1st Fulkan Fighters

1st Fulkan Fighters

 

        The 1st Fulkan Fighters were the first Planetary Defense Force regiment founded on the forge world of Fulkan by the Imperium. Fulkan was a self-sustaining forge world, before the Imperium found it in 226.M37, which had been growing it's own armies in preparations for a crusade through the stars in search for Holy Mars. Though, as they sent their first explorator fleet out into the stars, they ran into an Imperial Navy fleet on the search for a fleeing ship of cultists. Both sides were at edge, and if not for an itchy finger from a lowly acolyte on the explorator fleet's side, things might have simmered down.

        Both sides immediately began firing upon each other after the first shot, the might of the Imperial Navy too much for the scouting fleet of Fulkan. The explorator fleet soon fled from the Imperial Navy, heading back to Fulkan to recuperate, and report their findings. Their ships never made that report. The Imperial Navy intercepted them as they exited the warp, just outside of Fulkan's space, and bombarded them with no respite, or remorse, destroying them to the last transport. They soon turned on Fulkan, preparing to assault, whilst sending half of the fleet back to the Demodes Sub-Sector to report, what they believed to be a heretical world, to Imperial Command.

        It took three weeks of besieging the planet, staying out of range of Fulkan's orbital guns, but allowing no more ships to escape Fulkan. They finally received word from Imperial Command that a liberation fleet would be arriving to rid this world of it's taint, and that they should continue their current course of action. They continued the siege, letting none through their wall of fire, and sending detachments after any who were lucky enough to make it back. It was a massacre of the highest level, killing millions that had tried to leave planet. Eventually, Fulkan stopped sending ships, and both sides waited in silence, staring each other down, neither side willing to give up.

        When the liberation fleet arrived, the assault on Fulkan finally began. Those on Fulkan returned the favor for all those who had been lost from the fleet's guns, nearly half of their ships being shot down before troops made landfall. As the Imperial Guard made landfall, the true fighting began. Six grueling months of fighting took place on Fulkan, in it's manufactorums and bloc-houses. The Skiitari of the Mechanicus cult on Fulkan fought harshly, killing dozens for every Skiitari lost. Sadly, the guard could take those losses, and more, pushing through every street, every alley, and every building, until the world was theirs.

        As the final defending Skiitari fell, the league of leading techpriests finally bowed their heads to the imperium. Much of their city was decimated from the constant assault of the Imperium's forces, though the guard had made an effort to keep the manufactorums intact. They accepted the full surrender of the techpriests, and left them in charge of the manufactorums, before bringing many of their own to re-populate the world with a new workforce. As of 255.M37, they began to re-purpose the liberation fleet into a planetary defense force for the new forge world, naming them the "1st Fulkan Defense Force" though they were nicknamed the "1st Fulkan Fighters" by their own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

143.M38

 

        Two men began to descend the ladder silently, the only sounds coming from the creaking ladder, and the soft hiss of their gas masks. The two stormtroopers finally hit the bottom, quickly turning, lasguns at the ready as they swept the corridor. There was nothing but the flow of the sewage water ahead of them. The first one turned, nodding back, before speaking into his vox bead "All clear. Alpha, descend." With that, they could hear the echo coming from above, the other men of their squad beginning to come down the old ladder into the sewer system, waiting until all 8 of them were down the ladder..

        The stormtrooper squad was on a cleansing run through the sewers, authorized to kill anyone without the proper clearance to be down there, along with any mutants they saw. The began to walk down the slick grating of the sewers, the waste from the city above flowing through here, heading to the drainage into the wastes beyond the city limits. Their journey was quiet, the only sounds being the running water of the sewer system, and the hiss of their gas masks as they continued to stalk those empty corridors silently.

        Eventually, they come upon a large open room, with light streaming from cracks high above their heads. They began to span out, all knowing what to do, and split apart into two squads. There were multiple new passageways they could go down, five long hallways not including their own. The second squad chose the closest one, turning down it and quietly and treading lightly upon the grating, their footsteps unheard over the slush of the sewage rushing beneath their feet. Their flashlights lit up the entire corridor as the watched for any contacts, which never appeared.

        After twenty minutes of silence, the man at point stopped, bringing up a fist to instruct the others to stop, before pointing towards a finely made, curved doorway in the side of the barren wall. Two of the men quickly went to either side, peering down, as the man at point reached up, activating his vox bead and saying clearly "Alpha One, do you read?" Waiting a moment, before speaking once more, in a louder tone "Alpha One, do you read?" Silence was his only response, before he looked to his squad, the rest looking at him and he nods, saying "It's these tunnels, we're cut off from Alpha One. We're set for extract in..." he quickly raised his wrist, looking at his chronometer before sighing, and muttering out "Half an hour..."

        They stood there, quiet for a moment, before one of the men at the door pipped up "Well, we should still check out whats down here, it's probably a mutant den. We can just scout it out, and gear up for a full assault after we get back to base." The pointman nodded, saying "Alright, everyone get into positions. I'll drop a flare and head down, the rest of you follow in thirty second intervals." Slinging his lasgun, he looked down the shaft, which was smoothly carved into the stone, as if made by master smiths. He quickly grabbed a flare from his belt, pulling off it's cap and lighting it, before dropping it down , the flare travelling for a good fifteen seconds before landing. Sighing, he took hold of the stone ladder on the far end of the shaft, and began climbing down quickly.

        As he reached the bottom, and grabbed ahold of his rifle, looking around, he saw there was a naturally formed cavern of which he couldn't see the ceiling. He soon heard the echo of his squad climbing down the stone ladder, and lifted his rifle, flipping on his barrel mounted flashlight. He began to sweep the room, which looked spiked and desecrated, the his of his gas mask echoing throughout the cave. He heard something hit the ground behind him, and he turned, saying "I thought I said wait thi-" but was cut off, his eyes wide with fear as the inhuman black glass looked into his eyes, and the sword which had entered him, slowly left his gut. He tried to let out a whimper, but just spat out blood instead, the lithe figure backing up into the darkness as the echo of his squad continued.

 

 

 

 

 

        His body wracked with pain, he fell to the ground, and began convulsing uncontrollably. Though, as soon as he started, he was quieted by the same figure, which brought his sword mercifully through the trooper's neck. The figure rose once more, silently removing his blade from the neck of the trooper, and jumped into the darkness, watching as the next trooper dropped down. He moved up quietly behind him as he saw the body of his comrade, and beheaded him before he could utter the faintest squeak. Throwing caution to the wind, the creature ran towards the ladder, revelling in the bloodshed. He began climbing, hearing the last trooper at the top call out "Whats going on down there?" He smiled beneath his mask, unable to wait any longer, he leapt from the ladder, landing on both feet and steadying himself, he looked towards the trooper, who already had his gun raised. Surging forwards, pulling his sword from his sheath, he soon felt a burning pain throughout his body as the trooper fired his hellgun, the laser ripping through his armor and flesh, and sending hims sprawling to the ground, the trooper stepping up and firing once more, piercing his helmet, and ending his life.

        The trooper began panting as he looked around, then looking back at the thin, smoldering figure beneath him. He kicked it once, twice... Nothing happened, and he knew it was dead. He looked to his wrist chronometer, glancin around once more. He kept his hellgun raised, and began moving through the corridors, back the way he had come, keeping his eyes open. Suddenly, his vox roared to life, the sound of lasfire coming through it, and a yell "Alpha Two, we are under assault, I repeat, hostiles confirmed! Xenos confirmation, it's the damned Dark Eldar! This message is on repeat, do not reply, rendezvous at the extract!" the message just beginning to repeat. He looked around once more, hearing nothing in the empty corridors, but the rush of the water.

        As he began forwards once more, a tall, slim figure darted around the corner, and began rushing towards him. He brought his hellgun to bear, sending a flurry of rounds towards the figure, who began jumping around each of the shots in an amazing dance, before reaching him. He could almost feel it's grin as it brought it's sword through his chest, sending him into a level of pain he didn't know existed. He was pushed to the ground, and began convulsing, watching as the figure knelt down near him, removing his mask and revealing his pale, scarred face. He was right, the creature was smiling as he watched him convulse and writhe, he began reaching out, hoping to grab his gun, but it just brought it's sword through his arm, sending another wave of pain through him, only intensifying with every passing second. Moments later, he lost consciousness, the creature rising and putting it's mask on, blending back into the darkness of the sewers.