"Fifteen hours. That's how long they said the average guardsman survives in the field. But there's one thing I was damn sure of. That wasn't gonna apply to me."
- Lars 'Papa' Vorik. The oldest soldier in the Chem-Dogs 66th.
The sky was alive with flak and fire. The Chem-Dogs had been on planet only a few hours and they'd been tossed head first against the Tyranid splinter fleet that threatened this mudball called Orico. Captain Serevin Corr hustled through the trench, his men behind him as he barked orders.
"Covik! Take your squad, man those autocannon emplacements!" he shouted as he ran. "Bring down those bug bastards!" Seamlessly a unit peeled off of the group and took up position. The trench network was alive with guardsmen of the Orico Planertary Defense Force, many of them young kids and all of them scared out of their minds. Corr shoved a screaming boy aside and pointed at the bunker he'd been come out of.
"Papa! Secure the bunker! Get missile teams in there and take out the big ones!" he shouted. Papa strode out of the group and ducked into the bunker as Corr led them away. It smelled like a lower hive public restroom and a dozen eyes looked up at him. One of the kids stood and saluted.
"S-sir, we jus-" Papa raised his hand and the kid shut up.
"Don't call me, sir." he said, his voice cutting through the din of combat like a bone-saw through a femur. The PDF troops looked lost and Papa sighed and rolled his eyes. "You been through training?" he asked.
"Y-yes si-" Papa eyed him and the trooper swallowed the honorific. "Yes. W-we have." Papa pointed a finger at the lasguns resting against the bunker wall.
"Those work?"
The trooper nodded. Papa smiled and stepped closer to the terrified boy. Then his face twisted into a visage of pure rage.
"Then pick them up, get to that firing lip and start shooting!" he barked. The troopers jumped and scrambled for their weapons as if the Emperor himself had given them an order. "Move it! Move it! Those 'Nids won't rid the galaxy of themselves!"
Suddenly, from the firing slit came a feral scream. The troopers froze in place, the sound chilling them to the core. Papa turned and locked eyes with a snarling, drooling Tyranidas it slashed at the flak board firing slit with his talons until it managed to squeeze through and enter the bunker. Papa sneered and looked sidelong at the trooper. He was unsurprised to find them paralyzed with pants-filling fear.
He took off his helmet and handed it to one of the kids and then followed it with his lasgun.
"Hold this you worthless slime." he spat as he reached behind his back and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his blade. He drew the long jungle knife out slowly and took a few steps toward the hormagaunt. Beady red eyes set in pallid blue flesh locked onto Papa and ropey drool spilled from its open mouth.
"C'mon you ugly bastard. I have more to kill than just you tonight, don't think yourself special." he muttered as he held up the knife. The hormagaunt raised its talons and lunged forward. The PDF troopers squealed and backed against the bunker wall as Papa stepped aside. The gaunt lunged past him, its focus shifted to the terrified troopers. Papa lashed out with his free hand and dug his fingers under the purple chitin just behind the gaunt's neck and stopped it just short of eviscerating the troopers. He pulled with all his might and lifted the gaunt off its feet and threw it to the dirt.. Before it could react he slammed his knife down between its ribs with all his strength. Chitin crunched and thick red blood spilled from the wound as vital organ were sliced apart. The gaunt's feral growling became a pathetic whimper as its movement became sluggish. Then, as quickly as it began, the gaunt went slack, its tongue lolling out of its slack jaw. Papa stood up straight and wiped his forehead on the back of his sleeve. He turned to the PDF troops who were huddled together in shock. He moved over to them and took his lasgun and helmet back.
"What're you waiting for?! Get to that firing lip before another climbs in here!"