City Salutem

Dawn broke over the lifeless city, casting long shadows from the ruins of the once great buildings destroyed by months of bombing runs by the relentless Necron foe. The cities imperial guard detachment had been broken its regiments routed or harried away.  The final necron force marched through the city; a full destroyer cult let the charge, there deadly beams cutting down what few defences remained, the were supported by the warriors and immortals from a nearby legion. There overlord Int’kas personally over saw the battle remaining at the city’s outskirts away from the fighting, it was beneath him, he did however permit his lychguard to enter the city to hunt for a specific piece of technology for him.

The necron where not the only armoured forms stalking the streets of Salutem. The blood Ravens 3^rd company had been deployed to the city tasked with retrieving a pair of twin relics from inside the city there tactical squads deploying to the ruined buildings spreading out to defend the first relic. The companies’ scouts had reported the Necron advance and noted the location of the second relic.

Despite their element of surprise it was the Necron artillery that made the first shot they dealt the advancing tank Colum a destructive blow destroying a razor back with a single volley the explosion rang out through the streets using the noise the destroyers leapt forward and in the blink of an eye 5 battle brothers and another armoured razor back had been destroyed. There cover blone the companies scouts began trying to take out key targets within the enemies forces the final razor back carring a squad of veterans raced forward to take the fight to the enemy before it joined it fellow razor backs.

Int’Kas allowed himself a moment of pride, they had met the enemy and found the location of the other relic, at his order the forces of his legion advanced under the rain of bolter shells, it was nothing to them some may die but most of the shells never scratched his warriors and so the necron forces advanced raking the space marines with devastating fire. They had broken the finally razor back, its veterans bunkered in the remnants of the tank using its thick hull to screen them from the the bulk of the enemy fire, even in death the vehicles machines spirit still protected them. the lines met it was only a single road separated the two forces. A bolt of warp energy crack the road moments later a squad of the chapters 1^st company veterans appeared in there terminator armour there appearance signalled a new surge in the defending blood ravens, they had held until the necron forces  where close enough to trap in overlapping fields of fire. Warriors began to sustain damage not even there reanimation scarabs could save them from. even the destroyer cult had taken a loses their Lord had entered marshal combat with the captain of the blood ravens company.

A second terminator squad landed on the battle field far behind enemy lines, there mission was not to intervene in the battle, they had deployed for the sole purpose of claiming the second relic already under necron control. Their teleport had diverted but they were still close enough to complete their objective. Some of the necron forces had detected there arrival and turned away from the battle. They took wave after wave of beam fire but they endured for the mission Int’kas barely had time to react before the 4 remaing terminators closed on him in seconds he was bathed in promethium fire shocking his systems before a crackling power fist ended his life.

Many of the warriors had been defeated and whilst the destroyer cult was still a threat to the space marines but they had lost their momentum there speed had been hampered by the buildings they took withering bolter fire from tactical squads positioned inside the buildings. With the relics secured both surviving terminator squads teleported away from the battle field carrying there sacred cargo leaving the remaining tactical squads to secure extraction points and leave the burning wreck of salutem to ruin.