"Sacrifices" - An Apocalypse Narrative Part 2

Chapter Two - Strange Bedfellows

Prologue  Part 1

Rules used for this battle are here: Apocalypse Custom rules; these were modified slightly ingame for 'balance'

Warboss Gutrencha

"Alright you gitz! We's got ta hit deez humies right in da teef! We ain't gon stand bys while they takes our prizes!!" Gutrencha thrust his fist into the air, what once was solid green humanoid hand, had been surgically replaced by the Mad Dok. Gutrencha wasn't the only one. For the past several months his warband had been undergoing systematic prosthetic replacement of whatever it was they deemed un-necessary or too weak to cause the destruction they wanted. As such, it was to their great fortune that they ran across the Mad Dok and his towering leader, the Great Skorpion, conqueror of the Emerald system. This and his retinue of mega armored sentinels were what faced Gutrencha now.



"We's got ta git back tha fleshy Gutrencha. He's gots the parts we need to get even bigga and badda than we is now, see?"

The Mad Dok whirled about quickly, it looked like he was halfway through removing the eye of one of the Mega Nobs, before speaking he let out a gleeful, sadistic cackle, " Ooo yesss...first we kill in every-ting in sight first, its why methinks I should take out eyes so's there is nuttin' ta seeeeee..."

Gutrencha knew what his warband thought of the Dok, that he was one scalpel short of a medpack but they needed him and they need the Skorpions elite forces to retrieve that which the Ravens had taken so cowardly.

"We's gonna git it, then we's crush the black ones and stomp their gutz inta tha ground!!!" He roared after the last statement and swung himself unto his bike and gunned the motor, the bike protesting and squealing as it belched a column of the blackest smoke through its makeshift exhaust. Orks around him roared their approval and flooded into their Trukks and Battlewagons, Koptas took to the skies and the chase began in earnest.

Apothecary Cornelus

Cornelus knew what was coming, and he dreaded it. The sacrifice and slaying of of the Emperors chosen was never something that an Apothecary wished for. But soon, they would be forced to engage their Brothers of the Raven. Communication between the two Chapters had bore no fruit. Either the Ravens would not answer on standard vox channels, or they had succumbed to the foul taint the Inquisitor had wrought upon them somehow. It would be up to the Night Hawks to lay them low, retrieve the Inquisitor and, more importantly, the knowledge he possessed. Ordinarily this would be a matter for the Ordo Malleus, but since time was of the essence, there could be no moment spared for doubt.

"Doubt begets heresy", he mumbled under his breath. The attack would soon be joined, already ahead he could see with his gene enhanced vision the black outlines of the Raven Guard rear defence force.

"Targets acquired Captain Ardias. Standard Codex defence patterns, I recommend caution however, the disciples of Corax are masters of the way of deception." This would be Captain Ardias's first command since his promotion and Cornelus was to act the part of advisor and confidant to Ardias.

"Ardias to Cornelus, understood. Upon my mark, prepare to engage the enemy on their flank, leave no doubt Brothers, the Forge Master will continue to attempt to hail our Brothers but I fear they have fallen prey to the Inquisitor and his dark master."

"Things are not always as they seem Brother-Captain."

Ardias knew that Cornelus spoke truth, but now was not the time for indecision. Every moment that passed too the Inquisitor closer and closer to his escape within the Legion fortress. Vox communication had been nigh impossible, thanks to the deep canyon walls that the base was situated in. The best they'd gotten was a scrambled report about rats interfering with the internal communication systems. The time had come and he gunned his bike into life, leading the way ahead of his command squad. "Night Hawks....ATTACK!!!"

Nob Biker Skullkracka
Skullkracka raced forwards, his klaw low to his side as he zoomed past one of the large walkers to his left. The dust was so thick he could barely see through his worn out goggles, and his teeth were covered with what passed for bugs and dirt on this world. But he didn't care. All he cared for was the thrill of destruction, the need to grab something in his klaw and smash it to pieces. He swung his bike round again to make another pass, like the jouster of old. But before he could tear ahead, out of the corner or his good eye, he saw them.

"Argghh it must be ma Spore-Day!! More humies ta fight!!" He clamped the jaws closed of his klaw and made his way over to Gutrencha.

"More humies Gutrencha!! Deez ones got sum respect fur da Speed, ridin' on their bikes an all."

"Argh we ain't got time for em' Skullkracka, we need to git back da stinkin' humie from the black ones. Plus deez ones don't seem ta want to die and be squished so easy mate!" As if to punctuate that statement, a huge shell from the Vindicator tore into their bike squad, creating a deafening vortex of sound and destruction. But Gutrencha's boys were

hard, and they felt no pain like the lesser of their kind.

Storm bolter fire and assault cannon rounds tore into their brothers around them. But that wasn't the worst. The worst was the sound that came overhead. Gutrencha had heard it before, it started like a small whistling sound, as though something was broken on his bike, but it got louder and louder, and he knew what was coming for them.

"Gun it ladz!!" His Nobs tore forward, increasing their speed even more, and he began zigzagging back and forth at breakneck speed. He took a glance behind him and saw the shells begin to fall. The Guard had found their marks and were beginning to shell their advance. Behind him and to his right, a trukk spun a wheel and dug hard into the earth, spilling orks from its poorly protected interior. He wondered how the Skorpion was taking all this...

Techmarine Helixus

"My lord, large quantities of Orks appear to be in chase of the Raven Guard as well. Undoubtedly those that had captured the Inquisitor in the first place. Shall I begin generating a shooting solution for the Thunderfire mount?"

"Negative Helixus, the Orks are keeping them busy for the moment. Concentrate on moving the Raider ahead and engaging them as soon as able. Bring the Multimeltas to bear upon their dreadnoughts, lest they breach our lines."

"Confirmed Forge Master" Helixus did not need to ponder the order, as a huge Raven Guard Ironclad came into sight. He simultaneously sent the binary command to the Thunderfire for automatic target aquisition as he interfaced with the great machine spirit. He felt its ebb and flow, and he felt its wrath, its need to destroy. He focused that energy into the multimelta and fired, a searing beam heat emanating from the weapon and coring its way straight to the Ironclad. The Raven at the last second managed to swing it torso away as the beam passed by it. "Recalibrate!"

The tactical overlay gave Helixus an overall view of the battle, and he saw his Brothers, as well as the venerated Forge Master speeding by him, as well as a warp enhanced blue streak, which could only be Brother Librarian Numanor. Helixus would never understand the ways of the psyker. His passion and dedication were directed to the Machine God and the Mighty Emperor himself.

His reverie was broken short by the looming figure of the Ironclad. Its Hurricane bolter decimating ranks of Orks with impunity, it turned toward him and raised its hammer for a downward swing. "Brace for impact!!" The hammer slammed into the raider with a tremendous force, causing a track to slip off the left side and it began to turn in place. The Machine Spirit was furious that such a blow was delivered to it, and Helixus recited the calming rites to bring order to the frantic chaos. Finally the Land Raider settled but without a track it could not move any further, just as the Ironclad was stomping forward for another blow, a large blast struck it directly in the chest.

"Helixus, prepare a battle damage assessment, I will deal with the Ironclad and send it back to the Omnissiah!" The Forge Master flew by on his bike, his Conversion Beamer still smoking from the attack on the Ironclad. Helixus knew though that the blast was not full strength, not at this range.

Headsnatcha
Headsnatcha tumbled out of the trukk, his other boys falling in a mangled heap alongside him. All around him were his enemies, and with them came the bark of the guns. Storm bolter fire raced through the air, melta fire came storming from the large machines in front, while a roiling ball of plasma rolled lazily through the air overhead, straight into a group of the newcomers. The fight was roaring, and his ork blood fuelled his battle rage. He went screaming forward into the enemy, choppa held high. Ahead of him, through the smoke and fire were five armoured foes. Their advance seemed relentless, and the hail of bullets that came from them made it even better for him. He wanted nothing more than to get to grips with them and cut them into a dozen little pieces.

Things to come....

Then came the rain. Huge explosions detonated around him as the heavy guns of the guard continued their un-ending assault. He didn't care. He was going for the closest one now. It's eyes turned towards him, a dull blue hue emanating from his white helmet. He swung hard and brutal. A strike that would have cleaved a normal Space marine in two. But this was no normal marine. The marine turned and fired his storm bolter straight for his skull, but he knocked it aside and went to strike again. The marine parried the blow with his fist and delivered a crushing head butt to Headsnatcha's face, stunning him. As he stumbled backward he felt a violent blow straight through his midriff, and when he looked down, there was a cackling energy field surround by the white fist of his assailant. The words that came out were a harsh, vox distorted sound but Headsnatcha didn't understand what they meant. He fell, into a crumpled green heap amongst the rest of his kin.

Compiled by my friend at http://stalkingamongshadows.blogspot.ca/