Post by Zealot on Nov 6, 2007 17:40:04 GMT -5
Gun-Baby Leftovers
This story is intended to be read by people who are familiar with Warhammer 40000 therefore certain assumptions have been made in my story.
Chapter 1
Our history
The rain is pouring down in The Green. The occasional scream of a heretic as he realises that he is about to be turned into a bloody pulp by a Tunaca, breaks the dull roar of the rain. The jungle is disguised.
The Tunaca have been ambushing the Chaos with the help of their human friends, us. Tunaca are native to this jungle and are fighting for their survival. We of the 1st battalion, in the 5th conscript attack force, were the first to befriend these ferocious, but beautiful, Tunaca. Therefore we were given the mission of working alongside them to defeat the enemy forces of Chaos.
The 5th conscript attack force consisted of 3 battalions. Each battalion contained 3 companies, each company had 180 men. That already amounted to 1620 green ground troops, not including commissioned officers. Tanks supported the Battalions. There were a wide range of tanks: 5 companies of Leman Russ’, 6 Annihilators and 2 Vanquishers. The PDF (planetary defence force) had no use for an Executioner, so they gave it to us along with the crew. With that amount of fire power the high command didn’t expect to come up to many casualties, they were outrageously wrong.
In the first battles, at Tuncoyt, we were up against less than a platoon of Chaos Cultists or Chaos Space Marines. By the time we got to The Green we had lost four of our nine companies and a company of Russ’. After that 1st Battalion, who lost the most companies, where nicknamed the “Lucky Leftover Ones”, and assigned to accompany the lightly armoured Tunaca native warriors. There was another problem, 1st had no commanding officer.
We are well hidden for an ambush. We are above 7th National roadway, no longer national as most has been over taken by jungle, on the other side of the planet. We are on the ridge above a section of road way. We are waiting, expecting the Platoon of the Back Legion of Chaos to be walking through here any time soon.
A heavy crunching of men – Chaos! The rumbling of the tracks of a lightly armoured tank, breaks the dull roar of the rain… once again. I whisper a message into my Micro-bead, “Shifty, what we got? Is it a few Rhino’s and Cultists?”
I wait a moment, “Yep. 4 Rhino’s with about 10 Cultists in each…”
A guardsman buts in, “Oh, extra fun. Yay. Woo hoo, fun…” we all laugh.
“…Holy…” Shifty notices something extra, he realises what it is, and he prays “By the emperor! A Rhino with…… holy… they got 19th’s Toy Soldiers hostage!” exclaims Shifty. The 19th PDF Storm Troopers are captive. I watch a dark figure move in the tree top to my left. I then see the glint of a scope and realise it is Shifty.
“Shifty how far back is this Rhino, 3 back?” I ask, afraid that when we attack we might hit them. I wait and I see him moving across the tree top.
“Yea, spot on Corp!” Shifty answers, then he cocks his head asking the question that always seems to come up, “Hit and Grab or smash and frag?”
The other men, hearing about the Storm Troopers, ready their weapons and wait for the inevitable order to attack. I touch each of my scars, which were caused from by overheated plasma, for good luck and ready my Plasma Rifle. I turn to Brumr and say, “Tell Tunmaqoyt to ready for an attack. Tell him that it is the same men that killed Tuqug, and it’ll get him going. Get your flamer ready, Brumr, it’s time for a chaotic roast.”, Tunmaqoyt is the leader of the Tunaca with us. He has vowed to destroy the men that killed his Son.
“Yes, Corporal.” Brumr says as he turns and moves quietly, but very quickly, to where the Tunaca are eating.
I think, trying to remember why I got promoted to Corporal. Oh… that’s right I saved the officers life, well even though it was only for a month or two that he lived… So I got assigned to take charge of 1st when our officer died.
“Corporal, the ½ of the Tunaca are going east the, ¼ is going to block the Heritic’s, the others are staying with us.”
“Very well. Send 3rd squad with the blockers, 2nd to the East and we will stay here.”
“Right away Corporal”
We ready ourselves for the inevitable onslaught; for once we are thankful for the rain and mist.
Chapter 2
Aspiring Champion
Swaash is the Aspiring Champion in charge of the Cultists. “Why, great gods of Chaos, were I put with these Underlings” he thought, “killing the officer of the followers of the false emperor was meant to be my ACCENTION!” He decides to take his temper out on one of the Cultists. He turns to a nearby Cultist who was meant to be watching the trees for Native Beasts, instead he was taking a drink. Swaash orders the Underling over to him, gaining his attention “You there, Cultist. Run as fast as you can to that tree.” Pointing to a large native tree to the north of their transport.
“Ye-Yes, Champion.” The Cultist stutters. He runs 25metres before a bolt round smashes into his leg, blowing his knee cap apart.
“Teaches you for not keeping watch, you lesser thing!” Swaash snarls barring his pointy yellow teeth.
Swaash climbs through the back compartment of the Rhino, into the front then up to the turret. He loads the Storm Bolter. When satisfied with the auto-loading mechanism of the Storm Bolter he yells down to the driver, and orders him “Drive, damn it. Over him, the filth on the ground.” pointing to the wounded Cultist, squirming and writhing in pain, on the ground ahead.
The driver looks to question his order, puzzled. Bang!! A bolt goes through the drivers head. “You drive,” Swaash roars to the Co-Driver, “Do better, or you will end up like him. Now OVER HIM!”
“And by Chaos! Get rid of them bloody friggen stiffs, they’re clogging up the compartment”, Swaash yells at the Cultists hanging by the door, indicating with his Bolt Pistol to the last 3 drivers that are dead, from questioning his orders.
The frightened driver mobilises the Rhino, the direction of the wounder filth and they mush the Cultist into a bloody pulp on the Jungle floor, who was screaming and begging for mercy, Swaash pops out of the top and yells, “No Mercy for Filth lower that the ones the Gods of Chaos have chosen!” He turns around as the screams die into a sickly crunch.
Then another sound. A high piercing roar. No it can not be! He turns just in time to see the monster of this planet destroying the Rhino in front of him. Ha, I’ll rip them apart with my Storm Bolter! he thinks fingering the weapon attached to the roof of the Rhino, aiming it directly at the Tunaca.
“Cultists, we will be victorious! We are Chaos. We will win…” his voice dies out as the shrill of Bolts from a Heavy Bolter smash into the metal of his tank. He looks at a weapon nest near by, Get them first! Swaash turns his Storm Bolter to return fire. The well kept auto-loading mechanism of his favourite weapon, jambs. Swaash looks up confident, that the Gods of Chaos will protect him, he tells the Guardsmen “Chaos will protect me, you…” a Bolt from the Heavy Bolter reaches his head. Ploocff! There is no more left but a bloody pulp.
○ • ○ • ○ • ○
I saw the Aspiring Champion’s head paint the top of the Chaotic Rhino, changing from a dark endless black, to bright blood red. Las-fire and the shrill of heavy weapons fill the air and over the top of the noise of weapons fire we can hear the bone-crunching metal-screeching high pitched sound of the Tunaca ripping the front Rhino to shreds.
A wounded Cultist is crawling back to safety. I point my plasma rifle at him. He puts his hand up and says with a shaky voice, “Chaos will protect me.” Pizzl! I shoot him in his guts replying, “Chaos will protect you, my ass they will!”
Another Cultist exits the rear exit hatch of the Rhino where the Toy Soldiers are imprisoned. He turns and fires two Las shots into a Guardsman, knocking him to the ground. How surprise he was when the Guardsman got straight back up and he returns fire into the Cultists head.
2nd squad reforms from its spread out positions on my command. I look at the Guardsman who took the shots and asked, “Hit your Bionics, did it?”
The Guardsman flexed his Bionic arm, “Yeah! Never thought losing an arm on my farm would do any good. Seems it did!” he says laughing and firing more Las shots into the Cultists.
I move into the cover provided by the closest wrecked Rhino, crouch and start giving orders, “Voxy, you and three men stay here and watch for stragglers. Any info you get about the battle give to me. I want a Heavy Bolter set up on each side of this Rhino.
“Brumr, 3rd squad and Tumasanz, Tunaca’s 3rd in command, to take out the Rhino with “:XxX:” on the written on the back, the one farthest to the rear. Get 2nd to make ready as runners, as we may not make it. Take out all the targets! We’re gonna get some Toy Soldiers.”
Men start moving and orders are flow through the unit.
Chapter 3
Toy Soldiers
I look at my Dataslate. 3:00pm, time to act.
I whisper into my micro-bead, “Go, Go, Go! Hit ‘em hard! Hit ‘em low!” The code word was said and the prone figures start moving. I whisper again ”Cover Fire!!!” All hell breaks loose from 10 Heavy Weapon nests around the Rhino. I start crouch running to the Rhino. Shooting the dumb Cultist trying to use the Storm Bolter on top of the Rhino, into a Plasma-ee mess.
Another Aspiring Champion, in charge of another group Cultists that are holding the Storm Troopers, comes out of a side hatch in front of me. He hesitates for a second, surprised that I’m right next to him. I pistol whip him knocking him off his feet before finishing him off with a volley of shots. He’s dead before he hits the Jungle floor.
I yell to 3rd Squad, who are behind a pile of boulders 20 meters away taking shots at the Cultists, “3rd get your ass’ over here. I’ve got a side hatch on the Rhino. Surprise them from the back!”
3rd Squad storm over to the side of the Rhino, pile driving through a group of Cultists, who were about to blow my brains out, knocking them unconscious.
“Prisoners.” exclaimed Brumr.
“Right. Did you come to save my ass and rush into the side of the Rhino surprising the Cultists? Or did you just do that because I’m the highest ranking person on this Battalion and you wanted to get a medal or something.” I ask while throwing a grenade into a pack of Cultists holding out near a fallen tree.
“Yeah, you just about got our picture.” The Guardsman says, smiling.
I look inside the Rhino, via the hatch, and see the unexpected. No enemy inside the tank. A sickly smile runs over my face. I yell into my micro-bead “Act like you’re retreating but find cover and throw some grenades near them. Keep firing. I’m gonna run them over with their own tank.” I stop talking as a heap of amazed exclamations come over the bead, but I can see my men following my orders and retreating for cover.
I turn to Brumr and look into his eyes. Fear, Surprise and a heap of questions. “Yes, I can drive a tank. No, I can’t mind read. Yes, you’re coming with me. No, we are unlikely to find resistance! Yes, that is an order. No, I’m sure I can’t mind read. Now Move!”
We pile into the tank, I’m in the lead. Our Toy Soldiers look at us in surprise, rattling there chains as they move. “By the Emperor!” says the Veteran Sergeant “Now I’ve seen everything! Come on Private, get me out of these chains.” orders the Veteran Sergeant to Macrn, 3rd Melta Gunman.
“Right away, Sir” Marcrn replies, slinging the Melta over his back and pulling out his little lock picking set.
“That’s what I love about this conscript stuff, sir. We’re just like any normal unit, we’re customised. We probably shouldn’t even still be called conscripts anymore, sir, we’ve done our tour. We can get out but no one wants to anyways…” I say talking to the Veteran Sergeant, and trying to get the beast moving, ”…Sir, hold onto something for safety, goddamnit…” I hit the switch, put the vehicle in reverse and floor it!!!
The Cultists hear the engine. Then they see they’re own transport going from 0 to 35km in 2 seconds, reversing straight into them. I say into my micro-bead, as well as I can, with all the jolting and bumping from the Chaos I’m running over, “Kill any Cha-a-os tha-at are le-eft. I’ll be a-at poin-t 19a-1-3. Tell-l me when-n you’-v-ve done. I’ll p-ick yo-u up.” One last jolt and I roar into forward and shoot off to point 19a13, the ruined church.
4:49…. 4:50, my dataslate changes just as we pick up the men from 3rd, and the last squad, from point 19a10. I pass control of the Rhino, to the Guardsman, Ymnon, and I move to the back of the tank. All reformed. I check our list, 2 dead, 3 injured, all accounted for.
“Sergeant, Sir, can your men please move to the top of the Rhino. Aaran, hoist 1st flag, I don’t want Kraks flying at us as soon as 2nd & 3rd battalions see us! I just protected this Chaotic beast and turned it into one of the God-Emperors babes, I don’t want it dead. Voxy radio into HQ. Tell them ‘1st battalion returning home. Tunaca are surrounding a Rhino. We have it captured and are using it as transport. Don’t fire. 19th PDF Storm Troopers have been found. We’re bringing them home.’, Got that, Voxy?” I ask him.
“Yeah, got it Corp.” Voxy puts his hand to his ear, and relays the good news to HQ via the Vox-Caster. “1st to HQ, 19th safe, coming home in captured Rhino, Voxy out”
Chapter 4
6:30 Home coming party!
As we arrived to the base. Men of 2nd & 3rd were cheering their head off. Capturing a Chaos Rhino has only been done once before, and that was with 10 squads of Hardened Veterans and 3 squads of Storm Troopers. To imagine a platoon of conscripts did this, with the loss of only 2 men and the wounding of 3. In the mess hall we were the centre of the crowd, all except me and the Storm Troopers. It seems tat I’m despised because I’m a NCO, the Storm Troopers are just Storm Troopers no one ever talks with them much anyway, that is… apart from me.
“Corporal, you should be the centre of it. You’re basically the CO of that unit. They should love you.” A Storm Trooper says.
“Nah… they’ll not notice that I’m not there. I’m used to it. It doesn’t matter…” I get cut off by the Commanding Officer of 3rd, a Commissar and our main Commanding Officer walk over to us. The Veteran Sergeant says, to his squad and me, in a deep disciplined voice “ATTEN HUT!” and we all stand.
“As you were men.” The Commissar says to us. “Sergeant, an very well organised plan capturing that Rhino. Very good work indeed…” He was interrupted by the Sergeant. “With all respect, sir, the Corporal here was responsible for the Rhino and our rescue. Sir, we were in chains and about to be sacrificed if not for his work.”
The 3rd CO asks me, “Corporal, where is the commanding officer of 1st battalion? Call him over, son.”
“Sirs, our CO was killed in the 3rd battle for the Ruined Church.”
The Commissar was about to talk but the Colonel stepped in: “So who’s been commanding since… what 1 year ago? I would like to meet this man.”
“Sirs, I have! I ordered the attack on Bunker 5, as you may well know Lt Jon, I made that suggestion.” I say referring to 3rd commander.
“That was you.” He butted in.
“Yes it was, sir. I also ordered the attacks along The Ridge, sir.”
The commissar frowns and asks for a private talk with the officers.
Three minutes later the commissar stands upon a table near by and calls us all to Attention.
He announces, “Due to current work by all battalions, High Command has made the following orders. The 5th conscript attack force is commended on its fine actions, it is to be re-enforced by the 3rd Attack Force, who have also performed exceptionally well. Congratulations men, you shall now be known as the 1st Delta Strike Force.’”
The men cheer, and the commissar puts up his hand to silence the group. We are all pleased not to be called Conscripts any more, we have earned this right.
○•○•○•○•○
The 1st Delta Strike Force has liberated the planet from the forces of Chaos. I look up toward The Green and see Tunmaqoyt rearing up on his hind legs and hear his victorious roar just as the sun sets behind the mountain.
This story is intended to be read by people who are familiar with Warhammer 40000 therefore certain assumptions have been made in my story.
Chapter 1
Our history
The rain is pouring down in The Green. The occasional scream of a heretic as he realises that he is about to be turned into a bloody pulp by a Tunaca, breaks the dull roar of the rain. The jungle is disguised.
The Tunaca have been ambushing the Chaos with the help of their human friends, us. Tunaca are native to this jungle and are fighting for their survival. We of the 1st battalion, in the 5th conscript attack force, were the first to befriend these ferocious, but beautiful, Tunaca. Therefore we were given the mission of working alongside them to defeat the enemy forces of Chaos.
The 5th conscript attack force consisted of 3 battalions. Each battalion contained 3 companies, each company had 180 men. That already amounted to 1620 green ground troops, not including commissioned officers. Tanks supported the Battalions. There were a wide range of tanks: 5 companies of Leman Russ’, 6 Annihilators and 2 Vanquishers. The PDF (planetary defence force) had no use for an Executioner, so they gave it to us along with the crew. With that amount of fire power the high command didn’t expect to come up to many casualties, they were outrageously wrong.
In the first battles, at Tuncoyt, we were up against less than a platoon of Chaos Cultists or Chaos Space Marines. By the time we got to The Green we had lost four of our nine companies and a company of Russ’. After that 1st Battalion, who lost the most companies, where nicknamed the “Lucky Leftover Ones”, and assigned to accompany the lightly armoured Tunaca native warriors. There was another problem, 1st had no commanding officer.
We are well hidden for an ambush. We are above 7th National roadway, no longer national as most has been over taken by jungle, on the other side of the planet. We are on the ridge above a section of road way. We are waiting, expecting the Platoon of the Back Legion of Chaos to be walking through here any time soon.
A heavy crunching of men – Chaos! The rumbling of the tracks of a lightly armoured tank, breaks the dull roar of the rain… once again. I whisper a message into my Micro-bead, “Shifty, what we got? Is it a few Rhino’s and Cultists?”
I wait a moment, “Yep. 4 Rhino’s with about 10 Cultists in each…”
A guardsman buts in, “Oh, extra fun. Yay. Woo hoo, fun…” we all laugh.
“…Holy…” Shifty notices something extra, he realises what it is, and he prays “By the emperor! A Rhino with…… holy… they got 19th’s Toy Soldiers hostage!” exclaims Shifty. The 19th PDF Storm Troopers are captive. I watch a dark figure move in the tree top to my left. I then see the glint of a scope and realise it is Shifty.
“Shifty how far back is this Rhino, 3 back?” I ask, afraid that when we attack we might hit them. I wait and I see him moving across the tree top.
“Yea, spot on Corp!” Shifty answers, then he cocks his head asking the question that always seems to come up, “Hit and Grab or smash and frag?”
The other men, hearing about the Storm Troopers, ready their weapons and wait for the inevitable order to attack. I touch each of my scars, which were caused from by overheated plasma, for good luck and ready my Plasma Rifle. I turn to Brumr and say, “Tell Tunmaqoyt to ready for an attack. Tell him that it is the same men that killed Tuqug, and it’ll get him going. Get your flamer ready, Brumr, it’s time for a chaotic roast.”, Tunmaqoyt is the leader of the Tunaca with us. He has vowed to destroy the men that killed his Son.
“Yes, Corporal.” Brumr says as he turns and moves quietly, but very quickly, to where the Tunaca are eating.
I think, trying to remember why I got promoted to Corporal. Oh… that’s right I saved the officers life, well even though it was only for a month or two that he lived… So I got assigned to take charge of 1st when our officer died.
“Corporal, the ½ of the Tunaca are going east the, ¼ is going to block the Heritic’s, the others are staying with us.”
“Very well. Send 3rd squad with the blockers, 2nd to the East and we will stay here.”
“Right away Corporal”
We ready ourselves for the inevitable onslaught; for once we are thankful for the rain and mist.
Chapter 2
Aspiring Champion
Swaash is the Aspiring Champion in charge of the Cultists. “Why, great gods of Chaos, were I put with these Underlings” he thought, “killing the officer of the followers of the false emperor was meant to be my ACCENTION!” He decides to take his temper out on one of the Cultists. He turns to a nearby Cultist who was meant to be watching the trees for Native Beasts, instead he was taking a drink. Swaash orders the Underling over to him, gaining his attention “You there, Cultist. Run as fast as you can to that tree.” Pointing to a large native tree to the north of their transport.
“Ye-Yes, Champion.” The Cultist stutters. He runs 25metres before a bolt round smashes into his leg, blowing his knee cap apart.
“Teaches you for not keeping watch, you lesser thing!” Swaash snarls barring his pointy yellow teeth.
Swaash climbs through the back compartment of the Rhino, into the front then up to the turret. He loads the Storm Bolter. When satisfied with the auto-loading mechanism of the Storm Bolter he yells down to the driver, and orders him “Drive, damn it. Over him, the filth on the ground.” pointing to the wounded Cultist, squirming and writhing in pain, on the ground ahead.
The driver looks to question his order, puzzled. Bang!! A bolt goes through the drivers head. “You drive,” Swaash roars to the Co-Driver, “Do better, or you will end up like him. Now OVER HIM!”
“And by Chaos! Get rid of them bloody friggen stiffs, they’re clogging up the compartment”, Swaash yells at the Cultists hanging by the door, indicating with his Bolt Pistol to the last 3 drivers that are dead, from questioning his orders.
The frightened driver mobilises the Rhino, the direction of the wounder filth and they mush the Cultist into a bloody pulp on the Jungle floor, who was screaming and begging for mercy, Swaash pops out of the top and yells, “No Mercy for Filth lower that the ones the Gods of Chaos have chosen!” He turns around as the screams die into a sickly crunch.
Then another sound. A high piercing roar. No it can not be! He turns just in time to see the monster of this planet destroying the Rhino in front of him. Ha, I’ll rip them apart with my Storm Bolter! he thinks fingering the weapon attached to the roof of the Rhino, aiming it directly at the Tunaca.
“Cultists, we will be victorious! We are Chaos. We will win…” his voice dies out as the shrill of Bolts from a Heavy Bolter smash into the metal of his tank. He looks at a weapon nest near by, Get them first! Swaash turns his Storm Bolter to return fire. The well kept auto-loading mechanism of his favourite weapon, jambs. Swaash looks up confident, that the Gods of Chaos will protect him, he tells the Guardsmen “Chaos will protect me, you…” a Bolt from the Heavy Bolter reaches his head. Ploocff! There is no more left but a bloody pulp.
○ • ○ • ○ • ○
I saw the Aspiring Champion’s head paint the top of the Chaotic Rhino, changing from a dark endless black, to bright blood red. Las-fire and the shrill of heavy weapons fill the air and over the top of the noise of weapons fire we can hear the bone-crunching metal-screeching high pitched sound of the Tunaca ripping the front Rhino to shreds.
A wounded Cultist is crawling back to safety. I point my plasma rifle at him. He puts his hand up and says with a shaky voice, “Chaos will protect me.” Pizzl! I shoot him in his guts replying, “Chaos will protect you, my ass they will!”
Another Cultist exits the rear exit hatch of the Rhino where the Toy Soldiers are imprisoned. He turns and fires two Las shots into a Guardsman, knocking him to the ground. How surprise he was when the Guardsman got straight back up and he returns fire into the Cultists head.
2nd squad reforms from its spread out positions on my command. I look at the Guardsman who took the shots and asked, “Hit your Bionics, did it?”
The Guardsman flexed his Bionic arm, “Yeah! Never thought losing an arm on my farm would do any good. Seems it did!” he says laughing and firing more Las shots into the Cultists.
I move into the cover provided by the closest wrecked Rhino, crouch and start giving orders, “Voxy, you and three men stay here and watch for stragglers. Any info you get about the battle give to me. I want a Heavy Bolter set up on each side of this Rhino.
“Brumr, 3rd squad and Tumasanz, Tunaca’s 3rd in command, to take out the Rhino with “:XxX:” on the written on the back, the one farthest to the rear. Get 2nd to make ready as runners, as we may not make it. Take out all the targets! We’re gonna get some Toy Soldiers.”
Men start moving and orders are flow through the unit.
Chapter 3
Toy Soldiers
I look at my Dataslate. 3:00pm, time to act.
I whisper into my micro-bead, “Go, Go, Go! Hit ‘em hard! Hit ‘em low!” The code word was said and the prone figures start moving. I whisper again ”Cover Fire!!!” All hell breaks loose from 10 Heavy Weapon nests around the Rhino. I start crouch running to the Rhino. Shooting the dumb Cultist trying to use the Storm Bolter on top of the Rhino, into a Plasma-ee mess.
Another Aspiring Champion, in charge of another group Cultists that are holding the Storm Troopers, comes out of a side hatch in front of me. He hesitates for a second, surprised that I’m right next to him. I pistol whip him knocking him off his feet before finishing him off with a volley of shots. He’s dead before he hits the Jungle floor.
I yell to 3rd Squad, who are behind a pile of boulders 20 meters away taking shots at the Cultists, “3rd get your ass’ over here. I’ve got a side hatch on the Rhino. Surprise them from the back!”
3rd Squad storm over to the side of the Rhino, pile driving through a group of Cultists, who were about to blow my brains out, knocking them unconscious.
“Prisoners.” exclaimed Brumr.
“Right. Did you come to save my ass and rush into the side of the Rhino surprising the Cultists? Or did you just do that because I’m the highest ranking person on this Battalion and you wanted to get a medal or something.” I ask while throwing a grenade into a pack of Cultists holding out near a fallen tree.
“Yeah, you just about got our picture.” The Guardsman says, smiling.
I look inside the Rhino, via the hatch, and see the unexpected. No enemy inside the tank. A sickly smile runs over my face. I yell into my micro-bead “Act like you’re retreating but find cover and throw some grenades near them. Keep firing. I’m gonna run them over with their own tank.” I stop talking as a heap of amazed exclamations come over the bead, but I can see my men following my orders and retreating for cover.
I turn to Brumr and look into his eyes. Fear, Surprise and a heap of questions. “Yes, I can drive a tank. No, I can’t mind read. Yes, you’re coming with me. No, we are unlikely to find resistance! Yes, that is an order. No, I’m sure I can’t mind read. Now Move!”
We pile into the tank, I’m in the lead. Our Toy Soldiers look at us in surprise, rattling there chains as they move. “By the Emperor!” says the Veteran Sergeant “Now I’ve seen everything! Come on Private, get me out of these chains.” orders the Veteran Sergeant to Macrn, 3rd Melta Gunman.
“Right away, Sir” Marcrn replies, slinging the Melta over his back and pulling out his little lock picking set.
“That’s what I love about this conscript stuff, sir. We’re just like any normal unit, we’re customised. We probably shouldn’t even still be called conscripts anymore, sir, we’ve done our tour. We can get out but no one wants to anyways…” I say talking to the Veteran Sergeant, and trying to get the beast moving, ”…Sir, hold onto something for safety, goddamnit…” I hit the switch, put the vehicle in reverse and floor it!!!
The Cultists hear the engine. Then they see they’re own transport going from 0 to 35km in 2 seconds, reversing straight into them. I say into my micro-bead, as well as I can, with all the jolting and bumping from the Chaos I’m running over, “Kill any Cha-a-os tha-at are le-eft. I’ll be a-at poin-t 19a-1-3. Tell-l me when-n you’-v-ve done. I’ll p-ick yo-u up.” One last jolt and I roar into forward and shoot off to point 19a13, the ruined church.
4:49…. 4:50, my dataslate changes just as we pick up the men from 3rd, and the last squad, from point 19a10. I pass control of the Rhino, to the Guardsman, Ymnon, and I move to the back of the tank. All reformed. I check our list, 2 dead, 3 injured, all accounted for.
“Sergeant, Sir, can your men please move to the top of the Rhino. Aaran, hoist 1st flag, I don’t want Kraks flying at us as soon as 2nd & 3rd battalions see us! I just protected this Chaotic beast and turned it into one of the God-Emperors babes, I don’t want it dead. Voxy radio into HQ. Tell them ‘1st battalion returning home. Tunaca are surrounding a Rhino. We have it captured and are using it as transport. Don’t fire. 19th PDF Storm Troopers have been found. We’re bringing them home.’, Got that, Voxy?” I ask him.
“Yeah, got it Corp.” Voxy puts his hand to his ear, and relays the good news to HQ via the Vox-Caster. “1st to HQ, 19th safe, coming home in captured Rhino, Voxy out”
Chapter 4
6:30 Home coming party!
As we arrived to the base. Men of 2nd & 3rd were cheering their head off. Capturing a Chaos Rhino has only been done once before, and that was with 10 squads of Hardened Veterans and 3 squads of Storm Troopers. To imagine a platoon of conscripts did this, with the loss of only 2 men and the wounding of 3. In the mess hall we were the centre of the crowd, all except me and the Storm Troopers. It seems tat I’m despised because I’m a NCO, the Storm Troopers are just Storm Troopers no one ever talks with them much anyway, that is… apart from me.
“Corporal, you should be the centre of it. You’re basically the CO of that unit. They should love you.” A Storm Trooper says.
“Nah… they’ll not notice that I’m not there. I’m used to it. It doesn’t matter…” I get cut off by the Commanding Officer of 3rd, a Commissar and our main Commanding Officer walk over to us. The Veteran Sergeant says, to his squad and me, in a deep disciplined voice “ATTEN HUT!” and we all stand.
“As you were men.” The Commissar says to us. “Sergeant, an very well organised plan capturing that Rhino. Very good work indeed…” He was interrupted by the Sergeant. “With all respect, sir, the Corporal here was responsible for the Rhino and our rescue. Sir, we were in chains and about to be sacrificed if not for his work.”
The 3rd CO asks me, “Corporal, where is the commanding officer of 1st battalion? Call him over, son.”
“Sirs, our CO was killed in the 3rd battle for the Ruined Church.”
The Commissar was about to talk but the Colonel stepped in: “So who’s been commanding since… what 1 year ago? I would like to meet this man.”
“Sirs, I have! I ordered the attack on Bunker 5, as you may well know Lt Jon, I made that suggestion.” I say referring to 3rd commander.
“That was you.” He butted in.
“Yes it was, sir. I also ordered the attacks along The Ridge, sir.”
The commissar frowns and asks for a private talk with the officers.
Three minutes later the commissar stands upon a table near by and calls us all to Attention.
He announces, “Due to current work by all battalions, High Command has made the following orders. The 5th conscript attack force is commended on its fine actions, it is to be re-enforced by the 3rd Attack Force, who have also performed exceptionally well. Congratulations men, you shall now be known as the 1st Delta Strike Force.’”
The men cheer, and the commissar puts up his hand to silence the group. We are all pleased not to be called Conscripts any more, we have earned this right.
○•○•○•○•○
The 1st Delta Strike Force has liberated the planet from the forces of Chaos. I look up toward The Green and see Tunmaqoyt rearing up on his hind legs and hear his victorious roar just as the sun sets behind the mountain.
