Port Narak sprawled along a protected inlet on the southern coast. Rows upon rows of hangars lined the multiple runways and there were forests of Skyshield Landing Pads. Fleets of Valkyries, Vulture gunships, Vendetta heavy gunships, Sky Talons, Arvus Lighters, RE-45 shuttles, and Aquila Landers were parked on the tarmac, in front of hangars, or on the landing pads. On separate airfields within the complex were arrays of strike fighters, ground attack aircraft, bombers, and transports. There were even drydocks for Navis Maritimum ships, all of which were currently unoccupied.

  But the largest area of all were the massive, square-shaped tarmacs on the eastern side of the complex. These were reserved for the largest ground-to-orbit craft operated by the Navis Imperialis and Aeronautica Imperialis. Three Tetrarch Heavy Landers rested on their landing skids. These massive vessels had seven batteries of single-gun turrets—two light, four medium, and one heavy—plus a nose-mounted cannon. Such ships were capable of landing companies of troops and they dwarfed much of the surrounding structures.

  Enemy Valkyries stormed over the base, raking parked aircraft with lasers and rockets. Two hangars burned and columns of black promethium smoke rose high into the air. Anti-aircraft batteries across the entire complex pounded away at the enemy fliers. Streams of red tracers flowed into the air among huge banks of exploding flak. Blue, yellow, red, pink, and green flak-bursts puffed through the gray morning sky.

  A tall fortress wall ran around the entire perimeter. Two whole sections had been destroyed and the gate was overrun. Bastion towers along the walls continued to fight back as well as the countless bunkers and Firestorm Redoubts which studded the defenses. But as the Traitor Guardsmen advanced, combat spilled further into the complex.

  Ironsides watched for a few minutes as the Kasrkin and Astartes convoy sped down the road. The Torium Coast which Narak sat on was even lower than the river plateaus. From the advantage of height on the southbound route, Ironsides could observe the entire unfolding battle. Interior Guard forces inside the sprawling spaceport put up a heavy fight. Suddenly, Minnath sappers destroyed another section of wall. When the cloud of rockcrete dust faded, another echelon of Minnath Guardsmen pushed through.

  Finally, he ducked back down. 6th Squad checked their weapons in preparation for the assault. Despite having been awake for over a day, they were still ready to fight. Energy stimms provided a much needed boost, but it was the Kasrkin’s grit and determination which warded off sleep. Their hands moved across their weapons with speed and deftness.

  Unlike the line squads, the assault section forewent the roles of sharpshooter and reconnaissance trooper so that two squad members could serve as ammo bearers. Their Taurox Prime was stocked with extra ammunition and fuel for Hudnail and Tatum’s Heavy Flamers. Both men hastily refueled their weapons while Padmore and Tritten took more stubber belts from the racks.

  Padmore handed one to Ironsides and he loaded the ammunition backpack which fed his Echon Pattern Mark III Assault Stubber. He battened down the cover, handed it to Messer, the other assault gunner in the squad, and turned around. Messer mounted the kit on the back of his Carapace Armor and secured it. Ironsides double-checked the harness and clamps before securing the belt to the weapon.

  The Echon Pattern Mark III was a large and powerful variant of the Heavy Stubber line of weapons; twin-linked, belt-fed from a backpack of two-hundred rounds, although Kasrkin modifications allowed it to carry more. If handled correctly, it proved to be a surprisingly accurate, rapid-fire weapon.

  “When we get in there, those heretics are going to be forced down the avenues of the interior defenses,” Walmsley Minor said. He stood at the rear of the Taurox Prime and held the netting stretched above their heads with one hand. “Ironsides, Messer, that’s where I want you to focus your fire. Don’t waste shots on individuals, aim for larger groups. Tatum, Hudnail, I ask for your restraint. Some buildings may still have loyal Cadians inside and I do not wish any to die by our hand. We are there to rescue and protect; we shan’t do either if we kill our own men. Sync?”

  “Sync!” the squad yelled in unison. Moments later, Marsh Silas’s voice flooded through the platoon-net.

  “Red Six to all stations: halt, halt, halt. Squad leaders, up front.”

  The convoy rolled to a stop and the Kasrkin dismounted. As others formed a perimeter, Ironsides accompanied Walmsley Minor to the head of the formation. Marsh Silas, Hyram, Gabler, Walnsley Major, Prince Constantine, Major Bristol, and Captain Yori had already gathered on the crest of the low, rolling ridge. Many other Kasrkin assembled nearby.

  Even the thin, gray light of daybreak provided a much clearer image of the Space Marines than the Night Eye goggles of last night. Although Kasrkin sustained biological enhancements to their strength and speed, making them taller and larger, they were still dwarfed by the Astartes. Captain Yori was an impressive looking warrior with closely cropped black hair, a squarish head, a goatee, and deep brown eyes. The scars on his cheeks, brow, and neck accompanied by three service studs on his temple indicated decades of erstwhile service.

  Ironsides followed Walmsley Minor into the huddle. The former found himself standing beside Crazy Stück. The Breacher’s Carapace Armor was completely covered in dried blood. Even the silver winged skull icon of the Astra Militarum on his helmet was obfuscated with gore. Tiny tendrils of flesh clung to his pauldrons and hung from his forearms. Stück smiled at the machine gunner.

  “Welcome brother and good morrow,” he greeted. Ironsides’s eyes flitted up and down.

  “The fuck happened to you?”

  “Don’t worry, none of it’s mine.”

  “You do little to assuage my concern,” Ironsides muttered. Stück took another stimm from his cartridge belt but this was hastily snatched by his squad leader. Metcalfe ignored his subordinate’s disappointed groan and motioned to the commanders.

  “Why have we halted, sir?” Walmsley Minor asked Marsh Silas. His twin, Master Sergeant Walmsley Major, locked his hand with his sibling.

  “Too easy,” Marsh Silas said. “Our warning call reached them in time but the enemy has gotten a strong foothold regardless. Yet they appear to ignore their own advantage.”

  “They went through the trouble of seizing that road but left no rearguard. Instead, the bulk of their forces entered through the wall breaches,” Walmsley Major explained. “Why would they leave their rear exposed to an armor attack? Despite their commitment, their lookouts must have spotted us and other forces moving in to check their attack.”

  The platoon sergeant pointed to the west. Another Astra Militarum convoy was winding down the coastal road. Dismounted Interior Guardsmen formed skirmish lines in the field adjacent to the road. Tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled along, casting dust into the bleak morning mirth.

  “Is this the Traitor Regiment’s full-strength?” Gabler asked.

  “Nay, this is but one company. The First of Minnath has four other companies dispersed across the region, complete with highly mobile caches of armored vehicles and supplies. There were six in total, but one has been all but annihilated by your efforts and the other stands before us,” Captain Yori explained. “I am in agreement with your platoon sergeant, Knight-Lieutenant, this could be a trap.”

  “Well we can’t fucking stay here chatting with our manhoods limp in our hands,” Major Bristol snapped. “Reinforcements from the 10th will arrive by air in twenty minutes but the delegation may not last that long.”

  “The breaches in the wall,” Hyram said. “They demolished them to make way for their forces but we can circumvent the road by following directly behind them. We’ll linearly assault onto the objective: form our vehicles into line of battle, punch across the field, and hit them right in their flank rather than in the rear.”

  Marsh Silas gauged the other commanders. All the respective leaders agreed, even Major Bristol who pursed his lips and smiled confidently as he nodded.

  “Fuck it, that’s as damned a good a plan as any,” Marsh Silas, closing the projection on his Slate-monitron. “Infantry remains dismounted and follows behind their vehicles. My lord Captain Yori, would you honor my platoon with the right flank of the assault?”

  “It shall be so,” Captain Yori said as he donned his helmet. “From the shadows, we thus emerge and strike.”

  Ironsides and Walmsley Minor returned to their Taurox Prime as the vehicles created their line. Predators, Razorbacks, Rhinos, and even two Dreadnoughts of the Emperor’s Shadows, painted in black with blue highlights, linked with the olive drab armor of the Kasrkin. Engines revved and smoke poured from exhaust pipes. Tactical Marines, Assault Marines equipped with Jump Packs, and Devastator Marines carrying a myriad of heavy weapons, assembled behind their vehicles just as the Kasrkin did. Two dozen Tauroxes and just as many Astartes armored vehicles formed to attack.

  “All call signs, advance!” Marsh ordered. The vehicles rolled down the slope. Voices buzzed through the net as vehicle commanders spoke to one another. Drivers deftly matched the speed with the others so no one lagged or drew ahead of the others. Treads tore up the grass and crushed stones. Kasrkin and Space Marines jogged closely behind.

  Ahead, the rips and crashes of explosions, the bark of automatic gunfire, and the sizzle of lasbolts grew louder. Ironsides flexed his fingers on the vertical grip of his assault stubber. He kept his thumb away from the firing button on the top of the grip. He drew breath.

  Explosions on his right made him turn. The other armored column had assaulted down the main road and hit mines. Multiple Chimera APCs were disabled or destroyed. Some of the mines knocked out their trackpads, rendering them immobile. Other tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in the convoy attempted to push the hulks out of the way. Just as they did, anti-tank rockets whooshed from the firing ports of the gate and struck them. A captured Leman Russ rolled into the gate and knocked out the lead vehicle with a well-placed round from its Battle Cannon.”

  “Your brother was right, Staff Sergeant! Those boys need our help,” Ironsides said. Walmsley Minor regarded the situation momentarily before activating his micro-bead.

  “Red Six, this is Red Eleven. Friendly convoy under heavy attack, eyes on enemy armor. Requesting permission to divert and assist once we’re inside.”

  “Red Eleven, Red Six: negative. I need your assault section with me in the center. I’ll divert Red Seven to assist.”

  “Roger Red Six, over and out.” Walmsley Minor turned back and gripped Ironsides’ shoulder plate. “Worry not, Wulff and her men will save them.”

  Whistles in the air made them look up. “Incoming!” Mortar shells landed behind them. Heavy Stubber rounds tore across their vehicles, peppering and pinging the armor. But the Kasrkin did not flinch or bristle underneath this cacophony. Pintle, turret, and hull-mounted weaponry all along the formation returned fire. Each shell from the Predators’ Syrtis pattern autocannons appeared as a bright lance as it struck the mound of rubble the Minnath Guardsmen made their defense on. Rockets soared overhead or deflected off the heavy armor plating of the assembly. Kasrkin and Astartes leaned around the sides of the vehicles to fire a few shots before returning to cover.

  “I’ve got AT troops at my twelve!” the commander of 6th Squad’s Taurox Prime yelled over the comms. “My systems are reloading, somebody take the son of a bitch out!”

  Ironsides tapped Messer and the two charged down the avenue between theirs and the next Taurox. Bullets bounced off their armor as they advanced in front of the formation. Six Minnath Traitors, three of whom were armed with shoulder-fired rocket launchers, aimed right at them. Ironsides braced, leveled the Echon, and pressed his thumb on the trigger. Both barrels flashed and the cartridges streamed out. Heavy shells ripped across the clot of traitors, splintering their bodies and tumbling them back.

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  The two gunners fell back, thumping their fists on the Taurox’s hull as they ran by. “Many thanks, Red Eleven!”

  The line of vehicles rolled up the embankment of rockcrete rubbled. Rolling over enemy wounded and dead, they stormed down the opposite side. Traitor Guardsmen fled in all directions. Marsh Silas ordered the infantry to advance in tandem with the vehicles and they all loped alongside. Firing as the Imperials entered the base, droves of unprepared Minnath Traitors were cut down in the initial fusillade. Enemy Chimeras were blasted open by Taurox Battle Cannons and lightly protected Cargo-8 were mulched by their Gatling Cannons.

  Like the interlocking, irregular roads in the kasrs, much of the paths between the port facilities were nonlinear. Open paths were raked by overlapping fields of fire between two, three, or more gun positions. Each was protected by rockcrete walls, layers of sandbags, razor wire entanglements, and anti-tank obstacles. In typical Cadian fashion, almost every building was equipped to maintain its own defense. Heavy Bolters and Saber platforms barked through loopholes, slits, and ports, pouring volleys of fire on the enemies.

  But the enemy continued to penetrate into Port Narak. Minnath Guardsmen had to use their armored vehicles as cover to make any progress or risk an all-out dash down the interior roads. Some managed to push towards the airfields while others were bogged down, utilizing their disabled vehicles or what few Interior Guard positions they seized as cover. So determined to break onto the tarmac, the Minnath infantrymen were hardly engaging the Cadians. Their outnumbered vehicles hunkered down to absorb the fire, but their static positions left them vulnerable. Each tank, armored personnel carrier, or repurposed truck was knocked out.

  Ironsides and Messer broke away from their Taurox Prime as the Kasrkin squads dispersed to roll up the enemy’s in the rear. The duo slid along the triangular-shaped bastion overlooking a star-shaped junction in the various roads. Inside the bulwark, Interior Guardsmen maintained their base of fire against Minnath Traitors attempting to clear the gate. From their vantage, the two gunners watched Wulff and 7th Squad hit the traitors heavily with lascannons and recoilless rifles. The squad leader herself jumped on top of the Minnath Leman Russ, forced the hatch open, and dropped a grenade inside. Ten Kasrkin in total retook that gate and Imperial reinforcements poured in, eager to avenge their losses.

  Keeping under their comrades’ guns, the two went to the other side. Just as they did, the clot of Minnath Guardsmen in front of them surged down the road. Cadians appeared on either side, pricking them with bayonets and launching lasbolts right in their flanks. The platoon-sized element dwindled.

  “If I were a kinder observer, I’d say the dumb bastards are quite brave,” Messer remarked.

  “The lines between bravery and stupidity are often blurry,” Ironsides said back. Cadian warriors themselves were no strangers to traversing open ground and treacherous terrain under the enemy’s barrels. Running such gauntlets was their duty. But Ironsides did not see a gauntlet—just an opportunity. As the next wave of Minnath Traitors attempted to break down the road, he and Messer opened fire. Underneath four barrels, the enemy platoon disappeared.

  “Ammo, ammo, ammo!” Messer barked as they took cover once more. Padmore and Tritten slid full belts into the backpacks.

  Bloody Platoon overtook the few Minnath positions alongside with Gabler’s stalwart soldiers. On their left flank, the Emperor’s Shadows bravely advanced. Some stormed into breached buildings while others marched down the road in wedge formations. Covering one another, they slaughtered the Minnath Guardsmen who attempted to cover their comrades. Interior Guardsmen, inspired by the sight of Astartes, leaped over their defenses and followed them.

  “Keep it up, Bloody Platoon,” Marsh Silas encouraged. The platoon leader bravely walked between the Cadian positions. He praised not only his own men, but those of the Interior Guard around them. Coming over to Ironside and Messer’s position, he leaned over the bulwark and shook the gun team’s hands. “Well done, men, you’re doing very fine work. You just sit on the gun and mow down any of those stragglers you see. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes, we can, sir!” the elated gunners cried. Marsh crouched and tapped Ironsides’ shoulder.

  “Well done, you’re bleeding them dry. We’ve all but taken their foothold away, and they’re now running onto the airfields. Make haste in the pursuit. With me, Bloody Platoon!”

  The Kasrin ran down the same road. Ahead, their enemies spilled across the tarmac. Some continued running while other groups splintered off. Some took the opportunity to destroy aircraft by detonating grenades and explosives. Others still forced the cockpits of Valkyries open and attempted to activate them, but they were swiftly dispatched.

  “Sir, I’m receiving a hail from inside the base!” Drummer Boy yelled as he ran with the platoon leader.

  “Patch it through to the platoon net.”

  “This is Captain Rhodes, commander of the Gatekeeper. Myself and members of my crew were planetside before the attack and we have reached the delegation that was scheduled to leave the planet an hour ago. Most of their security detail has been killed and we are currently escorting them to the Aquila Landers in the center quadrant of the port. Those blasted traitors are throwing themselves against us and we request assistance!”

  “We are inbound now, Captain! We’ll divert them to the airfield parallel to your own!” Marsh Silas informed him. “Bloody Platoon, on the double-kick, move it out!”

  The Kasrkin exercised their full-speed. Shooting ahead of the Interior Guardsmen, the platoon dispersed into a thin line. Right on the heels of their enemies, they fired into their backs and disrupted their efforts to steal more aircraft. A fuel store exploded, casting a mushroom cloud of fire into the air so vast that it briefly created a haze in the sky.

  “Incoming, three o’clock! Enemy aircraft!”

  Ironsides turned to his right. Two enemy Valkyries swooped low and reduced speed for an attack run. Kasrkin took cover behind what wreckage they could find. But he held his ground, raised his weapon, and held the trigger. Two streams of tracers flowed into the air directly in line with one of the approach VTOLs. Multi-lasers unleashed and tore up the tarmac on either side of him. Ironsides stood still and kept firing. He adjusted his aim as he fired. There was flashing in the cockpit of the Valkyrie on the left. It banked erratically before plummeting onto the ground. The aircraft broke up and the engines detonated, engulfing the troop bay in flames.

  “Edwin, I’m hit!” Messer cried. Ironsides tore his gaze away from the wreck. On one knee, Messer clutched a grisly laser wound that had penetrated the right side of his torso armor. A chunk of his abdomen was sheared away. “It burns like hell,” he seethed.

  “Medic!” Ironsides called. “Medic up!” Marsh Silas and Honeycutt hurried over.

  “They’re all around us now!” Marsh Silas yelled as the medic attended to the wounded Kasrkin.

  “Just as we wanted,” Ironsides growled confidently. Minnath Guardsmen swarmed out of cover and from other positions across the base. Kasrkin stood and fired back as they charged. “Captain Rhodes, we are absorbing the enemy’s attacks! Are you at the landers yet!?”

  “Aye, we’ve reached them. We’re boarding now. What about you? I’ll send some of my men to assist.”

  “Negative, Captain, get your men and the delegation to safety!” He dropped his hand. “Bloody Platoon, stand fast and get ready to engage in the mortal effort!”

  Minnath Traitors surged towards them brandishing every caliber of autogun and lasgun. Power weapons glowed red, yellow, and purple. Kasrkin leveled their firearms and drew combat knives. Messer doffed his backpack in great pain and gave it to Marsh Silas. The platoon leader hastily took up the assault stubber. Padmore and Tritten reloaded their kits. Just as they opened fire on the encroaching foe, loyal Valkyries swept by overhead. Rockets pummeled the enemy back and multi-lasers scythed others down.

  “I’ve got you covered Red Six,” came Foxley’s voice. “Aha, finally, something to really shoot at!”

  Bloody Platoon closed ranks while the Aeronautica Imperialis continued to mop up. Droves of the Valkyries touched down and released more Kasrkin from the 10th Regiment. The flak cover was minimized to clear the airspace for the reinforcements. Despite blankets of flame and roiling smoke all over the spaceport, the situation appeared to stabilize.

  Ironsides reloaded again while Marsh Silas covered him with the assault stubber. Minnath Traitors still stormed towards them, keen to break through the to quadrant where the Aquila Landers. Astartes of the Emperor’s Shadows marched onto the airfield and took the pressure off Bloody Platoon. Assault Marines soared through the sky and landed amid the enemy. Minnath squads were reduced to smears of blood and piles of flesh by the Astartes’ chainswords.

  Flaring engines made the Kasrkin look up; the red-painted aircraft expanded their wings and journeyed skywards. For a brief moment, Ironsides thought his duty was gone. Foxley’s Valkyrie landed nearby, discharging a squad of Kasrkin. Heavy laser fire above drew his attention once more, however. The last surviving Minnath Valkyries ascended after the Aquila Landers!

  “All stations, we are being pursued by enemy Valkyries. They’re targeting the second wave of landers!” Rhodes called over the open channel. “They might destroy some of the transports before they reach orbit!”

  “Foxley, take your bird up!”

  Ironsides’s feet moved on their own and he found himself inside the Valkyrie. A moment later, a confused Marsh joined him as well as Captain Yori. The VTOL quickly lifted off the ground and the troop bay closed.

  “What is it you mean to do?” Yori asked.

  “I shan’t leave anything to chance. The threat is in the sky and that is where I am needed,” Ironsides said stoically.

  “Needed, yes sir, but is there really anything we can do?” Marsh asked.

  “He just thinks one of my gunners is gonna get his head shot off,” Foxley snorted. The occupants jostled from side to side. “Oh, so they mean to take our sky from us as well? Hang on, I’ve got a…Vulture gunship on my tail!? Throne!”

  “That must’ve been the hidden asset the Minnath executive officer spoke of!” Marsh yelled. But Ironsides’ attention was on the manual switch to the ramp. Marsh Silas saw it too. “Are you sure?”

  The machine gunner nodded firmly. Marsh’s hand snapped to his micro-bead. “Foxley, stabilize the aircraft.”

  “Stabilize!? I need to lose this bogey! If it takes us out, there’s nothing between it and the landers!”

  “Just trust us!”

  The platoon leader hit the switch and the rear compartment opened. Both Kasrkin took a strap from their webbing and hooked in as Captain Yori put a hand on each of their shoulders. Directly behind them, the Vulture closed in.

  “Hurry! It’s locking on for a missile strike!” Foxley yelled.

  Captain Yori put his weight down on the two Kasrkin, each of whom struggled to stay braced from the high speed of the aircraft. Ironsides lined the weapon’s sights right on the cockpit and hit the trigger. Marsh Silas did at the same time. Heavy slugs shattered the cockpit. The enemy pilots appeared to flail, shuddered, and slump over. Thin smoke trailed from the electrical fire among their instruments and then the Vulture dropped from view.

  Foxley cheered over the comms. “Ya bastards truly did it!”

  “Are there any more targets?”

  “Negative, my squadron hit those other Valkyries hard and the Aquila Landers have exceeded our altitude. I’m taking you back down, now.”

  As the compartment closed, Marsh sat down on one of the benches and flipped to the open channel.

  “Captain Rhodes, this is Knight-Lieutenant Silas Cross. You are all clear, over.”

  “Roger that; all the Aquila Landers are away. We did not lose a single one. Your men and the Emperor’s Shadows have my eternal gratitude. I hope to repay your efforts with my own someday.”

  “I am only grateful to the Emperor that we were able to assist you, Captain. Over and out.”

  When the Valkyrie touched down, Marsh, Ironsides, and Captain Yori jumped out. Kasrkin, Interior Guardsmen, and countless Aeronautica Imperial personnel clapped and cheered. Ironsides saw his friend Messer still sitting on the tarmac as he was treated by medics. The two machine gunners each held up a fist and grinned.

  Ironsides gazed at Marsh Silas who took off his helmet and smiled. “Good work, Edwin. That was some quick thinking. Iron will and a sharp mind make for a dangerous Kasrkin, aye?”

  “Aye, sir,” Ironsides said and the two shook hands.

  “You were most brave,” Captain Yori added. “You all were. I am proud to have served alongside the Kasrkin. I will have it recorded in the history of the Emperor’s Shadows that, in night and day alike, we fought alongside courageous men.”

  “My lord, I must express that we are proud and humbled to have served alongside you as well,” Marsh Silas said, bowing his head. “I understand the Emperor’s Shadows are meant to dwell within the darkness, but I ask that I might describe your deeds in our regimental history, so all Cadians will know the name of your Chapter and its deeds to our homeworld.”

  “We would be honored, oh Knight of Cadia.”

  “Knight-Lieutenant.” Romilly drew near, his voice somber. “I have just overheard an alpha-prioris distress communique. It appears the Marked Men have been active. A strike team has seized a Navis Maritimum battleship from dry dock when there was a skeleton crew aboard. Those seamen who have not been barricaded in the citadels of the ship have been taken hostage. What the Marked Men plan to do with the ship, I know not.”

  “That is why those Marked Men at Drasquez Tower were looking through maritime ship records,” Marsh growled. “Has a rescue operation been arranged?”

  “Negative. Cadian High Command plans to sink the ship by an aerial attack with both enemy and crew aboard.”

  Ironsides watched Marsh’s face grow pale. But the platoon leader cast one gaze to Ironsides and recovered. The machine gunner firmly nodded and picked up his assault stubber.

  “Romilly, get us into contact with the Navis Maritimum regional commander. Tell him the Kasrkin are coming for both his ship and his crew.”