Diary of a Gue'la (Warhammer 40k)

[Vehrec]

I'm gonna guess that those tanks are a trio of catured Leman Rus and a quartet of Chimeras? Or are they Tau knockoffs, produced by Gue'la in recently captured territories? Either way, it sounds like the Tau are equipping their own pet Imperial Guard regiment here. I'm somewhat disapointed that's all the vaunted Tau military has been able to provide for their latest soldiers. This whole attitude of using humans as disposable meat shields. . .
On the other hand. Can you imagine what the Tau would do if they got access to gene-seed? It might be the basis for a whole new class of improvements for the Fire Warriors.

[Coalition]

I'm gonna guess that those tanks are a trio of catured Leman Rus and a quartet of Chimeras? Or are they Tau knockoffs, produced by Gue'la in recently captured territories? Either way, it sounds like the Tau are equipping their own pet Imperial Guard regiment here. I'm somewhat disapointed that's all the vaunted Tau military has been able to provide for their latest soldiers. This whole attitude of using humans as disposable meat shields. . .

Hopefully those Imperial tanks have been upgraded with Tau technology (sensors, ECM, drone coodination, etc.). The fun part is using mini-AI systems on the Imperial artillery, to get near pinpoint accuracy with Earthshaker rounds.

On the other hand. Can you imagine what the Tau would do if they got access to gene-seed? It might be the basis for a whole new class of improvements for the Fire Warriors.

Why do it to the Tau, just get the gene-seed to the Kroot. One Shaper munches on a progenitor gland, and within a few years you have 7 foot tall Kroot that can wear powered armor, spit acidic blood, binary hearts, immune to nearly all toxins, etc.

Still, the Tau should be using their industrial capability to the foremost. Instead of Firewarrior squads, you have a single Firewarrior controlling a swarm of drones. Not that good for patrolling, but in a firefight they would be excellent. If an enemy gets too close, one drone moves forward, and kamikazes/self-destructs. If you need replacements, the factory can churn more out in a few months, while Firewarriors will take 15-18 years to train.

[falconkline]

First part of the interlude I mentioned Earlier. This isn't written in our tribal's journal but is just short story of Dium and his squad's trip through the city of the damned chaos planet...

Interlude: The Crossing of a Damned City

The darkened skinned warrior looked up from his vantage point atop a local building. The walls of said building were pot marked with burns and bullet holes. Square foot sections were blown inward from the small explosions of the enemy’s bolt weaponry. The warrior’s eyes gazed over the city street below, scanning for any enemy that chanced to move in the dim light. The barrel of his laser gun marked with the black streaks of previous fire. The warrior held his right hand in the air and held up his first and last fingers, then motioned to his right. Quickly and quietly two soldiers behind the tribal man made for the stair case that connected their rooftop to the city below. The man raised his left hand now and motioned for two more men to descend to the street below.

Satisfied with their decent and holding of ground level the carapace-armored man turned his back to the wall he was overlooking and motioned the rest of his squad to ground level. One of the younger soldiers stopped and crouched beside the elder leader. His skin was the same dark color of his commander.

“Father descend first and I will cover from here, you know I am a better shot,” snickered the young Nath.

“Non-sense boy, your aim may be steadfast but you do not possess the patience of a true marksmen yet,” the older man stated as a smirk crossed his face.

The younger boy nudged his father as he moved past him. Dium felt the smile across his face grow. Even in the darkness of this world his son was able to bring joy to his heart. But Dium knew that the darkness of this world was extensive and he dared not linger on the though. The warrior leader followed his son down the staircase and ducked behind a burning tank that had found its final resting place along the side of the four lane road. Nath climbed through a smoldering side hatch and looked around inside of the hull, but found nothing but the remains of enemy soldiers. The young man jumped from the tank and retrieved his weapon from his father’s side. The rest of the squad was hurriedly scurrying across the open road.

“This one was definitely hit with our alien friends’ plasma weaponry. I’d recognize those burn markings anywhere,” stated Nath.

“Good then we are on the right track. The tank is still smoldering so we shouldn’t be too far behind the force.”

“Do you think we really have a chance of catching up to them father? I mean they do have their hover transports and we are footslogging it.”

“If we keep up this pace and they keep running into resistance then we should be able to catch up.”

Their whispering was interrupt by an abrupt set of whistles, like those of a small bird. But no bird dare linger in the streets of this damned place. Dium clicked the safety of his laser weapon to the off position and his son mimicked the gesture on his weapon. Dium peeked ever so slightly around the back of the ruined enemy vehicle and noticed a small group of men advancing on their position from the other side of the street. The men were draped in slick black leather and long blood stained and ripped cloaks draped from their backs. They were in a mid run and their weapons were being carried loosely, some of them were limping or holding disfigured limbs. Their dark appearance and satanic symbols that adorned their clothing marked them as enemy troops and they would be shown no mercy.

“They are fleeing, they don’t even know we are here,” Dium whipered to Nath quietly as he ducked behind the tank again. “There are few of them and they are injured.” A smirk grew from the right side of his mouth.

“Then let’s dispatch them and continue on our way,” Nath said as he stood behind the tank and gawked like a crow at the top of his lungs.

The warrior and his father turned from behind the tank and raised their weapons on the enemy soldiers that had slowed from the awkward sounding bird noise. Red beams of immense heat flew through the air from the squads covered position. The beams struck their targets with impressive accuracy and the wounded enemy soldiers started falling immediately. One lucky las beam struck a grenade that happened to remain strapped to one of the putrid men’s vests. The grenade detonated instantly and blew the mans chest open, shrapnel and bone fragments flew through the air and struck anything that happened to be near the unfortunate man. It was all over within ten seconds, impressive fire control for even their esteemed tau friends.

“Move quickly men to the other side of the street,” Dium announced sternly to the squad. “Roberts, Humendez check the bodies for anything useful. Nath, Sung, and Walsh secure that building. The rest on me, we’ll cover the street.”

The squad moved quickly at the words of their commander. They had trained together for months aboard their starship and had learned to follow his every command. They did not speak, keeping their noise level to a minimum so as not to attract the attention of any daemons that may be hiding in the shadows around them.

Nath and Sung raced steadfast into small three story building and dropped to a knee as soon as they were inside. Walsh trailed in on their heels and ducked behind what was most likely a register of some kind, though it hadn’t seen operation in many years. He the rose and covered the isles; then gesturing for his squad mates to move in. The isles of shelves were bare and knocked to the ground. Though one thing did stand out, a menacing warrior clad in powered armor was hunched over a ruined freezer at the back of the room. The three warrior inched forward with their weapons draw but this beast of a man would cause them no harm. Nath lowered his weapon as he approached the corpse of the damned warrior. The rest of the squad was now piling into the building.

“His life has been gone for some time,” Nath stated as he grabbed the helmet of the warrior and held it in the air. As he raised the helm a decomposing skull fell from inside the black-horned disgrace of military equipment.

“Good,” Dium said with a sigh of relief. “The last thing we need is to run into these super soldiers. They are a disgrace to humans everywhere.”

“Father, this may come in hand incase we happen to run into them.”

Resting in the young warrior’s hands was a weapon made purely for destruction. Easily twice the size of their laser guns, and more then twice as heavy, the warriors had seen this weapon rip through many of their comrades. Now it was theirs, and they would make use of the heavy bolter that was apparently undamaged.

“Dium you should have a look at this,” Walsh murmured as he motioned to the door of a back room he was looking into.

Inside the room Dium saw the rest of the daemon warriors’ squad. Their armored bodies cut open in many places as though a weapon of immense energy melted through the dense concrete like armor like a hot knife through butter. Their bodies strewed in a circle around one lone warrior who wasn’t like the rest. His body was adorned in the same mighty armor but dressed in a magnificent blue with white and gold markings. Odd was the upside down U symbol that marked his left shoulder. The warrior was hunched over an old chair and an axe rested beside him. The axe was a sight to behold itself. A wonder of a weapon dressed in gold and rune symbols of their ancient language. Dium lifted the heavy weapon that measured almost three feet in length. He glanced over the switches on the weapon and flicked one into the on position. In an instant the blade of the weapon crackled and sparked, and a pulsing blue energy flowed through the weapon.

“The gods shine down upon us today men,” Dium praised as he held one of Ultramar’s most magnificent axes above his head. “Let us take this weaponry and wield it against the unholy daemons of this world.”

… To be continued.

[LadyTevar]

Woah... very nicely done.

So... how many did the UltraMarine take with him?

[falconkline]

Woah... very nicely done.

So... how many did the UltraMarine take with him?

The Ultramarine Honor Guard had dispatched of two entire squads of chaos warriors before succumbing to his wounds.


Interlude Part 2

Some of the men might not have cared for sacred rituals or gods or blessings or any religious bull-spit, but on this planet they didn’t object when Dium lead them all in a small hymn to bless the weapons once used by the unholy daemons. They did not bother to linger in the taint of the building. With boltguns at the ready Walsh and Nath lead the team down a dark ally way. The sounds of guns shots and screams the tracks they were using to hunt down their cadre. The thought of being stranded on this planet gave their legs unfounded strength and the additional weight of the extra weaponry didn’t faze them in the slightest.

Disturbing thoughts hid in the shadows of this world. Daemons reached out at the minds of the men waiting for their mental guards to drop. Dium was not a shaman but was still a very religious tribesman. His constant murmuring of prayers helped ease the struggle of his men against these evil thoughts. Some men had even taken to joining in the near silent prayers. Hell anything that kept their mind off of the darkness was a welcomed thought.
The ten mighty warriors snaked their way through the labyrinth of city streets and alleyways. Bodies lay upon the ground every other couple yards and the disfigurement of some of them would have caused even the most fearless of men lose their stomachs. Luckily for the men they had not eaten in nearly two days. Unlucky for them was that the fatigue was starting to set in. If it was not for the body of one of their alien friends they might have given up completely.

Walsh and some of the others huddled at the end of the alley way that lead to the courtyard of a great house. Nath and Dium knelt upon the ground around the warrior. The blood that seeped from his wounds was still light in color and wet. His wounds were fatal but the warrior had yet to take his dying breathe. Dium did not recognize this particular warrior, nor did he recognize the sept and cadre markings on his armor, but the ever prevalent tau symbol that was bored into the warrior’s shoulder pad was a beacon of hope for the stranded Gue’vesa’la. The warrior could not speak the human language but there was no need for words as the alien handed an exquisite locket to Dium. Dium had seen the locket hang from many of his commanders’ necks and had come to realize that it was a medal from some past battle. He shoved the medallion into one of his pockets and turned to find the warrior had finally passed. Dium closed his eyes and left the warrior in his final resting place.

“Sir, the courtyard is littered with bodies of the dieing. I can hear their moans,” reported Walsh as Dium and Nath joined the rest of the men at the end of the alley way.

“Good then we are not far behind the cadre. If we hurry we will meet up with them and get our asses out of this mess. What avenues appear to be open to us?”

“Walsh thinks that staying close to the buildings and circling around the courtyard would be the safest path, though I believe we should leg it,” Roberts said sternly. “The battle has passed from here and if we hurry we should be able to cross without being noticed.”

“Circling around would take a while longer I do agree, but the courtyard will leave us exposed from all flanks,” retorted Walsh.

“Enough men,” Dium interrupted before a debate got underway. “We shall leg it through the mess. There is enough cover to hide among if we take fire but we need to be quick. We need to chance it. Prepare to move out men.”

Walsh did not question his leader. Dium had gotten them this far without injury and had earned the trust of his comrades. The men all checked their weapons, tightened their pack straps, and mustered whatever reserve energy they had left. The courtyard was far too big to sprint the entire distance so Dium spotted a trio of abandoned tanks that sat near the center of the courtyard. Two of them were still bellowing putrid smoke from the gaping hole that had shot through both tanks in a straight line; someone had overcharged their railgun round. The third was crushed under the rubble of a fallen statue. The men closed the distance easily and took a second to catch their breath before finishing the run.

“Damn this sucker is heavy,” moaned Sung as he placed the heavy bolter on the ground and gasped for air.

“Suck it up your pansy, you still outran the young wiper-snapper,” joked Walsh. Nath just smiled, it was better to just let these none tribal human’s jester like they did then get into fight of words.

“Pipe down men I hear something,” Dium snapped at the squad. Silence fell over the men as they hurried for cover.

From their right a strange growling noise could be heard. Dium glanced around the corner to find they were not alone in the courtyard. Several beasts could be seen in the distance entering the courtyard from the steps of the ruined state house. The beasts resembled hounds only in the sense that they were quadrupeds and the approximate size of dog. Large fanged teeth and razor sharp claws jutted from their heads and feet. Their bodies rippled with muscle and were covered in blood. The hounds of Khorne were a fearsome beast that could rip a man apart in a matter of seconds. Dium ducked back behind to address his men, thinking they had lucked out that the hounds had not picked up their scent.

“Blood hounds, twelve of them, all the size of a lion,” Dium whispered to his men.

The confident commander started giving out hand signals to his men and they quickly followed his orders. Nath moved beside his father as Walsh and Sung climbed on top of one of the ruined tanks. Walsh opened an ammo crate and fed a line into the chamber of the bolter. The heavy gun was now primed to mow down anything inside its field of fire. The hounds were still at long range, but could close the distance between them easily so Sung would have to make his shots count.

Dium turned the corner and stood out in the open. With his fingers held to his lips he whistled and the chatter of bolt guns filled the air. The lead three hounds exploded as the bolt rounds that penetrated their hides detonated. The remaining hounds alerted by the gun fire and death of their pack turned and charged towards the human warriors. Their daemonic speed was nearly too much for the warriors whose weapons could only bring down four more before the remaining five were upon them. One hound leaped into the air and came falling down upon Sung and his heavy bolter, its razor sharp claws mangling the weapon and flesh at the same time. Sung’s screams were never heard as the beast clamped its jaw around the warriors neck.

Walsh, who had been thrown aside by the beast grabbed for a grenade that was strapped to his belt. He pulled the pin and shoved the grenade into the near empty ammunition box. The fiery explosion shredded the hounds limbs and torso along with the body of Sung. Walsh had rolled off of the tank just a hair ahead of the flying shrapnel, though he had unluckily rolled right into the path of another hound. The warrior could reached around looking for his weapon by could feel nothing but dirt. The hounds menacingly tiptoed towards the panicking human, feeding off of the fear that was quickly filling the air. Just as the hound was read to pounce a bright blue light shined from behind Walsh and shattered the surrounding fog and darkness. Leaping with axe held high was Dium. He landed and drove the mystical weapon through the skull and body of the waiting hound.

The nearly sliced in two hound fell to the ground in as another that had been silently hiding on the warriors flanked pounced towards Dium. The tribesman side stepped the attack and yanked his axe from the ground in one elegant motion. The beast landed and turned towards Dium only the meet the head of an axe. Dium side swiped the beast at the neck and cleanly decapitated the hungry hound. The last hound was no match for the warrior as the axe of Ultramar claimed another victory with a devastating blow that severed the beast in half at its waist.

Dium flicked a rune on the weapon and the blades' pulsing energy dispersed into the air. The warriors stood triumphant over the blood hounds and had only lost one brave warrior.

Unfortunately for them the commotion had attracted more unwanted attention…

[falconkline]

My mind has been lost to the warp(read: work) for quite some time now and I have fallen behind on my writing. But low and behold I return! Many thanks to the writings of Imperial Overlord, Feil, and Academia Nut. If it wasn't for your guys (gals?) 40k fan fictions I might have let this hiatis go on longer

I have done some editing to a previous journal entry which got off track from where I wanted to go with this story. But as a nice way to get back into things here is the final part of the interlude. I am working on another journal entry that is in the style of the Interlude. It will reveal the name of our vanted hero, finally.

Interlude: Part 3

The loud chatter of bolter fire and plasma bursts filled the air. Dium and his men watched over the battlefield from the desolate ruins of an old factory. Twisted metal beams and piles of concrete littered the ground around them, the terrain was nearly impassable and it had taken them awhile to get through. What they didn’t like was the battle being waged across an open grassy knoll. Both sides appeared at a stand still as suppressing fire rained from one side to the other. The bolter and missile fire from the squads of the demented chaos warriors kept chipping away at the tau defenses. The buildings would not hold much longer and Dium knew that their alien allies were preparing to move out; he could see the orcas in the distance.

“Alright boys we don’t have much time,” he yelled back to his men. “I can see a route that should keep most of the enemy fire off of us, let’s just hope they keep their attention on the heavy weapons. Walsh, prepare to move us out.”

But there was no answer from the battered warrior, Dium peered over towards the forward position Walsh was holding and yelled, “Walsh, Damn-it move us out!”

There was no verbal answer from the warrior, just a gesture that would haunt the warriors for the rest of their natural lives. Walsh turned his head and bloody tears were streaming from his eyes, his face was expressionless and appeared frozen. His lips twitched as if he was trying to say something but nothing was heard. The fear that was apparent on his face struck fear in the hearts of the other men in the squad. The warrior raised his left am rand the horror that had once been his hand made two of the men puke up what was left of the contents of their stomachs. His hand was boiling and bubbling, the flesh was searing and sizzling like cooked meat as blood dripped to the ground. The plague like bubbling continued up his arm as Walsh just stared in horror and disbelief as it consumed him.

“In the names of our tribal forefathers and the sacred ground of our homelands I bless you my son and hope you find your way to grace in the spirit realm,” Dium prayed as he motioned to his son Nath.

“In the names of our tribal forefathers, go in peace brother,” Nath said as he pulled the trigger.

The bolter slug blew the warriors head clean in two as it struck him in the forehead. Some of the warriors bowed their heads in disgust while some looked at their own limbs to make sure they were not tainted. Dium and Nath searched the area for a sinister laughter that had suddenly filled the air. It didn’t take long for the others to notice the maniacal laugh and ready their bolters. Dium could feel his thoughts being clouded as if something was trying to eat away at him. Two of his men fell to the ground screaming and clutching at their heads. The rest of the squad watched on as the screaming warriors clawed their eyes out and peeled skin from their faces.

Just then something in Dium’s thought pattern caught his attention. He swiveled his head around to notice a dark warrior with a staff and an out stretched hand. The warrior stood over a foot taller then Dium and would surely have measured in at well over seven foot. The staff in his hand was long and black as the night; adorning the end was a very large eight pointed star. The staff glowed of an eerie red hue as did the sorcerers hand. His armor was thick and large and decorated with many satanic symbols. His focus now came squarely upon Dium as the warrior raised his axe and flicked the power ruin to the on position.

The evil chaos wizard grinned as he raised his hand and started to clench his fist in a choking motion. Dium was lifted from the ground by his neck, his free left hand grasping as if something was choking the life from him; his right hand holding onto his mighty weapon. Nath and the others were frozen at the site and could do nothing to help their leader from what was appearing to be his untimely demise. But in a flash of brilliant blue light, Dium fell to the ground.

The sorcerer stumbled back, his face showing an expression of surprise. The evil warrior reached out again but could not grasp the tribal warrior. Again the sorcerer tried but again his grasp was empty. The wizard could not understand what was happening or how such a lowly human could gain favor over his daemonic powers. A streak of lightning shot out from the sorcerer’s hand, a feigned attempt to take down the empowered tribesmen. The lightning caught Dium in the chest and dispersed over his body but could not penetrate into the warrior. Dium gathered his strength and rose to his feet, powered axe still in hand all the while whispering.

His prayer had not gone unanswered and the desecrated spirits of this land had risen inside of him to dispatch this foul magician. The bold warrior continued his ancient prayer as he gathered speed. In a full on run Dium raised the magnificent axe of Ultramar over his head and within seconds was upon the chaos sorcerer. With one mighty chop the battle was over. The sorcerer lay upon the ground; his torso cut in half diagonally from his left should through his right side. Dium, stripped of all remaining energy, dropped to his knees. The mighty axe of a proud Ultramarine shattered from the high energy impact. All that remained now were three jewels that had been incrusted into the weapon.

Nath shook the stare from his face and raced to his father’s side. The young warrior knelt in front of his father and placed his hand upon his shoulder. No words were spoken; just a stair from father to son and Nath knew what had to be done. The young warrior ordered for two of the remaining warriors to pick up his father and head out. Nath proceeded to pick up the three jewels from the broken weapon and rushed off behind the others. It was not long before the battered warriors found refuge behind a ruined bunker and stopped to breathe. Dium, visually weak and run down from his battle, stepped away from the warriors who had carried him from the battle scene.

The distinct hissing sound of hydraulics from the hatch of a devilfish sounded in the background. In a moment the human warriors were surrounded by their alien friends who had weapons raised and ready to disintegrate the humans. One firewarrior stepped forward as the human warriors all dropped their weapons and let out a sigh of relief. The Shas’Ui lifted his helmet off and peered at the ragged run-down gue’la squad. No words were spoken, and only one gesture was made. Dium stood with his hand held high dangling the fallen firewarrior’s pendant from its chain.

[falconkline]

Journal Entry: Home at Last

The dull routine of the battle dome had been getting to each and every one of us tribesmen the past week. The trip through space was long and the days, weeks, months seemed to drag on for an eternity. But at last we have finally arrived back home for a lay over until we depart for our next mission. Commander Elan’Kais kept his word and we have arrived three full days before we were scheduled too. I must remember to thank the Fio engineers for their diligence and maintenance of the ship so that we could make such good time.

I cannot wait to step foot on the surface of my home world once more and partake in its warming sun. Though that will not be until tomorrow, first we must help the Fio in restocking the ship’s supplies from the orbital base stationed in orbit around my home. The station is a wonder to behold and it amazes me that the Fio have been able to build such a structure in the four years it has been since we met our alien friends. I assume that most of this space station had been transported here.

Commander Demlok was allowed to give us a brief tour of some of the structures hangar bays and space craft. It was a nice break from all of the grunt labor we had been doing today. There was a minor malfunction with the lifting drones today which made the unloading of supplies that much more difficult today. Dium’s group had been unloading weapon supplies from the bay of a transport and his drone shut down. He tried grabbing the end of the crate but he wasn’t strong enough to keep it up. Tek ran to help and I ordered the rest of my men, who had just finished unloading our crate, to help Dium as well. It took eight of us to hold the crate up where the drone had failed; damn those things are strong. Luckily no one was hurt.

After we were finished there we were sent to the stations medic facility to receive an inspection before being allowed to go planet side. Everyone checked out fine, though Garth had to undergo some ‘immunizations’. Not sure what those are but they made him drowsy for the rest of the day and I had to order him to barracks for the remainder of the day.

Once done at the medic we were officially on leave, no battle training for the next five days. Oh what joy this brought to the men when Dium and I told them. Too bad for them we plan on requiring the men to keep up with weight and conditioning in the mornings, no need to go soft. Four days planet side is going to be such a vacation for the men though that I doubt they will mind the short workouts in the morning.

…

Oh how I can see the differences that our Tau friends have had since I was last home. I have found myself a window from this room aboard the space station for which I have been using to look unto my home. There is much more green that covers the surface then I remember seeing over two years ago. I cannot wait to see my family and my tribe. Nor can I wait to see the improvements that our alien friends have made to our civilization. I fear that I must put down my pen now so that I may shine my swords once more before tomorrow. They must be in the best condition I can get them when I reveal them to our tribal elders tomorrow.


Interlude: The Elder Council and the Fate of the Blades of Dentium .. Part One

The bright yellow of the Letni’s sun was in full brilliance and the few clouds that littered the bright blue sky were pearly white. Luscious fruit hung from trees that line the village road and people lined the street. Much had changed since our hero left his home village in order to fight for the T’au’va. The once dirt street has been replaced with a decorative marble-like substance that is only rivaled in beauty when compared to the magnificent white of the buildings that line the street. The tall structures stand much higher then the old wooden huts that this tribe used to be accustomed too.

Our hero just stood at the back hatch of the transport, which had brought him directly from the space port, as a fair skinned man unloaded two sacks from the transports cargo compartment. This man was stouter then our tanned skinned warrior. His muscles, exposed from his sleeveless tunic, sweated in the heat of this foreign planet but the warrior would be the last one to complain. He just went about his business as the tanned one closed his eyes and smelled in the sweetness of his tribes cooking that had not changed despite the years of change.

The white man stood and smiled as the tanned warrior opened his arms and turned to face his friend.

“Garth my dearest friend,” spoke the fearsome warrior, “welcome to the once scorched plains of my homeland, land to the fire warriors of the Encantra ranges. My home”

“No offense Enoeht, but this land doesn’t look barren and fire plagued like in your stories,” Garth answered as a sarcastic smile crept across his face. “And what? No big, warm reception for your return. Tsk. Tsk.”

The warrior laughed as he wrapped his one arm around Garth’s shoulders, “They are not expecting us for another two days and I wanted to surprise my family. Besides I don’t need a big fuss being made over me.”

“Your humble pride will get the better of you some day,” Garth replied back. “I only hope I’m around to see it.”

The two warriors grabbed their ornate travel packs, flung them over their shoulders and walked down the street. People were busy talking here and there and some turned and looked at the warriors who strode down the middle of the road. Enoeht did not notice most of the faces and some of the people were of different skin then his tribesmen. Some were pale like Garth and others were extremely dark. The two stopped at the end of the street and jumped to the side walk to move from the path of a grain cart heading for the space port. From behind them a friendly voice brought a smile to Enoeht’s face.

“Mother, mother!” screamed a little girl. “Big brother has come home.”

[falconkline]

Though I didn't have much time this weekend I was able to pump this out. Finding time to write has become something I do over trying to find time to video game, man I'm getting old.

Part 2…

The world of Letni had changed immensely since Enoeht had last been on planet. Entire cities were being built where only small huts used to exist. Streets were no longer lonely dirt roads left dark in the moonless night but beautiful smooth surfaces that danced with blue light from the ornate street lamps. The walk alone was something our warrior had not experienced before in his life, though it was something he was enjoying. Since he had joined the Tau Auxiliary he hadn’t had time to return to his village. The warmth of the summer air still lingered in the air. The sweet smell of a roast caught his nostrils and a smile crossed his face. Too long had it been since our hero had a home cooked meal.

Enoeht sat on the streets curb and peered up into the night’s sky. Stars and constellations so familiar made his heart feel comforted. He reaches to his side and unfurls an ancient leather cover from over top of two scarabs. From the scarabs the warrior pulls two perfectly matching blades. The gold embedded in the hilts shined in the starry sky as did the tinted blue blades. A hint of blue energy shimmered along the ancient text grove into the length of the blades. The warrior laid the blades across his lap and took out a pouch of oil and incense. He lit incense and used a clean cloth to start polishing the blades, all the while singing an ancient hymn of his tribe.

It had been far too long since his brother shaman Intzu had died and memories of his death now flooded Enoeht’s thoughts. So much so that at one point he thought that his old friend was speaking to him. Our warrior just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Now was not the time to dwell on sad thoughts, for he was preparing to face his elders and was making sure that the blades of Dentium were in pristine condition.

“Enoeht,” a beautiful voice whispered from the shadows. “The council has gathered and dinner almost ready.”

“I know Linn. I am just preparing a bit more, and enjoying the night.”

From the darkness behind our warrior stepped a gorgeous woman. Her soft tanned skin exposed to the warm night air where her ceremonial garments did not cover; beads of splendid green and brilliant blue lined strands of her long black hair. The young lady gently sat beside the muscular warrior and rested her head on his shoulder.

“It has been much too long since we’ve been together,” the lovely woman said.

“Yes Linn, it has been much too long.”

“Oh how I wish the tribal grandfathers let us be together. I am now of age and our parents are both consenting.”

“Linn, it is not our decision. I am warrior now. My life belongs to the tribe, and you know that only they may make that decision. Besides I thought they had already arranged your marriage to Mallo.”

“Mallo already has two wives and many sons, he surely doesn’t need another.”

“Mallo is a strong man and is much respected. You would be lucky to bear children with him. They would be strong and make the tribe proud.”

“And yours wouldn’t?” Linn asked shockingly as she backed off of Enoeht’s shoulder.

The moment of silence hung in the air like the humidity had earlier in the day. Enoeht finished polishing the blades and put them back into their scarabs as he stood up.

“That is not for me to decide, but come. It is time we joined the tribe for meal.”

Enoeht walked quickly down the street, leaving the small Linn to franticly catch up. She stayed in stride behind the massive warrior as the two reached the stairs that lead down to the gathering circle. The circle was much larger then Enoeht had remembered, obviously growing in size with the town. The decorations were much brighter and more plentiful then the last ceremony he had attended that celebrated his leaving. People were happy to see him and they were expressing it in a grand fashion, though Enoeht wrote it off as just a ceremony for the return of the tribes’ ancient blades.

The entire tribe, including the grand fathers and shamans, stood and bowed as Enoeht walked down the center isle. Nervousness was creeping into his bones but he fought back the shakes and continued with his head held high. The sight of succulent foul roasted to a golden brown along the tables helped ease his nerves, as the thought of food usually did.

Enoeht and Linn approached the Tribal grandfathers table and bent down on one knee, Linn two feet behind him and to his right. The crowd all sat and the tribal council all raised their heads. Our hero noticed something strange that had eluded him until now. At the head table stood two men, only one of which he recognized. Garth was smiling as he caught Enoeht’s gaze, it was rare that a man not of their tribe would be given a seat of honor during a great feast. The other was fair skinned like Garth and was in a position of power. This was not the time for Enoeht to ask questions so he kept his tongue quiet.

With a nod from the chief Enoeht placed took the blades from his side and rested them on an altar in front of the head table. He then resumed kneeling in front of the council with his head hung low.

“Young warrior, why does the flame rest?” asked the tribes Chief.

“The flame rests because our champion has fallen,” replied Enoeht, following ceremonial tradition.

“Tell me young warrior, how did our champion fall.”

“Our champion, the late Shaman Intzu Fina, fell while in combat to a mighty beast. He fought down many of the beasts guard before falling. He was a true warrior. He fought for the flame and for our alien brethren.”

Tears fell from the faces of many in the crowd and some people wept quietly as Enoeht elaborated on the battle and death of Intzu. Emotions were high on this night and it took all of Enoeht’s will to keep from tearing up himself. The chief, whose face stern face was moist from a tear that had run the length of his cheek, nodded in approval of the warrior’s tale.

“Young Warrior Enoeht, you loyally brought our ancient weapons back to their holy altar. You have fought proudly beside our champion and for our alien brethren. The Blades of Dentium, now renamed the Blades of Intzu as is our tribal condition, will be passed to our new champion.”

Surprised by the sudden announcement, Enoeht raised his head. It was unusual for the council to pass the blades on so quickly and our hero was wondering who they had chosen. Enoeht stood and made for his seat at his family’s table.

“Wait young warrior, you place by the altar is not finished,” said the light skinned man that sat at the council table. “Please resume your place of honor.”

“Young Fire Warrior Enoeht, your actions and faith in thy self have been shared with us, the tribal council. Your comrade, Master Garth Gallagher, has told us of your many heroic acts, your many battles, and your rank as a leader. It is with great honor that I present you the task of being our new champion. For the flame shall not rest. Young Warrior Enoeht, take the holy Blades of Intzu and rise as Champion Fire Warrior Enoeht.”

The bewilderment in the hero’s eyes does not keep him from following his chief’s order. The joy in his heart shining through in his smile, though he does not feel he should be so honored. The crowd of people rises and cheers out for a moment before resuming their seats. An honor shown for Enoeht and his family as not one of his fore fathers had ever been given the title of champion.

“Now young champion we will attend to one last matter,” spoke the chief as the crowd quieted down. “The family Fina has requested that such an honorable warrior that fought bravely for their son Intzu be given a wife. At the request of the family Fina, you shall be given Intzu’s youngest daughter. Does the rightful heir of the Fina family consent?”

“Yes father, I consent,” stated Intzu’s eldest son and now head of the Fina family.

“Does the rightfully appointed arranged husband consent,” asks the chief.

“It is with great honor that I give my privilege of husband over to our champion. May he bless us with many warriors,” Mallo stated unquestionably.

Enoeht turned his head slightly and looked directly at Linn. She glanced up at him and smiled devilishly and at that instant Enoeht knew that she had known this would take place. He knew suddenly that he was the only one that didn’t know. The warrior stood and turned towards the crowd and Linn took his arm. His father and mother smiled up at him from their table as did his younger siblings; even they had known and not told him.

“Champion Enoeht, please lead us all in prayer and we shall feast,” said a member of the council.

Enoeht lead the prayer and the feast began. The night would prove to be much longer for our vaunted hero as the feast was followed with dance and wine. So many things had happened to him in one day that he would not fully comprehend it all till later. At a very young age he has received one of the highest honors of his tribe by being named champion. He has been given a wife, an honor most warrior men in his tribe did not receive. But most importantly he has gained his family honor, though that honor would be tested soon enough.

Part 3

Fog covered the small village as the sun bean to rise; the cool mist flowing from the mountains to the north and rolling into the village before dissipating across the plains. Song birds could be heard as the growing warmth of the summer sun poked its head over the horizon. The village itself though was not so quiet and still. People were already stirring in the street and the village circle was ready to draw the crowd to it once more. It has been two days since the grand feast held in honor of the return of our hero. The days of rest were much needed and many people had stopped by his family’s humble house. Many gifts had been received and praise accepted, but today Enoeht would finally prove to his tribe why he did deserve the title of champion.

Preperations were still being completed by the many novice warriors and scouts, the young teenage boys of the tribe. Their work was nearly complete and the arena was nearly set and all that waited was for the young warrior to prepare for the days events.

Enoeht, unfazed by the scrambling of the villagers, stood at the far end of the village looking to the north. His visitors would be arriving very soon and he wanted to greet them as soon as possible. It had been only the second time since they met that he and his fellow comrades had been apart for so long. Tek Lowwick and Dium Purewater were the closest things to brothers that Enoeht had known, his parents being blessed with only one son. Beside the champion stood two little girls of similar facial features, they also were eager to meet the men their older brother had talked about so much. The rest of the Etherrich family, Enoeht’s mother, father, and his third sister, were all busy preparing a hearty breakfast for the warriors.

Enoeht’s heart stopped for a moment as he saw a shadow appear over the horizon. His excitement was swelling and it showed through the smile of his face. A smile that was soon turned into a puzzled look as the shadow became more apparent. A large hovering vehicle was making good time across the wide plains; it was roughly the same dimensions as the devilfish transports that their alien friends had used in combat. As it got closer Enoeht marveled at its solid white body and smooth construction, thoughts filled his mind about Dium and how he could have come to ride in such a magnificent vehicle. And they another craft appeared behind the sleek one, this one filled the figure of a devilfish completely.

Enoeht’s sister’s eyes grew large in their sockets at the sight of such machines, not often did they get to see such marvels of the alien technology. Each of them clutching their older brother’s hands and mildly bouncing up and down. The mild jumping turned into giggles and pure excitement as the hover vehicles closed the great distance quickly. As the lead, sleek transport pulled up in front of Enoeht he quickly calmed his sisters down.

A door on the side of the transport hissed as the air tight seals broke and the pressurized compartment filled with the cool air still hanging over the village. The door started to slide up just as the craft landed. Enoeht’s face turned to a bright smile as familiar faces started pouring out of the craft, more familiar faces then he had expected. All the individuals dressed in their splendid green military cloaks, the circular symbol of the Tau adorning the garments as well as their cadre markings.

“Alli, Anni, quickly rush off and tell mother to prepare for more guests,” Enoeht said softly as he bent down to talk to his much younger sisters.

“Y-yes, brother,” they stumbled out in unison, which was not uncommon for the twins. They backed away slowly from the group before turning to run. They had seen one of the visitors that the sleek hover machine had brought and the awe on their faces was evident.

“Brothers, welcome!” Enoeht said as he turned and embraced Tek and then Dium.

“What no love for us?” Nath questioned as he and his twin Nils stepped up and embraced Enoeht.

“I see you have been given a luxurious ride. Your tribe must be doing well brother,” Enoeht responded as he looked at the vehicle which was powering down.

“Oh this is not their ride my friend,” a familiar voice said from behind the men. A sleek slender figure moved between the hulking warriors, her skin was a shade of pale blue-ish grey and her garments extravagant.

“Miss Por’vre Yanoi, it is an honor to have you grace us with your presence,” Enoeht spoke in astonishment as he kneeled and bowed in front of the alien woman. “If only you would have given me further notice and I would have had my tribe prepare a grand feast.”

“Please stand Enoeht. I am humbled by your offer but it would have ruined the surprise. I am just happy that we have such grand warriors like you fighting for the Tau’va.” Yanoi spoke softly, her voice very calming and her speech flowing though it was not her native tongue.

“Miss Por’vre Yanoi was kind enough to give us a lift from our villages,” Dium chimed in. “Enoeht you should have seen the things they have down to the terrain. Trees and greens litter the once fire scorched fields. I guess your tribe won’t have to do any more trials by fire.”

They all chuckled, even Yanoi though for a different reason.

“Wait until you see the things they have done with our village,” Enoeht said while finally rising to his feet. “But please let us go inside before more villagers come to delay our meal. I am afraid I have become quite the celebrity of our village.”

“Ah yes, and we shall see you uphold that title soon enough,” Dium said as he pointed to the devilfish that was now unloading tribal warriors from its hold. “Tek and I have brought some of the finest warriors from our tribes to compete in your ceremony.”

The men were giants of men, tall and muscular. Eight were dressed in bright red and yellow robes and the remaining four in blue, representing Dium and Tek’s tribes respectively. Their hair was long and cut in a true warrior’s fashion. Their arms and faces marked with scars. Beneath their robes surely held the ritual combat armor and in their hand were their weapons.

Interlude: The Elder Council and the Blades of Dentium .. Part 4

The meal had gone well and it was an experience that Enoeht’s family would never forget. The presence of a tau in their household would bring much gossip to their home and the tribe would surely be talking about it for some time to come. The elders quickly held a small ceremony for Yanoi as she was escorted to the town circle after the morning meal. She was offered the best seat in the arena, the chief’s throne, but kindly objected and sat with her warriors. The events had already begun and many of the surrounding tribes elder’s and warriors were present. Young warriors were squaring off in the center of the makeshift arena and showing their prowess for battle.

Many were good, though too young to become warriors yet. Scores were kept and Enoeht reminisced about how he once had fought for his tribe in these events. He grabbed a scar on his forearm and remembered the year he had almost broken his arm. The battles were much safer now then before the tau had shown up. Stick weapons were replaced with energy batons that stunned and shocked, making the battles more realistic as hitting a warrior’s legs would down him and a shock hard enough to the head or chest would knock the opponent out safely.

Nils and Nath fought for their tribe in the competition. They easily won their matches and it was clearly unfair due to their military experience. The northern tribe had won the early contest, though that was not uncommon as their mountain warriors were always good.

Tek and Dium would not fight as they had also been named champions of their respective villages, though they were not gifted with powerful weapons like Enoeht. Garth also got to feast on roast and drink wine as he was not a tribal member and would not be asked to fight. Enoeht on the other hand had to fight a hero’s fight as he was champion of the village that was hosting the events.

The hero’s fight was something of a novelty. The champion in the fight wasn’t measured on whether he won or lost but by how many foes he took down before he himself fell. His tribe’s record was five; the record for any champion was eight and that honor was of the former champion of the mountain tribe.

Enoeht stood in the center of the ring, bare chest and covered only in a pair of combat pants, padding and armor plating removed. His shoulder length dark hair pulled to the back of his head and tied tightly. Sweat glistened off of his exposed muscular arms revealing tattoo’s on either arm, the flame, the symbol of his tribe. In each hand the warrior gripped a stun sword, their blades pulsing and humming quietly. The champion stood weapons down, and looked at each of the twelve warriors that entered the arena. Two had matched swords like his, four had long stun swords and shields, and the remaining has stun spears. The encircled the lone warrior in protective battle gear, at the request of Enoeht himself.

‘Normal attack pattern, the shields will rush first,’ Enoeht thought to himself. ‘Then the spears and finally the swordsmen if I’m still standing.’

No one has ever made it to the swordsmen.

After a moment of silence as the crowd awaited the start of the main competition, one of the warriors with the shields charged forward. His shield leading the way he swept forward and swung at Enoeht. A simple dodge then counter attack from Enoeht met the attackers shield and sparks buzzed from the impact. ‘These tau weapons sure made the battle more exciting,’ Enoeht thought to himself as he attacked with his second weapon.

The Strike hit home on his opponents left leg, dropping the warrior to his knees from the shock. Enoeht danced behind the warrior swiftly and struck the warriors weapon wielding arm. The crackle of the stun battle was out done by the breaking of the warriors arm. The crowd that had started cheering let out awe at the sound, and quickly resumed cheering. Enoeht hung is head for a brief moment; he hadn’t meant to break the warriors’ bones.

The first warrior was somewhat of a given, no champion had ever fell to the first warrior. The three remaining shield bearers rushed Enoeht; this is where a true champion would shine. These warriors did not rush in but instead side stepped around Enoeht with their shield arms forward. The ‘circle of death’ was closing in on Enoeht and he knew he would have to strike sooner or later. He had watched many warriors strike too early and be caught from behind, or strike too late and be boxed in. Enoeht looked into the eyes of each of the warrior and each of them stared back directly at him. They were trained well and none of them were showing any signs of weakness, so Enoeht just choose the shortest to strike first.

He leaped into the air and came crashing down onto the shielded warrior, parrying the attack from the warrior’s sword with one of his own. In a second Enoeht had landed on the warrior and jumped from him, rolling forward as the other two tribesmen swung and missed. The champion had successfully exited the circle of warriors, and now he begun to cut them down. They raced towards him in a line, the first one swinging full strength at Enoeht. His attempt is parried by Enoeht’s off hand and he is smacked in the head with the champions other sword. The unconscious man falls to the ground limp from the shock. The second rushing warrior thrusts at Enoeht but misses the twisting body by inches and thus leaving him exposed to Enoeht’s double attack.

The third shield wielding warrior, the shorter one who had regained his footing, slams into Enoeht shield first. His attempt works at forcing Enoeht backwards and to the ground but the champion rolled on his side and was up again before the shield warrior regained his footing for another attack. Enoeht attacked first and the warrior was on his knees a split second later, not entirely sure of how he ended up there.

The crowd roared to life. For what must have seemed like an hour to the warriors was barely a minute of fighting. The chieftains of the neighboring tribes were even showing their applause for speed with which Enoeht had dispatched the warriors. Four down, he was rightly named a champion.

Young tribal boys pulled the downed warriors from the ring as the spear wielding warriors stepped forward. They charged in quickly, trying to catch our hero off guard. The first one thrust forward as did another simultaneously at Enoeht. Both missed. Enoeht grabbed a spear that just missed punching him in the gut and pulls the warrior into a waiting elbow. The shock from the champion’s brute force knocks the combatant to the ground and out of the fight without using the shock rods. In a blur of dancing and swinging Enoeht made his way to another warrior, parrying attacks with every step.

Enoeht turns and faces the remaining four spear warriors, surprised to see that another had fallen in his dance. The champion checked his hit marker on his shock rod’s display screen only to see that he had in fact landed another downing blow. Letting the adrenaline consume him Enoeht charged. In a flash of power he shrugged off a glancing hit to his thigh and head-butted a warrior, knocking him out and sending him to the dirt. Enoeht dodged sideways as a spear narrowly misses his head. The warrior had overextended himself and was an easy down for the champion. Another two mistakes by the remaining spear wielders and Enoeht had dusted them in a matter of seconds.

Standing in a circle of barely conscious and unconscious bodies stood the champion, breathing heavily and limping. The glancing hit had taken its toll. Enoeht could barely feel his leg. ‘New record,’ he thought to himself as the crowd cried out his name. Even Yanoi was standing and clapping at the show of strength.

The two duel swordsmen rushed forwards, not waiting for their fellow warriors to be drug away. No battle had ever gone this far and the warriors knew not what else to do. In a fury of blades the three danced. Enoeht at the disadvantage as four blades seemed to attack him simultaneously and he only had two to parry. Round and round they danced, wearing down the fatigued champion until one of the warriors made a mistake and overextended on a slash.

The entire crowd had seen the whirl of yellow light and sparks, and then suddenly the three warriors all lay on the ground. What had happened was too quick for their eyes to catch all at once. Silence fell upon everyone, the three tribal chieftains standing, bewildered by the outcome. And then in an instant the crowd let out a thunderous roar. Enoeht stood up, limping from the mess of unconscious bodies while holding his left arm with his right.

The wounded champion limped over to where the tribal chieftains stood. He stopped and bent down on one knee and lowered his head. The chiefs all still standing, applauding along with the rest of the crowd. Tek, Dium, the twins, and Yanoi standing off to the right of the chiefs applauded as well for it was a magnificent battle and their brother had come out the supreme victor.

Dium turns to Tek and asks, “You get all that?”

“Yeah, I only hope the camera has a slow motion replay,” the burley man says back while laughing.

[falconkline]

Update. I've been writing a bit and just keep forgetting to post regularly. I've been in a wierd mood and have changed from writing the journal entries into more story/third perspective writing. Which I'm writing in will be noted by either Journal entry or Story. Sorry for any confusion this might create but hey this is just a fun little fanfic anyway.


Journal Entry: Change is the Order of the Day

Change; it happens all the time. People change constantly but sometimes we just don’t notice it. Situations change radically in combat all the time, which we are used to seeing and trained to change with the situation. But some of the most recent changes aboard ship have turned normal space life upside down.

Due to our low numbers Shas’el Elan’Kais has taken on a lot of warriors from my home planet. We now number in four full squads. But that is not the uncommon part, as we have had many human troops in the cadre before. The uncommon part is that Commander Kais has allowed other tribesmen and humans aboard the ship, namely wives and children. Yanoi has told us that this is something new that the Aun’s have decided to experiment with. They believe that having our wives and children around will boost morale. While I don’t like to disagree with the Por’vre I feel that there are more hidden benefits to this new plan.

Many warrior children have come along even though some of their parents are not here. I believe the Aun wants our battle experience to be passed on, without relieving us from duty. I find this tactic to be a very slippery slope, for if we loose too many warriors in battle then the cadre is left with a bunch of women and children to do its fighting. Though the advanced training the young warriors will get in the ships battle dome will greatly increase their skills for when they are ready, thus making better soldiers. And even since having women on board we are being encouraged to propagate as much as possible. Seems to me that we are being used as an industry to create more warriors, though I doubt the men will mind.

Though most of the tribesmen and humans live in the barracks, Dium and I are still allotted our separate quarters. Linn has brought many tribal decorations with her. I am still not quite used to having someone beside me at night, though I do enjoy the company. She is very knowledge able and has found work to do. Yanoi has personally taken her as an assistant. Yanoi has also found work for some of the other wives that are not busy watching after the children. The quality of the food has greatly increased from what the Tau were feeding us before. Others have found work in storage, medical, and maintenance. Our women seem to have an easier time picking up the language then some of the warriors did. I guess it helps that they have had much more time to study.

I feel sometimes that Yanoi gets weird remarks from some of the Shas, but all she has to tell them is that we are all fighting for the Tau’va. Some of the new Shas’la were treating us like we are some kind of inexperienced primitives but today Demlok let use battle train squad versus two squads of firewarriors. The ‘inexperienced primitive’ remarks have thus stopped. It wasn’t much of a battle, though it might have been unfair that our squad consisted of all veteran warriors and the firewarriors were not allowed to have their Shas’ui sergeants with them.

A transport arrived today carrying a very important leader to our Sept, Aun’vre Fal’shia B’Vesa Gue’Yr. Roughly translated I believe it means human Sheppard, or experienced with humans. Some of their names are hard to understand at times. The Aun is very fluent in our language, though he does have an interesting drawl. Yanoi told us that he has worked with many human auxiliaries and that he is to watch over us all. Even though Shas’el Elan’Kais is of higher rank he still bows and follows every order of the Aun. None of the aliens ever seem to question anything he says. I can only imagine that Aun must mean supreme commander or something like that. I fear I will never truly understand these weird aliens.

Aun’vre B’Vesa usually does smell nice though.



Journal Entry: The Campaign for Raade: Bombardment

We have finally reached Raade today. The planet has been set up to join our cause for the greater good. Yanoi and the Aun had relayed information to Dium and I to discuss with the troops. Raade it seems used to belong to a great civilization of humans called the Imperium. But galactic civil war, which they are still fighting, ripped their empire apart. Raade was on the fringe of their control and when the ‘great’ Imperium had to divert resources and troops away from our area of space they forgot about Raade. I guess they must not have needed its resources but our Tau friends tell us that it does have some rare minerals scattered throughout the planet in its many mountain ranges.

Most of the men were still preparing for battle today when Tek and I were allowed on the command bridge to watch the devastation. The awesome firepower of many ships in the fleet was something to behold and I cannot wait to show the men through the holo-vid, but that will have to wait. The bombardments were kept small and sporadic, or at least I had thought so at the time. Yanoi would tell me later that they did not want to bomb the entire planet. She said that many of the inhabitants are willing to join the greater good but some still resist. It looks like we are going to have to sort them out.

Most of the men have gone to sleep early to get some rest while we can. The fighting for this planet is going to be hard. The planet consists of everything from vast mountain ranges, to dense jungles, to sweeping deserts, and the largest cities I have ever seen. Our tau friends said that many of the jungles are not populated so our cadre is being sent to a large city. I must remember to check my carbine again before I lay down, one can never be too careful.




Journal Entry: The Campaign for Raade: Landing Zones

The Tau bombardments from yesterday leveled key loyalist anti-aircraft facilities so the ride down in our orca was smooth enough. Oh how excited I am that our alien friends have given us the command of two devilfishes. Not enough to carry all of us but it gave Demlok a lot more options for deploying us. Nils, Tek, Garth, and I and the rest of our squad deployed from the first and Dium’s squad deployed from the second. Taking the open ground was easy enough and we met no resistance. But it didn’t take long for the loyalists to launch an attack.

Dium’s squad and my squad were watching over the deployment of the second orca when they hit. Coming at us from the city streets to the south the human soldiers raced right down the road towards us. It was obvious they were trying to close the distance so they could bring their weapons to bear. Demlok was cunning; he had anticipated their move and already had a counter in place. From their dug in positions on either side of the road the other two squads of tribesmen opened up with their carbines. Red laser light filled the roadway and halted the enemy in their tracks. They turned to retreat but by that time our devilfishes had deployed us behind their flank. I let the energy from my alien pulse carbine flow into the enemy. None survived.

My team quickly got back into our devilfish, and not a moment too soon. Turning around a street corner four blocks up the road was a very large, yet crude, enemy battle tank. It brought its main weapon to bear on us and fired, but our transport was too fast and the shot narrowly missed one of our engines. Our skilled tau pilot revved the engines to their limit and boosted us up and out of the street. The two squads of tribesmen on the ground had already retreated back to their fox holes.

We had decimated the first wave of soldiers and give Demlok and the other tau enough time to unload the support. A giant suit, similar in most respects to Demlok’s three meter tall armor suit, planted its feet into the ground and brought its twin guns on the tank. I watched from the hatch of the devilfish as the guns fired and ripped the tanks a pair of holes straight thru its front armor plate. Effect achieved, tank destroyed and opponents pants properly soiled. The remaining forces that had started to gather for an advance broke off and retreated into the city.

I think we could have cut down their numbers if we would have chased them but Demlok reminded us that we had to keep the drop zone secure. I just don’t like the thought of giving the enemy a chance to dig in on their home territory.

Commander Elan’Kais and a small strike team from the cadre hit a communications station that was under enemy control while we took the landing zone. I marvel at the grace that he and the other tau suit pilots can control their machines. It is something to behold when the giant suits start jumping from moving orca’s and fall to the ground as if they are going to crash. Then all of a sudden their jets ignite and they land so softly that if their suits were made of egg shells they wouldn’t even crack.

I had some free time after I sent half of third squad out on guard duty to watch a holo-vid of the attack. Their forces were light due to the fact they had diverted towards us. Commander Elan’Kais and his two bodyguards dropped in on the north side of the communication tower and let loose with their plasma guns and missiles. The building was strong and the missiles could barely create craters with their impacts. A set of walking machines opened up on the commander from his left flank. The near white hot laser beams surely would have torn our Shas’el’s suit apart if it was not for the field of disrupting energy caused by his shield generator.

The walkers were quickly melted in two by a unit of stealth shas. Their shas’ui’s mighty fusion blaster burnt through the crude machines quite easily while his teammates unleashed a disturbing amount of burst cannon fire. While this was all taking place a second stealth team had snuck into the installation and planted a fusion bomb. A second holo-vid I was watching showed their movements from the Shas’vre’s head mounted vid-cam.

They were in and out in a little under five minutes. The bomb however did not initially detonate. A mobile pathfinder team which was hiding along the mountain side video taped what happened next. The unit had the detonator in their possession and they waited until enemy reinforcements arrived before they trigger the bomb. Commander Elan’Kais was smart; he has ordered the pathfinder to do this. The ensuing explosion not only destroyed the station but also took out a platoon of enemy troops. The old two birds with one stone technique, or two beasts with one arrow, which ever analogy you like best.

Even though the Shas’el took out the local enemy’s communication array we are still getting interference. The drones can’t seem to communicate with their controllers and the remote defense turrets are not working properly. Luckily the fio had installed manual overrides on the machines and Dium has assigned his squad and squad four to rotate duties of manning the machines. I had a go on one just to see how easily we could perform at this task, having never had to do this before. It was a simple point and click on the controls to get the weapon to activate. It should make our regular warriors accuracy increase greatly.

Well with the high morale from today’s battle the camp is still stirring. I may play a game of chance with some of the younger warriors before hitting the sack. I would invite Garth but he has been busy modifying his weapon, I swear he would make the fio proud with some of his ‘improvements’, but he refuses to quit fighting to help with the armory. I do appreciate the improvements he put on my pulse carbine so that the trigger feels more comfortable in my grip. He has asked to take a look at my tribes honor swords again but I am still hesitant to let him tamper with our most holy weapons. Though with his skill he would probably clean them better and keep them sharper.


...


Story: Campaign for Raade: Downed Transport Part 1

Enoeht and his squad of experienced warriors sat patiently behind their downed devilfish. Smoke was pluming from the downed transports destroyed engine. The smoke trail of the rocket that had punctured the tank was still hanging in the dense morning air. Bullets dinged off the front armored hull and explosions could be felt nearby. Yet still the warriors looked on as if it was just another day on the job.

“Nils what is the status on that hatch,” Enoeht barked over the com channel.

“Won’t budge, the crash has jammed it hard shut,” the younger warrior squawked back over the inter-squad radio.

“Damn, alright we will hold here for now. My com is getting jammed and I can’t get through to Demlok. Shas’ui are you and your crew doing ok?”

“Yes warrior, we are barely bruised from the crash,” the tank commander reported back over the com channel. “Did you check the emergency repair kit for the fusion cutter?”

“Yes Shas’ui but it was damaged, most likely un-usable. Keep trying to get an outside com channel open and we will hold here.”

Things weren’t looking that grim for Enoeht and his squad though he did wish the conditions were better. Their transport had gotten caught in the open while crossing a street from one alley to another. The enemy heavy support squad that had been hiding in a building at the end of road let loose with their rocket weaponry. Un-lucky for Enoeht his tank’s decoy launchers failed to misdirect the incoming enemy fire. No one was hurt but they would not be able to flank the enemy position. Hopefully Demlok would be able to succeed without their presence.

Just then another rocket hit the downed tank and sent the squad to the ground hugging for cover. The blast prompted immediate return fire from the warrior squad’s laser weapons. The red beams of light bounced harmlessly off of the face of the building down the road, the heavy cover keeping the enemy anti-tank squad safe.

Enoeht tapped on his wrist, bringing up the battle map on the hud display attached to his helmet. Scrambled images raced across his screen and a screech ringed his ears. He quickly tapped on it again to mute the sound. Try as the warrior did he was still not used to his new equipment, though thankful he was to have received it. He cleared his mind of the random thought and concentrated on the battle map, though it was useless.

“Stupid enemy outpost is still jamming the com network,” Enoeht reported to Garth, who was still fumbling with the fusion cutter.

“That sucks and this thing isn’t worth Throne now,” The white skinned soldier said angrily while throwing the broken tool to the ground.

“Well without orders from command we’re going to have to wing it, again,” Enoeht assumed.

“Isn’t that what we do best champion,” Nils chimed in as he jumped from inside the transport. “I think taking that frak’n rocket squad would be a good start.”

“I agree,” Enoeht answered as he cued up his inter-squad com link. “Gamma squad prepare to move, we’re taking that building.”

In an instant the AI programming in Enoeht’s gear cued up rally points and enemy position markers for the hud’s of his teammates helmets. The team all checked their weapons ammunition clips and prepared to move. Without a word three men opened up with full-auto las fire on the building. Red beams of hot light burnt the surface of the building as the other seven members of the squad raced for cover further up the street.

Four soldiers raced to a destroyed cargo transport that had crashed into a building on the right side of the road while Enoeht, Garth, and Nils ducked behind the side of a building on the left. The cover squad ducked behind the transport and reloaded their weaponry. The anti-tank squad let another volley go that rocked the transports remaining engine. The screech of the engine blowing was followed by the screaming of a soldier. Shrapnel had pierced one of the men taking cover behind the makeshift cover, the soldier’s leg nearly being shred beyond recognition. The other two soldiers quickly retrieved gauze from their packs to attempt to staunch the blood flowing from the open arteries on the stump of a limb.

Shock, seizer, and death, or orange, red, black on Enoeht’s hud display. The four men that had taken up cover behind the cargo truck opened up with their hellgun equivalent weapons. Their retaliation swift yet uneventful, as again their fire could not penetrate the cover that the rocket squad was hiding behind. Enoeht cursed to himself and started running from their cover. His path was straight and it was directed right at the building at the end of the street. Garth and Nils didn’t bother asking questions, nor did they sit idly by. They opened up with their carbines, just barely close enough to hit the building accurately.

Enoeht’s heart pounded hard inside his chest and he closes the distance to the building. The enemy rocket squad seeing his approach switched to their lasguns and poured beams down towards Enoeht; their blind fire highly inaccurate. Just as Enoeht closest to ten meters he grabbed a grenade from his chest belt and pulled the pin. In a slide much to the manner of a feet first slide into home plate, the champion warrior slid towards the sidewalk. His leading foot hit the curb sending the warrior back to his feet and in the same motion he lobbed the ticking grenade into the second story opening while falling into the wall of the building for cover. The ensuing explosion blew debris from the second story that included glass, brick, bones, and metal. Hugging the wall tightly, Enoeht had been protected from the flying fragments.

The warrior stood, dusting himself off and looked as his squad peered out from behind their cover with astonished faces. “What?” Enoeht asked rhetorically.

“One of these days your half cocked plans aren’t going to work,” Nils stated as he reloaded his ammo.

“Just hope you aren’t around when that happens,” Garth jested as he mimicked Nils with a reload.

“Alright men cut the chatter, we’re not out of the woods yet,” Enoeht ordered in a half-laughing voice. Just then two blips on his hud blinked green a couple times before turning blue. “Shas’ui nice to see you have gotten out, receiving your hud id’s as we speak.”

“Yes warrior the last rocket impact weakened the jammed hatch,” the veteran transport pilot replied as he and his shas’la co-pilot stepped out of the transport. “We should gather what ammo we can and make for this rally point.”

Enoeht’s hud display blinked with a new yellow marker, the Shas’ui knew where they could get to safety. “Alright men lets reload and get ready to hump it. Shas’ui Kunas’Saum you have lead, get us out of here.”




Downed Transport…Part 2

The sun was high overhead and beating down upon the armor clad warriors. Beads of sweat rolled down their faces as they walked cautiously through an alley. The shade of the neighboring building giving them little comfort in the high humidity, though the tribesmen could tell that relief was not far away. Enoeht tapped his wrist and brought his battle map up on his hud display. Scrambled still, which was good news and bad at the same time. It meant that they were still inside the battle zone, but it also meant that the commander had not achieved the mission. Four long hours have passed since the missions designated pull out time. They all feared the worst.

“Shas’ui, I still haven’t received a response yet,” the young shas’la warrior reported. “The battle net is still scrambled. I fear the commander did not complete his mission.”

“I fear that too young shas’la,” the veteran pilot responded. “I also have lost track of the battle line, we have either stumbled into an uncontrolled sector or the battle has been lost. Warrior leader have you picked up anything on your display.”

Enoeht fingered some different buttons and gazed openly into his display, “still nothing Shas’ui. Wait.”

A small flicker blinked and then disappeared almost too quickly for Enoeht to pick up. He changed some settings and then got the response he was looking for as the blip blinked to life on his screen. His readings were faint but he was sure of what he was seeing.

“Shas’ui I am picking up a jamming signal, five kilometers south, southwest.”

“Impossible,” the shas’ui whispered to himself. “That is out of the battle zone, how could it have that range?”

“Sir is it possible we left the zone,” the young shas’la asked, “or perhaps…”

“Yes,” Enoeht interjected, “I am getting fairly reliable coordinate readings for once.” The warrior held up his hand a moment to quell the stirring discussion.

“Yes I am starting to pick something more up. Enemy units surrounding the jammer, three full squads?”

“Warrior, what are their movement patterns,” the shas’ui demanded.

“Faint readings have them stationary, perhaps guarding the jammer.”

“Then we take them by surprise and complete the mission, prepare to move.”

The humans didn’t need any more direction than that, they immediately adjusted their straps and began to follow the tau warrior out of the alley. Five kilometers was not that long of a distance but they would have to move slowly, the jammer was still interfering with their huds. Enemy ambush was the prevalent thought in Enoeht’s head as well as everyone else’s.

Suddenly Enoeht spoke into the squad com link, “Down!”

He spoke silently enough that anyone without the squad link wouldn’t have heard him. But the squad followed his command and ducked behind whatever cover the side street they were on provided. They did not take long to hide from view and not a moment too soon as a large armored tank turned a corner up ahead. The turret on the top of the tank swiveling slowly from side to side as the tank crept slowly along the street. From the turrets top hatch stood a stern looking man holding a pair of bionics.

They had luckily hid from the tanks detection. The large machine just roared and rumbled its way down the street. Enoeht looked to his side at the shas’ui and received a hand signal which he then relayed onto the men he could see. They could not let this sitting duck idly pass by. Just as the tank pulled up to pass the hidden squad they sprung their trap.

The Shas’ui pulled his carbine up to his shoulder as did his Shas’la co-pilot. A hail of deadly blue beams flew through the air and impacted on the stern, older tank commander. His armor melted under the heat of the pulsating blue fire. His weak armor and fragile body never stood a chance. Nils, Garth, and four of the human warriors ran towards the back of the tank just as the rear hatch started to lower. They all dove prone behind cover as a hail of autogun bullets spewed forth from the passenger compartment. Several bullets caught one of the warriors in the back but merely knocked the warrior around; his armor taking the brunt of the killing power.

Distracted, the enemy soldiers never noticed Enoeht climbing up the side of the tank. The champion warrior ducked under the barrel of the auto-cannon as the turret swiveled to find a target. Enoeht pulled the pins from two of his high explosive grenades that were already in hand. He lobbed the grenades one after another in quick succession down the commander’s hatch. Enoeht jumped down from the tank as quickly as he had ascended it and high tailed it back into cover with the Shas’ui. Garth and his men were joined in their cover by the rest of the squad, just in time to watch the fireworks.

The grenades detonated.

The auto-cannon turret erupted into hundreds of pieces of molten hot shrapnel. Soldiers that had been firing their autoguns were tossed about by the explosion and many were flung into the open street. Those that had been unlucky to get caught by the molten shrapnel found their deaths by the red beamed weapons of the gue’la warriors. The action was swift and preformed perfectly, or at least as perfectly as they could under the circumstances. The shooting had begun and ended all in under a minute.

Another Chimera rounded the corner where the now destroyed tank had come from; its turret spraying auto-cannon fire into the cover and the pintle-mounted stubber doing the same. The tank pulled up behind the destroyed transport and unloaded its soldiers into the street, but to there surprise they only found dead bodies. Bodies of their comrades dressed in the ugly dark gray fatigues. One warrior spotted a camo-lined helmet and alerted his commander. The helmet lay on top of a downed building column and was the make of their enemy. The soldiers rounded the corner and flanked the covered position. The all rushed in at once weapons ready to tear any opposition to pieces.

Only a helmet and a pack could be seen behind the cover. No bodies. One warrior kneeled down and peered at the pack, only to see a timer counting down from three. The profanity he was about to speak never left his lips.

Two enemy squads down and Enoeht’s squad was already on the move.