Lost In The Sand

Alarms blared in the Thunderhawk gunship. The craft struggled to maintain altitude, steadily dropping through thick, green clouds that were filled with bolts of lightning and drawing ever closer to the barren surface of Taali.

"Pilot," spoke Sergeant Talthor, "what's going on?" Talthor braced himself against the grey steel wall of the transport bay in the back of the Thunderhawk. His red MK VII Power Armor was covered in black blood mixed with orange slime.

"Pilot?" he said again.

The ship shuddered, forcing the other Space Marines in the bay to reach for their harnesses. Talthor didn't strap himself in--not yet. He was a Blood Angel. And he didn't want to wear his harness.

"Throne of Terra!" said Rumid, a fellow battle brother. He pulled the harness belt tight across his armor. "What did we get into?"

"I don't know," answered Talthor as the Thunderhawk shook again. "The Warp storm must have caught us--" his words were cut off. The Thunderhawk pitched violently, forcing Talthor to cling to a hand hold. He had already stowed his bolt pistol and chainsword before removing his helmet, but he put his helmet back on to check his vox channels. His heads-up-display showed that his vox was fine.

"Pilot, report," he said.

"Sorry, sir . . . a little busy . . . stand by," came the reply.

Talthor cast a glance at his combat squad waiting resolute in their power armor. He dropped his head and cursed their luck. He and his men along with a detachment of several tactical squads from 4th Company had been deployed for the last eight months on Gui IV. An Ork War Boss had taken his WAAGH! for a ride in a Space Hulk. Eventually his band of warriors had come to rest on Gui IV, but not before the Hulk broke up and scattered his forces all over the planet. Talthor, his fellow Blood Angels, a group of Ultramarines, and several Imperial Guard divisions mopped up the disjointed Orks.

The noise of the engines increased while the Thunderhawk continued to lose altitude. Talthor and his squad had been extracted only minutes before, then the ship strayed into a fast approaching Warp storm, or so Talthor had guessed, and been thrown off course to an unknown realm.

"We must be damaged," said Cuen. "The engines don't sound good." The yellow glow from his "eyes" of the helmet illuminated the dim bay. Half the lights cut out when the trouble started.