The Emperor truly shows his favor in mysterious ways. When the red-painted Ork vehicles emerged from the dust cloud, my gunners estimated less than two minutes until they would slam into our defensive line. The artillery was still repositioning, and our Leman Russ squadrons were engaged with Ork walkers on the eastern flank. I had already given the order for my men to fix bayonets when we heard it – the distinctive howl of Astartes bike engines.
They came from the western ridgelines, a full squadron of Blood Wolves bikers moving faster than I'd ever seen Space Marines travel. Their bikes had been modified somehow – running nearly silent until they engaged their weapons. The Sergeant's voice cut through our vox: "Hold your line, Colonel. We'll blunt their charge."
What followed was a masterclass in vehicular warfare. The Blood Wolves bikes moved like a pack of predators, splitting the Ork formation into manageable chunks. Their twin bolters chattered in disciplined bursts, targeting engines and drivers with surgical precision. An Ork Trukk exploded as a multi-melta shot melted through its core, causing a pile-up that disrupted the entire Ork right flank.
Most remarkable was their use of some kind of combat stimulant. Halfway through the engagement, I saw their movements become even more aggressive, their reactions impossibly fast. Three bikes charged straight through a cluster of Warbuggies, their riders leaping from vehicle to vehicle, planting melta charges as they went. The resulting chain reaction destroyed nearly a quarter of the Ork vehicles.
The Ork Warboss – a massive brute on what looked like a salvaged Imperial trike – tried to rally his forces. The Blood Wolves Sergeant responded by landing his bike directly on the Ork's vehicle, decapitating the xenos with a thunder hammer in the same fluid motion. Without their leader, the remaining Orks lost all cohesion.
In less than six minutes, what had seemed like certain doom for my regiment became a field of burning wreckage. The Blood Wolves bikes regrouped and departed as quickly as they had arrived, leaving my medicae teams to treat soldiers suffering from nothing worse than ringing ears and dust inhalation.
I've seen Space Marine bike squadrons before, but these Blood Wolves moved differently. There was something almost predatory in their coordination, like wolves running down prey.
The speed at which they identified and eliminated the Warboss suggests they may have some method of detecting enemy leaders that goes beyond normal reconnaissance.
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