The hot air blew across the blasted wasteland of the Sindel Prime. Rune Priest Svald Grimbold had landed on the planet to secure materials needed for the repairs of the Strike Cruiser Grudge-bearer. After the mock-battle with the Imperial Fists on Serpentine’s World, Svald had launched his Strike Cruiser to his Wolf Lord’s aid at Hydraponus IV. They had arrived just in time to participate in an orbital ship-to-ship battle. Grudge-bearer had plunged like a fiery spear into the very heart of the Hive Fleet, ripping its heart out at heavy cost. Grudge-bearer lost almost all warp-propulsion drives and had suffered grievous damage to all other systems. Wolf Lord Jorgmundarsson had ordered Svald to source for a repair port before meeting the rest of the Great Company back at Fenris. Grudge-bearer simply could not keep up with the rest of the fleet.
Svald had landed on Sindel Prime, thinking it was an excellent place to stop for repairs. The battle-scarred planet had been long abandoned but his ship scanners had revealed an underground Astartes complex filled with the supplies necessary. Svald decided he would simply take the required parts needed for repairs and owe a debt of honour to the Chapter it belonged to. Such was life on Fenris. One simply took what was available then and there; and owed a debt of honour to be repaid in the future.
Yet, this was not Fenris and not everyone was a Wolf of Russ. The Imperial Fists arriving to defend the complex after the alarms sounded had not reacted well to Svald’s communications. They hurled insults at the Space Wolves, calling them flea-bitten dogs unworthy of the title of Astartes. It became apparent that the complex belonged to the Imperial Fists who considered the Space Wolves to be Chaos Marauders. Svald’s attempts to dissuade them from battle were simply ignored.
With him were the Grey Hunter Packs; Snorrisson, Lupinesson and Rjieksson deployed in Rhinos. Svald was ready to push out to the rendezvous point where Grudge-bearer would retrieve them and the cargo. He rued the fact that Thundercrasher was not at his command at this engagement. A Kraken-pattern demolisher shell would punch through the lines of the Imperial Fists and allow them access. This had to be done the hard way, with bolter and chainsword. Contacting the bondsman Captain on the Strike Cruiser, Svald instructed the Captain to pass the word to Wolf Guard Pack Hrothgar to be ready for orbital drop pod assault to attack the Imperial Fist Rhinos. This would allow his troops the chance to break the lines.
Svald using the power of his mind, hurled Living Lightning at the Imperial Fist Rhino, exploding it in a display of psychic mind. Several marines died in the blast, their armour failing to save them. Hrothgar’s drop pod slammed down into the ground, its petals opening like thunder. The Wolf Guards opened fire and then charged the survivors, killing them to a man. Their power fists, chainfist, wolf claw and frost axe ran red with Astartes blood. The other Imperial Fist squad disembarked. A full tactical squad emerged; bolt rounds, melta-fire and a howling krak missile heralding their arrival. In the smoke and heat of battle, the Wolf Guard emerged victorious but down by two. Hrothgar pulled the remainder of his pack back to the safety of the drop pod. However skilled they were individually in battle, it was clear they could not prevail against the might of such heavy firepower and numbers.
A Terminator Captain and a squad of Terminators teleported on the field of battle, just behind Svald’s Rhinos. “Throne on Earth and Morkai’s teeth! Will wonders never cease?” exclaimed Svald. The Imperial Fists on Serpentine’s World had done the exact same thing. The Grey Hunter next to him chuckled, “Saves us the trouble of driving to the fight. It comes to us.” Svald voxed his orders to the Grey Hunters of Lupinesson and ordered all of Snorrisson onboard to disembark as well. Their two full squads would stand toe to toe with the Terminators. Rjieksson would only deploy when needed.
The Terminators were in golden armour, engraved with intricate words in High Gothic and had purity seals plastered all over. These were not mere warriors given access to Tactical Dreadnought Armour. They were First Company Veterans. Their leader carried a huge thunder hammer, as ornate as the weapons Svald had seen in the armoury of the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar. “By the balls of Guilliman...” Svald recognised that determined figure. First Captain Darnath Lysander, the Destroyer of Malodrax!
There was no time to waste. Svald cast Murderous Hurricane, whipping up a storm of dust, grit and rocks to hinder their progress. It slowed them down and took down a Terminator out of battle. Yet the implacable Terminators strode forward, bolter rounds pinging ineffectually off their armour. They shrugged off even the plasma fired at them. Closing into battle, the Terminators decimated Pack Lupinesson with ease, pounding the Grey Hunters to bloody red paste. The chainswords of the Space Wolves were unable to penetrate the thrice-blessed ceramite armour of the Terminators. Beaten back, Pack Lupinesson retreated.
Svald and the Grey Hunters with him fired their weapons again and again to no avail. The armour of a Terminator was like a tank. Nothing save the most powerful weapons could destroy it. “Arse of Russ!” swore the melta-toting Grey Hunter. The Crux Terminatus had saved the Imperial Fist veteran from becoming sludge.
Howling bloody vengeance, the four remaining Grey Hunters of Lupinesson charged the Terminator squad. The bearer of the Wolf Standard died on his feet, still holding the banner upright. His companions fell beside him, defiant to the last, attempting to kill the Terminators with broken chainswords crushed by the power fists of the enemy. The rending claws of a Wulfen-stricken Grey Hunter managed to tear open a Terminator’s armour but was quickly slammed to the ground by the Fist of Dorn.
Svald mourned the loss of his brothers but knew it was not the time to grieve. The crews of the Rhinos attempted to launch tank shock attacks in an attempt to divide the Terminator squad. Lysander had rallied them and the tank shocks failed. Seeing the futility of a tank shock, the Rhino crews threw their vehicles into reverse and penned the Terminators in. Pack Rjieksson disembarked, ready to fight.
“For Russ and the All-Father!” shouted the Wolves of Snorrisson and Rjieksson as they charged to meet the Terminators. Darnath Lysander and the remaining Terminators were torn to shreds, their armour too weakened by the attacks of the destroyed Lupinesson. Svald delivered the killing blow to Lysander, felling him with a shot from his bolt pistol, before staving his skull with his runic force weapon. Hero of Malodrax or not, the First Captain had slain Space Wolves. Blood demanded blood in return. Over their vox-net, the Imperial Fists heard the death cry of Lysander. The remaining Imperial Fists attempted to shoot the Wolf Guard hunkering in the shadow of the drop pod but were stymied in their attempts by poor visibility and terrain. Angered, the Rhino crew launched a ramming assault on one of the Space Wolves’ Rhinos but did not harm it at all.
Svald, furious at the loss of his brothers, decided it was time to pull out. The remaining tactical squad of Imperial Fists had melta and missile weapons which could take a dreadful toll on the Wolves remaining. They had gotten the supplies they needed and to stay further was to run the risk of getting more brothers killed. The golden warriors of Dorn would pay for spilling the blood of Russ.
