The first thing that drew Lt. Rudge's suspicions was how quickly their ship had been refurbished and their ammunition had been replaced. It was his experience that planet didn't mind having a contingent of the Adeptus Astartes nearby for a few weeks or more if they could delay them.
The Crimson First detachment had come to Agax IV after narrowly escaping when their pursuit of a small Ork flotilla had led them into a running battle with an entire Ork fleet.
Limping through the system for two weeks from the Mandeville Point to the fourth planet in the Agax system sometimes Rudge thought the ship was only being held together by the prayers of the crew.
So when the Lt. Governor had come to him in his quarters and told him that the ship was ready to depart only a week after they had arrived, he wondered.
Nothing he had seen made him doubt the industrious nature of the population, but that was remarkably fast. He told the Lt. Governor that he and his men would be making their way up to the ship the next morning first thing. The man had looked slightly disappointed, a micro-expression that disappeared almost as soon as it came to his face before he offered to get anything else the Astartes needed and left.
Rudge had left his quarters and went down three doors where he was greeted by a door sliding open before he got there.
"Yes, Lt.," said the marine that had come to the door.
"Barnaby," Rudge said, "what do you feel. Are you sensing anything strange."
"Yes, sir. It began tonight, a buzzing-like feeling."
Barnaby had not been quite enough of a psyker to be drafted into the Librarium but he did have odd feelings and Rudge had learned to trust them.
He sent Barnaby and his squad out to recon that night. The reavers had discovered several guards that they had disabled and then moved through the city that night. The evidence that they brought back indicated that Xenos influence was alive and thriving.
They attacked at once. Rudge used Barnaby as a sort of sensor leading them towards the concentrated buzzing. Astartes squads fanned out in all directions, some went to the governor's palace and their ship began a strategic planetary bombardment.
In less than 24 hours the tide was beginning to turn.
The marines concentrated for a last assault on the place where Barnaby detected the strongest buzzing. They formed up and headed for it.
Rudge moved up as quickly as he could, the reaver squad with him taking the lead ahead of him and his two squads of intercessors alternately firing and advancing.
Squads of xenos corrupted mutants evaporated under the intense bolter fire. Barnaby identified their target in a severely damaged building.
Fire rained down on the marines from the top of the building as the defenders between them and the locus on the psychic signal disappeared in a slowly descending red mist.
Then the distinctive whine of Thunderhawk engines could be heard overhead. Rudge spared one second to look up as he saw a reaver squad descend from the aircraft and land on the roof of the building. Between the first of squad Primus and the newly arrived reavers, the defenders on top of the building were cut to pieces.
The reavers charged towards the stair case after finishing off their targets and Barnaby's squad moved into the building attacking some of the freakish mutants inside. With bolt pistol and blade they cut their way through one squad of the xenos scum before even more hideous freaks charged them, slowly the mutants took their toll on the Astartes but the reavers had held them back enough for Rudge to get into the building and run towards the locus.
A single man blocked his path, he glowed with a purplish hue as Rudge advanced on him. As he moved closer to the man he could feel pain start welling up in his brain, it got more intense as he got closer to the man.
Rudge was surprised to see a single mortal stand in the path of any of the Adeptus Astartes but despite his slight size the man brought his staff up to block the stroke from Rudge's power sword. It took him off guard as the blade did not cut through the weapon that glowed with purple energy.
His second stroke did find flesh but not even enough to slow his opponent who struck out with his own weapon glowing with psionic power.
He wasn't fast or strong enough to injure the space marine officer.
Even in the seconds the pair fought, the pain in Rudge's head became more and more intense. He kicked out with his foot landing a blow in the man's chest that sent him crashing into the wall.
As the man still managed to parry his stroke with the glowing staff Rudge ran the blade along the shaft of the strange weapon and sliced off the man's fingers where they gripped it. He screamed in pain as the weapon clattered to the floor.
Rudge prepared to plunge his power sword into the man when he heard Baranaby shout out behind him.
There was a scream of pain, unlike any the officer had heard from an Astartes warrior before.
"They're coming," Barnaby howled over the coms, "we're too late."
Turning his attention back to his opponent, Rudge saw a smile of satisfaction pass over the man's face before the Crimson fist chopped his head off.
"Back to the LZ, " Rudge said over the coms, "Prepare for Thunderhawk evac, we are leaving this planet before the Hive fleet gets here."
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April 29, 2024, 09:01:38 AM
