Sons of Fenris

by Lee Lightner

  ‘What do you mean, my lord?’ asked Ragnar.

  The pattern of the burning forms an oval. In fact, it looks like a flaming eye glaring up from the planet,

  and it’s visible from space. I can see it from the observation decks. From your signal, you should be near the centre-‘

  The comm died. ‘In the name of Russ.’ said Ragnar. He dropped the comm quietly, taking in the impact of what he had heard.

  Gabriella screamed. Light glowed from beneath her headband and she shook violently.

  She gurgled something incoherent. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she banged her head against the Chimera’s restraints. Ragnar saw her muscles tense. A vein bulged in her neck.

  ‘Gabriella. What’s wrong?’ asked Ragnar.

  ‘How can we help her?’ asked Haegr as Ragnar pulled a med-kit from its storage bin in the back of the Chimera.

  Gabriella started hyperventilating.

  Ragnar grabbed her hands.

  ‘Hold on, come back to us, your Wolfblade. We’re in the Chimera on Lethe.’

  Gabriella’s breathing slowed and her eyes met Rag-nar’s. ‘Ragnar, something terrible is happening. There are… many disturbances in the warp.’

  ‘Hold on.’ shouted Torin from the driver’s seat in the front. ‘We’re heading through a wall of fire.’

  Everything became extremely hot and there was a loud bang. The Chimera lurched to the right, sending Haegr flying across into Ragnar. Neither Space Wolf was wearing safety restraints, but fortunately neither of them landed on Gabriella. Torin swore something from the driver’s seat in front as he fought for control of the tank.

  Another loud bang sent the Chimera lurching back to the left. The two Space Wolves tumbled to the other side of the tank. Gabriella’s restraints kept her secure.

  ‘In Russ’s name!’ said Haegr as Ragnar smashed into him.

  Ragnar thought the Chimera had become airborne for a moment, and then a third loud bang reverberated through the vehicle, followed by a metallic grinding. He knew that at the least, the tank had broken multiple tracks. Ragnar smelled oil and the terrible grinding sound continued from the right side of the transport vehicle. With a loud boom, the Chimera shook and jolted from side to side, before coming to a rest with a resounding thud. At least they had stayed upright. Ragnar and Haegr both climbed to their feet.

  ‘Everyone alive back there? Sorry about that – driving conditions are rather poor at the moment,’ snarled Torin.

  Ragnar ignored Torin for the moment. ‘Gabriella, are you all right?’ he asked. He looked at her bloodshot eyes and immediately realised it wasn’t one of the brightest questions that he had ever asked.

  Gabriella managed a smile, as she seemed to notice what a stupid question it was.

  ‘Mighty Haegr is getting out,’ announced Haegr. He pushed open the rear access ramp. Stepping outside, he drew his hammer.

  Ragnar took a moment to examine Gabriella for additional injuries. Once he was confident that she was relatively unharmed, he joined Haegr.

  Reptos swarmed all around them, leaping and running as explosions went off in all directions. There were hundreds of them, milling around in a frenzied mass. One of the creatures paused to stare at the Space Wolves. As if given a silent signal, the others stopped as well, and then the mass of creatures turned their heads as one to glare at the Space Wolves.

  Showing their fangs and hissing, they advanced on the Space Wolves, their previous panic apparently forgotten.

  ‘Hah.’ said Haegr, clapping Ragnar’s shoulder and raising his hammer. ‘Lad, the two of us have them outnumbered.’

  FOURTEEN

  The True Enemy

  Surrounded by reptos, Ragnar and Haegr took the only course of action that made any sense at all: they charged.

  Ragnar remembered when his squad of Blood Claws had dropped in the wrong location on Garm and had been overrun by hundreds of Garmites. Only the actions of his old friend Sven and their fallen sergeant Hakon had saved him that day. Then, he had fought like a man possessed; now it was time to do so again. He just wished he had a heavy weapon to provide some covering fire.

  Haegr swung his thunder hammer around, scattering reptos with the force of the blow. The huge warrior seemed almost inhuman, as if he were a miniature Dreadnought rather than a man. Bodies of reptos flew into the air and the hammer boomed like

  its namesake. A spray of flesh, scales, bone and blood erupted with each swing and Haegr laughed.

  Where Haegr used large strokes to scatter the enemy before him, Ragnar leapt into a knot of the creatures. His blade sliced through bodies, sending blood running into the streets. One clamped its jaws on his sword arm, so he took his bolt pistol and put a shot into its skull. He flung the corpse off his arm into the midsection of two others and finished them both with shots. Without hesitating, Ragnar spun around, swinging his sword in a deadly arc that took down two more that were attacking him from behind.

  He slammed a repto with the front of his bolt pistol and then fired. The round ripped through the first creature and blew a hole out of the back of the second. Claws raked at his armour, trying to find a weakness. Ragnar felt the scrapes and scratches and the impact of the blows threatened to unbalance him. If he fell, they would win by sheer weight of numbers, but he wouldn’t let that happen.

  He looked to Haegr. In one hand the giant still held his hammer, but with the other, he swung a repto by its tail. He slammed the creature back and forth into its brothers as if it were a reptilian blackjack. The repto screamed and its brethren hesitated, uncertain how to react to Haegr’s improvised weapon. Taking advantage of the moment, Ragnar sprang into the air, flipping over some would-be attackers and crossing to Haegr.

  Haegr smashed the street with his lizard flail again and again. The creature was just a sack of skin now, barely holding its remains inside.

  Torin dived out of the driver’s hatch of the Chimera, firing shots from his bolter as he moved. With a blade in one hand, he expertly decapitated the closest repto, as he maintained his firing. Another repto sprang high into the air at Torin, but the Space Wolfs reflexes allowed him to sidestep the creature’s pounce and bring his blade around in a downwards stroke that severed the beast’s spinal cord.

  All three Space Wolves moved towards each other, forming a circle of blades and bolter fire. The frenzied mass of reptos lost member after member, but it seemed they would never stop coming. Then, the knot of alien beasts was gone. The Space Wolves had broken the horde. The survivors turned tail and disappeared into the smoke of the burning city.

  Gabriella walked down the ramp of the Chimera. She had a slight limp, but still managed to hold herself tall. She cradled a lasgun in her arms, and she had a med-kit slung over her shoulder. ‘I shot a few on the other side of the Chimera,’ she said, looking at the ruined tracks of the vehicle. ‘How far are we from the shuttle hangar in the main city complex?’

  Torin took an auspex from his belt, while Ragnar and Haegr instinctively checked the area for more signs of immediate danger. ‘We’re less than five hundred metres from the city centre. Despite the interference, I can still pick up on the signals from the palace. It’s this way, follow me.’ said Torin. ‘We’ll have to walk the rest of the way’

  Berek was standing on the bridge of the Fist of Russ, glaring down at the surface of Hyades, with Morgrim,

  his skald, standing beside him. The face of the Wolf Lord was contorted with rage at the sight of an eye burning on the planet below.

  ‘Curse the Dark Angels for their arrogance,’ he snarled. ‘Bring us around. What damage have we suffered?’

  An Iron Priest, one of the Space Wolves’ own Techmarines, stood on the bridge, alongside the many Fenrisian warriors assigned as crew. A huge servo-arm shifted on his back and he held a massive thunder hammer with many wolf tails hanging from it, a sign of worth over his many years of service. ‘My lord, the battle has drained many of the ship’s spirits. The strength of the generators is spent. The proper
rites and rituals are replenishing their energy, but for now, providing shields and engines is the extent of their ability. To restore them would take time.’

  ‘Restore the spirits as quickly as you can. I trust in the rites and rituals of my Iron Priest,’ Berek said, flexing his power fist for emphasis.

  ‘My lord, I am picking up some strange signals,’ said Hroth. ‘I’m detecting ships at the edge of Hyades’s space.’

  ‘More Dark Angels?’ asked Berek. ‘Do they ever stand ready to interfere in our business?’

  ‘No, my lord, these are not Imperial vessels…’ Hroth’s expression hardened. Wolf Lord, a Chaos fleet approaches!’

  The guide touched the activation runes of the holographic projector. The Dark Angels ships moving to the edge of the display appeared green, while the Hyades defence patrol and the Space Wolf vessels

  showed blue. Flickering red shapes indicated the incoming enemy ships.

  ‘Give me a tactical report.’ growled the Wolf Lord.

  ‘The fleet appears to be composed of a number of cruisers, escort ships and one larger vessel, a Styx-class heavy cruiser.’ replied Hroth.

  ‘Let’s hope we didn’t cripple that Dark Angels’ battle-barge too badly, lads.’ snarled Berek. We’ll need her guns. Herald, open a channel to the Dark Angels. Iron Priest, how long until the generator spirits have their strength renewed? Has Mikal reported on withdrawing from Hyades? I want my Thunderhawks back and my men ready to board the enemy vessels.’

  Berek considered the tactical possibilities. Most Imperial strategists would say that the Chaos fleet should split, sending half their force to one side of the Imperial vessels and half to the other and trap them in the middle. It would be a good strategy, considering the range and armaments of the Chaos ships, and it might work.

  These Chaos ships must have known about the battle between the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels to be ready to take advantage of them so quickly. Analysing the tactics of his enemies, he determined that they would soon close for the attack, bringing their guns to bear and attempting to board his ships. After all, they had a battered Space Wolf fleet in their sights.

  A large number of Chaos fighters have launched and are forming up ahead of the main cruisers.’ announced Hroth. ‘I believe that they are meant to

  screen the cruisers from our guns and shoot down any Thunderhawks we launch, m’lord.’

  ‘I suspect you are correct, Hroth. Alert the fleet to be ready for the enemy to close directly with us,’ said the Wolf Lord. ‘Iron Priest, see if the spirits can find us a bit more essence. I will need all our weapons for this battle.’

  ‘Of course, m’lord. I will oversee the libations and rituals on the generators myself.’ The Iron Priest strode off the bridge past the banners and carved wolf heads.

  ‘Half of the Thunderhawks have returned to the ship,’ announced the ship’s herald.

  ‘Where’s my channel to the Dark Angels?’ demanded Berek.

  ‘I have them now, Lord Berek,’ responded the herald.

  The Vinco Redemptor had moved down towards Hyades, nearly touching the atmosphere. On the holographic display, several Thunderhawks were docking with the Dark Angels’ battle-barge. The Dark Angels were pulling all of their troops back.

  ‘Interrogator-Chaplain Vargas, this is Wolf Lord Berek Thunderfist. I hope that you and your men are ready to defend the Imperium from an actual enemy’ said Berek.

  ‘Wolf Lord Berek Thunderfist, this is Interrogator-Chaplain Vargas. We have agreed to withdraw and withdraw we shall. The enemy has numbers and both of our fleets are weary. We are currently receiving the last of our vessels. Hyades is lost to us. We shall return with the wrath of the Lion at the appropriate time.’ Interrogator-Chaplain Vargas’s voice was metallic and inhuman, which Berek felt matched Vargas’s heart.

  ‘Get out of the system, and don’t worry, we won’t need you watching our backs. You’ve done enough damage. This isn’t over.’ snarled Berek.

  The last green blips representing Thunderhawk gunships disappeared as they touched the holographic image of the Vinco Redemptor. The Dark Angels’ withdrawal was complete.

  ‘It is over. May the Emperor watch over you if you decide to throw away your lives defending this corrupt planet,’ said the Dark Angel commander.

  ‘We understand about defending a man’s homeworld.’ retorted Berek.

  He cut the channel on the interrogator-chaplain, hoping to annoy the Dark Angels by having the last word. The Dark Angels’ lack of compassion and lack of apparent desire to defend the Imperium annoyed him deeply. Berek hoped that Vargas would catch the reference to losing a home world and take it as he meant it, as a reminder that the Dark Angels had failed to defend their own world during the Horus Heresy.

  AH the ships fire with full guns.’ commanded Berek. ‘Let’s blow through the Chaos fighter screens quickly and cripple those Chaos cruisers before the Styx joins the fray.’

  Even as Berek gave the order, he could see the cloud of red blips on the holographic display descending on the blue ones.

  Through the haze of promethium smoke, Ragnar could see the palace. The structure was burning, like everything else, although the banner of House

  Belisarius still waved. Five ogryns stood in front of the palace, the same ones that the Wolfblade had fought earlier. They looked relatively untouched from the day’s events. Ragnar couldn’t believe that the monstrous mutants were still on guard. The abhumans hadn’t appeared to notice the Space Wolves’ approach due to the smoke all around them.

  Haegr readied his thunder hammer. Torin calmly unsheathed his sword and raised his bolt pistol. Ragnar stepped in front of Gabriella. He didn’t want to take a chance on the ogryns’ ripper guns shredding her. He would protect her with his armoured body if need be.

  As the Space Marines approached, the ogryns finally spotted them. The huge mutants leered down at the Space Wolves and readied their guns more as clubs than shooting weapons. The largest of them roared and flexed his huge arms. If he meant to intimidate the Space Wolves, then he failed.

  Wait,’ said Torin, ‘they aren’t firing,’

  ‘So?’ Ragnar and Haegr responded as one.

  ‘Don’t you see? They are obeying orders. In their simple way, they are doing what they were ordered to do, guard the palace,’ said Torin.

  ‘And we need to enter the palace, Torin, so we need to kill them,’ said Ragnar.

  Wait,’ said Gabriella, ‘if they are so devoutly following orders, maybe they would follow new orders.’

  ‘My thoughts exactly’ said Torin.

  Gabriella stepped in front of Ragnar and addressed me ogryns. ‘I am Lady Gabriella of House Belisarius. Commander Cadmus is dead. I am in charge. Go fight the reptos. Kill them all.’

  Ragnar exchanged looks with Torin. Gabriella folded her arms across her chest. The ogryns tilted their heads from side to side as if they were trying to understand.

  Yes, lady,’ said the lead ogryn. ‘Bring you dead ape-lizards.’

  Gabriella pointed back the way the Space Wolves had come. ‘That way,’ she prompted.

  The ogryns nodded, and then the five abhumans charged off into the smoke and flame with their ripper guns at the ready, never glancing back. Ragnar watched them disappear in the promethium haze.

  Gabriella touched her temple and winced. Ragnar could see her forehead wrinkle around her headband. Her third eye was active. There was psychic activity somewhere, disturbances in the warp. It was straining Gabriella. Ragnar wondered how much of a curse these psyker gifts were. For a moment, he gave a fleeting thought back to Lars, a fey touched youth who had been part of his first pack. The youth had always suffered from haunted visions before giving his life for the Imperium. Ragnar thought Gabriella was stronger than Lars had been, despite the fact that she was no Space Wolf. Still, whatever was happening was taking a greater and greater toll on her.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Torin.

  ‘An ancient evil approaches. We need t
o get off the planet and join up with the Space Wolf fleet. Then we can worry about defeating the enemy,’ said Gabriella.

  On the bridge of the Fist ofRuss, Berek cursed. ‘By the blood of Russ! Those cowards.’ shouted the Wolf Lord.

  The Dark Angels vessels were fleeing the engagement. They had accomplished their task, ruined Hyades’s defences, damaged the Space Wolf fleet, and now they were leaving. Berek had hoped that his final taunt about defending a home world would have changed their minds, but it wasn’t so.

  The Chaos fleet was closing in on the Space Wolves and its fighter screen had already arrived. Guns blazed across the battle-barge as it shot down dozens of small enemy craft. A Chaos fighter crashed against the hull of the Fist of Russ. Two Chaos cruisers closed the kilometres quickly, readying their broadside guns. The screen of Chaos escorts was scattered space dust, but they had fulfilled their mission. Nothing would stop the enemy cruisers from bringing their big guns to bear.

  Berek turned to his skald. ‘Horgrim, make sure that a Thunderhawk is ready for me. If Mikal’s back from the surface, get my Wolf Guard, if not, I want Krom’s Grey Hunters. I’m going to give these Chaos bastards a taste of the Thunderfist.’

  ‘Yes, Wolf Lord.’ Horgrim knew that Berek wanted this task completed immediately, otherwise he wouldn’t have given it to his most trusted advisor.

  Berek knew if he could fire the Nova cannon without completely draining the ship, the Fist of Russ had a chance. If they could take out one cruiser with a single shot, and that’s all that they’d have, then they could board the other while the Iron Priests strengthened the ship’s spirits. He wouldn’t concern himself about the other vessels. The powerful engines of the Chaos cruisers had put them further forwards than the rest of their

  fleet. If the Space Wolves could deal with this threat, then they would have time to figure out the rest.

  ‘The Iron Priest reports that we have enough power for the Nova cannon, my lord,’ shouted the ship’s guide with unabashed enthusiasm.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Berek, smiling. We’ll only have time for one shot with it before they close. Horgrim, have my Thunderhawk wait.’