Abandonment and Escape

Bang!

A deafening shot tore through the shelter's silence.

The young Rebel Alliance soldier had pulled the trigger in sheer terror. The pistol shot cracked through the enclosed space.

The copper-colored bullet spun into the back of a dark-green armored hand, only to crumple on impact. A fleeting spark flashed across the Adamantium armor.

The armored fist did not budge.

The enormous hand pushed forward. Five fingers sheathed in Titan plating spread wide and effortlessly crushed the makeshift wall of debris.

Metal twisted as the wall collapsed like a brittle biscuit. Through the rising dust came the crash of a metal frame hitting the floor.

Boom!

As the smoke thinned, two towering figures, each nearly nine feet tall, emerged from it.

Yellow-green acid scars covered their dark-green Titan Power Armor. Beneath the cold lights, the Empire's dragon emblems on their breastplates gleamed a dull bronze.

Fragments of Zerg carapace still clung between the teeth of their idle Chainswords. Thick blood dripped from the blades, hissing as it ate charred holes into the floor.

Objects clattered and shattered in the shelter's corners.

The civilians huddled together like frightened animals. Women pulled children behind trembling arms, while men raised steel pipes, clubs, and kitchen knives in vain.

Images from Terran Dominion propaganda flashed through their minds—

These Giants were demons wearing human skin. Butchers who decorated their armor with skulls. Monsters who swallowed people alive.

"The Xenomorph scum outside has been eliminated."

One of the Giants had spoken. His deep voice passed through his helmet's speaker, taking on the distinctive metallic timbre of an Astartes.

He hooked his Chainsword onto the magnetic lock at his waist. Even that simple movement made the crowd recoil.

The servos of his Power Armor hissed softly. He lowered himself onto one knee, flakes of oxidized metal