# Heresy-Online's Expeditious Stories 17-03: Silence



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

*Welcome to the year's third*
























​ 

For those of you that are unfamiliar with HOES, here's how it works:

Each month, there will be a thread posted in the Original Works forum for that month's HOES competition. For those of you interested in entering, read the entry requirements, write a story that fits the chosen theme and post it as a reply to the competition thread by the deadline given. Each and every member of Heresy Online is more than welcome to compete, whether your entry is your first post or your thousandth. We welcome everyone to join the family of the Fan Fiction Forum.

Once the deadline has passed, a separate voting thread will be posted, where the readers and writers can post their votes for the top three stories. Points will be awarded (3 points for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and 1 for 3rd) for each vote cast, totalled at the closure of the voting window, and a winner will be announced. The winner will have his/her story added to the Winning HOES thread and be awarded the Lexicanum's Crest award for Fiction excellence!

*Theme
*
The idea with the theme is that it should serve as the inspiration for your stories rather than a constraint. While creative thinking is most certainly encouraged, the theme should still be relevant to your finished story. The chosen theme can be applied within the WH40K, WHF, HH, and even your own completely original works (though keep in mind, this IS a Warhammer forum) but there will be no bias as to which setting is used for your story.

As far as the theme goes, please feel free with future competitions to contact me with your ideas/proposals, especially given that my creative juices may flow a bit differently than yours. All I ask is that you PM me your ideas rather than posting them into the official competition entry/voting threads to keep posts there relevant to the current competition.

*Word Count*

*The official word count for this competition will be 1,000 words. There will be a 10% allowance in this limit, essentially giving you a 900-1,100 word range with which to tell your tale.* *This is non-negotiable.* This is an Expeditious Story competition, not an Epic Story nor an Infinitesimal Story competition. If you are going to go over or under the 900-1,100 word limit, you need to rework your story. It is not fair to the other entrants if one does not abide by the rules. If you cannot, feel free to PM me with what you have and I'll give suggestions or ideas as to how to broaden or shorten your story.

Each entry must have a word count posted with it. Expect a reasonably cordial PM from me (and likely some responses in the competition thread) if you fail to adhere to this rule. The word count can be annotated either at the beginning or ending of your story, and does not need to include your title.

Without further ado...

The theme for this month's competition is:

*Silence*
​ Entries should be posted in this thread, along with any comments that the readers may want to give (and comments on stories are certainly encouraged in both the competition and voting threads!) 40K, 30K, WHF, and original universes are all permitted (please note, this excludes topics such as Halo, Star Wars, Forgotten Realms, or any other non-original and non-Warhammer settings). Keep in mind, comments are more than welcome! If you catch grammar or spelling errors, the writers are all more than free to edit their piece up until the close of the competition, and that final work will be the one considered for voting. Sharing your thoughts with the writers as they come up with their works is a great way to help us, as a FanFiction community, grow as a whole.
*
The deadline for entries is Midnight GMT, 31 March 2017**.* Remember, getting your story submitted on 22nd will be just as considered by others as one submitted on 11th! Take as much time as you need to work on your piece! *Any entries submitted past the deadline will not be considered in the competition, regardless of whether the voting thread is posted or not.*

*Additional Incentive*
If simply being victorious over your comrades is not enough to possess you to write a story, there will be rep rewards granted to those that participate in the HOES Challenge.

Participation - 1 reputation points, everyone will receive this
3rd place - 2 reputation points
2nd place - 3 reputation points
1st place - 4 reputation points and Lexicanum's Crest

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in this thread.

Without further nonsense from me, let the writing begin!


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

*Brotherhood 
By
Brother Emund
1065 Words*​
Brother Buachalla slammed another magazine into his bolter and brought it back up to the aim. 
It was too late. 
Six Hormagaunt warriors had broken away from the rest of the swarm and were now converging on him. He managed to fire a single round before he was overwhelmed in a flurry of movement and slashing talons. He was already dead when the plasma grenade fell from his hand and detonated.

Another sacrifice for a cause that was already lost.

Sergeant Faoláin dived flat as the Hormagaunts were engulfed in a super-heated fireball.

_I shall meet you in Mag’Mell my Brother. I will not be long. Tell that hoary bastard Barra to clear a space at the table for me when I come. _

He rolled onto his side as his comm-link crackled to life. 
+ …re-deploy, repeat, all units re-deploy to the Space Port. Extraction protocols are now in effect +

Faoláin checked his own Bolter. It was covered in a film of yellow slime but he knew that it would fire when he needed it. He tapped the side of his helmet. 

“This is Faoláin, any of the first squad still with me?”

A series of mortar rounds landed in quick succession just beyond his position. A loud moan went up followed by screams of the dying. Faoláin allowed himself a satisfied grin.

“First Squad sound off…” 
+ Floinn here. I am about twenty yards from you. I am over here by the knocked-out Rhino +

Faoláin dared a glance around the ruined wall and located the vehicle. He saw movement, a hand waving. 

“Move on my position Brother, we are moving back.” 
There was a long pause before Floinn answered him. 
+ I am sorry Sergeant. That will not be possible. I am debilitated + 

Faoláin felt his choler rising. Floinn had always been an argumentative, rebellious pain-in-the-backside who teetered at the point of insubordination, but as a heavy flamer marine, he had no equal.

“In that case, I am coming over to you. Watch my back.” 

An enormous Carnifex suddenly appeared out of the smoke and dust like a giant from old mythology. It was a mottled blue and white in colour and looked too large and cumbersome to do anything other than overawe everyone with its presence. Faoláin knew different. It was a living engine of destruction that would waylay this area unless they could take it out.

“Floinn?” 
+ I see it Brother +

Faoláin saw a glint from the other position and then two Krak grenades exploded against the Carnifex’s carapace, ripping off shreds of its armour and causing it to rear up on his hind legs. It bellowed in defiance, and despite the audio-dampers inside his helmet, Faoláin was temporary deafened. 
A pack of Raveners poured around the Carnifex like a flood of blue and white death and headed towards Floinn. They screamed and chittered and waved their deadly talons in the air like a sign for all to see. We bring you death. 
There was a high-pitched hiss followed by an eye-blinding brightness and the Tyrannids disappeared in a spear of flame. 
Faoláin was on his feet and running, screaming the war cry of the Raptors. 

“For Corax! For the Emperor!” 

He emptied his magazine into the Carnifex’s thorax which exploded in a cloud of gore and blood. Another jet of flame bracketed the beast and it rapidly caught fire and melted before their eyes. It died an agonising death, a fitting end for such an abomination. 

It was a minor victory, but the enemy was now fully alerted to their position
. 
Faoláin jumped down into his comrade’s position and knew right away that for them, the war was over. Floinn had removed his helmet and grinned up at him through white teeth. He was propped up against the hull of the Rhino with his Heavy Flamer cradled in his arms. There was nothing but a tangled mass of red meat and blood below his waist. 
As if noticing his wounds for the first time he shook his head and then shrugged his shoulders.

“I regret Sergeant, that I shall not be joining you.” Faoláin mag-locked his Bolter to his side and knelt down and examined his Brothers injuries. The wounds had sealed and his body was repairing itself, but with all the toxic spores and poisons in the atmosphere, his super-enhanced physiology would eventually be overcome and he would die an agonising death.

Faoláin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder guard. 

“I have lost too many men already today. I will not lose another. I will carry you to the Space port if I have to.” Floinn shook his head and stroked his Flamer. 
“A nice thought Sergeant, but I am not going anywhere,” he nodded his head in the direction of the burning Carnifex. “If you do not go soon, I will not be able to help YOU. They are re-grouping and will be here shortly. Go. Go now and save yourself.”

Faoláin removed his helmet and reverently placed it down on the ground. He ran his fingers through his mane of black hair and then smiled. 

“I think not brother. The chronometer is ticking and our time here is limited. I think I will stay. Together we will reap such destruction on this vermin that it will be imprinted on their psyche for generations to come.” 
“Never mess with the Emperor’s Raptors.” 
“Never mess with the Sons of Corax.” 

A heaving mass of Raveners erupted out of the fire like a wall of impenetrable blades. Floinn was sitting on the edge of the crater whilst Faoláin stood boldly behind him. 
The two Marines would meet them head on.

But the Tyrannids stopped _en masse_. A collective moan went up from the millions of Tyrannids as they linked with the Hive mind. In an instant they all became aware of their mortality. They stopped and milled around like mindless puppets.

A single missile streaked through the upper atmosphere like a blazing comet. The Marines looked at each other and their eyes flickered in acknowledgement.

“Exterminatus Brother. The complete destruction of all living things, human and Xenos. The Imperium has sacrificed this planet so the Hive cannot be fed and fuel future armies.” 
“We were sacrificed, like all our Brothers.” Said Floinn. “But at least its shut the Xenos up. Listen.” 

“Silence at last.” 

.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

*Brother Emund* wins.


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Thank you, thank you. 
I would just like to thank everyone who has helped me win this award, especially my manager, my PR consultant, my family and friends, my neighbours, the guy down the road, the lads in the pub, my Aunty Doris. A special mention to The God Emperor of mankind of course and a nod to the Inquisition.
Thank you, thank you!!

>

.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

That was actually a nice short story!


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

neferhet said:


> That was actually a nice short story!


Thanks mate...


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