Of Xenos and War

by Snake Staff

Skirmish (II)

++Facility 2W6379BJ, Denton III++
++3.637.879.M39++

Green beams of light tore from the long synaptic disintegrator rifles wielded by the cyclopean agents of assassination. Each individual shot was too focused, too weak to hope to seriously damage the sturdy Imperial flyer, but two dozen such attacks were a different matter altogether. The Deathmarks were as chillingly accurate as they had always been, and the Necron weaponry tore great holes into the aircraft’s twin engines. The metal components shrieked as the arcane xenos weaponry began to break down what remained of the machine’s lift.

The Valkyrie had been grounded.

Trazyn gave the next order without ceremony. “Deathmarks, cease fire,” he said without the need for words. “Immortals, lay down cover fire and advance to point blank range. Do not let my prize escape.”

The night black elite of the Necrons appeared in predetermined coordinates in a green-hued short range teleport. Their double-barreled gauss blasters opened fire, tearing into the wings and sides of the trapped aircraft. The Imperials within fought back to the best of their ability, the forward-facing multi-laser laying down what fire it could from its immobile position. Two men opened up with both of the craft’s door-mounted heavy bolters, the powerful ammunition tearing through even the necrodermis armor of Immortals and shredding a trio of them, before counter fire from the xenos disintegrated both humans without ceremony.

To their credit, the Imperials did not cease their efforts to fight even for a second as the murderous mechanicals closed in. Primitive laser shots and crude but effective explosives emerged from the Valkyrie to rain down on the Necron elite, damaging more and even managing to bring down some of the xenos, however temporarily. But the undead legions pressed forward relentlessly, closing the distance to the battered aircraft slowly but surely, picking off any human that dared stick itself outside of the protective cover with precisely-aimed gauss shots. They used their alien weaponry to disintegrate great chunks of metal from its walls at point blank range, in order to force their way inside.

Glimmers of green light could be seen from within the Imperial vehicle for a handful of seconds. Simultaneously came the sounds of muffled explosions and the crack of las weaponry. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, all was still. Smoke wafted lightly from the slain machine while all but one of the Necrons damaged in their attack pulled themselves back onto their feet, their self-repair programs shrugging off what should have been mortal wounds. The final soldier, badly torn apart by the vehicle’s heavy bolters, vanished back to base to undergo more specialized repair.

“Report,” Trazyn demanded of his men, eager to collect his bounty and be done with this tiresome and uninspiring place.

“My lord, all hostiles have been terminated,” replied Tyrentekh over their communications system.

The Overlord had to resist a sudden urge to hit himself in the face. “And the exotic alien? It is intact, I trust?”

“All living entities aboard this craft were of the species designated human. There were no biological life forms fitting the descriptions given of target for capture,” came the emotionless reply.

“What?!”

---

++Valkyrie-class Airborne Assault Carrier Warbird++

“We’re approaching our destination. ETA forty-five seconds to drop point,” came the voice of the aircraft’s pilot through the intercom system.

“Acknowledged,” Twilight Sparkle replied through the same, for formality’s sake. “Alright people, lock and load! We’re going in nearly blind, so be ready for anything.”

“Great,” muttered a certain former PDF sergeant under his breath.

“What was that?” Twilight glared at him.

“Nothing, sir!” he snapped a hurried salute.

The little equine kept her eyes locked on Aisen for a few moments more before turning her attention back to a final check of her own gear. Around her, the assembled men of the Inquisition were doing the same with varying degrees of professionalism and composure; Durrane looked as though he might be getting ready for a relaxing walk in the park, while Aisen took hasty swallows of alcohol from a concealed flask whenever he thought she wasn’t looking.

“It’s just as well, really,” Twilight considered. “We’re probably all about to die anyway. One squad and three flyers to extract a prisoner from a base under siege? May as well just let him have it if it makes him feel any better. And perhaps better somewhat inebriated than terrified.”

The Valkyrie continued to hurl through the polluted skies of the hive world, on course for Adeptus Mechanicus Facility X1938YP5. There, the team was to retrieve an imprisoned psyker by the name of Marius Quinn, for reasons that Twilight had not been authorized to know. What she did know was that contact with the facility had been lost with a full team of Deathwatch Space Marines on the premises, reporting a massive force of attacking Necrons. Again, for reasons she hadn’t been permitted to know, simply calling in an army had been ruled out.

“Probably because of all the other Necron assaults taking place across the planet,” she thought sourly. It was a full-scale war and resources were not exactly abundant, but she wished that she had more to work with. Even under the optimistic assumption that the base hadn’t been totally overrun, there weren’t likely to be men to spare.

Still, she had a job to do, and there was no way Twilight would rather die than fighting to her last breath against the metal monsters.

“Approaching drop point. ETA fifteen seconds to drop.”

Twilight began building magic around her horn. “Everyone, gather around me. Close as you can while maintaining combat formation. This won’t be an easy insertion, and I really don’t need it to be any harder than already is.”

The six troopers of Twilight’s improvised squad did as the Acolyte asked, clustering around her in a circle facing outwards, guns in hand.

“Five seconds,” came the pilot’s voice.

Twilight’s horn was encased in a purple aura, lighting up the Valkyrie’s compartment around the team. She drew upon the power the Warp slowly, trying not to attract its predators while absorbing enough strength to do what she was attempting.

“Four.”

The glow began to extend itself around the alicorn’s body proper, bright enough now to cause pain in unshielded human eyes.

“Three.”

It reached around each of the humans in turn. More than one shifted nervously in response, muttering prayers to their God-Emperor through closed eyes and clenched teeth.

“Two.”

Twilight focused intently on their destination, on the blueprints of the complex that she had committed to memory. She could see it in her mind’s eye, more than a mile below the aircraft, currently swarming with enemies determined to finish off whatever resistance remained.

“One.”

There was a blazing spark of violet light inside the Warbird, and the squad vanished into the depths of the Warp.

Author's Note:

Short chapter this time, but I'm getting back into this story and expect that the next update will come more quickly.

Comments

[Queuefka Palazzo]

Remember: if you fave, like!

Ew, how bossy.

[DenyTheWitch]

That line with the heavy bolter was one i didn't like, after all immortal armour is enough to stop heavy bolter shells.

[DominiusTWD]

4920710

yeah however thats based on the games mechanics, IF you follow the fluff and actual story based strength a heavy bolter destroys almost everything besides tanks. i recall GW created special space marine rules for a match that was realistic to the storys of how tough a space marine and their gear is. my friend was the space marine squad, literally a squad of 6 guys, 1 sarg, 1 heavy, 1 special and 3 standard vs a 2k nids codex. i got destroyed, repeatedly.

[Glenn]

It's good to see this story continue.
"She drew upon the power the Warp slowly, trying to attract its predators while absorbing enough strength to do what she was attempting."
Should that be, "trying to not attract its predators"?

[Snake Staff]

4921550
'Twas indeed a typo.

[Jarimor]

my god, this story is so well done compared to some i have read...
and its BELIEVABLE 40k too.

FAV'D!

[Black Hoof]

I have seen in the W40K wikia that inquisitorial Acolytes are meant to become full Inquisitors themselves, when their masters have taught them everything they know. Does that mean Rovini plans, one day, to give Twilight the rank of Inquisitor?

Inquisitor Twilight : "By the authority my inquisitorial rank bestowed upon me, I requisition your squad!"
Brother-Sergeant Nixios : "Huh ?!"

[Snake Staff]

4927578
Most Acolytes die horribly in some manner long before that becomes an issue. The job is not one most can handle, after all. As to Rovini's plans for Twilight, you'd have to ask the man himself, and he's rather stingy with information. But some would undoubtedly hypothesize that those were his intentions.

[40kponyguy1]

4907245
Actually, a Space Marine is strength 4.
Although I guess I'm just being overly picky here.

Even so, in game mechanics mean that all but the best weapons are pretty much useless against a Necron monolith.
I remember back in 3rd edition, losing almost an entire 1500 point Tau force because one of my 3 opponents in that game dropped a monolith in the middle of my army. Special rules for it meant that I had to get out of the way rather than it being destroyed by deep striking in the middle of my force.
The Gauss flux arc weapon then killed 3 broadsides, my command squad, a Hammerhead, and reduced 3 squads to below half strength, (because it rolled D6 hits against every unit within 12", and my dice hated me). I had nothing left that could damage it then.

At least they took out the 2nd edition rules Necrons used to have, back when they were all but unheard of.

Anything got within 12" of a Necron model, all technology shut down. Power weapons didn't work, you couldn't shoot at all, and your tanks just became scenery.

[Black Hoof]

I can't wait for the next chapter.

[boronium]

"What she did know was that contact with the facility had been lost with a full team of Deathwatch Space Marines"
And they send three Valkyries with regular soldiers and a powerful psyker...
I know that in the far future there is only grimdark but still...
I'm pretty sure sending three battalions of IG would be considered underestimating the enemy at this point.

The Officio Inquisitorus are dicks.

PS: "She drew upon the power "" the Warp slowly" of