I've had a few requests for the Karak Dur narrative so here you go ...
The Liberation of Karak Dur
The Inquisitor stood stunned as the Squat Warlord screamed abuse at him
and the Emperor. "... and
another thing", the Warlord yelled, "If you think we would submit to
that husk of a man you are
sadly mistaken. I suggest that you leave now". Without a word, the
inquisitor turned and stormed
out of the audience chamber. The warlord turned to his adviser, "I fear
the Empire of Man will
not take this well, I suggest we mobilise for war". As the Inquisitor's
honour guard of Dark
Angel Space Marines fell into step behind him, he considered the planet
he had been sent to
seduce, only free of crippling warp storms for a few years, rich in
metals and the skill of the
Squats. It was absolutely imperative that it be returned to the Imperial
bosom. Since diplomacy
had failed, stronger means were required. The Inquisitor boarded his
shuttle and settled in for
the journey to the Imperial fleet above.
Several hours later the Emperor class battleship "Defender of Faith"
fired it's navigational
thrusters one final time to place it into geo-synchronous orbit above
the planet. The Inquisitor
and Fleet Commander watched from the bridge as the rest of the fleet
positioned themselves in
similar orbits. Within the ship's bellies, Imperial forces prepared for
the assault onto the
planet. The Commander opened a Comm link to the fleet, "My friends, the
mutants wish to fight
for this rock. I suggest to you that they will lose. Position your ships
in order to bombard the
planetary shields they believe protect them." All around, ships started
rotating to bring their
powerful broadsides to bear. As the last finished this manoeuvre the
commander spoke a single
word ... "Fire!". As one, the fleet unleashed it's worst upon the
shields. Blast after blast
rocked the planet beneath them. Strong at first, the shields overload
and failed with increasing
rapidity until the last collapsed. Still firing, the fleet continued to
rain destruction down
onto the planet surface. "Cease fire" instructed the Commander, "Launch
the assault".
The Thunderhawk pilot commenced his final pre-flight sequence and
awaited the signal to launch.
He carried with him six squads of Deathwing including their Captain, an
arrogant man named
Sicarius. Listening to the combat comms band, he heard his signal..
"Thunderhawk Alpha, you are
free to launch". The launch bay instantly flooded with red light and the
flight crews hurried to
safety. Beneath him, the bay doors opened into the void of space. He
punched the Release Rune
and felt his craft buck and then plummet into a murderous freefall
towards the planet. To his
left he spotted his two wingmen also carrying a cargo of Space Marines.
Beneath him he spied the
slower battle barges carrying the reinforcements for the strike team he
and his wingmen ferried
to the planet.
The pilot of the battle barge, Erebus, watched as the Thunderhawks sped
past him. Whilst his
mount was not as glamorous as the Thunderhawks, it's duty was just as
important. Looking toward
the console, he set the tracking beacon to home in the signal sent out
from the Thunderhawks,
allowing him to land close to the beachhead. A blinking red rune focused
the pilot's attention
on the console. Klaxons started to sound through out the Erebus,
"Hydraulic failure, hydraulic
failure". The barge started to buck as the control system seized. The
pilot barked a hasty
warning to those in the cargo hold, "We are going down. Assume crash
positions". Within seconds,
the Erebus settled into a dive which would take it some distance from
the beachhead. As the
Erebus approached ground level the pilot managed to pull into a flat
trajectory. The Erebus
slammed into the ground at full speed, skimming across the surface
before finally coming to rest.
Miles away, the squat warrior waited in the forward observation post for
the inevitable to
arrive. Since the bombardment ceased, he and his comrades knew it was
only a matter of time
before the invasion began. He heard a low thunder coming from behind a
nearby crest in the
mountains and called out to the Guild Engineer in charge of this post to
try and determine what
it was using the filtering circuit on the comms equipment. No sooner had
the Engineer started
this task when three dark green cruciform shaped craft rocketed overhead
driven on by powerful
ramjets.
Inside the cockpit of Thunderhawk Alpha the pilot gave the Terminators
warning that they were
about to dust off and then commenced the procedure to safely open
transport bay doors. As the
three Thunderhawks screamed to a landing, tracer shells filled the
skies, a few bouncing off the
heavily armoured shells of the Gunships.
The battle for Karak Dur had begun.
As soon as the Terminators started running clear of the Thunderhawk they
came under heavy fire
from Squat warriors entrenched in a nearby building. Behind the
Terminators, four of the
Chapter's dreadnoughts moved into position, followed by two squads of
Devastator marines
accompanied by a Librarian. Within seconds of touching down, the highly
trained Marines were
clear and the pilot punched the Afterburner rune to boost him high above
the battlefield while
the gunners lay down a covering fire for the Strike team.
The Strike Team's instructions were clear. They were to hold the landing
zone until
reinforcements arrived. Under no circumstances were heroics encouraged.
The strike force moved
into cover behind a hedge, all the while coming under heavy fire from
the nearby buildings.
Ignoring his directions, Sicarius arrived at the conclusion that a
frontal assault was the only
solution. Giving the order, he leapt over the hedge and started
sprinting towards the Squat
position. The crossfire intensified, and one by one his men started
dying. The captain's storm
bolter kicked once in his hand and jammed. Looking up at the roof of the
building, he saw a
squat warrior looking at him down the barrel of a lascannon. Time slowed
as his enhanced vision
saw the squat pull the trigger and a lance of light quickly cover the
distance to him. The blast
knocked him off his feet and flung him around. Just before his heart
stopped he saw the carnage
behind him and realised the entire strike force had been massacred, he
hoped the Emperor would
forgive his folly.
The Squat warrior looked down from his vantage position and smiled, "If
all the humans are this
easy then we have no problems" he thought. A massive explosion shook the
building, the warrior
raised his head to see the source. A massive Warlord titan strode
towards him, whilst battle
tanks and motor bikes spread out from behind it.
Hecate, the Princep onboard the "Bringer of Tears" opened a comms
channel to the rest of the
reinforcements. "It appears that our cousins did not perform their duty.
Until notified otherwise,
you are all under my direct command. Fire at will".
Land Raiders and attack bikes sped past the titan and quickly moved off
to the right. Their
first targets were a squadron of Iron Eagles who had only just entered
the fray. Basilisk
artillery vehicles started to rain down massive shells on the
approaching Squat reinforcements
while Predators suppressed the cold-hearted mutants that had annihilated
the Strike Team.
Hecate stared past the Squat position and saw plumes of dust being
kicked up by the approaching
Squat war engines. In the lead came a vehicle with a massive cannon
jutting forward. The Princep
quickly identified it as a Cyclops and assigned its destruction to the
highest priority. Behind
it trundled a Land Train and several Colossi. "Thunderhawk Alpha, you
are required to eliminate
the shields on the vehicle designated target Prime. I am uploading the
information to your
targeting computer now. Hecate out". "Affirmative Princep, commencing
our attack run now" spoke
a tinny voice from the speaker.
The Thunderhawks screamed past the Imperial reinforcements, straight
towards the Cyclops. Flares
of light lit up under the Thunderhawks wings as missiles ignited and
raced toward to the target.
All but one missile exploded on an invisible forcefield, the last
hitting the hull of the
Vehicle. Hecate took this as his prompt. "Moderati Hagen, you are free
to deliver the mutants to
the embrace of the Emperor, fire His vengeance". The Vortex missile
leapt from its mountings and
crashed into the Cyclops. Nothing seemed to happen at first but then
massive chunks of the
vehicle started flickering in and out of existence. A huge explosion
enveloped the Cyclops. When
the smoke and fire cleared, it was obvious that the Cyclops was dead. A
cheer rose up from the
Imperial forces.
As the battle raged backwards and forwards, high above on the "Defender
of the Faith", the
Inquisitor swore as he stood over the battle display unit. "Damn it", he
muttered to no one in
particular. "Look here, here and here", he pointed to the display, his
aide saw more Squat
reinforcements heading towards the battle and Squat defenders
reorganising themselves to better
protect the stronghold. "Patch me through to the Bringer of Tears" he
told his aide. The
Inquisitor started speaking as soon as the connection was made, "Hecate,
it is critical that you
conclude this battle as quickly as possible. Secure the field and then
push forward before they
have a chance to flank you and strike at the landing area. I am
releasing more troops to you".
The connection was cut before the Princep could reply.
Captain Lazarus crested the hill and looked down at the battle. At that
instant, the Imperial
advance faltered then failed. All along the Imperial line vehicles
exploded and men died. The
only positive was the "Bringer of Tears" reaching out with it's quake
cannon and obliterating a
Colossus. Lazarus opened a comms link to the Titan, "Princep, you must
fall back now. We will
cover you". The Princep replied, "Negative Captain, I am under direct
orders to hold this field
and... ", Lazarus cut him off mid-sentence, "Hecate, my scouts have
reported large numbers of
tunnelling vehicles and we believe they are headed this way. Fall back
this instant, I will deal
with the Inquisitor".
One by one, the Imperial detachments disengaged and raced past the
Captain towards the Landing
area. The "Bringer of Tears" was the last to leave.
Silence descended on the battlefield.
The Inquisitor was red with rage, "Prepare a shuttle, I am going to deal
with that captain" he
screamed.
Lazarus was overseeing the construction of bunkers and the laying of
minefields when he heard his
name yelled out behind him. Turning, he saw a figure in red terminator
armour striding towards
him. "Greeting Inquisitor". The inquisitor was trembling with barely
contained anger as he spoke
to Lazarus, "Captain, I trust you have an excellent reason for your
actions". The Inquisitor
stared Lazarus in the eyes as he explained the position and the
discoveries made by his scouts.
"Very well," said the Inquisitor, "finish preparing the defences and we
will show these mutants
the very meaning of defeat".
The sentry patrolled the newly constructed fortifications. The sun would
rise in a few hours and
with it would come the Squats.
Brother Tamashe revved the engine on his attack bike and sped away from
the wreckage of the
Erebus. During the night a Squat force had discovered them and attacked.
The Marines, and their
Imperial Guard allies had dispatched the Squats, only just, but they
won. It was now vital that
they make it to the landing zone as quickly as possible.
The Imperial camp awoke to a gloomy day. In the communications centre,
the Inquisitor looked over
recon reports which indicated that the Squat force was nearly 3 times as
large as was initially
reported. The Inquisitor turned to Lazarus, "I want those intel reports
double checked, that
means sending some of your precious brethren out to check each and every
sighting". Lazarus
walked out without further word to the Inquisitor. Calling over his
aide, he informed them of
the plans and then stalked off to check in with his own staff.
Half an hour later, the Inquisitor stood in the communications centre
and listen to the incoming
intel reports, ".. I repeat, the force in quadrant 3 is a decoy, as is
the one in quadrant 4 .."
Reports like that had been coming in from all over. Walking outside, he
crashed into a breathless
guardsman. The guardsman immediately started to speak, "There is an
attack starting in sector
7-G". The Inquisitor turned and yelled for all forces to scramble. The
camp sprang into life.
The Bringer of Tears strode past the command bunker for sector 7-G and
turned towards the Squat
advance. Behind the great war machine, a handful of Land Raiders
deployed in a defensive position
whilst artillery crews hurried to get their charges into a good firing
position. Hecate shook
his head as he surveyed the opposition. Three massive war engines
rumbled towards him, at least a
dozen gyrocopters attempted to move around the flanks and infantry had
already started to dig in.
A loud roar shook the air as the Squat artillery spoke, a fraction of a
second later half the
Imperial artillery exploded. The first blood was to the Squats.
The Inquisitor's Land Raider skidded to a halt just behind the command
bunker, leaping out, he
ran for cover in the plascrete structure and watched the battle unfold
about him.
Imperial air support scrambled and quickly claimed control of the skies,
the Squat pilots being
no match. Their first target was one of the three Colossi. The Marauders
dived on the lumbering
war engine, stripping it's shields in an instant. No sooner had the last
shield failed when the
Vortex missile launched clear of the Warlord titan and collided with the
Colossus. The terrible
weapon utterly annihilated the war engine, leaving behind only a smoking
ruin. The other two
Colossi continued forward and concentrated fire upon the Bringer of
Tears. Within seconds,
nearly the entire Squat forces was doing the same. The great titan could
no longer be seen
through the massive explosions and the flare of it's void shields
failing and recharging.
While the Squats pounded the Bringer of Tears, more Imperial
reinforcements arrived to bolster
the flagging strength and spirits of those already in place. More Land
Raiders arrived as did a
sizeable portion of RavenWing. The battle was truly joined as great
burrowing vehicles surfaced
and disgorged their cargo of Squats right onto the Imperial front lines.
The battle field was
cris crossed with bright laser beams and shells, while explosions rocked
both sides.
The Squat scout lay concealed in the position he had occupied since
before the start of the
battle, some fifty yards to the west sat the heavy box shape of the
command bunker. The squat
opened a comm link to his headquarters, "Warlord, I have a definite
sighting on the Inquisitor
leading the invasion force, the grid coordinates are 13a-25t". A small
voice issued forth from
the radio, "Excellent Hendrik, clear the area". Hendrik new he had to
get as far away as possible.
High above the battlefield, the ancient satellite rotated until the
proboscis pointed down
towards the coordinates given. With a flash of light, the beam
weapon.Hendrik saw the flash in
the sky and quickly looked towards the bunker. With a loud crack the
bunker exploded as the
defence laser punched through the plascrete armour. Smiling to himself,
Hendrik crawled away
knowing that virtually nothing could have lived through that.
A second Colossus exploded as two Shadowswords and a Baneblade
concentrated their efforts on it.
All across the battlefield it became obvious that the Imperium were
losing more unit than the
Squats, not many more but definitely more. The morale of the Imperial
forces began to drop
rapidly. Shattered hulls from Leman Russ battle tanks littered the area
while a cavalry charge
down the left flank was crushed by half a dozen gyrocopters.
Despair set in as the Squats continued to advance.
Without warning, or apparent cause, the Squats stopped their advance and
their weapons were
relatively quiet. The break in bombardment allowed the Bringer of Tears
to shrug off it's cloak
of smoke and fire and stride, unharmed, towards the Squat line once
more. Princep Hecate smiled
to himself, the massive war machine hadn't even sustained a scratch to
the paintwork.
At the sight of the Titan, Imperial forces rallied long enough to hold
off the final Squat
advance. More furious than before, the diminutive warriors launched
themselves at the Imperial
lines in an effort to breakthrough before reinforcements arrived. One
brave Squat warrior stood
his ground as the Bringer of Tears underpinned the defence, his missile
launcher spitting rocket
after rocket into the Titan's shields.
At the sight of the Space Marine reinforcements the Squats resolve to
fight crumbled and they
fled the battlefield.
Lazarus surveyed the wreckage. Again, he had taken little part in the
fight. He itched to get
into combat with the mutants and show them what it meant to ignore the
wishes of the Emperor.
Lazarus heard a groan to his right and saw the broken form of the
Inquisitor, "I suppose we
should save him" he thought to himself and yelled for a medic.
Small battles raged up and down the front for several more days but the
Squats never again
amassed the strength the threaten the Imperial forces. The landing zone
was secure and the flow
of reinforcements increased.
Warlord Thalun had tried everything he could. There was only one option
left. The Squat forces
fled towards their strongholds.
Lazarus realised what Thalun was doing and called together his staff.
"We need to attack this
pathetic column and quickly, get together your best men and prepare for
a rapid assault".
Cheers. Chris.
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Received on Tue Jan 27 1998 - 06:08:06 UTC