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- Part I -
Imperial Might
A crimson sky bereft with the clash of fliers lingered over Rhifirim Prime, cascades of incandescent light flashed below as barrages and strikes hammered the continent that had been plunged into chaos as a savage war consumed the land. Piece by piece and bit by bit the natives were being dragged into civilization and forced into the service of the one true God Emperor, some did not see this as a choice and fought until their dying breath. The capital city of Talos was all but broken, with the final stronghold keep holding out to the very last man. The outer wall had fallen and the inner sanctum was heavily fortified, dotted with anti air craft batteries and machine guns they rippled with fire. Funnels of smoke twisted skyward and bodies littered the earth in their thousands, the dirt stained red.
Just after dusk the destroyer class battleship unleashed hell fire down on the fortifications and joint strike fighters swept down committing themselves to deadly gun runs against the pockets of resistance that still lay on the outskirts of Talos . Elements of the Legio Auxilia airborne division swept through the ruined streets, searching among collapsed buildings and burnt out machines to route out any survivors. They were an elite airborne attachment of guardsmen who supported the Legion in their crusade. Adorned with a mottled camouflage of reds, yellows and browns they blended in with perfection to the red dusty backdrop of the planet. Strapped with ceramic chest plates and ballistic helmets fitted with an advanced HUD delivering vital combat information in real time to the user. Two full regiments had been engaged in intense fighting for four days and both sides had suffered heavy losses, but the Imperial might was such that wave after wave of Auxilia were sent into the city regardless of losses to consume the enemy and break their will to fight. They knew that no matter how many they killed, more guard would be sent, the Legion was vast and unending in their eyes.
Captain Vargo of One platoon split off from Gladius Company and his platoon forced their way down a tightly packed street, maneuvering around rubble and bodies alike toward the main gatehouse of the inner sanctum. The silence was broken as an enemy machine gun opened up on the men, rounds punched against the ruined structures and penetrated the thin cover dropping a handful of soldiers, among them was Sergeant Karsk, a mess of gore and sinew splattered against the street as the bodies slumped lifeless to the floor. The platoon standard stained with grit and blood was clenched tightly in his now dead hands.
"Covering Fire!!!!" Bellowed the Captain as the sections split up into tactical positions,
Two section dragged up their Autocannon and set up their emplacement and within seconds had set upon the enemy firing position, rounds cracked and pinged against the crenelations. The remaining two groups advanced down the street, weaving in and out of blown out structures with their weapons aimed up high to return fire should more hostiles present themselves. The wind threw dust into the faces of the men all but blinding them, their only marker of enemy positions was the constant flashing of the gun point. The repetitive dull thud from the autocannon rang like an orchestra of war, adrenaline surged in the men as they advanced closer and closer toward the gate.
Without warning the enemy fire came to a halt and the dust and wind died down to a light breeze. One platoon advanced on either side of the street up towards the gate house with their rifles aimed high to engage any more hostiles. They were stopped in their tracks as a trap was sprung and in an instance the gears and bolts whirred into life and the gate rolled open screeching across its rusted worn frame. Before the men stood a huge mechanical walker, heavily armoured and wielding a brave arsenal of assault cannons and rockets. The mech charged towards the battle group, its mechanical feet hissed as they crunched the rubble and bodies beneath them and it began to press Vargo's already fatigued men. The cannons spun into action and began to spit high caliber rounds onto the men, strafing left to right tearing apart the platoon apart in a terrific display of red mess, casings spewed onto the street in their hundreds and as the barrels came to a stop with smoke brimming from the tip, before the walker the platoon lay dead, all but one man torn apart and littering the street resembled a mass grave.
The lone survivor clasped his leg and pushed his back up against a wall as his blood pooled beneath him, a stray round had caused a catastrophic bleed. Lying wounded and crippled next to Sergeant Karsk he pulled the standard from his hands and raised it up against himself, the Imperial Eagle fluttered in all its majesty bearing the Legions motto 'By Strength, we conquer'. With his final breath Private Jillan desperately gasped for air to call reinforcements and as his body began to give out his message was a success, the call for aid was pinged up to the cruiser waiting patiently above the planet. He pulled out a cigarette from his bloody fatigues and placed it in his mouth and began to draw out his lighter to light up, the walker advanced ever closer but his demeanour did not change. He lit the cigarette and calmly took a drag drawing a thick smoke into his mouth. The barrels begin to spin once more, the soldier knew his fate yet he relished his final moments with a smoke and in a volley of fire Jillian was no more.
Night turned to day as the sky was illuminated by hundreds of streaking flames as the drop pods hurtled toward the surface, the sound that followed was deafening and a mighty sonic boom roared out over the city. Bewildered soldiers on both sides looked up as the heavens opened up and poured out the astartes strike force. The Space Marines had been unleashed in all their fury, The Legion was here.
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