The forest lit up like the engine of a star cruiser. The scouts’ bolters all rang with fire, the miniature missiles destroying anything they hit. Trees splintered and fell, dirty was thrown up in dusty heaps and on the odd occasion the dying squeal of a green skin could be heard. Ajax kept his kraken bolter on semi auto, best to save the heavy damage shells as best he could. Dornus as configured his heavy bolter to medium rate of fire and four round burst, letting him spread his fire in wide arcs. The sergeant laid out double taps at anything he saw move, the gas propelled bolt making a hushed popping sound as they left the barrel. Zanal and Teriun were making a mess of things in their efforts, their fire staggered, inaccurate and utterly reliant on luck.

The movement beyond the tree line intensified, and if Zanal had still been reading his auspex he would have probably seen the number of contacts nearly double. Ajax spotted a figure leap from one tree to the next, but stopped it with a bolt round to the abdomen. The sergeant reloaded, soon followed by Zanal then Teriun. As their clips fell to the scorched earth below the figures began to leap and scuttle from the forest and into the clearing. They were short, no taller than a mortal adolescent, and held themselves in mostly crouched positions. Their ears were long, pointed and swept back from their skull, their eyes large and green with small slits for pupils. Their faces were a terrible mess of algae green flesh that seemed as if has spent far too much time soaked in water, sharp teeth that were stained with rot and their own black blood that oozed from their gums and squat noses that seemed frozen into a snarling position. The clutched crudely forged blades, hooks and barbed shield in their clawed fingers while their small bodies were covered in poorly crafted rags, straps, bandages and rusted armour.

“Goblins? How did green skins arrive on this world?” Dornus yelled to the others, not truly expecting an answer.

They moved with tremendous speed and agility, going so far as to confuse the scouts line of fire into the environment. The creatures spat vicious hisses and hacking noises at the immortal soldiers, thick drool swinging from their frothing maws. Their advance was slow but steady, it seemed that their number was far greater than anticipated as more of the beasts flung themselves from out the forest. Ajax was now easily able to find his mark on the creatures, hitting them with a round each to the chest and head. The bolter bucked in his hand as another bolt struck a leaping goblin in the stomach, the round blowing him clean in two, then again as another ones head burst in a shower of black gore.

“Dornus, take my position!” Arphestus ordered, Dornus soon shuffling sideward to where he had once stood.

Arphestus circled around to meet the threat coming from their left flank, putting clean holes through a handful of goblins. Ajax made his first reload, slamming in another box magazine and resuming fire. In that time however the creatures had closed the distance remarkably, coming not a few feet away from the scouts bolters. The dead lay in scattered heaps, black blood oozing from their torn bodies. Ajax sneered in disgust as he witnessed a pair of the monsters tearing chunks from their fallen comrades and begin to feast on them. He put a bolt in each of them and continued his efforts on the horde at his front.

“Squad, to the mountain base! Dornus, secure the natives!” Arphestus barked.

The squad immediately started making a steady climb back towards the rocky side of the mountain, a maze of rocks and boulders awaiting them. Ajax heard a steady thumping sound advancing towards them, coming from the tree line. He picked up the pace and started making quickened shuffles and bursts of jogging back to the mountain. Dornus had already made a powered run to the girls’ position and had ordered them to move back with him. The mortals ducked and screamed as his heavy bolter rang in furious bursts of fire which turned a cluster of advancing green skins into puddles of guts and ground bone. The two novices had picked up the quality in their fire and were now sending single rounds into the creatures.

Another wave of hostiles broke from the trees, this time accompanied by two more creatures easily five times their size. Ajax turned and let out a defeated sigh as he spotted a pair of trolls knock aside trees and crush the fallen goblins under their heavy steps. The creatures where fat, lumbering hulks with a brownish-orange hide. Their bulbous heads were held on hunched spines that bore clusters of bony scoots and spikes. Their long arms ended in wide hands with a thumb and two fingers. Their expressions were utterly brainless and almost appeared timid until they spotted the scouts and mortals. The beasts roared, saliva frothing in their mouths which bore a horrid collection of broken, crooked teeth.

Ajax ducked as one of the trolls threw a broken tree at him, missing him by an inch and pounding at the dirt behind him. Ajax returned fire, his bolts blowing fist sized chunk out the huge monster, of whom seemed to regard the attacks with a dumbfounded curiosity. The second yelled as it charged at Ajax, giving him but a few second to react. He flipped his firing mode switch to burst and threw a volley of four bolts into the creatures face with but a second to spare until it was on top of him. The trolls let out a gurgled cry as it slapped its hands to its eyes and fell clumsily forward. It staggered and nearly rammed its shoulder into Ajax, who made a last second dive out the way.

The creature yelled and spat as its arms flailed wildly. Ajax could see his bolts had blow the creatures head in half, a grey and black brain exposed along with pieces of skull and ruined flesh. He quickly drew his combat knife, flipped it to pinch the blades tip and flung it at the trolls head. The knife buried itself into the beasts brain, and seemed to cleanse the creature of its sense of reality. The trolls stumbled about, its large hand attempting to find the razor edged knife. Its fingers dumbly found the blades handle and flicked it out, along with what was left of its brains. The creatures finally went limp and collapsed on the floor.

Ajax wasn’t given much time to rest as a trio of goblins leaped over the fallen trolls and sprinted at the knelt scout. Ajax quickly shot to his feet and aimed his bolter at the hip. He fired a round the struck the first goblin in the hip, sending its legs to one universe and its torso to another. He knew he would have time to bring his weapon to bear on the second so instead drew his fist back a launched it into its ugly face. His knuckles felt the reverberated crunch as the goblins skull split, blood spraying from its eye, nose and mouth. The third was but a foot behind the second and slashed its rusty short blade wildly. It caught the edge of Ajaxs’ left pauldron and harmlessly bounced off, leaving the tiniest scratch in the ceramite. Ajax replied with a swift knee to the ribs, feeling them snap gruesomely, then bringing his bolters butt crashing down on its neck, splitting its throat open on impact.

He turned to recover his blade, wiping the thick, rotten smelling blood off before sheathing it again. From the forest came another, smaller, rush of goblins and one troll. Ajax ejected his kraken round magazine and loaded another, this time with the hellfire rounds. He took aim and took a single shot just below the monsters ribcage. The initial hit merely made the troll flinch slightly, but after a couple of heavy steps it began to cough violently and went to its knees. The troll lifted its head and threw it down again, vomiting a waterfall of black blood and neon green mutagen. The wound the bolt had made began to smoke the same green and a virulent acid began to eat away at its thick flesh. The troll once again delivered a disgusting display of throwing its own guts up, only this time the force of its vomiting pushed its intestines through the ever growing wound on its belly, smoking entrails avalanching to its feet. With a gurgle it fell forward into its own gore and finally died.

Ajax took up a sprint and rejoined the others. He made it just in time to see while Dornus was busy cutting down a rush of goblins, one had snuck up behind a boulder and leapt at the petrified group of natives. It landed on the back of the white, purple haired girl, its clawed hands gripping at her shoulders. She screamed as it flipped her onto her back and brought its blade down on her. Twilights’ horn lit up and she gestured her hand forcibly, a missile of violet energy striking the creature in the face. It reeled back and wildly clawed at its smouldering features, opening its harsh gaze once more just in time to see Dornus’ boot crash into its chest, throwing it against the boulder it had come from. With a roar that would make the gods cower he squeezed the trigger on his heavy bolter, blindingly fast fire drilling the goblin into the shattering boulder leaving little more than a pile of rubble and shreds of flesh.

The sergeant and the novices were mopping up the fleeing goblins, who howled and squealed as the leaped back into the forest. After the last green menace had been cut down or had fled into the wild they turned to join the others.

“Did you know of the Orcoid presence here?” Ajax asked the girls bluntly.

“You mean goblins? Of course, but they live underground. Nopony sees them in the everfree forest as far as I know.” Twilight replied as she picked up a petrified Fluttershy, whose hands where still gripping her head in white knuckled fright.

“You’re saying this has never occurred before now?”

“No, the goblins leave us alone as long as we leave them alone. And let’s face it, they’re not the type somepony just goes looking for.” She replied while stroking Fluttershys’ mane, attempting to calm her down.

Rarity was also in blind shock, not being able to take her horrified gaze from the flecks of black blood that dotted her arms. Applejack scooped up her hat calmly enough while Rainbow attempted to look useful by scanning her sights across the forest while hovering around the group. Dornus took a knee to held up the terror gripped Rarity who only gave him and the others quick, frightened looks. Fluttershy had finally loosened her grip on herself, but had now fallen into fits of harsh sobbing and snivelling. Pinkie was utterly indifferent to the whole ordeal, simply taking Raritys’ arm and guiding her over to the group. They all formed up, the sergeant being the last to join.

“We must report back to your matriarch and our captain. It would seem one foe has taken another’s place.

“Sergeant, do you hear that?” Teriun quietly asked.

They all took a second to listen. The astartes were the first to hear the noise of machinery, taught rope and movement atop a wooden surface. They all looked up to see a floating object closing in from above the forest. It appeared to be a wooden ship, like the ones built for ocean travel in ancient Terran times. Only this one was suspended below a large blimp crafted from a mid tone brown material which must have held some kind of lighter-than-air gas. It drifted forward at an impressive speed, seemingly propelled by a pair of propellers located at its rear were it seemed some form of combustion engine was held. Half way down its port and stern were fixed a pair of what looked like cannons on a ball pivot, the four guns turning to lock onto the groups position. A flag sailed from one of the ropes suspending the craft from its blimp, portraying a golden eagles claw on a red material. Ajax heard voices as it closed in to just a couple hundred metres away from them, disciplined and loud voices shouting orders to others.

The squad turned to face the craft, guns held but not aimed. The ship descended and turned their broadside to the group below. Figures leapt off the side of the craft, gliding down on large, feathery wings. Ajax cocked his head at these creatures appearance. They appeared to be griffins, like the mythological beasts of ancient tales. Their heads were that of a golden eyed eagle, their arms also resembling talons with opposable thumbs. From the waist down they resembled a lion, complete with long, twitching tails. They were all armoured in silver plate, no thicker than packaging material, and carried stumpy looking crossbows. On their belts were sheathed sabres that seemed unnecessarily ornate and decorated for standard troops, which was what Ajax had assumed they were.

They yelled orders to one another in harsh voices, some letting slip the odd growl. They landed swiftly and soon encircled the group, weapons raised and aimed at the scouts. The squad of astartes in turn aimed their own weapons, however did offer the courtesy of leaving their fingers off the trigger while moving forward to put themselves between the new comers and the girls. One of the griffins, a grey and black feathered sergeant telling from his particularly decorated armour, stepped forward to come not 4 foot away from the scouts.

“On behalf of the Griffin empire, I demand you explain your presence in our grand king-generals’ territory!” The creature growled, the feathers at the back of his head flaring in a challenge.

“Y-your territory? This is Everfree, it doesn’t ‘belong’ to anyone!” Twilight retorted.

“Well then you have remained blissfully unaware that our grand king-general, Damon VII has claimed these lands in the name of our nation! Now, surrender yourselves, or we shall open fire!”

Ajax could see Arphestus calculating the situation, weighing the odds. He could tell by the way he looked at the ship and the griffin soldiers that he didn’t want to simply lay down his weapons. This squad had been charged with the safe-keeping of these natives as a second priority, it would be utterly irresponsible to simply hand them over. But then there were those cannons. Although the scout could probably out manoeuvre their fire, the girls would most likely be honed in on.

Arphestus darted his sight to meet Dornus’, then to the ship and back to Dornus again. This wasn’t their world, but rules of foreign engagement state that unless an outside force declares war upon a country their intrusion must be excused, and then have the intruders escorted back to the territorial border. The sergeant lifted his hands in the air, but seemed to catch his left glove on something near his hip, his mind most likely too lost in what his plan was. He raised his unarmed hands over his head and slowly turned around. Not a second after they understood what he was doing did the squad follow suit.

“I would like to voice my discomfort with this,” Dornus spoke in a low growl.

“This isn’t our battle.” Replied Arphestus.

“What of the mortals?” Ajax quietly hissed, his eyes were locked forward on the six girls, all of whom held mixed emotions. Some scared, other confused, and a couple even prepared to fend the assailants off.

“This is not our fight.” Arphestus once again replied, but with further emphasis.

Just as the sergeant spoke the ghostly white coated female with a mane that appeared almost artificial in its style and radiance stepped passed the scouts and approached the griffin soldiers. She seemed to hold a veil of confidence over her natural fear of the situation, walking proudly and precisely even when treading upon uneven ground; and while wearing attire that would better act as a cocoon then a dress.

“Gentlemen, please. There is absolutely no need for such unnecessary precautions. Me and my friends where simply taking an afternoon stroll while accompanied by our personal bodyguards.” She spoke with enough sophistication and sense to make the scouts feel like nothing but gorillas in carapace plate.

“Stand back girl! You and your friends, and your freaks, are coming with us!” The lead griffin growled at the young lady who flinched slightly as his sharp beak grew closer to her face.

“Now you listen here- urgh!”

Ajax wished he had remembered the girls name has her sentence was cut short by a quick blow to the face from the griffins scaly backhand. He wished he could remember the name of the mortal that had stood up to those even space marines wouldn’t. His prayer was rewarded when her friends all sprinted forward shouting after her.

“Rarity!”

As quick as lightning itself Dornus pushed back and turned to face that griffin. And like a cargo train he hit the leader with a grapple tackle, tacking him to the moist ground like he was made of silk. Zanal had also turned but instead sped to the girls side, arriving as her friends did and turning her face to assess any damage. Ajax, Teriun and Arphestus turned and let their hands drop to their bolters but held ground. Dornus said nothing as he held the griffin commander down.

Dornus reeled back as a hail of crossbow bolts soared through the air and hit his skull and torso. His thick and iron hard bones deflected most of the fire, but his flesh and organs still managed to catch a few of the stunted arrows. He held a hand to the part of his face that had received the most fire and brought it to his eyes to see his palm caked in shining crimson. Ajax could see clear as day that a full third of Dornus’ face had been sheared clean off, muscle slathered in blood was torn and sliced in ways that would deem them mostly unusable.

“You idiots! You could have hit me!” Barked the griffin.

“No, just pick us up, quick as you can brother!” Arphestus shouted into his headsets mic.

Ajax assumed that that thing the sergeant had ‘caught’ his hand on earlier was a homing beacon, and it sounded as though a craft was nearby.

“Squad, rally!” Arphestus boomed.

Ajax could see the griffins fumbling to reload their crossbows and sprinted to Dornus. With force he threw his brothers shoulder over so he faced him.

“To the sergeant!” He yelled as the roar of a stormravens’ engines rang through the air, the craft speeding towards them at frightening speed. Dust was thrown through the air as the craft hit the ground, obscuring the view between space marine and griffin. Ajax ran over to the group of girls and Zanal.

“We have to go!”

The group turned to the source of ear splitting mechanical screams and waves of blinding dust and ran at a sprint. The girls’ long manes went wild as the engines tormented the air around them, as Zanal guided them to the frontal boarding ramp of the gunship. The ship took off just as Ajax stepped onto its ramp, who took the time to turn and see the griffins running wild and shielding their eyes from the dust storm that consumed them. The ramp closed and the craft sped on back home. Ajax walked over to Zanal who held a cryo-pack to Raritys’ bruised face.

“Honestly, I’m fine. It’s just a bump, I’ll be fine.” Rarity assured her friends who had circled around her. She gestured a thanks to Zanal as she took the cooling pack from him and placed it back on her face.

“That has to be the first time space marines have run from such a small force of opposing mortals,” Dornus called to Arphestus, who had just finished talking with the pilot. Dornus’ words came slower and more mumbled than before the battle, the damage to his face showing in even his speech. He flinched as the crafts on-board serfs surgically twisted the bolts he had received to his stomach and shoulders out.

“The last thing we wanted was to ignite a war over such a small thing as a miscommunication,” Arphestus replied calmly.

“My face.” Dornus growled as a bandage was wrapped around his head and anointed with healing oils.

“It’s not like you could have gotten any uglier,” Ajax chortled before received a speeding bolter clip to his forehead.

“Enough!” Arphestus called firmly before walking up to the group of mortals and kneeling down to them.

“One of you must have some means of communication with your matriarchs,” He stated.

“Yeah, back at the library, I can send for the princess.” The purple female replied.

“The tree we picked you up from?”

“Yeh, you can drop us off back there.”

“Very well.” Arphestus finished as he turned to speak with the pilot

The rainbow haired girls turned and cringed as her gaze fell upon the ruined face of Dornus.

“Is he going to be ok?” She said, turning to Ajax.

“He’ll be fine, he should be honoured to have spilt blood for our Emperor!” Ajax, the last part loud enough so that his brother could hear.

“I don’t leave this planet until one of those griffin degenerates is my new throw-rug!” Dornus yelled as he thumped his fist against the gunships interior.

After a short while the whining of the gunships engines powering down was queue for departure. The squad and the girls moved to the front of the craft, the ramp lowering to let the afternoon sun light up the stormravens’ insides.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ajax turned to head back to the gunship. The girls had been escorted back to their home and a meeting would be convened so that the country could be warned about the possible dangers it may face. Ajax hadn’t yet taken his fourth step back to his squad when the high pitched hit his ears.

“Hey, uh, blue-guy!” One of the girls called while approaching him. He said nothing as he turned to face the blue, orange and pink females.

“We were, like, wondering if we could come back with you guys. Y’know, like, check your place out for real this time.” The blue one proposed, her words awkward and shy.

“Ah’m sure the princess’ll want all of us to be at this here meeting thang, as we’re all the elements of harmony an’ all,” The orange one added.

Ajax hadn’t a clue why a matriarch would want these particular subjects to accompany her to a formal meeting with a space marine captain, but something nagged at his mind to accept the bizarre proposal. He looked to the gunship at the edge of town, then back to the girls.

“No promises.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“...........Affirmative base ‘Rector Victor’, unofficial personnel are to be processed and inspected before being escorted to primus command.” The pilot confirmed with enough volume for the squad and the mortals to hear.

“Proceed to landing pad 3, captain Titus looks forward to our guests’ arrival.” The serf droned over the com-link.

The aircraft banked to head for its new destination, causing all the girls to cringe at the increased G-force, the pink one adding a high pitched cry of exhilaration. The ramp soon lowered to reveal the blinding sunlight followed by the view of a vast landscape coated in forest and fields. As the craft descended the deep green that filled the view was cut away by the rising grey and dull silver of a fortress wall that now circled the stormraven and its passengers. A loud, deep thunder rang through the hull as the gunship met the metal surface of the landing pad, followed by the hurried yells from Arphestus to disembark. Dornus, Ajax and Zanal each dashed to a mortal and pulled the release catch on their seat harnesses and ran them out the craft into the afternoon sun.

“Whoa,” Was all the three girls could bring to voice.