The Last Stand
Venusian Ranger Harold Kreichmann deftly loaded his rifle and shot a burst at the incoming horde of Dark Legion. In the distance, he spotted the looming features of a Praetorian Behemoth, shaking its mighty bladed azoghar. In his comm unit,he can hear the excited, almost panic-stricken voices of the 82nd Dragoons as the Behemoth strode the battlefield. Kreichmann holds no fear for these abominations, to him the Dark Legion are an object of hate not fear or awe. He took aim at an onrushing necromutant, and fired. He cracked a grim smile as his target fell from his well-placed shot. All over the compound, Sagielli Dragoons fired withering fusillades into the enemy, cutting them up like so much rotten meat. “These abominations will be stopped, right here, right now.”, Kreichmann, thought as he emptied his clip into the hulking form of Razide.
He was angry, damn angry. All he wanted was an uneventful posting at some backwater, ready to serve out his remaining three days of his service unhurt and unharmed. But instead, he was posted in this isolated frontline hellhole. Dragoon Sergeant Ira Hayes could never guess why Bauhaus High Command wanted to exert their influence into this sector. It has no strategic value, no resources, nothing. His bitter reverie was shaken as, out of nowhere, menacing shapes dropped out of the sky and landed within their own fortifications. The Praetorian Stalker emerged from the crater it had created, and glared malignantly at the troopers, its huge cannon swiveled towards them. Hayes knew they were dead, but an inner madness took over him. Abandoning all reason, he charged at the monstrosity, and landed blow after furious blow at the intruder. Staggering and bloodied, the stalker lurched back , gained its ground and snarled in its own dark tounge. Taken aback, Hayes was about to leap at the Stalker but the last thing he ever saw was the lurid fire of his enemy’s cannon.
“Get me another clip!” Private Koch yelled, as he groped clumsily at the offered ammo. “Sure, keep your pants on!” yelled back Private Vreeland. Koch and Vreeland have been comrade in arms for a good part of three years, initially meeting each other at indoc and both serving in the Gravesend Archipelago Campaign. A horrific crash of metal thundered in the distance as it mixed with an unholy howl of the behemoth. Excited cursing rang around the bunker as all of them ran outside to see the commotion. The middle fortification was crumpled as men from “D” Squad scattered, some held their ground shooting at the hideous, gigantic form of the Behemoth towering over the ruined bunker. Its giant blade scything into the midst of the Dragoons, decimating what’s left of “D” Squad. As the Behemoth plowed further into the compound, it knocked over a trooper, grabbed his prone form and sent him screaming into the command tower. Koch and Vreeland, along with their unit, laid a withering fire into the Behemoth’s massive form, most ricocheting off its huge armored body. Some rounds, however, penetrated and created numerous bloody craters into its mutated, necrotized flesh. Round after round, clip after clip, was poured into the Behemoth and finally, after countless barrage of fire, the behemoth lurched violently and fell onto the ground. Its dying howls reducing to gasps.
Cheers erupted from the men knowing that the battle was won.
As they regrouped, the command tower exploded with heavy caliber fire. Dragoon Sergeant Jabari spotted a bloody form of a Praetorian Stalker, now taking cover in the building. “Alright men!”, “Time to flush out the vermin!” Koch and Vreeland provided covering fire as their unit advanced onto the building. But the Stalker’s reflexes was fast as it laid a withering fire into the incoming Bauhaus troops. Sergeant Jabari along with several of his squad, were cut down. Koch and Vreeland, now remaining, were grim. They have taken an oath as soldiers of House Sagielli to destroy evil such as these and never falter in that credo. They looked at each other, knowing they will never live another day and charged.
The Praetorian Stalker’s head was neatly separated from its body. Venusian Ranger Al-Tariq sheathed his combat knife and scanned what’s left of the outpost. Dead Necromutants littered the perimeter as well as smoking bodies of the Razides. The behemoth lies dead , its wracked body peppered by deadly Bauhaus fire. Two stalkers also lay dead within the compound except for one. Stealthily, Al-Tariq’s squad managed to enter the secure the lower parts of the building. As they reached towards the tower, He saw movement ahead of the corridor into the control room ahead. Slowly, they entered the room, A stalker rushed by knocking down one of his men, they opened fire into the intruder but they were too slow. A hail of fire ripped into them, blasting them into oblivion.
Writings on a bunker wall. It’s still there, looking for me. Heinrich, Mannfred, Taka, all gone and I’m all alone. I can’t leave, It’s still there.. The horror…. The horror….