W40K: The Fringe Fighter

The Thunderhawk gunship was a beast, surely. The words "Through Ice and Fire" were painted white cross the grey hull. Around her was a dozen shuttles filling up with supplies, equipment, and the company-sized force that was the Fire's military.

Besides Third Eye, all of Delicious's group was going in the gunship. The navigator was to stay aboard to make sure someone was in command of the ship who was smart.

Redneck, as soon as the group boarded along with a pair of troopers, she closed the hatch and leapt into the pilots seat. "Ready ladies?" she shouted back sarcastically.

With that, she gunned the engines, and slid into the blackness of space. The gunship was fast, and it entered the atmosphere quickly and without much trouble.

As they touched down, Mane Fire took point, his Lascarbine out and at the ready. Behind him was Delicious, who, with a rare, antique bolt pistol, was well armed. Serious took point after that, his hoof curled around the handle of his plasma pistol. Redneck followed, a naval pump-action shotgun in her hooves and a medkit on a belt. The two troopers walked out and took point around the door. Norse was the last to leave the ship, covering the rest of the group with his gaze down his long las.

They were on a small tropical island. In the center was a large Eldar structure, a sort of crescent. It was undoubtfully beautiful, but mysterious at the same time. The sand occasionally gave way to small gems. Serious called them Eldar soul stones. They were perfect crystals, in all different colors.

Delicious was fascinated. He had liked shiny objects, but this... This was truly awing.

That was ruined when the crescent sparkled to life, and it showed its true purpose: Teleportation. They were immediately surrounded by swift Eldar. The Thunderhawk didn't have the angle to shoot properly even if it had gunners.

Leading the Eldar was a stallion with a trio of soul stones in his forehead. "I warned you. I may be a pirate, but I will protect my race's belongings! Pony, leave now!" He lowered a nasty looking pistol strait at Delicious's head...

And fell backwards as a bolt round pierced into him, his shoulder exploding as the bolt's explosive triggered. Delicious managed another three shots off before the Eldar opened up. Thankfully, his group found themselves a cluster of rocks to hide in. Today was just his lucky day.

Meanwhile, the Eldar captain stood back up, a terrible grimace of pain and anger across his face. His shoulder was a bloody mess, but it wasn't his gun hoof, and he continued firing.

Unfortunatly for him, Delicious had been taught well by some of the best sharpshooters in the galaxy. The last four bolts in the clip all hit. One in the heart, one in the hoof, one in the belly, and one in between the eyes. Needless to say, any one of those, besides maybe the hoof one, would have killed the Eldar instantly.

Norse fought with prescision accuracy. He held his pistol in one claw and his knife in the other. The pistol forced two of the Eldar to be wounded, and the knife, throw hard, ended one of those two lives.

Mane Fire and Serious both shot at what looked like critical targets, and both did well.

Redneck was almost laughable, shouting curses and insults more then she did shoot..

However, that just urged the Eldar on to better acts. Unfortunatly for them, Mane Fire had made sure that the rest of the group had been closely watched. A trio of Fury Interceptors streaked across the sky, their payload of missiles turning the portal to dust. They were followed by the half dozen of the shuttles, which landed nearby, disgorging a good twenty troopers.

Delicious smiled his cocky smile. "So, Eldar, I know you as ones not to throw their lives away.  So please, lay down your arms, and I will allow you to live."

The Eldar that was probably the lieutenant of the now dead leader shook her head. "You do not understand. We need you to leave! For your sake, so we can defend this planet!"

Delicious blinked. The infamous Eldar logic. "Defend it from what?"

"THEM!" Screamed the Eldar, pointing at the sky.

Delicious had no clue in hell what the shit the thing was. But Mane Fire knew perfectly well. It was a ship, but unlike anything all of them had seen. But it range many bells for Fire. It was a massive crescent, the size of a cruiser. It was black with outlines of green, and already swarmed as fighters prepared to attack.

Mane Fire looked at Delicious, and, for the first time Delicious had know the stern veteran, he was panicked. "Sir, I know what these are! I fought them once before, and they are extremely deadly! We will need the Eldar's help on this one!"

Delicious turned toward him, curious more then scared. "What? What are they?"

Mane Fire uttered a single word that sent shivers down Delicious's spine, and made him consider something up ahead was going to be hard.

"Necrons."