Donatos War - Death of the Usurper: Suddenly entrusted with the command of the High King's forces, Jennika Tan Draconis observed the battlefield. Five hundred yards in front of her, Gerraint's Knight, Therianthros, was firing its Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon at his erstwhile ally. With her father's killer in her direct line of sight, Jennika stepped forward, intent on slaying the Archtraitor. She delegated her battlefield command to Markos Dar Draconis, tasking him with destroying the Porphyrion.As Archduke Tan Wyvorn continued his rampage, Jennika Tan Draconis approached her father's slayer. In accordance with the tenets of the Chivalric Code, she hailed the leader of House Chimaeros and challenged him to a duel. Naming him a Traitor to Adrastapol and the Imperium of Mankind, Jennika carefully aligned her Ion Shield to face Gerraint, almost certain that despite his noble upbringing he would break with the Code. She was not disappointed.Ranting madly against House Draconis' lack of honour, Gerraint Kar Adrastapol opened fire. Instead of crippling Jennika's mount, the shots simply deflected into the ground. Since her opponent had broken the Code first, Jennika was able to retaliate in kind, her own shots causing far more damage than Gerraint's, for in his arrogance the Archtraitor had angled his Ion Shield away from her.Her first shot destroyed Therianthros’ own Battle Cannon while the second one hammered into its chest. A lesser pilot would surely have failed to regain their Knight's equilibrium and crashed to the ground, but Gerraint was a veteran of many wars and balanced his Knight's legs in accordance. Still armed with the sacred Tempest Blade he had robbed from Tolwyn's Knight, Gerraint charged at Jennika.In the meantime, Markos Dar Draconis led Lady Suset Dar Draconis and Lady Tamsane Dar Pegasson against the Porphyrion Knight. Markos unleashed a three-pronged assault against Archduke Tan Wyvorn, using a wide dispersal to narrow down the chance of enfilade fire. If they could close with the Knight, Lady Suset's Thermal Cannon was powerful enough to break through the Porphyrion's shield and disorientate it. Markos intended to close with the Acastus at close quarters and bring it down with his Thunderstrike Gauntlet, a weapon also outfitted on Lady Tamsane's Knight.The delusional leader of House Wyvorn was still focused on eradicating his own Knights, allowing the trio of Loyalists to close with him. However they were quickly noticed. Markos took the centre, drawing the Porphyrion's attention with a concentrated burst of his Avenger Gatling Cannon and Icarus Autocannons, though these failed to do any real damage.The Porphyrion's response was devastating. Even with his Ion Shield angled to deflect the incoming fire, the Acastus' Magna Lascannons tore into Honourblaze. Markos' Knight was badly damaged, the first volley shearing the Icarus array from Honourblaze’s carapace and penetrating its chin-guard, fusing its motive acuators together. The second volley hit Honourblaze in the torso, blowing out the entire right side of Markos' cockpit, the heat so intense that blisters and burns formed on his face and arms. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Markos nurtured his reactor back to life while simultaneously drawing a respirator over his face as his cockpit increasingly filled with smoke.Honourblaze’s survival seemed to anger Archduke Duncan even more, the giant Knight stomping his feet like an animal ready to charge. Virtually blinded and almost immobile, smoke gutting from the wound in its torso, Honourblaze only barely stood upright. The Porphyrion's Magna Lascannons charged up, ready to deliver the killing blow. Just before Tan Wyvorn fired, a firing solution was transmitted by Lady Suset. Markos Dar Draconis did not hesitate. He fed all of his remaining power to his Gatling Cannon and opened fire.Suset's Auspex had discerned a keyhole weakness, a slight misalignment in the Porphyrion's shield-projector. The towering monster recoiled as one of the Gatling projectiles blew out its targeting imagers. Its aim thrown off, the Porphyrion fired regardless, a third torrid volley of las-fire punching through Honourblaze, destroying its close-combat weapon arm. By the grace of the Emperor, Honourblaze’s Plasma Reactor did not explode, but its inner fire was extinguished, leaving the once-proud Knight an immobile, blackened shell.Finally, Lady Suset closed with her target, her high-precision shot burning through the Acastus Pattern Knight's right knee. Like a giant of myth brought low, the Porphyrion crashed face first to the floor, riddled by internal explosions.As her comrades battled the remaining House Chimaeros Knights and the towering Knight Porphyrion, Jennika Tan Draconis was still locked in combat with her father's killer. She had expected Gerraint Tan Chimaeros to be an expert swordsman, but she had grossly underestimated Gerraint's true skills with a blade.Since their opening volleys she had been on the defensive, parrying Gerraint's blows with her Reaper Chainsword. At every touch of their weapons, the energized length of the stolen Tempest Blade claimed a few of her chainsword's teeth, blunting it even though the teeth were solid enough to cut through Ferrocrete.Weapon against weapon, Jennika would lose the fight and she knew it. Jennika had been unable to land a single blow on her opponent. Gerraint pressed the advantage, cutting with his energised blade before him as with a scythe. Jennika had Fire Defiant take a backward step, giving her enough room to bring up her Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon, shooting Therianthros at point-blank range. Gerraint had anticipated this movement and caught the blast on his Ion Shield, preventing damage to his Knight. Jennika's shot was, however, strong enough to stop Therianthros dead in its tracks.Reversing the movement, Fire Defiant rushed forward, impaling Gerraint's Knight on its damaged Chainsword. With the Knight's considerable weight behind the blow, the Chainsword pierced the Knight's armour and began to chew at its inner workings before it unfortunately stuttered and died. The helms of their Knights almost touching, both Gerraint and Jennika sought to free themselves, Jennika hammering her opponent with staccato fire from her Heavy Stubber. Designed to mow down unprotected infantry, the heavy weapon did little more than scratch the paint of Therianthros’ hull. Had Gerraint's Knight still possessed its own cannon, he could have disemboweled Jennika's Knight with a single shot, but as it was Fire Defiant was locked onto Therianthros’ limbless side.The stalemate lasted for precious seconds as Jennika' ammunition-counter wound down. Suddenly, explosions blossomed on the carapace of both Knights. Seeing his lord in a tenuous situation, a Knight Crusader in the livery of House Chimaeros had unleashed its weapons at Fire Defiant. The high-velocity shells of its Avenger Gatling Cannon ripped at Fire Defiant’s swordarm, cutting it in half. Free to move once more, Jennika stepped back, hiding behind her Ion Shield.The new combatant was severely wounded, having lost both his carapace and secondary weapon. Cursing Gerraint's lack of honour, Jennika had to deal with this new foe quickly least she be surrounded. Through her Throne Mechanicum the spirits of her ancestors whispered urgently to her. The enemy Crusader charged her, gathering speed. Fire Defiant ponderously turned, its Battle Cannon aimed low. Two successive shots boomed, the shells leaving a deep crater in the ground of the Square of Martyrs, just as the Crusader's right foot came down.With no ground to catch its stride, the Renegade Knight jolted to a halt, using the length of its remaining weapon to stabilise itself. That was all the opening Jennika needed. Fire Defiant rushed forward, straight at Therianthros. With her Reaper Chainsword still embedded in its chest throwing its balance off, Fire Defiant rammed its shoulder into the usurper's Knight. The additional weight made the difference, toppling Therianthros and causing it to fall on its side, trapping its remaining weapon arm beneath it.Gerraint Kar Adrastapol was nearly cut in half by his own weapon, the still powered Tempest Blade attacking his Knight's armour before he shut it down with a quick mind-impulse. Standing over her fallen opponent, Jennika had not forgotten about Gerraint's companion and quickly turned his way. The Crusader came at her again, blasting with his Avenger Gatling Cannon. Again coolly catching the stream of fire on her Ion Shield, Jennika sidestepped the Crusader, methodically unleashing her own weapons at it. Her ammunition was getting low, but she had more than enough to finish him.Her first shot slowed the Crusader down and threw its aim off. Jennika noticed the flicker of an Ion Shield close to collapse and directed her second shot at the Crusader's shield array. With a flat boom, the shield collapsed, leaving the Chimaeros Knight vulnerable. The Crusader swung its weapon's multiple barrels like a mace, a clumsy blow which Jennika easily let pass before her. As his Avenger Gatling Cannon was aimed at her Knight, the Crusader fired a small burst, a desperate last attempt to deal her harm. Ramming her Battle Cannon right under the Knight's helm, Jennika opened fire, bursting the Knight's helm apart like a ripe egg before the follow-up shot blew out the Crusader' torso. With no other foe in the vicinity, Jennika turned her full attention back to the fallen leader of House Chimaeros.Half-expecting Gerraint Tan Chimaeros to have abandoned the Knight by then, Tolwyn's daughter closed with the downed Therianthros. Gerraint was still within, no doubt trapped inside his cockpit by the Knight's phenomenal weight. The would-be-king opened a Vox channel, congratulating Jennika on her fighting skills. His voice sounded pained, the leader of House Chimaeros obviously injured inside his Knight. She did not listen to Gerraint Tan Chimaeros' as he tried to justify his actions.With all the theatrics of a commissar about to shoot a fleeing soldier, Jennika raised her Rapid-Fire Battle Cannon. Her first shot dented Therianthros’ armour but failed to penetrate. Her second broke through and destroyed the Knight's cockpit and Throne Mechanicum, spraying shrapnel and human remains across Fire Defiant’s armour plate. Her third shot ate away at Therianthros’ inner workings, as did the fourth. In her fury, Jennika continued to blast away at the fallen Renegade Knight until it was a mangled and burning wreck -- a fitting pyre for Gerraint Kar Adrastapol, the Archtraitor of House Chimaeros.