CHAPTER 24.6

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Approx. 1300 words

All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2015   SJ

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Chaos on Terra Aurigae:

The Ambush

 

written by  SJ

 

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    Once Lana and her team were aboard her shuttle, she told Zane to head for Yarrick and Davis’ HQ. When she called them, they told her that, thanks to Shaw’s snipers, they had defeated the Chaos heavy weapons and knocked out their Rhinos (each which had Havoc missile launchers). During the trip, she proposed her plan to ambush Ahriman and take the Link.
    Yarrick and Davis both liked LaFong’s plan, but they had both taken more than fifty percent casualties from each of the their infantry squads. However, Shaw’s team had only taken one casualty, their Scout heavy bolter guy, KIA. That left him with seven team members...plus two teams of four Tau Pathfinders. The spare Scout heavy bolter was loaned to Corporal Zane, even though, at the moment, he wasn’t able to use it.
    In order to arrive in time at the location inside the city so they could set themselves up to ambush Ahriman, they needed to use LaFong’s Ops shuttle; and they only had time for one trip. However, the shuttle was only designed to carry a team of fourteen, not counting the pilot and co-pilot. There was Davis, with two hand-picked members of his team (both armed with plasma guns), Lana’s team of five, and Shaw’s team of seven, making fifteen. However, Shaw still wanted to load the Pathfinders; they had photon grenades and EMP grenades. It would be a tight fit, but Lana agreed, as long as they didn’t mind being cramped together like sardines. Yarrick decided to stay back with the HQ, wishing them good luck.
    As Davis and his men started to enter the shuttle, he wavered--a bad smell...then, remembered, mentioning to LaFong, “ah, I see, you transported the Ogryns in your shuttle.”
    Lana made a face, responding, “yeah...they were a little gassy.”
    ******
    By the time the ambush team returned to the city, they spotted Ahriman’s Rhino parked right next to the place where Jennifer had located the opening to the WARP. The Rhino was not armed with a twin-linked bolter and there were no Chaos forces present.
    “Besides Ahriman, there should be three Sorcerers and two Chaos Marines.” Lana mentioned. “It looks like they’re all inside the sewer.”
    “Yeah, I saw the same satellite image when I was with the General.” Davis confirmed. “I think those Chaos Marines were some kind of sergeants; both were armed with bolt pistols.”
    “Make that only one Chaos Marine.” Lana corrected.
    “One?”
    “Yeah...they sacrificed one of them to bring in that greater demon.”
    He chuckled. “Rough day on the job for that guy.”
    Lana and Davis both agreed that they should all deploy in buildings surrounding the location. When Ahriman and his Sorcerers appeared, take them out fast before they had a chance to use their Staffs.
    Soon, they were all ready, the Pathfinders in teams of two on the roofs, ready with their grenades.
    However, time slowly ticked by as they all waited...
    Eventually, Jennifer reached out with her special power and broke the bad news. “He’s gone.”
    Everyone waited for her to continue.
    “He’s not there anymore.” She sighed.
    “He was able to use that WARP opening to escape? But--” Lana asked, surprised.
    Jennifer shook her head. “No. He probably used his Staff to return to his spaceship. Sorry.”
    “Don’t be sorry, Jennifer.” Davis commented with a smile. “The ambush was a good try.”
    Afterwards, Shaw and Davis had their troops destroy the Chaos Rhino. The Pathfinders then sent a drone down into the sewer, where it found nothing, confirming the fact that Ahriman had indeed escaped...and worst of all--he most likely had the Link.
    ******
    At a meeting, they all wondered if they could consider this battle a victory: Yes, they had defeated all the Chaos forces on the planet (except for the Land Raider, which was able to escape), but the two Chaos warships had left the solar system undamaged, taking Ahriman, and very likely, the Link with him, a Chaos object that, according to Jennifer, would allow him to increase the size of his army...maybe, even give him another spaceship. Even though they weren’t exactly sure what this new Chaos object would do for Ahriman, they knew it was better to prepare for the worst.

    Later, Lana was unhappy to find out that three more Ogryns had died, making it a total of five dead. She was informed that they were vulnerable to WARP radiation sickness, and those that had been wounded by Inferno Bolts, deteriorated quickly and died before they could find a remedy, something they would have for next time. But, she was happy to hear Ricardo was not one of them. She decided to go with the Planetary Governor when he gave all the ogryns metals for their exemplary service...plus so she could personally say thanks and goodby.
    As Lieutenant LaFong got ready to return to Camp Cheyenne, she received word from Davis as to why the General had been called away. It was indeed an emergency. On Thanatos-4, they had spotted Tyranids, reporting they were setting up a hive on one of the islands. At first, this didn’t seem to alert the residents of Thanatos-4 all that much; but when they began spotting Lictors on the same continent, they became worried.
    In a brief conversation with the General, LaFong learned that if things got worse, he might ask the Cheyenne Rangers to get ready to go to Thanatos-4. However, he had to let the colony know that they might have to fend for themselves, especially when he learned about what happened on Terra Aurigae. After all, Thanatos-4 was a far colony; the Cartel worlds of the Sol Frontier came first. If the Tyranids were preparing for a full scale attack, then the colony’s only choice might very well be evacuation.
    Another option was LaFong herself. So far, she had been the only person to personally talk to an Eldar Farseer. If she could go and speak to Ar’sharel, maybe she could ask the Farseer Counsel to talk to the Tyranids and find out what they were up to--BEFORE there was an unfortunate misunderstanding.
    ******
    As Lana prepared her shuttle for departure, Zane seemed worried. He finally broke down and asked, “uh, Lana...am I still a member of your team?”
    She made a face and looked at him. “You mean, am I kicking you out for making one mistake?” She sighed, answering, “of course not.” She frowned, then asked him. “If Shaw asks, are you going to join his team?”
    He was surprised. “His team?”
    “Because of your accuracy rating with that Scout heavy bolter, they might ask you.” She smiled. “After all, they have an opening.”
    The Corporal delayed, then responded, “no...I’d much rather stay with the Cheyenne Rangers. When should I return their heavy bolter?”
    “Last time I heard, they said you can keep it...something about selling it to us with a big discount.” She grinned. “That’s what makes me think they might ask you to join their team.”
    Zane sighed, relieved, then mentioned, concerning his new weapon, “you know, this is a master crafted Scout heavy bolter. It must’ve cost a fortune. Maybe I should return it.”
    “Nah, just hold onto it for now.” Lana suggested. “Let them send us a bill...just in case you change your mind.”
    He smiled modestly. “No. I rather stay on your team. And, I’ll do better next time.”
    Burns slapped him on the back. “Hey...when you heal, we’ll run you through the drills. You’ll be taking cover like a pro in no time.”

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