Sergeant Welvyrn Rokin ran through the trees, his boltgun held in front
of him. He was short of breath, he had benn running for several minutes.
Explosions, screams, and the firing of weapons filled the air, and
surrounded Rokin. He looked over his shoulder as he ran towards the base.
Hours earlier, Rokin had lead an entire platoon on a reconnaissance
mission to find the Tyranid hive. Instead they had been ambushed, and
communication lost with their fellow troopers. Those who had survived the
deadly assault were now fleeing with Rokin towards the base.
A man named Felder ran up along side Rokin.
"I can't believe we were ambushed! I've never seen so much killing,
blood in my life." Felder said quickly. Out of the corner of Rokin's eye he
saw a genestealer, running alongside them in the cover of the forest.
Rokin screamed for Felder to look out as the Genestealer made a beeline
right for him. Rokin dived out of the way as it lifted Felder right off the
ground. The man screamed as the enormous sunk it's teeth into his leg, right
through the thick power armor. Rokin jumped up and began to run again. He
couldn't waste his life trying to save a dead man. Felder's screams ended
behind him.
Rokin didn't turn around, he kept running. Almost there, he said
to himself, another 200 meters. As the fort drew closer, Rokin felt
a second wind come on. He sped up towards the gates.
A loud grinding sound filled the air as Rokin watched the doors slowly
start to close. Rokin ran as hard as he could, his lungs felt as though they
would burst. With a last breath he dived into the fort, just as the gates
closed behind him.
Shouts and screams from doomed soldiers that had been left outside began
to filter through the air. Some pounded on the gates as they wailed to be
let in. Rokin picked himself up and made his way up to the parapet that
surrounded the inner wall.
He found a position that gave him a good view of the battle field. He
rested his boltgun on the edge of the wall, ready to fire down on the
heinous Tyranids.
The first wave of Termagants reached the wall and were cut down by the
marines still outside the fort. Then the Genestealers got there. They
absorbed more hits and rushed directly into close combat. Rokin and the
other marines on the parapet didn't wish to hit their own men so all guns
were silent.
Then a soldier threw a grenade.
Rokin saw it fly over his head, right into the throng of marines and
Genestealers. A deafening explosion rocketed through Rokin's ears and the
aftermath of the blast sent Rokin reeling backwards, almost over the edge of
the parapet.
Rokin regained his footing and ran to the wall to see the damage. The
grenade had set off a chain reaction, all the marines' below, grenades went
off as a result of the first one. It succesfully killed most of the Tyranids
below, though also all of the marines as well.
A huge hole sat in the wall. A few Genestealers and a new wave of
Tyranid warriors stepped up right behind them. Rokin watched as any
soldiers in the courtyard of the fort were immediately cut down. Warriors
charged up the stairwell to the parapet. Their imposing stature caused many
marines to run in fear. The Warriors towered over anyone that tried to
stand up to them.
One charge at Rokin. He stood his ground, desperately trying to get off
a shot. His boltgun gave a grinding sound.
It was jammed.
Rokin tried to get it to fire. He didn't even look up at the Warrior as
it closed on him. He slammed his hand into the boltgun, and it gave a
satisyfing click. Someone behind him screamed. "Rokin, look out!"
Rokin looked up just as the terrifying sword of the Warrior slashed the
air towards his head.
He didn't even have time to blink.
(C)1998 by Kevin McInerney