TURN ONE- Imperial Guard: "Damn this auspex!" an officer swore as he threw it to the ground
in disappointment, then stomped it squarely to silence the continuous and comical pings it
emitted. The army could readily hear the enemy tanks advancing from behind the treeline:
the grinding gears encouraging the birds to take flight above the canopy, the crackling of
shrubs and dead wood under the treads, and the harsh whisper of jump packs. While the
positioning of the Imperial Guard was advantageous, the sun in their eyes was not. The 3rd
Company of Blood Angels remained undetectable, and Captain Villarreal was not about to
waste precious power and ammunition shooting at ghosts or making craters for them to use
as cover.
One trooper on the line nervously rolled a cigarette as he waited for his lasgun to
charge. The tatters of tobacco hybrid danced all over the paper as he stuttered with the
task. "That's their own blood that they drink, right? Not the blood of their
enemies?"
"I heard that they're cannibals," another trooper spat in a thick accent, then
wiped his bristled chin of the dark juice. An eavesdropping green recruit down the line
decided now would be a good time to vomit, as he clutched a picture of his family in a
trembling white-knuckled fist.
"TO ARMS!" the Captain bellowed as he spied a break in the treeline...
TURN ONE- Blood Angels: A battered Rhino crashed through the shrubs, hulking into the clearing like
an enraged beast of the plains. Two canisters on its sides hissed and expelled a rank
breath of smoke. As the Guardsmen focused their sights on this immediate threat, two bands
of Blood Angel scouts sprinted out of the woodland cover as well, their armor strangely
different from a normal Space Marine's...something primitive or perhaps tribal...about it.
Their hair was cropped strangely, and their face paint seemed to have patterns to
it--esoteric to outsiders, but meaningful and perhaps ritualistic to the Blood Angels.
They nimbly wove through the terrain, while with a quick flash of gestures signaled the
rest of the company to advance.
Thoughts of betrayal lingered in the Blood Angels' minds, eliminating any considerations
for mercy. Teeth gnashed and ground like stones as some of the men drove themselves into a
frenzy early to push out the fear of charging a battery of Imperial cannons. Howls
emanated through the trees as the Black Rage twisted and surged among its children like a
malevolent spirit.