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“Prepare your men, wave one departs in approximately thirty six minutes.” Captain Razzik ordered as he reviewed his sergeants. Each one acknowledged the order and began to withdraw to their units. Razzik watched as Shar-takazz and Balathu exchanged a few final words before going to separate ships. Bel Hando of course boasted the upcoming death tally of his unit as he walked away from Lugalbanda who shook his head. Assault sergeants Bandik and Holoc marched away in step, Razzik knew despite their cold demeanor they were excited to fight side by side once again. For a brief moment Razzik felt a sense of pride in his men.

The thought made him pause, they were hardly his men. They may not be his for much longer. Instead of dwelling on the thought he continued to watch as each unit began their pre-battle rituals.

Sergeant Shar-takazz of squad Rimsin reiterated some tactical advice before beginning a prayer. Bel Hando of squad Shwando laughed and made some jokes with his devastator unit that laughed heartily. Combat leader Balathu of squad Kujara reviewed orders and spoke with the few remaining members of his unit before inspecting the squad’s lascannon with Brother Thukoo. Sergeants Ardorach and Maranu reviewed defensive positions they would soon be defending with their two tactical units.

Razzik continued to monitor the marines of second company as he began to make his way past a conglomeration of black Ice Angel vessels. Tanks were already loaded. System checks were being run. Servitors were loading the final crates of equipment. Every Ice Angel on the ork vessel was in the hanger, only a handful of servitors were elsewhere on the ship.

The front loading ramp of a thunderhawk closed as he passed. Twin vindicators slowly rose up behind the cockpit to fit snug under the vessels long tail. Razzik observed Zarva reviewing his tanks connection before climbing into the Crystalfist.

After passing a storm eagle running a final weapons check, Captain Razzik found himself in front of the most gaudy Imperial vessel he had ever seen. The quartered yellow and pink made him pause and chuckle to himself. It didn’t seem that long ago when Aquilum landed his personal ship on the deck of the Frozen Rage.

The handful of marines sitting in front of the unique vessel stood up from their own tasks as he approached. Nefas stepped up and met the Captain. His white helmet had an ash smear under its eye.

“Captain.” He said with a slight nod.

Razzik nodded in return and reviewed the dark band of marines. Brother Kvothe in his dark red armor stood tall, his purple tabard swaying slightly in the hanger’s artificial air. Next to him was the massive Honored Brother Inigo. He moved his arms and neck in some sort of stretch. As he worked his arms in circles he appeared even larger. His gray armor was still dull and filthy from his recent ork battles. Brother Jaska met Razzik’s gaze briefly before returning to his dismantled plasma pistol.

Inigo cleared his throat before speaking, “Thank you Captain for allowing us in the vanguard.” He looked around at the other marines before settling his gaze on his thunder hammer. “Reven, Aquilum, Shar-drasha, and Pyrox will be avenged…… soon.”

“We will ALL avenge the fallen Inigo. Together as one force of righteousness we will destroy all in our path.” Thoughts of Ruusa’s death flashed before he spoke again, “but first we need to get off this ship and find our rendezvous. Follow the Icemaul in. The weather will provide cover.”

Razzik looked up at the bizarre ship once again. It had the general appearance of a storm eagle, but the massive under hull turret felt disproportional. The squat vessel had three wide wings, but where the fourth wing should have been a long black engine protruded. A lone purple missile hung under its only upper wing.

“She’ll get us down without any issue Captain.” Nefas said with confidence. Razzik could only smile as he took a final glance at the contraption. The words Emperor’s Coinpurse were carefully written in black under the front cockpit.

“May the Emperor guide you Brother Nefas.” He added before saluting to the gathered marines. The guest marines finished their prep and loaded into their ship as Razzik walked away.

He walked in silence for several minutes before he found himself near the back wall of the expansive hanger where a lone black raven sat. Razzik stopped and watched Chaplain Cyaxeres kneeling before an upside down drop pod that hung behind the rear hatch. Brother Desai sat cross legged across from Cyaxeres quietly repeating the Chaplains prayers. A feeling of awe slowly crept into Razzik’s thought as he watched the scene.

The small drop pod hung like a dangerous chandelier. It was bright white and sealed, wisps of smoke curled away from several lines that connected the pod to the raven. Feelings of repulsion and sorrow oozed at the edges of his mind trying to oust the serene sight.

“Sanguinous watch over you” Razzik absently said as he pried his gaze away from the white drop pod. The mix of emotions dissolved before creeping further.

He checked the countdown along with several status reports on his HUD as he approached a trio of marines near an inner bulk head. The bulk head was full of scrap metal and melted together to form a clog of welded debris. Only the smallest squigs or occasional grot could breach the scrap wall.

As Razzik nodded at his marines a damaged servo skull floated out from the scrap wall. Sparks shot out from the skull as it hovered at an odd tilt. The small anti-grav unit whined as it attempted to maintain the skulls elevation. It sputtered twice and took several dives before landing in the waiting hands of Brother Shu-Takii.

The black armored Ice Angel examined the skull closely, his pack mounted light illuminating the skull. He probed the skulls damaged side like an apothecary preparing for his first cut. Without taking his eyes off the skull he turned and stepped over to a black and red land raider chassis.

Shu-Takii stepped into the open side hatch as Captain Razzik stepped closer to the tank. The vehicle was one of Techmarine Philosir’s creations. It was wider then a typical land raider, but it had no side armament, no front armament, and it only had room for six marines inside.

“Muuniafhwa onwo apso taz’shinii” was written on the side of the tank. The ancient space tribes of Shatt-el-Hai having held onto the phrase for generations found a fitting place on the side of the tank.

Captain Razzik thought on the ancient phrase as Brother Shu-Takii emerged from the tank. Seeing the captain he approached while examining a thick pic screen he held in his left hand. He stood next to the captain to revere the unique tank.

Captain Razzik checked off several status reports before he spoke, “Is it ready?”

“Yes Captain, MOAT is ready. The machine spirit seems almost, anxious.” Shu-Takii said before leaning slightly closer to the captain.

“This will be the first time MOAT has been in battle.” He added.

Razzik at first was surprised but as he thought back he recalled the handful of times he had seen Philosir use the land raider. Its auxiliary uses were extremely valuable yet its lack of fire power kept it from the front lines. The rolling armory, known as MOAT, held enough ammo and equipment to keep the second company running for prolonged battle but only a lone twin linked autocannon meant its front line uses were limited.

“I’m sure Philosir will be glad to see his prized creation in the middle of the defensive wall.” Razzik said while Shu-Takii nodded his head in agreement.

Without further word Shu-Takii looked back at the pic screen in his hand. With a few finger taps the wide landraider rumbled, its engines shaking the deck for a brief moment. Shu-Takii took several steps while tapping the screen several more times. MOAT began to move across the hanger towards its awaiting Thunderhawk.

“Captain, a word please” the voice of Attikusu entered his vox.

A simple acknowledgement was all he returned as he hastily moved across the hanger towards a well protected room protruding from the back wall. Inside, the Sanguinary Priest Attikusu stood with several servitors and two other marines. A horde of wires lay across the floor and fed into a wall of pic screens.

The white armored priest gave a side way glance at Razzik as he began to speak, “There are seven ships in the immediate vicinity. The largest has attempted to hail us but is holding its position.”

Razzik examined several screens that crudely outlined their positions. With practiced ease he mentally drew up a map of the surrounding ships, he added in updated lists of other incoming vessels and arrival times. Numbers of possible enemies in relationship to ship size filed away in the back of his head.

“Anshar, send out an updated report to all the sergeants of projected numbers. Zaltu, alter the timing of wave two by minus three minutes. Once completed take what we need and get to our ship.”

“Yes sir” both Anshar and Zaltu said in unison. Razzik looked at Attikusu, their gazes met and as one they turned and walked out of the fortified position into the expansive hanger. They walked for several minutes when they met up with Cyaxeres. The skull mask of the Chaplain a grim reminder of his role in the chapter.

“What is on your mind?” Razzik said.

“You” Cyaxeres blatantly replied. “Your plan is very wise,” he quickly added, “but something continues to trouble you.”

Cyaxeres paused and closely watched Razzik’s response. Despite wearing his helm both Attikusu and Cyaxeres were aware of Razzk’s surprise.

Sixty seconds were left on his HUD. The gigantic hanger door behind the three marines slowly opened, all eight sections slid out in separate directions. The southern hemisphere of a blue and green planet stretched out before them. Thick black and white expanses of cloud flashed with distant lightning as the doors finally stopped moving.

Engines of the first wave blasted. The sound would have been deafening had they not had their helms on. Ships began to leave the deck. Landing gear retracted. As the number in his HUD ticked down they approached the invisible bearer between them and the void. In rows they blasted out into space as the counter stopped at zero.

Two separate timers replaced the previous count down.

Razzik felt the entire ork vessel rumble as it slightly changed its trajectory.

With a sigh he regarded his elder fellow marines. “The mission that our tech marine suggested and he under took was successful.” He looked out at the world below him once again. “Yet it feels some what suspicious. Where did he get this information or knowledge of the outpost?”

Attikusu and Cyaxeres absorbed the words but did not respond.

“It also costs us valuable lives, and for what?” He shook his hands towards the planet, “another destination in which we’ll inevitable loose more lives.”

“We were created for war Razzik, loss is” Attikusu began.

Razzik spun around and interrupted, “I am fully aware of our purpose.” A hint of anger seeped into his voice.

Cyaxeres stepped next to the captain to observe the view, “What would you have us do then Captain Razzik? Run? Head back to Shattermantle further disrespecting our chapter?”

Razzik shook his head, “Sometimes I wonder if we should have.” Both Cyaxeres and Attikusu shook their heads. “My first prolonged mission as a Captain may be my last. The lives of an entire company may be lost all because I followed orders. These Imperial bureaucrats will never respect us.”

Cyaxeres scoffed, “that may be true, but the soldiers and the generals will. Think how they will view us when we return from the Kota system with Eldar heads in a sack.”

Razzik looked down at his hands as the second wave of ships began to fire up their engines. Attikusu took a final glance at Razzik before he ran towards his awaiting ship. Cyaxeres stayed for another brief moment before he turned and sprinted towards his ship.

Within seconds the next wave of Ice Angel ships were leaving the deck. Razzik watched them go; only two vessels remained in the hanger.

“But is that worth our sacrifice?” Razzik continued. “How many must die only to prove a point?” He clenched his fists as he headed towards his ship.

And the story continues....


Well written my friend.

Nice. As allways you have left me wanting more.

Very nice.

I find that the personal inflections that Razzik goes through add's quite a bit more to the reality of their cause. Although I do feel that while the doubt's are real, Razzik dwells on it to much. While I can't say I personally know him, my view on how Spacemarines would operate would lead me to believe they would highlight given issues, follow them and that would be it.

Perhaps this a new wave on how marines have developed mentally over the course of their lives (How long has Razzik been around?)

Gitsplitta wrote:And the story continues....
Well written my friend.

Thank you sir!

Toast36 wrote:Nice. As allways you have left me wanting more.

Oh there is more to come. In fact the next person that reads this should make a comment so I can post more!

Knightley wrote:Very nice.

I find that the personal inflections that Razzik goes through add's quite a bit more to the reality of their cause. Although I do feel that while the doubt's are real, Razzik dwells on it to much. While I can't say I personally know him, my view on how Spacemarines would operate would lead me to believe they would highlight given issues, follow them and that would be it.

Perhaps this a new wave on how marines have developed mentally over the course of their lives (How long has Razzik been around?)

Excellent thought Knightley! Allow me to give you my take on space marines. First of all, I am a big 40k fluff reader. I love the heresy stuff and many of the other books out there, some authors much more then others. Something that I have really enjoyed in the heresy novels is their explanation and description of marines views and emotions. They are genetically bred to know no fear, yet they still have every other emotion. The inner turmoil of the heresy really makes the books that much better, the "brotherly warfare" adds another layer to the already great sci-fi action.

Knightley, I would agree with you that space marines would indeed highlight an issue and follow it. But to me, a space marine if unable to correct or fix his issue would focus and dwell on it. He'd think about it to a level that would be bordered on obsession. Similar to another character we have discussed in length about.

In my story, Razzik can't fix his problem because he has had nearly no control over it. On top of that he is beginning to realize the ponderous relationship between space marines and the Imperium that higher command would have to deal with more then the line troops. Ultimately, I am trying to portray him as being frustrated and he is currently trying to determine for himself how to cope with it.

I'm not sure that answered your question........ what was your question?

(How long has Razzik been around?)

oh right, well he is the newest captain, he has completed all the scout/tactical/assault/veteran/sergeant like positions. Yet I don't want him to fit into the veteran old guy like position. hmmmm, I may have to think about that one Knightley. I wonder how long it takes a normal marine to become a captain. Time for some research.

These are some nice stories here, Ice! Great modeling too.

-Wolf Guard 252

After running and yelling through most of the ork transport Gubblefuzz was now only feet from the bridge to the ship he now claimed as his own. Orks had flocked to his call but the energy that had built behind his charge was slipping from his grasp.

“Where b’da humies, boss?” a nob named Kronkin asked once again.

Gubblefuzz looked around at his boys scrambling to maintain the short term control he’d mustered over them. “Deys hidden from us. Lets check out da bridge and see wheres dey at.” He spat.

Kronkin eyed him closely, measuring up the equally massive greenskin before nodding.

The wave of greenskins pushed forward, spilling into the bridge like water exiting a broken damn.

Inside the bridge, the screens were all dark. The massive captain’s chair was empty. Gubblefuzz didn’t like it one bit. He walked over to the nearest panel and mashed the key board, unfamiliar with how to work this kind of machine. Nothing happened. He mashed again, anger quickly taking over, still nothing. He then punched it with his gauntleted fist.

Sparks flew as the screen shattered and his fist went into the panel.

“HEY! Dim monitors don’t like bein beat’n.” A bent over ork shouted.

Gubblefuzz stalked over to the shorter ork. He wanted to throttle him, smash in his face, and stomp on his spleen six times but he knew the shorter ork would be useful. Mekboy Gogglenuts was the only remaining mek on the ship and Gubblesfuzz’s only chance of repairing what the humies had destroyed.

“Ok den, get’em up and running. Nows!” Gubblefuzz demanded. “Yous boys! Go look for da’humies” he added while motioning to all the other boys on the bridge.

Several orks began to clear out of the bridge, a gaggle of grots began to dismantle one of the screens closest to the captains chair. Gogglenuts followed several large bundles of wire across the floor before finding what he was looking for and pulling several tools off his belt.

Gubblefuzz turned and saw that Kronkin was in the captain’s chair. HIS, captain’s chair. “Whos’said yous can sit in my chair?” Gubblefuzz shouted while pointing his thick crooked finger.

A grin crept across Kronkins face as Gubblefuzz stepped towards the seated greenskin.

“Dis chair?” Kronkin asked while pointing at one of the arm rests.

Gubblefuzz slowly pulled out his two hooked blades, the scrape of metal demanding the attention of the remaining orks in the room. Kronkin continued to smile as his left hand drifted down to one of the pistols on his hip.

The two orks were about to attack each other when one of the screens crackled to life. In unison they turned and saw the gray static on the screen, blurred shapes randomly piercing the snowy fuzz.

The head of Gogglenuts peaked out from behind a loose panel in a wall. He looked over at the screen then disappeared back inside. Several grunts and groans followed. The screen blinked on then off several times, static grew in intensity then vanished. A loud thunk came from behind the wall when the screen reactivated, the side of another ork vessel filling the view.

“Look! Reinorkments!” Kronkin said.

Orks grinned, several even cheered, until Gubblefuzz shouted. “STOP DA SHIP!”

The view of the other ork vessel was getting closer. It quickly filled the screen. Orks scrambled, ran into each other, some even shot each other, only Gogglenuts continued to work, but it was too late.

Somewhere in space a pair of Ice Angel Ravens sped towards the planet. In one of them Captain Razzik watched the collision of the two ork vessels, smiling as the first of several warheads detonated.

Nicely done.

Wolf guard 252 wrote:These are some nice stories here, Ice! Great modeling too.

-Wolf Guard 252

Thanks Wolf Guard 252!

Gitsplitta wrote:Nicely done.

Thanks Gits! I hope you've enjoyed my orks. Someday I may have to write about Warlord Commodore Gitsplitta da Great.

Lovely new addition as always Ice. Looking forward for more!

Oooh... "Warlord Commodore".... I like it!

Sorry I haven't been posting more meaningful commentary, but your writing's progressed to the point where all I do is sit back and enjoy it.

Bobakos wrote:Lovely new addition as always Ice. Looking forward for more!

Thanks Bobakos. Its always nice to have other BA players post some comments.

Gitsplitta wrote:Oooh... "Warlord Commodore".... I like it!

Sorry I haven't been posting more meaningful commentary, but your writing's progressed to the point where all I do is sit back and enjoy it.

thanks gits. I thought you may like Gitsplitta's extended title.

Question: What character would you prefer me to write more about?

Discuss.......

Well, since I've been very spoiled for the last year or so.... I think I'll let other folks decide.


However... from the Ice Angel chapter... Philosir. He's enigmatic... I like that.

Gitsplitta wrote:
However... from the Ice Angel chapter... Philosir. He's enigmatic... I like that.

QFT, I really want to know more about him...whats his angle in all of this? and how in the Emperor's name does he know so much???

Philosir. There is more to his story than meets the eye i'm sure.

hmmmm, you will learn more about Philosir but I've written a lot about him lately. I feel as if I need to have a third protagonist. As of now I've got Captain Razzik and Brother Inushi. I like both of them as characters, but I feel like I should have another. I like the members of the Uttuakki but they are on the Frozen Rage and I don't want to get them involved at this point in time. As I look back at some of my previous writings, before I started going to work shops and such, I wrote from a lot of perspectives. Inigo, Cyaxeres, Desai, Miqit, even a combat scene with Mi-luqua Vaz all had their chances. Wow, Git was right, my writing has improved.

Moving forward though, I think I'm leaning towards one of the surviving guest marines as my third protagonist. I like my Ice Angels, I mean I did invent them, but I feel I can describe them better by writing about them from the outside. Does that make sense?

I am really excited that you guys are intrigued by Philosir, but I don't think I should write from his perspective, especially given what he knows. I worked so hard to give him some mystery I wouldn't want to ruin it.

Sound logic, can you list our options? i.e. the other possible protagonists?

Since my last post I've been rereading a lot of what I've written. While I was reading I concentrated on whose perspective I was writing from and which character actually had some depth. My list of possible subjects quickly turned into a list of people I shouldn't use as my protagonist. Once I had caught up to some of the more recent stuff the decision made itself.

I think you'll enjoy where this goes.

Bugger I was hoping to include my thoughts in to the newest protagonist (course you know who I would want )

IceAngel wrote:
Moving forward though, I think I'm leaning towards one of the surviving guest marines as my third protagonist. I like my Ice Angels, I mean I did invent them, but I feel I can describe them better by writing about them from the outside. Does that make sense?

It does make sense. And it is a good idea.

But I would reaaaaally liked to know more about Philosir...

Pretty please? With a cherry on top?

On a more serious tone, I would love to read for him, BUT its your work, your creativity and more importantly your story So whatever you have decided upon I will definitely read it!!!

Knightley wrote:Bugger I was hoping to include my thoughts in to the newest protagonist (course you know who I would want )

We'll get to that Knightley. Jeez! We still have a lot to cover before we get there.

Bobakos wrote:

IceAngel wrote:
Moving forward though, I think I'm leaning towards one of the surviving guest marines as my third protagonist. I like my Ice Angels, I mean I did invent them, but I feel I can describe them better by writing about them from the outside. Does that make sense?

It does make sense. And it is a good idea.

But I would reaaaaally liked to know more about Philosir...

Pretty please? With a cherry on top?

On a more serious tone, I would love to read for him, BUT its your work, your creativity and more importantly your story So whatever you have decided upon I will definitely read it!!!

There will be more about him, don't you worry.

side note: I was a bit bummed no one mentioned the name of Aquilum's ship. It took me months to come up with a good name for it.

I admit, I had to go back and look now that you mention it. By "coin purse" do you mean what I *think* you mean? Re-reading the description... I get the imagery (not that that's a good thing)... my guess would be that I didn't put 2 and 2 together when I was reading it the first time. Perhaps you should model it for us?

The violent shaking of the Emperor’s Coinpurse slowly ebbed as the trajectory began to level out slightly. Inigo released his tight grip of the plush pink arm rests and looked up at the monitor above his head as the string of numbers and information ceased. The exterior cameras were redeploying now that reentry was complete.

When the screen finally lit up, a dark haze filled his view. The cloud cover they were in was thick. He couldn’t make out any shapes even though several other Ice Angel ships were nearby. Using a switch he flipped through the set of cameras. Every one of them revealed the same oppressive cloud cover.

Eventually he stopped flipping through the views and settled on the under nose camera. Impatiently Inigo looked around the unique ravens lounge. A small table sat between him and an empty chair. A weapons locker was to his left next to the hallway to the front of the ship. His only companion in the rear compartment was Kvothe. The red armored marine sat across from him in a fuzzy yellow chair that was embedded in the wall. He was reclined and harnessed in, he hadn’t spoken in minutes. Probably praying, Inigo thought to himself. More likely he was reiterating the Codex Astartes that he often quoted.

The monitor above Inigo flashed a dull light gray. He looked up at the monitor once again in hopes of something coming into view. The flashes continued sporadically as the sound of rain hitting the hull of the ship began to echo throughout the cabin. Quickly the rain intensified as did the frequency of the flashes.

The lightning continued revealing only clouds until the vague angle of a mountain side came into view. The clouds loosened their grip on the ship as the streaks of light continued to illuminate a massive mountain, its bare rocky form looming sentinel to his ships port side. The wall of stone was barren rock without a hint of foliage or construction.

The Ice Angel vessels ahead of them would have been invisible had he not been able to see the light of their engines. The large thunderhawk, the Icemaul was directly in front of them. The triple engines of the ship were the only constant source of light on the monitor.

As he focused on the engines of the thunderhawk, it began to bank around the mountain and descend into a valley. Seconds later the Emperor’s Coinpurse followed. As they rounded the mountain and began their descent, Inigo could hear secondary systems on the ship kick on.

The whirr of a motor brought a smile to Inigo’s face as he switched through several camera angles to the targeting camera attached to the under slung cannon. For a fleeting moment Inigo wished he was in Jaska’s seat handling the cannon but then he thought about how much quicker he’d be able to deploy and put his hammer to use from his current seat.

With another banked turn, this time to their right, they leveled out once again. The camera view was now nearly straight down. Twisted sickly trees dotted the wasted landscape of the wide valley floor. As one particularly bright flash illuminated the scene, Inigo could make out a wide trench that was filling with the downpour. Shredded metal could be seen scattered amongst the murky liquid.

Suddenly the under slung camera view was nothing but water. Inigo felt his body began to release chemicals as the timing for action drew closer. He knew it wouldn’t involve him yet, but the excitement nevertheless activated several glands in his skull and in his lower back. His vision sharpened and his muscles twitched slightly. Absentmindedly he stretched out his arms and hands.

As suddenly as the water filled the screen it disappeared. Scraggly trees and giant boulders could be seen as they began to bank at a sharp angle. The cannon adjusted slightly to cope for the maneuver as the first ork vehicle came into view. A bright flash filled the screen as a dull boom filled the compartment.

The Emperor’s Coinpurse slowed down as the under slung cannon found another vehicle and fired again. The additional sounds of gun fire outside seeped into the cabin.

“Target spotted” Kvothe said as he stared at a different monitor that Inigo couldn’t see.

Inigo looked over at Kvothe silently demanding more information.

“Camera seven” Kvothe added.

The time it took to tilt his head back to the ceiling of the room he had switched to camera seven. The port side wing camera revealed the battle below them during their banked turn.

A single raven had landed near a rocky out cropping. Inigo could make out shapes moving towards it. Several explosions lit up the nearby area as the entirety of the situation was revealed. Dozens of ork bodies were hurtled into the air but hundreds more could be seen running.

Inigo switched to camera eight as it exited camera sevens view. The landed raven was hovering off the ground and slowly moving away from the rocks. The racks of bolters and twin linked plasma cannons on the raven dished out a near constant stream of fire.

The raven took off towards the fleeing thunderhawks, while the Emperor’s Coinpurse along with the smaller vessels in the first wave made another pass over the orks.

Small arms fire could be heard pelting off the ships armored hull in between the dull boom of Jaska’s cannon. The banked turn lasted for a few more seconds before they leveled out in the same direction of the thunderhawks.

With a burst of speed they departed the valley. The roar of the rain on the hull and the thrust of the engines replaced the sounds of battle. The whirr of the cannons engine could be heard briefly as it resumed to its non combat position.

Inigo looked back to Kvothe, a part of him wanted to strike up a conversation with the Shadow Sanctus marine, but when the thoughts of the upcoming one sided conversation darkened his mood he decided to wait until Kvothe initiated it.

“What do……” Kvothe began when the ship took a sudden lurch the starboard side. A nearby explosion sounded as if it were in the compartment with them.

“Kvothe, get to the top mounted cannon.” Nefas demanded.

Kvothe slammed the orange button on his harness release and vaulted out his seat. He sprinted down the hall to a ladder built into the wall and climbed up into the top mounted cannon. He was almost into the small weapons compartment when the ship took a sudden nose dive. The impacts of heavy caliber rounds pounded the hull.

As the roof mounted twin linked assault cannons came online Inigo found the corresponding camera. In the darkness it was hard to understand what was fully going on, but when the lightning flashed he could see the thunderhawks in the distance and the streaks of rounds from various air craft around them.

The ork vessels were few, but the Ice Angel ships were primarily transports. They evaded what they could but ultimately continued on their course. The advanced astartes weapon systems fired at the ork fighters as they approached with little success.

With a quick motion the twin linked assault cannons turned 90 degrees to port. Inigo watched as the rounds pounded into a passing ork vessel. A millisecond flash revealed several rounds bursting an engine before the passing vessel disappeared from view.

After the first successful shots though, Kvothes accuracy seemed to diminish as the orks continued to fly by. Several minutes passed before the ship rose steeply only to dive once again in between to tall peaks.

A near explosion rocked the ship after a row of tracer rounds exploded an ork fighter. Inigo switched cameras to the front nose camera once again to reveal the rendezvous position.

The valley was shrouded in a near impenetrable darkness. Even the flashes from the lightning above seemed unable to touch the valleys floor. The only indication of the valleys bottom was by following the controlled stream of tracer rounds from a single twin linked cannon.

Inigo watched intently as the cannon fired in sporadic bursts, each time in a different direction. As the Emperor’s Coinpurse began to slow down and lift its nose in preparation to land, Inigo began to also pick out the dimming lights of other landed air craft.

A quick release of his harness and Inigo was out of his seat. Thunderhammer in hand he took two powerful steps and turned towards the rear hatch. He held onto one of the grips above the hatch in his left hand while a pre-battle cant escaped his lips. His battle smile crossed his face as he finished.

The sounds of Jaska and Kvothe could be heard behind him as they completed the shut down of their respective systems. The voice of Nefas spoke into the vox, “Orders are in, secure landing site then proceed to the ridge south, southeast.” The rear hatch broke its seal and began to open, “Inigo, we’re right behind you.” Nefas added.

Inigo leapt out of the vessel and was moving before the hatch touched the ground.

Great action sequence Ice! Interesting perspective where you could "hear" the battle but only see it remotely.

Inushi watched as the Ice Angels filed out of the raven and immediately dispersed into the darkness. The dim light given off from the interior of the raven was minimal but more then enough for the superior senses of the astartes to function. The sounds of heavy weapons fire, hard rain, and Imperial thrusters invaded the chamber. Damp air wafted into the raven, it smelled tangy and acidic. After a brief few seconds an Ice Angel returned to peer into the open hatch, water streamed off his pitch black armor. Before he had spoken Philosir and Hunzuu were on their feet.

“Clear” he stated as he turned and pointed with two fingers past the open hatch. “MOAT is sixty yards over.”

Philosir was in motion in that direction leaving Hunzuu behind with only Inushi. Inushi didn’t follow or get up. He waited. For a moment he leaned back into his chair before Hunzuu stepped further into the raven. Inushi turned to see the crumpled form of Shar-Drasha on a long piece of metal. Next to the fallen marine on the same piece of metal was a large murky opaque bubble. An occasional glimpse of pink or yellow would dance on the bubbles edges but it never revealed what was inside.

“Come Mantis, we’re not finished yet.” Hunzuu spoke while reaching down to grab the edge of the metal makeshift gurney.

You did a very good job setting the scene here. Your ability to evoke imagery is improving with every installment.

Thanks Git! I've been trying to work on a couple of things and that's one of them. I'm glad you've been able to notice the improvement.

Just stating the obvious my friend. You're becoming quite the writer.

In a slow fluid motion Inushi stood from his seat, stepped over, and squatted down. He grabbed onto the piece of metal and with a nod from Hunzuu lifted up his end of the metal plank. After a moment of readjustment they stepped in time, down the hatch and out into the darkness. The hatch closed immediately behind them.

After they exited the storm raven Inushi paused and looked all around. His enhanced dark vision allowed him to see perfectly clear his immediate surroundings but not much further. The rain fell in heavy droplets that left a haze near the ground from their impacts.

Inushi and Hunzuu stood in an empty, perfectly square lot. Several heavily damaged buildings lay crumbling nearby. They looked ancient but vaguely Imperial in design. Inushi held the plank behind him and felt a slight nudge from Hunzuu.

Without further instruction Inushi picked his path and marched off. The sounds of thrusters and occasional weapons fire could be heard in the distance in every direction. As they marched, several vessels flew overhead. Inushi didn’t attempt to see what kind they were, instead he focused on moving and keeping the gurney level.

After passing the remains of a stone perimeter wall, Inushi and Hunzuu entered the edge of a wide tiered courtyard. An expansive broken street crossed the center in front of them and intersected with another road. The intersecting road cut up the tiers and at its top tier a weaponless land raider sat. For a brief moment Inushi caught a flash of light coming out of the raider. A door quickly shut preventing any further light to escape but in that moment Inushi caught a flash of red. Long double barrels suddenly barked from atop the raider that Inushi hadn’t seen. They tracked an unseen foe across the sky before once again going silent and disappearing into the darkness.

“Wait, “Hunzuu commanded.

With several quick head turns Inushi reevaluated the courtyard. To his left the road continued past piles of rubble where buildings used to stand. To his right the skeletal remains of two warehouses still battled the elements. Ahead of him the squat land raider sat several tiers above them. All around him rain continued to pour. He did however hear a low sustained thruster blasting away.

He began to look up when the forms of Ice Angels dropped from the sky. They used their jump packs in a single short burst to land safely in the courtyard. Within seconds the empty courtyard held twenty Ice Angels. One landed directly in front of Inushi. He was a bit taller then him and wielded two lightning claws. They were powered down at his side. His helmet had a third lens in between and slightly above his two eyes.

The marine gave him a curt nod before he turned along with nine other marines and they jumped to Inushi’s left. The other ten went to his right. As quickly as they arrived they departed leaving him alone with Hunzuu and the heavy rain.

Without further pause Hunzuu spoke again, “Go, we need to get to MOAT.”

Inushi stepped forward as he felt Hunzuu pushing forward with the gurney with haste. “Hunzuu, what’s MOAT?”

“The raider above us” Hunzuu added. They were now almost jogging up the roads incline towards the vehicle.

Inushi was curious and almost asked another question about the raider when another set of thrusters, this time much louder, could be heard behind him. Soon the sound of moving stones across ancient pavement could be heard amongst the deep hum of the engines. As they reached the same tier as MOAT Inushi risked a look behind him. The empty courtyard they left behind was now filled with a hovering thunderhawk. Two vindicators were being released from their rear harnesses. They moved the moment they hit the broken remnants of the road.

A shaft of light distracted him as he turned back towards the land raider. An open door invited him in and Inushi entered. Hunzuu carefully navigated his end of the gurney so they entered without hitting the reinforced door frame.

Once inside Inushi was shocked at what he saw. The interior of the raider instead of being filled with rows of seats or weapon systems was filled floor to ceiling with white smooth tiles that dominated the front and rear of the tank. Each was smooth with no rivets, no handles, and only a single symbol. The interior was also very bright, almost to a clinical level. The white tiles seemed to intensify and reflect the light leaving no shadows around the gathered marines.

Two other marines were in the tank, a tactical marine that Inushi didn’t recognize and Philosir. They stood across from him by the only other door. A rack was extended into the hall way and Philosir was depositing his broken servo arms and shattered weapons into an empty shelf. As he did so two servo arms on the ceiling of the tank were refitting Philosir with a new power pack. Instead of his previous four servo arm configuration a heavy flamer and missile launcher were being activated above his shoulders.

Hunzuu began to lower the gurney behind him. Inushi lowered his end and looked around, still trying to absorb and understand what he was seeing. Meanwhile Hunzuu stepped over and lightly touched a white tile. It slid out into the hall way next to the gurney. With care Hunzuu lifted up the remains of Shar-Drasha and set him in the bottom compartment of the rack.

When he was completed he stepped over the gurney towards the opaque bubble, he hesitated, trying to determine how best to move it.

“I will move him Sergeant. Rearm yourself and get to your unit” the monotone voice of Philosir commanded. Hunzuu turned around to another rack and tapped the end panel, a small box opened and racks of promethium canisters were easily accessible, below it were pairs of grenades. Inushi watched Hunzuu closely. Inushi could see a difference in Hunzuu’s demeanor as he switched out a shoulder pad at a second rack. There was a swiftness in his actions. He seemed relived to be returning to his squad, or maybe to be getting further away from the last mission. Inushi knew the last mission still left sour taste in his mouth.

After several minutes Hunzuu was outfitted, the racks closed themselves as he finished. He then stepped towards the door, before he slid it open he looked over his shoulder at Inushi. Inushi waited for him to speak but instead he slid open the door and stepped into the darkness.

“Plasma pistol correct?” the tactical marine said. His sudden nearness seeming to jump start Inushi’s thoughts.

He turned to the marine. His helm had a secondary scope on its side and he had a back pack mounted search light. The marine stepped to the same rack that Hunzuu had been at but when the marine touched the panel it revealed plasma pistol cores.

He grabbed a core and tossed it to Inushi who easily grabbed it mid flight. He attempted reloaded his purple pistol but the core didn’t fit properly.

“Oh, I apologize Inushi, “he then stepped over and took back the core. Inushi watched as he applied some pressure and released a side bar on the core. The marine then handed it back.

“We manufacture our own cores, its not quite standard issue.” The marine hesitantly added. He traded a look with Philosir before changing the subject. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Shu-Takii of tactical squad Rimsin” he quickly said. He then looked over at Philosir who was approaching the opaque bubble. “I’m training to be one of the chapter’s tech marines.”

Inushi was about to respond when he caught Shu-Takii’s gaze and turned to watch Philosir bend down and carefully pick up the bubble. The shifting edges made it appear as if it were liquid. However, when Philosir touched its edges his hands didn’t pierce its outer edge.

Slowly he began to move it towards the waiting rack. It was a snug fit, but it was clear the shelf was designed to hold the wounded, or dead. The entire transfer took only seconds but Inushi memorized the moment, he would never forget that eerie sight. The tech marine finished placing the bubble on the rack and without a touch or action it slid back into the wall. Inushi came out of his reverie as the tile stopped moving. His mind wondered of its inhabitant’s fate.

Without another word the red armored tech marine turned to another rack. It hissed slightly as it slid out and revealed an array of shields along with a lone serrated power axe. Philosir grabbed the axe and attached it to his hip. He then hefted up the shield. Lights on his missile launcher and heavy flamer began to blink before going dark.

Philosir turned his head, both backpack mounted weapons turned and followed his gaze, he turned again and they once again followed his movement. With a slow motion he returned his gaze to Inushi.

A lone square pedestal emerged from the center of MOAT. An array of electrical ports and docking stations lined three of its side, yet the third side was perfectly smooth. As the pedestal reached its full height the smooth side opened from the top. Philosir stepped over and looked inside.

Inushi couldn’t see what was inside from where he stood but his interest was peaked. He lifted his chin to attempt a look when Philosir reached up to his helmet. The red helm had minor damage but several lenses on his secondary optical units were broken. The bottom edge of his front grill was also mashed in.

With several clicks he removed his helm.

Seeing the true face of a tech marine was always a unique experience, but seeing Philosir’s mechanical augmentations took him by surprise. His cranium and neck were black metal, his mouth appeared more like a minute speaker from a vox caster. As fascinating as the mechanics were though, Inushi found himself transfixed with Philosir’s eyes. The tech marine still had his organic eyes. His nose and ears were flesh as well, but Inushi couldn’t take his gaze away from his those orbs.

They were the lightest blue, bordering on white, yet they had a depth that gave him a wizened look. Inushi didn’t know what to say, but when Philosir hefted another helm out from the pedestal Inushi looked away as if ashamed.

“I am probably not what you think a typical tech marine looks like, am I?” The monotone voice of Philosir sounded incredibly out of place after staring at his face. “I have seven different optical units on my armor and the audio augments have the capacity to sense bugs burrowing beneath my tank, my olfactory unit can discern every chemical compound in the air around us, yet none of these augmentations….” He paused,

“None of them can ever truly replace my real senses.”

Philosir then placed his new helmet on his head. The identical helm clicked into place.

In the few seconds Inushi had glimpsed the marine under the amazing red armor, his vision of the tech marine had been forever changed.