Pray for Death

By Richard Walter

The five figures stood around the small table in the command tent, staring at the huge holomap in surprise. Sergeant Barker couldn't believe his eyes, he felt rage boil in his blood. He was looking into the location of an entire Tyranid swarm on the jungle world of Mardrath. It didn't show the Sergeant what he wanted to see.

Barker roared at the map "What the f**k is this? I don't believe it! How many f**king Tyranids? Where is our Titan support? Answer me or your all on Toilet Cleaning duty on Mars for life!"

"We WILL be attacked, Sir. Trouble is, we haven't got a clue when. The Titan support should be here, soon." Murmured Stark, Commander of the Second Platoon.

"I'll tell you when we'll get attacked by those f**king maggots! When we're sitting on the toilet dropping off some of the Emperors finest. We're up against the kind of scum that would gladly drink six gallons of Leman Russ fuel just so they could piss on your camp-fire. We're up against the kind of maggots that would gladly eat out their own insides and ask for seconds with a heart breaking smile on their face." Roared Barker in blind fury as he flung a tankard through the map, it smashed into the wall. The map crackled and flickered.

"Right, I got an idea forming, its a long shot, but it may just work." The statement sounded like a clap of thunder. Barker turned round. Standing before him was Jaxon Jaggard, Commander of the AWACS special forces team.

"Go...go ahead, Sir." Said the humbled Barker, now slightly subdued.

"Early recon reports show that the Tyranid's are here." Taggard indicated to a woodland patch on the holo-map. "We can either bomb them back to where they came from...or let the AWACS get revenge for Darien."

"What happened in Darien, Sir?" Enquired Aridian, Captain of the Assault Corps.

"Lets just say good men got hurt." After saying that, Jaggard revealed a fearsome bite mark on his neck and chest before continuing. "And alot of good men died. Retribution belongs to the AWACS"

The door to the command tent flew open and a bloodied mass of rags fell to the ground. It was Commissar Black, he had been severley injured, huge acid burns and claw marks adorned his body. He clutched the "Emperors Salvation" to his chest, the book was some sort of shield to the Commissar. Barker ran to the injured Black and held him up, he shouted for a medic. Commissar Black gazed at the Sergeant before splutting a garbled message.

"N...no...time for..that, soon...be..dead, please....hear me out..." Sergeant Barker gave the injured Commissar a shot from a nearby stimpack to ease the pain, and to make his speech clear before nodding Black onwards.

"The burning tongues of Hell lap at our heels as we run, screaming from its terrible, gaping maw. There can be no escape from the relentless beast of Terror...All that remains is Retribution, Cold and hard and final..."

With that said, Commissar Black departed to serve the Emperor. Sergeant Barker laid the dead soldier down and closed Black's staring eyes before standing to face Jaggard.

"All that remains is Retribution, Cold and hard and final...They must perish. All of them. Bring them to their graves."

Jaggard nodded in acknowledgement before turning round to depart. Before he left, Barker spoke once more.

"I'm coming with you. The Emperor's fury is strong, and so is my judgement."

"Very well, Sergeant."

No rousing speech was nessecary to prepare the Commando's for battle, Jaggard knew this full well. Each of his men was fully prepared to die on that field today, avenging their regiments strongest vendetta. Their weapons were cleaned, their spirits were pure, and finally, each man rubbed camouflage paint on their face, not just for stealth, it was an ancient ritual before battle.

The first big battle the AWACS took part in was on Catachan. Their mission was to take and hold a bunker held by Chaos forces. Fully over two-hundred guardsmen had lost their lives trying to take the bunker before the AWACS were called up. They were the first unit to incorporate Camouflage face-paint, and it worked extremley well. The bunker was took with a loss of Five men. Nowadays it is considered a good omen amongst the AWACSsoldier's.

The buzzing of the jungle grew loud, strange chirping and bestial roaring sounds echoed from all around. It was fearfully hot under the dark jungle canopy.

"The orders are clear. We're here to destroy the Tyranid scout force and weaken their overall position. We've got fire-power support if we need it, so we aren't going up to our necks in it." Jaggard whispered to his men crouching in ebbings shallows of the swamp. The misty heat had covered brawny arms and knives in a dewy sheen.

"So the rumours are true? We face the Tyranids?" Captain Hart said, slapping a fresh magazine into his bolter.

"Yes, we face the aliens. Only a few have come into contact with them including Commissar Black, might have something to do with their modified bodies, giving them some sort of stealth. They're definitely out there though, and are ready to go for our necks so be wary. Even got the locals running scared, while the militia haven't even got the bottle for combat - though I must say, facing down one of those vile weapons doesn't appeal to me either."

Jaggard noted the aprehension in his mens eyes. "A warrior's true strength lies not in the body, but in the spirit. May the Emperor praise us."

The AWACS each gripped their weapons tight. "Alright." Jaggard looked at his men's faces a final time before giving the order. "Lets move out."

The soldiers glided underneath the swampy water like eels. They ignored the strange movements brushing past their legs, a skill that took years to master.

The jungle sat silent, staring at the new intruders. Jaggard led his men into cover behind a small bank of bushes. Spines scratched at the soldiers, yet the cocktail of drugs circulating through the men stopped even the most grievous of wounds.

An alien giggle followed by a shriek brought the Soldiers honed reflexes into play. Twenty of the thirty Commando's glided back into the swamp and submerged themselves, whilst the other soldiers hid themselves amongst the deadly foliage. Barker raised his field glasses to his eyes and spotted the alien.

A Lictor creeped through the jungle floor. It moved gracefully through the dense canopy; the darkness and rugged terrain did little to slow its advances. Behind it followed a small brood of Termagents.

Jaggard knew he had the edge on the Tyranids and that he could deal with them quickly. Turning to his men, Jaggard gave the signal for revenge.

With a fearsome roar the Commando's hidden in the bushes opened up on the Tyranid scout force. Jaggard tugged the pin from a Frag grenade and threw it into the Termagent brood. A thunderous explosion shattered the screeching on the animals, fragments of metal whinned through the air as the fragile metal case of the grenade ruptured. Four Aliens fell to the explosion, cut into a million pieces.

The remaining Termagents fell back in the face of such animalistic fury, standing behind the Lictor for protection, they fired off wildly aimed shots in every direction. The Commando's were too well hiden for any shots to hit. After ten long mintutes of screaming and shooting, the Termagents ceased their fire-fight on the invisible warriors.

The Lictor stood upright, trying to sense out the soldiers like a snake senses its pray. Slowly, the alien, along with the Termagents, ventured towards the waters edge. Trying to spot any concealed Commando's that might be hiding in the bushes. From behind the Lictor's position a twig snapped.

Chainsword spinning, Hart flew out of the water like a monstrous daemon; the remaining Commando's followed, firing bursts of fire from their varied weaponry into the vile aliens. The creatures scattered into the jungle like ants. Keeping a look out, just incase they were to be ambushed, the AWACS soldiers fanned out and crouched down. The razor's edge of Hart's Chainsword sent the vile head of the Lictor toppling to the jungle floor with a sloppy thud. The remaining Termagent's dissapeared in a burst of Plasma fire.

The jungle was silent, the battlefield was still.

Jaggard looked towards his men, no-one was absent, or so he thought. A piercing shriek filled the silent jungle. Jaggard span around and looked in horror.

Private Raminan was hanging in the air, two fearsome claws suspending the struggling soldier. A Lictor had remained cloked the whole time the AWACS soldiers were fighting, the Emperor knows how many more were hiding in the canopy.

"G...Go lads...l-leave me. I'm done for..."

Jaggard, in cold fury reached for his sheathed combat knife. "I need cover from all of you. Make it clean. we will not have our honour stained further." Turning to his men, he looked into their eyes and noted the rage they all feeled, even Barker. "On my mark."

"One." Jaggard grabbed his combat knife.

"Two." The Commando's raised their rifles.

"Three."

Flying through the swamp like a man possesed, Jaggard ran straight for the Lictor. The AWACS fired off in unison, slicing jungle canopy to shreds and spraying messy tree pulp everywhere. From out of a nearby tree fell another Lictor, torn in two by the flurry of weapon fire.

Jaxon felt rage surging through his body as he pounded up the bank of the swamp. The insane commander flung himself at the Lictor with his knife. The long blade found its mark and penetrated the soft fleshy underbelly of the alien. Strangely coloured ichor splurted out of the cut as the Lictor thrashed wildly, with a thump Raminan fell to the ground, three Commando's ran up to aid him. Momentum carried the AWACS Commander to the ground.

With death only mere seconds away Jaggard wildly kicked out at the Lictor, striking it on one of its vile legs. A sickening crunch echoed from somewhere deep in the aliens body followed by a high pitched wailing that will remain with Jaggard until the grave. The injured Lictor toppled to the ground, desperatley trying to crawl away. Commander Jaggard lowered his Boltpistol. "May the Emperor praise the bolt that brings your death."

Jaggard wiped his blade clean on the grass before walking towards his men. He looked at them and guessed the news wasn't good. "Raminan?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Dead, sir. May he aid the Emperor."

The look on Jagggards face was a thunderous one. The soliders of the AWACS was a close-knit group, not like the vast regiments of the Imperial Guard. They knew each other well, and regarded each other as brothers.

"And for each who has lost their life on the Emperor's battlefield there will be a reward. For they are hero's already-"

"AMBUSH!" Screamed Hart. The Jungle foliage rustled and exploded as the deadly Genestealers appeared.

"Genestealers! Here they come!" Shouted Barker as he fired off a Bolter shell into one of the degenerates.

Thirty to Forty purple creatures leapt from the bushes in all directions, eacher filthy creature was armed with four powerful arms, with two ending in claws capable of penetrating even the mighty Terminator armour. They ran around the Commando's and circled them, like a shark circles its pray. Jaggard waited with growing anticipation, he knew no fear.

"We're being overun! Send them down to the very pits of despair!" Was Barkers response as he fired off a burst of fire into the teeming masses.

The Genestealer's began to walk menacingly at the Imperial Commando's. Jaggard was not fearful, rather the opposite. With a grin on his face, he made an obscene gesture at the aliens with his hand.

"I like these calm little moments before the storm!" The AWACS Commando's were surprised by this statement. They looked at the grinning Jaggard with surprise. The AWACS commander looked at them before winking.

"Sniper, FIRE!" he roared.

From somehwere in the dense jungle, five supressed hisses echoed throughout the jungle, throwing five Genestealers to the floor with force, each showing a perfect hit. The remaining Genstealers looked about frantically.

The hidden Sniper trained his rifle onto the closest Genstealer and fired. As soon as the shot had struck, he had already taken the life of a second alien. And with his cross-hair already ghosted on the fourth alien, it wouldn't take long to clean up the vile heretics. Firing off the last of his current magazine, the Sniper realised that only four Genstealers remained, he quickly reloaded. Firing a shot into the kneecaps of one alien, the Sniper had already claimed the lives of the other three Genstealers, and with a final shot to the head, the last aliens life was extinguished. The execution had took just 6.5 seconds.

From the denses jungle canopy jumped a Sniper. He was covered with bits of green and brown foliage, almost like another creature.

They hastily made ready as the ships began to enter orbit. Weapons were mounted into place, and the tremendous anti-ship cannons were prepared. Yet they knew they would have to fight on the ground.. and they made their best efforts of preparation there.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!!