The Siege of Damath

[Honsou]

Just wrote this real quickly, haven't even spell-checked it :P So yeah, just a quick short piece using some of the ideas I've had recently, or at least it was meant to... didn't quite cover what I started out to cover, but what the hell right? Words are words xD

Oh, and Rep for Alex Shaw- his story inspired me to actually bother to write some of the ideas banging around in my head.

So yeah, here it is. C&C is of course always welcome!

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The Siege of Damath

++Planet Mylmalian++
++On the plains at Fort Damath++

Brother-Captain Aidas dropped down into the trench, firing his bolt-pistol blindly as he dropped, the heavy hammer ringing out as it struck upon each bolt-round in turn, sending it flying into the throng of orks below. With a sickening crunch, the Space Marine captain landed in the trench, his heavy 7ft frame crushing several orks beneath him.

Glancing quickly to the left, then the right, he assessed the number of enemies, mentally preparing himself for the fight. With a mere moment of hesitation, just long enough to see the shining gold power armor of his Chapter-brethren dropping into the trench further down it's length, the captain launched himself at the nearest ork. With a mighty shout, he brought his chainsword down upon the ork's head, cleaving it asunder in a spray of green blood and pale brain tissue.

Again and again he swung the screeching blade, firing his bolt-pistol blindly into the mass of enemies surrounding him. Each blow, and each shot called forth another spray of blood and flesh, coating the trench walls a sickly, uneven green.

Aidas reveled in his superiority, feeling the blows of blade and bullet alike glance of his armor, as often as not killing another ork in the process. Underneath his helmet, he smiled at the irony, and the sound of battle around him.

The sound of bolter fire echoed around the trenches, blending with the furious roar of chainswords and mailed fist alike. Underlining it all were the cries of orks as they died, in this symphony of battle.

Hacking back and forth, cutting down ork after ork the captain fought his way along the trench, heading for reserve area where the leader of this group was thought to be.


++Fort Damath++

Captain Sylar stood atop the hefty defensive wall of the Imperium's outpost on the Planet Mylmalian, staring intently down at the expanse of flatlands that stretched far into the distance, as far as the eye could see. On a normal day, he would have rejoiced at the sight, for it was something quite beautiful; the entire planet was made up of plains and grasslands, barely a contour in sight. Even the mountain formation which this fort nestled into had been helped along by the Planet's colonists, a few creative explosions changing the look of the land.

Today however, Sylar did not care, for he was intent on the ork trenches and fortifications that had turned the plain from a pleasant green into a sickly waste of brown mud and metallic scrap. The captain strained his eyes, trying to see how the battle went. He almost wished that he were out there, leading this charge, in an attempt to gain more time.

Sylar thought back over how it had come to this, how an ork raiding party had developed into a siege that had been ongoing now for almost 3 weeks. He had to admit, the Imperial Guard force that garrisoned this base had acquitted itself well, small as it was numbering only 900 men. It was a sad thing, that the Imperium could not spare more men to guard this beautiful world.

Strategically, the planet was unimportant, with no major trade or warp-routes anywhere near, nor any vital planets in the vicinity. What's more, the planet lacked resources of almost every kind, and the planet's naturally strong ecosystem had overwhelmed every attempt to grow foods here on an industrial scale. Nonetheless, the planet had been colonized and there were those hardy few who relished the challenge that this world presented. Indeed, the colonization had been quite successful, for almost 3 million colonists now called Mylmalian their home.

But, all the same, the Imperium decided that the planet was of no real value, and had not seen fit to send a large force to garrison the world, nor were any reinforcements forth-coming when it became clear that the orks were intent on using the planet as a playground for slaughter. And so it came that the Vorpal Dragon's became involved; hearing of the planet's plight Captain Sylar had immediately contacted his brethren, and arranged for a small force to be despatched with all haste.

It was true, the force was small, numbering a mere 42 Space Marines; 30 from Brother-Captain Aidas' 7th Company and a single squad from Sylar's own 9th Company. Hopefully it would be enough, for both Captain's were delaying battles elsewhere, all of which needed to be fought.

"By the God-Emperor..." The voice brought Sylar out of his reverie, back to the reality. The voice belonged to Major Razjkek, a native of this very world who had left as a youth seeking his place among the stars. Instead, he found the Imperial Guard, and in the course of the last few weeks he had proved himself to Sylar as a competent and dedicated soldier, if somewhat uninspired.

The Major was staring down at the battlefield through a set of high power binoculars. Having no need for them thanks to his genetically enhanced vision, the Space Marine captain looked for whatever it was that had caused the Major to burst out in surprise. Seeing it, Sylar smiled.

There he was, Captain Aidas had jumped up from the trenches, and in his armored fist he held the ork-chieftain. The filthy ork squirmed and fought the Captain's powerful grip in a desperate attempt to escape his inevitable fate.


++Planet Mylmalian++
++Near Fort Damath++

Captain Aidas smiled under his helmet, tightening his death grip on the ork. Looking up at the fort, he saw the defenders who had not joined in his assault looking on.

Aidas smiled, and looked deep into the xeno's eyes, seeing the fear, the desperation in them. Throwing the ork down, the Space Marine raised his chainsword high into the air, pausing for the briefest of moments before bringing it down into the ork, the fanged blade shredding through flesh and bone, spraying all around. The captain smiled as his vision was obscured by the blood and gore that soaked his power armor.

Then just as suddenly as the din of battle had started, it was gone again. The ork chieftain slumped to the floor, his lifeblood emptied into Mylmalian, as if to repay a life-debt for the attack. The remaining orks were still, shocked into silence and inaction.

Brother Captain Aidas removed his helmet, and turned toward the fort, walking back to the defenses at an even pace as the blood-soaked Space Marines of his company fell into step behind him.

The battle was not yet won, but this victory brought them a long step closer.

[Brannick]

A nice segment of battle, Honsou.

No point me going to town on the story so far as you mention yourself that it is a 'strike whilst the iron is hot' work in progress.

These battle-fics are two a penny though Honsou, and I have read loads of them, but that's not to say they aren't any good - they are just unoriginal. Would be nice if you could spice up the neatened version with a twist (or 2).

BIG kudos have to go to you for actually writing a piece of fiction because you felt inspired to do so. That's the time you will get the most enjoyment when writing (in my honest opinion).

[Honsou]

Aye, I know what you mean, I've read my fair share as well. I suppose one's hope should be that it provides a nice little diversion to those reading it though, rather than trying to be some extended epic.

You're absolutely right about the inspiration though- in fact, I sometimes have trouble writing at all if I'm not feeling inspired, and it is all that much more fun. There's a benefit to writing this sort of short 'battle-fics' as well: you're actually discovering as you go along, as it were. It's not like a longer piece of fiction where you plan everything, it is quite enjoyable to simply write and see what happens :)

Thanks for the input though, always appreciated :)