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Da 'Ole Of Death Chapta 18 | |
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Chapta 18 |
In the war room Hazug and Drazzok observed warboss Zhalrad giving orders as new information came in regarding the locations of ork forces on the continent so they were present when an ork nob brought the note saying that alien vehicles had been spotted closing on the city itself. He had already sent someone to order more meks to locate Garspark and hurry along the construction of the bomb. “Grots spotted ‘em boss,” he said, “and dey blew dare alarm ‘orn to let a bunch of nearby biker boys know about it. Dey went for a look dem selves, and when dey saw wot it was dey came straight back ‘ere to tell ya about it.” “More like dey just ran away,” warboss Zhalrad said in disgust, “still at least we know where dey is now. Mark it grot,” and he prodded a gretchin who promptly placed a marker where the report said the aliens had been sighted, “but go and make sure dem cowardly grot brains is on da front line for when da aliens get ‘ere,” he instructed the nob.. “Dat’s pretty close,” Hazug said when he saw where the gretchin had put the marker. “Close?” said Drazzok, “Any closer and dey’ll be in da room with us.” “At dis rate dey’ll get ‘ere tonight,” Hazug said to Zhalrad, “’Ow soon can ya get ya stompas walkin’?” “’Ow does ya know about dem?” the warboss asked. “Dey aint
difficult to see, I drove right past ‘em when I got ‘ere.” “Well?” he asked “Well wot boss?” the big mek replied and Zhalrad clipped him about the head. “Ya ‘eard da Blood Axe, ‘ow long will it take to get da stompas walkin’?” “Dare’s ten of
‘em finished boss, we can ‘ave dem movin’ today, and den dares another
four wot aint got all dare guns on ‘em yet but dey still ‘ave dare
engines. We can get dem movin’ too if ya want.” “Yeah, get it done, looks like we needs everythin’ we got.” “Right boss,” the mek said before leaving the room. “Right,” the warboss said turning his attention back to the table as a gretchin put in place markers to represent the stompas, “so we’ll ‘ave a line of stompas ready and waitin’ for ‘em. D’ya thing it’ll be enough Hazug?” “Dunno,” he replied, “I aint seen wot da wagons des metal lads use can do, either way I reckon ya’ll need a whole lot of lads to back ‘em up.” “Dat aint a problem, I’m ‘avin’ nobs go round and get dare mobs together. We’ll ‘ave a whole bunch of ‘em ready by nightfall.” Joined by Karfok the runtherd, the occupants of the war room were informed that large alien vehicles had been spotted near the city, but that they were currently stationary. “Dey can teleport dare lads usin’ dare wagons,” Karfok said, “so ya better be ready for loads of ‘em to show up real quick.” “No sense in us waitin’ ‘ere,” warboss Zhalrad said, “we better go take a look for ourselves.” The city ahead was far bigger than any of the settlements that the necron mind had sent its forces against so far. It was walled, and weapon emplacements could be discerned at random points all along the wall. This was nothing new, more than one of the smaller forts already destroyed had employed artillery in fixed positions but had so far done nothing more than temporarily disable a single monolith. Movement. The gates of the city had opened, and a group of large walking machines was emerging from within the city. They resembled large, crude statues of the creatures inhabiting the surface of this world themselves and it appeared that they all carried significant weaponry, both ranged and suitable for close assault. Rather than advance towards the approaching force of monoliths, the enormous walking machines instead formed a defensive line between them and the city walls, more than thirty of them in all. Reinforce. The necron mind connected with its other forces in the field, there were several groups of fast attack vehicles active, and the mind ordered them all to converge on the city while the monoliths held their position temporarily. The sterilisation of the planet would not be stopped by this crude, if large, opposing force. From the ramparts of the city walls Hazug watched as squads of alien soldiers began to emerge from the floating pyramids. After appearing the skeletal figures organised themselves into regularly spaced rows and stood motionless in front of the pyramids. At random intervals there were loud booms as the city’s guns fired shells towards the growing ranks of skeletal necron warriors forming up in neat rows. “Dey aint attackin’,” he said, “dat aint good.” “It gives us longer to get ready,” Zhalrad said. “Yeah, but if dey attack da city its easier for me to slip around ‘em. With ‘em all just waitin' out dare I aint goin’ to get past ‘em.” A shell landed amongst a large group of the necrons, about half of which repaired themselves and stood back up again. The others faded away as Hazug had seen them several times before. The reaction of the remaining alien warriors appeared to be one of indifference, they were far enough away that they were beyond the range of most of the orks’ weapons and they had reinforcements emerging from the pyramids that floated silently behind their ranks faster than they were taking losses. “’Ere Karfok,” he asked, “wot’s appenin’ to ‘em when dey disappear after ya kill ‘em?” “Dey is goin’ back to dare base to be fixed,” the runtherd said, “dat’s why ya ‘ave to destroy it if ya want to stop ‘em from comin’ back again.” Hazug remembered the alien machine that he had rammed with his truck. “When one of ‘em disappeared it took a bit of me trukk with it,” he said, “So wot if I was holdin’ on to one real tight when it went back to its base?” “Den ya would probably go with it,” Karfok said. “Den I got a new way into dare base,” Hazug said, and it aint goin’ to take me two days to get dare either.” Word was sent for Hazug’s warband to join him and warboss Zhalrad on the ramparts where they were observing the growing number of alien soldiers massing beyond the city walls. “We is goin’ to use da aliens’ own teleportas,” he announced. In response he received a lot of puzzled expressions. Drazzok unsurprisingly chose to express his confusion rather more loudly. “Do ya ‘ave a squig brain in dat git lovin’ ‘ead of yours? Or ave ya ‘ave just gone bonkers,” he said, “dey aint goin’ to ‘and over a teleporta to ya, and even if dey did ‘ow will ya know ‘ow to work it?” “We don’t need to know how to work it,” Hazug said, “dem skeleton lads vanish usin’ a teleporta, right Karfok?” “Er, yeah, dat’s right.” “And when a bit of me trukk got caught in one of dare machines it got taken too. So I figure dat if I ‘ang onto one ‘em when dey teleport back to dare base dey’ll take me along with ‘em.” There was a moment of quiet, even Drazzok was for once stuck without anything to say. It was Gobnok that broke the silence. “Ya isn’t thinkin’ of goin’ alone is ya boss?” “Don’t worry lad, I’ll need all me kommandoes with me for dis,” Hazug reassured him, “I can’t be findin’ somewhere to shove a bomb and watchin’ me back at da same time.” “’Ow is ya expectin’ to get close enough to grab one of ‘em?” Zhalrad asked, “Dey is right over dare and we aint even got many guns dat can shoot dat far.” Hazug pointed to the necrons’ right flanked as he viewed it. There lay a river running past the aliens and into the city itself. “We’ll sneak up on ‘em dare,” he said, “da river bank looks tall enough to conceal us until we chose to climb out of it behind ‘em. Den we’ll ‘ave a go at ‘em with our choppas.” “Ya’ll never be able to get dat close without ‘em noticin’ dat ya is dare,” Zhalrad said, “dey is too close to da river.” “Dat’s why I need ya to create a diversion,” Hazug told the warboss, “send ya stompas and ya lads in to fight ‘em and dey’ll be distracted. We’ll be able to get real close to ‘em den. All we need is dat bomb Garspark’s buildin’ for us.” “Bloody brilliant,” Drazzok said, “all of dis relies on wot a mek can do. Bet ‘e just gives ya a box full of bolts.” “If I die cause of a mek I is goin’ to kill ‘im,” Ubgrub said, and the other Blood Axes nodded in agreement. “’E’ll give ya wot ‘e promised ya,” Zhalrad said, “dare’s another two of me own meks givin’ ‘im an ‘and.” “And ‘ow much is dat costin’ me?” Hazug asked, “I barely got enough to pay Garspark as it is.” “Dis is on da ‘ouse,” Zhalrad said, “and ya needn’t bother payin’ Garspark any more either, ‘e aint doin’ all da work any more.” Hazug just grinned in response. Mek Garspark’s workshop was a hive of activity when Hazug arrived to check on the progress of his bomb with Ratish close behind him. In addition to Garspark himself there were the two other meks sent by warboss Zhalrad plus the gretchin servants of all three scurrying around and, to a certain degree, getting in one another’s way. “’Ere Garspark,” Hazug shouted over the noise of the workshop, “’ow’s dat bomb comin’ along den?” Garspark stopped what he was doing and walked over to Hazug. “Not long now,” Garspark said, “dese two meks dat da big boss sent to ‘elp out already ‘ad an ‘alf finished forcefield machine for one of dare kustom stompas. Now all dey ‘ave to do is kustomise it a bit more to make it smaller and lighter for ya.” “And ‘ow long will dat take?” Hazug asked. Garspark turned to the other two meks and shouted at them. “’Ow’s it goin’?” Without even bothering to look up one of the meks shouted back. “Nearly got it. It aint dat ‘ard, da bomb’s goin’ to be a lot smaller dan da stompa dis was meant for so we can rip loads of gubbins out dead easy.” “Wot about da liftin’ gas ya said ya needed?” Hazug asked when Garspark turned back towards him with a smile on his face. Garspark looked around the workshop and let out another shout. “Grot! Bring us one of dem canisters over dare, quick!” A gretchin dashed to a stack of metal cylinders located at the back of the workshop and struggling with the weight he dragged it to where Garspark and Hazug stood. Garspark picked up the cylinder with both his hands. “I got a dozen of dese already,” he said, “a dozen more and I’ll ave enough to fill da bomb with.” “Dey look ‘eavy,” Hazug said, “’ow is I supposed to carry more dan twenty of ‘em?” Garspark put the cylinder down again. “Take dat back now grot,” he told his servant, who mumbled something unpleasant as he began to drag it back to where it had been to begin with. “Ya don’t carry da cylinders,” Garspark told Hazug, “just da gas inside ‘em. Da forcefield will ‘old it all in.” It was then that Garspark caught sight of the large bladed weapon that Hazug had slung across his back. “Kor, where d’ya get dat choppa?” he exclaimed, leaning to try and get a better look. Hazug took the weapon from his back. “It belonged to one of dem metal boys. One of dare bosses I think. ‘E wasn’t ‘oldin’ it when ‘e vanished and I kept it. It cuts through anything real easy like.” “Wanna sell it? I’ll give ya a dozen teeth right now.” Suddenly, before Hazug could turn down the offer an explosion rocked the workshop. “Wot was dat?” Garspark exclaimed, and both he and Hazug dashed outside, swiftly followed by the other two mekboys and the assembled gretchin. “Master, Ratish see fire!” Ratish shouted. The night sky was orange with fire from the direction of the docks. The fuel stores there had ignited, and several of the alien floating machines of the same type that had struck Hazug’s warband on the journey back to the city could be seen silhouetted against the flames. There was the rattle of automatic gunfire as the numerous anti-aircraft batteries attempted to track the fast moving targets. “I better get goin’,” Hazug said, “It looks like we need dat bomb quickly. I’ll be in da warboss’s place on da walls, can ya bring it to me dare?” “Yeah sure, we’ll get back to it now. I reckon it’ll be done tonight,” Garspark said as he watched one of the necron machines be struck by cannon fire and then vanish as it spiralled downwards. Hazug ran through the streets towards the location on the city walls that functioned as warboss Zhalrad’s forward command post. Several times necron machines passed overhead, eerily silent as they moved rapidly through the air. Each time a group of the machines appeared nearby orks fired wildly into the air, though Hazug did not see any of them take any noticeable damage. Conversely he saw plenty of evidence of the damage that the necron machines could inflict, with the partial remains of orks scattered in the streets. As often as not, what was left of the bodies had groups of gretchin or even other orks removing any possessions or teeth that had survived intact. The line of floating necron pyramids had increased dramatically in number since the first advance unit arrived, and there were now more than thirty of them holding their position outside the city. But still for a for a few brief moments it had seemed that the orks would be able to destroy the army of metal warriors arrayed before them without even having to leave the city walls. A barrage of heavy shells had slammed into one of the floating pyramids from which the alien infantry was emerging and blasted it apart, taking a number of the nearby warriors with it. Swiftly followed by a chorus of cheering and small arms fire directed into air from all along the wall, but then the necron army was bolstered by numerous waves of small but fast moving machines that came hurtling over the horizon and passing over the growing army before striking at the artillery emplacements that lined the walls. A few had attempted to strafe the stompas lined up in front of the walls, but their close in weapons had driven them away and they had instead turned their attention to the city itself also. “Duck!” Drazzok shouted as the next wave approached. “Oi git!” warboss Zhalrad yelled at Sophie, “Where’s ya owner and ‘is lads gone?” “Hazug said he said he was going to check on his bomb,” she replied before ducking as the alien machines Drazzok had spotted passed low overhead, “I don’t know about the others.” “Bah!” the warboss exclaimed, and he took a look along the city walls. After suppressing the guns on the walls the aliens had moved inwards and struck at various targets, most significantly the main fuel reserve had been attacked and ignited. Now there would be precious little fuel on which to run his army’s vehicles, many would have only whatever fuel they were carrying. “’E better ‘urry up or else dare aint goin’ to be much left for a diversion at dis rate,” Drazzok snapped. “Grot!” Zhalrad shouted, and a nearby gretchin ran to the warboss, “Get down to dem stompas and tell ‘em to get movin’,” the gretchin nodded quickly and ran off to deliver the order to attack. The he turned to Sophie again, “Well I aint waitin’ for ‘im to get back, I is off to lead me own lads,” and the warboss stormed off into battle followed by his advisors. Now alone on the ramparts, Drazzok and Sophie stared at one another. “Well I aint goin’ nowhere,” Drazzok said, “me ‘ead’ll probably burst down dare.”
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