Tales from the KhaÏdes

There was once a time I was a fairly prolific writer, but not anymore. I'm lucky these days if I can write a coherent. But none the less I wanted to post up a few of my old tales, hoping that somebody might get some enjoyment from them and maybe inspire me to actually write something new.

A heads up, most of these are a few years old and set in 3rd Ed Dark Eldar realm. So here we go, hope you enjoy them.

Alexei

Alexei lent up against the wall of the bombed out train station cradling his lasgun. Outside he could still hear the sounds of gunfire and the cries of dyeing men as the Eldar continued their hunt for fresh slaves. There had been no warning of their attack, just the cities own defence grid targeting key facilities and reducing them to ruin. The power grid had gone down shortly after that and plunged parts of the city into darkness. It was then that the Eldar came, on their skiffs that floated over the few anti-vehicle defences that were in place. They ran through the streets killing or maiming anyone that got in their way, and they did it with wanton glee. Alexei had managed to pull a lasgun from the ruins of the guardhouse and had run through the streets trying to find other members of the PDF; but all those he had found were either dead or prisoners of the Eldar.

The low level screech of the Eldar skiff’s engines brought Alexei back to where he was. Cautiously he lent round the side of the ruined wall to see into the street more clearly. At the end of the street floated the skiff he had heard, a number of the Eldar Warriors were dragging people towards it and chaining them up. He ducked back into cover, a tear rolling down his cheek; he could only imagine what torments those prisoners would face. He swallowed the lump that was growing in his throat and quickly thumbeled with the clip on his lasgun. If he couldn’t find any other PDF members that could help him then he’d have to do what he could alone.

He crept to his feet nervously and took another quick look down the street to the skiff. He knew that he only had one chance at this, if he failed he could only pray to the Emperor for a swift death.

Then with a silent prayer he leapt from his hiding place, swinging his lasgun to fire at the skiff. Each shot that he fired he knew could well be the last, and he would make everyone count. The first shot caught the leader of the warriors square in the face, sending him to the floor screaming in pain. The skiff’s pilot slumped over his controls as the second shot pierced his chest. Alexei continued to charge down the street through the hail of splinter shards.

He cried out and stumbled as some of the shards embedded themselves in his shin. He looked up in time to see the skiff’s gunner turning the deck mounted weapon towards him and with a surge of strength to over come the pain raised his lasgun and fired another shot. The shot struck the gunner just as she fired. As she fell she knocked into the gun sending the shot wide, vaporising another of the warriors. A blast caught Alexei in the shoulder, his arm going limp as one of the shards tore through his nerves. He cracked another shot off before a hail of splinter shards caught him in the stomach. Alexei dropped to his knees, his gun falling from his hands, his energy spent, the pain too much to bear. A shadow fell over him and he looked up into the mask of one of the warriors. It spoke something in its clipped tongue as it stared at him, he didn’t understand but as he stared back into the warriors pitiless eyes he knew he wasn’t going to be granted the peace of death.