Three standard days after the void battle at Holaj, in orbit around the agri-world Narindi.
Amidst the trails of plasma interacting with the atmosphere, black drop pods and assault boats rained down from the launch bays of the Shadow of Order's Second Chapter fleet.
The drop pods pierced the murky atmosphere, slamming down like raindrops around the Valia-Maximal Hunters, who were camouflaged amidst the green and red vegetation.
As the hatch opened, Olivier stepped onto the C-15 combat zone with his Command Squad.
Olivier took a deep breath. The acrid smell of chemical agents mixed with gun smoke permeating the agri-world, filtered through his helmet's comm grill, was still pungent, yet he felt an unusual sense of relief.
Ever since the Blanks from Vessor had been assigned to his company, the 2nd Company Commander's nose and mouth had been almost constantly filled with the bitter, coppery stench of ozone.
Compared to the comfort of breathing the harsh chemical-laden air, what pleased him more was the absence of stabbing pains at his temples and the disappearance of supernatural unease.
As Olivier strode forward, dense red runes flickered on his helmet's augur array.
He immediately marked the enemy, opened the company's communication channel, and issued the command.
"Attack!"
Olivier activated his psychic vision, locked onto an enemy radiating a red-gray spectral form, and raised his Gardinaal-pattern plasma blunderbuss.
The experimental model in his hand, based on research into Hrud blunderbusses, looked somewhat crude, resembling a smoothbore musket.
The Techmarines, led by the Forge Lord, had limited understanding of the unfathomable principles the Old Ones had granted to ancient races, principles that allowed plasma bolts to phase-adjust between the material universe and the Warp.
Aside from adaptive scaling adjustments, the only modification was compatibility with Imperial plasma canisters.
Wilshire, seeing these weapons capable of emitting fiery jets hotter than stars, had authorized the Gardinaal forges to produce experimental models.
Olivier squeezed the trigger steadily, and a blinding jet of fire erupted.
The plasma bolt screamed across the battlefield, leaving a blurry trail.
Flickering in and out of existence, it pierced the mechanical chest of Hunter Alpha, which was encased in alloy armor.
Pssht!
Amidst the venting steam, a spray of blood mixed with pulped flesh erupted.
Boom!
Shrapnel from the explosion tore through two more Hunters, and the other members of the Valia-Maximal Hunter squad scattered in panic.
That beam, which seemed like it could go out at any moment, had effortlessly penetrated the alloy armor of their commander, Hunter Alpha.
The Forge World they served, Valia-Maximal, had always prided itself on its alloys and plasma.
The unique liquid-gas mixture extracted from Valia-Maximal's highly corrosive seawater was used in industrial manufacturing, producing alloys of high strength and corrosion resistance.
The Company Commander's Command Squad followed suit. With a click like a round being chambered, fuel surged into their barrels.
The red beams generated by Imperial plasma canisters replaced the Hrud's green beams. The flickering, rolling plasma streams grew even more intense, punching gaping holes in the abdomens of regular Hunters when they struck their armor.
A single volley from the Command Squad killed five Hunter squads.
As wisps of smoke rose, the censer hung at the waist of the Tech-Priest commanding the Bough began to emit an audible alarm.
The Hunters' eyelids had long been removed, replaced by goggle-like implants filled with sacred unguents. The data they collected was relayed to the mechanical analysis pack on the censer.
After two rounds of data analysis, the Tech-Priest realized the black-armored warriors' plasma weapons were superior to his own.
He decided to fully leverage the excellent performance of Valia-Maximal's plasma weapons, especially their unparalleled stability.
"Mobile assault!"
The digital command rapidly reached every soldier in the entire Bough. Centered around their Hunter Alpha commanders, the Hunters moved out on their alloy prosthetic legs, spreading out swiftly like spider legs.
Intense firefights erupted immediately.
Scorching beams crisscrossed. The Shadows of Order of the Second Company, armed with Etacarn pattern plasma guns, advanced steadily.
The Hunters chanted binary hymns. Liquid hydrogen fuel, heated into plasma, was ejected through linear electromagnetic accelerators.
Flaring solar flares surged forth, raining down upon the black-armored warriors like a fiery solar storm.
In the front rank of the 2nd Company, the Mark III power armor generators of the Assault Squad activated. The massive Mark II storm shields in their hands flashed with blue light.
Crackle, crackle, crackle...
Amidst the sizzling, members of the Assault Squad braced their Etacarn plasma guns on their storm shields and pulled the triggers.
Dense spheres of high-energy hydrogen plasma streaked through the air, leaving shimmering ribbons behind.
The searing molten plasma vaporized the Hunters' consecrated vestments, incinerated their reinforced bodies, and blasted their flesh to dust.
Incessant screeching filled the censers. Black smoke and red light filled the Tech-Priest's vision.
The black-armored warriors advanced, defying his analytical projections. Their plasma weapons did not explode, nor did they even cease firing due to heat buildup.
Their plasma guns were as durable as Valia-Maximal's own.
The Tech-Priest stared at the black gun barrels, much bulkier than Valia-Maximal's plasma guns. The blue arcs of the rifling coils were smooth.
There were no cooling vents at the muzzle end to vent excess heat.
The Tech-Priest could not comprehend the creations in the black-armored warriors' hands. He couldn't even determine if they still fell within the category of plasma weapons.
Breathing heavily, he opened the communicator embedded in his fused breathing apparatus and switched channels to call for reinforcements.
Olivier commanded his company's steady advance. The Etacarn plasma guns, based on the Squats' stable and durable technology, continuously suppressed Valia-Maximal's attacks.
The Hrud's phase-shifting plasma bolts bypassed the Hunters Alpha's alloy armor, manifesting inside their pale flesh and tearing them apart from within.
As Olivier raised his hand, the magnetic coil flared with intense light. As the scorching beam flickered, tearing through another Hunter Alpha, his psychic senses suddenly prickled.
He turned his head towards the billowing dust clouds. Crimson and green striped armored vehicles thundered towards them.
Heavy tracks crushed the serf-tilled furrows. Intense light built within the alloy cannon barrels, like a rising sun.
Boom, boom, boom...
Amidst the piercing crimson light, the blue electrical arcs of the storm shields were ruthlessly torn apart.
The tremendous force knocked down the front-line Assault Squad members.
The rising mist vaporized the Shadows of Order's skin.
The plasma streams annihilated their reinforced bones, melting muscle and both hearts.
The Valia-Maximal Hunters, on the verge of breaking, rallied and poured concentrated fire into the exposed Shadows of Order.
Dense, scorching beams lashed into the Mark III power armor. The intense plasma energy scorched the armor black.
Crossing plasma explosions tore the Shadows of Order's spines apart from both sides.
Olivier sidestepped a streaking beam. He aimed his plasma blunderbuss at a point where four red-gray spectral forms clustered.
The howling red beam flickered and struck the crimson-green armored vehicle.
Boom!
With an explosion, the phase-shifting plasma bolt, which had penetrated Mark VI tanks, Blyek battle tanks, and other vehicles during testing, failed to breach the vehicle's energy shield.
Olivier quickly slung his plasma blunderbuss on his hip, drew his archaeotech pistol, and shouted in Dunnic: "Notarized 'Fire of Light'!"
Symbols and magical sigils rose around the "Notary," radiating bright and warm light.
Olivier raised his hand and fired a lethal energy ray, harvested from the radiant layers of the Gardinaal prime.
As the ray left the muzzle, ethereal golden flames spontaneously ignited in mid-air.
These flames radiated the vast, pervasive aura of the sun, densely converging into an ocean.
The lethal ray struck the energy shield. The crimson-green vehicle hull shuddered violently. A fist-sized hole was blasted into the alloy armor.
Swarming golden flames poured through the breach, incinerating the Valia-Maximal crew to ash.
The "Notary" fired searing ray after searing ray, destroying vehicles.
The Command Squad advanced, leading the Assault Squad in reforming the line.
Seeing his company had routed the enemy, a thought flashed through the 2nd Company Commander's mind.
'If the plasma rounds fired by the plasma blunderbuss could also be imbued with the power granted by my Lord, their lethality would be even greater.'
'Perhaps they could be engraved with runes, or the plasma canisters soaked in "Sun Holy Water."'
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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