The hill had steepened towards the top, but the Grenadiers under Lieutenant Raath had managed the hill easily. They had mounted the final slope quietly and carefully, pausing at the edge of the sheltered plateau. Cecilia had left guards down the slope a ways, well within range of their comm beads, which had resumed normal function now that they were outside the thick forest. She waved her troops down at the edge of the clearing, most of them checking weapons eagerly, eyeing the open area before them with trepidation, most uncomfortable being free of the cover of the forest. There was little cover between their current position and where the track disappeared again into the forest across the clearing. Trees circled with area, casting dark shadows on the snow and rock and brush beyond.

"There's something here." Maeve murmured softly, kneeling next to Cecilia, her rifle raised and scanning the perimeter of the clearing for threats.

"What do you see?" Cecilia asked softly, not bothering to subvocalizing the question, instead simply speaking softly to her scout-sniper. Maeve's rifle slowly tracked over the field of ice and snow, and then it froze, snapping up slightly.

"Contact. Eleven o'clock. Approaching slowly." She hissed softly.

"Weapons front." Cecilia subvocalized, bringing all of her troopers to attention, their weapons coming up in a rough firing line that was aimed towards the center of the clearing. "Range?"

"Fifty meters and holding." Maeve murmured softly, adjusting a knob atop her scoped longlas, taking a deep breath. "I can take him now if you wish."

"No, hold your fire." Cecilia said, frowning. "Is the contact alone?"

"He appears to be, yes ma'am." Maeve said softly. "It is likely he has friends around, though. Vision is obscured all along the forest line."

"Damn." Cecilia muttered softly.

"Ma'am…" Maeve murmured, a frown decorating her face.

"What is it?" Cecilia asked, peering over the bank of snow she had dropped down behind. She saw a flapping rectangle of material that man had hoisted, but she couldn't make out the details in the wildly flapping flag.

"He's flying an Imperium Aquila." Maeve said, sinking back from her rifle, a frown marring her lips. "He's looking directly at our position. I think he knows we're here."

"He does know we're here." Cecilia muttered, frowning. She grimaced, glancing behind her at her troops. She waved Louis forward, the vox operator slinking forward and dropping down next to her, waiting for an order. "Get me an encrypted line to Tawes."

"Ma'am." Louis nodded, setting about connecting the line, trying to call up the sergeant. "Sergeat Tawes, come in. This is First Squad, please respond." He spoke with a soft voice, covering his mouth and the receiver so the sound wouldn't carry. He repeated his hail a few times, but after nearly two minutes of calling and waiting, there was no response. "I'm getting nothing ma'am."

"That's not like Tawes." Cecilia muttered, frowning. "He knows communications protocol…" She sighed softly. "Has anyone been trying to hail us on any known Guard channels?"

"Nothing ma'am." Louis said shaking his head. "Or I would have picked it up."

"I know, Louis." Cecilia nodded slowly, glancing back at the field, seeing the man still sitting distant, a large weapon at his side. "Louis, I want you to patch this encrypted channel into my comm bead so if Tawes is listening but unable to communicate, he can hear everything we say on this channel."

"Aye, ma'am." Louis said, setting about the task.

"Maybe he ran into whatever left the tracks?" Holtz asked, frowning.

"It's possible." Cecilia said, frowning thoughtfully. "Fine. We do this the hard way."

"Ma'am?" Maeve asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to shoot him?"

"No, but get in position and line up a disabling shot." Cecilia said softly. "Holtz, spread half the men out in five meter intervals, lasguns fore and aft. I don't want anyone sneaking up behind us or ambushing us from the front." She paused for a second. "Have Rex set up his bolter facing the target. If something goes south, I want him to paste everything in the clearing, your hear me?"

"Ma'am?" Holtz muttered, frowning.

"You heard me." Cecilia said softly. "Nothing gets out alive if I go down, but I want you to make sure everyone is holding their fire until either I give the word or someone opens fire. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am." Holtz said, nodding. He grunted a soft chuckle. "If Tawes were here he'd probably have some stupid saying like 'Only you can prevent friendly fire'." Holtz had a mocking tone as he spoke, and Louis snorted, but Cecilia said nothing. Grimacing at the lack of a response from the lieutenant, he set about organizing the troopers into position, moving them about with short bursts of subvocalized communications. Rex seemed hesitant at the idea of mowing his lieutenant down, but Holtz assured him it was unlikely to be needed.

Cecilia glanced at Louis. "Is it done?"

"Yes, ma'am." He confirmed, nodding. "You're good to go."

"What about the rest of the men, leftenant?" Holtz asked, frowning.

"We have no choice." Cecilia murmured. "We have to abide by our comm silence, and if they're not opening communications, we have to investigate. That's our mission here. Holtz, form up half the squad and follow me."

"Yes ma'am." Holtz grumbled softly, frowning.

They stepped out of the cover of the edge of the forest and started moving towards the center of the clearing where the newcomer sat, waiting, an Imperial Guard flag posted next to him, the shaft jammed deep into the mud. The flag was tattered and torn, the edges frayed and the color pale and faded. Splatters of mud and grime decorated the flag like trophies, the Aquila's silver thread tarnished and dim in the dull evening light. The flag looked beaten and heavily worn, but it was nothing next to the man who sat atop the stump of a felled tree.

The man had dark stubble lining his harsh chin, his eyes dark and slightly sunken, and his hair dirty and long. He wore a cloak of wolf fur round his shoulders, over the armor of an Imperial Guardsman. Cecilia looked closer, keeping her weapon trained on the man, and noticed the subtle differences between his armor and that of a rank and file trooper. He had a thick leather jacket under standard issue body armor, armored plating secured to either shoulder, one pauldron placed over the fur cloak, the other tucked beneath. His hand rested upon a heavy stubber, the weapon resting against the inside of his leg, the barrel raised up in the air, a chain of rounds dangling from the breach. His eyes were a cold, dark green, fire and anger blazing at Cecilia as she stepped forward, her weapon still trained upon his chest. The emblem of the Cedrus PDF was emblazoned over his heart, though it was faded and scratched nearly away.

Cecilia stood at arms a dozen paces away, matching his glare.

"Who are you?" The man growled, his green eyes quickly scanning the squad of soldiers that had emerged from the tree line behind Cecilia. She narrowed her eyes, looking at the soldier. His uniform was worn and matted with mud and blood, and though the man wore a laspistol one his hip, he left it clipped in his leather holster. A pair of large eared vox-phones hung around his neck, a well-worn pair of magnoculurs resting upon his chest.

Cecilia stood before him, her weapon trained upon his head as she grimaced, waving Holtz and Louis forward. "Spread out and maintain a perimeter." She subvocalized, noticing the faux-guardsman's eyes narrow as she did. He's familiar with Special Forces. "Tawes, is he alone?" A crackle of silence in her vox-bead answered her. "Tawes? Still nothing, Louis?"

"Nothing ma'am." The vox-officer replied.

A thin smile played across the man's face, an almost predatory smile upon his lips. "Your sergeant is indisposed currently. You're going to have to deal with me if you want him back."

"You traitorous bastard." Cecilia snarled, raising her weapon to her shoulder, pointing it at the man's head. He looked up, his eyes swirling with mirth and anger. He gestured to himself, taking an aggressive step forward as he snarled at her.

"Traitorous?" He hissed, pushing himself up, raising the stubber with a single hand. "Do it! Pull the trigger, you child! The Emperor's Benediction would be the easy way out of the forsaken hellhole of a planet!" Cecilia froze, seeing his strength as he raised his weapon, leveling it with Cecilia's torso. She looked up into his eyes, seeing the burning anger as he glared back at her. There was a hollowness in his eyes as if he were already dead. "You'll find no more loyal son of the Imperium than I, lieutenant." His voice was full of cold menace and barely veiled fury as his hand flexed around the grip of the stubber. Cecilia's brow hardened as she slid back, dropping her weapon from her shoulder, hesitating for a moment as she pulled her helmet off, letting her blonde hair spill out. It cascaded down her shoulders as she glared at the soldier. His eyes betrayed something other than anger for only a second, but it was gone in an instant as she peered into his eyes. There was anger and frustration beneath his bushy brows. "I find it sad that the Imperium would send not an army to rescue those who survive, but rather hunter-killer teams to slay those who still fight on like dogs."

"Don't lie." Cecilia hissed, drawing her power saber and leveling it with the man's chin. She lifted it up, looking into his eyes, seeing the furious glare she shot back at her. "How is it you still live when every other member of the PDF is left in shallow graves and rotting upon the fields of battle, dead for their attempts to protect their home? You're a bloody coward, nothing more than scum, and for that you should be sentenced to death!" Lisarah drew her power saber, raising it up to the man's neck as he took another step forward. He grinned with a vicious bark of laughter, seeing her shaking hand, her thumb poised over the ignition rune. "Shut your mouth or you're dead!"

"Death?" The soldier laughed coldly, his face snapping back from the mocking laughter as he looked at Cecilia. The intensity of his glare took her aback and she hesitated slightly. "You know nothing of death. You're only a little girl with a few friends and a toothpick." He snarled, pushing forward, letting the power saber push along his neck. If the weapon had been activated it would have easily sliced his head off, but the man's eyes betrayed no fear, only anger.

"You're not only a coward but completely mad!" Cecilia snapped, pulling back. "You should've stayed beneath whatever rock you crawled out from under! I should kill you now for your insolence!"

The man let his head hang back as he bellowed a deep laugh, his voice cold and vicious. "I'd love to see the world from your perspective, but sadly, my head doesn't fit that far up my ass. Kill me if you wish, but know, if you wish to do me harm, you and every one of your men will fall before my knees hit the ground."

"You have only a stubber." Cecilia snapped back. "You might take me, but my men would fell you before you managed to turn your weapon on anyone else."

"You think I'm alone?" He growled, a grin sliding across his face. It was sly and cold, like a wolf. "You're green. A pity." He reached up and pressed a button on his voxphones.

The edge of the forest seemed to shudder around them and the wolf-fur clad soldier's men came up from behind shelters dug in the snow, kicking the netting aside as they stepped out, at least two lasguns aimed at Cecilia and each of her unit as she did a quick count as the beleaguered troopers stepped out. They were thin and weary looking, but where most would look tired or broken, it looked as if these men had been hardened to adamantium by the pressure they were suffering. Their weapons were as steady as rocks, their gazes undeterred.

"Tawes! Damn you!" Cecilia subvocalized, struggling to maintain a straight face, a stony grimace settling on her pursed lips.

A smile spread over the feral looking officer's bearded face as he watched the frustration mount. "Your sergeant is indisposed, currently." He chuckled softly.

Cecilia growled softly, fire in her brown eyes as she watched the officer shoulder his weapon, tapping the voxphones again. He turned and looked to a gap in the banks of snow at the edge of the clearing. Cecilia furrowed her brow but followed his gaze. She watched as the entirety of her second squad was marched out of the forest, their hands raised behind their heads, their fingers laced together. Six soldiers in PDF emblazoned armor, augmented with cloaks and furs against the cold, pushed them forward, ushering them into a loose line.

"Tawes?" Cecilia snarled, surprised. "How did you-…" A cold look from the veteran sergeant silenced her questions. She fought back the urge to shout at him, biting her tongue as she turned back to the man, seeing a gloating smile plastered across his face. "Just what do you want, pirate?"

The man's smile faded as he looked at her, finally shaking his head. He stood up straight took two steps forward, drawing closer, cause Cecilia to grit her teeth and shrink back, snarling at him. "How many times must I tell you before it sinks into that thick head of yours?" His voice was tired, some of the vehemence fading, replaced with annoyance. "I serve the Imperium, same as you. Unlike you, I had to make a choice. I either led my men to their deaths, or I turned to the only true advantage I had at my disposal." He spread his hands, gesturing to the world around. "This forest is out hunting ground. Here, even the Orks are left as nothing more than mewling sheep. Here, in this forest, no matter the numbers the Orks dare bring, we are the wolves." He leaned in till he was nearly nose to nose with the young lieutenant. "Even the greatest of monsters will bleed to death when you stab it a thousand times."

"You're delusional." Cecilia shot back. "You've gone feral." Her hands trembled, the look on her face as if the man had just admitted to worshipping the blood god Khorne himself. "I'll kill you, here and now…" Her voice said, quivering in revulsion, her saber held in both hands, the tip aimed at the man's chest. She thumbed the ignition rune and the dull hum and shiver of air blurred around the blade, bolts of blue energy crackling along its vicious length. Angry sparks dripped from the blade, snapping and hissing, jumping out from the field as if it was the blade's snarling spirit baying for blood. "If I could, I'd drag you back to face the wrath of wor-…"

The wolf-cloaked officer's head snapped up as he snarled. "Shut your mouth."

"No!" She snapped back. "I am a proud offi-…"

"Shut the feth up and listen!" The officer hissed, his tone fierce. "You were followed! How green can you be!?" He spat crossly, struggling to control his temper, pressing a button on his voxphones. "This is Hammer. Bring the Chimera up and dump their weapons. We have company." Cecilia stood, her mouth ajar in disbelief as the officer started barking orders, turning towards the squad's leader, the soldier wearing a winter cap and a vox headset instead of the standard guard helmet. Cecilia's sword faltered and she frowned, watching him turn his back to her, leaving himself completely vulnerable. "I want a firing line on the forest entrance, now!" His soldiers dropped their weapons from their shoulders, dashing forward and dropping flat into the snow. Their weapons came up but they were no longer pointed at the Grenadiers. Their weapons were trained on the forest where Cecilia had led her troops into the clearing.

"Huh?" Cecilia muttered, confused. Her Grenadiers looked equally confused as they glanced back and forth amongst themselves. "Wha-…"

"Recall the Lance, now!" The officer snarled into the microphone of his vox headset, ignoring the Grenadier lieutenant. "No, I want Might and Retribution to take Warden and Fist Two and set up defensive fall back positions if things turn sour. Send Krourk and the Lady with the Elysian's weapons back to me now and we'll make do. Hammer, out." He gestured to the six soldiers who had lead Tawes and his men into the clearing, though they looked reluctant to lower their weapons from the sergeant and his men.

"What are you talking about?" Cecilia snapped, narrowing her eyes, watching the officer with a cold, withering glare. "Who are you talking to?"

"All in time, little girl." The officer who called himself 'Hammer' sneered. "Gather your men and pray to the Emperor they don't come in numbers."

"Who?" Cecilia asked angrily, but the officer had already turned away.

The howl of petrochem engines winding up and the stink of burning promethium fumes pouring into the air stole her attention away before Cecilia could protest, looking to the forest, expecting an attack. Something deep in the forest had roared to life, and trees started to shudder, cawing birds taking to the air, circling overhead as the howl of engines approached. Suddenly, the ground underfoot began to shake. A boxy shape exploded from the edge of the clearing, the squat form of a Chimera APC taking shape as the snow settled. It was painted with a messy pattern of whites, greys and deep, deep greens, and its turret tracked about, turning towards the entrance to the clearing. Its ramp dropped, tossing snow into the air as PDF troopers in vehicle crew uniforms shoved a pile of weapons down the ramp before disappearing back inside their armored vehicle.

"Pick up your weapons and prepare to defend yourselves!" Hammer barked, gritting his teeth and he moved towards the Chimera, ducking behind it, holding the stubber like a rifle, pointed towards where the path descended back down over the hill to the forest below.

Cecilia watched on in confusion. She traded a glance with Tawes, seeing him shrug. He regarded the troopers with anger, and he took a cautious step forward, as if he were being tested and didn't know if he would be smote for trying. However, none of the PDF troopers moved, staying low to the ground, their weapons held still and quiet.

"Hurry up, you bloody fools!" Hammer snarled, raising his weapon, hissing angrily. "They're here."

"Who!?" Cecilia snapped. "Stop being so bloody cry-…"

"WAAAGH!" An Ork war cry echoed from the forest. The rumble of the Chimera's idling engine was drowned out by the rumble of the ground beneath their feet. The rest of Cecilia's troops poured over the lip of the plateau, scrambling forward, heading towards the transport as if it were an Emperor-sent savior.

The officer tapped his voxphone and snarled into the mic. "Where the feth is Krourk? Five minutes!? We might last half that! Feth it! Just haul ass!" He turned, looking to the Elysians who stood lamely around the clearing, their weapons held at arms, but their gazes simply looking from PDF trooper to the Chimera and back again. The Chimera's squat turret spun with a faint grinding sound, the barrel depressing slowly, the two chain-linked bolters aiming down the hill. The hatch opened atop the tank and the vehicles commander stood in the cupola, dragging a heavy stubber from where it had been left at rest along the side of the turret. He dragged the charging handle back and aimed it down the hill as well.

"All units, this is Gunny Hammer!" The officer snapped. "Hold fire until you see the yellows of their eyes. On my signal!" He keyed the vox back off, turning to the astounded Elysians, his face contorted in an angry mask. "What are you idiots waiting for? Pick up your weapons and join the firing line, damn you!"

Cecilia, snarled back. "I don't take orders from you, Gunnery Sergeant."

"You won't be able to take orders from anyone if you don't get your men on the fething firing line!" He snarled. "I don't have any time or crayons left to explain this. Let me know what it's like to decorate the bottom of an Ork's boot."

"Screw you!" Cecilia snapped, raising her rifle and pointing it at him.

"Get in line!" He roared back. Orks were charging up the hill. "Feth this. You can die for all I care, bitch." He turned, raising his stubber, watching as a sea of muscled green flesh rose over the rise in the hill. The Orks were snarling, their weapons flashing as they snapped off wild shots at the Chimera and Cecilia and her men, the rounds snapping and hissing as they passed close overhead.

"Down!" Cecilia shouted as she killed and sheathed her saber in a single, smooth move, dropping to the snow. "Tawes! Pick up your weapons for feth's sake! Rex! I want you on the left flank firing across the Orks! Try and cut the lines down as they charge. Tawes, put your heavy bolter on the opposite side! Holtz, affix bayonets and follow me!" Cecilia cast the Master Gunnery Sergeant one last hateful glare before crawling forward, her lasgun cradled in her arms. She pulled her bayonet from her belt and snapped it into place just below the muzzle of her rifle, pointing it down range as she clambered up between two PDF troopers and their wolf-skin cloaks. They cast her sneering glares, their faces hard and angular, the dirt and grime that coated their skin giving them a darkened, angry appearance over their gaunt features. She ignored them, sighting down her rifle, feeling the ground shaking underneath her.

Cecilia watched as the Orks rose into view, their bodies practically forming a single, teeming mass of green flesh and weapons. Axes and clubs waved overhead, staccato flashes of fire lighting the Orks as they pushed up the hill, baying and snarling for human blood. Their eyes were a bloodshot yellow, wide and shimmering with rage, their mouth foaming with their hunger for human flesh. They roared their battle cry, some dropping to all fours and galloping up the steep hill, thirsting for blood and battle.

"Now!" The officer shouted, the dull, pounding roar of his stubber ripping into the wall of charging Ork flesh. The whine of the Chimera's autoloaders could be heard echoing from inside the turret, though there was barely a moment's warning before they were drowned out by jaw rattling sound of the Chimera's twin heavy bolters thundering as the gunner blasted away at the wall of Ork. The sickly scent of the fyceline propellant of the bolts and their explosive payloads hung thick in the air as red blood and gobbets of green flesh speckled the snow.

The whine of lasguns rung through the air, the PDF troops opening up into the wall of Ork with a volley of laser fire, the Elysian Grenadiers picking their shots. Boiling red energy shimmered in wave after wave, pouring into the Orks. The sharp, staccato crackle of heavy bolter bursts added to the din as the Elysian bolter teams added their firepower to the avalanche of death crashing into the Orks. The bolter rounds tore through the Orks, exploding through their dense, sinewy flesh. Numerous bolts passed through the first Ork they impacted and exploding into the second. However, for every Ork that was killed, it seemed that two more surged forward to replace it.

Cecilia's nostrils were filled with the hot, ozone stench of lasgun fire as she put another blast into the face of a charging Ork. The beast's tumbling body was simply absorbed by the Ork charge, getting sucked back into the mass of green flesh, hacked apart and tossed aside, the beast's kin charging like animals up the hill. An Ork bolt smashed into the snow in front of her, tossing steam and water into the air. Cecilia hissed as the boiling water splashed over her arms, doing her best to ignore the pain, dropping the power pack from her lasgun, pulling another from a pouch on her belt and slamming it home. The lasgun whined with power and she sighted down the barrel, looking for targets, realizing nearly too late that the Orks were nearly upon her. An Ork lunged at her as she rose up, his massive form looming over her, his axe raised up to cleave her in two. She raised her rifle above her head defensively, preparing for the hammer blow, but the roar of an automatic weapon sounded nearby, the impact of heavy rounds shredding the top half of the Ork's head off, spraying her with blood.

She hissed, dropping back, shoving the Ork's heavy falling form aside as it dropped onto her. She glanced right, seeing the gunnery sergeant toss her a flippant look. She grimaced, turning back to the firing line and blasting an Ork in the leg, sending it crashing to the ground. A second blast to the face put the green beast out of his misery as it reared up, its massive, sinewy arms clawing at the dirt, trying to drag himself within range. A PDF trooper dropped to the ground next to her, a fist sized hole in the man's back from one of the crude Ork bullets. Cecilia forced herself to look away, snapping of another shot, blasting another Ork in the head. It crashed to the ground unceremoniously.

Orks had finally closed the gap on the ragged line of Grenadiers and PDF troopers. All along the lines there were the roar of Orks, the grunts of men fighting for their lives, the clash of finely machined steel against crudely wrought Ork iron. Blasts from weapons on both sides echoed through the snow covered hilltop.

An Ork bore down on Cecilia, his axe raised high over his head as he lashed out, smashing down with the heavy axe. The lieutenant raised her rifle, catching the weapon above her head, her arms threatening to buckle under the force of the blow. The Ork snarled at her, bearing all of his force down upon the weapon, her rifle's metal casing cracking under the force. Cecilia snarled, yanking the weapon to the side, side stepping and slipping back as the Ork's weapon hit the dirt. Cecilia swung her weapon like a club, aiming the stock at the Ork's head, but the cut-down, light-weight lasgun, standard issue to the drop troopers, simply bounced off the Ork's massive tusk like fang. Cecilia glanced from the broken rifle as sparks and smoke poured from the firing mechanism. The Ork roared, taking a lateral strike at the woman. She spat an angry curse as she ducked and rolled, drawing her laspistol and emptied the clip into the Ork's chest. The beast roared as lance after lance of scarlet energy pumped into the green monster's stomach. It raised the axe again, smashing it down blindly, wildly at the officer. She rolled to the side, releasing the power pack from the pistol as ice and mud splashed over her. She started to reach for a replacement power pack, but the Ork had already raised his axe and was swinging it down, forcing her to roll to the side again.

The Ork looked down at her and roared in anguish, simply leaving the axe buried in the mud and reaching down at her. She smashed the ground with his fists before closing them, wrapping them around her neck. The soldier struggled, gripping at the Ork's muscled arm as the beast roared at her, lifting her up. She felt her life slowly starting to ebb as she whimpered, kicking at the wounded patch of the Ork's guts, lashing out over and over with her heavily armored boot. She couldn't breathe, the edge of her vision darkening. She flailed her legs trying to cough, desperate to get away. She reached for her power saber, grasping for the hilt, struggling to draw it. She managed to get the blade clear of the sheath, thumbing the ignition rune and then striking out at the Ork. The Ork's arms fell away, slashed away at the elbows as he stumbled backwards. Several moments of dull recognition passed through the Ork's eyes before it crashed to the ground, dead.

Cecilia shuddered, gripping her neck as she panted heavily, her body shivering. She reached down and grabbed her laspistol, coughing as she slid the charged power pack home into the weapon. She felt faint as she saw the power indicator flash full.

The roar of an Ork stole Cecilia's attention away from the pistol. A massive Ork, a nob nearly twice her height, bore down on her. It had a massive club raised back over its shoulder, preparing for a brutal, sweeping strike.

Cecilia froze, the blade swinging down towards her.

Tracer rounds poured into the side of the Ork's head, tracing down along his body, stitching the Ork's green flesh with holes. The Ork turned sluggishly, half its head missing as it tried to turn to face the new threat, but Hammer simply poured more rounds into Orks flesh till it was torn to ribbons, the creature's arms barely held to its torso by more than a few lengths of sinewy flesh. The Ork growled angrily, trying to lift the club, but it ripped the arm clean off. Cecilia took the Ork's moment of confusion as it looked for its club hand to sweep forward and separate the beast's head from its shoulders with a single slice of her power saber.

Cecilia panted, looking about for the source of the gunfire, but a flash of green movement stole her gaze away as it barreled down upon her. An Ork was charging at her and she attempted to raise her saber to block his sweep of his axe, but the massive weapon caught her blade and stole it from her hands, the glowing, crackling weapon disappearing into the bloody mix of guardsman and Ork before her. She snarled as she rolled away, drawing her pistol and bayonet, but the Ork's charge faltered as it raised its weapon once again. Ork blood splattered over the lieutenant's armor, two cavernous holes in the beast's chest had been blown away, a pair of stray rounds from the Chimera's bolters catching him. The Ork's head looked dazed as he glared down at the holes through his torso, his weapon slowly coming up as he gave a gurgling attempt of a roar, but golden tracers tore into him, rending more flesh from his bone, dropping the Ork to the ground. Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief as she turned, looking for her savior. She looked over and saw the Gunnery Sergeant, his heavy stubber smoking as he looked at her, a stern look on his face as if he was giving her a disapproving glare. "Get up." He snarled crossly. "We're not done yet."

"We're overrun." Cecilia shook her head, turning, looking down at the chaos unfolding below. The PDF and Grenadiers were holding on, barely though. Her hands shook in frustration as she watched a Grenadier from Tawes' squad get gutted by an Ork axe. The soldier pulled a grenade from his belt and pressed the detonation rune, reaching his arm back and striking the Ork in the eye with the grenade. The Ork reeled back, roaring in anguish, clawing at his crushed eye, stumbling back into the wave of Orks. The top of the beast exploded in its entirety, his torso and head exploding into a fine red mist, cutting down a swath of heavy muscled Orks.

"We're not done yet." Hammer snarled. He drew a small vox communicator from his belt, activating a rune that lit up a small red light. He flipped up a cover and mashed the red button below. There was a second of silence as the gunnery sergeant grinned. Ground-shattering explosions rocked the planet beneath them, shaking them about as great gouts of earth sprayed skyward, Ork blood and body parts flying through the air. Gobbets of Ork flesh rained down with ice and bits of rock and tree strewn about. "Renew you defense, men!" The officer snarled, raising his weapon letting a long burst rattle his jaw, scything a group of four Orks near in half, their bodies crashing to the ground, rolling back into the crater left by the explosions. "Cut the beasts down where they stand! Reform the lines!"

The shockwave had sent many of the Orks tumbling back down the hill and the rest were sent stumbling about, dazed by the shockwave of the massive blast. The PDF troopers, rallied by their leader, took advantage of the momentary lapse in the Ork attack and started unloading into the Ork wall of flesh. Blast after surgical blast of lasgun fire cut the Orks down, one after another, and with the momentary break in the Ork savagery, the tide of the battle started to turn.

A massive Ork nob roared from down the hill, its voice echoing through the forest, seemly sapping the confusion from the Ork formation and forcing them back on the attack. However, there weren't many Orks left above the divide left by Hammer's charges, and the Orks were fighting over the uneven ground, clawing and squabbling to get over other Orks, smashing their fellows with their weapons, sending nearly as many Orks crashing back down the hill as those who were going up, every Ork now driven mad with blood lust.

The few remaining Orks at the top of the hill roared, raising weapons and starting to swing madly, sending the PDF defenders reeling backwards from the flailing death blows. The Grenadiers had regained their footing finally though, and they were slowly starting to push back, engaging the Orks in an organized fashion, blasting away with precision, trying desperately to counter the Ork's mad last dash to try and gain the upper footing again. The first of the Orks were starting to make their way over the divide carved in the ascent to the hill, the crevice hollowed from the stone now filled with Ork bodies, some still writhing, shoved into the gap by the blood-maddened Orks. They scrambled over the gap bridged with flesh, charging wildly up the hill, their weapons circling overhead as they roared their wild battle cry.

Cecilia turned, seeing a Grenadier struggling to their feet, dropping a power pack from their lasgun. An Ork barreled towards him, a massive war hammer raised over its head as it roared. The Grenadier saw the Ork and struggled to slide the power pack in, his hands trembling as he fumbled with the weapon, trying to find the power pack well behind the pistol grip of the weapon, finally slamming the pack home. He started to raise the weapon, but the Ork's hammer was already falling, aimed at his head. Cecilia wanted to look away, she had seen many fall to the xenos, but she couldn't force herself to glance away, recognizing the young soldier. "Frederic! Dodge!"

The soldier's head came up instantly, meeting her gaze for a second, something fierce and brutal gleaming in his dark eyes. He slid to the side as if he had been yanked aside by invisible strings, his rifle dropped as ice and mud fountained up, the Ork's club hitting the ground, carving a deep rut in the dirt. Frederic drew the bayonet strapped to his belt, the weapon gleaming as he swung it around, letting the momentum of his swing twist him about, cleaving through the Ork's belly, the razor-honed blade rending through flesh and bone like butter. Frederic slid back as guts slipped from the Ork's body, raising the blade up against as the Ork struggled to hold his intestines in place as the red spaghetti seemed to slide through his fingers. The Ork seemed to be surprised as if there was no pain and he let the guts spill away, trailing from his body. Frederic watching in disbelief as the Ork raised a bloodied arm across his body and backhanded the Grenadier away. Frederic hit the ground hard, rolling through the mud as the Ork raised its weapon, starting slowly forward, its eyes maddened to a red haze of blood lust.

Frederic pushed himself up, grasping at the snow for his weapon, but the bayonet had disappeared, knocked from his grip with the force of the Ork's hammer blow. He froze suddenly though, still on his knees, looking up as the Ork looked over him.

Move! Damn you, move! Cecilia's voice was frozen in her throat, her weapon hung at her side, her body shivering, the ferocity of the combat rending her mind numb. Frederic's arm came up as the Ork started to swing, freezing the weapon above the Ork's small head. A long, slender blade crackled in his grip, the power saber glowing and hissing as Ork blood sizzled along its length. The blade was planted deep in the beast's shoulder and Frederic ripped it down through the Ork's body as he came up from his knees. He ran the weapon from shoulder to hip, the Ork dropping forward, cleaved in two. Frederic slid from beneath the Ork as it tumbled, but two more were already charging to meet him, their axes raised. One Ork brought his axe down in a vicious strike, but Frederic caught the first axe with the power saber, the weapon sparking and snarling with bolts of energy as the Ork tried to force the weapon down.

The second Ork tried to flank around, raising its axe and prepared to bring its weapon down in a cleaving strike, but Frederic slid back, dragging the first Ork forward. The great green beast caught the second Ork's axe in the neck and it tumbled, its head bouncing away. The second Ork looked surprised, looking down at its fellow, but the moment of shock did not remain as it turned, struggling to reacquire its supposed prey. Frederic spun and drove his blade through the Ork's stomach, ripping the blade from its side, cleaving the Orks spine in two. The Ork roared in pain as it collapsed, its hand clawing at the ground, starting to wave its axe at Frederic, but he dodged and brought the blade down on the top of the Ork's head, driving it into its skull. Frederic keyed the ignition rune as it hung upon the Ork's thick skull, leaning upon the weapon, forcing the blade deeper into the Ork's cranium. Blood and gore splattered up his body as the Ork's head popped violently.

He ripped the blade out with a snarl, casting blood and gore from the unpowered blade, his eyes glistening with excitement as the blood cast a glittering arc upon the snow. His armor was decorated with blood, gobbets of flesh, and bits of bone. He turned, looking for more Orks, charging off in a mad dash along the line where other Orks had broken through.

"He's bloody mad…" Cecilia muttered shaking her head. She scanned the lines and saw that everywhere her Grenadiers and the Planetary Defense troops were engaging the Orks, many locked in brutal melees with the maddened Ork warriors. Slowly her troops were pushing the Ork charge back as Hammer, his Chimera, and her two heavy bolter teams suppressed the Orks that were now struggling to make their way up the hill. The ground had turned to a gore soaked slick of blood and mud, and Orks were scrabbling over each other, maddened by their blood lust to get at the humans.

"You're little trap won't hold them much longer!" Cecilia roared at Hammer over the din of battle. He turned, his mouth open to shout back, but he froze for a moment before pressing his voxphones to his ear. A grin broke over his face.

"Keep firing!" Hammer roared at Cecilia, turning and slapping the back of the Chimera. "Bring her around! Krourk is incoming!" The tank roared to life and lurched forward, crushing the skull of a sundered Ork. The Chimera moved along the edge of the firing line, clearing its previous firing position before lurching to a halt, the roar of the twin heavy bolters nearly deafening as they sprayed explosive death down the hill into the mass of squabbling green flesh. But for every Ork the bolters cut down, there seemed to be two more boiling up the hill. There was a break in the melee as the last of the Orks on the plateau were cut down.

"Reform the line!" Cecilia snarled, barking at her own Grenadiers and the PDF troopers who were starting to falter now. Most were busying themselves with reloading their lasguns, picking up their weapons again, struggling back to their firing positions. The PDF troopers cast her a disdainful glare as if they were about to refuse to listen. "Skirmish line, now!" She bellowed, and though they looked annoyed and exhausted, their bodies soaked in blood and gore, they responded. The PDF soldiers looked hesitant but they formed up, their weapons rising up as they closed ranks, still blasting away at the distant Orks that were struggling just up and over the mud and blood soaked hillside.

A crack echoed from below the hill and Hammer cringed, all of his troops hitting the deck. Something struck the armored hull of the Chimera and bounced off, the explosive round exploding midair in a puff of black smoke and shrapnel. Troopers fell to the ground and some didn't get up, others struggling to their feet.

"Incoming!" Hammer snarled. "Rocket up!" Two PDF troopers clambered to their feet and ducked into the hull of the Chimera. They returned with a large rocket tube, the second soldier carrying a rocket. The first trooper kneeled at the base as the ramp of the Chimera rose up, clanging shut. "Back! Back!" Hammer slapped the hull angrily, stepping away and leveling his stubber as the head of an Ork rose up over the edge of the hill. He cut the Ork down as the guns of the Chimera stopped firing. The tank rumbled softly as it turned in place before lurching backwards, withdrawing back along the plateau, taking cover behind the rise of the hill. Hammer stepped up beside the rocket team, raising his stubber and blasting away at Orks as they rose up over the rise.

The wheeze and clank of a Killa Kan lumbered up from beyond the rise, the squat tubular armored body of the walker, spraying black smoke into the air as it struggled up the slope, its clawed feet clambering up the slope slowly but with little trouble. Bolter rounds and lasgun blasts bounced off the vehicle's armor, and the Kan spat golden tracer rounds forward over the heads of the troopers as they dropped, trying to take shots at the Orks that were slowly advancing behind it.

The loader pushed the missile into the breach of the launcher and connected the leads, patting the back of the gunner before diving to the side, starting to blast away with his lasgun, taking shots at the Kan. The gunner took careful aim and then let the rocket fly, the missile crashing into the Ork walker, sending it toppling backwards in a flaming mass of blackened wreckage. The remnants of the walker crashed down over the Orks that were trying to advance behind it, crushing many as it slid away down the hill.

"Fire!" Cecilia roared, waving her troops forward, unleashing a volley upon the Ork lines, battering them back with the sheer volume of lasgun blasts, the stench of ozone and the acrid scent of charred flesh hanging in the air. "Empty your clips!" She roared as she blasted away, barely lining up shots for center mass with every squeeze of the trigger.

The rumble of an approaching armored vehicle stole Cecilia's attention away from the charging Orks for a few seconds, and her jaw fell open as a squat tank with a tall, boxy turret exploded through the banks of snow that lined the sides of the clearing. It plowed through the thick banks as if they were nothing, parting them, the snow billowing and crashing down like an avalanche. The blocky Hydra flak tank shuddered to a halt where the Chimera had been before, its quad linked barrels tracking around and down, the tank sitting on an incline. The cupola atop the turret popped open and an officer pushed himself out, looking down at Hammer as the weapons tracked around, dropping to the very bottom of the range of declination.

"I heard you boys needed some help!" The commander shouted with a cheery voice.

"Shut up and start firing before I come up there and rip you a new one, Vaughn!" Hammer snarled, gesturing towards the Ork. "You're late!"

"Sorry, boss!" The officer chirped, slapping the top of the turret as the weapons came about. "Open her up!"

The roar of the quad-linked autocannons was deafening, each of the rounds forming a near continuous stream of golden death raining down through the Ork lines. The heavy autocannon rounds tore Ork flesh asunder as if it were nothing, each round passing through an entire squad of Orks, sundering them like nothing. The turret slowly tracked left and right along the Ork attack, mowing the wall of green flesh down with a hose of golden fury, as if it were delivering the Emperor's blessing to the enemies of the sons and daughters of the Imperium. A few seconds of solid, nearly blinding firepower ended with the stink of fyceline heavy in the air, a haze of explosives and smoke lingering on the suddenly silent battlefield.

"Looks like the Orks are retreating, sir." Vaughn shouted with a wide grin as he leaned over the edge of the turret. "Krourk Whirlwind saves the day again."

The glare from Hammer was enough to stifle the younger officer's gloating as the turret tracked around, still slowly scanning the area before them.

Maeve pushed herself up, grunting with the exertion, her front drenched in gore and mud. She shook her head, casting mud and ice that clung to her hair aside as she groaned. "That was… savage. I forgot how hellish battles with Orks could get." She winced slightly as she pushed herself up, but frowned, glancing up at the young tanker who hung from the cupola of the Hydra. "You missed one."

"What?" Vaughn blinked, sitting up in his turret, glancing down range. He raised a pair of magnoculars to his eyes and adjusted the focus before snorting. "Damn, you're right." He smacked the top of the turret a few times, shouting into the tank. "Acquire target! Ten o'clock low! Movement in the open." The turret on the Hydra started to turn, but Maeve was already in motion.

The Grenadier sharpshooter lifted her rifle, examining the mud spattered and heavily battered rifle. She raised her scope, peering down the hill. She took a shallow breath and then exhaled again, squeezing off a single shot. She frowned as she leaned back from the shot, looking over the top of the scope before leaning back in and firing off a second. She stuck the shot for several seconds before sliding back from her rifle, grimacing. "And now we're clear."

"Nice shot." Cecilia said with a grin, watching as the sharpshooter fiddled with her scope, an annoyed look on her face. "Did Holtz make it?"

"Unfortunately." Maeve muttered, rolling her eyes, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. The tall sergeant lumbered forward, looking slightly dazed, his hand clutched over a wound in his arm, his lasrifle strung over his good shoulder.

Holtz had a cross look, his face screwed up in pain. "Bite me, you frigid bi-…"

"Enough, the both of you." Cecilia muttered, cutting Holtz off before he could finish the insult. The look Maeve shot Holtz spoke as if he was dead if he finished the sentence. He glared back but let it go after several moments of intense silence. "Holtz, assemble to men and sweep the remains. I don't want any surprises. Recover what you can from the casualties and prepare the wounded for movement."

"If you're going to ask me for a report like you normally do, I barely have use of my arm." Holtz growled softly. "It's not like I can write at the moment, leftenant."

"An oral report will suffice when you are done, sergeant." Cecilia said. Holtz scowled but moved away to start barking orders, leaving Cecilia with Maeve and Hammer.

"I'm going to watch the approach." Maeve said softly, turning and moving away slowly, shouldering her rifle as she picked her way over the Ork corpses.

Hammer reached up and slapped the side of the tank. "You keep the hill covered till we've withdrawn. If you catch the slightest hint of enemy armor, get the hell out. You hear?"

Vaughn leaned over the edge of the cupola and snorted. "This is payback for being late, isn't it?"

"Maybe." Hammer barked a sharp laughed and then waved for Cecilia to follow him. He headed towards the Chimera, pausing to inspect a deep ding that marred the vehicle's left flank. It was blackened and deep, and it looked to have destroyed one of the internally controlled lasguns, the domed turret ripped upwards right where the barrel should have protruded. "Feth, don't have any spares of those." He muttered, shaking his head as he arrived at the back of the tank. He leaned his heavy stubber, the barrel still smoking, against the frame of the Chimera's door, stepping aside to let two soldiers carry a wounded PDF trooper onboard. He grabbed one of the soldiers as they were leaving to search out more wounded. "Go find one of the Lieutenant's sergeants and coordinate moving their wounded here. Those who can walk will follow the Chimera back to back, the rest of us are escorting the Hydra out of here."

"Aye, Gunny." The man said, nodding, departing in search of Holtz or Tawes.

"Why do you let your men talk to you like that?" Cecilia asked, frowning. She still held her pistol loosely at arms, her gaze glued to Hammer with a thin frown decorating her face.

"Like what?" Hammer growled, raising and eyebrow as he let another wounded soldier limp past and take a seat in the Chimera.

"So… informally." Cecilia muttered, watching the PDF trooper that had assisted one of her Grenadiers into the bay depart again. "How are you able to maintain command if they don't see you as their commander?"

"I'm not their commander." Hammer growled softly. "I'm simply the man who's kept them alive through four solid weeks of combat, running, and struggling to survive with almost nothing while an army of Orks has hounded us up and down the forest."

"So you're the reason we're out here?" Cecilia frowned. "We were led to believe that the Orks were searching for some sort of facility or ruins important to them. I thought it would be survivors of the Platentary Defense Force, or an ammunition dump not a ragtag band of-…"

"Watch what you say." Hammer growled, lifting his chin slightly. "These men are loyal sons of the emperor, each and every one. With all that they've been through, they don't need some posh, green officer telling them they're viewed as traitors and heretics after all this."

Cecilia frowned, seeing the hardened glares that many of the PDF troopers fit her with, their eyes sunken and tired, their skin gaunt and sallow. It was obvious they had suffered immensely, but as she looked around, she saw fire in each of their eyes. She frowned slightly, looking back to Hammer, setting her jaw. "I am not 'green' as you say, and you're still out of line." Cecilia said firmly. "It's my duty as a Leftenant of the 82nd Elysian Storm Troopers to bring you and your men in for questioning. If you are loyal sons of the Emperor, you shall be conscripted to join the battle for the liberation of Cedrus."

"You've got to be kidding me." Hammer growled. "I saw you freeze up in the middle of the battle watching one of your men fight. No veteran officer would do that." He shook his head in disgust, seeing the anger building in her face. "After seeing all this, you've still got that stick up your ass?"

"Pardon me!?" Cecilia hissed, blushing.

Hammer rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He reared himself up to his full height, standing nearly a head taller than Cecilia, though not nearly as tall as Holtz. "I'll make you a deal. I'll turn myself and all of my men over to you when the Ork force pursuing me is defeated."

Cecilia narrowed her eyes, frowning. "Why should I accept those terms? Your being here is proof enough that you stood in dereliction of your duty to the defense of Cedrus, and as such you must be taken before a military court of law and judged."

Hammer sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, whatever. I'll do whatever you want, I'll accept any charges you wish to levy when the Orks are dead."

Cecilia met his gaze, frowning before finally nodded. "You will go without a fight?"

Hammer stuck his hand out. "Yes." Cecilia regarded his hand as if it were a viper, before finally sliding her hand into his. A thin smile slid onto the man's face as they shook hands.

"I suppose a 'thank you' is in order." Hammer growled, though there was less anger in his tone and more of a tired exhaustion.

"You're welcome." Cecilia said nodding, taking the gunnery sergeant by surprise.

Hammer frowned. "No, I meant…" His voice of protest seemed to die in his throat and he sighed, shaking his head, choosing to drop the issue rather than perpetrating the problem with the stubborn young officer.

Cecilia turned, tugging her helmet off and letting her long blonde hair spill over her shoulders. Hammer froze for a second, his eyes latched on her, and he suddenly straightened up, coughing into his hand and turning away. He opened his mouth to speak but a PDF trooper stepped up, cutting him off. "We're ready to move out, Hammer."

"Very well." Hammer muttered, giving the lieutenant a glance and rolling his eyes as she tied her hair back and pulled her helmet back on. "I'll explain the rest when we arrive at our forward operating base. Oh, and I never caught your name…"

"Leftenant Cecilia Raath, 82nd Elysian Storm Troopers." The Grenadier said tersely. "And you are?"

Hammer snorted. "I suppose you'll need a name to write on the arrest record, won't you?" He chuckled, grinning. "Master Gunnery Sergeant Tobias 'Hammer' Langford, 2nd Armored Regiment of the Cedrus Planetary Defense force. The pleasure's all..." His voice trailed off as he shook her head and turned away.

"All…?" Cecilia said softly, frowning at him.

"I'd say the pleasure was all mine, but you've been anything but pleasurable so far, lieutenant." There was something seething in his voice as he smirked. He turned and slapped the Chimera, the vehicle rumbling to life and lurched forward, taking off at a slow walking pace.

"How dare you!" Cecilia snapped, but Hammer payed her no attention, falling in behind the Chimera.

"Hurry up, Blondie." The gunny yelled. "The rest of the Orks are likely on their way. You don't wanna be left out here in the cold, now do you?"

"Bastard." Cecilia hissed under her breath. There was a twitch as if he'd heard her, and she swore she caught him rolling his eyes as he picked up his stubber and waved his men forward in the wake of the Chimera. She sighed, gesturing that Holtz and Tawes fall in, setting off after the Gunny.