Force 10 to Cadia
Prologue:
Cadian Volunteers
Yuri Velekov, a Cadian scoundrel of the 35th Cadian Volunteer Regiment sat among those of his squad that he would dare call friends. Among them were Raul Reilly, Sharn Franks, Nix Vertis, Lloyd Tremerin, Hal Dunegal and Jay Kremin. His best friend and partner in crime was Jen Greer. The only woman in the platoon and the hardest damn trooper he had ever met and ever would likely meet.
They warmed their hands over the bin fire, some drank strong ale, others roasted dubious chunks of meat, and those lucky ones had pork or beaf, the others made do with dog or rat. The chant and steady chorus of several dozen different songs rang out across the regiment's base. All were at least marginally bawdy and some were unfit for anything other than hard fighting Cadian's in need of letting off some steam.
The 35th Cadian Volunteer Regiment was an outfit the likes of which spoke of desperation and many long years of warfare. Unlike the glorious troopers of the Cadian Shock Troop Regiments, the volunteer regiments were taken from the dregs of Cadia. They were not the worst scum there was to offer, they belonged in the penal battalions, but they were the petty criminals, the draft dodgers, the lazy and idle, and those in society with no other purpose. Despite the regiment's name, not a man among them had volunteered, and the officers were given the unenviable job of leading the volunteers either as punishment or to toughen them up for better units in the future.
The regiment was nine thousand combat ready men and women strong, large for a regiment but necessary for the heavy casualties they would likely face on the front lines of Cadia. Alongside them were three thousand support personnel, medics, engineers, mechanics, logistics staff, trainers and all manner of other troopers there to ensure the regiment operated to its fullest capability. Another three thousand were raw recruits and new reserves, while the regiment also maintained a small contingent of non combatants, relatives and hangers on, perhaps four thousand in total. For the nineteen thousand men, women and children who considered themselves part of the regiment, life was about to get very difficult. It was a newly raised regiment, along with a hundred and fifty other Cadian volunteer regiments. For those unused to the horrors of war, the following months would undoubtedly leave their mark on all those present.
Unlike the heavily equipped and supplied Cadian elite units, the volunteers were somewhat light on support. A single Leviathan command centre formed the entire regiments command capability. Ten Leman Russ tanks in various stages of disrepair formed their armoured support, and their trucks were all in need of maintenance. The regiment did however have a large and skilled field hospital and rescue, repair and recovery company. A company of thudd guns formed their artillery support, and several land speeders and a company of recon bikes their reconnaissance capability. Their supplies were already running low and calls for supply were slow in reaching them, with only a week to go before they joined their fellow Cadians on the front lines, the need was one of desperation. At least their communications net was in good working order and staffed by skilled operators.
The regiment was led by Lord Colonel Dane Novachek. He was a hard bitten commander, used to the hardships of thirty three years on the front lines of Cadia's long wars against chaos. Novachek is a man who considers most of his superiors idiots with no clue how to conduct a war, he is highly opinionated and doesn't follow orders well if he disagrees with them.
All had heard of the relief force that was supposed to be coming to the aid of Cadia, no specifics but millions of troops, titan legions and thousands of ships. For some the stories were just that, no one really expected help from outside. Cadia was a proud fortress world that had held back the Dark Crusades of Abaddon for thousands of years. And now was no different, even though the world was presently home to troops from over one hundred different worlds, to fight alongside the more than thirty million Cadian troops that held back a force of fifty million chaos troopers of Abaddon's Legions. The punishing war saw casualties of tens of thousands every day, troops arrived at the front daily to try and stem the endless tide of chaos that was spat forth from the Eye of Terror.
For Yuri and the others the promise of endless war or death was not a welcome prospect, but no one on Cadia doubted the need to keep the forces of chaos at bay. For now at least they would enjoy the time they had, prepare themselves and get blind drunk while they still could.
Yuri sat down next to Dina, his young wife of only six months. She took his hand in hers and poured him another drink of ale as he leaned across to kiss her. He could only hope that as a non combatant Dina would be safe back at Field HQ during the long months he would spend on the front line. Like thousands of other men he had chosen to bring his wife with him, many even had their children along, the long baggage train of dependants and hangers on a permanent reminder of the human element of the war as it was for many regiments heading for the front lines.
The field hospital numbered some three hundred doctors, nurses and assistants, and was undoubtedly the finest aspect of the regiment. At least things were generally quiet at the moment, with only a few serious injuries and mostly the idle shirkers for patients.
The regiment's base was some one hundred and fifty miles behind the front lines, well out of reach of the enemy's artillery and missile launchers. It stood in a small valley of several square kilometres along a slow running but deep river that ran through the valley. Thousands of tents and makeshift buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, the base even had its own sizable market where almost anything could be bought, there was even word that slaves could be bought for the right price, although the authorities would likely execute anyone found guilty of such crimes.
To the east of their position was the 36th and 37th Volunteer Regiments, to the west the 38th, 39th and 40th Volunteer Regiments. To the south, behind their position were the 178th Cadian Shock Regiment and the 45th and 46th Cadian Armoured Regiments, as well as the 117th and 118th Artillery Regiments. The Cadian 12th Air Group provided air cover for the vast corps of army units. To the north of their position were the Cadian 30th Motorized Infantry and 47th Armoured Regiment. A further 30 or so battalions made up the vast support network of units attached to the 56th Army Corps of which the 35th Volunteer was a part. The 29th Cadian Heavy Armoured Regiment was the only unit as yet to not arrive in the area.
Lord General Styros Markov was the commander of the 56th Army Corps. He was a successful and well respected officer, although his capability was as much to do with his command staff as his own prowess. He studied the Hologlobe that emerged from the holo-display in the Leviathan command room. It was a depiction of two thousand five hundred square miles of battlefront for which he was responsible, an area some fifty by fifty miles in which he would have to deploy his meagre forces. In red were shown the vast opposing legions, some one hundred and sixty thousand strong, he would be reinforcing fifty thousand Cadians and twenty thousand Thorians from the mountain world of Thoria. Within the week he was to move his entire Corps forward, leaving only non combatants and a small command force in the rear, along with the Leviathan command vehicles that were so important for the smooth running of the regiments to which they were attached.
Casualties were running at three thousand a day in his sector alone, the reinforcing of the Cadian positions was seen as essential to prevent the 31st and 32nd Chaos Legions from breaking through and getting behind the Cadian front lines.
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"Only another week until we all get killed," Niles Mather said as Yuri looked across at his friends one by one. Niles was the dour doomsayer of the platoon and considered by the others as something of a bad luck merchant.
"That's it, Niles, look on the bright side." Yuri replied without turning to face him.
"I'll be certain to make sure you get a decent burial, Niles. Just look after those boots alright." Jen said, gesturing at Niles's new army boots.
"I'm serious, we're all going to die." Niles insisted.
Yuri was about to answer when he noticed Lieutenant Jall Jacobs approaching, he was their platoon leader, commander of the forty nine men and one woman of 1st platoon, 5th company, 6th battalion of the 35th Cadian Volunteer Regiment. He thought the overbearing lieutenant was about to give them a lecture, the middle aged nobleman always bitter that he had been assigned to a volunteer regiment. Alongside him was senior sergeant Malk Sloane, A cheerful bear of a man who operated one of the platoon's heavy weapons, his massive bulk perfect for hauling the heavy equipment about the battlefield. Jen laughed nervously and then handed both men a bottle of beer.
"Make sure you have a good night tonight lads, the chances are we could be moving the push up to tomorrow." The lieutenant said with a hint of despair.
"I thought we had another week before we went to the front." Yuri stated, his temper rising that what short time they had was going to be even shorter than expected.
"Things are looking more desperate for our troops on the front. They need help within the day if they are to maintain a defensive line." The sergeant said.
"Only another day and we'll all be dead, you see if we aren't." Niles replied gloomily as he slurred his words and downed the rest of his bottle of ale.