<strong><span class="bbc_u">Space Marines</span></strong><br/><br/><strong>Crixus</strong><br/><br/>A hail of bolter shells impacted against the Wraithlord and the remaining Wraithguard but still they advanced, their slow gait closing the distance with every step, as soon as they reached optimal engagement range the Wraithguard halted, planting its feet firmly in the ground and firing over and over into the squad of terminators. Bright blasts of foul warm energy impacting against their holy armor. A second terminator brother was felled his armor failing under the constant barrage of raw energy. As his body fell to the ground with a smoking hole in its chest, the second Wraithguard met it's fate, it's warithbone body damaged beyond it's ability to survive the ancient warrior silently fell to the ground it's weapons firing no more.  With the distraction provided by it's brethren the Wraithlord managed to close the distance with the terminators. It swung it's massive power blade in a wide sideways arch. Striking one of the terminators in the shoulder and driving the warrior brother to the ground. Turning with an agility and speed that belied it's size the Wraithlord struck out at Crixus with it's massive blade in a brutal forward thrust.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Nicodemus</strong><br/><br/>The Eldar warrior had no time to react as both of Nicodemus's chainswords cut into his body. The roar of the sword's engines and the squeal of adimantium biting into wraithbone overpowering the warrior's death shout. As he was literally sawed in half by the assault marine's blades. The rest of Nicodemus's brothers were also engaged in melee with the xenos. The sounds of chainblades roaring and the foul alien war cries of the Eldar erupting all around. Several feet in front of Nicodemus, Brother-Sargent Amadeus removed one Eldar's head from it's body with a clean swipe of his blade.<br/><br/>But above the din of battle a single war cry could be heard. "The Laughing God mocks you!" shouted a voice in Low Gothic, the voice itself was too smooth, to sharp, and all together to alien to ever be confused for that of a human. It was one of the Eldar and she was making sure that all humans around her could understand her words. She was clad in blood red armor and in one hand wielded a sword that seemed several sizes too big for her body. On her other arm was strapped a strange blade protruding just far enough so that it could be used as a punch dagger. The leg bracers of her armor sported small blades as did the joints at her knees and the ends of her boots. It was obvious that her armor had been crafted to make her every movement a potential death blow. Nicodemus's battle brothers charged forward at the warrior in red his chainblade roaring as he attacked with a lightning fast sideways stroke aimed to drive right into the female Eldar's chest. She countered with a speed that was hard for even the enhanced senses of a Space Marine to follow. Ducking low and underneath the Assault Marine's strike, she rose up with almost contemptuous ease. Her blade held in a reverse handed grip as if it were no heavier than a feather. Before the brother marine could even react she was driving her blade through his chest pulping both of his twin hearts as she twisted the blade and withdrew it in one smooth flowing motion. As if she knew exactly what was about to occur she took a quick step to the right, avoiding a double handed downward strike that would have cleaved her in half. Turning the sidestep into an almost dance like spin the Eldar warrior turned to face her new attacker, falling to the ground in a quick graceful splits with one leg out in front of her and the other out behind , she lashed with her punch dagger driving the weapon into the slightly softer armor around the marine's knee joint. The blade punched through and an instant later the brother's body began to shake, a strangled gurgling gasp could be heard over the squad's voxlink. "Enjoy the kiss of death" the Eldar warrior cried out before springing back to her feat leaving the two dead battle brothers in her wake. He head pointed directly at Nicodemus, the face plate of her helmet  a holographic a vision of daemonic horrors, "You are inferior!" she yelled as she charged at Nicodemus.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>3rd Squad opened fire along side Brother Calhoun, bolters barking as a veritable rain of the self propelled explosive tipped rounds were launched at the Falcon, it's armored frame taking soaking up round after round. Several rounds slamming into both the pilot and gunner's windshields. A single plasma blast struck the Falcon on it's right side burning through and causing real damage. In response the Falcon's gunner reacted to 3rd Squad, turning his attention from the marines it had previously been targeting and firing a long strafing blast across 3rd Squad's position. A single battle brother of 3rd squad let out a grunt as a stray piece of shuriken, the afflicted battle brother did not even stagger back a step as he continued to fire.<br/><br/>As the downpour continued to impact the Falcon it's pilot slowly began to pull backwards. Even as smoke slowly began emanating from his vehicle the grav-tanks gunner never stopped firing.<br/><br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u"> Imperial Guard</span></strong><br/><br/>1st Squad advanced slowly keeping low just like they had been trained to, their Sargent instructing them with quick hand signals, as they closed the distance with the outer line of silent artillery guns, Guardsman Davidson began to hope that they might actually make it through this decoy detail. The grim expression on his face slowly spreading into a smirk, they were almost far ahead enough for the rest of the squads to move up then it would be some other squad's turn to be on point and he'd be able to sit there safe in cover and wa........<br/><br/>Davidson's thoughts were cut short as a single razor sharp shard silently entered his head from the front and exited from the rear, pulping the contents of his skull in less than a split second. The Guardsman didn't even have time to realize he had been shot before his life was over. The rest of 1st Squad followed his example shortly after, without a single sound or muzzle flash they were cut down one by one, seeming to drop for no reason at all. A second later the rest of the squads in Lt. Devri's platoon came under fire. There was no sign of the attack other than Guardsmen suddenly falling dead where they had been standing a moment before.<br/><br/>"Snipers!" Jenkins called out to his squad "Everybody down!" As he gave the order he hugged his cover even closer trying to see where the enemy firepower was coming from. It was obvious by the way the Guardsmen were falling that the sniper fire was coming from the general direction of the artillery guns. But there was no sign where any of the snipers were, they were too well hidden to spot. He turned to tell his vox-man to call in some support but before the words could even leave his lips the vox operator took a round in the head, "Shit!" Jenkins muttered "Anyone know how to work a vox?" he shouted to his squad "if you do then get your ass over here and call in some damn support!"<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/>As his feet touched the ground and his grav-chute powered down Captain Alonzo quickly looked from side to side, checking to see that all of his stormtroopers had landed. Once he was satisfied that his 15 man squad was good to go he used hand signals to communicate with them. Not wanting to give away their position with unneeded noise. Using quick simple battle signals he said<em>We move forward, double time, objective is that white building, stick together, keep quiet.</em>He then slowly began to move forwards, his squad had been lucky this time, they'd landed together and within sight of their objective. They were less than 50 yards from the building. Moving at a brisk jog he led the stormtroopers to the doorway of the building. The door was closed and locked again using hand signals he said<em>fire team 1, breach the door, clear the room</em>He then handed one of the members of fire team 1 a Krak grenade and stepped back to allow them to get into position to breach the door and take the room.<br/><br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Sisters of Battle</span></strong><br/><br/>Silent and deadly, these were the watchwords of the Eldar tasked with defending the convent building, it's positioning would give who ever held it a straight path down one of the main streets leading directly to the gates into the mining complex's entrance area where the Space Marines were fighting other elements of the Eldar war host. Anyone using this street would easily be able to flank the gates guards. As such the attacking force had never left, they had simply hidden. And at an order that went unheard by human ears they launched their own attack. Seeming to appear from the shadows without warning six Eldar spears soared through the air, each one striking it's intended target in an instant six sisters repentia were dead, their carapace armor providing almost no protection against the Eldar's spears. "You will fear the judgment of the council" one of the Eldar voices shouted. At the same time, several striking scorpions dove from the upper reaches of the room where they had remained hidden in the shadows, their chainswords roaring. as they fell upon the 2nd Seraphim squad.<br/><br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Inquisition</span></strong><br/><br/><br/>As the Inquisitor's craft circled above the space marine's battle with the Eldar the craft's pilot remained focused on controlling the craft his body had been hardwired to his control station from the waist down and each arm ended in the control consul itself. Suddenly and without warning Farseer Irulan's voice was inside Inquisitor Pallas's head.<em>Foolish human, did you truly think that you could escape my sight?</em>her voice whispered, coiling around his mind like a snake<em>I foresaw your defeat before you even existed, this craft which you thought to be your sanctuary will in truth be your grave</em>As the words echoed in Pallas's mind the craft's pilot let out a strangled shout, his body going ridged as the Farseer's mind cleaved into his, ripping his undefended mind apart with only the faintest amount of thought. The pilot's body went ridged for a moment then collapsed his head falling forward as the craft began to slew sideways and towards the earth. With it's controller gone the craft's machine spirit had no direction and a crash was inevitable.<br/><br/>The Callidus Assassin quickly grabbed Pallas's arm "Inquisitor we must evacuate the transport" she said softly but firmly. The craft that had been assigned to Pallas and his retinue was not standard by any means, one of the features included in it was a set of emergency grav-chutes. They were intended to insure that valuable passengers had a chance of survival should a crash occur, they were small and only good for one use. The Assassin was already moving to secure and prep them for the Inquisitor and the rest of his retinue.<br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Eldar</span></strong><br/><br/>Both Batiatus and Irulan were blurs of motion, Batiatus wielding his thunder hammer with both hands, his other weapons stowed on his body. Irulan striking and defending with her spear. To the unaided eye their duel was little more than a series of near still images at the very limit of natural human perception, a thrust from Irulan deflected by the haft of Batiatus's thunderhammer........... A kick from Batiatus intended to break the Farseer's ribs deftly sidestepped....... Irulan's counterstrike coming within a hair's width of cutting into Batiatus's neck.....Each commander intent on slaying the other and leading their forces to victory.