“There are more of us, Witch,” the Marine spat, blood filling his mouth as he crawled backwards; “You cannot hope to win.”
“I’ve heard this a thousand times, Mon-Keigh,” Autarch Cait Maniok of the Yme-Loc Craftworld spat, drawing her Power Sword and thrusting it into the Space Marine’s chest. The Marine yelled in pain before the light from the lenses of his helmet faded and his head fell back.
Cait looked around. The ground, once green, was a black, burnt ruin. Bodies littered the earth for as far as the eye could see, Human and Eldar both, and the burnt out wreckage of vehicles was a regular sight. Cait sighed and began to walk towards the rest of the Host.
“You are wounded, Autarch,” Exarch Maiaera pointed out, stepping into line beside her.
Cait stopped and looked down. Maiaera was right. Her ornate armour, in the style of the Howling Banshees, was splattered with blood, chipped and scratched. The Power Sword in her hand was slick with red human blood. In addition, blood was pouring from a cut in her right thigh.
“Damned Mon-Keigh,” Cait muttered, stopped to examine the wound. The flesh was torn, clearly from a Chainsword. The Marine Sergeant, Cait concluded. She thought her Force-field took that blow... She was wrong, clearly.
“Would you like some help?” Maiaera asked, offering a hand. Cait looked up. Maiaera wore a full suit of Exarch Banshee armour, her mask a terrifying spectacle to behold.
Cait took the hand, “Thank you, Exarch,” Cait smiled behind her own Banshee Mask, “But I shall survive.”
Maiaera nodded and turned sharply. “I heard something,” she said, beginning to pace forwards, ducking low, her Mirror Swords now in hand and shining slightly. The remainder of her Squad followed suit, gripping Power Blades and Shuriken Pistols. Cait gripped her own Blade in a two-handed stance and began to move forward.
“Targets in sight,” a voice said softly, “Brother Fatem, do you have a target?”
“Mon-Keigh!” Maiaera screeched, breaking into a run towards a burnt-out Falcon Grav-Tank.
“Compromised, we’re Compromised!” the soft voice said, yelling now, “Brothers, strike them down in the Emperor’s name!” A flurry of Boltgun fire flew towards the Banshees whom were now running into action.
Two Banshees dropped with ragged holes in their chest in front of Cait. She leapt over them, her blade now held in one hand. The Banshee Masks were activated, sending the Shriek of the damned echoing in all directions. And now, Cait could see her foes. Five Space Marines in silver armour. Their shoulder guards were a dark blue and the rim was a gleaming gold. They all carried Boltguns with care and skill, firing towards the Banshees. One also had a Power Fist, however, and he was no doubt their Sergeant.
“Angels of Iron!” the Sergeant bellowed, firing his Boltgun, “Stand firm! Do not give an inch of the Emperor’s soil to these thrice-damned Xenos!”
Then the Banshees completed their charge, leaping the final few yards into the combat. The remaining eight were ready to avenge the death of the two fallen Eldar, but the Space Marines were ready to fight. A slash from a Banshee’s power blade cut into a Space Marine’s neck, felling him. A short range volley of Bolter fire destroyed the torso of a Banshee. Maiaera was locked in a duel with the Sergeant, ducking and weaving to avoid the lumbering Power Fist.
Cait finished her charge, leaping and landing on a Space Marine, knocking him to his back. In an instant, Cait’s blade went from being held half-heartedly at her side to being lodged in the Marine’s chest. Crimson blood sprayed up from the wound, covering Cait’s mask. That was two Marines down.
The thud of Bolt shells snapped Cait to attention. One Marine stood over the body of a wounded comrade, Shuriken embedded in his armour and a gaping wound in his chest, blood spurting out. Amazingly, it was clotting at an unnatural rate. The standing Marine, however, was the pressing concern. Three Banshees were dead at his feet, their bodies torn apart by the highly explosive rounds. And now the Marine’s attention was turning to Cait.
He fired and she rolled to the side, well under the rounds. As she stood, she dropped her Power Blade and drew her other weapon; A Death Spinner. Firing the weapon, a long, thin wire shot out and pierced the Marine’s armour, around his torso. A rapidly expanding, mist like smoke began to spread from the wire. The Marine dropped, screaming in pain as he did. The wire had begun to expand inside his torso and began to shred his insides. Not even a Marine could recover from it. Eventually, he stopped screaming, only to be replaced by a scream that struck closer to home for Cait.
The scream of an Eldar.
Spinning on her heels, Cait saw the Space Marine Sergeant proudly holding up his Power Fist, a limp Eldar body in it. It was Maiaera. He threw her aside and set his gaze on Cait. His squad was dead, or dying, and he could absolve himself of this loss through the death of an Eldar leader. He charged Cait, screaming oaths to the Emperor. Cait deftly side-stepped, bringing her blade to bear, seeking to impale the Marine between his shoulder blades.
He spun, twisting out of sword reach and swung with his fist. Cait arced back, the crackling energies of the Fist barely missing her head. She dropped onto her back and rolled backwards, stopping in a crouch. The Marine’s expression was one of anger and scorn. He brought his Power Fist down in an overhead strike, but this was what Cait wanted. Rolling slightly to the side, just out of the weapons’ reach, Cait brought her own blade down in an overhead strike, slashing between the Marine’s elbow and shoulder. His weapon arm fell to the earth, no blood being spilled due to the nature of Power Weapons. He roared, raising his Boltgun to fire at Cait’s face but she was ready for this.
Swiftly, she brought her blade up and sliced through the Boltgun and, before the Sergeant could react, she spun her blade so it pointed towards the Marine and impaled him. Shaking in rage, Cait twisted the blade and forced the Mon-Keigh to his knees.
“This is not your soil,” she hissed, “It is Eldar soil. This is a Maiden World. We warned you. We told you we would exterminate you. We allowed you to leave but once again, your own foolishness has cost you your life.”
“The Galaxy,” the Marine spat, “Is the Emperor’s.” Cait howled and placed her foot on the Marine’s
shoulder, putting all her force into it. He came off the blade and fell to the ground, on his back. Then, she used her blade to pierce the Marine between the eyes.
Collecting herself from her violent outburst, Cait cleaned her blade on the ground, praying softly. The remaining Banshees remained at her side.
“Come,” Cait said softly, standing and beginning to walk, “We must claim our world back from the Mon-Keigh. The Farseers have spoken.”