Fulminata- A Warhammer 40,000 Story

Bloodletting

Gladio could already hear Bolter fire as they neared the command deck. The crew was already fighting back the Incursion, but the Command Deck was understaffed when it came to security, with only a few Astartes that were combat-ready present.

Gladio and Kaeso entered the Bridge to see Bloodletters flooding into it from the other side. A few Space Marines were already on the floor, dead or dying.

Titus still stood tall, firing a Bolter he had taken form one of the fallen Astartes. Gladio could tell he was having trouble keeping the Bolter steady with his new mechanical arms. He was unsteady on his machine legs, not having the standard Astartes grace.

But Titus stood against the Daemons. Even with his unsteady arms, the Bolts still found their marks. Bloodletters fell with the heavy thumps of the Bolter, but there were too many. The Bolter had a sudden, harsh click as the clip ran dry.

Titus tossed the Bolter to the ground and stalked on his unsteady legs towards the Bloodletters. He was completely unarmed and outnumbered, but it mattered not to Titus.

Kaeso shot past Titus towards the Daemons, his Power Sword already buzzing with energy. Gladio sent a volley of Bolts towards the Bloodletters, before pausing and tossing his Bolt Pistol to Titus. Even though his hands were unsteady for an Astartes, they were still extensions of Titus's martial prowess. He caught the Bolt Pistol from the air easily, and without missing a beat, began firing at the enemy.

Kaeso had become Chapter Master of the Fulminata Guard after proving himself in a battle against the Dark Eldar. They were masters of viperous combat, and could easily twist and spin circles around an Astartes, who was practically clumsy by comparison.

But Kaeso was no regular Astartes. He had caught the Dark Eldar in masterful feints, driving his Power Sword deep into their lithe builds, and slicing them in half. They stood no chance then, and the Bloodletters in front of Kaeso stood no chance now.

He danced between them, far more agile than his armor should allow. He ducked and wove around the sword swings of the Daemons, using his own sword to cut arcs through the Bloodletters. Some would explode from Bolts exploding inside of their being as Titus and Gladio fired into the crowd, careful not to hit their Chapter Master.

Soon, the Incursion had been repulsed. Nothing remained of the Daemons. Titus looked for a much-needed seat, as his robotic legs looked about ready to collapse underneath him. Titus had always despised mechanical features, and now it looked like they were returning the favor.

Gladio began examining the fallen brethren. None of them lived now. Each had been felled by a Daemonic blade.

"They will be remembered." Kaeso said as he took off his helmet and placed it back on the console.

"There will be no one to remember them if we never escape the Warp!" Gladio said, a sudden anger filling his chest.

"Swords!" Theos called.

The front ranks of Space Marines dropped their Bolters where they were and pulled out their combat knives. In the hands of regular men, they might be considered broadswords, but in the powerful hands of Astartes, they were only long knives.

As the Bloodletters leapt towards the Space Marines, Daemon blade met against Imperial steel. A few Astartes fell, with the Bloodletters' blades buried in their chests, but many more of the Daemons fell to the Space Marines.

It was a quick, bloody bout. Knife fights were generally short affairs. Theos's power sword felled many of the Daemons, but it wasn't enough to keep all of his battle brothers alive. Many fell to the Bloodletters, but the invasion was repulsed nonetheless.

Theos walked among the fallen. Many hadn't died yet. Astartes physiology made sure that even if they were mortally wounded, they could keep fighting for a long time. A few could be saved, but many wouldn't have that luxury. Theos found Lysus, one who had worked with the Apothecaries a lot. He could be considered an authority on Space Marine health when an Apothecary was not present.

"How many can we save?" Theos asked.

Lysus didn't look up from his work, as he toiled to save a Battle-Brother. He had already discarded his helmet. "That depends on how quickly we get out of the Warp. Even with the Gellar Field active, these wounds are still being fed on by Daemons. They won't heal completely while we're here. If we don't leave at some point, I doubt we'll be able to save any meaningful number."

"Any amount we save is meaningful." Theos argued.

Lysus looked up, and stared Theos directly in the eye. He nodded, a pained expression in his eye, confirming what Theos had said. Any amount they could save would be meaningful. But could they save any?

"How many can we save if we get out of the Warp?"

Lysus looked around at the scattered bodies. Five were on the ground, too wounded to stand.

"Maybe... Two? Three? It will be a hard fight to get them fighting again. It would be better left in the hands of the Apothecary than with me."

Theos nodded grimly. "Do we have time to get them to the Apothecarion?"

Lysus shook his head. "It would take too many men away from the defenses to bring them anywhere, and we don't know when the Daemons will return."

Theos cursed, pacing around the battlements. "Is there anything you could do for them?"

Lysus shook his head. "No more than what their body will already do. A few of them are already entering their own stasis. Perhaps they'll survive long enough to see us leave the ship, perhaps not. Only time will tell."

Cicero's Vox clicked, a general message playing over it. It was mired with interference from the Warp, and the Captain could hear Bolter fire from the transmission.

"...need any possible personnel... to Hanger bay Three... Thirster, need more hands..."

Cicero turned into the Vox-Chat, attempting to reach whoever was on the other side.

"This is First Captain Cicero, please repeat your message."

"...Need help... Hanger bay Three... Bloodthirster..."

The message suddenly cut off with a large crack of Bolter fire, then silence.

Cicero's eyes widened. A Bloodthirster? A greater Daemon of Khorne?

"Anius we need to get moving."

"Hangar bay Three?" Anius guessed.

Cicero nodded. "Take my Terminator armor. I won't need it."

"Against a Bloodthirster?" Anius said. "You can weave around all you want, that Bloodthirster will kill you without it."

"It can tear through Terminator armor just as easily as it can my Power armor. Terminator armor will just slow me down. You'll need it more than I will."

Anius shook his head. "You're hopeless. But I certainly won't let the great gift go to waste."

After Anius had suited up in the Terminator armor, with the help of a half-dozen Servitors, the pair left at a ground-eating quick march to hangar bay Three.