Terra Lords - The T'Guiaran Purge

Assault Squad Balfus landed on the partially collapsed roof of the city's administratum building. The constant shelling by the rebels of the previous weeks had destroyed most of the capital leaving only the skeletal remains of the once beautiful paradise Paalus.

To the west of their position they could hear and see the Delphium 85th bogged down in a murderous frontal assault to engage the rebels.

The remaining support beams of the roof groaned under the weight of the fully munitioned assault marines. Sergeant Plexus' voice could be heard over the vox "Ironhand, this is Balfus. Primary checkpoint reached awaiting orders."

"Balfus, Ironhand; immediate move to secondary checkpoint, destroy objective and engage resistance".

The orders were simple really and Squad Balfus were used to simplicity. Like Angron's World Eaters once the Terra Lords were unleashed upon the enemy the result was nothing short of obliteration. Their Chapter made on excuse for this. When Vestas Gallus pledged to redeem his chapter, destruction of all the emperor's enemies was the only operational objective they required. Balfus ignited their jumpacks in unison and lifted into the air once more moving to the secondary checkpoint, a small power substation at the intersection of two major roads.

Despite the small dimensions of the objective the necessity for Balfus to destroy was no less important. The substation was the back up to the main station 3km down the western approach to their current position, the objective of the Delphium 85th. Once destroyed, the rebels would no longer be able to supply power to the device that was jamming orbital signals to the surface. Planet-fall had been difficult enough in the drop-pods without the complication of an orbital communication blackout. The legion was able to relay surface comms via the imperial guard transmitters but signal strength was patchy at best.

Before they had even touched the ground outside the substation, rebel heavy weapons teams located amongst the ruins on two adjacent corners opened fire on Balfus. The enemy's intention was to smash anything that approached the substation from the south or the west, it was the perfect ambush position and Plexus begrudgingly had to admire the tactical nous of the rebel commander for such a well chosen position. Plexus heard Vistus scream in agony as a burst of heavy bolter fire caught him in the chest. Vistus crumpled under the impact and Plexus could see the entry wounds caused by the shells, unless a legion Apothecary could reach him in time Vitus would die. Not even the Astartes' super-enhanced anatomy would be able to compensate for those wounds.

The situation was uncertain, Squad Balfus had not seen the enemy positions as they moved to the objective and it was unclear how many enemy they faced and in what concentration. Plexus recognised that the situation would become dire unless Balfus acted quickly. The enemy fire was constant and alarmingly accurate, whilst Celebron and Griffio had managed to silence the bolter team that had taken Vistus down, a second heavy weapons team began firing into the squad with a las-cannon. "Balfus, Ironhand; sit-rep!" In that moment Celebron issued a subdued grunt and Plexus saw that where Celebron's left arm had been a burst from the rebel las-cannon had sheared it clean off. The arm and shoulder pad lay neatly arranged on the ground, as if placed there deliberately. Celebron calmy bent down and recovered his bolter with his right hand and continued to fire into the ruins on the opposite side of the street, watching for the muzzle flash of the enemy weapons. "Ironhand; objective reached, enemy resistance extreme. Two casualties. Require re-enforcements and apothecary."

"Balfus, objective imperative! Negative on re-enforcements. Apothecary dispatched - enroute. Mortis Inifinitum!"

'Mortis inifinitum' indeed Plexus thought to himself. Patching in to the vox Plexus issued his order, "Melta-bombs to Vanulus" turning to Vanulus, Plexus barked "Turn that substation to dust. Celebron, Griffio with me". Pointing across the street Plexus yelled "Mortis Infinitum" and the three remaining marines charged as one into the withering enemy fire.

From his location in front of the blast doors to the substation, Vanulus couldn't see if they had made contact with the enemy but noticed that the volume of fire around him had decreased somewhat. The rebels had jammed the doors to the substation by shorting out the electrical mechanism operating the door. Given the urgency of the situation Vanulus decided the only way in was to blow the doors, reasoning that roof-top access to such a building would not be possible. With the timer set to four seconds on the melta-bombs Vanulus lifted off and landed on the roof of the building next door. Barely landing in time, the explosion that followed hurled Vanulus across the roof-top and into what remained of the third story of a building two lots down the western approach to the intersection. The last thing he remembered was how stuffy it felt inside his helmet and feeling for the release latch.

When Vanulus awoke Sidius Pravus, Chaplain of the Terra Lords stood over him. "Awake at last" Pravus grunted, somehow even the most positive encouragement from Pravus sounded like a rebuke. Turning his head to the right Vanulus could see still form of his battle-brother Vistus lying in the cryo-cot next to him. "He'll make it" rebuked Pravus again.

"Plexus?" rasped Vanulus.

"Dead" said Pravus blunty "along with Griffio and Celebron."

Vanulus sighed and closed his eyes only just prior to this deployment Plexus had been issued his terminator honours by Patriach Vestas Gallus himself.

The rumbling increased despite the cessation of the artillery bombardment, the vibrations felt deep down inside the command bunker dislodged dust and debris from the ceiling. The walls shook with sporadic tremors not the percussive upheaval experienced moments before beneath the storm of Vengeance missiles from the Astartes’ Whirlwinds beyond the horizon.

Mere moments passed before the rumbling sensation intensified, it was constant now and causing concern amongst the command staff in the bunker. Desperate for any information of its source Colonel M’Alakerus ordered his vox operator to communicate with the surface, against the Commissar’s order for radio silence.

He was answered with static and suspecting the forward observers he’d left in the trenches above were already dead, he sent a runner. Sometimes one had to rely on the old ways he thought grimly to himself. What seemed like an eternity passed before one of two things happened. The incessant, dull rumbling on the surface had risen to a crescendo and ceased followed by a dull thud and shortly thereafter the panic-stricken runner buzzed frantically on the vox-com at the sealed blast doors.

Another loud blast was heard followed by what seemed like falling masonry and the protesting screeches of collapsing plas-steel. The panic in the voice of the runner rose alarmingly and had become delirious to the point of frantic hysteria.

Short percussive bursts were now clearly audible and the atmosphere in the bunker was thick with the smell of urine and faeces, the fear palpable amongst the colonel’s staff. What terrible fate had the Autarch engineered for the T’Guiaran people with the death of the imperial emissary?

The frenzy outside the reinforced blast doors had ceased following a series of thunderous detonations. The echoes of which were still reverberating around the bunker forcing several men to their knees in pain. Panic was clearly etched on their faces as they witnessed the terrifying sight of a chainfist slice into the armoured bulkhead, two or three even vomited.

Colonel M’Alakerus desperately pumped the PTT switch on the vox trying to make contact with Commissar Y’Larourn as something whooshed by him and slammed, with a deafening clang in the far wall of the bunker. He realised that things seem unnervingly quiet, as he turned toward the dust filled entrance of the bunker, the last thing that passed through the mind of Colonel M’Alakerus was the Kraken Pattern Penetrator Round used by Terminators of Squad Corvinus – Terra Lords.