Stormbirds plunged into the planet's atmosphere like scythes of death, leaving white trails behind them as they streaked past.
Their speed was so great that their armored hulls rubbed violently against the air, generating terrifying heat and flames.
Like blazing meteors, they raced across the sky.
The Stormbirds locked onto the Ork fortress on the ground and initiated their bombing runs.
Lasers, missiles, and bombs rained down upon their designated targets.
Small mushroom clouds rose from the ground as bridges cracked apart and buildings collapsed.
The surface defense systems activated. Crude Ork artillery roared in unison, filling the sky with lasers and a sea of explosive fire.
Shielded by small energy barriers, the Stormbirds burst through the aerial inferno, circled around, and continued bombing the ground, drawing a wave of fire away from the incoming Thunderhawk Gunships.
When the Thunderhawk Gunships reached an altitude of four hundred meters, their hatches opened.
The ground fire was too intense for the Gunships to land, so the Primaris Space Marines could only jump from that height.
Argentius activated the magnetic locks on his boots, using their pull to keep himself steady inside the Thunderhawk Gunship.
The Thunderhawk shook violently. Even with its shields raised and moving at high speed, it was difficult to evade all the Orks' firepower.
Everyone knew Orks had terrible aim.
But they had so much firepower that saturation bombardment was bound to hit something.
"For the honor of Ultramar, for the honor of the Silver Skulls!" Argentius shouted. "Move! We need to land as quickly as possible and seize the anti-aircraft artillery positions."
"For the Emperor!" a battle-brother shouted. He broke into a run, the servos in his armor bearing his weight and propelling him forward.
As he neared the hatch, he suddenly leaped out.
The other brothers followed