Chapter 21 XII Hammer
7th army group forward artillery camp
A cloud of steam went up in the air as the bucket of water hit the nearly overheated barrel of the Earth Shaker cannon. The smell of accelerant hung heavy in the air mixed with a fine haze of dust as shell after shell was hurled towards some distant enemy. Crews communicated in sign language, a stripped down and adapted version of the Catachan battle-cant. The batteries had been firing almost continuously for two days stopping only to rotate materiel and crew out for much needed rest. Many of the loaders suffered burns as they reloaded the searing hot cannons. Large mounds of empty casings lay piled nearby: a testament to the volume of ordnance being expended.
'Lasguns win fights, Guardsmen win battles, but Artillery wins wars' was a common saying amongst the hardy men and women toiling away at their guns. Despite their distance from the front their job was still a tough one involving backbreaking labour, the constant thunder of cannons firing and the danger of a technical mishap resulting in a premature detonation or misfire.
The Earth shaker batteries of the 2nd artillery battalion, though far from any foe, were not left unguarded. Several reinforced eagles nests with Heavy Bolters and crew were located in a roughly rectangular perimeter. Long coils of razor-wire prevented access and the ground had been seeded with a variety of mines. Several squads of Catachan guardsmen patrolled the area or performed maintenance on their gear.
Captain Ordell was seated in his tent and reviewed the ammunition expenditure reports and sent the appropriate requisitioning documents to the Adeptus Munitorum. His crews had pushed hard to keep up the relentless creeping barrage ordered by Army HQ and were doing a great job. Friendly fire and malfunction were minimal. With some luck they could finish the orks and be off this planet in a week or two.
The only thing working against them was some minor seismic activity that required additional targeting calibration for the Earth Shaker machine spirits. Even so performance had been exemplary and he had received praise from his liaison at Army command.
Beaming, Ordell lit a fat cigar as he leaned back in his seat.
Mung, Catachan 7th army group main battle line
Shub swatted another stinging mosquito against his neck leaving a red stain. The heat seemed even more oppressive today and his current predicament only added to his discomfort. The jungle ahead of him was a maze of blasted and toppled trees mixed with enormous craters and patches of burnt vegetation. The artillery had done their job only partially however; a series of crudely constructed bunkers had survived the shelling and still housed a sizeable group of heavily armed orks. The xenos hooted and hollered and occasionally fired bursts of automatic fire towards the Catachan infantry line that had ground to a halt here. The only feasible approach to the bunkers was a rubble strewn slope offering nearly no cover except for a few large trees that remained standing: a death-trap for any infantry assault. Word had filtered down from Company command that they needed to break through fast to keep up pace with the rest of the line and prevent a gap being created in their assault. Shub and his squad, together with 3d and 4th squad had been chosen to clear out the bunkers.
The majority of their Company lay in wait behind the cover of a series of rolling hills while the smaller force attempted to eliminate the ork threat. Time was of the essence so a protracted engagement was not an option. Lying in the stinking clinging mud Shub had inched close enough to the ork held positions to analyse their defences and devise a plan of attack. The three ork bunkers were ugly and crude but undeniably effective. Thick plates of metal riveted in place with iron bolts lashed unto some form of inner framework. Firing ports offered the green skins a good view of the surrounding area while protecting them from most small arms fire. Even the heavier weaponry failed to penetrate the thick armour and setting up a shot under the withering automatic fire was proving very dangerous. The bunkers housed at least one heavier version of the Ork automatic cannons each, as was demonstrated by the numerous still smoking craters dotting the landscape. The orks were nothing if not enthusiastic in the expenditure of ammunition.
Shub crawled back to where Drake huddled behind cover together with Lex, Nerko and Galfry the sergeants of 2nd 3d and 4th squad. A large rock kept them out of sight of the trigger-happy orks. Even from this distance they could overhear the xenos arguing in their foul language.
"We need to get close to that bunker on the right side" Shub pointed out the bunker on a tactical map he had drawn in the dirt. "Once we clear that one we will have enough cover to move to the other ones with minimal enemy fire."
Sergeant Nerko, the NCO put in charge of the mission, looked sceptically at the map and the angle of approach.
"There is too much open space leading up to it. We will be picked off by sheer volume of fire before we reach the bunker."
Shub smiled confidently
"Not to worry, I have a plan. All I need is 2 krak grenades, a flamer and a distraction"
Lex groaned
"Why did I know you were going to say something like that...?"
Mung, 172nd Catachan left flank
The scouts of the 172nd Catachan infantry moved through the jungle in total silence, each man comfortable in the humid jungle that was a far cry from the lethal environment of their home world. Making optimal use of the abundant cover the guardsmen moved in carefully rehearsed patterns providing overlapping fields of fire and multiple eyes on every possible direction from which a threat might emerge. Motioning with his free hand the lead scout stopped in his tracks and dropped to the ground, something having alerted his acute senses. Leaving the rest of his squad behind the man crept slowly through the creeping vines and thick ferns taking over ten minutes to traverse the distance to the spot that had caught his attention.
The faint lingering smell of fuel and freshly welded metal registered before his nose caught the scent of freshly disturbed earth and explosives. Inching forward he slowly brushed some vegetation aside to discover a perplexing sight.
A broad path had been cleared in the jungle, stretching back as far as the eye could see but more vexing, terminating in a gradual slope that led into a recently created cavern that stretched into a tunnel deeper into the earth. The scout called for the rest of his squad to join him and crouched to study the multitude of tracks. He picked up a handful of dirt and inhaled deeply.
"Ork vehicles. Lots of them. They went into this tunnel they created."
The scout looked troubled. He motioned for the squads' vox-operator.
"Call it in, HQ needs to know, Emperor knows where these Orks have gone."
Mung, Catachan 7th army group main battle line
Shub calculated the distances and angles again and readjusted the fuel-tank for the flamer on his back. In order for his plan to work everything needed to be just right. On the left flank a squad of Catachans opened fire on the Ork Bunkers, sending volleys of poorly aimed las fire to catch their attention. As the Orks replied with their usual violent enthusiasm Shub sprinted the 40 meters to the first tree on his route to the eastern most bunker. Taking care to keep the tree between him and the Green skins he managed to get to it before he was spotted. He primed his first Krak grenade and attached it to the base of the tree trunk, stepped back and covered his ears.
With a loud bang the explosive shattered most of the tree on one side causing the arboreal giant to topple and fall at an angle towards the eastern bunker but still providing cover from their fire. Even as the tree fell Shub sprinted onwards priming his second grenade while the rest of the Catachans moved forward using the cover of the fallen tree. Hurling the grenade into the soft mud in front of the bunker Shub averted his eyes while continuing his push forward.
The orks had taken notice of the new assault and were even now shifting fire causing puffs of dirt and mud to erupt as solid slugs impacted all around Shub. One round grazed the young man as he rushed forward, opening a bleeding gash on his left arm. The second grenade exploded sending a fountain of earth into the air and splattering enormous amounts of mud all around. The Orks, blinded temporarily, bellowed in rage and fired blindly.
With a final burst of speed Shub hurled himself at the bunker flattening himself against the metal plates, out of sight of the firing slits. Panting he inspected his injury and judged it to be superficial enough to warrant later treatment. With a flick of a switch he ignited the flame on his weapon, thrust the barrel into a firing slit and pressed the trigger for a period of four seconds. The viscid promethium ignited and coated everything inside the bunker with blazing fuel. Orks screamed in pain as they were cooked almost instantly and after mere seconds the incredible heat set off ammunition in a chain reaction. Shub barely had time to sprint for cover before the bunker went up in a fireball sending pieces of burning debris all around.
Using the explosion as their que the rest of the Catachans moved forward in an ordered assault on the second bunker, providing covering fire for each other and distracting the Orks from Shub who was already circling around to repeat his actions on the second bunker. Within minutes all three bunkers had been reduced to blazing ruins and only two Catachans had been injured, suffering minor wounds from shrapnel.
Covered in soot, mud, and pieces of vegetation Shub walked up to Lex with a wide grin,
"Piece of cake Sergeant"
Sergeant Lex attempted to supress a grin and failed miserably
7th army group forward artillery camp
A tremor rattled the small wooden table next to Captain Ordell causing his canteen to fall and spill its contents over the floor.
"Did you feel that?" Ordell inquired rhetorically as his aides looked up from their vox-stations in surprise.
The Captain picked up the canteen and gently replaced it on the table. He frowned and moved the table to its original place again.
"Send out word to the batteries to recalibrate firing solutions. Again." A tone of irritation had crept into his voice. Ordell was a perfectionist and did not relish unexpected external influences.
The vox-operators punched in the codes and started relaying orders to the firing teams.
"And get in touch with the Magus at Army Command and try to get some more information on the seismic activity. It's messing with our firing performance."
Outside the crews readjusted the angle and elevation on their Earth Shaker cannons again while the supporting squads of Guardsmen scanned the surrounding area for any hostile forces. As one of the Catachan sergeants put his magnoculars to his eyes to inspect the road leading to the artillery base he was thrown of his feet by another, much stronger, tremor.
"What the..." The man could just growl before the ground a few metres in front of him exploded in a fountain of earth sending a group of Catachans flying through the air. A loud mechanical grinding noise erupted from the ground as a monstrous mechanical construct emerged; the front end was over 7 metres wide and made up of a series of interlocking drills and saws fit with jagged teeth and grinding implements that cut up rock and ground as if it were soft mud.
Snapping into action the Sergeant shouted orders and the squads around him fell into a disciplined firing pattern sending a hail of las bolts into the intruder.
With a violent lurch the construct heaved itself out of its own tunnel lurching forward on a series of tracks. As soon as it cleared the tunnel hatches on its side were flung open and a large mob of ork boyz charged out into the open firing their shootas with great abandon. The first dozen greenskins to emerge were cut down mercilessly but there were too many to contain. Within seconds groups of orks were engaging the Catachans in brutal short ranged firefights, closing in for melee.
The sound of blaring horns and claxons heralded the appearance of more Ork vehicles from the tunnel: War buggies, trukks, and all sorts of walkers spilled out immediately opening fire on the Catachans and struggling amongst each other to reach the best position at the front of the fighting. A salvo of rockets spiralled into a Heavy Bolter position causing a massive explosion and sending the Catachan gunners to a gruesome death.
Captain Ordell in the meanwhile had lost no time in taking action. Shouting orders into the vox caster he checked the ammo in his stub revolver, a quaint piece he kept out of sentimental value, and put on his flak helmet. The Earth Shaker crew, alerted by their Captain were pushing to turn their cannons towards the orks who were only two hundred metres away. Men turned gears as quickly as possible to lower the barrels in order to open fire. Three crew members erupted in a cloud of pink mist and shredded flesh as a Deff Dread walked a salvo of large calibre automatic fire across their position. Another group of Catachans hurrying to chamber a new projectile died instantly as a Kannon shell exploded near their Artillery piece.
The remaining Earth Shaker cannons unleashed a volley at the approaching mob of ork vehicles and walkers. Several shots went wide, firing directly at this distance was vastly different from the calculated bombardment of targets, but the rest found their targets cutting through swathes of orks before detonating groups of Killa kans and other vehicles. Quickly the crews moved to reload again, backs straining under the weight of moving the heavy munition.
Warboss Tuzla roared with delight as he emptied the ammo hopper of his Big Shoota into a group of Catachans firing their lasguns at his custom battlewagon. The humans popped and burst with satisfying squishy sounds and he quickly scanned his surroundings for another fight to pick. In the distance the majority of his armoured vehicles were racing towards the humans big cannons who had just unleashed such destruction. All around him the few remaining humans were being slaughtered in close combat even though they managed to take a few of his boyz down with them.
"C'mon boyz! Give it to 'em!" He hollered even though they needed little encouragement. A pack of Killa-kans was busy merrily hacking and sawing their way through some of the last Catachans while a mob of boyz was torching the last of the sandbag-reinforced positions. Tuzla glowered; this was easy, too easy for his violent mind. The great orks bloodshot eyes squinted against the flames and explosions and fell on a series of tents situated some distance away. A group of humans was running about trying to set up a defensive position. They even had some heavy weapons set up. Just what he was looking for.
With a smash against a mechanical lever he urged the battlewagon towards, the hulking vehicle belching smoke as it accelerated. Several gretchins tried to move out of the lumbering vehicles way but not all succeeded ending their miserable lives in just another red wet patch on the gro. und. Tuzla bellowed an order to the other orks manning the wagon and they started replacing the ammo-hopper for the automatic shoota.
"I repeat, a major ork mechanized force has just emerged from the ground and is destroying the artillery. Be advised: the enemy is behind our lines. Making our last stand now. For the Emperor and Terra! Ordell out."
Captain Ordell put down the voxcaster and looked at the two dozen men gathered near him. Most of them were desk jockeys with only basic Imperial Guard training. At least every one of them knew how to fire a lasgun. He had set them on the task to prepare their defences as best as possible while he called in the situation to Army HQ. Now that was done all that was left to them was to die and take as many of the enemy with them. Looking around Ordell saw scared faces some even terrified. But he also saw determination and hatred.
"Captain, one of the bigger vehicles has broken off from the pack and is heading for us. The gun crews are surely dead now, they were overrun a minute ago." One of the youngest clerks reported. The boy clutched his lasgun nervously as he pointed to a huge ramshackle vehicle that was moving towards them with increasing speed.
Ordell ducked behind the barricade fabricated out of overturned tables and Munitorum supply crates. He drew his Stub revolver and made sure it was ready to fire.
"Time to make them bleed men; heavy weapons team open fire, aim for the wheels"
The pair of Guardsmen manning the Autocannon sprang into action and the long-barrelled semi-automatic weapon unleashed a deafening roar as it fired bursts of heavy armour-piercing rounds at the ork vehicle. Several glanced of its front armour but one managed to score a hit tearing off an armour plate that promptly decapitated two orks hanging from the side.
The men cheered but were immediately forced to duck behind cover when the ork Battlewagon opened fire with a multitude of guns raking their area with automatic fire. Two of the clerks died messy deaths when the solid slugs ripped through their flimsy cover and tore gaping holes in their bodies. They died almost instantaneously from shock and severe blood loss. The remaining Guardsmen took pot shots over the barricade trying to stay out of the severe orkish weight of fire.
Captain Ordell pulled the pin on a Krak-grenade and prepared himself to hurl it at the ork vehicle that was now dangerously close to their position.
"Covering fire!" He shouted and the remaining Guardsmen unleashed a salvo of las fire.
The Captain got up to throw the grenade only to see a salvo of missiles heading straight for his position. The last sensation Ordell experienced was that of terror and ear shattering noise before his world turned to fire and all was still.
Satisfied Tuzla released the trigger of his hull-mounted Rokkit launcher. The defensive position of the humans had been reduced to a blackened crater surrounded by debris and dead bodies, or parts of dead bodies. The fighting had ended with the bigger orks moving about taking trophies and loot. The warboss grunted some orders to his Gretchin communicators who started waving a pair of coloured flags to signal the warboss' orders to the rest of the mob. Within minutes the orks had started disassembling the Imperial artillery and other materiel they could find.
Mung, Catachan 7th army group main battle line
"The guns. They've stopped." Shub stopped in his tracks for a moment and cocked his head. Indeed the near constant, rhythmic sound of artillery fire had ceased. Along the advancing line of infantry the other squads took notice of the absence of the artillery barrage as well.
"Must be resupply issues, don't worry kid just means less chance of getting ourselves fragged by a friendly fire 'incident'" Aurum quipped as he moved past Shub.
The tropical heat had coated Shubs skin in sweat and his uniform had been soaked since early morning. His skin was covered in dozens of insect bites and he had to constantly take sips from his canteen to stay hydrated. He gazed along the line of advancing infantry and their surroundings. As they moved forward at a steady pace they moved from the torn up jungle into the more pristine parts of the valley where the creeping barrage had not yet caused destruction and havoc. His senses were working overtime as Shub tried to register all the different sights, smells, and sounds. Exotic cloying scents from brightly coloured flowers. The chirping and croaking of various small animals in the ponds of water and pools of mud. A few metres away a yellow bird with a curved beak perched on a branch and snapped at clusters of red berries. Even as Shub marvelled at its bright plumage the bird spread its wings and quickly flew off.
Shub could not see what had disturbed the bird but soon he saw more birds flying in the same direction quickly followed by groups of small animals scurrying across the forest floor. They all appeared to be heading in the same direction as if fleeing.
"Somethings is wrong" Aurum commented, the grizzled scout glanced about. More creatures were joining their kin in a headlong rush away from the direction in which the Catachans were heading.
Shub nodded, a sense of impending danger caused the hairs on his arms and neck to stand up. A faint whiff of something… alien, reached his nose.
"Orks are coming, lots of them." He whispered.
Aurum sniffed the air as well. Motioning swiftly he called their vox-operator over.
"Call for a halt to the advance and pass on the order to dig in and fortify ASAP"
The operator paused briefly but spread the word, trusting the judgement of the veteran scout.
All across the line squads, platoons and companies ground to a halt: quickly constructing makeshift barricades and filling sandbags to form protective cover for the heavy weapons. Catachan scouts went to work with lightning speed to construct pits fitted with sharpened spikes, tripwires attached to frag grenades, and place logs and rocks into place to form a natural funnel.
"Why in the name of he who sits on the Golden Throne has the advance stopped?"
Commissar Palther was nearly fuming. With sweat pouring off his scarred face he stalked the lines looking for the officer responsible for the unacceptable delay. He gripped his Bolt pistol tightly sending Catachans scurrying out of his way with his fierce gaze. When he finally found the culprits they were discussing placement of heavy weapons in a hushed tone.
Colonel Ales looked up from his data slate and eyed the Commissar. The Catachan officer looked unfazed at the appearance of the enraged representative of the Commissariat.
"Commissar Palther, how are you this fine day?"
The scarred man disabled the safety on his Bolt Pistol and stood in front of Colonel Ales.
"I asked: Why has the advance halted? We have orders to move further into the valley, any deviation from that order is paramount to treachery and punishable by death."
Ales sighed and straightened his back. Around him his squad of veterans payed close attention, their grips on their Las guns firm and ready to act at any moment.
"Our scouts reported a large force of orks moving towards us. Tactica Imperials dictates the forming of a defensive line. Running headlong into a large mob of orks will do nothing to serve the Emperors cause Palther."
The commissar spat on the ground still holding his Bolt Pistol.
"This reeks of cowardice, how can you even know there are orks coming in this throne forsaken jungle?"
The Colonel nodded in the direction of some of the Catachans manning the defensive line.
"Our scouts have been prowling far worse jungles than these since they were old enough to walk. They are capable of tracking Catachans many predators by scent alone and I trust their judgement."
Colonel Ales stepped towards Palther, towering over the much smaller man.
"Now if that is all I have my duty to the God-Emperor to fulfil. And put away that gun before an accident happens."
Commissar Palthers face turned a deep crimson and a vein in his neck started throbbing dangerously. He was about to open his mouth to reply when a series of explosions interrupted him.
"CONTACT!" one of the Catachans yelled and immediately everyone moved to their positions. The Commissar, distracted for the moment, stomped towards the front of the line not deigning to make use of any cover and peered into the jungle ahead.
The thick tangled undergrowth made it hard to see very far and the numberless trees blocked any easy spotting as they reached for the sky with their thickly leafed branches. Soon Palther could hear the first noise; a chittering and rustling noise followed quickly thereafter by the shouts and growls of greenskins. Like a living tide a wave of gretchin and snotlings emerged from the jungle, armed with auto pistols and knives the smaller xenos threw themselves towards the Catachan line.
Palther scowled as he beheld the diminutive xenos; hardly a challenge for the seasoned fighters of the Imperial Guard. Across the line the Catachans opened up with volleys of coordinated las fire, cutting down the creatures in droves. A heavy bolter opened up as well sending dozens of grots to their doom. Yet they kept coming. Hundreds of the xenos pushed on despite suffering horrendous casualties. The front wave was now only several metres from the Catachan line and Palther fired his bolt pistol with well-aimed shots taking out a foe with each mass reactive bolt spent.
It was then that the true orks arrived with a massive shouted Waaaaagh! The first of the xenos erupted from the tree line; armoured, armed to the teeth and each a towering monstrosity. They immediately opened fire on the Catachans caring nothing for their smaller kin. The impact of large calibre rounds caused the ground to erupt in puffs of dirt near Palther and a large explosion threw a squad of Guardsmen into the air like rag dolls. Catachans across the line were already engaging the Grots and Snotlings in close combat fighting; easily dispatching them with their superior knife skills. But every Grot that died tied up another soldier who was unable to bring fire to bear on the Orks who were swiftly approaching. As thousands of Orks charged two full regiments of Catachans the fight was now on.
Blood Angels Strike Cruiser Red Glaive, in orbit near Baal Secundus
The ancient war ship's cathedral was enormous, so high that its fresco covered ceiling was clouded by clouds of smoke from the many censers that burnt fragrant incense and spices. Pillars lining the hall were sculpted from white marble resembled great winged warriors clutching great swords. Silent chapter serfs moved hurriedly clad in white robes to attend to the many chores deemed unsuitable for the ships masters. At the very end of the hall a raised platform held a stunning statue seemingly crafted of pure gold depicting a winged, angelic creature in elaborate armour. It stood over 4 metres tall and dwarfed every other occupant of the chapel. Standing in front of it was an honour guard of ten Blood Angels Space Marines positioned behind a Blood Angel commander clad in massive blood red Terminator Armour. First Captain Arenos Karlaen, commander of the Blood Angels 1st company stood regally, his hands resting on the hilt of his master-crafted Thunder Hammer. Commander Dante had requested that he personally supervise the assembly of the force for this mission.
It is said that each suit of Terminator Armour carries the Crux Terminatus which contains a minute fragment of the Emperors own golden armour, which he wore when he confronted Horus in their climactic battle over Terra. The art of creating new suits of Tactical Dreadnaught Armour is a closely kept secret by a select group of veteran Magi of the Adeptus Mechanicum. To the Blood Angels these suits of armour are sacred beyond reckoning because of their Primarchs involvement and demise during the battle between the Emperor and Horus. They decorate their armour with drops of deep red Gemstone to symbolize their eternal mourning at the passing of Sanguinius.
In front of him stood the warriors he had hand-picked from the Chapters many capable warriors:
Five Sanguinary guard clad in their distinctive golden artificer power armour stood at attention grasping their ancient Power glaives. Their features were hidden by golden masks but Karlaen knew that each of them was a veteran of hundreds of battles and unswervingly loyal to Emperor and Chapter. Three squads of Tactical Marines stood ready for battle, each of the thirty Astartes armed with a variety of weaponry suited for every foe imaginable. Their armour had been freshly painted and fixed with purity scrolls. Leading the force was Venerable Brother Hematos, a former Librarian of stellar ability who had fallen in battle against the forces of Chaos and had since been interred in a Furioso Dreadnaught Sarcophagus. His massive Force Halberd occasionally crackled with psychic energy and the massive form of his mobile mechanical tomb exuded almost palpable strength of will.
"Brothers, I have chosen you as commanded by Lord Dante himself to undertake this critical mission." Karlaen said; his voice cultured and clear.
"Know that as you embark on this mission, the honour of our chapter hangs in the balance."
Karlaen paused for a moment to let the gravity of his words sink in.
"You are to travel to the Ultima Segmentum to the world of Mung and take into custody the individual designated as 'The Wagner Project'. We currently believe the individual to be enlisted in a regiment of Catachan born Imperial Guard fighting Orks."
"Despite any claims of authority by local forces you will secure our target at all costs, consider anyone opposed to this mission as a threat to be eliminated. However, loss of Imperial assets should be avoided if at all possible."
Karlaen looked at the gathered force sternly:
"Brothers for the Emperor and Sanguinius!"
The assembled Blood Angels echoed the war-cry with the sound echoing throughout the Cathedral.
This wraps up another chapter of this story. Different threads of fate have been spun and are reaching throughout the galaxy. Some will connect and entwine, some will be severed. Only time will tell (or Tzeentzch and he's hardly reliable) I hope you enjoy it. Updates will follow at my usual slug-like pace: my writing has been said to occur on a timescale usually reserved for tracking the movement of tectonic plates.
I appreciate all the followers and reviews: keep 'em coming reviews are like blood to a khornate berserker ( or papercuts to a slaaneshi cultist ) Also if you have any requests or detect major flaws in the story or 40k lore feel free to point it out.