Topic: Chapter 2 of the "the Vyper of Karod"

[Sr. Commissar Gribb]

Many of you may remember the beginning of this story from a while back
http://www.40k.ca/community/index.php?topic=54739
anyhow here's the beginning of the second chapter in the Saga of the 8th Highland

***
Creaking and lurching forward, the hulk of the enemy tank moved up on McKalk’s position, crushing abandoned civilian vehicles and the bodies of fallen troops in its path. From where the veteran sergeant was standing he could begin to make out the horribly mutated form of a Leman Russ battle tank. Along the bristling spikes and chains were scorch marks and entrails painted over the vehicles hull.

McKalk noted the body of one of the local clergy splayed in an undignified manner across the spiked rail that adorned the front and felt the urge to vomit as the tank hit a rut and he realized most of the preacher’s head had been eaten away by maggots.

Anchuss cursed and called up a missile launcher. Being a vet himself, McKalk new a krak missile would do little to stop the behemouth approaching but there was little to be done.

“Get your ass up there, Dremot!” Anchuss spat, nevervously at the trooper.

Trooper Dremot was only 18 and as a shock trooper was facing horrors that most men should never have to face their entire life. His loader was a young female trooper of about the same age, hastily attempting to pull a missile from a satchel and assemble the launcher’s bipod simultaneously. McKalk reflected that had they not joined the guard they might be attending an advanced scholum rather than risking their lives defending street corners.

McKalk fired a few more rounds to keep the driver buttoned down in the tank and sent up a handful of men to flank it from one of the habs on the left of the street.

As the tank grew closer Mckalk became aware of a handful of enemy grenadiers flanking the Russ and glaring ahead at the Imperial barricade.

“Emperor’s Bones!” Anchuss cried out, as he also glimpsed them “They’re sending in heavy troops to flank their armor! Your men will be slaughtered”

McKalk felt as if a round had punctured his being and the shock almost bowled him over. Anchuss was right, those grenadiers would easily shred his men as soon as they appeared to flank the battle tank.

“Not if I can help it”, McKalk said, drawing a quizzical look from his Cadian compatriot.

Quickly, McKalk dropped his kit bag and began fidgeting around in it eventually producing a non-standard pattern autopistol and 3 very Spartan looking tube charges.

Anchuss began to speak but it was too late, the battle cannon rumbled and a loud whistle trailed into a far building behind their position showering the streets with white-hot metal fragments, broken glass and smoke.

***

[Sheepz]

Is that is Gribb? C'mon, we're hungry for more.

I like it, a great deal. Is there a reason why is it all centered though? Prefered style of writing?

[Sr. Commissar Gribb]

i'm almost done with the 2nd part so hold on a bit.

[Sr. Commissar Gribb]

***
“Karod was a city of 1.6 million people of which most are dead by now whether it was from the chaos cults that first overwhelmed the PDF, the chemical weapons used to flush out the remaining citizens or the following orbital bombardment that destroyed most of the cityscape”, Fedog explained to McDerrick from the rear of his command salamander. “We’d level the place completely if it weren’t for the Shrine.”

“Yes, yes I know, dammit!” McDerrick answered irritatedly. ”The Shrine of St. Kasir in the central market area of the town. Tell me something I couldn’t have easily gained from the briefing with the lord general!”

“The city is built like a giant fortress from the days before imperial control and most of Karod was designed to let the occupants defend themselves against a siege from the outside.”

“Except nobody probably expected the attack to come from the inside”, McDerrick finished.

“That is correct, colonel and unfortunately for us we’ve stumbled on a planet with a lot of resources for this type of siege warfare. The last reports from the PDF armory show a large number of Transports, Tanks, equipment, heavy weapons and small arms. Also with all the people gone and access to the undercity..”

“Undercity?” McDerrick posed.

“Yes, there it turns out there’s a quite elaborate network of tunnels and blast-proofed chambers around the inner portion of the city and they’re thought to be well stocked with rations and ammunition.”

“Emperor’s Bones! You’re telling me we’re fighting against more than just ten or twenty thousand angry cultists.”

“It’ gets worse than that”, Fedog took a swig out of a battered metal flask as if preparing the punchline to a really good joke, “75% of the PDF and arbites are unaccounted for, and it’s believed a good lot of them have turned traitor.”

The command salamander banked and threw the 2 commanders and Fedog’s newly recruited vox operater into the inner wall of the tank.

“We’re here, boss! Problem is, so’s the enemy”