Dry Run 4

         ....and another tale from 40k


         Barnson grabed a handle close to the passange seat the was connected to the hull mounted bolter and looked out the view port.

         "Ya can see beter if you stick you nosiy ass out the turret, son" said the driver angurly.

         Barnson looked to his left to meet the affended eyes of a brown bearded man in his fourtys smoking a cigar. He wore a leather tanker cap with some goggles and its straps hanging down its sides and a pair of old plastic rimed glasses.

         "Excuse me?" Barnson asked back in retalulation.

         "Oooh sorry." The man began in a stange acsent (irish to you and me) and offered his hand, whitch Barnson took. "Names Gourge O'Rily but everyone calls me 'Cluchy Cruchy' on account of the fake leg. Now if you don't mind GET THE HELL OUT OF MY COCKPIT YA DAMN RUBBERNECKER.
  
         Taken aback by this Barnson grinted his teeth and left Cruchy alone like he asked, not wanting to be the one to pick a fight with the driver of all thing. Barnson cooled down a bit and laughed alittle to himself. 'Man if Erikson was the first up there' Barnson thought. Barnson looked back to see Julius, Ivar, Galahan, Erikson and the princess and her escorts sitting in the transport. The transport it self was large enought for orgens to move in so the group had enought room to manouver as they pleased. Barnson sat down next to Ivar and double cheaked his flamer for battle damage.

          "Made a friend?" Ivar said with a laugh.

          "Sort of." Barnson replyed with a sigh.

          Galahan was at the transports vox caster talking to the vox officer.

          "Greyhound one this is Greyhound three do you copy?" asked the vox trooper into his head set.

          "Copy Greyhound three go ahead." came the reply throught the static.

          "Roger Greyhound one cargo wants to inquire on why we've stoped."
          "Copy rubbles blocking the road and Greyhound two is using their dozer blade to push through."

          "Agnoliged Greyhound one Greyhound three out." The trooper leanded back in his seat and looked up at Galahans bentover frame. "Well there you have it sir." Galahan rubbed his chin as he turned away. He passed Julius who was taking to the turret gunner on watch. Juluis saw Galahan and moved towards him.

         "Something a miss brother?" He asked. Normaly Galahan did not convers with anyone but even to him Julius seemed easy to talk to.

         "Its too slow." Galahan started keeping his vioce down so no one but Julius heard him. "By my calculations we should already be there even with obsticals. It doesn't feel right." Julius slowly noded showing that he was thinking the same.

          Suddenly the vox blarted to life so loud it hut the vox troopers ears at first.

          "CONTACT LEFT CONTACT LEFT UPPER FLOOR WINDOW!" Yelled Greyhound twos gunner. The thumping sound of four heavy stubber at once broke the calm of the transport followed by the transports turret moders straning to turn its multi-laser around.

          "Greyhound two is the path clear!" Came Capt Folson over the vox.

          "Negative they must have blown the skyway it just drops off."

          "That imposible." Said Capt Noven. "This skyway was opperational no less than four hours ago. I saw the scans myself."

          "They knew." Galahan said quietly. Galahan moved to the drivers side. "Is there a alternet route?"

          "Aye sir we Greyhounds always have a backup plan." Cruchy said with pride. Galahan moved to the vox and snached the mic from the trooper.

          "Folson this is Galahan." He said camly.

          "This is Folson go ahead brother."

          "Our route has been compromiced I suggest any other planed routes are as well."

          "I agree. Well have to make one up fast."

          "Sir!" Cruchy called from the driver seat.

          "What is it trooper?" Galahan said expecting bad news.

          "Tell them to follow old Cruchy I've been here all me life and I know every street by heart." Cruchy said with a sinister smile. Galahan blinked and looked to Cruchys four other crew members. They all nodded to conferm his story and buckled them selfs in a little more securly. Galahan relayed the message and a imperial guards commander came back.

          "Whos your driver?" he said anguly

          "Trooper O'Rily" The vox trooper awserned. There was a pause as round impacted the transport.

          "By your lead Mister O'Rily." came the reply.

          "STRAP IN BOY'OS" Cruchy yelled as he put the transport in reverse. Since they were last in the convoy Cruchy floored it full blast and came to a dead stop. The passangers swayed with the transport as it bounced on its shocks. Barnson saw the crew tence up when Cruchy put his goggles on and poped the transport into gear. "MAY THE EMPEROR GUIDE MY TREADS HA HA!" Cruchy yelled and the transport flow to life and sharply turned right down a side street. Barnson had been in plunty of transports before but he had never been in one this fast. Every bump and rock jarred the cabon but their speed just increased. The turns got sharper and sharper as Cruchys skills made the chimara dance down the streets and skyways.

          "Contact rear! Bikes!" called the gunner.

          Ivar smiled and unhooked himself and reteved his heavy bolter. "Finaly I was getting bored." He said opening the top hatch of the transport. The double doors floped to each side and Ivar stood fully up right looking over the convoy behind them. They were moving along a up angle skyway connecting to a larger skyway that ran through the city like an expressway. Ivar spotted the riders as they came enmass up behind the convoy. Julius poped his head out next to Ivar.

          "How many?" He asked

          "Twenty at least." Ivar said in an upbeat tone.

          The bikers were riding all sorts of creations from long low sitting bikes to bikes the hugged for dear life. Some even had side cars. The bikers hooped and hollared and branish crude weapons as the gunners opened up. The stubber clamed a few but the bikes were to agile for the gunners and Greyhound fours was shot in the head and fell into the tank. Ivar fire at anyone of the bikers that got close, holding his gun side ways so the round would not go into the transport and burn someone. Julius smiled under his helmet when he saw Kara take up the dead gunners spot. The multi-laser turrets were slow but the gunners were smart and fired just ahead of the bikers to make a hole in the road and flip the bikers end over end. But the bikers still keept coming.

          Out of a down angle side skyway a massive earthmoving dump truck,covered in chaos runes and griffety, rummbled down next to the convoys right. The burly machine roared and rolled forwards coming up next to Greyhound one, right behind Geryhound three. The side of the trucks bed gave way to revile it was full of renigade troopeds in tatered uniforms of PDF troopers. The truck moved closer to the chimara and some of the renigades jumped on board. The gunners were preoccupied with the bikers and did not see them in time. The gunner on the stubber was shot and collaped into the turret. One renigade tryed to get in after him but was shot by a bolter round and exploded. The lifless corpse fell backwards and was crushed under the truck but it still did not slow. The renigades abanded the prospect of the turret and tryed to open the double top hatch.

          The truck begain to roll back and did the same to Greyhound two. Julius could see the truck could not keep up with the transport. The truck must have got some speed down the ramp to catch up. Ivar was about to sweep the top of Greyhound one when julius stoped him.

          "Hold on." He said pointing to what Ivar had not seen.

          A hand poped out of the turret of Greyhound one followed by a red robed head. Since she was the only one small enought Mira climbed ont to the top of the transport. The renigades had not noticed her more consentrated on the hatch. Ivar smiled because he had read Corbans report on her. Mira stood like a statue agenst the powerful wind as the transport flow down the skyway. The renigades had to brace them self agenst the transports turns but Mira simlpy steped down from the turret and walked up to the six men. 'She must have magitsed feet like our armor' Julius though.

          One of the renigades turned around and yelled. Before him he saw this thing in red flowing robes. With no mouth just a grill and red puples staring at him. The thing lifted its hands and one was claws and the other a chain blade. The man deficated himself.

          Mira lunged forward and use her claw to squrere the man and impale the man behind him. With her augmented sterngth she renched her arm free and kick the pair of the transport. The onthe stood dumbfounded for a moment as they saw their comrades crushed under the tank behind them. Mira spun her blade and cut another man down the chest sending his flying in two peaces. The others tryed to rase their weapons but Mira jumped onto one, dug into him with her claws, and spun around kicking the other two. Theri jaws broke and snaped under the blow from her metal feet. One man fell of the transport and the onther fell to the bulkhead. Mira landed on her feet and lekt the man she was on go, his spine broke from the 360 spin. The man fell backwords without a word, already dead. Mira calmly walked up to the man who was crying ont the bulkhead and pucking blood. Mira jammed her claw into the mans back, picked him up and decapitated him. She let the man fall and went back in side.

           Most of the bikers had finaly been delt with but the truck still posed a problem. Greyhound two had delt with thier unwanted visitors by throuing a grenade out the turret and thankfukky the transports armor held, barly. Kara in Greyhound four had an idea and befor the truck got to her she shot out the trucks left front tires tiping it. The transport barly missed it but the truck was gone and what was left of the bikes fled.

           The rest of the ride back to Imperial contorled territory was uninterupted. Galahan sat in his seat think.

           "We have a lot more work to do the I antisipated." He thought.