Chapter 10 Part 10

Chapter 10: Tonight, we dine in hell

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Part 10

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The Green Coast

Kronus

Gorgutz managed to drag himself to his stronghold. Doing so was an exercise of pain and futility with no foe to fight. At least the slog gave him ample time to think.

There was war in the air. He could smell it, feel it in his itching bones, and that wasn't just broken and cracks mending. He burned with the desire to go out there and fight, to become bigger and stronger.

It would be a great WAAAGH!

Gorgutz grinned at the thought, grabbed an unlucky squig that wasn't fast enough in getting away, and bit off its head. His teef crunched bone and cartilage with ease. The snack helped the Warboss center himself. By Gork and Mork, he knew something odd was happening to him. He was thinking, something unusual even for a Warboss of his statute. And his thoughts, they weren't all proper Okry like.

He should have been in the grips of great rage right now! His great stronghold, the pride of all Orks in this sector, which was proper Orky like, was all but empty. There weren't enough boys left for a proper Waaagh, much less a real WAAAAGH! Instead of smashing skulls, squishing Gretchin, and terrorizing any Weird or Mekbyos that were still alive, he simply stood in the heart of his fortress, munched on a snack, and thought.

Gorgutz didn't have enough boys left for a proper war. That very thought made him itch and shake in frustration. And even if he had the boys, he didn't have enough big guns, not enuff' Dakka.

He finished the snack and looked for another squig, while one of the handfuls surviving Mekboyz tried his best to hammer his armor in shape. Gorgutz looked down at the much smaller boy, at the scrap-hammer he was using, and at the armor, he wore with pride.

It was proper Orky. It was nice red, it was also little more than scrap. Likewise, it was really pathetic, Gorgutz thought and sighed in frustration. When he closed his eyes, he could almost see Orks who weren't Orks, Warbosses, and boys of size he couldn't have imagined before. He could see their weapons and armor. They were Orky, yet not. They were whole, massive, beautiful.

They weren't made of scrap.

That was a beautiful futur. One of a WAAAGH!, the kind of even Gorgutz could scarcely imagine. Yet, the Orks he could imagine, the ones who could bring it into being, they were different. They were smarter, both less and more Orky if that made sense.

See, he had too much time to think! That wasn't proper Orky, yet he couldn't stop! Gorgutz wanted to get all the boys and go charge the enemy, the Humiez, the smelly Humiez, the Bly Boyz, even those metal Boyz!

Instead, the Warboss looked at the sky. To the south, he could see purple, sick clouds, and ugly lighting. To the north, dark rainy clouds. Yet, right above his stronghold, the sky was clear, full of stars, of worlds to conquer. He wanted to spread the joys of the WAAAGH to every single one of them! His blood bubbled with excitement at the possibilities, at the conflicts yet to come.

Gorgutz stared at the sky and remembered his WAAAGH dying under an awesome amount of proper Dakka. He knew there were a few Kruzers up there, all shot up and nearly useless. All they could do was perhaps prevent the same from happening to his stronghold.

That simply wouldn't do!

It was painful to admit it, however, the WAAAGH on Kronus, at least the proper Orky one was over. It would take time for enough boyz to spawn. Even longer to get a sufficient number of Mekboyz to build Dakka and vehicles, to get Weirdboyz, so they could make the fun even better!

Gorgutz looked around wistfully. There was just a single Nob left, and he was on the smaller side. Even smaller now because the boy was busy regrowing an arm and half his face. The poor bastard had almost no teef left, just a single, half-broken tusk. At least he got a nice heavy Choppa held in his remaining hand – it merrily sparkled with propar Orky energy, and it was ready to bash skullz!

"You!" Gorgutz pointed at the Nob. "Go! Gather all the boyz! I'll speak to them!" He declared. Already, wisps of a plan were forming within his itching brain.

Gorgutz would leave this rock, take all his boys, and go forth, find a place to prepare a proper WAAAGH! This time, it won't burn from the sky! When he was ready, when he gathers enough boyz, nothing would stop him!

But first, he should make a gift for the Humiez and everyone else who opened his eyes to the truth! It wouldn't be propar Orky, otherwise!

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Aceria Forests

Kronus

Brother-Sergeant Whent escorted Magos Scipio-Ro-11 into the ancient facility. The senior surviving Mechanicus representative on Kronus would be the one to do the honors and begin the battle to eradicate the traitors from the face of the planet. They passed by groups of heavily armed servitors, Guardsmen setting up defensive positions, and the odd impassive Necron protecting the facility. Those were the same Xenos who tore the traitors outside to pieces. Four serpentine Wraiths lurked in dark corners. One of them was quite obvious – for more than a day now, it toyed with the crushed helmet of Traitor Astartes.

Two "standard" Necron warriors stood still like statues at the entrance of the facility. Another pair guarded the command center. Those two were a bit different. Their forms were built lighter compared to most of their kind Whent had the displeasure to see. They carried shorter versions of their Gauss weapons, and each had a sword of dark, almost pitch black metal clamped to their backs.

They were among the most animated Necrons the Sergeant had ever seen – instead of acting like statues, their heads turned to follow everyone in view and if he didn't know better, the Astartes would swear they were curious.

"The convoy will enter extreme weapon's range of the enemy soon." The Necron to the right spoke, surprising everyone.

"I'm aware." Magos Scipio-Ro-11 stated without breaking stride. "That's why I'm here. Our assault will begin momentarily." He passed through the checkpoint and sent a stream of Binary at the Tech-Priests working inside.

One of them, Gaius, the senior one, answered with an angry whistle.

"Needs must." Scipio-Ro-11 continued in a normal voice. "We don't have any more time. We'll be apologizing and placating the Machine Spirits later. Now, they'll have to serve the Omnissiah."

The Magos made his way to the primary hololith and interfaced with the console in front of it. The hologram showing Kronus and the forces in orbit zoomed in. Two red, one amber, and two yellow symbols slowly converged above the continent – the weapon platforms. Suddenly, the two critically damaged ones shifted orbits and rapidly accelerated.

The hologram rippled and descend vectors appeared, leading straight at the heavy defenses that made an approach towards the Deimos Peninsula from this region suicidal. The other three platforms moved more slowly, merely shifting their orbits, so they would be in a position very soon.

Active scans went out from the damaged Tau battle group, though the Xeno ships didn't react otherwise. The Ork scrap-heaps did nothing – they probably failed to detect the activity in orbit.

The hologram zoomed in until it showed an orbital view of the Deimos Peninsula. Warp emanations and corrupted clouds covered almost the whole region, making precise targeting unreliable. It was another question if any bombardment passing through those "clouds" would even hit the ground.

The outer defense lines set up by the Traitors had no such defenses, and they were more than formidable enough to warrant the attention of the Ares platforms.

The two units without active weaponry went down first, like the fiery fists of furious Saint smiting infidels… and this was one of the few instances when such thoughts would be proper for a Space Marine, Whent thought.

Traitor Astartes, Daemon Engines, corrupted vehicles, Traitorous PDF forces, Mutants, Cultists, and barely controlled reaver War-bands, they all looked at the heavens and their judgment. They saw the falling platforms, and those at the target areas tried to run, while others stubbornly stood their ground. It didn't matter. Macro-Cannons, Lance Batteries, and fusion missiles tore their way through the heavens, lighting them in purifying fire.

Task Force Retribution's surviving artillery park opened up at the same moment. The Traitor, the Heretic, the Unclean, and Daemon-infested machinery, they all burned, and this was only the beginning.

Interceptors and anti-air weaponry rose in defiance only to be largely ignored. Explosives and Gauss weaponry leveled huge swaths of forest to open the way for armored spearheads. The Guard advanced like a mailed fist, flanked by Necron Destroyers and a hundred Eldar Grav Tanks racing to exploit the enemy confusion. Walkers and mechanized infantry followed behind them, while elite units waited in reserve.

Sergeant Whent smiled. This? This was merely a taste of things to come. The Traitors would rue the day they turned on the Imperium of Man!