Death or Glory

by Jonathan Westmoreland

Inspired by an event in a game I played last weekend, here's a small bit of fluff. Enjoy, and kudos to Games Workshop for making the Tank Shock/Death or Glory rule one of the best aspects of the new edition.

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Sgt. Karras' shouted words of encouragement to the remaining 5 men of his squad.  Losing 2 of their brothers to incoming fire was hard enough, but seeing Tigurius fall so quickly to the cursed Heretics was almost enough to drive them into a frenzy.  Karras praised the Emperor for giving them restraint, for he knew that the Traitor Marines stood ready to gun down their numbers as soon as they moved out from behind the ruins. He knew that they must wait for precisely the right moment to attack, less their bodies rest alongside that of the Librarian.

"Brothers, let not the death of Tigurius be  prevalent in your mind.  The Emperor protects him even now, just as The Emperor shall guide us to cleanse those who committed this deed. Ready your weapons, Brother Marines, and prepare for battle."

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Malus, Champion of Khorne, shut off the power  to his bloodied power axe.  Mere seconds after  his first engagement with the Imperial scum, he  already felt the bloodlust rising again.  His men  had served Khorne well today, yet the blood had  only begun to flow.  The death of Tigurius hadn't  even begun to sate him, and moving back into  the Rhino was not what he had wanted to do. However, he realized that there were no other chance of bloodshed by moving on foot, and  the Rhino was his best chance at claiming yet  more blood for Father Khorne.  As he sat down  upon the stained benches inside the tank, he felt
the Rhino shake as it began to move across the  field.  The sounds of battle began to increase in  their furor, while the screams of the dying rose  above it all.  If it were possible, the power armor fused to his face would be smiling.

A gravely voice broke his thoughts, and he was summoned to the front of the tank.  Malus moved to the driver's side, gripping whatever he could to steady himself from the Rhino's constant jerking and trembling.

Cassidus was of the Night Lords chapter, yet he adhered to their ancient tradition in remaining loyal to Khorne.  Malus had relied upon Cassidus and his beloved Rhino to carry his men to the front lines, always insuring that the Berzerkers would be put right into the heat of the battle.  This particular battle was important for Malus, with the Chaos forces' attack on the rear of the Loyalist defense sealing off the Loyalists on all 4 sides.  If Malus could break through here,  the Chaos forces might have a chance at taking this planet.  So Malus was pleased that Cassidus once again accompanied him in this battle.  If things go as planned, he would consider bring Cassidus  into the ranks of his men, making him a full-fledged warrior of the Blood God.

"Report, Cassidus."

Cassidus' gaze never turned from the battlefield, his constant attention on the path his vehicle was taking.  His command of the vehicle was without compare, and even a warrior such as Malus was amazed at his skill in commandeering the ancient tank.  "My Lord, Ultramarines stand in the path of Father Khorne's wrath.  I shall attempt to run them down, my Lord, then your men will be free to disembark for battle with the remainder of the forces."

Malus knew that Cassidus did not yet understand  the true pleasure of hand to hand combat, and still relied upon the might of his tank to win a battle.     Nevertheless, this did not anger Malus, for Cassidus' actions would bring yet more Blood for  Khorne.  Malus  saw yet more Loyalists in the form of Black Templars  behind the Ultramarines, and there were far more of  their number that his men could kill.  Good.  Run down these fools, and then his men will move out to destroy the rest.

"Praise Khorne.  If our weapons cannot taste their blood, then our vehicle will.  Run them down."

"Yes, my lord.  All Praise unto Khorne."

Malus' armor attempted yet another smile. Cassidus would be joining his ranks sooner than he thought.

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The very moment that Sgt. Karras uttered his words to the squad, the huge form of the Heretic's Rhino lurched around the corner of the ruins.  Black smoke spewed forth from its exhausts, spreading the smell of corruption and decay across the battlefield.  Realizing that the Traitor's tank meant to run them down, the Ultramarines quickly  dispersed from its formation,  sprinting to either side of its path.  In the blink of an eye, all of the Ultramarines managed to move from the path of the wretched vehicle at the last possible moment.

That is, all but one.

Brother Corvus planted his feet in the ground. His brothers had all moved out of the path of the ancient machine, but not him.  His determination fueled by his hatred of Chaos, he had sworn to eliminate as many of their number as possible,  even if it meant sacrificing his own life.  For a  Marine, Death is not Death unless it is in the name of the Emperor.  He raised his Missile Launcher at the huge tank, with time seemed to slow for him as he peered into the sights of the weapon,  aiming for the small slits in the hatches of the Rhino. His mind was filled with words of all who had   trained him in the Path of Righteousness, and he quickly prayed to the Emperor that his aim would be true.  He then knew that his life was in the Emperor's hands.

"Death or Glory  The Emperor be praised."

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The Rhino shook as the krak missile struck the front panels of the tank, puncturing the outer armor.  Somehow, it refused to detonate, and the tank lumbered on.  The brave Ultramarine had just enough time to realize what had happened before being impaled by the spikes protruding from the outer layer of the tank..  The iron rods   slammed into his armor, piercing through his head, chest, and stomach, quickly ending his long life.

Sgt. Karras watched as the brave Marine sacrificed his life in the name of the Emperor. His now lifeless body hung from the front of the tank, and Corvus became yet another trophy for the cursed tank.  How his weapon had failed to destroy the Rhino, Karras would never know.

And at this point it didn't really matter.

Never losing speed, the Rhino continued forward,  then quickly came to a jerky halt.  The Rhino's doors swung open, and 10 howling Berzerkers poured out of its armored shell, their maniacal  chanting fueling their bloodlust. The black and red of their  armor was splattered with gore, and the entire squad seemed to extrude an aura of blood and death.  Karras saw the Chief Librarian's  blood still wet on their chainswords, and he  prayed to the Emperor that he might find the    strength to avenge Tigurius' death.

Today, his prayers would go unanswered.

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Malus jumped out of the transport, glad to be free of its confines.  He saw the sickly blue armor of his foes, and felt the power flow through his axe yet again.  His foes appeared shaken by the death of their comrade, and stood in awe at the sight of his mighty Berzerkers.  He then knew what the outcome of this encounter  would be, and that soon, Khorne would be pleased.

Blood for the Blood God, indeed.

Jonathan Westmoreland

"We make Day into Night and Light into Dark, for we are the Bringers of Doom."
-Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons

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