Three Shadow-pattern Stormbirds launched from the Hunter-class destroyer, flying silently towards a heavy transport.
Sasebo Tezuka, lieutenant of the 36th Company, Tenth Chapter, sat in the co-pilot's seat.
He watched the distance close. The anti-air fire ignored the three iron birds, not covering their flight path.
When the distance closed to one kiloter, he raised his gauntlet and rapidly tapped the panel.
The four Devastator missiles under the Shadow-pattern Stormbird's wings shot out.
Compared to the standard pattern, the Shadow-pattern had a shorter wingspan and carried two fewer missiles.
But the missiles, powered by a Punisher-class reactor, had far greater striking power than those of other Stormbird patterns.
The first volley of twelve Devastator missiles struck the sa section of the deck.
The void shields flickered. The second volley overloaded the transport's dorsal shields, striking the steel hull.
The third volley tore the ship open, detonating inside.
The Shadow-pattern Stormbird dove. Sasebo stared at the streams of fire in the smoke.
The flas were roughly rat-shaped, squirming as they looked up.
The quantum field repulsor, powered by the Punisher-class reactor, shrouded the iron bird like a veil.
Light was repelled. The roar of the impact was muffled.
When the Stormbird's nose was ten ters from the deck, he saw the Qah clearly, teal fur within the flas.
Sharp shrieks sounded. Only now did the Qah sense the descending shadow.
They scattered, fleeing. Three squads of Shadows of Order leaped out.
He leaped from the cockpit, landing on the deck. His magnetic boots activated, holding him steady.
Heat and wind washed over him. He raised his hunting gun.
Needles shot towards the rat-like forms.
SWOOSH!
A needle flew into the flas. With a crack, it exploded.
Most of the liquid vaporized in the bright red flas.
A small amount struck the teal fur. The rat-like form leaped as if scalded.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "Bolt guns!"
The Shadows of Order quickly holstered their hunting guns and raised their Bedrock-pattern bolters.
Their retinal displays showed biotric data. Crosshairs locked onto red runes.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!
Adamantium-tipped rounds struck, raising clouds of fla.
The Qah shrieked. Two rat-like forms at the center of the fire were blown apart, scattering into sparks.
THUD!
He saw the Qah hit by the earlier needle tremble and collapse.
The rat-like form tensed.
'Even mostly vaporized, the Nucerian anesthetic is more effective against the Qah than bolt rounds.'
"Hunting guns!" He shouted.
As the Shadows of Order sDemonessed weapons, the Qah raised their guns.
Their weapons looked like Ork shootas, cobbled from junk, the grips and triggers fused, blobs of lted tal.
RAT-TAT-TAT!
Barrages struck Mark III power armor, harmlessly ricocheting, clattering to the deck.
The Shadows of Order raised their hunting guns and fired.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH...
The shrieks faded. Clumps of fla curled and collapsed.
Teresoldi walked to a Qah, staring at the teal form within the flas.
"Adjutant, the Lord said we can consu captured xenos in battle."
He looked around. "Only one."
"Only ten are for eating. The rest are for Father."
"We'll take turns." Ordonez spoke. "Teresoldi, you first."
"Good." Teresoldi removed his helt and eagerly picked up a Qah, as large as a hive-city rat.
He opened his mouth wide, biting into the teal fur, flas licking.
The hot flesh entered his mouth. Flas crackled and fell.
Monts later, the crunching stopped. His lips were swollen and hot. A crack opened at the corner of his mouth.
His armor was scorched black, as if coated in volcanic ash.
At the sa mont, fifteen thousand kiloters away, on another transport,
a squad of Shadows of Order from the Tenth Chapter's 48th Company moved through a narrow passage.
The passage, sized for humans, was too narrow for them. They had to move sideways.
As their humming armor echoed, a sharp crack sounded.
They looked up. Streams of light cascaded down.
THUD, THUD, THUD...
Countless Qah rained down on them.
They clung to their armor. Teal claws, wreathed in flas, scratched frantically.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK...
Fragile helt lenses were torn. Claws scrabbled at helts.
They shook their heads. Their bodies slamd against steel walls.
Flas blazed. The Qah shrieked as they were crushed.
A tide of rats fell, slamming into them.
A Qah was the first to burrow into a helt, its body wrapping around a Shadows of Order's neck.
He grabbed the flaming form, his gauntlet hot, and hurled it away.
Two Qah clung to his arms, their bodies coiling around them.
He struggled to shake them off. Another Qah landed on him.
Its body coiled around his neck. Its teal claws beat at his head.
CRASH!
Dazed, more from the impact than the blows, his eyes went blank.
He was suddenly in a training ground, raising a bolt gun, aiming at a target.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!
As the bolts thundered, the image shattered.
He stood empty-handed in an empty training ground.
As flas flickered, the Shadows of Order lost his mories in his sleep.
His past was stolen by the fla-wreathed xenos.
As Shadows of Order stood frozen, a Qah leaped onto an arm, grabbing a bolt gun.
Its claws trembled, unable to hold the heavy weapon.
CRASH!
The bolt gun fell, striking a Qah wrapped around a Shadows of Order's leg.
The Qah leaped, staring at the gun.
It looked up, shrieking.
Two Qah on another's helt leaped, one on each side, trembling as they raised the gun.
The shrieking Qah reached out with its claws, mimicking the Shadows of Order, reaching for the trigger.
Six claws slid over the black gun. Flas danced.
The Bedrock-pattern bolter, more stable than standard models, rapidly reddened.
CRASH!
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!
Three Qah were thrown by the explosion.
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu
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