Knightsblade

by Andy Clark

  ‘No missing them, is there?’ he asked over the Exalted Court’s command channel.

  ‘Indeed not, my liege,’ said Suset. ‘Sending fire commands to wall gunners now.’

  Behind and above Danial rose the Draconspire’s outer wall. Two hundred feet of sheer ferrocrete and durasteel was studded with gun emplacements and topped with battlements bristling with guns. Higher still climbed the inner walls and the ’spire itself, its defences boasting ever larger weapon emplacements.

  These now spoke, hurling a mighty volley into the onrushing horde. Out on the plains, explosions bloomed amidst the orks. From the walls, Danial heard the cheering of the militia, and he found himself cheering with them.

  ‘For days, we’ve been stuck behind those walls waiting for something to happen,’ said Markos. ‘It’s about time we get to drive our blades into these xenos scum.’

  ‘Then let’s do just that,’ said Danial, drinking in auspex data as his steed’s instruments scanned the advancing mass. ‘They’re coming on in two waves, fast mechanised elements to the fore, slower foot and walkers behind. They’ve already strung out, and the Draconspire guns are dispersing them further. Garath, Percivane, flank out around the first wave and commence harassing fire into the second. See if you can delay them and pull their formation apart. Suset, Markos and I will hit the first wave with a three-pronged assault to obliterate it. Then we will all converge on the remaining foe.’

  ‘Acknowledged, sire,’ said Markos. ‘All Knights watch for their aircraft. They may look like they’re about to fall out of the sky, but they’re fast, and they’ve got a lot of guns.’

  ‘Also, be advised I’m reading a huge presence in the middle of that second wave,’ said Suset. ‘Titan-class. It should be visible soon. Beware its firepower.’

  ‘Your auspex is keen as always, my lady,’ said Danial. ‘Knights, advance.’

  On his strategic overlay, Danial saw the runic designators for the Draconis forces move out according to his plan. Feeding power to his steed, he felt the exhilaration of marching headlong into danger as the mass of green enemy runes closed in. His ghosts whispered approval and words of caution. Behind him, the Knights of his salient pounded along at a swift march, spreading out as they cleared the gate and widening their fields of fire.

  ‘All right,’ he said, concentrating on the whirling dust-clouds ahead. ‘Where are you, Drogg?’

  Hundreds of racing mechanical shapes resolved within the murk. On the ground, bikes, buggies, ramshackle trucks and speeding scrap-tanks zoomed closer. Orks were packed into their holds and hung from their superstructures in howling mobs. Overhead, lumpen planes left black smoke-trails behind them as they streaked closer.

  ‘Icarus cannons,’ voxed Danial. ‘Fending pattern. Now.’

  Confirmation runes flashed back, and two dozen Icarus arrays hammered fire into the skies. The Knights wove an interlocking web of firepower for the enemy to fly into. Several of the black-and-white ork planes exploded, while more spun away with wings and tails missing. The rest shot overhead, their cannons chattering while bombs slammed into Knightly shields and armour. On his manifold, Danial saw Sire Mathias’ rune go suddenly dark, while several other steeds showed damage indictors.

  ‘Shield discipline,’ he said. ‘Watch for them coming back around. The enemy ground forces are entering range. They’ll be upon us faster than they look. Gallants move up to counter.’

  Danial’s Knights opened fire, and the din of battle intensified as shells and energy blasts tore into the onrushing orks. Bikes and buggies tumbled through the air, skidding to a halt as burning wrecks. Trucks exploded or caught fire, swerving wildly. Ork passengers burned. Danial fired his thermal cannon, turning a swarm of light vehicles into glowing slag, and shearing the cab from a battle wagon. The stricken tank flipped over and crashed down on its roof, explosions shaking it.

  ‘The enemy’s casualties are massive,’ voxed Suset.

  ‘There’s similar damage here,’ said Markos. ‘But be wary, they’ve got numbers on their side, and heavier armour further back.’

  The ork vehicles returned fire. What they lacked in aim, they made up for in sheer volume of shots. Danial’s shield flashed blue with dozens of impacts as the greenskins hove into range. Bullets and blasts peppered his defences like storm rain.

  To his left, Lady Lorette’s Knight Warden staggered under multiple las-impacts, its right arm shearing away at the joint. Shells looped overhead and battered Sire Godwayne’s steed. The Knight’s exhausts caught fire, and its rune went dark on Danial’s manifold as Godwayne was forced to purge power.

  Something flashed amidst the murk of the ork rear lines. A huge projectile hit the ground yards to Oath of Flame’s right and cannoned on through the Knightly ranks. The bouncing cannonball tore through one Knight at waist height and swept the legs from under another, before finally slamming into a third steed and smashing it onto its back. Danial stared in horror, his auspex analysing the projectile now embedded in the crumpled armour of Sire Yusef’s slain Knight.

  ‘The projectile is almost entirely ferrous,’ he said. ‘It’s little more than a huge iron ball.’

  ‘Liege,’ voxed Sire Horadio. ‘What in the Dracon’s name was that? It collapsed the steed’s shield like it wasn’t there!’

  ‘That was fired from a Titan’s cannon,’ said Danial, pushing aside his shock. ‘All Knights be vigilant for another shot coming in. Your shields won’t stop it. Concentrate on evasion.’

  ‘Three steeds in one shot,’ said Markos over a private channel.

  ‘Lady Suset, tell the ’spire to scan for that Titan,’ said Danial. ‘As soon as they have a location, I want it.’

  ‘Already done,’ said Suset, the sound of gunfire carrying behind her voice. ‘They’re awakening the spirits of the upper spire’s macrocannon batteries, the seneschal believes they can get an angle of fire.’

  ‘If they can hit it, they have leave to fire,’ said Danial.

  The ork vehicles closed the gap, despite their horrific casualties. They swept around the Knights’ legs with their guns blazing. Danial blasted a tank before it could ram his steed’s shins, then stepped aside and brought his ironclad foot down on a lighter truck that had slowed to a stop nearby. Its passengers hurled themselves clear as their ride exploded. Danial swept his heavy stubber through them, killing several more.

  ‘Fire discipline,’ he ordered. ‘Ward your comrades. Gallants, target their largest vehicles. Don’t let them swarm your legs. Kill them in the Emperor’s name!’

  Greenskins swirled around the Knights’ feet. Grinning xenos used axes and claws to scale their shin armour, while others fired crude rockets up at them from point-blank range. Knights strafed each other’s steeds, using their stubbers to clear the orks away without risking damage to their comrades. Still some of the greenskins got through. Two more runes went dark on Danial’s manifold as Knights fell with their legs and hips wrecked.

  ‘Sire, to your left,’ came a shout over the vox, and Danial spotted a band of hulking orks in powered armour lumbering towards him. Their piston-claws snicked open and shut as they charged, and rockets spewed from launchers mounted on their shoulders.

  ‘Throne,’ he snarled, swinging his shield to bear. One rocket whipped through, exploding against his hull and reducing his stubber to sparking scrap. Heeding the urgings of his throne, Danial fired his thermal cannon and managed to vaporise three of the greenskins. The other two kept coming, armour aflame. He kicked out, Oath of Flame’s foot catching one of the monsters in the midriff and flinging it through the air. The other swung its claw and tore a gash in his steed’s ankle, causing warning runes to light up across his instruments.

  ‘I have an armoured ork trying to tear my foot off,’ he said, voice tight with concentration. ‘Requesting assistance.’

  ‘I have you, sire,’ the nearest Knight replied. A stormeagle rock
et streaked from her steed’s carapace launcher and slammed into the ork’s back, hurling it onto its face.

  ‘A fine shot, my lady,’ said Danial appreciatively. He stepped Oath of Flame backwards, gritting his teeth as warning runes stuttered. Sparks drizzled from his steed’s ankle. The foot’s actuators were unresponsive. ‘Looks as though I’ll be limping,’ he said, depressing his thermal cannon and blasting the armoured ork as it tried to heave itself upright.

  ‘I can order the Sacristans to your location,’ said Suset.

  ‘No, keep their Crawlers behind the walls,’ said Danial. ‘They will be desperately needed in the days to come. I won’t risk them this early in the siege.’

  ‘Then be careful, my liege,’ she said. ‘That ankle looks ready to lock up entirely.’

  From on high, a thunderous cacophony rang out across the battlefield. Shells streaked through the haze from the Draconspire’s macrocannons. Their detonations blasted smoke and dust aside, revealing a huge shape.

  ‘Dracon’s blood,’ swore Markos. ‘It’s a Gargant.’

  ‘Gunnery seneschal reports failed contact,’ said Suset. ‘The artillery hit some form of power field. They think they collapsed at least one. The spiretop crews are reloading now.’

  The Gargant was huge, easily three times the height of a Knight and vastly wider and denser. It was a scrap metal mountain that resembled a fat-bellied orkoid, whose arms were guns, and whose head was a laser-eyed bunker. A huge cannon jutted from its gut, smoke drifting from its cavernous barrel.

  Around the war effigy advanced more ork walkers, looking like gretchin by comparison. Yet each was as large as the machines that had killed Lady Melessa’s steed. A tide of xenos washed around them, chanting Drogg’s name with fanatical fervour.

  ‘Flanking forces,’ said Danial. ‘Report.’

  ‘We’ve drawn a portion of their strength and destroyed it, sire,’ said Percivane. ‘By the Emperor’s grace, we’re in position on their left flank, under scattered assault.’

  ‘Our situation is poor on the right flank,’ said Garath. ‘They’ve got a leader with a few brain cells extra over here, and have encircled us rather than just coming head-on. We’ve got a number of super-heavy walkers out here, too. Stompa class according to my throne.’

  ‘Preserve your forces and keep those orks from reinforcing the centre,’ Danial instructed. ‘Percivane, move in on their flank now. Their first wave is in tatters, but if we let that Gargant have free rein, it’s going to butcher us.’

  As if to underscore his words, the Gargant’s guns lit up. Missiles corkscrewed from emplacements on its shoulders, battering Markos’ Knights, while laser blasts from its eyes and a storm of fire from its gun decks, engulfed Suset’s formation. Its gut-cannon fired again, and Danial felt fury rise within him.

  The ghosts of Danial’s throne whispered, their subliminal clamour insistent.

  ‘No more delays,’ he voxed. ‘You see the banners on that beast’s shoulders? Drogg is aboard, my ghosts are sure. We kill the Gargant, we kill the Warboss, and we break the horde. All Knights, advance on the Gargant and destroy it.’

  Oath of Flame limped through a sea of bellowing monsters. With every stride, it crushed more orks. Danial heard the constant clatter of small arms fire against his hull. He felt his steed’s frustration at its crippled gait, its desire to surge forwards and conquer the monster before it, but he kept his steed tightly reined in.

  ‘We’ll be of no use if your ankle snaps and we topple,’ he muttered, keeping part of his attention on the strategic overlay, the damage manifold, his ammo and fuel counters, his auspex array and a dozen other subsidiary systems.

  ‘Markos, the greenskins’ aircraft are coming around,’ he voxed. ‘Their attack vector brings them in directly over you.’

  ‘Thanks for the warning, my liege,’ said Markos. ‘We’ll give them a warm welcome.’

  Flak fire filled the sky as Markos’ Knights expertly swatted the ork planes from the air. More cannon fire and bombs lashed the Draconis steeds in return, then the planes were arcing away, guns still blazing as they swooped over their own ranks.

  ‘Indiscriminate savages,’ said Danial, shaking his head in disgust.

  Thunder rolled as the macrocannons fired again. One shell fell short and exploded amidst the smaller ork walkers, annihilating several. The others struck the Gargant’s shields, causing them to flicker and die one by one. In return, the Gargant hurled explosive ordnance at the Draconspire, raking its void shields but causing no harm.

  ‘Strike now before they recover,’ urged Markos.

  ‘Percivane,’ voxed Danial.

  ‘Yes, sire. Firing now. Emperor guide our aim,’ came the reply. Percivane’s Knights let fly. Rockets and shells tore through the Gargant’s armour. Detonations rippled across its flank, leaving a sparking wreckage and billowing flames in their wake.

  In response, the Gargant swung its right arm and pointed a huge, three-pronged energy weapon at its attackers. Danial felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck as power crackled around it. Shouts of alarm filled his vox as Percivane’s steed shuddered, then levitated into the air.

  ‘Emperor, protect me!’ cried Percivane as Firestorm dangled, glowing energy dancing around it. The Gargant’s gun pulsed, and Percivane’s steed flew backwards and slammed into his Knights.

  Four steeds collided and went down. Percivane’s amongst them. Metal twisted and tore as explosions ripped through the huge war engines.

  ‘Percivane,’ voxed Danial. ‘Percivane!’

  ‘He’s not responding, sire,’ came the voice of Sire Paolus, Percivane’s second. ‘His steed is aflame. What should we do?’

  ‘Keep striking the Gargant, and concentrate on eliminating that energy weapon’ said Danial. ‘And let us hope to the Golden Throne that Percivane’s blessed good luck holds. Everyone else, slave your stubbers and meltas to the greenskins. Keep moving, and target all the main guns at the Gargant.’

  The smaller ork walkers were firing now as they came into range. Crude gatling cannons spat streams of fire at the Knights. Energy cannons vomited orbs of plasma, or crackling streams of electricity that caused ion shields to spark and collapse. Shrugging off the punishment, the Draconis Knights kept firing.

  The Gargant shuddered with detonations. Its guts were torn open in a dozen places, and figures spilled from its fiery innards to tumble to their deaths. The turrets on its shoulders exploded. A lucky round struck the war effigy’s head and blew a gaping hole in its face. Danial saw a hulking greenskin in a horned helm rise from the flames. The ork hoisted himself out of the Gargant’s sundered skull like a tank commander in his cupola.

  ‘Sire,’ said Markos. ‘Casualties are rising. We need to end this now.’

  ‘The damn thing won’t die,’ growled Danial. ‘Gallants, engage the lighter walkers. Keep them off us.’

  Ahead, the Knights Gallant met the lumbering Gorkanauts and Morkanauts head on. Thunderstrike gauntlets and reaper chainswords sliced through hull plates and stove in mechanical heads. Huge piston claws struck back, raking armour and tearing off Knightly limbs.

  ‘My liege,’ said Suset. ‘I think I’ve got the answer. I’m reading a massive concentration of heat signatures at the Gargant’s core, behind the breech of its cannon.’

  ‘Power source?’ he asked, deflecting a volley of rockets.

  ‘That, plus the ammunition and propellant for that cannon must be kept somewhere,’ she said. ‘Set a spark to that…’

  ‘And the entire war engine detonates,’ said Danial. He hissed through his teeth as the Gargant’s cannon fired again. This time, it launched a pair of tank-sized weights linked by a length of chain. Spinning like bolas, the shot struck sire Hugan’s steed at thigh-height. The chain caught, tangling the Knight’s legs and toppling it, crushing dozens of orks under its weight.

  ‘No more,�
� said Danial. ‘Flanking Knights, target the Gargant’s head. See if you can’t knock Drogg from his perch. My force, all fire at that cannon. Eviscerate that abomination in the Dracon’s name.’

  He fed power to his impellers, risking his steed’s ankle as he closed in for a point-blank shot. Explosions rippled across the Gargant’s belly. Armour plates came loose and spun away. Sparks rained down and flames belched. The Gargant’s cannon barrel deformed under the weight of fire, sections of it tearing away.

  ‘Drogg doesn’t appear to appreciate our efforts,’ said Suset fiercely.

  As shots sparked around him, the Warboss bellowed and gesticulated. With glacial slowness, his Gargant was turning away from the firestorm, trailing flames and wreckage as it went.

  ‘Hound the scum,’ said Danial. ‘Don’t relent.’

  He sidestepped Oath of Flame past a charging walker, scything his chainsword through its neck and sending its metal cranium tumbling to the ground. Ahead, another of the machines was coming at him with its cannon spitting shots. He bullseyed it with his thermal cannon then stormed over its bubbling wreckage.

  This close, the war effigy was breathtaking, towering above him wreathed in fire and smoke.

  ‘In the Emperor’s name, die,’ said Danial, and fired his thermal cannon. The weapon’s blast bored a hole to the right of the Gargant’s cannon. Danial’s optics washed out at the ferocity of the explosion that followed. The effigy’s metal stomach expanded, becoming deformed, before blowing apart. Wreckage and shrapnel whipped through the air. The Gargant lurched, shuddering as more explosions tore through its superstructure.

  ‘Pull back,’ shouted Danial. ‘All Knights, retreat.’

  Ignoring the groaning protests from his steed’s leg, Danial backed away as quickly as he could. More explosions blossomed within the Gargant, coming faster as one detonation touched off the next. He watched as its turrets filled with fire. Crew spilled from escape hatches and fled screaming. Atop the effigy’s shoulders, Drogg was immolated within a column of flames.