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Author's Note:
I have this nasty habit of coming up with an idea in my head, then not giving it room or time to grow and soon enough it dies out. I hope that will not be the case with the story of Alpha 1, but to any readers who stick through this first installment and want more, rest easy that I have at least another two already written out.

Dedicated to the amazing Kasrkin models in the Imperial Guard range. As soon as I finish painting my goblins, I swear I will buy you.


The Tau Commander

The Tau army was in disarray.

Though he had been crouched in the shadowy ruins of an old warehouse for the past half hour, Sergeant Theo knew that the Emperor’s forces were winning. The brief, clipped updates through his helmet’s com-link had betrayed little of the battle’s progress, but a few minutes ago, Kira had signed that a squad of Firewarriors were falling back a street across from them. That was the first indication, the town of Cleopas was two klicks behind the Tau front lines. Enemy troops falling back this far was a good sign. Beside him, Markus pointed quickly down the road. A Tau Hammerhead was drifting slowly towards them. The skimmer was clearly injured, the front half of its main gun had been blown off, leaving a ragged metal stump extending from the turret and smoke was streaming from its engines. In front of him, Theo could see Goye slowly flipping the safety off his plasma gun.

“Hold your fire, that’s not our target.” Theo hissed into his microphone.

“Mighty tempting though, Sarge.” Further ahead of Goye, Alwes was slowly tracking the hull of the Hammerhead with his weapon. The tank was close enough for Theo to make out the alien writing on the hull. He turned his eyes away.

“Wait for the target.”

“Sarge.”

Theo looked behind him. Kira had a vantage point overlooking the street on the other side of the warehouse.

“A lot of enemy infantry in the past minute … two squads plus stragglers. Three Crisis suits and a Devilfish transport too, on the far side.”

Theo nodded, then turned back to the main road. Fortunately for his squad, holding ground was not in the alien Tau battle doctrine. Had this been a different enemy, this infiltration would have been suicide. A pair of Crisis suits drifted into view, one facing forwards, the other facing backwards. Goye slowly raised his weapon.

“Throne damn it, Goye, wait for the command!”

“That could be the target!”

“Do you see any thrice-damned markings on that suit’s chasis? A distinct helmet? Twin-linked weapons on the right arm?”

“No, Sarge.”

“Then lower your weapon.”

The suits flew by and Theo let out the breath he had been holding. Suddenly, a static-mixed voice filled his helmet.

+++Target approaching North-west sector+++

“North-west, just like we thought. Markus, switch over to Kira’s side, make sure we don’t lose him again.”

“Yes, Sarge.”

“Call out anything you see.”

“Kroot, hundred metres away.” Kira replied without turning her helmeted head from the street.

“Piranha skimmer on the main road, coming on fast.” Awles noted.

“Goye?”

“Ignoring it, Sarge.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Two more Devilfish transport,” Markus whispered into his microphone, “and a team of Crisis suits – no markings.”

“More Firewarriors.” Theo watched as a group of alien infantry ran after the light skimmer on the main road. He made out the squad leader, marked by a white band around his tan shoulder plate barking orders. Without raising his weapon, Theo knew that he could have targeted the alien’s head and blown it clean off. Grudgingly, he kept his safety on. Every alien that past the squad unharmed was a small affront to each member.

“Another Hammerhead on this side, looks intact.”

“Sarge, I think this is it.” Awles pointed down the main road.

A pair of Crisis Suits had touched down onto the far end of the main road. The front suit was nearly a uniform tan colour, but the suit behind it had three panels of dark red on the left side of its chasis and a helmet that was the same shade. They were suspended motionless in the air, but Theo could almost imagine the hurried conversation between the Tau commander and his trusted aide, probably on withdrawal tactics or relaying the latest orders.

“That’s him. Kira, Markus, back here.” Theo thumbed the safety off his hotshot lasgun. He missed the sturdy feel of his old hellgun, but now he was trusting in the armour piercing capabilities of his new weapon.

“Wait until they’re in range. Kira, Markus, we’re bringing down the extra, Goye and Alwes, the Target’s all yours.”

“No drones on this one, Sarge.”

“Probably downed during the battle.”

The pair of enemy battle suits glided down the main road towards Theo’s squad. They were close enough now that Theo could make out each suit’s weapon system. Both carried a long rifle with a round barrel. The Target had another weapon attached to the same arm, which Theo identified as the Tau equivalent of an Imperial meltagun. The bodyguard was carrying an alien flamer on its other hand, deadly against enemies in cover. Enemies like Theo’s squad.

“Steady. Steady.”

The suits were close enough that had Theo thrown one of the loose bricks by his feet at them, he doubt he would have missed by much. The curious thought brought a small smile to Theo’s face. Suddenly, with a quiet horror, Theo saw the suits stop mid-flight. The Target’s helmet turned slowly until it was looking right at him.

Throne

“OPEN FIRE.”

Bright beams of blue energy burst from the plasma guns aimed by Awles and Goyle at the Target. Theo fired his hot-las on full automatic, directing the fire towards the weaker joints of the bodyguard’s suit. Kira and Markus added to the deadly wall of fire, and the giant battlesuit dropped to the road in a scorched heap. A stream of flame issued from its left arm as it convulsed, but it sailed harmlessly over the squad into the storey above them. The target suit now had a leg missing and a pair of holes in its chasis. It rose a few feet in the air before another beam of blue tore off its right arm at the shoulder. The Target drifted backwards, then collapsed into the ruins of a building across the main road, bringing down a small section of wall with it.

“Cease fire.” Theo breathed out.

“We got him!” Goye whooped standing up.

“All right, keep your weapons on him, we’ll con …. GOYE!”

Goye had already broken cover from the warehouse and was advancing towards the Tau commander, plasma gun pointed at the downed suit.

“I’ll confirm this one, Sarge!”

“Trooper Goye, fall back, that’s an order!”

“You’re mine now, Alien f … - ”

An explosion rippled from the fallen suit, the last thing the Tau commander would ever do. Goye never got a chance to finish his taunt as the flames engulfed him. Theo instinctively ducked his head into cover as a fist sized chunk of rock flew over his crouched form. Dust and grit and smoke filled the main road.

“Throne damn it!” Theo stood up to see miniature crater where the Tau commander had been seconds ago. He swore again. “If they hadn’t heard the first exchange the entire Throne damned town would’ve heard that. Alpha 1, to the roof, I’m calling for extraction.”

The squad took off for the first set of stairs at the near end of the warehouse. Theo unhooked the homing beacon from his belt.

“Valk 1, Valk 1, this is Alpha 1.”

“Reading you Alpha 1.”

“Valk 1, requesting immediate evac at co-ordinates transmitting.”

“Alpha 1, co-ordinates received, dust down in two minutes.”

“Look for the green smoke, out.”

As the squad ran up the crumbling, creaky metal stairs of the warehouse catwalks, Theo took another look at the main road.

“Throne damn it all.”

A Tau skimmer of some sort had skidded to a halt, infantry pouring out of it. Theo took another look out the upper storey window. They had perfect cover and firing position, all he had to do was give the command …

“Theo!”

Kira’s voice snapped Theo back to the present situation.

“We have to move, Sarge! Awles and Markus are already on the roof.”

A small bolt of alien energy punched a dent in the rockrete wall of the warehouse beside Theo’s head. The Tau Firewarriors had rushed into the warehouse and were firing on the two Storm Troopers on the upper catwalks.

“Go!”

At the bottom of the last set of stairs, Theo crouched down and took aim as Kira raced up behind him. He counted six in various positions of cover in the rubble. He targeted a figure crouched behind a pillar. Three shots later, the figure crumpled to the ground. Above him, Kira had reached the top of the stairs and began to fire into the piles of rubble. Theo heard a strangled yell of pain from below him.

“Go, Sarge!”

Theo ran up the stairs and past the crouched figure of Kira in the doorway leading to the roof. A cloud of green smoke was floating up into the sky, Awles and Markus were aiming their weapons at the opposite corners of the roof.

“Makes for quite a target, don’t it, Sarge?”

“Agreed, Awles.” Theo took up a position in the middle of the cloud of smoke, his back to the door. Kira had completed the formation, weapon aimed through the doorway.

“Valk 1’s on her way, just sit tight and …” Theo felt a sudden vibration through the roof and heard Markus’ curse at the same time. Spinning around, Theo found his weapon pointed at another Tau Crisis suit. It towered over the four Storm Troopers, and though Theo could not see the pilot, the rotating multi-barrels and glowing barrel on its arms clearly indicated its intentions.

“SQUAD FI –"

Three beams of red energy sang through the air. Theo threw himself onto his stomach, the image still burning his eyes, even through his helmet’s protective visor. Looking up, he saw the two legs of the enemy suit standing straight up, smoking grotesquely. The body of the suit had disintegrated completely. Behind the legs, a Valkyrie Vendetta gunship was slowly drifting down onto the roof.

“Alpha 1, ready when you are.”

Despite the pain radiating from his eyes, Theo couldn’t help but smile a little.

“About damn time, Valk 1.” Theo rose from the ground and looked around at his squad members. “Squad!” He pointed at the lowering ramp on the back of the Valkyrie “Mount up!”