The Battle of Point Alpha

Chaplain Deschain removed his helmet with a sigh. It had accompanied him since the battles around the Cadian Gate and had the battle damage to prove it. The scratches from cursed bolter rounds and heretic chainswords reminded him how close he had been to fall, never to rise again. But... his faith in humanity, comradeship and the Emperor had seen him through dire times. Dire, indeed. Now... on this planet of riddles, he was about to face more of blood and despair Just as he’d done at Agripinaa and the hell that broke loose there. Agripinaa... where he fought Chaos forces in a never-ending flood of hate and violence that almost succumbed to the mass of the fallen Marines. Marines! No! They would not be called Marines! They have forfeited the right to that designation... Ruinous scum was the right name for them! 

Deschain had led his patrol to Point Alpha, a poorly chosen name that only marked the beginning of the, probably, long campaign on this planet. Point Alpha was of interest, as Inquisitor Bellatrix had intel about a crashed shuttle. The Inquisitor was sure that there would be information to gather, as the shuttle presumably had been shot down during “15/15”. Deschain was not sure that there would be anything left to search for, but he had acknowledged the mission without question. Besides, there would most certainly be enemies in the vicinity and their job was also to seek and destroy any enemies.  

As he surveyed the clearing where the wreck of the shuttle was, he noticed movement in the distance. He quickly put on his helmet and scanned the area in front of him. First there was nothing noticeable, just a lifting, greenish, fog. But then he saw a looming silhouette in the distance... and below that... advancing bodies in a steady march. Necrons! Chaplain Deschain made some calculations and bellowed out his orders... 

“Kill Team Alpha and Kill Team Beta! Fan out to the left and right! Standard width! Assume fire positions in the forests in front of you! Brother Cuthbert... Support Team Beta and take aim at the Doomstalker... Fire at will! And... Cuthbert... Kill it quickly!”  

Chaplain Deschain then turned to Brother Se-Joun and his Outriders and ordered them to engage whatever turned up in front of them on the right flank. He watched them drive away and then addressed his unit of Assault Intersessors:  

“This is our first encounter here on Borhelia! Trust in the Emperor and Mankind. For all those who can’t defend themselves from the horrors of the xenos! For all those that count on us to shield them from evil! What you will face in mere minutes is your prey! And the Emperor’s prey! For we are the shield and the blade!!” 

He turned towards the advancing Necrons and gritted his teeth... Three-legged machines were advancing towards him and his unit, waving their green-glowing blades. Skorpekh Destroyers... bad news! As he started chanting the Litany of Hate, he could hear the Kill Teams open fire to his left. The battle had begun! 

The Outriders ran into problems almost immediately, as the advancing Doomstalker opened fire towards them and the Kill Team next to them. The beams incinerated one Outrider and forced the rest to take evasive action. The Kill team took cover, but still a couple of Veterans fell. Brother Cuthbert tried to retaliate, but the Lascannon missed by mere inches. And behind the Doomstalker more Necron infantry was advancing, along with several Scarabs. Chaplain Deschain prayed that the flank would hold and turned his attention towards the oncoming Skorpekh Destroyers. If he could charge them before they were upon them, there would be a chance to stave off the assault. 

The Kill Team Veterans on the left flank ran towards a crater and took fire-positions as soon as they reached it. The Long Vigil Bolters spoke, along with the roar of Frag cannons and several Necron Warriors fell. But... soon they rose again, unscathed! And when they returned fire towards the Kill Team, several black-clad Veterans fell. But the Kill Team didn’t waver and instead mounted a fierce counterattack! They reached the Necron Warriors and several robotic soldiers fell... Would the left flank hold? 

To the right the Outriders were getting cut off, so they did the only sensible thing... they charged! Scarabs flew to the left and right, but somehow there was no sense of momentum for the Outriders. And then Necron Warriors reached the mounted Deathwatch and the number of Necrons were too much! The Outriders fell back, spent and bleeding. 

The Kill Team and Brother Cuthbert saw this and decided to consolidate their positions. Alas, the Doomstalker targeted both the Dreadnought and the Veterans and they fell and withdrew. The right flank had collapsed in mere minutes! 

Brother Deschain heard and saw the disaster to his right and left but threw caution to the wind and attacked the Skorpekh Destroyers, together with the Assault Intersessors. After an initially successful charge, where one Skorpekh was destroyed, the retaliation was devastating! The Destroyers hacked and slashed and the Intersessors were all but killed! Chaplain Deschain roared in defiance, as he hacked his Crozius at the Skorpekh leader, who just deflected every attack. Then it found an opening and ran its blade right through Deschain! He fell on the ground mortally wounded and as the dark embraced him, he heard a metallic voice addressing him: 

“Human! Your demise... Your failure here... You will carry it as a message to all... This planet is ours... This planet is ours... Leave or... die!” 

As Deschain fell unconscious, he felt his helmet being torn off and an excruciating pain erupted in both of his ears! Then, finally, everything went black...