Second Battle of Melange

Segmentum Tempestus 997.M41

System: Harkonnen IV; Planet: Arrakia

Situation: Desperate

The sun was about to rise when the land raider Arbiter of Damnation arrived at the outskirts of the town of Melange. A space marine left the nearby fire team as a side hatch popped open. Five more marines disgorged from the land raider. “Battle-Brother Akrios of squad Steel Rain,” he said.

“Sergeant Teller of veteran squad Firestorm. Where is the rest of 3^rd Company?”

“The insertion force was ambushed by an unexpected necron presence. Most of us were killed in those three days. As we started to withdraw, squad Spawn Slayers came under attack by renegade marines. Their rhino wrecked, the men gunned down shortly afterward; and Brother-Librarian Davos was claimed by the warp. The only survivors were us, a squads of scouts, and Brother Darien. Sergeant Athos is over on the other road with a fire team trying to do some field repairs on him.”

Teller spotted the mighty ironclad over the top of the hill. “Chapter Master Holt came with 4 companies to reinforce this planet after we received the distress call from the Indomitable.”

“What happened to the strike cruiser?” Teller responded, “It was destroyed by the time we arrived.”

He headed back to the land raider when the vox rang, “Incoming Thousand Sons!”

Akrios ran back to his squad while the veterans charged up the hill. Bolter fire lit up the distance, revealing a vindicator and daemon prince. Arbiter of Damnation surged forward and unleashed its lascannons at the enemy vehicle. None of the shots seemed to hit it. Meanwhile, the dreadnought advanced up the road with the fire team that fixed it.

Smoke grenades flew at their position and obscured half the highway. On the other side, the vindicator rolled down the road and fired its front cannon at the veterans. Sergeant Teller and one other were protected from the blast and accompanying bolter fire by the hill. With their vision obstructed, nobody saw the daemon charge from behind vindicator and assault the scouts.

The rising sun revealed the outline of a rhino in the smoke, which was fired upon by almost everyone. A barrage of lascannon shots went through the vindicator as the land raider nearly ran into it. One of the beams sniped the head off the pintle-mounted gunner. After the hatch opened, the command squad charged out to confront the traitorous marines that exited the destroyed rhino.

Dreadnought Darien ripped through another squad until the aspiring champion planted a melta bomb on his leg. The rest of the Thousand Sons gunned down Sergeant Athos' fire team. Another shell from the vindicator hit Chapter Master Holt dead on, killing his entire honor guard. Before the Thousand Sons could turn their guns on the rest of them, a group of terminators into existence behind the main crowd of traitors and proceeded to flatten them all with thunder hammers.

Having finished off the vindicator, the land raider turned its full attention to the daemon prince. A few lascannon bursts convinced the daemon to retreat. The remaining Thousand Sons withdrew after the daemon's departure. Sergeant Teller caught a glimpse of a dark-blue figure disappear into flame on a hill some distance away behind their position.