Warhammer 40K Fan Fiction ❯ Wed to Faith ❯ Chapter 11: Finale! ( Chapter 11 )

 

“They're beginning to gather. We're beaming the co-ordinates to you, tell me when you can see the positions.”

 

“We have them now. Looks like we're going to have to meet up on the battlefield. I'll have the ships fire their full payload first, to soften them up and create an opening, but some of us are going to have to jump straight in. Others will drop down after as reinforcements…”

 

“Take care, Inquisitor Kezia, may the Emperor watch over you!”

 

“And you too, Inquisitor Jena, for He is merciful.”

 

The Emperor's mercy was then unleashed. A salvo of missiles headed towards the planet, where breaches in reality pulsed, the Warp spilling into the real world and tearing reality into itself. Legions of Chaos Marines, traitors, Dark Eldar and daemons were gathering, and so the missiles didn't even have to be very accurate.

 

The explosions rocked the ground, hurling chunks of earth and rock into the air, shaking the foundations of the buildings, and obliterating groups of opposition. But it was not enough to make a huge dent. The Inquisitors did their best to co-ordinate everything, directing the companies and legions, but the fact was that it would be hard. Titans strode forward, eager to engage the foes, Ordinatus structures wheeled into place to lock onto their targets, aircraft screamed through the air as their weapon systems came online. And the troops… clouds of dust were kicked up by the hundreds - if not thousands - of infantry on the field. No matter how it was handled, it would be a logistics nightmare for both sides.

 

“Okay, get the Baneblade Steel Company to lead the way, have them focus their fire on the Marines. Try to blast a hole through their formations and defences so that we can bring the transports through behind them and cut the front-line off from their reinforcement! Vulture pilots, make a bombing run along the East flank, soft targets get the highest priority for now. Imperators, hold back and soften all War Machine detachments!”

 

The noise was almost deafening - gunfire, explosions, rumbling wheels and engines, the stomping of the Titans… it was hard to hear anything, and the arrival of drop pods merely made it worse.

 

Ever so slowly, the Ordinatus rolled into position, both at different points. The plasma drives of the first began to squeal as bright green energy arced from coil to coil, causing the whole weapon to glow brightly. After that, plasma began to stream out, bathing legions in waves of burning energy. Flames washed over traitors, vaporising their bodies to carbon shadows. Clouds of steam that used to be steel and flesh rose into the air. The other issued a pulse of sonic energy, shattering Leman Russ tanks and infantry alike. Though it disheartened the enemy for a short while, they regrouped as reinforcements arrived in the form of a legion of daemonettes.

 

That hardly mattered, however, as the weapons just fired again, demolishing the landscape completely. As the daemonettes and their Slaaneshi Seeker steeds raced forward, a fine mist of perfume surrounding them, blasts of Ordinatus weaponry wiped out traitor legions rallying behind them.

Noise Marines charged forwards, sonic weapons blaring. The noise created by their instruments of war ruptured eardrums and shattered armour. The Arbites didn't stand a chance, equipped only with shotguns and carapace armour. In the face of such an enemy, they were just wiped out, however the Noise Marines then found a superior foe of their own: five Baneblades rolled towards them, causing the ground to collapse beneath their weight. The marines lost their footing, stumbling as they tried to regain their balance, and then it was too late. Five autocannons opened up, pounding holes in power armour with their powerful shells, and then the mega battle cannons fired. The ground exploded in an eruption of dirt and stone. Astartes limbs were propelled hundreds of feet into the air, showering the surrounding area with gore. They didn't even need to use their heavy bolters, lascannons and demolishers. The crater left behind allowed no doubt about any surviving.

 

The reaver jetbikes then swooped in from the sky, covering the land in a shadow as they blotted out the sun. Their shuriken cannons fired, raining piercing death upon the soft targets - Imperial infantry mostly, however they didn't expect a pair of Vultures to hover up nearby, opening fire with their Punisher-pattern gatling cannons. The bullets flew straight through the wyches and their light metal vehicles, tearing them apart and hurling their carcasses over the battlefield. Wreckage crashed into the ground, causing more casualties where soldiers were crushed to death under the impact of the reavers.

 

The victory was short-lived. Pulses of dark energy struck the Vultures, going straight through and causing them to explode mid-air. Burning promethium rained onto the battlefield, thick, black smoke spreading through the air. The Raiders were in position, ready to take out enemy tanks.

 

And that was how it seemed to go, back and forth with each side throwing more forces in to counter each other. Raiders blew weapons and engines from the Baneblades, only to be evaporated by waves of plasma. Land Raiders Ares rolled into position, blasting walls (and infantry) open before sending in streams of flame, and Rhinos zoomed in behind them. But fiends of Slaanesh would pounce upon the infantry as Chaos Terminators started to pulverise the armour of the Land Raiders. Drop pods rained down, hurling missiles, grenades and heavy bolter rounds everywhere, some even unleashing payloads of Sisters.

 

Indeed, in one instance, a drop pod slammed into the ground almost on top of a Dark Eldar Phantom Titan, the hatches bursting open and a squad of Repentia tumbling out with Mistress Despoena taking the lead. One seemed to have inured - possibly broken - her leg upon impact, but paid no attention, and the team charged forwards.

 

The Spindly walker towered above them, wavering in and out of reality, but they charged it nonetheless. The powerful wraithbone armour turned Despoena's adamantine lashes aside, but the same could not be said of the eviscerators. Even as it tried to trample the Repentia, they leapt upon its legs, clambering on to drive their giant chainswords into the thick carapace. Sparks flew as the weapons ground wraithbone to powder, hacking into the mighty Titan. Cables were shredded, mechanisms ruined, and soon it was brought to its knees, unable to move. It swung arms around, trying to swat them from the air, and though one Repentia was struck down, another was hit but bounced straight back up from the glancing hit, even as she coughed up blood. It tried firing lighter weapons at them, only to find the weapons not responding, ammunition feeds and power cables dangling uselessly. The crew dared not fire the heavier weapons into close combat, but just did what they could to ignore the Repentia, trying to fire away at distant targets.

 

They couldn't ignore what happened next. Giant chunks of armour were chopped from the midsection, eviscerators grinding through support structures as the sisters hacked away, consumed by their rage. There was a loud groaning, and then the remaining supports collapsed, the upper half dropping suddenly to strike the lower half with enough force to crack the Warp drive. The giant soulstone, splitting along the surface, finally exploded in a blast of howling energy, spewing flames high into the air. The explosion could be seen from across the battlefield, and chunks of titan fell to the ground. When the adrenaline wore down to a more ordinary level, the Repentias all looked at one another, amazed at their achievement, and Despoena smiled at them.

 

Today, you have made up for any sins.

 

Only one death. Somehow only a single Repentia had been killed, despite the power of the foe they had fought - fought and destroyed. However there was one problem: they were currently walled in, unable to affect the fight, but unable to be affected either, short of a large explosion. Mistress Despoena decided to allow everyone a rest, so that they could then assault the next target at full strength.

 

“Okay, take a breather, girls… furthermore, take those masks off, you are no longer in disgrace. This foe was on its way to level platoons and wipe out companies. You destroyed a major xenos threat and are redeemed. You are once again Adepta Sororitas, Sisters of Battle.”

 

Most tore their masks off, glad to be accepted once more, the simple speech bringing joy to their hearts. They were forgiven. However one, Sister Candace, did not. Her head still hung low.

 

“I don't feel redeemed. My sins need more in order to be erased.”

 

Despoena would have none of that, however, and replaced her war-lash with a thin wire whip, one used merely for discipline, though it did carry a weak electrical charge.

 

“Then will I have to beat the shame and guilt from you? I am going to convince you that you are forgiven if I have to flay the very skin from your hide. Expose your bottom to me, right now.”

 

The Repentia, blushing, did as she was told, bending over and gripping her ankles. She didn't even have any lower covering, so her naked rear, still bearing welts from a previous whipping, was thrust out.

 

The mistress flicked the wire lash across her full, muscular buttocks, watching as a thin red weal formed. Several more swept down, flicking across her tender skin and raising more welts. Candace remained silent throughout, as the others just watched the whipping continue. Within minutes, her skin was criss-crossed with a network of welts, just short of breaking the skin.

 

“Spread your cheeks.” Despoena stated flatly. She knew she had to beat the Repentia severely to make her feel forgiven, so decided to give her something she would remember for quite some time to come. Candace did as she was told, gripping her sore bottom cheeks and pulling them wide apart to properly expose the back of her sex and her little twitching anus.

 

Despoena immediately struck, flicking the thin, electrified wire up and down Candace's crack. Every time it struck the soft, tender skin the tip of the wire crackled and thin, angry red welts formed. Over and over the wire cut into the back of her mound, stinging the silky nether lips, and many a time it sliced along her little rosebud, nearly drawing blood as it bit deep into her soft skin. Finally, Candace started wailing, tears streaming down her face as the Mistress continued to beat her tender privates. That was when Despoena stopped: when Candace slumped forward and just cried. She coiled the whip up, deactivated it, then stored it away, looking over the welted, tortured flesh of the woman before her.

 

“So… do you feel sufficiently punished? Have I convinced you that you did enough and may once again join the ranks of your fellow Sisters?”

 

“Yes, Mistress, the pain is enough that now I feel the debt was repaid.” Candace replied, sobbing and shaking.

 

“Good girl. Now, continue to rest a little, and then we're going to get out of here and continue our assault.”

 

 

Both Imperator Titans began to stride forward, ready to get to the heart of the combat - besides, it appeared the forces of Chaos had also acquired one of their own. They refused to be intimidated by such a thing, lunging forward and firing all weapons. A cult of obliterators stood atop a hill, surrounded by warriors of Chaos and daemonettes. Their bizarre weapons fired blasts of energy at all angles, and even chemical bombardments from the heavy gas grenades and the Black Marias of the Arbites had no effect. But perhaps the Titans would. Gatling Blasters hurled ammunition the size of boulders, crashing into the ground and flattening Noise Marines beneath their weight, plasma rained down in bright green flames. The ground itself melted beneath the inferno weaponry, and peeled the armour from the Obliterators, reducing them to bubbling molten slag, before wave after wave of flame washed down, lighting the entire hilltop in burning promethium… and then the missiles fell. Too fast to count, hundreds seemed to fall from the sky, blasting transports, marines and daemons apart while slowly levelling the entire hill.

 

That was hardly all they had though, as the laser weaponry unloaded, though at different targets: the Raiders flying around were destroyed in a flash of light, leaving nothing but carbon shadows.

 

 

Lord Testament stepped into his Land Raider, adorned with symbols of Chaos and with daemonic limbs growing from the side. His man-sized amplifier/speaker, on short stubby legs, followed him on eagerly as his Chosen warriors stepped inside with him.

 

“Now hit my music!”

 

Music did indeed begin to howl from the speakers, his collection of Archaic songs more confusing than anything else, though it showed his twisted sense of humour:

 

“They see me rollin', they hatin', patrolling they trying to catch me ridin' dirty. Trying to catch me riding dirty…”

 

The vehicle sped along the battlefield, far faster than a Land Raider should, leaving a group of Obliterators behind.

 

“He may be a good warrior, but he's so annoying. He takes a lol-random approach to battle.”

“Don't you mean lol-randumb? I agree. That shit belongs with the Lord of Change.”

 

They resumed firing their bizarre multi-weapons, hurling barrages of ammunition towards the fray, before a Volcano cannon hit, causing the entire cult to no longer exist in one bright flash.

 

 

“Land Raider approaching at deadly speeds!”

 

“No problem,” Canoness Papavera said, carefully taking aim with her Inferno Pistol as she stepped aside, “I'll take it out as it drives past. Get ready to dive.”

 

It flew by, aiming for the greater number who were prepared and scurried out of the way, but as it moved, a stream of super-heated air warped the side, peeling armour away and melting the tracks together. And yet it still kept moving, chunks of metal falling to the ground as it moved regardless?

 

“What?”

 

“Keep rollin-rollin-rollin-rollin!” the speakers declared, changing the song.

 

“This Chas Lord is beginning to annoy me!”

 

One brief moment later, however, it stopped being a problem. Jena's Land Raider Crusader opened fire with the multi-melta and assault cannons, and with the front softened and melting into a pool inside, the hail of bullets tore through, splattering the possessing daemon over the walls and perforating the engine until it resembled a pencil holder. And then it exploded.

 

The eruption of fire warmed the hearts of the Battle Sisters who could see it. It did more than that to the inhabitants, however. The one nearest was torn in half, his armour not saving him. Even as the rest emerged from the fire, the accursed amplifier still playing music, they showed signs of injury.

 

That was when the nearby unit of twenty Battle Sisters, the Furious Lilacs, opened up. A flamer and heavy flamer worked in unison, pouring burning promethium all over the wreckage and Chaos Marines, forming a beacon, a pyre to inspire all Sisters onwards to glory. Eighteen bolters followed, hurling their payload of explosive shells into the small group, and the Sisters seemed to glow with faith and fury as they focused their attention on this small command group. Three members of the command group, including the leader and the bearer of the Plasma Rifle, were torn asunder and scorched, and Lord Testament himself took several hard-hitting wounds, only surviving by taking cover behind his amplifier. And yet one last Marine survived, glaring at the Sisters.

 

Not for long, however. In an instant, a crossbow bolt impaled him through the face, leaving Testament alone with his amplifier.

 

“Eheheheh… all my friends are dead! All my friends are dead! Got kicked in the head, all my friends are dead!”

 

The infernal music just kept playing as he unleashed a wave of hell-raising noise from the pipe organs on his back, made all the louder by the amp. However the Sisters stood firm - only one dropped, blacking out as her eardrums burst with a spray of blood, clenching her teeth so hard she cracked a tooth. He then leapt into combat with them, his music changing again, but didn't see Kasanja and her Celestians, the Eternal Blossoms, charging in behind.

 

“Smack my bitch up!”

 

As the obnoxious device continued playing music, he slid across the surface of it to kick a Sister in the face, swinging his blastmaster to strike another and his lightning claw to slash through the power armour of two more. He then delivered a simple backhand to take another down. It seemed as simple as that, really.

 

“Hahaha, smack my bitch up indeed! You's ALL my bitches!”

 

Those who could reach swiped at him with their bolters, trying to break his obnoxious, unarmoured face to no avail. Just when it seemed a hit would land, he simply ducked aside, the music changing once more:

 

“Can't touch this.”

 

But then something did touch him: several sarissas gouged into his spine, a blazing maul smashing his amplifier and slaying the daemon inside. Surprised, he turned… and found an eviscerator buried halfway into his head. Blood spurted wildly, and as the light in his eyes went out, he grinned, one last piece of music being strangled out of the amplifier.

 

“Cut my life into pieces… this is my last resort!”

 

His hearts stopped beating, triggering a dead-man switch, and a plasma grenade exploded within him, searing everyone nearby with the bright green light. And yet somehow, perhaps simply protected by their faith, most remained standing, not even singed by the blast as it consumed them. When they opened their eyes, slowly regaining vision lost to the intensity of the blast, they saw that only one Sister and three Celestians had fallen. The Hospitaler immediately dropped to the ground, getting her Narthecium and stimulants out to keep the girls alive. Thanks only to the speed at which she administered her aid, hearts resumed beating and the Sisters were on their way to recovery: they would live, though one was badly burned, and would bear her scars forever.

 

Of those harmed in combat, they all somehow survived (again, partly in thanks to the medical aid), one only breaking her leg as she fell to avoid the claw. The others merely had minor injuries except for one: Sister Luna was completely unharmed, merely dazed from being kicked. Even her helmet bore no damage.

 

“Girls… we are truly blessed by the Emperor. We just need to try to get to a position where we can use our numbers to an advantage, having survived that.”

 

Another Land Raider - this one Jena's Crusader - rolled up, stopping by them.

 

“Can I give you ladies a hand?”

 

“We have some injured that need protecting, other than that? Just making our way to a good defensive point like what's left of the temple up there, so we can consolidate our position and help cover the others.”

 

“Sure thing. Landshark II, status report!” she called into her Vox Caster.

 

“We can draw vision on you, just finished chewing up some wyches that thought they could take the tank from us.” The commander of the Banehammer responded.

 

“Get over here, then! We have some passengers!”

 

“Right you are!”

 

It didn't take long at all for the enormous war machine to roll out, the current passengers disembarking to charge ahead - they would have enough cover, and preferred close combat anyway. So with that, the Sisters loaded in, carefully helping the injured in first to help them into a position of safety. It then started rolling along, Tremor Cannon unleashing earth-shaking blasts of ordinance. The charging Celestians knew they were safe - they did, however, regret that half their foes would be pulverised by the explosions. They would just have to leap in at those who were dug in, while smouldering flesh and charred armour drifted down.

 

“That musical foe was particularly irritating.” Nyvanna stated, watching the tank rumble ahead.

 

“Yeah, but we were better,” Sister Superior ___ said, “'Cuz we're the girls of rock and roll!”

 

 

“Shh, quiet,” Lelith Hesperax said, motioning her retinue of murderous wyches to halt, “we need to catch them off-guard. I think I hear something, so let's just-”

 

She was cut off. Against all logic, five Baneblades literally appeared out of nowhere, as though they had found cover and snuck up on the wyches from a blind spot!

 

“WHAT THE FUCKING- CREEEEEEEEED!” Lelith screamed, sure that only one commander could possibly cause such a thing to happen. She was wrong, however. If she knew the bloodseer of her own race had allowed it to happen, she would possibly have been more furious. But no-one would know: ten las-cannons, thirty heavy bolters, five heavy stubbers, five auto-cannons, five demolishers and five mega battle cannons all fired. The drivers then continued, feeling confident that not a single living cell had survived.”

 

The tanks then turned aCLANG!

 

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?