Salvation by Fire

Salvation by fire

In the dark times that currently have engulfed the Imperium of Man many wars are fought and lost, some tales go untold some are told by survivors or those who witnessed it from afar. This is one such tale.

War had come to Centurion Prime, the hive world had slipped into anarchy when several cults had reared their heads and began to openly wage war against the weak and incompetent rulers who for centuries untold had neglected their duties to the world that now cried for their blood.
The first weeks of the war had seen the PDF forces put up a remarkable strong defence but to no use. The swarms of cultists and other hostile groups had washed them away in a sea of horror.

Private Aleandrax ran like a man possessed, he was the single survivor of his company and by the Emperor, he would rather die running than to curl up and wait for death to come. He was a taunt young man at the age of 20 and considered himself a decent soldier but noting he had been taught in the PDF had prepared him for what had taken place over the few last days.
He felt cold fear and a sense of impending doom closing in on him, but there where no chance in hell he was going to give up. He valued life too much.

Behind him he could hear the shouts of the heretical scum chasing him, the high pitched voices of the mutants and the almost chanting cries of the traitor guardsmen. They fired pot-shot after him and yelled curses and threats. Aleandrax felt a taste of blood in his mouth and a sense of utter despair as he realised he could not outrun them, there where simply no where to run.

He continued to run and spitting blood and just as he thought he was done for, he realised something. He no longer could hear his enemies, it was as they simply had been whisked away. Before he could think another thought a new sound reached his ears, the loud and unmistakable sound of a large calibre weapon being fired and the sounds of battle.
Whoever had attacked his foes where clearly well armed, deciding that would need help to survive this nightmare he started making his way towards where the ring of battle where coming from.

The large band of heretics and other types of deep hive scum that had been trailing the lone PDF trooper had discovered to their dismay they where not alone, as they had closed in on their prey several massive figures had descended wings of fire and begun to dispose of their fellow cultists, the massive figures could only be one ting...... The Angels of Death.
The Space Marines hit the cultists like a meteor, several heretics was simply crushed under their weight as they landed and others where ripped to pieces by bolt pistol shots.
But most met their deaths at close quarters, daggers and clubs against chain swords and power armoured Marines was hardly fair and the outcome was predictable but still the fight was brutal and merciless

One less than brave member of the band decided to turn and flee, he never made more than two steps in the direction of safety.
A single shot from a bolt pistol removed his head from his shoulders.

" All threats neutralized sire" one Astartes said as he pulled his growling chain sword free from a mangled and bloody carcase. Their leader a massive Marine clad in a pitch black suit of armour with bronze shoulder pauldrons armed with a glowing power sword that crackled with energy looked around the ruined landscape and turned to his sergeant who had informed him of the results of this first encounter of the night.
" Understood sergeant, do we have a fix on our objective" the Marine said with a voice that gave a hint of his the centuries spent in the service of mankind.
Part II

Brother Captain Arkangel of the Death Hands scanned the war torn hive that lay before him and his brothers. They had descended on wings of fire and vengeance in search of the vile heretic that was the main leader of this war, so far the wrench had eluded their grip.
His ceramic encased hands clenched and he for a brief moment felt cold anger well up in him, why had the Emperor in all his wisdom granted the responsibilities of managing worlds like this to such fools. In the end it would not mater, they would prevail against the heretical rabble.

The captain did not wish to be bogged down by heretical cannon fodder at each turn, if they where to be effective they would either need a direct rout of assault or a guide to this massive urbane jungle that lay before them.

" Oh frakk! Space Marines" thought Aleandrax as he watched the Astartes slaughter the hive scum, he felt a cold feeling of dread grip his hearth. They looked like death incarnated, but there was one figure that stood out amongst them. The space marine stood a head if not more above his brothers, he was clad in the same armour as them, but what made him look apart was the attitude he radiated, and the ornate breastplate of his armour along with the massive sword he carried.
Even thou he was shaking with fear he began to walk towards them, arms raised into the air and attempting to present a friendly body language, who knew how they might react to him. Before any more thoughts could form in his mind a single bolt round impacted with his chest and sprayed the rubble strewn street with a spray of crimson collourd blood. The former PDF survivor slapped down onto the ground with a expression of disbelief and shock on his face.

"Witness silenced my lord" the Astartes who had fired the shot said over the vox net.

"Acknowledged brother, Sergeant we hunt!" with those words Brother Captain Arkangle began his hunt for the one who had eluded his grasp for far to long, this time no one would escape, one way or the other this world would be purged. The death of a simple PDF trooper to maintain their secret were more than acceptable.

As the squads that made up his force made their way true the ruined hive they made sure to leave no survivors whenever they found them, neither friend nor foe where to know of their coming. The Imperial guard forces was in disarray and that suited them well.

After a day they had reached their goal witch was a massive Adeptus Ministorium complex he activated his vox and sent the coded signal to the massive ship waiting in orbit.
Far above the massive battle barge Divine Retribution began to move into position, when it was hailed by the system defence fleet hat inquired about its shift of course they responded with a badly hidden treats that the fleet would do wise to stay out of Astartes operations if they indented to have them on friendly terms for the remainder of the campaign. The system defence boats gave the ship and its escorts a wide berth after that chilling reply

As the Astartes on the ground entered the complex they knew they where being observed, but not by whom, had they known they would most likely been a bit more cautious. But benign able to tell the future was not a ability Brother Captain Arkangle had.