The Drukhari offensive surged in like a tide. In the opening stages of the battle, the Kabals felt as though a windfall had dropped into their laps. Every warrior riding a vehicle could look to either side and see thousands of "gold prospectors."
It gave them the illusion that if they did not act quickly, there would not even be scraps left for them.
Renowned Kabal champions plunged into the Battle Barge. They failed to realize that the reason no Drukhari had emerged from the ship might not be that they were busy "feasting," but that...
The cries of the crew and auxiliary troops misled the enemy. The ease with which the outer defenses fell made them think this was a gift delivered to their doorstep. But when they charged into areas that controlled the ship's movement, including the command center, power conduits, and engine compartments, concentrated firepower and inescapable flames turned those places into a hell of death.
The battle-brothers aboard this Battle Barge had a very clear plan. This ship was meant to serve as a target. All they needed to do was drive it deeper into enemy territory. Even as a wreck, this warship would be the Chapter's bridgehead.
Before the warship entered unfamiliar territory, they had done one thing: emptied the warehouses and moved everything into the areas they guarded.
Now, even veterans of a hundred years had never fought with such lavish supplies. They fired from beside their stockpiles.
They could not use it all up. Not even close.
Bolter barrels glowed red, Plasma Cannons overloaded, heavy lascannons entered cooldown, and Direct-Fire Missiles emptied one Missile Pod after another.
Storms of death mingled with lethal radiation in the scorching air. Blood vapor and shattered bodies danced in the turbulent astral gales. The Astartes had created