Home Fires – Chapter Eleven: Disaster
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Gargatok practically vibrated with joy. Behind him, newly constructed vehicles from looted farm equipment belched black smoke to the sky. Flanking them was a motley crew of lads, mostly clad in proper Deffskull blue but with some less appetizing colors from the other clans peppered here and there. Armed to the teeth, brimming with energy, and shouting at the top of their lungs, Gargatok’s lads were ready for a fight.
Before them, the sleek form of dark blue grav-tanks, accompanied by tall humies in matching armour, advanced toward Gargatok.
Beekies.
Most lads just knew the term for what humies called “Spess Muhreenz” by rote. Gargatok saw deeper into his race’s genetic memory; Beekies used to have big noses like birds. Not all of them, but enough to stick deep in the hereditary record of the Orks.
These Beekies were bigger than Gargatok thought they should be. They had tanks that floated instead of tracked vehicles. They had fancy stuff and weapons that Gargatok found unusual.
All the better for lootin’, Gargatok thought.
Gargatok bellowed the loudest WAAAAGH he had ever bellowed.
The lads echoed and charged.
Gargatok’s blood was up. Lads on big red squigs charged ahead, followed by Trukks with hasty blue paint jobs covering the forest green of Altea’s farming guilds. Behind them, a wave of blue and green, some firing shiny new shootas from the hip, others waving choppas gleaming from a fresh sharpening.
They lasted minutes.
The Beekies lit them up with gunz that had more dakka than Gargatok had ever seen. The thick lines of lads opened up as hundreds of Orks fell, some of which exploded dramatically. Trukks came apart in greasy yellow fireballs as bright red lines connected them to the turrets of massive tanks. Gargatok was proud, though. The lads never faltered. Still screaming, they ran. Some sheltered behind Kill Rigs and Battlewagons, closing distance rapidly. However, they found their shelters to be rolling bombs as floaty Beekie vehicles tore them apart with roaring beams of heat.
There were too many lads though. That was the point. His lads were about to crash into the neat rows of Beekies, and then…
Fire erupted from the lines.
Big Beekies hosed the lads with blue flames and then simply walked into them, flinging them into the air with thunderous punches from oversized fists. Floating ones with huge long rifles tore apart the biggest clumps of lads just before they crashed into the fray.
Finally, an important looking Beekie strode into the survivors, carving Nobs in half with a big sword that was on fire. Choppas rained on him but he strode on, leaving lads in pieces. He looked at Gargatok and pointed with the sword.
Quickly, Gargatok realized there weren’t enough lads left.
“LEG IT!” he shouted.
The ferocity of the carnage made Gargatok’s order quite unnecessary. What few lads that were left were right behind him.