# The Thunder Hawks of Taihou: Act 1: Insertion



## JDMJapan (Jan 3, 2010)

Here is somthing I have been working on for a while. My spelling isn't perfect, so cut me some slack! Here goes!

The Thunder Hawks of Taihou

Act 1: Insertion

Part 1: A Sign

The Roar of the Thunderhawk Gunship’s engines was loud enough to be heard in the briefing room, across the landing zone. Brother Azrael was to busy concentrating on Techmarine Bael to notice. Bael was a veteran of hundreds of campaigns, his red armor decorated with the trophies of the foul xenos that they had been sent to purge. The only hint of chapter insignia was the black skull on his grey shoulder plate.
“You have been assigned to a mission that could help win this entire war. You are going to drop our assault platoon, the Bonsai, behind the Tau lines. The enemy’s defenses are currently unknown, so we have deployed a Land Speeder Storm to scout the area out. I will be overseeing this mission personally, because I want to watch this to the end.”

On their way outside to the Thunderhawk, Brother Azrael caught up with the Techmarine. 
“What are the Bonsai doing that requires us to fly so far behind enemy lines?”
“Well,” Bael replied,” They are going in to destroy a main manufacturing plant which produces the Piranha light assault vehicle. This will hinder their main scouting vehicle from combat until more arrive from other sections of the planet.”
“And when they arrive?”
“By the time they arrive, the banner of the Taihou will be high above the city, waving in the wind for the Emperor.”

Azrael was about to respond when the wine of a Land Speeder Storm came through the hills. The craft was unstable, and on fire. The pilot tried to steady the craft into a controlled landing, but it was in vain. Half of the left engine was gone, including the wing. The Storm crashed into the ground about 50 feet from were the two battle brothers were standing, sparks flying up every ware.

Bael and Azrael ran over to the wreak to help the scouts, and pulled the pilot out of the cockpit. He was bleeding badly, and so was the gunner. The other scouts were dead. Apothecary Tyran ran up and began checking on the gunner. After inspecting him, he shook his head. 
“This one is gone,” Tyran said,” But the pilot, he will survive.”
After helping the pilot, Amareo, out of the cockpit, Azrael walked up to the other scouts. 
“They all took massive physical trauma, and were killed by a sort of ranged anti tank platform.” 
Azrael turned to see Tyran kneeling over the body of a scout, inspecting his armor.
“Broadsides.” Azrael knew at once. “The rail guns must have hit the engines. Probably fired off a couple smart missiles as well, judging by this.” He said, holding up a tail fin. Bael turned to a landing crew member. “Report to Captain Yarzak. Tell him that the Techmarine Bael requests Tornados for the Hishou Fukuhei.”

Part 2: The Hishou Fukuhei

The Bonsai were an elite platoon of Assault Marines, specializing in guerilla warfare and hit and run tactics. They were 25 men strong, consisting of four Tactical Assault squads and one Veteran Assault Squad. Under the command of Veteran Sergeant Sefiel, they had beaten the odds before. They had destroyed an entire Sentinel company with their only heavy weapon being a missile launcher. They had disabled Stompas that threatened to overrun the Brothers main defenses. So it was now, they were being deployed to destroy a heavily guarded manufacturing plant that produced the Piranha light skimmer. Deployment via Thunder Hawk Gunship, the Hishou Fukuhei, Insertion by High Altitude Drop, with jump packs being the decelerator. The plan seemed built proof.

The Hishou Fukuhei was no ordinary Thunder Hawk. The Brothers of Taihou had a knack for building different and new variants of current weapons and vehicles, like the Predator Reaper and Combatant, and this one was no different. Equipped with a Vulcan Mega Bolter, Assault Cannons and Hellfire Missiles, it was a force to be reckoned with.

Brother Azrael was the loadmaster aboard the Hishou Fukuhei. This included overseeing the cargo hold, being the jump troop launcher, and really anything from the deck backwards, he was in charge of. The two Assault Cannon gunners, Pious and Kantor, sat up by the Pilot, Asyder, and Co-Pilot, Tyrael. The Techmarine was stationed on the deck, on a slightly raised platform above the pilots. 

As the Bonsai climbed on board, Azrael could not help but notice the bright green on the left shoulder pad that surrounded the lightning bolt that was their insignia. On their other shoulder was a roman numeral showing which squad they were in. As Veteran Sergeant Sefiel stepped on board, Azrael made the sign of the Aquila. Sefiel respectfully nodded back, and Azrael closed the loading door.

Part 3: The Strike of the Bonsai

“We all know our mission, so I will cut the crap. Expect heavy resistance, including battle suits. Reinforcements will arrive within 20 minutes, so we need to get it done quickly. The bird will be at the LZ after an hour, so this is an in and out mission. Any questions? Good, let’s move.”
Veteran Sergeant Sefiel was a great leader, and a great friend. He was the scout sergeant when they were both neophytes, but after they had chosen different routes as marines, they had assumed each other dead. But once Sefiel was assigned to the base where Azrael was flying sorties, they were reunited, and the now Veteran Sergeant Sefiel chose the Hishou Fukuhei as the transport for his Bonsai strike team


Part 4: Baptism by Fire 

"Hishou Fukuhei, this is Bravo 2-1, come in, over"
"Roger that 2-1, Hishou Fukuhei here, what's up?"
"We have somthing on our long ranged sensors, somthing just popped up. Orders?"
Co Pilot Tyreal reviewed the screens in the cockpit before returning to the vox." Hishou Fukuhei to Bravo 2-1, weve got nothing. 2-2, how bout you?"
"Bravo 2-2 to Hishou Fukuhei, we have three objects on radar, unkown distance, over."
Baels voice crackeld suddenly over the vox "You proboly have some debre in your sensors. Anyway, we have better sensors, and nothing showing up on ours."
"Sir, we have visuals of six plus targets on the heartbeat sensor." 2-2 replied with a slight bit of worry in his voice.
"What the fuck is going on out there?" Bael asked angrly.
"Sir, I've got it on my heartbeat sensor too!" 2-1 chimed in. Azreal looked at the built in monitar on his heavy bolter. Six flashing dots were on their sixth. But he should of been looking right at them! Where were they?
"Azreal, what do you see out there?" Bael questioned
"I don't see anything," he said, "but my heartbeat sensor says diffrently! I should be looking right at them! Unless.… Bael, give me somthing solid!"
Bael looked at him for a minute, than tossed him a small oil can. Azreal checked his sensor, and than threw the can where the heartbeats where coming from. Even though nothing seemed to be their, the barrel hit somthing solid and bounced off.
"Shit!!!" Azreal screamed. "Everone open up on my tracers!!!
He checked his magazine, and opened fire on what the barrel hit.

What happened next was complete chaos. Three Tau Parahnnas just appered where seconds ago seemed to be thin air. All three where armed with burst cannons and smart missle pods. The two landspeeders blasted through the first one with their assault cannons, and Azreal and the rest of the Hishou Fukuhei opened up on the second skimmer. But that one was faster, and fired upon Bravo 2-1 with it's burst cannon. The Land Speeder detonated with into a humungas fireball that filled the back cargo bay with so much smoke that Azreal had to switch to thermal on his HUD. Bravo 2-2 had the same idea, and swerved to miss a collison with the Paranhha. Azreal fired on it with his heavy bolter using pinpoint acuricy. The second Paranhha exploded, a smoking wreck falling into the snowy cliffs. But the third Paranhha was no where to be found. Azreal checked his heartbeat sensor, but it was clear.
"2-2, do you see anything?"
"All clear, we must of scared them off- HOLY SHIT!!!!!"The SHWOOMP of the fusin cores detinatig created a humungas blast, and out of no where, the third Paranhna came flying out of the smoke.
" Fly low, fly low!" Azreal yelled, and the Thunderhawk tipped forwards at a 45 degree angle. Flying low bellow the cloulds, Azreal saw they where above a large, rocky plateu, with a gorge carved stait into the middle of it. But now was not the time for sightseeing, as the Parannha came diving down at them, burst cannons blazing. Azreal returned fire, but the craft seemed to dodge and weave past every round. When the Paranhha fired it's missle pod, Azreals world seemed to slow down. He saw the rockets fly past his head, into the cargo bay and hit the staircase leading to the cockpit. He was thrown out of the Gunship, and fell to earth from 250 feet high. He hit the ground with a thud, everything when black.


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## Zondarian (Nov 17, 2007)

Why didnt you just post it all in one go, double posting is annoying, quad posting is ridiculous. Anyway a nice read +rep


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## JDMJapan (Jan 3, 2010)

> Why didnt you just post it all in one go, double posting is annoying, quad posting is ridiculous. Anyway a nice read +rep


There, all fixed up. Thanks for the rep!


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## JDMJapan (Jan 3, 2010)

Does anyone read OW anymore???


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## Heresy Lexicon (Mar 3, 2010)

It was a fine read. The back-story makes the short, yet interesting tale. You put a good amount of detail into it, which I thought was good, but I dislike when detail overpowers advancement of the plot.

It's by no means a bad story, I just think that maybe just writing what each thing did as it was firing is better and more attractive than telling you what each thing is. (ex. Hellfire Missles rather than 'the missles fired from the tank, flaring on their deadly course. the collision was only seen for a split-second with the area soon bursting into hellish flames".) 

Is that the end of it?


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## JDMJapan (Jan 3, 2010)

Heresy Lexicon said:


> Is that the end of it?


No, two more acts too go intill the forming of the coalition! OH **** SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!


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## JDMJapan (Jan 3, 2010)

No more spoliers. Sry. That's the next book.


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## JDMJapan (Jan 3, 2010)

Would a marine chapter go after a lone marine loadmaster?


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