T42 Pt. 13 | "Palace Battle"

Tales of the 42nd: Palace Battle

+++GOVERNORS PALACE, PORT EGRANTE+++

+++048.000.M42 / 1700 HRS 17 JAN 41000+++

Cecilia is tackled to the side by Alex with the lasbolt burning part of Cecilia's hair as it flys past her. The assassin having missed his target steps back behind the pillar before any of the three of them have a chance to respond while screams start to fill the grand hall along with sounds of fighting. Cecilia and Alex quickly push themselves up off the ground while they draw their weapons and Cecilia activates her comm-bead.

"Major Skye to honour guard, shots fired! shots fired inside the great hall!"

"Copy Major, units responding. Relaying to QRF now."

"Solid copy Sergeant Major."

Cecilia moves around the corner of the pillar quickly with her bolt pistol and power axe at the ready. The assassin swipes a knife at her, which she deflects while she squeezes the trigger of the bolt pistol before the round explodes in the assassin's chest, blasting a hole through him while his three arms go limp while he collapses. Cecilia and Rayna look down at the assassin's body before looking at each other.

"As we suspected...I will let the honour guard know."

Cecilia nods to Rayna while she radios the honour guard while Alex looks between the body and the two of them.

"What is it...how did you know?"

"It's a genestealer hybrid, and it was a few bits and pieces clicking together, the final bit was when you said how the female units had the fewest traitor units. And that is because a hybrid would be detected by one of the many medical scans that cadets go through during the training and enlistment process."

Cecilia is looking throughout the room at the panic and fighting that has engulfed it.

"Our only problem now is telling who is a loyalist and who is not...and hopefully the cult here hasn't contacted the hive fleet yet."

"Wait a hive fleet could be coming here?"

At that moment, Rayna has rejoined them.

"The honour guard and QRF are alerted and sorry to say there is no could about it, the hive fleet has just exited the warp."

Cecilia and Alex go quiet while they process the information.

"If that is the case, it is all the more important we get a defence organised here."

Cecilia starts walking towards the governors raised dais from which he is still sitting a watching the chaos in front of him with a smile. Alex and Rayna form up behind Cecilia with the three of them form a wedge and killing anyone that comes towards them with a weapon. The kill a small group of nobles, not knowing if they were loyalists or not but due to being so outnumbered, despite the sound of lasfire getting closer they take no chances. The move up the stairs to stand on the same level as the Governor, with the steward hiding behind the Governor's chair. Rayna steps forward while she aims her laspistol at the Governor.

"By the power invested in me by the Officio Prefectus, Governor Green, you are hereby charged with treason against the Empire."

Governor Green just laughs while he looks at her.

"It is too late for you, the Hive has arrived, and we are delivered!"

He just keeps laughing until he silenced by Rayna's lasbolt passing through his head.

"Suffer not the Xenos to live."

Cecilia nods slightly to Rayna before she turns back to the milling chaos that the great hall still is, with the Genestealer hybrids not trying to hide any more with there hybrid traits being evident with multiple arms, tails or any other hideous mutation and them tearing into the none hybrids.

"Major...is the worst it is going to get...and how can we tell who is not a hybrid..."

"It's going to get worse even before the hive lands, we still have to worry about the purestrains, and difficultly. Everyone in the task force is clean, so there is no worry there, already had that checked."

"Purestrains? You mean actual genestealers could be here..."

"Yeah, I do."

As she speaks, the great hall door is blasted inwards, and off its hinges as a squad of Caledonians move into the doorway and start firing at the hybrids with targeted efficiency.

"And there is our exit, time to leave!"

With that Cecilia leads the three of them into a charge down the stairs, laspistols and boltpistol blazing and any that got too close getting the taste of a chainsword or power axe. They manage to quickly fight their way to the other side of the hall and slip between the guardsmen standing at the door. Cecilia nods to the sergeant in charge of the squad while she takes a moment to breathe.

"Sgt, light it up."

"Yes Major, Corporal you heard the Major let's roll out the barbecue."

"Aye, Aye, Sgt!"

The Special Weapons Guardsmen in the squad steps forward while the front rank of Guardsmen breaks to the side to let her forward while the Promethium tanks on her back rumble slightly along with the sound of the ignition of her flamer. She takes a moment to double-check her weapon and valves before she braces herself and squeezes the trigger, shooting columns of burning promethium into the great hall, setting fire to anything it touches along with the promethium sticking to anything it lands on while it burns. Rather quickly, the entire front of the hall in front of the door is a burning inferno.

"Right then, time for us to get moving. What is the status of the other squads, Sgt?"

"Afirm Major, let's move it, people!"

The sergeant gets their squad moving with a fire team front and rear while they hurry for the exit.

"2nd squad has secured a small compound on the edge of the palace grounds that is defensible while the Xailivan squad is holding the entrance for us."

"Copy that, let's get to the compound then!"

The group of them soon reach the main entrance where the Xailivian squad is hunkered down from the chaos that has spread to the courtyard with the hybrids swarming the PDF and Palace guards that are trying to hold their positions. With a signal from Alex, the Xailivian squad forms up with the Caledonian squad while they make a beeline for the compound that the Caledonian 2nd Squad is in. As they are almost halfway there, the Hybrids seem to notice them and a group races towards them. But before they have even covered a portion of the distance they are ripped apart as the sound of lasgun fire is joined by a burst from a heavy bolter from one of the Chimeras that transported the honour guard to the Palace. With the extra cover, the group double times it behind the Chimera and through the gate before the Chimera reverses into the gate while 2nd Squad slam it shut and barricade it.

Once inside, the officers are handed their armour and start with getting their chest pieces on, a flak jacket for Alex and Carapace armour for Cecilia and Rayna. While the Sergeant Major moves over to them to give them an update.

"Major, Lt. Commissar. We have dug in around the compound, with our back to the wall the way it is, there are only two angles of approach, so I have a squad on each of these with a Chimera for support while the 3rd squad is held back to support."

"Copy that Sgt Major. Sounds like a solid defence to me, keep me updated on any developments, and try to help the local forces when we can but don't risk our position."

"Afirm Major."

While they continue to strap the pieces of their armour on they move over to where a small command post is being set up for them. With a map of the palace grounds and markers for their squads and rough tags for friendly units and very rough for hostile as they don't quite move like regular units due to their hive mentality. Cecilia glances at her Vox operator.

"Corporal, we got an ETA on the QRF?"

"Soon Major, they have encountered resistance on the route but are blasting through."

"Keep me up to date...and now we weather the storm..."

After almost an hour of holding their position after the majority of the PDF and Place guard have been overrun with only a few hold outs still. With wave after wave of hybrids thrown at them, but due to their dug-in position and the fire support from the Chimeras, the attacks never amount to much. Shouts of hope and relief start to rise from the honour guard as the first elements of the QRF punch through the ranks of the hybrids and start to secure a corridor to the exit for them.

The Sergeant Major starts waving people back to their Chimeras.

"Let's get a move on ladies! Get your asses in the Chimeras, we are not waiting!"

With the shouts, the Guardsmen start double-time falling back, fire team by fire team to their transports while the officers jump in one each as well. Once everyone is in the transports and the ramps up and locked sealed, the Chimeras form a column and race out of the compound to link up with the QRF who forms up in front and behind them while they fight their way back to their barracks compound. Looking out of the commander's hatch, Cecilia sees a city starting to tear itself apart while hybrids and traitors that were hiding in the city rise up, quickly turning the city into a three-way fight between the hybrids/cultists, the traitors and the loyalists.

The moment they have reached the barracks, the heavy gate behind them is slammed shut. While Guardsmen stand guard atop the wall, in the watchtowers while they continue to reinforce their positions with sandbags, heavy weapons and small supply stations on the wall, along with defences being set up inside the compound for defence in depth. The moment Cecilia has jumped out of her Chimera, Kiera has already reached her.

"Major, sent the signal as planned. Reinforcements are inbound, got the rest of the brigade on route with elements of the Praetorian Guard being rerouted to us as they were close by. Order is to try and get in contact with local forces to establish a joint command. Already contacted an Artillery unit that is trapped in their compound with an infantry detachment, and a number of Xailivian units that are trapped as well."

"Good, let's have a look at our situation and see what we can do about making sure there is still part of a town for the reinforcements to save."

"Right away Major, they have finished setting our command post up fully as well."

Kiera quickly leads the way while Alex and Rayna join them.