# BL Short Story Entry - Jungle Traitors



## Pickle (Jan 20, 2008)

My entry into the Black Library Competition, doubt I will win but cant if I don't enter can I? Anyway any comments etc is greatly appreciated and taken onboard, also I have loads more fluff I can post if you want on different armies etc.

Several regiments fell under heavy fire and disappeared into the surrounding jungle screaming. The remaining regiments morale faltered and many ran into the dense rainforest. Screams echoed through the trees. A few hours later, fifty or so men ran in to the spaceport, gibbering as if insane. Only allowed free from the Vaslarians, once the Mark of Chaos was carved into their flayed flesh. As half of regiment IV was patrolling around the spaceport, shots rang between the trees echoing to the port. As Inquisitor Typhon was organizing another scout party from regiment VII, cracks of sniper rifles smashed though the comparatively silence of the never-ending forest. Massed sniper fire slaughtered the remaining troops, as his Karskin tried to locate the ever moving snipers. Slowly but surely the men remaining in the port either died or ran into the forest to face a still worse fate. Once again screams echoed as the running troops were captured by the Vaslarians to be taken for slaughter or even torture. He called for an immediate extraction of the remaining men and himself. Valkyries marked by the sign of the Inquisition flew down, the men jumped aboard the craft hoping for a quick escape. The Valkyries lifted off the pad, and flew upwards slowly spiraling to gain height. Several krak missiles whipped through the sky homing in on the Valkyries. The missiles smashed into the engines of the ships causing them to spin out of control and crash somewhere deep within the forest. 

A roaring was heard just outside the clearing of the port and tree fell suddenly crashing to the spaceports metallic flooring. Daemons of all kinds ran in past the sentinel clearing the space port of the last cowering guardsmen. The sentinel stepped over the trunk of the tree and stopped once it reached the centre of the massive landing. A second one soon followed walking slowly in. The sentinel’s doors opened creaking slightly.

A man stepped down slowly and jumped to the muddy floor. The pilot of the second sentinel voxed something to some nearby troops and they emerged from the foliage carrying icons of the Chaos gods. A ragged man walked towards the centre of the port, he ripped his bloody shirt apart revealing the sign of Chaos. As he arrived at the centre of the port he clutched his head as if in pain. A glowing symbol identical to that upon his chest appeared upon the deck of the spaceport and slowly grew until it covered the whole floor. The glowing symbol remained as if etched upon the metallic surface as the psyker rose back up. He walked towards the man from the sentinel and said to him, "Welcome, Lord Kharon, today the ritual will begin, the sacrifices have arrived and already begun." Kharon shook his head as if he was happy and said, "Good, Aelon, We will began to make the blood flow steadily."

Lord Kharon shouted to the gathered troops, "Begin the fighting to claim this world for the Lords of Chaos!!" The troops roared in agreement as one and ran off to secure the space port. Lasgun and autogun fire was heard echoing into the port. He walked towards the clearing and voxed a message to the headquarters of the regiment. A few minutes later, the trees bent under the gale of the engines of a Valkyrie. It lowered slowly towards the ground until he was able to climb in. He stepped up into the midst of the ship and Aelon followed him in. The Valkyrie flew off over the canopy of the rainforest sweeping low to scan the forests floor with its targeters for enemies. A beep was heard then a rapid succession of shots from the door mounted heavy bolters. Booms shattered the relative silence of the planet as the ports orbital guns began the bombard of the Imperial ships

The craft quickly reached the base of the regiment and landed on the dusty ground. Kharon stepped down to the dirt and walked towards a rusty bunker in the middle of the large clearing. As he opened the door, the bunker filled with light showing a wall covered in screens displaying images from the cameras placed in various positions in the expansive forests of the planet. He glanced at some of the screens then carried onto another room. He walked towards a metal table set in the middle of the room and pressed a button upon its surface. A hologram popped up of the surface showing an image of the planet and surrounding space. An imposing battleship hovered above the planet and on the side of it was the sign of the Inquisition of the Imperium. Dozens of other small ships flittered around it and a cruiser, carrying supplies to and from. He watched intently for a moment then turned the hologram off. A knock on the door echoed trough the room, the door opened slowly creaking on its hinges. Aelon stepped into the command room and said, "Lord, the troops are ready for the first assault on the Imperium's ships." Kharon replied smoothly, "Good, We will begin immediately." Booms shattered the relative silence of the planet as the spaceports orbital guns began the bombard of the Imperial ships.

Kharon walked out of the bunker towards his Valkyrie and climbed inside it. The engines whirred into life, creating a gust of wind, sending dust into the sky. He sat down beside the pilot to use the vox system and ordered all units to take off immediately and follow his lead. The men onboard pulled out their respirators so the deadly atmosphere did not kill them. The Valkyrie and Vultures all fired their secondary engines to get the power needed to reach low orbit of the planet, flying silently towards the crippled escort looming in the distant.


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