Battle brother Aurellius.

I got this sudden urge to begin the forum roleplaying and games section with a game some of you might have played in one form or another.
A common version is this one, a short part of a story is written on the top of a paper, then it is folded so only a small section is still visible to the next person which the next person bases his/her part of the story on. Then it is passed on a few times until a fully incoherent masterpiece is born.

I will call this one battle brother Aurellius.

These are the specific rules of this forum game.

1) Apart from general GK forum rules, you may not end the story.
2) The story must make some sort of sense. No huge amount of strange portals (only once per week/month/10th to 20th post depending on post rate.) Not too much name-dropping is allowed either.
3) Aurellius is just a space marine, and as such have to settle for normal space marine powers. He might aquire others in his career, but for starters he is just a space marine.

Continuity tips.
Use this kind of style when someone is talking.
-"I am speaking words." Said TGKVITST.
-"So am I." Spoke Aurellius.

Try to end your post with...............

If for any reason you want to speak off topic, only bring up necessary info, and do it like this.
[OOC: This is an Out Of Context message, it informs you of stuff.]

On popular demand you can ask me to end the game, but preferably it should have gotten somewhere before that happens.
I will act as GM, and i can change the story any way i want. (Literally, i'm admin , but that's cheating.) If i say something didn't happen and was just a dream, respect that. I will only do this if i feel it the wrong kind of retarded or too over the top.

Other than that, you have free reigns of the fate of Aurellius in short bursts, this is hopefully gonna turn out some kind of amazingly fun over the top story which ridicule 40k as much as it pays homeage to it

Character and chapter background.
Battle brother Aurellius is a tactical marine of the awesome marines.

The awesome marines are a successor chapter of the storm ravens, but have little of their tactics in their forces and generally only have the iconography from them.
The chapter mark of the awesome marines is a red eagle with a brown background.
The chapter colours are brown, with purple lining. Yellow and a few other colours are prominent on their chapter specific helmets. The MK3 Awesome pattern aquila helm.

The chapter is filled with proud traditions, but by far their proudest is the ritual of "The whining deeps."
When an initiate is considered ready to join the ranks of the battle brothers of the chapter, he is to rise atop the 256 steps of trial until he reaches the top of the hall of whining deeps.
The reasoning it is 256 steps is often debated between it being the 256 trials the emperor undertook to unify ancient terra, or the second, fifth and sixth battles the emperor fought.
Some (like the chapter techpriests, but what do they know?) proclaim that it only required 256 steps to build that stairwell, it has no symbolism at all.
Such unbelievers are hushed and dishonored.
When all the steps have been surmounted. The final trial begins. The prayer of the awesome marine begins, the initiate is to sing this loud and proud. Since it speaks of the founding of their chapter, how this chapter would be... the awesome marines. (Some people.... again mostly techpriests claim it was only some hiver kids that had gotten hold of the data unit before it got to the chapter to inform them of their name. Again such unbelievers of the emperors majesty are hushed and spoken ill of.)

Then, the initiate will jump..... head first.
Since the emperor protects his loyal followers.
Here the reason it is called the hall of the whining deeps emerge, since the air seems to whine, hum, sing the hymns of the emperor.
The initiate will then crash violently into the copper floor. The copper floor is an ancient relic from old times
If the initiate survives, he should have gotten the blessing of the chapter, a deformation of the head that only the awesome marines carry. It is their sacrifice for the emperor.
They sacrifice their old face, for a new one. To better serve the emperor.

How this ritual emerged is unknown.
Some doubt the religious qualities of the hall of whining deeps. (Mostly techpriests, those damn techpriests.) Claiming that the hymns that can be heard is just air rushing past the ears while plummeting towards the ground. How the initiates survive this as often as they do they find miraculous, but in no way doubt how the massive smash-in of their heads will severely hamper their memory of the experience.
Again, such disbelievers are hushed and spoken ill of. But never in their presence.

Then the ritual of heraldry begins.
This is where the helmet is painted in a fearsome battle visage, to scare their enemies.
The most common iconography chosen is the emperors trinity. This is a deeply religious version of the three strengths of the emperor. As represented by three half ovals, since he is half in body, as the space marines are half in spirit since the primarchs were lost.
The two top ovals are sitting next to each other. And represents purity and prayer. A black dot in each represent the inherent struggle all of the emperors followers must deal with.
The lower half oval is much larger, upside down and red with a symbolic fist in its inside. This represents the struggle of the emperor and his beloved sons, the space marines.

Another common heraldric icon is a red circle, within a red circle, within a red circle on a white background.
This represents the different layers of his devotion, and how you should devote your might as well for the imperium.

This is a proud example of heraldry, battle brother Aurellius of the awesome marines.


Battle brother Aurellius remebers little before the ritual of the whining deeps. But he remembers he got a vision in that moment.

When he had landed, he saw a bright light bathe the area, and its middle a stalwart man with crimson wings approached him, and with a sovereign voice asked.
-"Are you alive?"
This is something Aurellius often asks himself, and asks others in his mind. If someone is truly alive, if they are truly showing their devotion fully. Or lacking, and therefore not fully alive?

The magos biologis that was overseeing Aurellius when he healed from the ritual claims it was him that the young space marine had seen when he had gone over to the probably dead initiate and shining him in the face with a lumo-torch, simply asking if he was alive.

Aurellius claims the magos is mocking his vision, and it was a much more spiritual meaning behind it.

The magos had then agreed that, and Aurellius quotes. -"And hitting your head from a 256 feet drop can't have anything to do with it?"
And Aurellius knew, it had not.

Currently, the company battle brother Aurellius is in currently sails through the empty void of space in a strike cruiser.
Aurellius sleeping in his quarters, since unlike other chapters the awesome marines take pride in having only one marine in each squad. That way they can wield many more squads. Some squads even consisting mainly of librarians or chaplains.
The vehicles are mostly driven by servitors, since the chapter has a strong relation to the techpriests of mars. And are often guided by their wisdom in the awesome marines wars against evil!

And so it begins.
___________________________________________

Battle brother Aurellius awoke suddently in his simple bed, sweating profusely after having another strange dream.

After a quick prayer he arose and dressed in his power armour. Three servitors in his room making the task easy and quick. For the power armour is the ceremonial resting gown of the awesome marines. As is it the ceremonial prayer, study, work and exercise gown of the chapter.
The only time it is actually not worn is when in heavy sleep. Which is rather seldom.

Aurellius walked though the mostly empty corridors of the strike cruiser. A single servitor some times passing in the lanes.

Then, Aurellius was approached by someone from behind, lightly tapping his shoulder...................

[OOC: LOL EPIC]

.......... behind him was battle brother Tyreon, whom had approached him regarding his new assignment.

-"Greetings battle brother Aurellius." Said Tyreon. Shortly after answered by Aurellius.
-"Gretting brother Tyreon. Why have you approached me, is something the matter?"

Tyreon smiled.... at least he probably smiled, it's complicated when the helmet is on and it is a feature-less plain surface painted with a red circle, within a circle within a circle.

-"I just wondered how you feel being sent down to the planet with just your squad?" Asked Tyreon.
-"Ah.... it is a great feeling since it is my first real test of mettle, the first time i am sent down as the only squad! I feel proud and strong!" Battle brother Aurellius proudly mentioned with his hand on his heart. He continued.
-"But always there is a worry. What would happen if i fail? What to happen if i die in battle? Will i truly be alive?"

-"Ah, you think of your old vision again? I liked that one, your version is so much better than that silly techpriest one." Tyreon mentioned.
-"Yeah.... that silly techpriest." Battle brother Aurellius responded.

After 3,12 seconds of awkward silence, they stepped aside and bowed to each other and then went their separate paths.

Battle brother Aurellius was now once more moving towards................

........... the training decks. To further work on his combat prowess.

He thought if he was going to fight three combat prowess five servitors, or one at combat prowess seven?

Deeply in his thoughts, he didn't see the rather unstrategically placed barnter peel, no doubt eaten by a careless tech priest and then tossed aside for a servitor to clean up.

(The barnter fruit is a rather elongated slightly curved yellow fruit with a slightly poisonous skin, it is generally peeled before eating.)

Aurellius suddenly started skidding accross the room, falling backwards in a rather impressive backflip crashing down into a drop pod which immidiately went into red alert and launched. The circuits damaged from the mass of a falling space marine.

Before Aurellius had fully grasped what was happening, he was streaking towards the planet below in a awesome marines squad carrier drop pod. Rather cramped it was, since it was designed for just a single marine and he had entered it upside down..........


[OOC: Come on, i didn't do this to just make a short story myself, if i wanted that i'd just do that come on, don't be shy!]

[OOC: I do find this stuff fun to do, but considering my 40K fluff knowledge is basically zilch, I would probably end up with more Star Trek references than 40k ones. As such I will observe for now, as hilarity shall eventually ensue.]

........ The jettesson of the drop pod is indicated in control by the smallest flashing circuit of a distant panel - not something that would ever escape the vigilance of Brother Captain Dougal, officer of the watch.

He raises the pod on the visual monitor whilst checking it's telemetary at his console.

'Control to pod, explain the unauthorised launch'

met with a groan he raises his head quixically from the pod read-outs. There is something blocking the monitor, he adjusts the scope for a wider angle.

Dougal's keen eye slowly makes sense of the scene in front of him. Though wearing power armour every day of his adult life he had rarely seen it at this angle before. Every Awesome marine suit bears it's serial insignia - even when presented with just a fellow marine's inverted codpiece on screen (and especially with the close up afforded him) Dougal quickly assertained the occupant of the stray pod.

'Aurellius, report' Douglal condescended, mustering all his years of sacred training to not laugh at his battle bother's predicamant.

Aurellius now sweating profusely had been trying to right himself in the capsule but was now entering the atmosphere of the planet below. The interia holding him fast.

'sir, erm......'

'I think i'm stuck'

came the response

'you make planetfall in 10 seconds brace for landing - if you survive you will go into chapter history, no-one has attempted orbital deployment headfirst before. Awesome out'..........

..........

With those last words battle brother Aurellius began to feel a bit unnerved, and this wasn't really a very glorious way to go if that was to be the case.

Ten seconds isn't really that long though and from the ground a burning cocoon shaped object could be seen.
With a mad hizzing the high speed and fire superheated the air around the fiery prison of the awesome marine inside. With a earth shattering kaboom the pod crashed into the ground.

Several moments passed, the fire had died down very shortly after contact with the ground, and the only sound the pod made was a hizzing from both its boiling hot surface and the servos of the door.

With a groan, a voice echoed inside with a muffled metallic noise.

-"Ow............"

[OOC: YAY, someone else posted, i was starting to fear it was only me who wanted an rpg section , and Alladin, do know that this won't always be fluff correct (just look at the awesome marines FFS) so a few outside references could be added, just as long as it keeps with the story.]

.................. The hissing kept going for a while, and smoke was rising from a damaged servo outside on the hull.

A loud clang was suddenly and abruptly thrown out from the now open drop pod, and lay hissing on the ground beneath the heavy adamantium reinforced door.

Followed shortly by a proud and noble awesome marine..... whom sort of poured out from the open pod, with a rattling and scraping sound followed by a deep groan.

The scene was rather calm in a way, battle brother Aurellius had in a way become one with the door of the drop pod, and calmly looked up on the sky.

Unbeknownst to him though, was that in the shrubbery......................

[OOC: Hmm, no one is really getting on the train here.... it matters not, you will eventually....... SLAVES!......... *cough* yes, i am Klomster. I have hair.]

[OOC: A SHRUBBERY! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQfGd3G6dg]

[OOC: Realising that perhaps it should have been the "Surrounding shrubs" or "In the fooliage around him." or something similar. A shrubbery is rather silly, but it could be another scene altogether Come on guys help me out here!]

............ two suspectful eyes watched the angel of the emperor rise from the wreckage. The eyes were old and troubled, and left before the honored battle brother Aurellius of the awesome marines could notice them.

With a cough or three battle brother Aurellius stood up and wiped some soot from his armour, he was unscathed, except for his pride that had taken a critical wound. He felt dead on the inside.

But that mattered not, he was a space marine.... and an awesome marine at that. A mere hurt pride won't bring a full squad of the emperors finest down.
Aurellius got going, moving through the foliage was no easy task, even for an awesome marine, and the path ahead was perilous and tiresome.

Battle brother Aurellius of the awesome marines walked for hours, his suit comm didn't work. The ship was in orbit and could not be reached with a simple helmet comm system.
Aurellius switched back to his squad intercom, and made a full checkup on the entire squad.

-"Squad check, everyone aye!" Aurellius spoke out loud, waiting for his squad to answer.
After a few seconds, he stepped two meters to the left, facing his previous position.
-"Battle brother Aurellius, Aye." He yelled out loud.
He then resumed his first position, and continued.
-"Good, all present and accounted for! SQUAD MOVE OUT!!!" Battle brother Aurellius shouted out with great enthusiasm, and got a morale boost from knowing that the entire squad was fine and cheering him on!

He needed to get to somewhere which could boost his signal strength, so he could contact the ship again to send down a thunderhawk or something.

Then suddenly, through the foliage he saw, perched atop a hill............

......... a familiar silouette against the horizon. An outpost.

Imperial architecture however dreary was a welcome sight for the forlorn Awesome marine.

As Aurellius circled the hilltop station he realised the structure had been compromised. The perfect exterior was a facade as the whole far side had long since collapsed. What manner of weaponry could have reduced half of such a bastion to slag and rubble? A quiet state of alert became the Awesome marine as he inched closer, climbing silently. There were no indications of life. He cautiously moved to enter the exposed far side.

As he crossed the threshold his armour hummed and an irridescent light arched across him - as though he had moved through a force field of some sort. Aurellius immediatley retracted his last step, or at least tried to but was unable!

His armour clammered against the invisible wall and sent an arc of green lightning like a ripple. He watched in wonder as the ripple grew to a wave and the wave was racing above and beyond his head in a vast span and kept rolling, far past the limitations of his enhanced space marine eyes. Grabbing some masonry from the derelict structure he tested the height of the giant globe he was now trapped by - this sent another - smaller ripple through the field.

The disruption he was causing had not gone unnoticed. A ferocious scream rang out from the valley below that rocked him to his core. There was only one creature in the galaxy that hit that pitch and the noise heralded death. Somewhere, lurking in the deep jungle was a Screamer Killer! A Carnifex!

The eyes that had been covertly observing all of the Awesome marines movements towards the bastion and into the field dropped its cloaked head in seance:
"He has arrived, it begins"........

.... moving on instincts alone, killer instincts, the beast moved forward to meet the soldiers of the emperor. It felt confortable that way, stalking, smashing, hunting for prey. There was no other force in this galaxy that caused such pleasure to these beasts, and yet it was a necessary pleasure making the hunt that much more enjoyable. Without its prey the beast and countless others could not survive. It is the circle of life, a vicious circle in which they have the upper hand.

With a low frequency scream, it summoned the others. Suddenly what seemed the attack of one mounstrous creature, became an ambush of countless teeths and claws.......

......... beastly multi-limbed monstrosities and a completly alien menace lurking behind the veil of what seemed real.

Battle brother Aurellius moved to the only fully standing wall of the structure and looked down upon the valley through a smashed window.

What was approaching could not be seen with the eye since there was a lush forest canopy in the way, but racing towards his position was something big. Pushing trees so hard the canopy tops were swaying wildly, betraying that something big was coming, and simple trees would not stop it.

Somewhere around here battle brother Aurellius started to get a bit nervous, and visibly swalloved his instincts which were yelling at him RUN YOU FOOL RUN!
But instincts were beneath someone as as skilled as an angel of the imperium, and non the less, an awesome marine!

Battle brother Aurellius prepared for the beast to come, not knowing of the horde of lesser beasts also to join the fray.

He reached for his weapons, and..............

........ there was nothing.

This was something he didn't expect, and quickly looked at where his nice big bolter should be.

He made a rather silly pirouette while desperately trying to look beneath his left armpit, but to no avail, there simply was no bolter, there.

Battle brother Aurellius now seemed to realise his situation and simply stared at the lack of weapons in his hands and screamed.

-"GAAAAAAAAHH!!" But he quickly silenced himself with a well placed slap and regained his posture.

He checked his other side, and lo, there was a combat knife.

Battle brother Aurellius grabbed his mighty blade forged by the master artisans of his chapter...... or actually techpriests. But awesome marines never give any credit to tech priests. Since they look funny.

With his mighty blade pointed towards his enemies, battle brother Aurellius prepared for the gruesome onslaught, and the great beast that led them.

How would this battle end, a whole squad of awesome marines, against a full brood of tyranids led by nothing less than a screamer killer carnifex...............

................. the situation was tense, battle brother Aurellius could feel his nerves tingling.
He was ready! Ready to fight!! Ready to DIE!!!..... well not die yet, he hadn't payed back the 15 thrones he owed sergeant Gavin of 231st squad. And Gavin was not the sort to let one get away with a debt simply because you died.

He stood there for a while, and then he realised.

The tyranids were easily 3 minutes away, and they seem to have taken a long route and found some snacks along the way.

Battle brother Aurellius humoured himself with imaginations of how the carnifex was asking some of the local fauna of the way, perhaps exhanging one if its gaunts as a bribe.

THIS IS SILLY! Battle brother Aurellius suddenly realised, shaking of his smug smile and once more regaining his posture.
These are minions of the great devourer, and they are soon upon this position. It is time to act!

Battle brother Aurellius quickly searched the ruins, and found some twigs, an iron bar some wire and a grenade.
HAHA! He thought and quickly set up a trap.

Whe he was done, he resumed the old position, with combat blade in hand and just about to think 'come get some' when the screamer killer suddenly burst out of the foliage downhill, and let out a horrible rooar that simultaneously screamed at a completely different pitch.
Along with the huge monstrosity, gaunts with bladed limbs and strange ranged weapons ran out around it, scuttling and keeping a low profile against the ground, the hillside was soon covered with them, and the carnifex followed suite.

The tide of beasts were almost upon battle brother Aurellius, and only seconds before the first gaunt rushed through the force screen........................

....... The hill was alive. Aurellius had never seen such a number.

'A gaggle of Gaunts?'

He pondered his plural's, then mentally slumped in despair - that his last thoughts would be so trite.

The creatures launched themselves towards the first floor of the structure, at their prey - the marine closed his eyes and swung his knife.

A boom of energy rang out, as though a power fist had just made contact! Momentarilly Aurellius fancied this to be his devastating blow! Looking down he realised this was not the case. The force field had repulsed the charging horde with explosive power.

Limbs, teeth and claws were rebounding from the invisible wall with a flash and snowballing back down the escarpment. Our hero, never too busy to be distracted by the whimsical or ridiculous mustered a chuckle as each wave suffered the same fate, unperturbed by the failure of those before them.

The Carnifex had scrambled to the summit, dicing and stomping it's minions that we're flying back down as if from a catapult.

The creature was immense. Far in excess of reported taxonamy on the genus. Could it be the biggest of it's kind? Surely not, it occured to Aurellius that no-one had survived to tell of such a beast.

Nonchalantly he watched it reach the field with all the fervour of its predecessors. He waited for the huge boom but it never came! It crossed the threshold and made directly towards the upper floors - towards Aurellius!

Why had this creature made it through where so many others had failed? As though the arcane technology of the field was being manipulated by some higher power.

Fight or flight? Armed as he was and faced with the titanic proportions of his hunter, Aurellius leapt from the onrushing claws. A frustrated roar rose in pitch and produced a belch of venom which slagged his landing.

Controlling the fall as best he could into a roll the marine fell out of the exposed end of the structure. The tumble took him over a precipice and now he was rolling down the far side of the hill much as the gaunts still we're on the near side - umperturbed by their failure to penetrate the bubble.

His foe followed, led exactly where the marine had hoped - with the sharp Krak of grenade explosion and covering smoke Aurellius slipped further down the bank, further into this mysterious shielded zone and away from his aggressor.

The wailing indicated the Carnifex was indeed alive - it was a sound borne of frustration rather than injury as it's prey had eluded it. For now..........

................
After rolling, vaulting and sommersaulting down the slope battle brother Aurellius came to a halt on a hefty branch in a tree.
Once more the honored battle brother left out a mighty.
-"Gruuughghhhhh" *Cough*

No other can do it quite like battle brother Aurellius can.

After a few moments, the power armoured giant let slip from the branch and landed on his feet, picked up his trusty blade and began to move away through the forest. To a better, less tyranid infested high ground to try reach his fellow battle brethren in the strike cruiser in orbit.

Then suddenly... it dawned for him.
Aurellius quickly ran to an opening in the canopy, stared for the sky where the awesome marine strike cruiser "Amazing" were supposed to be, and saw..................

.......... nothing really. Imperial vessels being massive ships, they are not really visible from inside the atmosphere unless doing something unusual.

Such as bombarding the surface with guns and/or drop pods, trying to land on the planet and/or skimming into the atmosphere to speed up planetary landings or decrease travelling time of weapons fire.
Or simply burning engines at full speed.

Sadly for battle brother Aurellius, there was no real way of telling if the vessel had left already or was still in orbit. Since it obviously wasn't doing anything of those.

This was proving to be more difficult than expected...

Battle brother Aurellius thought of this a good minute before getting painfully reminded of present events when a massive screamer killer carnifex, unsurprisingly the same one as before, burst through the foliage with a massive screech, toppling several trees and almost giving Aurellius waste processing unit a sudden work overload.

Battle brother Aurellius couldn't really match the awesome earth shattering boom and at the same time high pitched shreek that formed the horrifying sound that was a screamer killers rooar, but non the less he tried his best. With meagre results.

Then he was off, chased by a massive monstrosity seemingly taken from some poor hive world action picter show, the beast toppling trees as it gave chase to the awesome marine sergeant.

After a full three minutes of running (and about two new breaths with constant screaming in between) battle brother Aurellius seemed to have outpaced the massive war beast. Mostly since he managed to find a crevice large enough for himself to jump through but far to small for the carnifex.
Battle brother Aurellius had not stopped to look how close it was or how much ground he was gaining. The unmistakeable sound of a carnifex bio-plasma attack reassured the awesome marine that this was the time for flight. Not fight.

Battle brother Aurellius found himself atop a small hill in a clearing. The massive beast could appear any minute, and Aurellius decided to.......................

....................... run. Run like only an angel of the emperor could.

A frakkin CARNIFEX could appear any minute now? Better be a long distance from it when it does get here.

And so battle brother Aurellius ran. Twigs and roots broke under his heavy footfalls and just while going through a clearing the vox sounded up.

With a screech battle brother Aurellius stopped. Carefully strafing and moving around the area trying to get the static away so he could hear the message.

Finally he got a good signal, he was standing with one foot atop a rock, leaning out holding on to a tree with his right arm held aloft in the air.

-"...This is Captain Dougal of the awesome marines, calling from his most sacred vessel the 'Amazing' calling tactical squad Aurellius, come in."

-"This is Aurellius..... *Heavy breathing* I hear you..... *More breathing*." The sacred awesome marine on the ground responded.

-"I thought you were a goner for sure this time brother! Now..... why are you breathing so profusely?"

-"This..... pose sire..... it's difficult to maintain." Aurellius responded.

-"Then i shall be brief. Brother, there seems to be tyranids on the planet. We are going to deploy fifty squads of awesome marines including two full squads of captains of the chapter, i'm sending coordinates, from th...*bzzt*... ou can joi... the others and get out of there." Captain Dougal informed, but with the static increasing.

-"Hello? You are breaking up on me!" Battle brother Aurellius called out.

-"Argh, it's these silly techpriests who have set us up in geo-magnetic orbit, we are leaving the area." Dougal kept going, a second voice suddently entered the conversation, it was unmistakenly a techpriest.
-"Yes, since you ordered us to put the ship into geo-magnetic orbit, which i for no reason see why...." he was quickly interrupted by dougal.
-"It is your fault that one of our brethren is coming out fo range, Silly techpriest, only trouble!"
-"How can it be our fault, we were...... *bzzzzzzt*" The obvious techpriest countered but static broke the signal.

-"Hello? Captain dougal, i didn't get the coordinates? Hello?" Battle brother Aurellius tried to come in contact with the Amazing again, but the signal was lost.

Damnable techpriests, only trouble! Because of them Aurellius was out from contact with his forces again.
But now he had a target, the landing zone of the awesome marine strike force, a full force of fifty squads of awesome marines. Shouldn't be too hard to miss.

Suddently booming through the forest, the unmistakeable sound of a screamer killer carnifex was heard, only a few hundred metres away.

Battle brother aurellius ran................

......... out of time.

He quickly began to dig a hole, this was never going to work he thought and alas after digging for four seconds in a ford, four deep carnifex breaths was heard for the first time, and perhaps for the last time over that ford.

Battle brother Aurellius smiled and waved to the monstrous beast in front of him.

But tyranids were not well schooled in the art of gentlemanliness and etiquette, and after a short silence the monster unleashed a shriek into Aurellius face, a mere four decimetres away.

Needless to say, battle brother Aurellius sad and pathetic scream couldn't be heard over the awesome boom of the carnifex roar.

But neither was the noise of an entire squad of awesome marines crawling beneath the tyranid and betwen its legs.
It was a rather confused carnifex that opened its eyes after its scream and it looked rather dumbfounded around it self for at least a minute.

Battle brother Aurellius was almost away, but to his great misfortune he accidentally broke a large twig beneath his hand while crawling around on all four.

The chase was on again, and Aurellius ran like a true hero of the imperium, sadly away from his foe which made the entire scene a slight bit less heroic.
Behind him the screamer killer knocked over trees and jumped stumps and fallen trees.

He had no idea where he was headed, and battle brother Aurellius ran straight into.......

...... a distinct lack of footing.

Without really noticing, or more correctly noticing it a wee bit too late, he ran out on a small cliff overhang, and over the edge.

It was somewhere about where his head was at a 80 degree angle from where it should be battle brother Aurellius started screaming. And not to be forgotten trying to fly. It must be granted that battle brother Aurellius did a noteworthy try at flight but gravity and the weight of his power armour had other things in mind.

The screamer killer stood a bit dumb-founded on the edge looking down after the awesome marine squad.
While making something akin to a chirping sound that ended in a small burp.

The cliff was unexpectadly tall and not more than a few seconds later battle brother Aurellius had reached terminal velocity.

He thought about things he had accomplished in life, how he had become an awesome marine and how he had gotten through his trials and finally become a full fledged brother.
He also remembered, that this is the techpriests fault. Aurellius remembered a moment from his training when the altitude loss warning program in the power armour didn't trigger, much like today, and he had a heated argument with the imbecile techpriest about his incompetence.
The techpriest had silly defenses like "But there is no altitude loss warning program, i've never heard of it." But battle brother Aurellius knew where this were going and demanded to speak to the magos.
Not surprisingly, the magos took his own underlings side in this.
"Altitude loss warning program? By the Ohmnissiah i've never heard of it in my life?" Aurellius remembered the words so clearly.

Traitorous self serving red robed bastards, always looking after their own skin first.
But no matter, Aurellius was a space marine, and an awesome marine at that!
He was better than them, and more intelligent too.

About here battle brother Aurellius realised that he was tumbling down at terminal velocity towards verdant greenery still several hundreds of metres down..........

....... and with that, battle brother Aurellius decide to give up.

He plummeted, air whizzing past him, almost whispering sounds were heard.... was this?

This was a test of faith!

As the ground got closer and closer, he held out his arms, folded them on his chest into an aquila and gave himself to the emperor.

The impact sent a small shockwave through the verdant greenery.

Perched atop the massive cliff the carnifex looked down. Seeing that the marine had hit the ground it left with a dissapointed gait.

Far below, a crater with dust still settling could be seen...........

........
It was perfect.

Only awesome marines had really figured out this manouvre, and only awesome marines could really pull it off even once in their life.
But battle brother Aurellius had done it twice!

The whining deeps fall, the ability to fall exactly and specifically on your face.
Since he managed to hit his head perfectly, nothing of importance was damaged and the entire squad of awesome-marines had survived the fall.

Battle brother Aurellius managed to figure out how long the fall had taken, 2,24 minutes, and strangely the impact seemed to have knocked his suits internal clock forward three hours since the clock showed a time three hours in the future since after the impact.

But alas, battle brother Aurellius was alive, and kicking.
The kicking he was worried about, but it stopped after a short while. He was after all sort of bruised up after falling from a rather high top.

After checking the helmets condition in a small pocket mirror (which sadly was broken after the fall, silly techpriests, can't make pocket mirrors of any good quality anymore) the entire squad moved out..........

[OOC: Aw yeah, he's back! Let's hope our hero can best his opponets with more authors in the future!]

[OOC I'll get involved when I have the time Klomster]