The Iron Hands's Story

The holy screech of a Thunderhawk, every engine burning brightly at full tilt shattered the chaotic noise of battle. Just as Cain inacted his retreat, and the malicious "Shards" of the arrogant heretech creature began their assault, help had arrived. Splitting the clouds, Josephus' Lance descended in a feigned strafeing run, all four twin-linked Heavy Bolters roaring with the Emperor's fury. The flakk was merely suppression, vaguely aimed towards the machine-aggreasor. The pilot's actual intent became clear once the massive grey gunship dipped closer to the ground, unleahing two Hellstrike missiles directly in front of Alpha's path to the Guard in attempt to clear some breathing room.

Regardless of its effectiveness the Thunderhawk's secondary payload would be delivered post-haste.

At the lowest dip in its arc the rear-bay doors flew open, and a small Veteran Iron Hands marines contingent leaped out. Armed with Heavy Bolters, Plasma Rifles, and even a single HAVOC unit, the highly bionic marines were ordered to give no quarter. These stalwart champions of the Imperium fearlessly hit the ground, Power Armor creaked, and whined, organic knees buckled on impact, but the Astates never missed a beat. As soon as each recovered from the jump they attempted to coalesce into the traditional, calculated serried ranks of their Chapter. Notably maneuvering their imposing figures between the threat, and Cain.

"The flesh is weak!"

When the battle commenced the tall Jinhai dispersed rapidly as rubber-legged running sent them in all directions. Not fleeing as such, They caught a bullet now and again exploding into a tuft of black dust. The dust shortly coalesced, if slightly smaller, then continued about its way. Between buildings or even under them the bodies of the broken quickly vanishing beneath the streets heading toward the meat locker. The administratum busily declared a 'state of emergency' deploying from office buildings city-wide to direct citizens away from the fighting as per city protocol. While Administratum did not stop humankind from entering the police and emergency personnel certainly did.

However Jurgen and Cain would find one black robed Jinhai following them. Without Otto's rifle intact for a point of reference the only other point they could reimage him on was the impression of the thing that killed him. Not something they were prepared to entertain as it wasted resources. It didn't speak and kept its distance but avoided windows that might disturb its duties with attacks. A black humanoid turning to a tide of dark grey dust through walls and under windowsills then reforming upward again in cover.

the Thunderhawk wouldn't be allowed to leave the battlefield, set upon by the Shard, its hull would and pilot's canopy would be fired upon by the hypersonic speed craft of the PNC Shard, one of the craft transforming into a Gundam like mech would attempt to land and catch itself on the front of the thunderhawk to peer into the canopy and pressing the Mrk XXVI 120mm gauss cannon against the glass, and firing to destroy all occupants and render the cockpit unsalvageable.


While the Iron hands moved to prepare for engagement, Alpha was charging at them and had been since the hellstrike missiles were fired, electromagnetic shielding activated. He drew his mono-molecular; High-frequency blades, raising one blade he struck the first of the missiles and the squad would watch as the blade cut it in half leaving the parts to split away from one another but still explode from the heat caused by the act of cutting through the warhead, the electromagnetic shield repulsing any shrapnel that would threaten to strike the robot.

the second missile would then strike the electromagnetic field and reflect away, its logis-engine hit by an electrical surge from Alpha's shielding and unable to correct its course fly off into the sky.

Alpha was at this point no more than ten feet from the marines and putting one of his blades to be held in the other hand he raised the now empty hand to silently goad a marine or the sergeant into a one on one duel, a challenge.

Ahead of the commissar two other PNC robots had deployed from their craft and were moving in for a pincer movement, one of a sleeker frame though with four arms and HF blade in each. the other standing ten feet tall and built like an armored bulldozer, its shielding visibly sparking and no weapon seemed visible on its body.

It was almost like divine intervention. The Space Marines, The Emperors angels of death as many call them, but they were simply the Imperium elite. The Iron Hands chapter has come to their assistance. Compared to a Guardsman, a Space Marine could deal with these machines with far better than they could. Can’t let their assistance be wasted if he died here.

"Jurgen, more scrap heap up ahead!...This is a problem. Our energy weapons are not the most effective against them...” He narrowed his eyes as he drew his las-pistol. Of course, the span of luck was not running low today it would seem. Almost as if...It really was divine intervention. Maybe his deeds to the Emperor was finally being paid in full. But truthfully, the Imperium needed him and the Imperial Regiment to survive on Terra to create a stalwart fortress and remain on Terra. And as such, the required assistance needed was sent over to Terra for a very quick assistance operation. And the ones who volunteered for the task in the Emperors name?...

In the skies, streaks of fire began to rain down from above. With brother Marines on the ground, along with valued Imperial Assets. One very important individual took notice. In these Drop Pods going at 12,000 kilometres per hour. By the time the enemy could notice they began to slam across the city. With the great blue colors and the Ultramarine symbol adorned on each pod. Each one began to disgorge their occupants. The honored chapter of the Ultramarines, with the Emperors plan for something big. He required all Imperial assets to be safe for the moment.

From each Drop Pod, squads on 12 Marines. The brand new Primaris Marines, Intercessor squads filed out in well disciplined formation. Armed with the Mark X Tacticus Power Armour, and the Mark II Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle. These elites considered even better than their normal Space Marine peers under orders of their Primarch has come to the support of the Imperial forces in the city.

In total, one company of Astartes troops was deployed on the ground. A few Marines set up on buildings and opened fire on the machines bearing down on Cain.

Another in the city heard Otto be driven back to Genesis as well as the call to serve. Gunnac had been occupied getting a transport column of imperial guard to Genesis but now freed from his task loaded from his small munitorum. As the call went out from the God-Emperor to the Primaris so too did Gunnac respond. A quiet four-spark servitor scouted his destination when the Techmarine looked through its eyes to put himself to the field.

The floor vibrated as a psychoportation pounded the massive techmarine in front of the Commissar the artificer armor melded with a beast of transfiguration. Imperial eagle across his back and symbol of the Doom Eagles on each shoulder. That the Jinhai heard Jurgen so too did Gunnac know what had been said and turned slightly to look behind him. The force-sword inceptor sloughed from the arm ferroplasm erupting upward the heavy blade sprouting its gleaming sharp edges. A flat red crystal on his back that poured out a drifting clothlike solidity for a cloak tore strips of itself to point at the Commissar and Jurgen.

"Through the servitors I am told you need better weapons. So by the Emperor's will I do so grant these artifacts to you," said the faceless techmarine.

Two strange rifles with huge bores emerged stock-first squeezing from nothing as if the inside of the cloth were larger. Well used but well kept the prototypes were not yet adorned with gold in in their final forms. They bore but a small temporary descriptor labeling their pattern a 'Tenant' pattern bolt carbine. Sized for the Imperial Guard the reflex sight included a ammo descriptor though its clip more a specialized bolt-round manifestation grid. That the scope said "GUNNAC 10 / ∞" reflected the semi-automatic rifle's proximity to Gunnac to provide metacreative energy. The size of the weapon by shock resistance to wielded by those lesser than the Primaris. It had not the accuracy of ones wielded by their primaris counterparts but most of the power. Though its limitation in the graviton moment engine at its center as for an instant when firing it increased the mass of the gun and thus arresting recoil. It would not be moved easily when fired but high settings diminished its reloading rate. Metal composing most of its superstructure shaded cadet blue as Gunnac found ferroplasm suitable to take the force of sudden mass. The weapon's outer layer and remaining substance protected by ceramite.

Gunnac described the weapon quickly for Cain and Jurgen, "The graviton moment engine will allow the machine spirit to prevent your self-destruction by recoil. Set it high and trust the machine spirit to instruct."

Josephus' Lance was a study craft, even amongst his own kind, and the Iron Lord piloting it was no fresh-faced neophyte, or stumbling Guardsmen. As soon as the Shards opened fire it banked left, assuming an almost fully horizontal position, and responded with immediate, and extreme prejudice. All four twin-linked Heavy Bolters roared again, spraying indiscriminately towards the Shards, as their filthy, heretech sonic weaponry tore at the hull. Several sections felt the sting, namely the underslung Bolters, both of which were rent, and rendered inoperable almost as fast as they had began to fire. The glass of the cockpit shattered as well, forcing the pilot to level out, and battle new drag. It only served to piss him off however, and with a flick of two switches the dorsal mounted Turbo-Laser Destructor unleashed absolute hell, two more Hellstrikes in toe, towards the one that begin to shift, and charge. The pilot wasn't about to have any boarding, or grapple nonsense, and barrel-rolled as soon as his violent payload had been let loose, a rapid ascent following in its wake.

The ground-bound Marines found themselves in a rather similar position as Alpha advanced. The Veteran Sergeant was a little dismayed as the heretical machine sliced clean through a hellstrike missle, and downright dumbfounded when somehow, by seemingly sorcerery, it didn't explode until after the infernal machine was in front of it. When the second missle simply went haywire, thankfully streaming directly towards one of the airborne Shards, he came to the conclusion that their enemy had some form of control over machinery. In his mind likely a Heretech Sorcerer, or twisted machination of the Dark Mechanicum. Either way he wasn't stupid enough, or brash enough to fall for the contraptions obvious goading.

Instead he, and his men formed their ranks, each Heavy Bolter spewing a near-endless, but deliberately aimed cascade of Kraken Rounds. They moved with silent focus, each man of the rear-line firing over the front-line's shoulders, including the Havoc. The mixed volley of holy Imperial death was well-trained on the center of Alpha's electromagnetic force field in the hope of hammering a crack in to it. In the end it didn't matter though, their main goal was to ensure Cain's successful evacuation. Destroying this aggressive hunk of heretical trash would merely be a bonus.

Just behind the current fray came the rest of the reinforcements from Gonthar as well. Four Assault Valkyrie's, all armed to teeth, had been deployed just behind the replacement Thunderhawk. Though trailing, they pushed it double time, and the distance they lagged behind was, in the end, a boon from the Emperor Himself. It positioned them just barely in Heavy Bolter range of the second PNC deployment, and without hesitation each Valkyrie began a break-neck strafing run to try and decapitate the pincer in its tracks.

Carmen Dellevon was still holding Linus's hand as she made her way towards the spaceport. The two didn't look out of place in the bustling city, thank goodness.