Tag: 40k

Wheelchair Wars Audrey (Part xv)

Hooded figures standing in a circular stone chamber around an altar with purple smoke rising

An arc of nuns in purple habits awaited them inside. A tall one, with glowing green eyes stood at the center. Her face was young, full of vitality.

She spoke, “What has brought you brought you all here?”

Audrey spoke, “We are here on behalf of the Emperor. You will lay down any weapons you may have. The Emperor will be made aware of your intransigence to date.”

A cackle went up amongst the nuns.

Then the nun spoke again. “Oh dear, we shouldn’t laugh. We were just like you. Fools who believed in the power of the Emperor. Little realizing this he was drawing his power from us.”

Audrey felt rage building up inside her and roared out, “This is heresy.”

The noise returned and she convulsed.

“Please stop,” Brona begged.

The noise stopped, Audrey gasped for breath.

“Then many orbits ago, a warp anomaly appeared the sky. We feared death. But an alien appeared that delivered our salvation!”

“Praise be,” the other nuns said in unison.

There was no stopping her now. “It showed us to power of the Jeni and the error or of our ways. The Empire will fall and the Emperor will be brought to his knees.”

Wheelchair Views Audrey (xiii)

Group of armored futuristic soldiers walking on rocky path near a lit Gothic cathedral at sunset.

Audrey’s pupils dilated, and she felt warm throughout her body. Her pain disappeared, and she felt a sudden sense of elation. Any sense of fear disappeared. She was now the queen of this world, and nothing would

Brona turned to her and smiled. “What did you do? I feel so good.”

Audrey motioned with her hands for her to come closer. “I fixed you.” She pulled her closer and kissed her lips, they were soft. Her tongue explored her mouth.

Brona pulled her head back. “What about your boyfriend, Timothy?”

Audrey smirked. “Don’t worry about Timothy, he won’t mind.”

“Now, forward Troopers,” she commanded.

Progress was fast. Each Trooper walked as if ever getting tired was an impossibility. That energy could be created from within, it no longer needed to be consumed.

The convent grew larger. Soon they could see the iron triangle that adorned it from above. But it was broken.

This is an insult to the Emperor.

They reached the large doorway. It did not open even when Audrey’s battle chair emitted the required code.

Audrey addressed her Troopers. “Something has gone seriously wrong. Treat everyone we meet inside with caution. The nuns may have turned their backs on their God.”

Wheelchair Wars Audrey (xii)

Soldiers firing weapons from trenches as drones explode above and tracer fire lights the dark battlefield

“Troopers, prepare to fire your incendiaries at the central mass of the drones. For the Emperor!” Audrey roared.

The gun of each Trooper was able to shoot a small explosive in size that nonetheless delivered a great punch.

A few seconds passed. “Fire.”

The sky lit up as powerful explosion lit up the sky obliterating drones. Pieces dropped over the landscape.And yet, still they came.

Audrey’s chair shook back and forth as her machine guns activated. Her Troopers followed her lead.

The remaining drones circled overhead before executing kamikaze dives on Troopers, detonating on impact. Their numbers dwindled though, under the concentrated fire. One by one, they disappeared from the sky. Then there was none.

Pools of blood, body parts and debris surrounded Audrey. Half of the Troopers, exhausted remained.

Brona stood beside Audrey. Her face vacant, gazing into the distance. Audrey knew it was time for what was known on Uisneach as Devil’s Gold. A powerful elixir, it was a stimulant that enhanced the spirit, strength, and alertness creating super warriors full of energy and without fear. Longer term, it decayed the human body. A signal emanated from Audrey’s chair giving both her herself and the Troopers a dose.

Wheelchair Wars Audrey (Part viii)

Space shuttle burning and falling near erupting volcano with lava and smoke

After a few seconds, Audrey felt her head being pushed back onto her headrest from the change in g force as the ship pulled up from the mountainous lava filled world below. Then relief, as the ship pulled level.

The captain turned his chair, with a large smile over his lined face. “We’re through the worst of it. We will be at our soft crash site momentarily, commander. The ship may even be space worthy after a few repairs.”

The ship shuddered and he swirled back to the control panel. “We’ve been hit. There’s major damage.” For the first time, Audrey sensed fear.

The ship began to rattle and a large erupting mountain came into view.

The captain yelled, “We’re going to have to go around it.”

Audrey gripped her chair as the mountain loomed, coming ever closer..

The ship swerved to the left making a large screeching noise.as it underbelly scraped the mountainside. Then, a plateau appeared.

The ship descended fast despite the best efforts of the captain, who was pulling and pressing every lever.

Audrey said a quiet prayer to the Emperor

A huge thud as the ship crashed.

All her thoughts turned to Timothy, before she blacked out.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (29)

Those faces would be etched into his mind with all the others that fell with him during battle. Some tears rolled down his eyes as he continued his lonely journey. There was a deathly silence apart from the intermittent sound of gunfire.

Thankfully, the lift that would bring him to the depths of the city was still functional albeit covered in blood.

“Floor 122”, he commanded.

The lift descended for several minutes.

The lift door opened revealing a Tyranid right in front of him.

It lunged at him. The wheelchair’s automatic defences kicked in leading to immediate machine gunfire that pushed the monster back. Shaken, he nevertheless drove forward. Horrible shrieking came from it before it slumped lifeless to the floor.

Timothy could see his ship now and his wheelchair raced to its destination. The loading bay automatically opened creating a ramp and then closed once he was inside.

His care-bot automatically activated.

“Do you need a wash, sir? There’s much dust and other detritus on you?”

“Not till we’re off this world.”

He immediately went to the control panel. The care-bot strapped down his wheelchair and then itself. A few moments later they were leaving the atmosphere. Timothy looked back at a planet ablaze but there were still pockets of green and blue here and there. All that destruction but there was still hope, especially without the Emperor.

Then he had a moment of clarity about what he should do next. He would bring Wheelchair Wars and the fight against the Emperor to the Imperium. Now, to find a planet in a different quadrant so that he can start again.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (28)

Timothy looked down at his hands. He expected them to look different. He had just annihilated the Emperor’s representative and all of his troops that were on the ship. He expected a physical change but maybe that was just more nonsense to keep people under control.

He stayed at the helm for a few more hours. The remaining Tyranid forces were now the hunted and being cut down without difficulty. It was time to activate his escape plan. The President would never forgive his large-scale use of nuclear weapons and he expected arrest once the civil authorities were back in full control.

Hence, he had developed the escape when he had been given full control. A spaceship was waiting with his trusted care-bots in one of the lower decks of the city. Instinctively, he knew now was the time.

He commanded that the large door be opened. Then saying nothing he simply drove out. They could figure out the rest themselves.

Once outside, the smell and scenes of death were everywhere. Partial human bodies and Tranid corpses were littered everywhere. Fortunately, his wheelchair had a setting for tracks and he was easily able to drive over it all. It was tough though when he recognized some of the faces.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (26)

Timothy sized up his options. The Tyranid would eventually get through the door. Then an important shield in the event of artillery fire or even orbital bombardment would be useless and immediately be fatal.

Therefore the monster must be confronted.

He knew that the fate of this world and many others now rested on his demur shoulders so he gave the command –

“Open the door.”

For a brief moment, they were hesitant to comply.

But that changed once I activated the wheelchair’s weapons systems.

The people crowded to the rear of the large cavernous room.

The banging stopped as the door slowly opened and then the Tyranid slithered in once it was able to, its stench engulfing the room.

The six-legged monster prepared to pounce.

Timothy bobbled back and forth as his heavy machine guns fired.

Blood splattered from the Tyranid and it darted from left to right.

Timothy turned with the creature mowing down many of the civilians and many of the computers in the process.

But the creature was spent, many of its limbs now blown off as it curled up and died.

Timothy stopped firing and ordered the door closed once more.

One of the survivors limped to do so.

“Did the Tyranid injure any of you?”

Two women hobbled forward, their legs lacerated.

“Shoot them.”

One of the officers shot them on the spot before they could even plead for their lives. No chances could be taken.

Timothy went to a control panel that was still functional. The planet’s forces were in the ascendancy.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (25)

They had been kept in reserve for just when the fighting was most intense. Maximus immediately saluted him and gave him a tactical update.

“Overall the city’s defense is holding up. The use of tactical nukes has helped greatly However, a sizable Tyranid force is approaching our current position. I recommend a tactical retreat.”

“That is not possible Maximus. If this position falls, we lose the war. It must be defended to the death.”

Maximus nodded in acknowledgment.

Timothy knew that this might be the last time to see them. But this was not the time for goodbyes.

He re-entered the control and ordered it sealed.

The battle ebbed and flowed throughout the planet. Some cities had already repulsed the attack and were now on the offensive.

Closer to home, his troops were fighting valiantly but suffering greatly. It pained him to watch his valued troops slain one by one. After another few hours, it became clear both sides were close to exhaustion.

Then there was a large bang on the steel door. The people in the room gasped. The enemy was at the door. Timothy looked at his monitors covering the vicinity. A large six-legged Tryand was the sole survivor. Everyone and everything else outdoor that door was dead.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (24)

Timothy banged his hand on the console. The hive mind had altered its tactics. The majority of the Tyranid forces now inexplicably move towards Timothy’s position. Tyranid spies must have relayed details of the defense network before they were exterminated.

For the first time, Timothy surveyed his surroundings and felt fear. Not for himself but for everybody else. This would be a very bloody and long battle. He roared out the command “Contingency 21 (a).”

All non-military personnel were to be evacuated through secret tunnels under the huge mega city. Most would not get the opportunity to use them but that is all he could do.

Wave after wave now attacked the city. Defensive artillery cut a swathe through them but some of their forces managed to enter the lower levels of the city. Timothy viewed the close-quarter fighting that ensued. Humans were being ripped apart piece by piece but occasionally taking a Tyranid with them.

Hours passed and the massive number of casualties only increased. Inch by inch, the Tyranids went forward. The ultimate war of attrition continued and they were now closing in on his position.

Timothy ordered the larger metal door to be opened and summoned his most loyal troops. The ones that he had fought with on Irideon 5.

Wheelchair Wars 3 (Part 23)

The Tyranid menace rained down from orbit in ever heavier waves. A long-orbit satellite, already the last functional confirmed that they were committing their entire fleet. Life on this planet and possibly thousands more now hung in the balance.

Screams of panic came from outside. Timothy had the large metallic doors sealed.

Timothy could see the intense fighting throughout the planet. Some minor fortifications had already fallen. But Timothy had ensured that a nasty surprise awaited the seeming victors. The fortifications were all rigged to explode. It was merely a matter of pressing a button on his screen. Alien and human life incinerated in an instant.

Another even nastier surprise was the use of the atom bombs. These were strictly prohibited as a threat to stability, not only under the Emperor but every other Empire in the galaxy too. But Uisneach as a free world had forged its own path.

The President had argued against their use but Timothy had convinced him that it was the only way. Of course, he had insisted on a limit to the number that would be used fearing that the planet would be left a toxic wasteland. Timothy had nodded dutifully, then ignored him.

The Tyranids had formed large biospheres near the largest cities. Timothy had heard about these super monsters before. They had to be stopped before they tore down the defensive positions. He gave the order for the first thirty nuclear missiles to launch.

Some of them target spaceships in low orbit. For a few moments, the room went deathly quiet. Then large cheers went up as one large mushroom cloud and then another rose into the atmosphere. Timothy immediately ordered the next round of missiles to be prepared. But the Tyranids changed their tactics pulling their ships back from low earth orbit and spreading out on the ground.