War for Atalcina Pt.1

"Brothers, tomorrow we, the venered first of the Black Fists will arrive at Macragge, the honored homeworld of the Ultramarines Chapter to meet with Chaplain Cassius, where we will form up with the Tyranid Hunters to fight against the returning threat of Hive Fleet Leviathan.

Tonight, we must feast.  This is the first time in two decades that our entire first company has been together to fight in such a tremendous battle.  As one, we will show the Tyranids that they are have no place in this universe.  Some of us will not return to this hall by the end of our great crusade, but fear not, as your lives will not be taken in vain!" First Company-Captain Marcus Othello of the Black Fists said aboard the great hall of The Deliverance, one of the three Battlebarges they commanded.

With a mighty cheer, Captain Othello knew that his brothers were ready for war.
~
"Steady brothers, hold fire until I give the command."

The Whirlwind batteries behind the wall of bastions, similar to that of an ancient race that had once tried to block out an invading force from their territory in ancient Terra, launched several salvos of incendiary missiles into the tsunami of Tyranid organisms racing towards them.  The Earthshaker Cannons followed suit, launching barrage after barrage over the high armored wall.  Screaming missiles and large shells hurled into the huge moving mass, displacing hundreds of terrible organisms with each explosion.

The entire second company of Ultramarines, under the command of Captain Cato Sicarius was formed up in the uppermost level of the bastion wall that fully circled the hive city of Atalcina.  Joining them were elements of the first company led by Captain Agemman, veteran Tyranid Hunters led by Chaplain Cassius, and the Lord Macragge himself and his Honor Guard.

Mixed into the Ultramarine force was the entire first company of the Black Fists Chapter.  Dwarfed by the hundreds of Space Marines at the ramparts, platoons of Imperial Guardsmen and the Adrian Planetary Defense Force were proudly looking over the battlefield, ready to die for the Immortal Emperor and their home planet.  Behind the battle wall sat companies of Imperial Guard armor and Space Marine vehicles, mixed together, read to destroy the Tyranids if they spilled over the wall.  Scores of super heavy tanks sat patiently, while the Macharius Vulcans and Stormlord tanks sat, guns at the ready, their Vulcan Megabolters steaming in the early morning chill.

Another several salvos of incendiaries and Earthshaker shells were launched again, one shell hitting the decrepit hull of a Mars Pattern Stormhammer, crawling with Tyranid Warriors.  The thousands of gaunts around the hull shuttered as the synapse in that area was disrupted.  As a flying Hive Tyrant took the extinguished brood's place, as the wave of gaunts surged forward once more.

"Aim for the leaderbeasts!" Cassius cried out.

With that, several missiles and lascannon shots descended from the ramparts into the Hive Tyrant.  With a tremendous scream, the tyrant took every shot.  As the smoke from the blast cleared, the Tyrant uncovered itself from behind its wings and let out a mighty roar, everything around it surged forwards at a tremendous speed.

"No… Even our heaviest weaponry can't even take it down…" muttered an Imperial Guardsman.

"Don't worry soldier, we'll take it down."  Said Captain Othello to the small man.  He turned his attention to one of his Sternguard squads.  "On my mark, fire your lascannons at the beast" with an acknowledgement from Sergeant Polonius, Othello told one of the Whirlwind batteries to aim at the Tyrant.  As another barrage went over the wall, Othello watched as the tyrant once again covered itself with its wings.  As the force of the blasts threw numerous lesser creatures away, the tyrant stood anchored to the dilapidated Stormhammer hull.

As the fires died down, Othello quickly got back on his vox to talk with the Sergeant Polonius.

"Fire the lascannons now!"

As two beams quickly descended from the wall, the tyrant unfurled its wings.  It was about to let out another roar of defiance, but it turned into a screech of pain as both beams penetrated right into what would seem to be its chest, and through the hull of the Stormhammer, into the ammo bay, and causing a chain reaction that disintegrated the tank and the tyrant in itself.

As the gaunts in the general vicinity started to swagger, the Imperials on the ramparts heaved a mighty cheer.  One of the guardsmen looked up, taking his empty gaze off the smoldering hole.

"Holy Emperor…" he pointed out towards the horizon.

Several gaseous, spider-like shapes could be seen behind the morning sun.

"Hierophants…" Cassius murmured. "The titans of the beast… I hope Legio Ignatum and Invicta can take those down…and we still have a wall of 'Fex's to go through… Holy Emperor, watch over us."

The guardsman looked at the guy next to him and whispered, "And he's supposed to be our faith…"

"I would kill you now, faithless one, but we need every man we can get against these things." Barked Cassius.