shas'el going!? The battle isn't over yet!" exclaimed Vre'Pal'in as he fired a pair of missiles from his shoulder suite into the distance, felling one of the crude scout walkers of the Gue'la.
    "Keep focused! Keep fighting! Make Shas'el proud of us!" replied Vre'Hal'us to his teammate. Yet it was clear in spite of his optimism that they would be hard-pressed to hold, much less defeat, the gue'la without the leadership and firepower of the Commander.
    The Shas'la continued trading fire with the distant gue'la soldiers, a series of explosions forcing their heads down into cover as a new threat became evident. The Cadre would need help or be cut down by the menace of Gue'la indirect weaponry-- and time was running out.

    "Brother-Captain!" exclaimed Brother Gaius, "I continue to read scattered Tau life-forms in the area; however, the  architecture here is disturbing the spirit of the Auspex. "
    "Remain vigilang but steadfast, brothers. Pursue no Xenos until we have our prize!"
    It grieved Brother-Captain Marcos that he could not unleash his soldiers like a pack of dogs on the xenos who were here. He hated the entire complex they found themselves in, the product of arcane and ancient xeno-sorcery. Only one thing would bring him pleasure greater than bringing it down on top of the heads of his enemies and destroying them all. That one thing would be to acquire Inquisitor Darius' artifact and rid himself of her once and for all.

    Like a meteorite falling from the heavens, the XV-90 landed, its feet cracking the heavy, mossy stones in the shade of the central temple artifice. The equipment of the Fio was scattered around, and here and there were the bodies of the Fio and their Shas'la guards. The Gue'vre were already ahead of him and had advanced into the Temple. There was no time to call for reinforcements; Mont'hai had to act immediately.
    Like the blossom of some metal flower, the cockpit to his Battlesuit opened. The 'El barely waited to disengage himself from the suit and lept out, landing unsteadily. He grabbed a bloodstained Carbine from the cold hands of one of the shas'la guards and ran inside, hooves echoing on the cool stones. He tried to remember the calming, focusing words of Aun'O'Ren'I from so long ago, but they could not come to him.

    The Space Marines surveyed the chamber in which they now found themselves. Sinister and dark, it stood at least 5 meters in height. They fanned out in a maneuver practised thousands of times, no less agile for the huge Tactical Dreadnought armor they wore. Arcane inscriptions upon the water-stained stone walls were obscured by Tau equipment and boxes. The shadows cast by the bright lights the Xenos had brought with them cast the room into stark contrasts but left little in the shadows.
    The room itself, however, was dominated by an immense sculpture of an Eldar warrior clad in ancient robes and armor. In his hand was clutched a great, curved blade. Suddenly, there was a sound and movement in the chamber, and the warriors of the Emperor wheeled and fired their storm bolters, slamming into the walls and boxes of equipment. There was a flurry of sparks as the shells impacted on something, and they gathered around to see what it was. As the stone dust settled, they could see that it had been some manner of recording drone. Brother Octavius bit back a chuckle at the weakness of these Tau constructs and the weakness of their spirits.
    Turning againt to examine the bejewelled statue on the dais in the center of the room, it made them all uncomfortable; it held the sword that Inquisitor Darius wanted; it was a perfect match for the holopicts she had given them. Brother Marius gripped the blade and twisted, intending to simply pull it out of the hand of the statue. It held fast, and though Marius exerted himself, it did not release its grip of the sword. The marines looked to the guidance of Brother-Captain Marcos. He did not hesitate. Gripping the wrist of the statue with one powerfist and the blade with the other, he pulled them apart as if prying open an oyster. It did not relinquish its hold.
    Releasing the statue, he looked at it in the eyes. The rubies set in the skull of the stone Eldar warrior seemed to look back at him. The foul sorcery here disgusted him. He was a Captain of the Emperor's chosen warriors! He would not be defeated by some xenos puzzle. Striding up onto the dais and looking the statue in its eye, he wrapped his gauntled-sheathed fingers about its head and throat and squeezed. The power field and ceramite muscles whined for a moment in exertion, and the entire statue turned into dust. The blade clattered to the ground at his feet. "Thus I solve all Xenos riddles," proclaimed the Brother-Captain. "The Will of the Emperor be done," responded the squad.
    "Brother Marius, Brother Octavius! There is no need to overstay our welcome in this forsaken place. Take the xeno-blade and let us leave." As the marines picked up the blade and began heading for the entrance, a
    "Brother-Captain! The Auspex informs me that there is a Tau approaching our location from this corridor," interrupted Brother Gaius. "Not ten meters away," he explained.

Love it!

Keep going

Usiel-reader of fanfic

    Fio'El'Ko'Leez pressed her back up against the stone wall. She had heard the roar of Gue'la weaponry in the atrium, and it was the only way out. Using the reflective surface on the back of her sigil of office, she risked a look into the room. There were 5 of the huge Gue'Vre warriors, standing about the ruins of the statue they had found there. They had grasped an artifact and were hefting it to carry it away. The sheer nerve of the crude beasts! The information to be learned from the archaelogical site was not meant for their eyes. She knew that the Gue'la were a superstitious lot, and the knowledge they stole could never serve the Greater Good. Then, one of them pointed down the hallway she was hiding in.
    Her hand retracted faster than she knew she could ever move. Quaking in terror, she glanced to and fro, thinking frantically of a way to escape her situation. Drawing the pulse pistol the Shas had given her, she considered what to do. Could she outrun them? Not forever. Trying as best she could to silence her breath, she slid back along the wall and pointed the pistol with shaking fingers. Anything coming around the corner would get blasted, she resolved. Unless, of course, they came around behind her. That's when she heard a battle-cry, and the whine of pulse shots. The latter was indistinct, but the former she recognized in a heartbeat-- the Shas'el was here.

    Mont'hai approached the last corner to the Atrium crouched low, slowly and silently sneaking a glance around the corner to see the Gue'Vre warriors. This is ridiculous, he reflected. It's like a grass snake stalking a pack of Kill-Cats. Suddenly, something caught the attention of the Gue'Vre, and they all turned to face the opposite direction. An opportunity? Through the tunnels, he had found the bodies of many of the Fio engineers and archeologists, but Ko'Leez had not been among them. Perhaps he could take down one here, but he would need the Xor'vesa to do anything more. He chambered a photon grenade and prepared himself. Without a moment's further hesitation, he opened fire. "Kovash Tau'Va!"
    The Marines wheeled about as one and began opening fire. As soon as they did, they were blinded by the flash of a photon grenade. They lay down a hail of suppressive fire, but when the smoke cleared there was no Xenos standing there. "Curse it, Gaius, you were holding the Auspex upside-down!" muttered Octavius. Their armor held, save a hole at the back of Brother Marius' knee. Blood trickled from the puncture, but the stalwart warrior did not seem to notice; whether it was the stims or simply his own fortitude was anyone's guess. "Could it be a relief force, Brother-Captain?" asked Gaius.
    "If so, then our brothers on the surface have failed and we must be cautious. Come, my brothers! If they think they can hold us, these Xenos will be in for a reckoning" exclaimed Marcos. The lumbering Terminators set out into the twisted passages that would take them to the surface.

i like it, keep it up!

Darkchild

    Mont'hai's breath rasped loudly as he sprinted through the tunnels. Behind him he could hear the great boots of the Gue'Vre coming after him. Eyes wide, his mistake was clear. There was no way he could outrun them with time to spare to get the xor'vesa fully powered. He had to buy time! As he ran down a long, straight corridor an idea occured to him. The cieling stones were rough and held together by vines and the pressure from one another as much as anything else. Though he was close to the surface now, perhaps he could buy himself valuable time. Passing through an antechamber, he quickly wheeled and aimed for an arch supporting the tunnel's stonework. He pulled the trigger just as the aliens came around the corner. The stones of the cieling collapsed in front of the aliens, if not on top of them. Perhaps he had bought himself the time he needed.
    A few more twists and turns later, and the Shas'El found himself back on the surface, with the xor'vesa perched on some great grassy rocks, just where he had left it. The bodies of the Shas'la were still here, and he had to assume the battle was ongoing elsewhere until he could re-integrate with tac-net. His spirit soared with hope; he could defeat the Gue'Vre here. As he scrambled across the rocks towards the XV-90, a great rumble sent him to his knees.
    Glancing back over his shoulder, his eyes widened in terror. A great cloud of dust had emerged from one side of the Temple's walls and a hole had appeared. In the dust he could already see the Gue'Vre moving towards him with implacable certainty. Crawling up the body of the battlesuit, he grabbed the hatch-hold and swung himself in. They were before him now, the Gue'vre, not ten yards away. Their weapons were by their sides; he could see they intended to capture him or tear him to pieces with their bare hands. Their murderous intent was clear in their faces. In a gesture of futility, Mont'hai reached for the hatch to close it and thumbed the fusion blaster power toggle.
    Brother-Captain Marcos strode forward and grabbed the hatch with one gauntletted hand. The pitiful Xenos looked straight at him, totally helpless without the help of its technology. He felt sorry for it; clearly it had been a brave soul in a past life. What sin had it committed to become reborn as such a wretched creature? It was like a bull grox in the body of a housecat. He snapped from his reverie. "Courageous, yes. But I am afraid your travail has been in vain. Die now, alone." He raised the powerfist to smash the Xenos into the machine, as a child might to an ant crawling across the palm of his hand.
    "No!"
    A voice rang out loudly across the rocks, clear despite its accented Gothic, punctuated by the cracking fire of a pulse pistol. "No Tau is ever alone!" Standing alone in the dust was the Earth Caste archeologist, Fio'El'Ko'Leez. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was a surprise to everyone involved.
     The first shot hit Marcos in the right hand, finding some hold in the armor and causing him to reflexively withdraw it as he and the other Marines spun to react. The Terminators returned fire, ripping great holes out of the masonry they had already blown up, and knocking the Tau down in a spray of blue blood. Mont'hai pulled the hatch shut and hit the retro-jets. Turning back to face the Shas'El, the Marines found the Battlesuit sealed and activated. Marcos charged, raising the powerfist for a blow that would carry him straight through the suit, but his attack connected only with air as the Tau soared over him and landed behind Gaius.
    Mont'hai brought the fusion blaster to bear and began the Thunderbolt single-fire kata, but the human was quicker, gripping the barrel of the weapon with the powerfist and cracking down on it. The superstructure of the weapon screamed in protest, and sparks flew from the instrument panel as the Tau pulled the trigger. The supercharged gases of the Blaster's actual bolt needed to escape. They did so through the Powerfist itself, melting it like a candle before vaporizing Gaius and most of the armor's internal workings instantly, leaving a smoldering hulk of a Tactical Dreadnought standing, fused fist-to-blaster with the Apocalypse Suit.

With a cry of anguish, Octavius lept at the smoking heap of metal that had been his close friend and comrade, power fist at the ready to crush the insolent alien. He dropped Darius' precious charm, his eyes saw only red and his mind considered only vengeance.

The omni-sense of the Xor-Vesa suddenly went off. Moving reflexively, as though watching someone else, Mont'hai felt the suit react as it pivotted and planted a hoof directly on the faceplate of the Gue'vre helmet, saving it from the disruption field the crackling powerfist wielded. The momentum carried the suit backwards, along with the smoking hulk that had once been a Space Marine, and it could not maintain its balance.

Crashing to the ground, the ingenuity of the Fio was once again shown as the accuracy of the Plasma Rifle was not impeded. The Terminator loomed at the feet of the Xor'vesa, but the twin holes in the great Aquila across its chest betrayed the doom of the human warrior within. Octavius slumped to his knees, his great chest little more than a choking lump of carbon.

Marius moved carefully and deliberately towards the xeno-armor, writhing on its back to stand while still merged weapon-to-weapon with his fallen Battle Brother.. The alien was dangerous, but now it was helpless-- or would be once disarmed completely. Stepping carefully towards it, his eyes went wide as it raised the plasma weapon at him and fired. The shot impacted on his shoulder plate-- but the ancient spirit of the armor remained firm. In an instant, he pulled the trigger on his storm bolter, impacting the weapon and arm, shredding the long barrel to a stump in a crackling cascade of the Emperor's wrath. The suit was now totally disarmed, and he loomed over it to deliver final judgement.

Mont'hai's mind raced. Now, surely, he was doomed. The sensor array moved in vain to distinguish some manner of weakness; but he could only see the feet of the great Gue'vre. The feet, and a small trickle of blood pooling around them on the floor. Slowly, the fine manipulator hands of the battlesuit, designed for construction and emergency situations, emerged from the great metal sleeves of the Apocalypse. Marius began firing at the suit, a relentless hail of metal that would eventually rip the suit to pieces.

The 'El fixed the impassive cameras of the main video display on the point he knew he needed to strike, and with all the suddenness of a striking snake, the arm and manipulators swung out to grab the Space Marine's knee. The thumb of the manipulators found the hole left by the pulse carbine; and with the mechanical strength of the suit, tendon, bone and muscle was compressed between two unyielding surfaces. Mont'hai couldn't feel the patella shatter but he knew when the bolter shell impacts pounding the chest of the Apocalypse suddenly jerked off to the side that he had bought himself some time. With a roar of pain another Marine crashed to the ground, still firing though without the accuracy that had characterized the initial torrent.

Mont'Hai smashed the left armature of the suit violently up and down to free himself; twice it hit the hard rocks and on the third time, the wreckage of the fusion blaster came undone and, while it took much of the arm's internal workings with it, at least he was free. The suit bounded to its feet, and immediately the feedback from the shield generator nearly electrocuted Mont'Hai; the suit was thrown forewards as a powerfist landed neatly in the small of the back.

The blue energy field flashed brightly, then disappeared in a flurry of sparks. Marcos grunted as the reaction threw him backwards with all the force of what was intended to be a killing blow. Marius struggled to rise to his feet against his ruined leg, and collapsed again to his knees, his roars of frustration clearly audible over the screaming Storm Bolter.

Landing on his knees with both of the Gue'vre behind him, Mont'hai now knew there could be no escape. Sparks flew from the panel of the Shield Generator, and the suit hobbled forward on the remains of its plasma rifle, left arm, and knees. More bolter fire lit up the back of the suit, like the tinkling of deadly rain. The hooves of the suit struggled to find purchase in the earth, and it stumbled forward again. This time, the right manipulator hit something on the ground, knocking it forward a meter or two, into the direct video feed from the "head" of the suit. It was the alien blade from the antechamber!

The manipulators clumsily fumbled about the smooth shaft of the weapon, struggling to find purchase. Sliding down the blade, they suddenly found purchase in the rough ancient cloth of the grip. At the same instant, the hooves of the suit found purchase, and it bounded forward, spinning with an unbelievable agility given the battered state of the suit. Brandishing the weapon, the Shas'El slowly moved towards the two Gue'vre.

Marcos stepped back carefully, uncertain of what to make of the xeno-sorcery. Marius stopped firing in shock. The Tau abhorred close combat! This was one thing they had known above all else; a Tau would die sooner than draw a blade in self-defense. Did the Tau know of the blade's significance? With a wicked grin, Marcos abandoned any broader thoughts. The xeno wished to test him, did it? It was making a dire mistake.

~~~

That's all for now. :-o

I have a broader question, but I'll pose it in the Background section.