The Ancient Relic
"Area west primus secured," Kharok heard over his comlink. Good, he thought, the gates to the Chaos temple lied before them. The Thousand Son traitors made a tactical retreat to the cover of a cultist temple after being routed by Wolf Priest Kharok Stormbringer and his Space Wolves strike force.
Even as the Chaos traitors where barring themselves into the temple, Kharok's forces were taking up battle positions on the outside waiting for the right moment to strike. The Command Rhino moved into its final position just out of long-range weapon fire while the Wolf Priest contemplated his next move. It wouldn't be easy clearing that temple out, not to mention getting the artifact the Great Wolf commanded them to retrieve back in one piece. If they could strike quickly and decisively, they could possibly retrieve it undamaged. If it wasn't destroyed already.
The air in the crew compartment was alive. Nine Blood Claws sat around him prepared for the battle ahead. Their weapons and armor were checked, double checked and checked again. Bolt pistols, plasma pistols and a multitude of other hand pistols were loaded, ready to spray death to anyone unlucky enough to be in the way. Edged weapons were razor sharp and keen. They excitedly waited the command from their Lord to break free from their shell and rein death upon everything that moved. That is their nature, the smell of blood and death frees the savage Wulfen blood within them and only berserk carnage could bring back their human senses.
He lost six Grey Hunters and a Landspeeder and its crew to these bastards. If he could help it, no others would fall before them. "My Lord! Movement detected at the gates..." Kharok turned to the side port with his Macro-binoculars and studied the structure. He could see clearly into the valley where the temple lies. The temple was built into a long valley, which from the top of the valley was unseen except looking down upon it. His Space Wolves took up positions around the mouth and around the perimeter of the valley awaiting his orders to storm the temple.
A faint eerie glow emanated from the gates as they swung wide. A massive construct lumbered out of the temple toward the open field. Shadows were being reported seen all throughout the building and in defense positions all around it's perimeter. He remembered the dreadnought from their previous engagement but he was completely taken aback by the presence of the second following shortly behind it. "Damn them!" he cursed; they must have more troops in reserve here. He underestimated them, something he won't do again. Oh well, he thought, payback's a bitch.
"Squad Morkai, status report," he barked over the comlink.
"Target in sight, awaiting your orders, my Lord," the trooper squawked back.
"You may fire when ready!" Kharok commanded.
From a rock outcropping a short distance up the valley wall, a stream fiery plasma erupted onto the ancient behemoths. The Wolf Scout squad with the multi-melta, hit the Dreadnoughts dead on, causing them to flail and wheel about in confusion. The second dreadnought hit the first with it's thunder hammer and caused and explosion to erupt from it's back. The first dreadnought stiffly moved toward the open field and collapsed face first.
Seeing that, Kharok order his horde to attack. Chaos cultists swarmed out of the temple gates by the dozens followed by two squads of Khorne Berserkers. The Space Wolf bike squadron ripped across the valley floor at full speed. Bolter shells blazed from their twin linked guns, bombarding the cultists with deadly fire. Not far behind, the Space Wolves attack bikes, thundered their way toward the enemy. Thousand Son Marines opened fire from windows and ruined debris from around the temple. Space Wolf Grey Hunters and Blood Claws advanced across the field in a flurry of activity. Taking up positions, returning fire, and then taking up new positions.
All across the field the noise was incredible, howling wolves, machinery, Bolter fire, cursing and death throws. Blood Claws abided their time until they could come within range to throw themselves at the enemy. The Thousand Sons did not go down easily, nor did the Space Wolves. That could not be said of the cultists though. The Space Wolf bike squads made quick work of the advancing cultists. The Berserkers turned their attention to the oncoming tide of Blood Claws and decided to ply their talents there.
Kharok ordered the rhino to move out toward the temple. He and his squad would take advantage of the confusion and raid the temple for the artifact they had to recover. "It is of the utmost importance that this pre-Heresy artifact be recovered, Wolf Brother Kharok," he remembered the Great Wolf telling him as the rhino thundered on it's course, "pre-Heresy lore indicates that this object may contain a voice recording and information that may be vital to cause against the Chaos Hordes."
"Fail me not! Fail not your Emperor! Go now retrieve the data recorder with all haste! " He commanded.
The wall of Blood Claws smashed viciously into the Berserkers, both sides howling and yelling to their Gods praying they would be favored with
Glorious victory this day. A giant crash arose; metal and bone twisted and broke under the weight of the attack. The Berserkers lashed out at the Blood Claws but eventually they fell under the numbers of the Space Wolf warriors. The Blood Claws easily lost a third of their number but it did not hinder their advancement toward the inner temple.
The Grey Hunters followed close behind cutting down anything that stood in their way. The temple would be theirs soon, if all went well. The rhino pulled up to the temple gates. The smoldering husks of the two dreadnoughts lay on the ground in charred ruin. Space Wolves warriors poured into the building form all sides as the final route began. Kharok gave the order for his squad to disperse. They eagerly disembarked and followed Kharok into the main chamber of the temple. The fighting continued through out the building, but reports were coming in that the enemy was eventually being pacified with minimal losses to their own squads.
As Kharok and his troop entered the main chamber, a strange sight befell the warriors. In the middle of the chamber lay dead cultists, traitor marines as well as Space Wolves warriors. In the center of all this stood a bizarre being. What could have been once a man, now corrupt by the twisted powers of Chaos stood there. His armor now a part of his altered form distinguished him from all others.
"Isss thisss what you ssssseek?" hissed the Thousand Sons sorcerer.
He held in his twisted hand a metallic canister with a display console on it.
"Chaos Traitor, you will die for your crimes! Return the Emperor's device to us immediately and your death will be quick!" declared the Wolf Priest in front on everyone in the chamber.
"AAAAhhhh, young Sssspace pup, you know ssssooooo little", the sorcerer said in an even tone, "the power of Chaos’s is far greater than even you can imagine! "Thissss tiny bauble is not worth the trouble that follows it!" On those words, the sorcerer tossed the canister at the Wolf Priest. Upon catching it, the Wolf Priest opened fire on the sorcerer as others followed suit. Before the first round crossed his path, a glowing nimbus of warp light surrounded the Thousand Sons sorcerer and he retreated far from harms way. "Another day perhapsssss, Sssson of Russsssss........."
Kharok's heart filled with elation. The artifact was in their possession. "Primary objective accomplished!" he declared into his comlink, "All strike forces are to prepare for immediate dustoff as soon as they are able!"
* * *
The rhino roared toward the landing zone, Kharok held the artifact reverently in his hands while he waited to present it to his Lord. The rhino bucked coming over some large obstacle and one of the Wolf Priest's fingers glanced over the display console touching something and activating a blue light. Static played over the tiny speaker in the corner of the display and a voice began to speak.
"My sons, hear the words of Russ and know..........", the voice carried on. Inside his armor, Kharok openly wept. The voice of Russ had not been heard by any man in over ten millennia and only the ancient Bjorn was old enough to have heard it in person the last time he spoke.