Full Frontal Assault

The skies were blackened in silver light. Glimmered in gold they came, his sons. As the drop pods landed, the beast was released. His tactical marines brought forth flexibility. Assault marines brought forth terror at close range. Devastator marines eliminated any direction they're pointed at with heavy weapons.

Each squad consisted of ten marines, one being a Sergeant– identified by a helmet as black as the night. Each with a different role. The Assault squads were quick and deadly, tying up their enemies in melee, aiming for vulnerable positioning in enemy formations. The Tactical squads were the bread and butter Flexible, responsive, and the most common of the Legion. Wielding mostly bolters and bolt pistols and combat blades for potential close range combat, they are the power tools for any job. Lastly were the Devastators. Equipped with heavy weaponry, they provide support for battlines as well as act as an anti-armor solution.

A symphony of testosterone as brothers landed onto the Earth's crust. Each step they took was like a 6.6 dB bass drop. They were accompanied by the slow rumble of ten thousand tons of raw vengeance. Rhinos and Razorbacks made traveling a cinch. Whirlwinds and Predators laid down unsurmountable firepower in such a small chassis. Stalkers and Hunters played their role in this battle as pesky Battledrones and Gunships exited underneath the outpost.

All guns were working overtime as Duraeus's marines dropped from the heavens; as his armored superiority rolled out from the woods. It sent out ads of its own. Battledrones and Gunships were computer operated aerial units that fired lasers. They were abysmal in numbers, drowning areas in its own personal laser show. They weren't the only ones exiting from underneath the outpost. A multitude of ants and spiders dropped from the main deployment zone, that being a giant red circle in the middle of the outpost's stomach. Where the aerial units deployed from multiple hatches from all sides running down below, land focused units had one large spawn point.

Two never seen before units of the Primers, Cosmonauts and Colonists have entered the fray. Humanoid frogs the size of small buildings named Colonist in accordance with EDF data files. Rupture guns, laser double barrel shotgun with 40 projectiles each shot. Ether guns were 15 round burst lasers, a standard weapon among the colonists. Long-Range Cannon, a shoulder mounted plasma artillery, firing slow projectiles with massive fire power.

Armored in a combative space suit, they are harder to kill than the Colonist. Cosmonauts carried better equipment aside from just armor. Ether Rifles were significantly more accurate; its 15 round burst being denser than the gun variant. The Rupture gun; similar in name to its colonist variant, the cosmonaut variant had a tighter spread at the cost of half the pellets to its colonist counterpart. Coming at a faster rate of fire, it should not be dealt with at close range. The Raster Cannon, a shoulder fired focused beam that deals continuous damage at its targets. Adding on a flashing effect, if one were to survive the initial blast of three seconds, the blinding effect would make targeting the cosmonaut with the Raster Cannon difficult.

These were the basic variants of the Colonist and Cosmonauts. They dropped from the outpost like a spawner from Minecraft. As an additional added feature, both colonists and cosmonauts can regenerate their limbs if left unattended.

A symphony of destruction. Ballistic projectiles, plasmas, lasers, nothing we held back. It was the single biggest battle this world has seen yet. It was all seen by everyone.

Nearby Bastions prepared for a potential assault. These… 'Monsters' they dubbed weren't to be underestimated. They made Bastion Tempest a joke, leaving broken tanks and damaged equipment as they failed to contain such monstrosity. Lies, all of them. All but one Bastion did as they were told. While every other Bastion readied their guns, Tempest licked their wounds. They repaired their equipment, the retreating forces from the outpost battle were being healed and mourned. This didn't come without consequence. Dezmond and co. were demonted– no, kicked out. As for the rest of their men, they were stripped of their EDF title as well. Records of their attempted containment were dubbed a farce, guilty under association, they were no longer soldiers. Bastion Tempest, found itself under new management, forever lost its gritty integrity.

Given the war, they weren't executed.

Dezmond, Esmeralda, Chris, as well as the other former soldiers that followed suit didn't know what fate had instored for them. They headed north east, the battlefield between the alien and the Legion. There, their fates will be built anew– a split path with only one choice being the correct one. That being a new set of military prowess, a bond between man and machine– Pilot… and Titan.

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"We might have just pissed off the bear," an unknown man comments.

A dark room, veiling the faces of six individuals. Just as the room was dark, so were their hearts. These were the higher ups of the EDF organization. Back in the infancy of the world, the Primers were revered as gods. As time and tech evolved, they were no longer venerated into such heights… at least not by many.

"A bear is underselling the fuck up we just put ourselves in," a femanine voice corrected the first.

All hummed in agreement. A large screen playing clips of Predator tanks firing Twin-Lascannons to what would be the knee of the outpost, crippling its movement. Another screen showed half a company of Assault marines manually destroying the guns of the outpost– those mad lads. Enmassed bloodshed of ants, spiders, colonists, and cosmonauts below the outpost as they were being spawn camped. Some aren't even able to touch the ground before being shredded into a billion pieces by bolter fire alone. The drones weren't fairing well either. Stalkers made short work of them and the hunters were downright diabolical, focusing all missiles on the hatches of which they come from. Whirlwinds do what they do best, absolutely bombarding the living shit out the outpost and anything near it.

"If the machines and pawns of the Faceless Angel can't even conjure up a fraction of resistance, what more can we do with our current technology."

Silence brewed, nothing else needed to be said.

They simply fucked around, now they're about to finding out.

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"You guys in?"

A question asked by their father. A stupid one, 

"Yes father," all answered in sync.

"Good, fight alongside your brothers, my orders will be relayed within time."

"Aye" 4x

Over the month of commissions and nest raids they've done, Durueas has accumulated dozens of purchases in the tech-tree:

[Liberian pack] - Field Liberians with a multitude of weapons and metal abilities.

[Techmarines pack] - Field Techmarines with a multitude of weapons and constructive abilities.

[Apothecaries pack] - Field Apothecaries with a multitude of weapons and restorative abilities.

[Chaplains pack] - Field Chaplains with a multitude of weapons and morale abilities.

[Land-Speeder pack] - Field Land-Speeders, reconnaissance and fast attack vehicles, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Dreadnought pack] - Field Dreadnoughts, walking sarcophagus tanks, with all upgrades and weapons available. 

[Mortis Dreadnought pack] - Field Mortis Dreadnoughts, walking dedicated firing support, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought pack] - Field Deredeo Dreadnoughts, walking heavy support, with all upgrades and weapons available. 

[Fellblade pack] - Field Fellblades, super heavy tanks, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Falchion pack] - Field Falchions, super heavy tank destroyers, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Mastodon pack] - Field Mastodons, heavy tank transport, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Thunderfire Cannon pack] - Field Thunderfire Cannons, small mobile artillery, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Land Raider pack] - Field Land Raiders, armored personnel carrier, with all upgrades and weapons available. 

[Land Raider Terminus Ultra pack] - Field Land Raider Terminus Ultras, anti-armor vehicle, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[3x Blessed Gun] - Increases the penetration scaling of all marine range weapons as well as their base damage.

[It's Personal] - Increased the melee damage of all melee weapons marines can use.

[4x Blessed Armor] - Increases the armor scaling of the marines.

[Scout Marine upgrade pack] - Field Scout marines, recon units, with all upgrades and weapons available.

[Universal Item Siphon] - Any kill made by marines under your command automatically siphon any item into your inventory.

There's no short of potential firepower Dureaus has that could shake the world. This time, he opted for a more numbers approach than immediately fielding 20 Fellblades or ten Librarians.

Dembit, Frymrorth, Xarvass, and Aze went off to lead two chapters worth of marines. Their Primarch watched like a father seeing off their child to college.

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The tone of voice is everything when it comes to communication. Saying "I love you" could mean many things when read in between the lines. A low, indifferent connotation– a lie. Vibrant, blinding in the ears– platonic, maybe meaning every syllable. Play with it, see the results. A voice is a powerful tool to get a point across.

That's how it was for the four temporary Dragon Primes– or Lieutenant Commanders. The marines themselves were doing fine without a leading figure, it's how they were taught. But now, with the respective synchronization of the four brothers we know of, they were like a well oiled machine. These were just normal marines; aside from sergeants, there's no higher chain of command.

The appearance of a sudden terminator shook awe within the ranks of marines. A Sternguard, Vanguard, and even a Bladeguard vet. To everyone else, they just saw celebrities. The marines that just spawned, very brief details were sent to them via vox channels from none other than their gene-sire. So little outside knowledge, like how the original four were like at the time of their first combat.

They strode in the ranks firing their bolters, fighting alongside their newly deployed brothers. A new found spirit lit their will asunder into new heights.

Duraeus kept a distance, opting to lead this time instead of being in the fray.

All anti-armor weapons like lascannons directed their rage towards the legs of the outpost. They were bombarded like sprinkling rain, only not as harmless.

—Boom!

One by one, it was crippled. It knew it as well as it desperately churned out more units of its own… but to no avail.

"I WANT ALL ANTI-AIR UNITS FIRING ON THEM DRONES! PREDATORS AND DEVASTATORS, FOCUS FIRE ON THE GUNS AND ASSAULT MARINES, SHOW THEM THE TRUE MEANING OF CLOSE COMBAT!" Duraeus barked his orders as he watched in command view. 

It was chaos incarnate. The spawn rate of aliens and insects rapidly increased, seemingly to no end. But so did the bolters.

The sky was still littered with drop pods as not all of the marines landed yet with occasional thunderhawk support.

"50 companies worth of marines move underneath the damned thing and shoot the spawner of which those misbegotten kinds come from. Xarvass, Aze, Frymrorth, and Dembit move up and support them. My guns will support you all."

From all sides, multiple sets of marines charged while firing their bolters. The Keepers lead the charge, aggroing the first few guns attached to the belly-side of the outpost.

"Brother Xarvass, spread your wings brother!"

Upon Frymrorths encouragement, Xarvass sprang forth, cutting the guns firing upon them with the help of his jump pack. Assault marines joining in on the fun, albeit not as skilled. Opting to go for the foolish monsters running around.

"Marines, cover our brothers while they wet their blades!" Aze commanded.

"RALLY SQUAD!" Dembit placed down the Legions banner.

"YOU'RE WEAPONS ARE WEAK LIKE YOUR MOTHER'S BACKSIDE!" Frymrorth taunted.

Dembit couldn't help but look at him, "Bro… you need to get better at that."

"Then explain that?" Frym countered.

Turning around, all guns were pointed in his general direction. Dembit turned back in disbelief, only to receive taunting nods from his brother, "You were saying?"

"You two, focus!"

Under Aze's words, the two got back to work. Dembit worked overtime keeping the tact and devastator marines safe from projectiles. Frymrorth worked in keeping all the guns at him.

"Keep away from me, brothers!" Frymrorth ordered, not wanting his fellow brothers to get caught in the crossfire.

Whilst Frymrorth kept them busy, Aze looked upon the red glow underneath the outpost. No comment, he raises his bolter and fires, everything slowing down around him as he perceives it. Most able to follow his example, firing their bolters, lascannons, and heavy bolters upon the red glow.

"~Aaaaand done!"

—RRRRRVV!

Xarvass cut down the last of the guns on the underbelly. Landing on rubble, his fellow marines landed beside him, the ones cutting guns and xenos alongside him. 

They came up to him, "How shall we address you sir?"

"Good question… hey father, you've never really clarified what rank I am, as well as the other three… Keepers… Praetors– ok, understood," Xarvass turns to them, "I am a Keeper of the Dragon, Xarvass. And you are?"

The marines blackened helm tilts down, "I am Sgt. Glasken, Keeper Xarvass."

"Well met Glasken, you and your marines fought well– albeit with some scratches."

"We aren't as skilled as you, Keeper."

"Bah– nonsense, coming out with only a scratch is a testament of your skills, you honor the dragon's will as well as the Emperor's. Don't hide it."

Glasken looks at Xarvass's visors, "Your words honor us."

Xarvass surveys the battlefield. On the outskirts, rays of fire from their side increased in intensity since the last minutes or so. More tanks and brothers have landed and joined the fray and the outpost seems to have weakened in guns as not many are returning fire. As a matter of fact, more and more Rhinos and Razorbacks are dropping off marines as he stood there– coming closer and closer as they moved upon the outpost crippled body.

Looking up, the red glow falters here and now as internal explosions are heard upon the outpost. Internal…

"Say Sgt, want an even bigger challenge?" Xarvass asked

Glasken, puzzled, followed Xarvass's sight. His eyes widened in disbelief as he put the pieces together before turning to his brothers, "Care for another joy ride brothers?"

A wave of revving answered his call, prompting him to look back, "We are under your care, Keeper." Glasken couldn't help but smile in anticipation.

"ON ME BROTHERS!"

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"Father!" 

"Aze?"

"Xarvass just entered the outpost through the underbelly"

"He WHAT!"