+++Location: Ultima Segmentum. Planet Designation: Mountainous Biosphere 101. Fortification Line Alpha+++
Short exert from Neglected by the Munitorium: A List of Poorly Named Planets.
Mountainous Biosphere 101 is the most famous of a group of planets on the edge of the Ultima Segmentum that were named based on the description of an adept of a prominent Magos Geologist. The explanation was provided that the Magos names were much too long, so the Adept used the most basic descriptions. These planets are relatively uninteresting, producing raw materials and filling tithes promptly. The most famous of the armies is the 101st Mountain Division lead by their excentric commander, Captain Steele, who's legacy begun after an ork rok landed on the planet, threatening the planetary Capital...
Sargent Steele
"My squad!" I shouted over the shouts and screams of men and the bellowing roars of orks. "Follow me!" I pointed my chainsword in the direction of the back lines. We started jogging towards the platoon command squad.
"Sargent! We're being told to return to the fight!" Jensen yelled as she caught up with me despite lugging a thirty-pound voxcaster on her back. "They're threatening to send a commissar!" I cursed under my breath.
"Tell them to feel free as long as they are ready to fight some orks! Get the McKnight on the horn! Tell him his about to be hit from the side!" I shouted to her as I saw a rickety trukk billowing black smoke as it rumbled its way towards the small, five man squad in the back of our lines. "Thomas!" I turned as shouted as the stout man with a grenade launcher trotted up by me. His helmet bounced as the helmet strap dangled uselessly to the side.
"Yes, Sarg?" He asked.
"I need you to stop that shambling assortment of scrap metal." I said pointing to the sad excuse for a vehicle that had pieces of metal hanging off by a bolt and some just straight up fell off.
"They aren't responding sir!" Jensen told me.
"I got 'em." Thomas smiled with his lho stick still in his mouth. Pomf! The grenade launcher fired and hit the trukk square in the side. A massive explosion ripped through the hull as the trukk careened and skidded to a stop by the command squad that shifted back away as they finally noticed the vehicle. Ten green skins staggered out and bickered before the Nob shouted and smacked them in the back of the head with a big pole with an ork insignia on it.
"Nice shot!" I grunted to the smiling man as he switched clips. "Fix bayonets!" I shouted as we got in close but unfortunately the Nob got them running as the charged McKnight. His men opened up with their lasguns but only felled a couple of the xenos. "Kill 'em all!" I shouted charging. The first one didn't even see me coming before my chainsword bit into its shoulder and exited by the hip. I saw another next to me fall as three bayonets went through its back followed by boots to slam it down to the lush grass. A third ork boy went down as Jensen jumped on its back and stabbed it in the throat with her combat knife. I saw McKnight on the ground as his medic tried to shield him.
"Hey Greenie!" I shouted distracting the Nob from cleaving the poor medic in half. "How 'bout you pick on someone your own size!" I shouted challenging him.
"Heh, 'upid humie." The Nob chuckled. I stepped in and swung but glanced off the plate steel on his chest. He swung his massive axe with a chainsword like blade whirling. I grunted as I deflected the blow with my sword before swinging across my body and tearing into his unprotected side. I pulled it out smirking but not for long as he let out a shout and swung down at me. I deflected again but the force of the blow broke my sword in half making me curse.
"Sarg!" I heard Jensen shout, but she was on the other side of the massive ork. "Catch!" She threw her knife but it just lodged in the back of the orks shoulder making me sigh. I charged and slid between its legs at the last second as it struggled to lift its big choppa out of the ground. I jumped onto its back and grabbed the knife as I started to swing away wildly. It grunted as it tried to swat me off. I managed to get my arm around and slam it into the creature's throat. It gurgled in surprise as it fell to its knees. I jumped off and slashed its throat again as it fell to the ground finally dead. I was covered in blood and grim as I spun the knife and handed it to Jensen.
"Thanks for the help, though I think you need some more training on knife throwing." I grinned as she rolled her eyes and wiped the knife of her uniform and sheathed it. "Who do we have left?" I asked.
"You, Ash, Johnson, and I." She reported grimly.
"Damn." I muttered shaking my head. I picked up my broken chainsword and sighed.
"And this is why we can't have nice things." Jensen muttered earning a glare.
"Sargent!" I heard an unfamiliar voice say. I saw the medic beckon me over where he was kneeling by the platoon commander.
"Lieutenant McKnight, what do you need sir?" I asked kneeling next to the man. He was one of the older men in the army in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair and a receding hairline. He had been my drill instructor when I got in the force and had become a platoon commander when the orks had come to the planet. He had been commander for years back when we actually were a traveling army. He had been clipped in the shoulder by the axe of the Nob but luckily the armor had taken some of the blow so it was only two or three inches deep.
"Thanks for saving my ass son." He smiled up at me.
"Someone's got to make sure that you don't get yourself killed." I smirked.
"I think I'm going to retake that job as the master of training." He chuckled.
"I think that might be a good idea sir."
"I want you to take my place as of now. Take Phillips and get a team together, they're going to need some help." He said patting my shoulder. I looked up and inspected Phillips who was a short thin man who looked like a good breeze could knock him over. But I could tell by the fact that McKnight was still conscious that he was a good medic.
"I'd be honored sir." I said as he fumbled with his belt.
"Here, take this." He said handing me a book that I knew was full of information for higher officers. He also handed me his scabbard and self converted hot shot laspistol.
"Sir, I can't take your sword, you were…"
"Yeah, I know, Dante said it was the weapon of a warrior. I'm retiring, use it well." He smiled before I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Steele, what's the plan?" Jensen asked as I stood and looped the scabbard around my belt and holstered the pistol.
"You've been promoted." I said before addressing all of my remaining men. "Listen up, I've been promoted to Lieutenant and I need a team. Ash, grab that heavy flamer." I told my pyromaniac friend who grinned. "Johnson, grab the banner and any other weapon you want. Phillips, check your supplies and Jensen, I'll give you our new clearance code." I finished. "And make it fast we got an army to lead!" I put in making them start running to get their jobs done. I gave Jensen the codes and took the vox from her until she gave me the thumbs up.
"Calling Command." I said before waiting a few seconds. "I repeat, calling command."
"Golden Throne, what do you want?" An irritated voice answered as me and Jensen gave each other confused looks.
"Command, this is Sargent Steele of F squad. McKnight has been injured and is en route to the city. He appointed me as Platoon Commander, what are our orders?"
"Oh, is that right. You can't just become the Commander, Sargent. You need the clearance codes." The voice replied making me grit my teeth.
"Clearance code is echo romeo indigo charlie alpha." I said reading the piece of paper from McKnight's handbook.
"Oh, congratulations, hopefully your better than the last one." He commented lazily as Jensen's eyes widened as I bite my tongue.
"What are our orders?" I asked through clenched teeth.
"Hold until relieved." The line clicked dead as I let loose a string of curses.
"What are your orders? Sir." She added shakily as an afterthought.
"No, no 'sir' Jensen." I said with a soft smile. I had been through everything with the girl next to me ever since boot camp. "Give me a line to all the squads." I said as she fiddled with the controls on her arm before nodding.
"Listen up, McKnight was injured, so I'm in charge now. Names Commander Steele. We have orders to hold the position, so we aren't losing an inch of ground to these dirty Xenos!" I told them, trying to sound confident.
"Are we getting support?" One asked.
"Heavy weapons?" Another asked hopeful.
"How long are we holding?" Jensen glanced at me worried as I thought.
"We have the Emperor on our side and the bravest men this side of the Astartes, so we will hold our position for as long as the Emperor wills it!" I said with confidence I didn't have. "So, say your prayers, sharpen your bayonets, and plant your feet Guardsman. For today, we will be like the walls of Terra itself and nothing short of titans will break us!" I shouted into the vox with fire in my voice. "Dismissed." I said before clipping it on to Jensen's pack. I looked at my squad around me who had return from their tasks. "How was that?" I asked innocently.
"I think you have them ready to attack a titan with just some rocks." Johnson commented making the others laugh.
"Well let's get going." I commented pointing to the top of hill that we were on. "I want every guardsman to see us." I said as we started walking.
I looked over my men and was proud to see men who would usually try to run from the massive tide of green in front of them standing strong. To our back was the bridge that lead to our city that crossed over the massive river. In front of us was an arc of fifty Conscripts that were looking terrified of the green tide but they were more scared of the man in the wide black and red hat that paced back and forth holding a bolt pistol menacingly screaming about faith. In front of them was five squads of ten men each. We had erected simple wooden fences with metal leaned against them that were cover for our men. In front of that was a body covered no-man's-land that sporadically was hit with mortars. Just beyond that was the tree line which we heard the battle cry rise from. A bellow of 'Waaaaaaagh!' was heard across the clearing. I grabbed my vox again.
"Grenadiers, target the trukks, everyone else hit the closest foot slogger!" I shouted as I watched the tide of boyz charge out of the trees as I gave points for the trukks that I couldn't see but I could see the path they carved in the trees. I smiled as I heard explosions and saw black smoke from two of the three lines. I heard Sergeants yelling orders as lasfire washed over the boyz dropping many of them but not nearly enough. The orks unleashed everything they had as our men tried to take cover behind the make shift defensive wall. I saw a few rokkits spiral out of barrels and hit the lines blowing a hole in the middle of the ranks but most spiraled into the air and exploded, distracting some of the boyz.
"Fire on my mark! First rank fire! Second rank fire! Third rank fire!" I drilled rhythmically as the men's hands flew on their lasguns, muscle memory from drill sergeants hammering away at this same pace for hours. Orks fell as they charged almost completely preventing any forward progress.
"Steele!" Jensen caught my attention as I watched my commands be followed. "Our middle is thinning, they are getting hit hard." She said pointing out the two squads that were about half their original strength. Just then a looted wagon broke through the tree line. It was a monstrosity that might have once been a Leman Russ tank but now it was covered in shabby metal plating that occasionally shook loose and fell of or hung off precariously. Grots on the outside fired off little pistols while an ork boy fired a rokkit which blew a hole in the barricade and incinerated a couple nearby men.
"All grenadiers, kill that monstrosity!" I shouted as at got closer to the front line. "Commissar Andrews! Get ready to fill in that gap!" I shouted before throwing the vox back on Jensen's pack again and pulled out my sword. "Follow me! They need our help!" I shouted as everyone sprinted to catch up with me.
"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?" Phillips asked trying to catch up. One of the grots threw a wrench at me which I side stepped and shot the grot off the tank.
"I'm not going to sit by and watch my men be slaughtered!" I shouted back. Johnson fired his plasma pistol as grenades exploded against the hull. His shot blew the head off the driver making it go sideways before skidding to a stop, about ten feet from the barricade. "Nice shot!" I smiled as he grinned. Just then the drivers body was shoved out of the hatch as a huge Nob appeared. "Emperor damn it." I growled as I saw the squad in front of us staring at their new enemy with horror on their faces. I saw half the men turn to start run but they stopped when they saw us.
"Come on boys! The commander is with us!" One shouted as they all started to charge the Nobs.
"For McKnight!" Johnson shouted as he blew a hole through one of the Nobs shoulder. Ash braced and blasted a burning wave of promethium on to the orks as the squad's flamer joined in. As Jensen fired her lasgun to little effect while my new pistol cut through their armor cleanly. Unfortunately that's when I heard a savage yell as a unit of boyz charged. The squad turned and squeezed off a few shots but only the flamer managed to actually stop one. We let loose and brought down two nobz.
"Commissar!" I shouted right as the boyz and still lightly burning nobz hit our lines. I spun out of the way of a big choppa and slammed the sword into the nobs chest as I shot it in the head before I pulled my blade out. Jensen slashed one xenos stubby legs with a bayonet and then, while it was distracted by the pain she put the bayonet in its throat and fired a shot out the other side. Ash sliced one but then was caught by an upper cut that sent him flying. Johnson was smacking boyz with the banner and then shooting them. Phillips was cowering as three guardsmen bayoneted a nob and together shot it full of holes.
"Phillips!" I shouted at the cowering man. "Go make sure Ash is still breathing!" I shouted before glancing a choppa to the side and then shooting the owner.
"Y-Yes sir!" He squeaked scurrying over to the pyromaniac. Finally, I heard a battle cry from obviously scared and inexperienced men. The conscripts flooded the melee as even I was knocked back by the charging men. I grinned and raised my sword.
"For the Emperor!" I shouted slicing down orks as fast as I could move my arm. I saw a cowering conscript about to be cut in half by an ork. I shot it in the head and sliced across its chest dropping the beast. I holstered my pistol as the last of the orks were dead or dying. I extended my hand to the stunned guardsman. "Need some help?" I asked as I helped him to his feet.
"T-Thank you, sir!" He said with wide eyes making me smile.
"Don't call me sir, makes me sound like a big wig." I said. "Just Commander, or Commander Steele will do." I smiled before turning back to Jensen who had some blood coming from her forehead and her helmet was missing.
"Orks, have pulled back. We calculate…" I cut her off.
"What happened to you? Are you okay?" I asked worried but she waved me off.
"Yeah, the helmet took the brunt of the hit." She grunted as she picked up her cracked helmet and pulled out her headset out of the helmet and put it on. "Command on the line." She said as I grabbed the vox.
"Steele here." I said as the same annoyed voice answered.
"You are being relieved at daybreak. The Captain will speak with you when you return." The line clicked off.
"Well… he's nice." She commented as she changed the channel. "All call." She nodded.
"Command has called." I started. "They were so impressed with your amazing show of will and power that they feel confident in giving the other platoon more time to assemble their forces and hopefully pull from the hundred and first armored division." I said as Janson raised an eyebrow. "We will be relieved at day break and we will be received as heroes! Hold fast men, we will fall anything that those greenskin xenos can throw at us! Dismissed." I said hanging up.
"So… what's this I hear about the hundred and first armor?" Jensen asked.
"One can hope." I shrugged.
Authors Note: Hope you're enjoying this story so far! I will have the rest of the piece up soon. I welcome comments and feed back to know what you think, and how I can get better! Thank you!