The Second Siege of Agratha - Tales from the Front (Part 5)

On the Front

The Doomsday Cannon roared once more, and Ork bodies were thrown high into the air.

Still the Orks swept forward.

Shots pattered off the mega-armoured nobs closing upon the Leviathan, both the battlements of the Leviathan, even as the Storm Troopers were annihilated by Skorchas, nothing seemed able to stop them. Private Bone placed a well-aimed shot from his meltagun, turning one giant into little more than molten slag and then they were obscured by the command vehicles own armoured prow.

There was a thud, the odd sound of a drill, more thuds, bangs, the tearing of metal.

For a moment the world stopped.

With a massive explosion what could only have been the Leviathans magazine shaking the whole vehicle, the mighty machine came apart at the seams. Only thickly armoured internal bulk heads shielded those upon the fighting platform, the Leviathan now little more than a hulk of metal.

Away on the other side of the field, Admiral Drax was fighting for his life...

While at long last the 4th Mechanised was finally arriving in force...

With an Infantry force disembarking from their Chimera transports and taking up position in the still smoking Stompa, flanking the Orks before the ruined Leviathan.

Blinking away the retina searing flash Gravis stared downwards as shadows loomed up amongst the smoke, a bestial roar becoming a deafening crescendo.

“REPEL BOARDERS!”

The surviving Orks sprung up over the ruined battlements onto the deck with unnatural agility, a dozen all that remained of the horizon spanning horde which had first swept towards them, but amongst their number came at least two hulking warbosses. One, a giant in mega armour was intercepted by Lord Commissar Draven.

Gravis drew his Powersword, thumbing the activation rune as he did, and met the other brutes charge headlong.

Time slowed. Gravis swung his blade, aiming to drive it deep into the Orks flank, but the blade had not had time to fully charge and did little more than score the beasts thick hide. Enraged, its side blackened and sizzling with energy burn, it swung its heavy powerfist straight at Gravis’ head. With a feat of desperate effort that saw his blade skitter away Gravis half blocked the strike and dodged beneath it – straight into the teeth of the enraged Squiq at its masters feet.

Hitting the deck with a crash, Gravis’ vision blurred. Fighting to focus he saw Draven explode as a powerklaw closed around him, his refractor field shorting in an instant, he saw the company standard turn instantly to fire as a burner roared. Closer at hand he saw the squig beast now had a human leg, bitten off the calf, which it was messily devouring.

It took a moment to realise with an odd sense of detachment it was in fact his own.

Gravis’ vision faded to darkness as a tremendous roar rising in his ears – it did not fade.