Battle of the Biblio Drakus

Shorlock the Chaos Terminator Lord strode towards the Xenos craft. It gleamed white ahead of him, and his band of Chaos marines and the Korne Beserkers would capture it for him. The greenskins he had would also prove useful if the false emperor sent forces to oppose him. He had possessed their warboss, and then defeated him in combat. The new warboss knew who was really in control and the war band and their Gretchin mob were his to command.

Marching swiftly up the rise - the Gretchin mob before him he saw the craft. It's huge tail fin jutted into the sky, wings drooping to touch the ground. No sign of pilot or crew, but he could feel the Biblio Drakus within it. This powerful relic of Chaos had been his once before, taken from him by the Xenos years before, he had tracked it down.

His Chaos marines suddenly raised their boltguns, they moved from the close march formation and their commander spoke over the vox, "The sons of the false emperor are here!” At the same time Shorlock saw an Eldar war walker loom up beyond the craft, it seemed the Eldar held the enemy left flank, and the false Emperor’s space marines held their right.

The Terminator lord grinned, and felt the pull of battle. "Captain Lectus, you shall lead the beserkers and your squad against the false Emperor’s children." "We shall crush them", replied the Chaos marine, his dark power armour crawling with gold sigils ate the light, and his skull banner glinted in the sun. The chaos force also had a single marine bike which roared to a holt nearby, it's possessed marine rider needed no guidance, he was mind linked to Shorlock and would do the Terminator Lords will.

"Warboss Woppass", the greenskin warboss, already larger than the rest of the band cowered and ran over to the towering Terminator Lord. "Woppass, you shall screen my marines, to the front, quickly". The large ork ran off, war axe swinging, and bolt pistol in the air. The Gretchin mob had been looking nervous, but seeing their Ork kin readying for battle, they stood straighter, like children they gleefully copied the orks. "You gretchin shall know glory, and march with me!". Shorlock raised his twin bolters, huge weapons looking small within his terminator armoured hand. A Chaos Terminator Lord was a mighty being, and the enemy would be crushed, and the Biblio Drakus back in his hands.

"Charge", shouted Shorlock. "Blood for the blood God", yelled his beserkers, their armour glowing a brighter red as power flowed into them. "Waaarrrrggghhhh", yelled Woppass and his ten strong warband. The gretchin joined in with the battle cry, their voices all but drowned out. Captain Lectus raised his power sword and pointed at the emerging enemy marines. The battle line charged forward, Chaos marines, beserkers and orks rushing to engage the false Emperor’s followers. Shorlock and his screen of gretchin charged to the right of the Xenos craft, to meet the Eldar War Walker and whatever support it had.

Surrounding the craft were another two Xenos wrecks - pods or crashed sister ships, it was hard to tell. Around these were four craggy mounds, perfect cover. Shorlock ignored the mounds, he felt the joy of battle upon him, the furious urge to destroy the enemy. But he knew the Xenos wrecks could be important as well, and so shouted above the din of the charge, "Hold the wrecks, and I shall take the craft" He was striding behind the gretchin, and caught one by the scruff. "You, stay with this wreck", and he flung the small being into the ruined hull of the Xenos close by. Already they had one of the objectives, the main craft and the other wreck would soon be his.

The enemy was not idle. Shorlock could see the vermin Eldar War Walker has a guardian squad, and a support Lascannon with them. The red of the Eldar armour standing out as the guardians moved into line with the war walker. The walker raised its weapons and fired. It's lascannon vaporised one of the gretchin, a bright spear of light across the battleground. Then it let off a frag missile, and an explosion tore the front out of the gretchin, who continued to charge, caught up in the excitement of battle.

Warboss Woppass has running, his powerful legs driving him forwards, his tusks thrust out, still screaming with glee. An enemy marine bike appeared, twin bolters roared and killed an ork. The bike came forward, firing again, but his mob were upon it, axes chopping through the air, glancing off the riders power armour. Somehow the rider turned the bike and powered out of the melee, back through his own line.

This was on the left flank where the rest of the enemy were almost at the other wreck. The enemy tactical space marine squad formed into a firing line. Then a veteran marine appeared on top of the rocky outcrop, a missile launcher in his hands. A smaller squad of scouts also appeared, forming around their larger space marine brethren. This force was not charging, but creating a formidable firing line that now opened up. Missiles rained down into the Ork screen, and many of the greenskins died. But they are strong beasts, bred for war, and the band charged on. The Korne beserkers had run behind a pillar of rock and now emerged, almost at the wreck and flanking the enemy marines. Both sides now fired, more orks died, while the beserkers bolt pistols killed enemy scouts and marines alike.

The Eldar War Walker spoke again, the twin glare of lascannons and blast of frag killing more gretchin. This time supported by the high pitched scream of Shuriken catapult. The gretchin mob was almost destroyed, but still they held, and charged on. From behind another mound an Eldar bike rose into the air, twinned shuriken destroying another Gretchin. Shorlock directed his own Chaos biker to take it out, and the bike roared off behind him, tyres churning mud, twin bolters soon booming out as he flanked the mound.

Shorlock knew his force was suffering, more so than the enemy, but his screens of Ork and Gretchin has been placed to soak up enemy fire allowing his true Chaos followers to grind the enemy down in hand to hand combat. Another round of War Walker fire tore into the Gretchin, more Shuriken rounds flitted through the air, and the Eldar support Lascannon joined in. The gretchin were decimated. Still too far from the enemy.

Then the enemy bike again appeared, this time on top of the Xenos craft. It had ridden up the wing to gain this vantage. Knowing his gretchin screen would not last Shorlock left then, and bounded up the wing of the craft to meet the bike in hand to hand combat. The enemy stood no chance as Shorlock's power fist ripped into his armour and sent him spinning off the bike to fall to the ground dead. At the same time he felt his link to his own possessed biker break, the Eldar skimmer had won that duel and destroyed the possessed biker.

Captain Lectus mounted the top of the Xenos craft, his power armour boosting him up, and his squad following to join their leader. Shorlock knew his Chaos force had almost won, control of the last wreck would secure the field, and they could fly off in the Xenus craft. But the enemy would not have this. The enemy marines rained more fire into the orks, killing Woppass, and breaking the ork warband, the remaining 3 orks ran. Another volley from the Eldar broke the gretchin, who dropped their autocannons and fled. But the beserkers ran through the last wreck, smashing into the enemy marines and scouts. The battle frenzy was upon them and they killed many of the enemy.

Just as victory seemed sure the rest of the enemy veteran marines ran from cover, firing their boltguns at close range into the rear of the beserkers, killing much of the squad. In confusion the beserkers lost their frenzy, and pulled back from the fight, running after the Orks towards cover.

An enemy marine, one of the few left popped out from behind the fin that stood on top of the craft. A Chaos marine jumped in front of him, both fired and the Chaos marine was punched by bolter fire from his feet to fall to the ground. Another chaos marine took his place, and again died. The Eldar guardians reformed a line below the craft, firing shurikens up at the chaos squad and Lord Shorlock. Then the War Walker and Lascannon spoke again. Bright spears of light and Krak missiles targeted the mighty Shorlock. They pinned him, lighting up his mighty form, blackened his armour and then blew him apart.

Captain Lectus smiled as he saw Shorlock fall. He could claim the Biblio now, and he rained fire down at the guardians, killing many of them. Again the War Walker fired, and this time Lectus died. The chaos forces were in disarray. Only four Chaos marines survived on top of the Xenos craft. The Eldar bike skimmed over to the wreck still held by the single gretchin, who bravely fired his autogun only to be beaten by the bikes twinned shuriken. Another dead gretchin.

The Ork and remaining Beserkers mustered behind a last rocky mound, the Orks taking firing positions as the Veteran squad ran to claim the last empty wreck. The veteran squad were so intent on their objective that they were surprised and surrounded by the charge of beserkers and Orks alike. The recovered beserkers had the frenzy of battle upon them again, and the slaughter of the veteran marines was swift and brutal, all but one of the veterans fell.

The massed fire of scouts, guardians, war walker and support cannon blasted the Chaos marines left on the Xenos craft and they all perished leaving the craft clear of Chaos. The emperium forces powered it up and it rose into the air, firing down it slaughtered the few orks and beserkers than remained, saving the lone Veteran marine.

As the smoke cleared the forces of the Emperium cheered, and the Eldar silently collected their fallen. Of Chaos there was no sign.