[Sharpe]

Another short story with my guardsmen. This time they run into a few lichtors (spg?) and we meet a new character. This isn't a continuation of the last story. I just was reading up on the tyranids and decided to write about them.
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“Emperor, that’s annoying” muttered Private Ross as the rain pattered off of his bowl helmet. It formed rivulets that rolled down to the brim where it then dripped down onto his nose and down his shirt. Ross wiped off the drop agitatedly but remained still against the rockcrete panel next to the sanctum’s main door. The door was of a heavy gothic design and had carved into it an image of the Emperor blessing a congregation of pilgrims. This must have been the Departmento Perigrinus for this sector.

“Quiet, Ross” said Lennox as he leaned against the other side of the door.

“I always get put in the worst places you know. How am I supposed to aim when I am all covered with water?” Ross continued “It’s really getting me down.”

“I’ll inform you the minute I begin to care.” said Lennox matter-of-factly as he wiped some water of his green targeter goggles. Private Munroe had spotted some sort of xeno-spire in the center of the sanctum. It appeared to be made of a chitinous material and was a deep red color with a tan bone-like trim. The sergeant had sent Lennox to check it out and had been given the task of babysitting Private Ross on his first mission.

“Let’s go.”

Lennox kicked open the imposing gothic doors of the sanctum and entered the eerily quiet hall inside. He moved silently from shadow to shadow, avoiding the moonlight coming from the large stained glass windows that lined the hall. Ross had taken the other side of the hall where there was less light but his footsteps echoed in the silence of the hall like an autocannon. He had already drawn his laspistol.

“Amateur” thought Lennox as he neared the other side of the main hall “What do they teach these heavy weapons crews?” Ross was a new transfer from a heavy support squad. His expertise lay in demolition so the sergeant thought he might be useful but it seemed unlikely if he couldn’t keep up with the stealthier members. Granted, Lennox was their best scout but even then. Ross hadn’t even been assigned new equipment yet.

Lennox could hear a faint chittering sound coming from the other side of the door. It was an unnerving noise that could only be heard at the far edge of his hearing. It wavered in and out of pitches he could hear, pitches he couldn’t hear and pitches he didn’t want to hear. Once Ross had caught up he swung his lasgun up from his hip where it hung from a bandolier strap. He screwed on his bayonet and carefully pushed open the door.

Inside was a gathering of creatures that Lennox had never seen the likes of. All three faced towards him with blank, unseeing eyes. They were connected directly to the spire they had seen from outside. On closer inspection the spire seemed to be more of a natural shape and latched onto the ground like a tree connects to the earth with roots. In any case these creatures were hunched over and had long tentacles that hung from their mouth area. They had a carapace that looked as if it was made of the same material as the tower. Also they each had a pair of rather dangerous looking talons.

Another peculiar thing about them was that while the parts of their body that was still close to the spire was the same color as the spire the parts that touched the ground or a wall were a grayish color that blended with the ruins around them. Lennox noted that as time passed the creatures were becoming more akin to their surroundings in coloration. Lennox decided he didn’t want to be here when they were done.

Beside him stood Ross who, with eyes agape at this new monstrosity was busily fumbling with what looked like a bucket with a console on top. While Lennox was examining the creature Ross primed and set up the det charge he had been carrying and with a swinging motion hurled it at the spire. Lennox turned to him to say something just as he released it.
A moment of utter silence followed as the bomb hurtled through the air. It reached the spire where for a moment it sat quietly, wedged into a crack in the carapace. Then, as if in defiance of the silence in the ruined sanctum it exploded.

The creatures woke screaming. One, its left half of its torso and a good chunk of its head destroyed by the explosion collapsed, writhing on the floor for minutes after it's death. The other two were merely scorched and blackened in spots.

“Dammit” yelled Lennox as he pulled his lasgun up and started firing at the towering creatures. The shots glanced off of their carapace as the creature shook itself. They finally seemed to notice the two guardsmen standing before them and they both honed their gaze onto them at exactly the same time. The first one leapt straight for Lennox, its talons scything through the air like a pinwheel gone bad. He parried one blow off of his bayonet and the second off of the butt of his lasgun. The blow left a large indentation into the printed metal and knocked Lennox back a few paces. The creature pivoted and lashed out from a sighed angle with a talon but Lennox, already off balance, just fell flat to avoid it.

Meanwhile, the second creature had focused on Ross. It ran straight for him, low to the ground with talons upturned to skewer him like a lance. Ross was no rookie to being charged though or so he thought so he drew his saber and set it like one would to fight a mounted soldier. At the last moment he charged forward diving between the two talons and burying the saber up to its hilt into the monsters head. Technically, one could say the technique worked.

The only thing Ross forgot was that he was charging a massive creature that weighed several times as much as him. The creature’s momentum combined with its synapse body response kept running even in death and Ross, roosted on the creatures shoulder could do nothing about it. The two of them hurtled through the rockcrete wall out into the street, through a plasteel fence, and into the side of the next building before the creature finally realized it was dead and collapsed. Ross, bloodied and broken himself, collapsed on top of the creature’s bone-like carapace.

Lennox wasn’t fairing much better either. He had only just managed to dodge the last few swipes and his camo cloak was now ragged from being swiped by the great claws. The creature came at Lennox again and just before the creature hit him he rolled behind a pillar. The creature swung down so hard on the spot that its left talon buried itself deep into the flooring. As it attempted to free itself Lennox pulled a frag grenade from his belt and pulled the pin. He then rolled the grenade up against the side of the talon and ran down the hall. With a fierce crack the grenade went off, snapping the talon at its base and leaving nothing but a small stump of the previous arm.

The monster, now freed, charged out into the center of the hallway and spotted the tattered cloak right in front of a cracked pillar. It charged down the hallway at its target and leapt. It came down hard on the cloak and the pillar underneath it crumbled. The monster looked around confused for a moment before turning around.

“Good try mate.” said Lennox as he ran its head through with his bayonet.

Lennox pulled his tattered cloak out from under the body and cut off the head of the creature to bring back with his report. He called for a chimera to come pick them up over his microbead vox. When he stepped outside he found Ross sitting back against a wall. The rain had stopped and Ross was bandaging his wounds.

“Welcome aboard, kid.” said Lennox throwing Ross his camo cloak. “You’ve earned it.”