Lost Patrol

[Knight of the Raven]

So apparently this story was lost to the Great Data Blackout of I Don't Remember Which Year since I didn't find it despite several searchs and so I'm posting it again. Thanks to that one boardgame for making me find a suitable title and bigger thanks to all the members who offered constructive criticism that made the final version better, even though their identitites and posts were lost to me in the Great Blackout.

 

Constructive criticism is as welcome as it was when I first started a thread here, but will likely be used for other works rather than just this one since it's like three years old and I don't even remember what I was thinking back when I wrote it.

 

*****

 

Human eyes would have been little better than blind amidst such heavy fog, but it was no match for the full-spectrum's filtering of Caelia's helmet. This planet's star had barely started its journey across the sky but she saw as clearly as in broad daylight.

Thick, beech-like trees stood proudly around them, twisted and ageless. Strong, leafy branches stretched high above, shrouding what little of the forest wasn't swathed in mist with darkness. Caelia knew from experience each black leaf could effortlessly cut through her hardened cloak.

Less dangerous shrubs of several species covered the vast space between each tree. Most of the area's wildlife dwelled there, amidst dark grey trunks and brightly colored foliage. The strange mix of rodent and lizard that populated the forest this time of the day fled before them, their hunt for food forgotten in their rush for safety.

Nearly unbreakable roots crisscrossed beneath the beaten path, turning it into a bumpy mess. Caelia's lips curled up and she chuckled soundlessly as she heard Agathe trip and swear quietly behind her. Her voice rang distinctly in her ears above the sound of her footsteps and her power armor's soft humming.

The forest opened up ahead, fog looming ominously over the glade like the threat of war. Her walk slowed down to a stop in the middle of the grassy clearing and her fellow sisters instinctively surrounded her, training their bolters on the border just as they inspected it.

Caelia scowled when she spotted a member of one of the few species who braved the trees; a disheveled ape with winged arms swooping from one branch to another. Seeing these distasteful parodies of a human never failed to sour her day.

She pressed a point of her gorget with one finger. "Caelia to headquarters. No sign of evolved xenos in clearing beta."

The comm-link crackled. "Proceed to clearing gamma."

"Yes, mistress."

Caelia nodded at her squadmates and they went on their way. Foliage became lower and denser as they marched forwards, and she made sure to lift her head to scan the overhanging branches. Some were large and strong enough to carry a full-grown man. Her preysight yielded no result and she looked back down, satisfied.

Seconds later, twin dull hums sounded from nothing a few feet behind her and Caelia's hair stood on end. A strangled choke followed as she whirled around, bolter shouldered and finger on the trigger, weapon pointed on the sister bringing up the rear, Karin. Two shining blades stuck out of her abdomen armor. They twisted within her, tearing a pained cough from her throat. Karin's shoulders sagged and her head lolled to one side as she dropped her bolter and began to fall, before the blades disappeared and she was kicked to the ground.

The xenos stood defiant before them, glowing crimson lenses piercing through the fog. Its armor fit its feminine form snugly, trading resilience for mobility. A luxuriant mane akin to a flame adorned the back of its high helm. A thin red mist rose from her swords.

"Howling Banshee!" screamed Caelia as her bolter barked. "Turn off your voxes!"

A distorted laugh echoed as the sisters spread out to evade and then encircle the eldar. An instant later, Caelia felt her very mind shatter as an inhumane shriek tore through them. Her weapon fell from her twitching hands whereas Olivia unwillingly emptied her magazine into the ground. Agathe staggered and dropped her bolter as well, and so did Mia.

The laugh returned at the same time as Caelia's senses. She saw the exarch swirl gracefully around Olivia and Agathe, cleaving their necks as though they were unarmored with its mirrorswords. Their bodies slumped heavily on the ground, their helmeted heads following suit and blood staining the black grass.

Mia rushed for her bolter and found her skull split in half from top to spine as soon as her fingers touched the grip. Caelia backed away while unsheathing her combat knife.

"You should have left this maiden world when we ordered you to, mon-keigh." The warped voice made Caelia's head pound. "Now you will die."

Just as it lunged and she stabbed forward, its head exploded in a gory mess. Soft tissue, fragments of bone and blood obscured her vision as they landed on her helmet. Caelia barely dodged the mirrorswords as the momentum sent the body whirling toward her. She stared at the headless corpse for a few seconds before looking back at her savior.

Karin looked at her, her lenses dulling as life hung on her body. She was propped up on her bolter, one hand struggling to keep it angled high enough to slay the xenos and the other slipping off lifelessly from the trigger. The weapon was slick with blood, and so was the ground beneath her. She coughed up and stiffened, head bobbing before she collapsed and her weapon slipped from her grasp.

Caelia knew she had been smirking all the while.

She crouched down beside Karin, gazing despondently into the faded lenses. Caelia mouthed a silent prayer for her soul and those of her sisters before starting her vox to life.

"Caelia to headquarters, ambushed with four casualties." Eyes burning with hatred turned to the eldar. "Xenos appear to have found a way to hide from our full-spectrum filtering." She looked back to her squadmates. "I'll stay to prevent desecration of the bodies. Send a team to secure them."

A shriek echoed from somewhere deep in the forest.

"Send it fast."

[bluntblade]

Just one phrase bothers me - "life hung on". I feel it jars with Karin plainly having minutes to live, so saying that she tried to cling to life would just make it flow a little better.