Protocol
"This is insanity!", thought Strauss, "My men shouldn't be here!"
They had been ordered to retake a fortified outpost on a hill outside the city. The Commander had told him taking the outpost was crucial to the world's survival. Lord General Uriel had been killed when his personal transport, and most of the armored column escorting him, was annihilated by a direct hit from a Bio-Titan. Commander Valens had taken his place as the second highest-ranking officer in the defense force, and the leader of the Krieg regiments attached to his company. He just didn't see the point. The outpost had been infested with Tyranids for months and Uriel didn't seem to care. But for whatever reason as soon as the Krieger took control it had been one of his top priorities.
"What was so important about that old building anyway? It wasn't a strongpoint or anything special on the maps, just an old radar station. It's not like we don't know where the damned creatures are, I mean they're trying to crawl up the walls and through the sewer systems for Emperor's sake!"
Strauss was not the only one upset by Valens new position over them. Most of the Cadian 91st had been upset by the Lord Generals death; the quick fill-in for him was not what they had in mind to replace the seasoned and beloved Cadian General. Rations had been severely cut over the past few months, daily training was now led by Krieg Watchmasters and mandatory sessions were held three times a day. He had organized several scouting parties outside the city walls, none of which returned. "Now he wants our entire force to leave the safety of the city and assault the outpost. He told us to leave our armored support behind as it would have a difficult time maneuvering over the swarms and to take only one clip of ammo to lighten our load so they could get to the outpost quicker. He also assured us that there was a large storage unit in the outpost to refill our guns." Strauss had been told to stay behind, as he would be needed to orchestrate troops from the command center. Now he entered the elevator to the control room to confront Valens. He shared the lift with a masked sentry, who stood at attention and silently stood next to the lift's rune panel.
"Command room" Strauss told the guard with a rough, demanding tone. He didn't have to be polite to the Kriegers, and he didn't intend to either.
The guard saluted in acknowledgement as he pressed the rune. The atmosphere of silence in the elevator irritated Strauss; the seven months the two regiments lived together weren't enough to get past the eerie aura that emanated from the men of Krieg. The doors opened to two more sentries; these two had skull motifs adorning their gas masks. He passed them without a glance and they in turn stood motionless as he entered, eyes forward toward the lift. The room was dark. A single illumination orb hung over the large central desk. Commander Valens was gazing out of the control room windows. The tall, gothic windows of what had once been the planetary governor's personal residence had been barred and reinforced when the Krieger took over. He moved all operations centers to the capital city and fortified the private residence as the city's final stronghold. Valens looked out at the ensuing battle at the outpost. The sound of artillery firing and exploding was reduced to a gentle, echoing boom by the thick glass and reinforced ferrocrete walls. The light from exploding shells flickered like candlelight upon his tall crested helmet and reflected in the dark eyepieces of his mask.
"Commander Valens" Strauss called out, "there is something we need to discuss." The commander turned around and responded,
"Yes Major Strauss, what is it?"
"Commander we have been compliant these past few weeks since Uriel was killed. We have done what you've wanted, abided by your rules but my men..."
"What about your men?" asked Valens.
"My men have reported from the field that they have suffered casualties from our own, your artillery."
"Major Strauss, with all due respect this is not my fault but your own soldier's faults. We gave them precise coordinates to make their way to the outpost and we agreed to provide artillery support on the flanks of the assault to drive off enemies. If your men refused to follow instructions then they have only themselves to blame."
It was this absolute attention to detail, this obsession with order that both Strauss and his men struggled to comprehend, and he refused to tolerate any loss of his men from it, so much so that he had finally had enough.
"So what was the big deal with the outpost?" Asked Strauss in an accusatory manner.
"Nothing" replied Valens. Strauss spun around,
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, the outpost is of absolutely no strategic importance." Valens said in a calm tone.
"No importance? Then why the Golden Throne are my men dying out there!?"
"Major Strauss you are aware of the millions of hostile xenos surrounding us are you not? We have been besieged for over two months. Food and ammunition storages are rapidly depleting. If there is to be any hope of this planet's survival..."
"I see, you're trying to starve us out with these ration cuts" Strauss yelled.
"Actually no, we have reduced your men's ration intake to the regulated amount we provide our troops. The fact that your men were unable to cope with even a little decrease in rations or the training routines did not help your situation."
"What situation?"
"I am only acting in the best interest for this world." reassured Valens. He walked over to the governor's old desk and pressed the transmission rune on the vox outlet.
"You may proceed when ready."
Then as he turned and looked out the barred windows, the artillery picked up speed and grew in intensity. Strauss ran over to the window. The explosions lit up the night like lightning and revealed horrible scenes. Giant, razor toothed creatures charged into Imperial lines, flattening and shredding dozens of soldiers at a time. Hordes of small predators rushed in and out of small gaps in buildings, structures and men ripping them apart from within their ranks. He saw the ring of explosions slowly tighten and close in on the 91st. The screams of men grew louder and overwhelmed the agonizing shrieks of the felled xenos and the roaring artillery around them.
"You murderer!" Yelled Strauss. "When did you become worse than the horrors outside these walls?" Valens didn't look away from the massacre. He just calmly said,
"Please try to control yourself"
"Control myself!? I am not the butcher that you are!" Strauss slowly backed away from the window and desk with an expression of anger and confusion across his face.
"Major Strauss this would have happened eventually. I observed both regiments and allowed the hardened regiment to live." Valens explained.
"So this is some sick game then? Some tournament for your amusement?" continued Strauss raising his voice as he spoke.
"No, as I said before supplies are low and one regiment was to be sacrificed in the Name of The Emperor. It just happened that your regiment underperformed to mine, statistically speaking."
"Statistics!? Why does it always come down to statistics with you? Numbers mean nothing on the battlefield, just intuition and determination."
"I don't believe you are knowledgeable enough in our doctrine to make those statements..."
"And I believe this disgraceful conversation is over!" Interrupted Strauss, as he quietly reached for his pistol while he eyed the Commander, who was still gazing out at the ensuing carnage.
"I wouldn't have done that." Said Valens. As he said it Strauss dropped his pistol and fell to the floor, dead. The sentries had followed him in, and waited in the shadows in total silence, guns raised, as was protocol.
Cora IV was overrun by tyranids just under two months later. Imperial parties were sent to officially record in the wake of the alien's move to other systems. According to investigations, the gates were opened by the defenders after food stores had been depleted for some time and the city's generators were overridden to detonate. What remained of Commander Valens was found near the detonator, and clutching two pistols. His own hot-shot pistol in one hand, and a pistol with insignia from the Cadian 91st in the other.