Faithfull and the Damned; Shades of Loyalty

[Hooter Hunter]

Hunters HQ, formerly known as the Govenors office

Hunter sat with his feet propped on the ornate desk, burnt out cigar in the corner of his mouth sleeping the sleep of the dead.

Sgt Major Arlee walked in and promptly kicked Hunters feet off the desk. He grinned sternly as Hunter did his best to NOT topple out of the overstuffed luxury chair. The dour Sgt Major even chuckled a small bit when Hunter failed in his efforts and spilled out into the floor. "I know you were getting your beauty rest, and from the looks of your face you desperately need it," Arlees bass voice boomed in the room as Hunter glared at him while getting off the floor and reseating himself and lighting a fresh cigar. "But I thought you would like to see the latest SITREP."

Hunter blinked the sand from his eyes and then with his cigar fully stoked he took a long drink of sweet tea that was now mostly water from the melted ice. "Well what are ya waitin fer ? Me to die of old age?"

"So far we have secured all major hives, cities and the minor spaceports with the aid of uprising Imperial citizens," Arlee began. "Six ships have been destroyed attempting to flee the system, two others boarded and a good number of BoO officers and Commisars captured. Brigadier Jacka also reports that so far nearly 300,000 Hagrans have surrendered and are on their way to Adaven V where the BoO among them will be weeded out."

"By the Emperors Balls 300,000?" Hunter shook his head in wonder that his bluff had worked so well. Just the number who had surrendered outnumbered his meager task force. "And Mathew Jacka is doin the countin?" Arlee nodded his head affirmative. "Better get some medical personel down there as well as someone from the Adeptus Administratum before its to late."

Arlee raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be?"

"I dont want Jacka and his Cadians to freeze their fingers, toes, or anything else off tryin to count so high," Hunter laughed at his own joke.

"Of course sir," Arlee refused to laugh, if only to irritate Hunter. "There is one more thing sir."

Hunter nodded, "I was waitin fer the other shoe to drop."

"There is a small fortress full of die hard BoO members and loyal followers that refuse to surrender. In fact they have crucified all their troops who were willing to surrneder."

"Put the Eagle Claws on them in the next hour," Hunter said grimly. "And remind them, no prisoners."

Sgt Major Arlee saluted, did an about face and marched straight to the comms room.

[Lord_Crull]

The Eagle Claws had watched the war across Harga III with approval and had waited in their orbital battle barges for further use. The Space marines were not suited to the long slogging matches that the guard practiced, for them it was surgical strikes. And now they were getting their chance to launch one. Although the Eagle Claws were not officially required to follow the orders of the Guard, Captain Antigonus recognized good tactical sense when he saw one.

He had taken the remnants of his company and had combined it with four squads from the men of the First to create a mobile strike force to cut the heart out of the remnant of a rebel stronghold.

A wave of drop pods was launched from the bays of the Perfection of Light, moving too fast for the defense guns of the rebels to track, the pods were perfectly situated to bring Antigonus’s strike force crashing down upon the heads of the enemy. As soon as the pods hit the ground Antigonus exited his command pod, his bodyguard surrounding him. Looking through his visor he saw that all was correct from his intelligence briefings and reminded himself to thank guard intelligence later.

The fortress as a large four-sectioned star-ended base, the anti-aircraft guns were pointed at the sky fruitlessly, having failed to down a single astartes drop pod from the sky.

The space marine captain looked around with distaste noting the crucified bodes of men, they were stripped naked and beaten before behind impaled on large metal poles stuck into the ground, there appeared to be almost a hundred of them. He felt no compassion for them, they were traitors and their former comrades would perish also. There would be no mercy for the enemies of the Imperium, and even if General Hunter had not given the order he would still kill then all.

Around him was the emerging squads, his devastators and terminators began to lay down covering fire as his tactical squads and assaults squads moved across to the immediate base. ‘’All units, begin the assault’’ Antigonus commanded as he did just that.