Inside the ruined city of Dahinta, Number Five, the Shadows of Order of the Tenth Chapter marched in precise formation, flanked by buildings on either side, and raised their boltguns for a volley.
The intelligent machines' crimson beams swept across them. Mechadendrites on their backs rose with a mechanical click.
Zzzzt...
Dazzling beams, as thick as an Astartes's arm, struck the storm shields of the Assault Squad's eight central members, carefully avoiding the buildings on either side, and detonated with a deafening roar.
The Assault Squad members crouched low, slamming their storm shields into the faded, ornate tiles.
With a crash, the shields broke through the tiles, embedding themselves in the ground below.
The intelligent machines beeped, their lights turning crimson.
They charged forward, moving faster than the Cybernetica automatons controlled by a Tech-Priest.
They crashed into the line. Their mechadendrites bent, aimed at the rear ranks of the Shadows of Order, and spat thermal beams.
Simultaneously, they raised their left arms, unleashing jets of molten flame.
Ramsey raised his archaeotech pistol and fired a scorching beam harvested from the radiation layer of the Chapter's exclusive recruiting world, Pladis Zeta.
Crack!
With an unusual, sizzling whine, the blazing beam tore through an intelligent machine's energy shield.
As the charred energy fragments scattered, the Chapter Master warned over the vox channel:
"Switch energy shields to thermal ray defense mode."
After the conquest of the Olamic Quietude, the Legion had received the legacy of fifteen thousand years of civilization.
Armor Master Malevolus was responsible for researching the flexible energy field adjustment modules.
In the decade since, he had achieved some results, mastering the Olamic Quietude's mature technologies for defending against thermal rays and gravity weapons.
The Tenth Chapter's sergeants and assault squads were equipped with them and tasked with field-testing the weapons.
The Shadows of Order, in unison, adjusted their personal force fields through thought-pulse control.
Unlike the Olamic Quietude's social network analysis and adjustment, the Shadows of Order relied on 'manual' adjustment, issuing commands, with their power armor carrying out the programmatic adjustments.
The backpack-mounted sub-atomic micro-fusion engines hummed. As their output shifted silently, the energy barriers enveloping the armor adjusted with a faint hum.
Crackle, crackle...
Amidst the crackling detonations, the Shadows of Order behind the Assault Squad shuddered slightly, sparks scattering.
They raised their arms smoothly, their Bedrock-pattern boltguns delivering a steady, concentrated barrage at the intelligent machines.
Boom, boom, boom...
Fragments of faded, colorful machinery scattered, raining down, mixed with the molten flame spewed by the machines.
The storm shields crackled, arcs of electricity leaping.
The intelligent machines stood frozen, motionless as statues.
The black power armor of the Assault Squad members crackled, scorch marks spreading.
Bang! Bang!
Two Shadows of Order in the center of the line collapsed simultaneously. Their Mark III power armor shattered into flaming fragments.
Two more Shadows of Order stepped forward, catching the sparking storm shields.
Together with the other Assault Squad members, they swung their Thunder Hammers, spinning them into the machines' steel shells, exposed by the peeling electric arcs.
Boom, boom, boom...
The broken mechanical husks crashed to the ground.
[The new personal force field, like the Olamic Quietude's Elite Warriors, grants near-immunity to thermal ray attacks, but offers only limited defense against the related flame weapons.]
[It's foreseeable that the force field will also provide near-immunity to gravity rifle rounds, but cannot fully defend against Archmagos Anacharis's gravity fusion cannons.]
[It still needs further iteration.]
Ramsey analyzed, concluding his technical report, and thought: 'Though it still needs refinement, the personal force field adjustment technology is unique to the Legion.'
As he thought with pride, arrow-shaped runes, with black shafts and red heads, scrolled across the tactical display on his visor.
Allied forces from the Seventh Chapter.
Thump, thump, thump...
The ground trembled as black-armored riders, mounted on green wolves, galloped towards them.
Their mounts were slightly smaller than the Thunderwolves of Fenris.
Their size ranged between one-third and one-half of the Rhino transports used by standard Astartes squads.
The "Pyromaniac" raised their arms in unison. Serpents of fire burst from the faded tiles, shooting towards the intelligent machines. Like giant pythons, they tore chunks of mottled, colorful metal from the machines.
The intelligent machines raised their right arms, their claws striking at the fire-serpents.
Bang, bang, bang...
The scattered flames, under the "Pyromaniac'" spiritual control, condensed into blazing walls of fire.
The mechanical claws slammed into the "Wall of Fire" with a dull roar.
Catachan wolves leaped, springing onto the mechanical arms, their jaws tearing at the machines' heads. Sparks flew as the bodies crashed to the ground.
They bounded over the claws, their own claws ripping into the steel bodies.
The "Pyromaniac'" left hands traced patterns in the air. Orange fire-ravens coalesced instantly.
They circled and flew, intercepting each incoming beam with precision.
Boom, boom, boom...
Amidst the roaring explosions, the "Fire Raven" shattered the thermal beams.
The "Pyromaniac" raised their right hands. Balls of searing white fire, the size of a human torso, condensed in their palms, then elongated into spears of white flame.
They bent their arms, then hurled them with a snap.
The "Blazing Spears" tore through the air, leaving blurry trails of scorched matter.
The flaming spears screamed into the machines' bodies. Molten, blackened metal fragments rained down.
Flames rose. The intelligent machines fell in droves.
The red runes on Ramsey's tactical display vanished swiftly.
His Chapter, with the Reaper assault squads of the Seventh Chapter on both flanks, advanced rapidly. A colorful tower at the city's center came into view.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the ground shook.
A massive intelligent machine, the size of a Warhound Titan, came into view.
A gigantic mechanical eye sat atop its head. As it swiveled, it projected a terrible laser beam.
The crimson beam struck the storm shields with a shrieking detonation.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Electric arcs shot skyward. Four storm shields shattered.
Clang! Clang!
Two arms, thick as an Astartes, rose. A blazing beam, bright as a star, shot forth.
A solar-flare burst of searing gas tore through the air, leaving blazing trails that wove into a brilliant, searing web.
Boom! Boom!
The savage energy beams swept across, incinerating over a dozen Shadows of Order. Blackened scorch marks were their only remains.
Its two massive mechanical arms swept and swung, smashing into Catachan wolves in mid-leap.
Bang, bang, bang...
Shadows of Order and Catachan wolves were crushed together. Red and green blood mingled, spraying down.
'An Overseer!'
Ramsey's eyes narrowed. He recalled the powerful enemy mentioned in the intelligence from the Black Emperor.
They were the ruling class of the intelligent machine race. Their creators had given them the role of machine stewards.
They oversaw and managed all the intelligent machine servants.
....
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