Validus stood at attention with his Brothers, his beaked Corvus helm held under an arm, baring his pale skin and short mahogany hair, darkened at the roots. Weathered features would show the Raven Guard Astartes of the Deathwatch who had many years of experience. Well maintained power armor shone to a brilliant black, yet contrasted with signs of years of use in war, it seemed to match it's owner well in that regard. The attached Jump Pack and Chainsword at his waist would leave little doubt as to this Space Marine's purpose. Three small avian skulls hand from a chain opposite the chainsword, a curious collection to be sure.
This world was new to him still, after so many years of service in the Raven Guard, finding himself in service of the Deathwatch brought him into strange and unfamiliar territory. Gone was the training of which he had grown accustomed, and gone were the Brothers he bled beside. But this was his purpose now, the Emperor’s Hand saw fit to place him here, he thought to himself, standing there in the silence. “It matters not the where or the who, if this is my place then so be it, I will break the enemies of man in one fell swoop, and I will fly on Raven's Wings.”
Those words rang in his head, and brought him back to a time not so long ago but it felt as if a thousand years had passed since those days.
The rain came down in torrents, drenching the world of Veron III in it's bitter embrace. The ruined Hiveworld was a twisted labyrinth of steel and jungle. Fires burned as far as they eye could see, marring the sky even further, the black smoke twisting with the clouds, forming a dreary haze over the city. It seemed in man's absence, nature had begun to retake the empty streets, among other, less desirable things.
The rain did not bother Validus or his Brothers, nor the smoke or poor visibility. The sheets of rain and plumes of smoke were cover for their advance, the thunder a mask for their movements. The Astartes of the Raven Guard kept their vigil high on the roof of a derelict building. As one of the few standing in the area, it gave the five an excellent vantage of their objective.
Orks, hundreds of them in a mess of twisted steel, flame and sound, their haphazard vehicles and formations making up more of a mob than any sort of organized force. Still, the brutish creatures were dangerous, if that were not the case there would be no reason for the Raven Guard to be here. Clad in their black Mk 6 Corvus Power Armor, the five watched and shared looks, all except Sergeant Avaratius, who fixated his gaze between the greenskin horde, and his Auspex Sweeper in his gloved hand.
The coms crackled to life over the rainfall “They're on the move, we can reach them before they even hit the General and his Regiments,” noted Kyvax, the youngest and as Validus noted, most rash of the group. “We have their flank, with some well placed explosives we can turn them before the Guardsmen's Advance is stalled.”
“More like to excite or enrage them, Orcs are not such a predictable foe,” replied Cor'vun, a more seasoned veteran yet still younger than Validus by many years. “I doubt we'd even have the time to set demolition charges, given the speed of this Warband. By my predictions they will be on the General's Flank in 10 minutes.”
Validus shared a look with Kil'ros, the veteran who had been his Battle Brother through many wars and battles, the count of which Validus had lost long ago. Through their helmets it was difficult to tell what Kil'ros was thinking, but a glance to Sergeant Avaratius quickly confirmed his suspicions. We would place our faith in the Sergeant, as we had for so many missions before.
“What would you suggest, then?” said Kyvax. “The nearest squads are kilometers away. By the time the Thunderhawks and Drop Pods can be readied for a counter assault, it may already be too late. My plan has merit, orks can know fear I have seen it in their eyes before, we rip the will to fight out of them before they can do damage.”
“We can't coordinate a demolition in 10 minutes, we should wait for the Battle Barge to deploy the Drop Pods and strike in sequence with our brothers.”
“There's no guarantee the Guard will last that long.”
“And there's no guarantee we won't be throwing our lives away in a brash quest for glo-”
“Validus.” The Sergeant spoke, all were silent. “What do you think?” The realization struck Validus with force. The Sergeant did not have a plan, only five against hundreds, and while each could hold their own against a group of Orcs, the greenskins numbers and heavy armor would easily overwhelm them should they be bogged down in battle. Perhaps there was no one correct answer this time, no plan that was foolproof. This however was not the time for doubt, what mattered was the objective, the Orcs must be destroyed, the Imperial Guard's Advance must not be stalled, else the campaign may drag on for many extra months.
Validus spoke “We strike at their command. We let the Guardsmen do their duty as we do ours, wait until our foe has placed the focus of their attention on the Guard's flank, then strike hard at the ork Warboss. Without their leader, the ork ranks should dissolve into infighting and the Guard, though disorganized should be able to repel them.”
“Cut the head from the serpent and leave it for the carrion?” Validus could hear the amusement in the Sergeant's voice. “Very well, look to your Jump Packs brothers, we fly on Raven's Wings.”
The plan was hastily constructed as the Assault Marines made their way from vantage to vantage. Validus and Kil'ros would strike from one direction, while the Sergeant, Cor'vun and Kyvax would strike from another. The goal being to rip at the monstrous ork's vitals and bring it down in one fell blow, using the confusion to make a tactical withdraw into the surrounding structures. Even then, Validus knew it would not be so easy to escape from the clutches of a greenskin warhost.
It was his 329th year in the Raven Guard, but few missions were ever as dire as this. The Raven Guard's 7th company had been operating on the planet for some time now, waging a lightning war against the ork invaders to weaken their fortifications, however the arrival of the Imperial Guard some weeks ago was still met with stiff resistance. A destroyed city made moving heavy armor difficult, coupled with the poor weather conditions, made the retaking of Veron III a slow, violent process. When the word had reached the Raven Guard of the ork force that had shattered the thin Northern Flank and was making it's way around to threaten the entire supply line, the only available squad in the area that could respond in time was Sergeant Avaratius and his Assault Marines.
As the group split, Validus' doubts drew at his mind. Even if the plan was coordinated well, there was no guarantee the hulking brute could be brought down. Heavily armored and possessing the strength of near a dozen Orcs, a Warboss could easily toss groups of ordinary men aside, and once he had even seen one turn a Chimera on it's side. There was also the issue of locating the beast, but Validus knew that would be a simple task. Large and loud, the savages made no attempt to conceal themselves. Still his thoughts went back to the Sergeant, why did he leave the decision in his hands?
Kil'ros, as if reading his mind, spoke. “You think too much Brother, there will be time enough for that after the ba ttle. We need to find this Warboss and relay the coordinates to the Sergeant's squad.” To that, Validus could only nod. Kil'ros was correct, there was no going back now, it was time to place faith in his Brothers and his wargear, as he had so many times before.
As the two navigated twisted ruins with their Jump Packs, the sounds of the ork's advance became more and more thundering, until glimpses of the green horde could be spied gaps in the concrete and rebar. The bombed out Domicile offered them ample cover and places hide and lose pursuers, but use of their Jump Packs was limited in the tighter areas. A well preserved guard's tower served as the two's perch as they planned their next move, the Ork warband laid out before them at last.
Chaotic, was the first thing that came to his mind. Groups of Orks marched in roughly the same direction, shouting jeers to each other and firing guns into the air carelessly. Larger ones, identified as Nobs barked orders and beat the slackers while ramshackle Ork vehicles, likely cannibalized Imperial assets lumbered forward spewing plumes of thick black smoke into the air.
“They're like a locust,” observed Kil'ros, as the two searched for their target amongst the horde. “A glorious day the Imperium will have when we've finally destroyed all these green savages”
“It will be, and perhaps afterward we will extinguish the stars themselves,” Validus mused, adjusting his optical sensors as she scanned for the giant. “This won't be anything like Ceradus, we'll strike as lightning, and make our withdrawal just as fast. We can break this force here.”
Those were words Validus had wanted to believe himself, refocusing his thoughts on the present he found himself back in the Hangar Bay, awaiting the Thunderhawk, and what he knew were to be his new Battle Brothers. Wherever the Deathwatch needed him, he would be. Striking swift and with force from the sky or shadows. That much at least, he knew.
((Had to cut it a little bit short here, taking plane trip tomorrow so i'll be on and off making edits and hopefully adding the rest of my story!))