The Lion glared down at him for a moment before flicking a massive gauntlet toward the immense manufactorum hall within Archmagos Theta-Rho's Ark Mechanicus that he had set aside for training simulations.
"This is a good place."
"Expression of gratitude for the compliment. Cogitating...it appears that secondary layer of meaning is installed within the praise. Query: This unit does not understand the First Primarch's statement. What is it that the Lord Primarch wishes, in precise terms?"
"I wish to conduct a training simulation." Lion El'Jonson returned his scrutiny to 44-Kariya. "I believe it'll benefit you, for you are about to throw your Hunter Cohort against Necrons. Is that not the case?"
"Affirmative."
"Excellent. Let's begin."
Without wasting time, the two forces set up, with Cohort 428-Sigma digging into defense and awaiting the Dark Angels' assault. 44-Kariya could see that they had a squad of Hellblasters, an Outrider unit led by a Chaplain on bike, and an ancient Sicaran Venator. The Lion and his Bladeguard Veterans hung back in reserves, ready to drop into the simulation field.
"Ugh...you woke me up for this?!"
Perhaps it was the effects of the rumored Stilling that had permeated the Nephilim Sector, which only grew heavier as they neared their destination, but Sir Kanda felt lethargic. Nonetheless, he forced himself into the Throne Mechanicum of his Cerastus Knight Lancer and readied his armor for the training simulation. He knew how dangerous the Necrons could be.
Unfortunately, before he could be fully prepared, his Knight suit took a couple of hits from the Venator, its neutron laser punching scorching holes through the staggering armor. Kanda cried out from the psychostigmatic pain, reeling along with his mount. Worse, a follow-up volley from the Hellblasters left more molten ceramite dripping down the Knight armor. Kanda gritted his teeth, and through the pain, he caught sight of speeding Outriders, the mounted Space Marines pushing their bikes as they turbo boosted ahead. The Interrogator-Chaplain urged them onward, waving his Crozius gleefully as he sought to exploit the momentary vulnerability of the heavily damaged Knight.
"Feth off!" Kanda yelled. Fortunately, he wasn't alone. Under 44-Kariya's command, the Onager Dunecrawler his Skitarii Ranger squad was escorting retaliated with his own neutron laser, which gouged out molten chunks of ceramite and adamantium from the rapidly retreating Venator. Kanda wasn't going to be outdone. Accompanied by a squadron of Sydonian Dragoons, he charged the Outriders, his lance crackling with exotic energies.
The first Outrider was pulverized by the Cerastus Knight Lancer's charge, the shock lance blasting apart his bike and hurling the motionless Space Marine into the air. Sweeping his lance about, Kanda mowed down the remaining squadron of Outriders before stabbing the defiant Interrogator-Chaplain. The valiant Astartes attempted to block with his crozius, but the glowing lance punched through the defensive barrier of his rosary and obliterated the venerable warrior.
Behind, phosphor rounds from the Sydnonian Dragoons forced the Hellblasters to duck, supported from cognis heavy stubber fire from the Onager Dunecrawler. Two of them went down, their power armor buckling, but the remaining managed to seek cover. Unfortunately, they found themselves engaged in combat by the consolidating Cerastus Knight Lancer, with Kanda pushing his grieviously damaged armor to also lock the hapless Venator in close combat. The ancient tank reversed swiftly, swerving out of the deadly lance's trajectory, while the surviving Hellblasters continued to assail Kanda's mount.
Lion El'Jonson and his Bladeguard Veterans appeared in a thunderclap, teleporting right into the battlefield with uncanny precision. The Onager Dunecrawler continued to target the Venator with his neutron laser, but the cognis heavy stubbers turned to pound the newly arrived Bladeguard Veterans with solid slugs. The Skitarii Rangers that served as 44-Kariya's personal squad also turned their prodigious firepower upon them, alongside a second Skitarii Ranger squad that had scouted ahead. The galvanic fire, plasma, arc energies and sniper rounds crashed against the Bladeguard Veterans, even as they blasted apart cyborgs with bolt rounds and volkite. Lion El'Jonson, recognizing the threat the Onager Dunecrawler posed, targeted the walker with his venerable plasma pistol, but the superheated streams dissipated harmlessly against the emanatus forcefield.
Two of the Hellblasters went down to the Cerastus shock lance, but the sergeant was able to dodge the teetering Knight's attack and fire his plasma pistol at pointblank range, to no avail. Kanda scowled and mirrored the attack, lightning leaping from his suit's lance and frying the sergeant. Free from combat, he turned and focused on the fuming Venator, and with a powerful charge, he sent the ancient tank flipping and hurtling across the simulated battlefield.
The Sydnonian Dragoons had turned around and sprinted toward the advancing Lion El-Jonson, who was now butchering the Skitarii Rangers. 44-Kariya blurted for assistance before he was unceremoniously hacked apart by the Lion's blade.
"You suck," Lion El-Jonson sneered. "Then again, what can I expect from tin men?"
The Sydonian Dragoons slammed into him, but he warded their attacks off with the Emperor's shield. Despite his superlative skills, one of the taser lances managed to scour his artificer armor, causing him to stagger and leaving a smear. Snarling, Lion El-Jonson cut them apart with deft strokes of his sword. Despite their bionic endurance, one of the Sydonian Dragoons was hewned apart. Another was blown to bits when Lion El-Jonson pressed his plasma pistol pointblank into his steed and squeezed the trigger. He twirled his blade about and punched it upward, piercing both the Dragoon and its rider, causing him to flail.
As the Dragoons fell, Kanda took their place. His Cerastus Knight Lancer crashed into Lion El-Jonson, who braced for impact and managed to avoid a mortal wound. Before he could counterattack, though, the crackling lance hammered into his side, and despite bringing his shield up, the Lion was sent tumbling. Before he could recover, Kanda's lance cleaved through him.
"Okay, you win." Lion El'Jonson held up both hands, signifying that the simulation had ended. "This was good training practice for my lads, and I've to admit, I'm a little rusty after sleeping for ten thousand years. Thanks for the warmup. I promise I'll do better in the next fight...against the real enemy."
"Thanks." Kanda did a salute with his Cerastus Knight Lancer, holding up the long spear in honor of the Primarch's praise. "I hope we did not disappoint you."
"I certainly hope we sustain far less casualties and damage when we engage in combat within the Nephilim Sector," Sigma 44-Kariya muttered sourly, rubbing his bionic neck and trying to right himself after the beating Lion El'Jonson had dished to him. "I've to say, we've suffered quite the punishing death toll. If this was an actual battle...yeah, this would be bad."
"Right." The Lion nodded. "Thankfully...it's just training. Let's hope the real thing goes better...but I bet it'll just go worse."
Kanda gulped. "God-Emperor protect us all."
"Anyway, this was most enlightening. I'll have to leave. You guys can continue to whatever destination you were heading toward. There are worlds in Nihilus that require our aid, and I'll have to continue fighting there. Till then!"
Lion El'Jonson waved his sword and took his battered sons with him. 44-Kariya, Kanda and the Skitarii watched the Dark Angels depart Theta-Rho's Ark Mechanicus and slip back into the void.
"...what was the point of that?" Kanda wondered out loud.
"A taste of the Pariah Nexus Crusade to come," 44-Kariya replied grimly.
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