++DX-36-16 confirming DX-36-54 is now engaging targets…++
++Confirmed DX-36-54 is now engaging targets…++
++Location: DX-36-32 holding on point west++
++Location: DX-34-3-45 holding on point west++
++Five targets moving west past this position…++
++Range 34tlk…++
++Confirmed range 34tlk…++
++Intercepting targets now…++
++Intercepting targets now…++
++DX-36-16 confirming DX-36-32 is now moving to intercept centre of enemy line…++
++DX-36-16 confirming D X-34-3-45 is now moving to intercept centre of enemy line…++
++Confirmed DX-36-32 is now intercepting targets…++
++Confirmed DX-36-3-45 is now intercepting targets…++
On the northern end of the ragged line, a group of cultists and mutants stopped at the top a hillock. Standing in the tall brown grass, they looked to the west, searching for their fellow cultists. Hovering no more thirty meters away to their left was DX-36-32, nearly invisible in the morning fog.
++DX-36-32 is now engaging targets…++
A fusillade of blue and white pulse raked the line, followed by the denotation of two photon grenades. The mutants screamed as their bodies were blow apart by the pulse rounds. Limbs, heads and other body parts flying off in all directions. DX-36-32 then flew straight up into the fog, and advanced down down the line of the above followers of Khorne.
The flashes and booming grenades echoing through the thin haze, made the Bald Man turn and point in that direction. He yelled at a female guardsman next to him, ‘Get Mat on the vox-caster! I want to know what’s going there!’
++DX-36-54 is now engaging targets…++
On the other end of the line to the south, DX-36-54 popped up from the tall grass, in front of a group of cultists making their way up a steep hill. The mutant directly in front of the drone exploded in a spray of red gore; followed by two more whose body’s exploded. The rest of the tumbled down the hill when they were hit with the brilliant white flash, and deafening explosions of photon grenades. DX-36-54 then pulled back and dropped down, to skim over the tall the grass towards the centre of the line.
The Bald Man screamed to the Deity of Blood, but the carnage continued. DX-36-32 flew silently high overhead, dropping photon grenades on the cultists as it passed. The concussions causing them to drop, scatter, or run about in all directions. Meanwhile, DX-36-5 picked off selected targets in the line, with a single burst from each of its pulse carbines; then it fired two photon grenades to cover its retreat. The first was a mutant carrying a heavy bolter, who was cut in half by the pulse rounds; but the next was a cultist guardsman with flamer. This time there was no need for photon grenades, since the ball of fire from the exploding flamer tanks, was a far better as a diversion. The explosion incinerating at least three more cultist along with the flamer’s owner.
The Bald Man spun around to see the fireball rise from the draw to his right, and cursed the Tau gun drones. DX-36-16 stayed low, and tracked his movements per its “Threat Identification Algorithm”, and the targetting orders it had received from Shas’Nui Domerri. DX-36-16 noted the number of traitor Crusaders and traitor Sororitas around the Bald Man; but it also noted the presence of a vox-caster operator, and two traitor guardsmen with heavy weapons. DX-36-16, however, waited for the target confirmation from its companion, the small DX-34-3-45 marker/identification drone. The half-sized marker drone made its own threat assessment, and confirmed the target choice.
++DX-34-3-45 confirms target choice. Commencing marking target…++
++DX-36-16 located target marking. Engaging target…++
‘Mathias report he don’t know nuffin’ about what’s happen’ sir,’ said the vox-caster operator to the Bald Man.
‘Give me that!’ screamed the Bald Man yanking the mic from the guardswoman. ‘Matt what the fragg is going on? What’s happening over there?’
There was a lot of shouting, and the sound of exploding photon grenades coming across the handset; but then the Bald Man noticed a red dot on the vox-caster operator’s helmet. The next moment her head exploded, and he was left covered in blood, holding a handset with a severed cord.
‘Bloody hell!’ he yelled, but no one heard him over the sound of the exploding photon grenades.
DX-34-3-45 and DX-36-16 both shot straight up thirty meters, disappearing into the morning fog. Heading west for another fifty or so meters, they crossed over the large group of cultists. Then the two drones dropped back down into the grass right in front of them.
The group surrounding the Bald Man, those who were still able to stand and shoot anyway, now returned fire in the direction where the two drones had been. Bolter and lasrounds cutting down grass, shrubs, and trees alike; the carnage was almost too terrible to behold! It was made more terrible, when a member of the local fauna, a large rabbit like creature, jumped up out of its hole and straight into the air. The combined bolter and las fire vaporising the creature instantly.
‘Hold your fire! Hold your fire! That’s good shootin’ blokes and bints, but toastn’ a jackalope ain’t killin’ no ‘droid!’ shouted a traitor sergeant.
And argument now ensued between the traitors Soroitas and Crusaders on one side, and the cultist guardsmen on the other. The Bald Man was crawling on his hands and knees, screaming so he could hear himself, ‘Stop you moronic bastards! The xeno abominations are still here! They’re still here I you tell you…’
But his words were to no avail, and the internecine bolter fire and stubber fire cut down traitors on both sides; as the Bald Man screamed his lungs out.
The traitor sergeant dropped his binocs and whispered to the guardsmen near him, ‘Those xenos machines are picking off the heavy weapon fellas. They even got the vox-caster operator Romany with Mister Baldy. Gotta stay down and wait for them to pop up again.’
Then to Krumb the stubber man he said, ‘You stay low, and wait for my order. It’s our only chance of catching one of ‘em.’
‘Right Phil,’ answered the guardsman.
DX-36-54 was now cruising just above the level of the grass; while keeping itself fifty meters out from any cultists, when it came upon the traitor sergeant and his men. It stopped and settled down near a clump of bushes.
The sergeant swiftly made his way to a second group of guardsmen staying low in the grass. Taking one female by the shoulder he said, ‘Rathkeale, they’re knockin’ off heavy weapon specialists and vox-cast operators. But we’re goin’ try and catch one up. You still got that long piece of a torpedo?’
‘Yeah, what do ye want wit t’at?’
‘Have Ronchu throw in on his shoulder like a rocket launcher, and then have ‘im pretend he’s tracking the xenos’ wit it.’
‘Then we the xeno thing shows up, we take it out!’
‘Right! Everyone stay, but look in all directions. When you see it, whistle so Ronchu can drop to the ground. Maybe we can keep ‘im from catching a blast. Got it?’
‘Yeah, sarge.’
DX-36-16 now arrived on the opposite side of the guardsmen; and while hovering high in the air, it scanned the scene. It then communicated with its companion gun drone.
++DX-36-16 Targets are attempting to create a diversionary target…++
++DX-36-54 Affirmative. Concur with assessment of diversionary target creation.…++
++DX-36-16 Will engage concealed threat after the diversionary target appears…++
++DX-36-54 Will engage the diversionary target to reveal the concealed threat…++
The traitor guardsmen all kept still, as Ronchu got to his feet and hoisted the piece of explosive torpedo onto his shoulder. He turned and aimed his “rocket launcher” towards the centre of the line, where the Bald Man’s group was still shooting at each other.
‘Ready lads, that xeno abomination is gonna pop up at any moment. You ready Krumb?’ asked the sergeant.
‘Aye,’ replied Krumb with his finger on the trigger.
DX-36-54 then rose up from the bushes and fired at the Ronchu.
From all around there came whistling and shouts. The sergeant and his squad were up on their feet, and with howls of delight, began firing away with their at DX-36-54. Krumb’s stubber showered the ground with empty brass, as he pumped out rounds at the gun drone.
Then pulse fire hit Ronchu’s “rocket launcher” and it exploded, sending a lethal spray of shrapnel into his fellow cultists. This signalled DX-36-16 to open fire on the sergeant and his stubber team. There were screams, as once again, flack armour failed to protect against Tau pulse weaponry. The agonized screams filling the air, as their life’s blood, seeped into the ground.
DX-36-54 dropped immediately to below the level of the tall grass, and slid sideways behind the bushes for about twenty metres or so. The sergeant was still firing; but Krumb was down, after taking a couple of pulse rounds to the chest. The remains of his flack armour, being the only thing that kept his body, from falling into two pieces. Desperate, the sergeant now flung a frag grenade at DX-36-54, and then dropped down to fire at DX-36-16 hovering in the air. Three of his squad were down, when DX-36-54 suddenly reappeared to fire on him and his remaining guardsmen.
The two surviving members of the other squad’s “rocket team”, now crawled through the grass trying to avoid the crossfire. Unluckily for them, DX-36-32 and DX-34-3-45 the marker drone had just arrived. And the gun drone opened up at maximum range, killing one of them outright; while it wounded the other, when a photon grenade exploded only inches from her back. The sergeant and another survivor, then jumped up and tore off down the hill. All three drones opening fire on them as they ran. The second guardsmen disappeared in a splash of red, his severed head flying off behind him. The sergeant lost an arm, and fell to the ground, trying to shield himself from another round of pulse fire.
Meanwhile, the Bald Man finally had to punch out a blood drinking Sororitas, to stop the fratricide. He looked around and saw that his mob of hunters were now scattered to the four winds; and so sat down on the prostrate Sister of Khorne and screamed. He screamed, and screamed, until he was too hoarse to scream any more. Looking up he pleaded to the God of Blood for deliverance; but there was no answer to his cries. So, hoisting his ancient cleaver, its red rune glowing with wicked arcane energy; he began dismembering the traitor Sororitas, her warm red blood at last soothing his rage and anger.
Today, the Master of the Brass Throne had received his share of blood; but it was his followers’ blood, and not that of his enemies.
