Warhammer 40k: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 179: The SCV Dreadnought

"Gaspar! Which way do we go now!"

"I was taken up that floating staircase before, to a place like a transport hub. There were some things like portals there. They lead to different areas."

"Portals? Do you know where they lead?"

"Burns, ask a more realistic question. Do you think I would possibly know?! I was only ever escorted into the portal leading to the arena. But I saw at least ten portals there! By the Emperor, who knows where they connect. Maybe one leads to the bedroom of a female Dark Eldar? Then we could see if she takes a liking to us. Maybe we wouldn't have to be sent to the fighting pits."

Burns hadn't expected him to be cracking jokes at a time like this, but he could see Gaspar's body trembling, whether from nervousness or a massive adrenaline dump, he couldn't tell.

"Gaspar! Think harder! Did no one else enter those other portals? There must be some clues! Analyze the clothes or behavior of those people! The lives of everyone here depend on it!"

"Don't shout! Let me think!! I can definitely remember! I have to. Right, I saw some crews transporting corpses! I saw them throwing piles of bodies into one of those portals. No matter what, there's no way that one leads to any important place. Even these Dark Eldar wouldn't like to live next to corpses!" Gaspar suddenly remembered.

"Corpses... couldn't it just lead directly to an incinerator? Wouldn't we be sending ourselves to our deaths if we go in?"

"Burns! Do you have a better idea?! We have no other choice! We can only take a gamble!! Emperor! Please bless us that our choice is not wrong! I, Gaspar, have never been more pious in my life than at this moment!!"

The team that had escaped from the prison began to disperse. Different groups of xenos went off in different directions. But many of the xenos chose to follow Burns's team. These creatures, who possessed independent thought, could see that their chances of survival were greater if they stuck with this group of fully-equipped humans. At this moment, Burns couldn't be bothered with the Imperial law that normally forbade cooperation with xenos.

The sound of C-14 rifle fire echoed through the dark space, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Under Gaspar's guidance, the group finally arrived at the so-called transport hub. The sound of battle had inevitably attracted the attention of the nearby Dark Eldar.

When Burns and his group arrived at the floating bridge and looked toward the platform at its end, nearly a hundred Dark Eldar were already waiting for them behind defensive positions. Burns looked around. It was either retreat or this one path forward. And looking down, the cluster of buildings stretched down into what seemed like an endless darkness. Unless you could fly, going down was a dead end.

"It's over... we can't break through... this one bridge will be the grave for all of us here." Seeing this seemingly hopeless situation, Gaspar once again fell into a state of pessimism.

"All those wearing Medic armor, gather behind me! Use me as a shield! We're charging straight through!"

This was the only solution Burns could think of now. If they delayed any longer, more Dark Eldar would arrive, and then they would truly have no chance!

"Burns? Have you gone mad?"

"For the Mongorte Dynasty! Raiders, charge with me!"

Burns paid no more attention to Gaspar. He controlled the SCV to raise its two mechanical arms, shielding the most vulnerable part, the cockpit, and began his charge.

"Where did these monkeys get these weapons? Isn't that direction where that bastard Jalidus keeps his slave pens? Useless! It must have been his negligence that let these monkeys escape! Concentrate fire and take out that crude vehicle!"

Dark green splinter rounds rained down on the SCV at the front. Fear made Burns roar in the cockpit. The constant sound of impacts rang in his ears. The humans hiding behind the SCV also began to return fire, but people were still being hit by the splinters. The deadly neurotoxin killed them instantly, and one body after another fell from the bridge.

At this point, they could no longer afford to conserve ammunition. The C-14s, firing at full auto, were no less intense than the Dark Eldar's fire.

However, the expected scene of the SCV being destroyed after taking a brief burst of fire did not occur. In fact, it was incredibly resilient.

"I... I'm still alive?" Burns muttered to himself. He could only hear the dense sound of impacts, but not a single round had managed to breach the armor. He couldn't see from inside the SCV, but the Dark Eldar opposite him noticed something strange.

The constant repairs from the Medics had played a part. The splinter rifles, which had low armor-piercing capability, had not breached the armor, but they had damaged the SCV's paint job. The black SCV now showed a very faint golden hue.

"How can the armor of this human creation be so tough!"

But this specially prepared SCV was not as simple as it looked. To ensure that it would not be destroyed in the crossfire, when Lucan had selected this SCV, he had Pavian perform some special modifications on it. A layer of nano-alloy armor had been overlaid on its original plating, and the main frontal armor plate was a nano-metal plate mixed with adamantium. The luxury of this SCV was astonishing; the armor plates of a Dreadnought were not much better. And on the back of the SCV, three additional power engines had been installed. Only in this way could it move the much heavier vehicle.

Seeing that these Eldar could not inflict fatal damage on him, Burns pushed the engine power to the maximum. Four dazzling jets of flame pushed the SCV forward rapidly.

"Xenos! Die for me!"

The SCV's industrial drill was swung with full force, dismembering several Dark Eldar warriors. Burns then aimed for the officer-like figure in the Dark Eldar squad. The industrial clamp grabbed his body, and with just a gentle squeeze, his spine was snapped. Anyone who didn't know better would have really thought this SCV was a powerful Dreadnought.

As the SCV broke through, the coalition of humans and xenos also charged forward. The remaining Dark Eldar could not stop their advance. These Dark Eldar were now experiencing the same fear they usually inflicted on other intelligent races.

Just as Burns thought they were about to win, the unique sound of Dark Eldar jetbikes echoed in their ears. The slaver, Jalidus, who had been enjoying the duels in the arena, had received the news. Hearing that his property had escaped, he couldn't be bothered with the duels anymore and rushed back with his elite warriors.

"What have you monkeys done?!"

Jalidus looked at the bodies on the ground. This business was a complete loss. He had thought he could make a good profit from these humans. But now... who knew how these monkeys had escaped. Weren't those combat suits all broken? Why were they all working again?!

The Dark Eldar on the jetbikes were no longer using standard splinter rifles. They even had dark matter weapons, used for anti-vehicle purposes. A black beam of light hit the crowd, and several humans and xenos were turned into nothingness. When ground units encountered air units, they were normally destined to be suppressed. It was too difficult to hit these high-speed targets.

The jetbikes swooped over the crowd. One by one, Dark Eldar leaped down, their serrated daggers reaping the lives of those who tried to stop them. From time to time, capture nets were fired, snaring people in place. This slaver was still thinking about recouping his losses.

"Gaspar! Quick! Which one is the portal you mentioned!!"

"That one! Follow me!!"

Gaspar mustered his courage and charged directly into a portal. The people around him knew this was the only way to go. Everyone who was not held back followed him in. No one knew what awaited them on the other side.

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