The Warfield (A warhammer 40k story)

Chapter 28

Evan had seen Ironstriders ballistarii before in combat, since he was a more senior techpriest of the Omnissiah. He had also managed to show Engelbart, Theo, Dewyer, and Widit what they looked like along with the Skitarii Rangers through a cerebal download to their minds.

With that said, he had never in his long life expected or have ever seen three Imperial Guardsmen from anywhere riding Ironstriders before, while managing to keep on them and also managing to keep themselves alive as they were running away from several corrupted Skitarii Hyspasists, Praetorians, Rangers, and three corrupt Ironstriders.

He, in turn, shouted in binary code to his squad of around 30 Hyspasists as he shouted also to Widit, Theo, and Engelbart, "Kill the corrupt constructs! We must preserve those guardsmen! I must question how the hell they can ride a Ironstrider!"

"Yes, Techpriest." said Engelbart as suddenly the entire side of the trench line they were on lit up with the ruby red lasers of the lasrifles and even a few lascannons that were mounted on tripod mounts.

Haydrax saw them as well, only recognizing Logan and Stalker, as then he shouted down through the line "All units! Save our boys from dying! Take out those Corrupt Mechanicus forces!!"

Guardsmen were quick to pop up from the trench and as more lasrifles and other weapons like autocannons mounted on tripods began to fire as well.

The corrupt Mechanicus forces were being torn apart by the combined force as suddenly it seemed to set the whole area off and as cultists and traitor guardsmen began to pop up all over and began to charge towards the Imperial frontlines and as the fire began to cross in between the two lines, Haydrax fired his two pistols as he was praying to the Emperor that the guardsmen made it through this hailstorm of fire.

Phrix watched with Angelo with a few guardsmen squads behind them as Leonidius heard Alec said, " Looks like our friends have brought a friend and could use a friends help."

"Right... too bad we can't help.." muttered Angelo with his laspistol in his hand as he checked the charge in his pistol.

Meanwhile, Stalker turned his Ironstrider around to face the enemy shooting and chasing them and as he then powered up the lascannon and as he aimed it at the pursuing Ironstriders, he fired it as accurately as he could since he felt this machine beneath him didn't like him being on it. His shot whizzed over the head of the first corrupt Ironstrider as it began to become more erratic with its movement as its long strides and as the Corrupt Skitarii aimed its autocannon at Stalker and then fired a burst at him, forcing Stalker to take a sharp turn and duck as the rounds tore plumes in the broken earth beneath him.

"Stalker!" shouted Logan and as he faced the Ironstrider, his autocannon roared as a he fired a stream of shells at it as he lead the shots before it.

The autocannon shots ripped apart the corrupted construct as oil, blood, and sickly-yellow viscous goo went flying and as it hit the ground hard, the cultists behind it were forced to stop just as some Hyspasists tore them down in a hailstorm of las beams and as Logan continued running his strider away from the enemy, he felt lasbeams, autocannon rounds, and more rip by his body as he knew he still was kind of a easy target being on this relatively unprotected Ironstrider.

Meanwhile, Shino was struggling to stay alive in the warzone as she tried to pilot her Ironstrider around rubble and holes but just as she made her strider jump over the ruined hull of a tank, she suddenly felt her Ironstrider take a huge hit and as she screamed as her strider fell to the ground, she slid across the mud right in the middle of it all.

"Shino!" Shouted both Logan and Stalker as they watched her crawl into a hole and curl up as crisscrossing lines of fire and as they both gunned their Ironstriders towards her, Stalker fired his lascannon at one of the groups of cultists trying to get to Shino and his shot blew them apart as then Logan fired his autocannon at some others trying to advance still.