As one, the Cybernetica Kastelans stepped backwards from the mass of howling berserkers. They wouldn't have time to engage their weapons but it gave Adept Quadro the time he needed to effect some rapid battlefield repairs. Singing in glorious binary, his machine voice joined with that of his cohorts as his servo arms quickly stitched armour panels back together and rerouted damaged electronics.
The heretic berserkers were only meters away, clambering over rubble and smashed bodies to close with their escaping quarry. Quadro couldn't take his eyes off them. For one so machine touched as he, fear was impossible, even so, Quadro felt afraid. These insane killers had reduced a squad of skitarii to scrap metal in mere seconds and had badly damaged one of his precious Kastelans. Given his past failures, he could ill afford the loss of another priceless robot.
Desultory fire from the nearby Skitarii put a couple of the traitors down but it wasn't enough to halt their crazed charge. With a deafening scream, the wall of armoured Astartes collided with the robots once again, their roaring chainblades emitting a high pitched shriek as they carved into hardened ceramite.
"Into them!" Magos Peclaw emitted a command impulse to all squads in close proximity.
Despite his fear, the power of the command was enough to force Adept Quadro back into the fray. He raised his voice, singing prayers to the Omnissiah and swung his power fist at the closest berserker. The weapon was awesomely powerful, but his blow was poorly aimed and he only managed to knock the traitor down into the dirt. The berserker barely seemed to notice, screaming and howling, he hacked at the nearest robot from his prone position.
Quadro registered alert chimes from one of the Kastelans, it was badly damaged, seemly remaining standing only by the will of the Machine God. Through a gap in the melee, Quadro caught a glimpse of the most terrifying sight he was yet to behold. Hurtling towards them was a giant Astartes clad in an enormous suit of ancient power armour. In his hands he held a massive chainaxe which revved and spat sparks as the traitor gunned the trigger spasmodically. Even over the cries of the traitors, Quadro could hear him repeating the same three words in an endless rhythm.
"Cleaver the Choppa. Cleaver the Choppa. Cleaver the Choppa......."
Quadro had no idea what it meant, he was utterly transfixed as the armoured giant smashed into the damaged Kastelan. Shoulder barging it down to the ground before smashing his massive axe downwards to carve through it's chestplate.
"No!" Quadro screamed. His horror at seeing one of his robots fall was so complete that he ceased his binaric song and reverted to his flesh voice.
The traitor didn't pay any attention, swinging his axe in huge arcs to carve apart the immobilised robot.
"Fall back." The calm order came again from Magos Peclaw. The remaining robot stepped back from the berserkers awaiting Quadro to do the same.
Quadro's face was streaked with tears, machine oil and salt water combining to leave greasy trails on his metallic mask. Caught up in pure rage, he didn't acknowledge his master's order. Instead he charged forward, smashing his power fist into the nearest berserker. The traitor was hurled out of the melee, his corpse crashing into a ruined wall in a cloud of dust. Another traitor came at him, and Quadro delivered a huge uppercut that virtually tore the berserker in half and left his remains crumpled on the ground.
As the last of the berserkers died, Quadro found his voice again. A powerful hymn filled his noospheric aura; the Holy data making him glow with a nimbus of pure light. At this, the crazed Khorne Lord looked up from his murderous hacking. The skulls on his armour rattling as he shook with anticipation at the violence to come.
"Cleaver the Choppa...." He intoned slowly.
Quadro stepped forward through the wreckage and torn bodies. Like a Saint striding into the jaws of hell he walked towards the giant Chaos Lord and challenged him face to face.
Without warning, the traitor swung his axe. Quadro swayed aside but it wasn't enough to avoid the blow entirely and the vicious chain teeth chewed into his iron body leaving him grievously wounded. In spite of the pain, he punched his opponent as hard as possible, pulping his flesh and spraying shards of armour in a wide arc.
The Chaos Lord seemed momentarily surprised by the resilience of his diminutive opponent. He stepped back with a slight nod before rushing forward to attack again.
The axe hurtled down in a massive overhand strike, but the blow never connected.
For a moment, the two combatants stood immobile as Quadro gripped the traitor's axe in the palm of his fist. Quadro's aura blazed with light as he pushed back against the brute strength of his enemy.
"Cleaver....the...." The brute bellowed into his face.
Quadro fired from the hip. His Gamma pistol boring a huge blackened hole through his opponent's torso. Mortally wounded, the Chaos Lord slumped to his knees.
"....Choppa..." He wheezed from his ruined lungs.
Quadro remained silent, closing the palm of his powered gauntlet, he snapped the haft of the axe before delivering a brutal punch that smashed the traitor to the ground. He remained standing just long enough to spit a wad of greasy haemolubricant at his defeated foe before collapsing as his wounds overcame him.
- - -
Standing scant meters away; Magos Peclaw couldn't believe what he had witnessed. His subordinate had disobeyed his orders and attacked the enemy commander in reckless single combat. His actions were totally out of character for the quiet man that Peclaw knew. More than that, he couldn't believe the aura of blessed conviction that had blazed from Quadro during those last moments. Truly the Omnissiah had reached out and touched him.
Peclaw continued to loop the fall back order to all troops under his command. This attack had been a grievous mistake and they had taken heavy losses; the only logical course now was to retreat and preserve whatever he could.
If Quadro's actions had shocked him; what happened next left Peclaw utterly stunned. Despite his continuing order to fall back, the last Kastelan Robot walked forward into the space left by the brutal melee. Small arms fire ricocheted from it's metal frame as it bent down to pick up the limp body of Adept Quadro. Quietly, the armoured giant turned and bore him from the field.
Standing in awe at what he had witnessed. Magos Peclaw was still aware enough to make out a faint noospheric light emanating from Quadro's body, it seemed the Machine God had a plan for him still.
