# How We Gained The Ark



## Ambush Beast (Oct 31, 2010)

Okay. This is something that I wrote for fun based on the game, "Space Marine, online. I have not written in some time so go easy on me. I hope you enjoy. I may or may not add to it in the future... who knows?


Salamon walked through the bowls of the grand cruiser, Fallen Grace. The halls were black with only the smallest lights running along the base boards of the walls to give direction to the un-augmented but his night vision picked up even the minutest detail of the corridor. His power armor whirred and hummed with his movements as he walked forward in the gloom; the sound of his armor a comfort to him. Only hours before he along with the 12th company were upon the rocky ground of Golgotha Prime. Though rocky and barren the wind had been cold and riddled with ice that fell from the heavens like bullets that hammered loudly and ripped the paint from their armor. The planet was dark from centuries of cloud cover and corruption from the warp storms. The sun was a long ago memory for the few inhabitants of the planet. 

‘Readings.’ Salamon directed. Gilmon spoke, ‘Life signs three hundred meters to the west.’ Salamon sniffed. ‘Disperse and converge.’ Instantly the twenty Astartes separated and began to circle the enemy. There were fifteen of them. Fifteen of the Emperor’s worms milling about an ark of sorts. Armored in red and yellow the Blood Ravens were a most dangerous foe; better to take them by surprise if at all possible then a head on attack. Though they were the Emperor’s lap dogs, they were not weak or stupid. They could fight and would fight unto the death, brutally and disciplined to the end. 

Moving low to the ground the Night Lords measured each step with centuries of practice and though in power armor they moved quietly and sure until they were within striking distance. There was a shout from one of the Blood Ravens and instantly the enemy came to with weapons raised. Gilibar fired from behind a bolder with his stalker bolter and a moment later the one who had shouted fell to the ground like a lump of iron, his helmet destroyed and brain and blood flowing from the shattered eye lenses. Instantly the enemy jumped into action with jump packs flaring and footmen running up the hill. 

The Night Lords converged with bolters blasting and chain swords blaring into life. Jump packs burst into life and armored figures leapt into the air to meet the enemy face to face. The ambush had not been as clean as Salamon had hoped and as he leapt from the ground he cursed the enemy’s vigilance. His power axe swung through the air with death light flashing behind it. With another swing he decapitated a foot solder and was gone before the body had hit the ground. A retinal display flashed red as one of his men was flung from this life from a melta blast to the chest. Hadan fired from the hip sending storm bolts into the flank of the Blood Ravens cutting down two before he was set upon by a raptor with a plasma pistol and chainsword. The seven shots from the plasma pistol melted the armor’s side and the chainsword was thrust through the molten steel plate with blades churning. Blood bone and viscera exploded from the Night Lord’s body while the Blood Raven screamed his joy. The body fell and the raptor jumped into the air with a blast of his jet packs, fire burning the ground where he has just been. 
A blood Raven in terminator armor and a heavy bolter set his massive frame and began to fire on full auto sending heavy rounds into the bolder where Gilibar was sniping from. The bolder crumbled and began to roll away and Gilibar began to run. He was hit twice and then a third time from the back as he tried to do a battle roll behind another bolder. His pack burst and he fell hard to the ground. In Salamon’s retinal display he could see the life sign still strong from Gilibar. He was alive but not for long in the Blood Raven continued to fire his massive heavy bolter. Salamon exhilarated into the air and plunged down with furious speed. He landed forcefully atop the terminator sending him to his knees and cracking his shoulder guards. He twisted away as the terminator brought up the heavy bolter and began to fire. The bolts hit nothing but dirt. Salamon twisted again and brought his power axe down hard onto the helmet of the terminator. The helmet split in two as well as the head within. Terminator armor was not meant to kneel or fall for that matter, so the body stayed where it had been slain, kneeling in the dirt, blood shooting from his ruined skull seventeen feet into the air. 

Salamon licked his lips but did not stay to watch. Already bolts were slamming into his pack. He jumped into the air and the descended quickly behind the bolder where Gilibar had fallen. He looked over the armored form upon the ground inspecting for damage. Blood flowed from his side but was already being stemmed as the wounds clotted. ‘Your power pack is ruined but you will live.’ He stood abruptly, took two steps and jumped into the freezing air. 

A raptor of the Night Lords hammered down between two Blood Ravens stunning them both. He split the air with a scream that brought them both down to their knees holding their audio receptors in their hands, weapons fallen to the ground. He fired his bolt pistol point blank against the first ones head and fired. The bolt exploded within the helmet. The helmet flowered as the concussion bloomed outward with a spray of brain bone and blood. Before the body had had a chance to fall Grugal turned and did the same to the Blood Raven’s partner. He flared his jump pack and lifted from the ground with a scream that echoed across the battle. Mistiming his landing or maybe being out maneuvered the terminator took advantage and fired point blank into Grugal’s chest. The plasma cannon’s payload left nothing from the waist up except two shaking arms and a misshapen head. The whole of the armor was nothing more than a scorched cavern. The raptor’s body fell into the dirt and then the jump pack exploded loudly and with the force of five frag grenades. The terminator fell onto his back armor breached and bleeding from a dozen deep wounds. 

Suuka stepped close and fired his melta gun. The terminator died quickly as his armor melted all about him and the flesh within burned away. From beginning to end the battle had lasted for four minutes and thirty eight seconds. All of the Blood Ravens had died and seven Night Lords had joined them into the after world. Of the twenty one Night Lords only fourteen remained standing of the 12th company. Salamon knelt over the fallen while the apothecary took their prognoid glands. With a momentary blessing over the fallen they were stripped of their armor. Upon the completion of the ceremony the bodies were burned. The fallen Blood Ravens armor, what remained undamaged was stripped as well from the corpses. The armor would be useful in the repair to the Night Lords armor. The bodies of the Emperor’s fallen were crucified upon the ground, chests split and entrails pulled from their bodies to be wrapped about their throats. 

Salamon looked at the prize that they had fought for. The ark had cost them seven of the faithful. ‘Take it.’ he said as he turned his back and moved towards the Storm Bird that the Blood Ravens had so willingly gifted to the Night Lords.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Suitably bloody. The desecration of the fallen was particularly good.

The only niggle I had was this sentence: _Mistiming his landing or maybe being out maneuvered the terminator took advantage and fired point blank into Grugal’s chest._ The subject of the first clause is not perfectly clear, so I initially read it as the terminator who was out manoeuvred.


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## Ambush Beast (Oct 31, 2010)

*thanks*

Thanks T Hobbit. Glad you read it and liked it and for the input.


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