Capítulo 31: Death Guard
Rebel world of Markar
Adept - Auxiliary Mark Ray
I stepped out of the tent and stretched. Each morning was similar to the previous one - stormtroopers were still flying through the sky, heading for the centre of Polis, and countless columns of infantry stretched past our positions. Armoured vehicles had passed through a few times but mostly fought in the countryside. After looking around, I stretched my stiff neck and limbs and headed for the kitchen.
I got a capsule of coffee, stepped out of the trench and looked out over the town. We were on the outskirts now, the fighting for these quarters had only ended a few days ago, and the assault on the spires and lower levels of the capital was still to come. In the city, numerous columns of smoke could be seen, many of them on the spires. One of these monumental buildings looked as if it had been 'covered'. Back on the ship, the stormtroopers boasted that a rocket had hit the centre of the Spire, where the rebels had set up anti-aircraft batteries. Somewhere around a thousand people were hit by a single shell, impressive.
After taking in the view of the burning city, I walked to my car. It was a minute's walk through the trenches, and there I was. A five-metre-long walking car glowing with the light of a rising star. It might not inspire fear now that it was on standby, but it was a killing machine in combat.
After admiring it briefly, I walked over to the Adept, who was poking around in the reactor compartment.
- Good morning, Ingwir," the adept glanced at me and returned to his work in silence. - What's wrong with it?
- I rebuilt the chassis and put in new bearings. I also fixed the engine; the knocking was caused by a loose cowling.
- That's great! Then we're off to battle today, aren't we? - After looking at the empty fuel canister, I tossed it into the nearest hopper.
- Yes, the machine is ready. But I curse you; if you ever carry an entire centurion's equipment on it again, I will not repair it. You'll be fighting on a broken chassis!
- I got it, I got it! You told me that yesterday," I said, heading for the cockpit after brushing off the mechanic.
- Then why is this the fifth time I've fixed it this year? The manual says you have to do it every six months!
- It's all dirt and stones...
- Can't you think of anything more clever? - The Adept crossed his arms over his chest.
- All right, all right, I understand.
- I hope so," Ingwire closed the reactor room hatch. - All right, I've got work to do. Call me if you have any problems. He went into the foxhole and started repairing the radio recently crushed by a rock.
- I will," I climbed up and untied the ropes holding the bales of luggage. The wagon swayed and settled as it was freed from its burden. Once comfortable, I looked out over the town and the vast fields surrounding it. Suddenly I was distracted by a growing hum far off to the side. Standing up to see better and shielding my eyes from the sun, I saw a huge walking machine with four huge arms crawling into the upper levels of the city. Its apex was crowned by a long, rectangular cannon that glowed brighter and brighter with each passing moment. Soon there was a violent rumble that caused rocks to fall from ruined buildings, and a beam of energy struck the centre of one of the towers... The explosion simply swept the building away, sending fragments rapidly towards other buildings, killing people by the hundreds.
- What is it, Ingvir? - I jumped out of the car and approached the Adept, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to what was happening.
- A siege colossus. Looks like they have a lot of pressure out there if they decide to use it,' I sat down next to him and stretched out my arms behind my head.
- Are they like that in the Navy?
- They don't have to stabilise the gun, so the calibre is bigger and the charge more powerful.
- And on the..." I was interrupted by a legionnaire in full dress who came running.
- Mark, quickly to the centurion! We leave in half an hour," I stood up sharply, nodded to Ingvir, and soon I was at the staff module.
- Centurion! - As I approached the Commander, I stretched myself out.
- Ah, Mark. Follow me quickly! - We walked out of the module, through several trenches where soldiers were preparing for battle and checking their equipment, and came to a small hill. There the centurion took out a rangefinder and peered into the distance. Soon he pulled out a map and waved at me.
- Look," he said, holding the rangefinder out to me. - Do you see the tower nearest us? With the columns.
- Yes, - the device showed me a fine building, with militiamen swarming around its windows and balconies. An anti-aircraft gun was working from some of the floors, sending tracers somewhere behind the clouds.
- Then look - I turned my eyes to the map with the markings - the headquarters ordered us to take this tower - it is the building of the Consilium, so its destruction is unacceptable.
- My mission?
- Intelligence reports enemy auxiliaries in this area...
- Enemy?
- Intel says it's a converted civilian heavy loader, a heavy stormtrooper.
- That's all you know?
- Yeah, not much, but I'm counting on you. Our Centuria will start an attack in front of the Spire. You'll cover the fighters and take care of the firing points the rebels have set up in every house. And yes," he pointed to an avenue leading up to the Spire, "one of the centurions of the neighbouring Legion has a Valarius escort, and they're heading for the square as well. If you meet him, give him cover.
- Understood, permission to prepare?
- Run! We're counting on you," I jumped from the podium and within minutes, I was outside my steel monster.
Approaching from the front, I quickly entered the identification code and the hull opened to let me in. I quickly made my way to the pilot's bunker and gave the command to close the hull. The darkness that followed was soon replaced by the pale blue glow of the single emergency light. I activated the information holographic panel after quickly running through the few buttons and switches. I gave the command to start the reactor. Immediately, the turbines hummed behind me, and the armour in front of me changed to a projection of the surveillance cameras, showing the image around me. I strapped special simulators to my arms and legs, leaned against the dock and closed my eyes. Soon the binding process began. A special drive allowed me to create a symbiosis with the machine at the level of full control. The mind of the trained man was partially transferred into the machine, allowing for maximum efficiency.
The heavy machine rose to its feet. It stomped in place, checked the undercarriage and raised its arms. One, the right one, looked like a human arm. On the forearm was a multi-barrelled assault pulse weapon, the barrels rotating around the manipulator. The left was the same "hand", but instead of fingers, four intersecting blades were reinforced with energy fields to cut through armour more easily.
Each transfer is like the first. Once it happens, there is such a relief... All the burdens of a normal body fade away, replaced by the reliability of steel and the uniqueness of mechanisms. I checked my second body's systems and mobility and connected the communication channels.
- "Auxilius, contact."
- Contact, Centurion," I walked slowly, in large strides, towards the lined-up Centuria.
- The Cheetah still can't move," I looked at the APC standing by one of the houses, the younger Adepts rummaging around in the engine compartment, and Ingvir standing on the armour yelling at them, "The engine's gone, so we're moving on without it now. We go down this road to the crossroads, to the front trenches. Then we will link up with the first century and start the offensive".
- Roger, start the advance," the heavy vehicle began to make its way towards the beginning of the avenue with a crackle from the rubble of the buildings underfoot. The Centuria also began to follow.
Soon the squad was at the crossroads, and a legionary stepped out of a building with his arm raised, stopping me. When the whole squad had approached, he turned towards the centurion, and I peered cautiously around the corner. I could see the hulk of the Cheetah, smoking heavily, with a few dozen dead legionaries lying beside it.
- "What do you say, Auxiliary?"
- There was gunfire coming from the building opposite the exit, probably heavy weapons.
- "That's as far as I've been told. Then this is what we'll do: we'll move down the avenue, diverting the fire to us, and you go through the back alleys and flank them. You take it from here.
- Roger that, I'm on my way," I stepped out from behind the building. I quickly crossed to the other side to avoid getting hit by fire and moved slowly towards the turn into the alleys. Conversely, the infantry split up on either side of the street and began to move ahead of me. Soon the first Legionnaires reached the wreckage and took cover behind it. Immediately, the rebels opened fire on them, pelting them with rifles and, judging by the distinctive crackle, heavy weapons. An active exchange of fire ensued, but the militia was caught off guard this time, and the attack had little effect. I, on the other hand, reached the bend and hid between the houses.
Soon, having reached the right place, he began to prepare a plan of attack that would take the enemy by surprise and destroy them all at once. A small, agile machine flew out from the top of the fuselage and opened the special compartments. The drone flew out onto the avenue after orienting itself through the ruined house. The image showed a building with countless impulses flying out of its facade, hurtling towards the pinned Centuria. However, my side was not visible to anyone, which was a big mistake for them. Returning the drone, I stepped out from around the corner. Quickly approaching the building, I slammed my fist into the wall at the level of the floor where the heavy weapons were operating. Breaking through the concrete, I pulled my fist outward. I only had a second, as the fire had all but ceased, and now they would either work on me or move on to another building. Pointing my manipulator into the breach, I began to uncoil the barrels of the pulse cannon. After a moment, there was a loud cracking sound, and hundreds of beams flew in. Immediately there was screaming and shouting, and several bodies fell out of the windows. The Centuria attacked, pouring fire into the house, adding chaos to the carnage. The climax was a rocket-propelled grenade that blew up the centre of the building. There were no survivors after that.
- "Good work, helpers. Keep moving; another firing point will be ahead; the neighbouring Legion is already fighting there. We'll join them and attack the Concilium Tower.
- Understood," I followed the soldiers, heading further down the road to where gunfire and explosions could already be heard.
If the fire was hard on us, it was an underworld here. The ground was melting under a hail of impulses and explosions. When I appeared, several missiles whizzed past me with a predatory hiss, destroying the wall and burying a few soldiers beneath it. But our forces were enormous too! Almost an entire legion fired back, crushing every obstacle and killing the careless militia. Pushing the manipulator around the corner, I fired a long burst at each floor. At one point, the beams failed, and the fifth floor collapsed onto the fourth, burying hundreds of enemy soldiers. The rest of the walls were pierced by the pulses from my cannons, silencing the rebel cannons. Taking advantage of the confusion, flamethrower teams approached the house. By the time the defenders spotted them, it was too late. Jets of flammable mixture entered the building, bursting into flames like a match. Burning people fell out of cracks and windows or ran into the street to surrender, but they were killed instantly. As I approached the building to check for survivors, sensors picked up a growing howl from the side of a nearby building. When I turned around, all I could see was the barrel of a plasma rifle pointed directly at me... That was the end. But suddenly, the plasma charge that came out of it changed course and crashed into one of the buildings, causing it to collapse. The truck beside me, surrounded by bright yellow sparks, began to rise and flew into the last rebel position, filling the building with flames. And a figure in white robes and legionary armour came towards me from behind the wreckage. Even in the car, I fell to my knees and bowed before her.
- Thank you, Valerius.
- I see I am in time," sparks streamed into his hand. - The Empire still needs you.
- As you command...
- Rise, Warrior of Steel, the battle is not over yet," I rose, tearing my gaze from Valarius and following my centurion.
Even after the battle, when the flames had subsided, the legionaries found burnt men, barely alive. Their fate was terrible. The rebels were crucified on the nearest ruins as an example to others of what would happen to those who betrayed the Emperor.
The storming of the Spire had already lasted half an hour. The rebels had dug themselves into the ground. They brought in so much weaponry that a barrel was sticking out every window. Tanks moved into the Spire, smashing through the defences, pushing the defenders into the mud and pouring firepower into the firing points. The infantry, protected by shield bearers, advanced slowly, scattering around the trenches and clearing them. My role was to suppress the firing points in the trenches and cover the infantry with my shield. Suddenly, one of the tanks in front of me exploded with debris, scattering the soldiers behind it... Through the smoke appeared the silhouette of an enemy auxiliary. It was made of various pieces of metal from various machines, artificially welded and hung with various parts, including a civilian plasma cutter as a melee weapon. Such an abuse of the Overlord's commandments... This machine must be destroyed. As we moved towards each other, it was as if we had fallen out of the raging battle. As we accelerated, we collided directly above the rebel positions. The vehicles were almost equal in strength, but the fact that one of them was a modified loader with reinforced manipulators had an effect. As a result, my car began to slide, and soon the enemy could throw me into the building with a single turn. The systems were still screaming on impact, and when the Rebel was over me and trying to pierce the hull, the systems were howling with overload. My fist slammed into the top of the hull, knocking the enemy aside, and I slowly began to rise. As I rose, I saw my opponent swinging his torch. His agility commanded respect. I didn't have time to get completely out of my line of attack. Twisting, I could almost dodge and strike, but it hit my arm. The plasma burned through the metal, and half of my arm fell to the ground. A sharp and piercing pain hit my consciousness, and my eyes went dark, but the swing was not in vain. The manipulator slammed into the cockpit, throwing the insurgent far back and leaving a terrible dent in half the hull. My situation was the same. The stump was barely moving, and the pain could have severed the connection at any moment. Still, I was able to fight as my enemy slowly rose, struggling with the system's malfunctions. The controls were manual since it was a civilian model, so the operator was probably more than alive.
A moment later, we were charging each other. The left arm blocked his blow, but the right couldn't, and his fist went straight into my body, knocking me to the ground. Hovering over me, he tried to move the manipulator with the torch, melting my left arm and then the cockpit, but the blades held for now, covered by the shield. The metal had already begun to heat to incredible temperatures, and all of it was transmitted to me through the neural link, causing me brutal pain.
- Clench... claws...
"Warning! Possible loss of power weapon, 100% chance."
- Clench...
"Warning!"
- CLENCH!
The clenched blades instantly cut off the burner, causing the fuel to ignite, spurting out at the Rebel and igniting the sealed fuel tubes. Taking advantage of this, I plunged the shattered blades straight into the hull's centre. The enemy was instantly silenced, and blood fell on my cells, dripping down the shattered claws. I slowly got to my feet and, gathering my strength, lifted my foot and stepped on the enemy's body. It crumpled instantly, emitting only a small blood-red cloud. Turning around, I fell to my knees and leaned on the stumps, after that the connection was severed...
I immediately covered my eyes when I came because of the harsh, flickering light. The only working light bulb was hanging on a wire and flickering. Confused, I just pulled it out, along with the wire, and threw it somewhere under the bed. Finding the keypad in the dark, I gave the command to open the case... and nothing. Repeating the procedure with the same result, I took a deep breath. I climbed up to the lever to open the cockpit manually. I obviously did not have enough strength to jerk the handle, so I had to hold on to it and the front of the fuselage half opened.
I fell out and found myself on the ground, red with the blood and guts of our enemies, who had been crushed into dust during the battle. My nose was bleeding from the strain, and looking into the reflective screen of my wrist communicator, my eyes were red from burst blood vessels. Lifting my head, I put my face to the sparse raindrops. Grey clouds covered most of the sky, but a few rays of sunlight broke through, turning the clouds and the tops of the spires reddish orange.
- Great battle, brother," an Archas warrior passed me, dragging by his hair a soldier in armour with the insignia of the militia. On the other was his monstrous axe.
- Thank you, my Lord.
- I am as much a warrior of the Lord as you are. So call me "brother".
- As you wish.
Meanwhile, he laid the Rebel on the rubble of a building and cut off his head with a single blow. Lifting his head, he said:
- It will be a good cup. There would be no shame in drinking from it to the glory of the Lord," he said, tying his head by the hair to his belt and coming towards me.
- Is it all right?
- Yes, I just... need to rest," he grinned at my answer.
- Then rest. You fought well. Perhaps this battle will be remembered in the halls of Archas! - He rose and disappeared behind the wreckage. I collapsed to the ground and rolled onto my back, exhausted. And all I could see were the dark clouds, golden with starlight; the ashes that the wind carried into the sky; and the scarlet banner flying atop the Spire... And I fell asleep, surrounded by scores of corpses on the blood-soaked ground...
Albin Dars | Mars
I came to consciousness very slowly, constantly falling into oblivion and returning to the light. In the end, I was able to break out into the light and finally wake up. As soon as my vision returned to normal, I looked around. I was hanging over an abyss, chained to two beams. In front of me was a small ledge with a door flanked by two adepts with light 'fizzlers'.
- Brothers... where am I... did I make it? - The answer was silence and weapons pointed in my direction. So I was left to wait, perhaps for death.
Soon an adept in an elaborate robe entered the room, if you can call it that.
- Do you know why you're here?
- Because of... the one on the planet.
- That's right.
- But I was able to defeat a demon.
- You can tell me later. How do you feel now?
- I couldn't even move my fingers.
- Was that it? - he looked at me cryptically.
- Should I what? he stared into my eyes for a minute.
- Your heart isn't beating, soldier. You're dead. You should be.
I tried to walk away from what I'd heard. If the creature brought me back, maybe it's my brothers' fate!
- How long have I been here?! - I jerked, causing the guards to draw their weapons.
- Almost a week.
- No, too long. Have I completed my mission?
- Yes. The men they sent you after are still alive.
- Then death is no longer a fear," he replied after a few moments.
- You are an anomaly, a possible threat to humanity; in theory, you should be destroyed. But I've decided to give you a chance at "life". Your fate will be decided by another. Unhook him! - Having been dragged in, I was exhausted and freed from my bonds and collapsed on the floor. A pair of mechanics came, took me under their arms, and carried me behind the main one while the guards pointed at my back followed. After wandering through countless corridors, we came to... an arena? I was thrown to the ground in its centre.
- Your fate will be decided by the Emperor himself, Legionnaire. Rise.
The words made my insides tremble, and my hands shake, but I found the strength to rise to my knees. In front of me on the dais sat a huge warrior in golden armour - the Emperor. His sword was at my side, and he occasionally ran his hand over the guard.
- Caro's right, warrior. Rise. - His thunderous voice filled the room. Gathering my strength, I managed to get to my feet and straighten up. - You are
all that is left of this world. Tell me all about what you caught," I was injected with something to wake me up, and I began the story. It took several hours to remember everything, but my interlocutors listened silently and did not interrupt. When I finished, the silence continued for a few minutes.
- Interesting. A voice at the end, you say?
- Yes, sir. It is silent now, but I often heard it whispered while I was in oblivion.
- Interesting. Demon blood... Carrot, bring the body over here.
- What body?
- You know which and whose," the adept snorted reluctantly. Still, soon the mechanics were dragging the well-preserved body of an Azari. - Try to stop the whispering. Call out to him.
- My Lord, it is dangerous...
- I know, but your talent interests me.
- I do, my Lord," I concentrated on the body. Gradually a whisper appeared in my head, growing louder with each passing second. Soon the body shook once, then again. An arm hissed, then another. A leg twitched. And soon, the body began to rise slowly. The movements were clumsy and jerky, but it was already incredible. Only the whispering was harder to control.
- Let go," the broken puppet fell to the floor. - Your powers are impressive.
- They're much weaker than a demon.
- This is not surprising. However, training will help you reach heights even then.
- My Lord, forgive me for asking, but why this? This power is a curse. It can destroy entire worlds!
- We need everything we can use. Any power we can harness will serve the Empire.
- I hear you, my Lord. Where shall I continue my service?
- It would be unwise to send you anywhere. You'll do far more on your own. Therefore, the most logical thing would be to create a military post for you," he thought momentarily. - I will give the order to form a new legion. It will be under my personal command.
- Who should I recruit, my Lord?
- Many legionnaires are in serious condition after the fighting. Perhaps they would like to join your Legion. As for the rest of the army... every battle is your feast. Each fallen man is a new warrior. As you understand, you can never return to your normal life. You're dead to your former Legion. By the way, what name shall you give the Legion?
- If the Emperor's most loyal and best warriors serve in the Legion... Let it be the guard... the Guard of Death.
- So be it.
Corsal Raider | Segmentum Markarth
The last Rebel has fallen with a hole in his head. The fleeing ship had recently been boarded, and now its last defender was dead.
- And the last one because of me! - The girl with emerald eyes and dark red hair looked proudly at her brother. The young man in the assault armour also looked at her and grinned. He came closer and rubbed her hair. - Don't do that! You must wear a helmet anyway, and now you're on my head!
- "Primipiles to the captain, quickly!" - Suddenly, the radio was on. With a quick glance, the brother and sister made their way across the corridor to the inside of the fighter.
- You called, Captain? - The man with the long hair turned to the couple and approached them.
- Yes. Our mission is over. Markarth fell today. The network showed the execution of the top brass, and almost all of the fleeing ships surrendered. In the meantime, you have your orders," he continued, seeing the confusion on their faces. - You will both be promoted to Commander and given command of the newest frigate, the Norman, which is waiting for you on Terra. You will also be under the direct control of the Admiralty and Tron.
- Why all of a sudden?
- I don't know, but you've earned it. Finding a replacement that comes close to your results will be hard, but I'll try. You will disembark at the Regional Station and take the first ship to Terra. You'll be met there. As long as you're free and... good luck, Shepherd. The Emperor seems to favour your family...
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