-XLV-
"Open fire!" shouted Gazam and a hundred Balharethi Qurmen fired their autoguns.
Some had stubguns and others had shotguns but most of them greeted the Orks with chattering autogun fire on full auto. One heavy weapon team fired their rocket blowing two Orks to pieces. Grenade launchers sent explosives at the Orks but caused only minor casualties.
"WAAAGH!" roared the charging Ork slugga boyz.
At least fifty Orks were coming at them, full of frenzy and murder. To make matters worse the surviving mob of shootaboyz were dispersed under Balharethi assault and now returned fire from their hideouts all over the place.
"We are getting pinned here!" came a Sergeant Qurmen's voice over Gazam's vox-caster.
"Shut up and fight!" replied Gazam angrily.
He had grabbed an autogun from a dead Qurmen because his stubgun wouldn't cut this charge.
Dhalid also had grabbed and autogun firing in full burst.
Mudib was a giant men with bulging muscles and fired his heavy stubber and missing almost all the rounds.
Orks were dispersed on a line and it got harder to kill individual charging Orks.
Bullets zipped around the sluggaboyz but the did not care. At mid-range they suffered only one or two casualties.
Now they were in close range but most of the Qurmen had emptied their autoguns and needed to reload.
Orks closed in more as they wasted their time reloading.
"Kill, kill them. Stop them." shouted Gazam both into his vox-caster and around, his voice was filled with fear.
Ork shoota fire whizzed past his head and forced him to duck.
Balharethi next to him was shot in the head and slumped in a fetal position and remained still.
Gazam got up and started firing again. He was sure he landed several hits on the greenskin he aimed at but the beast showed no signs of injury.
Another rocket flew from Balharethi line but trailer over Ork heads and exploded far away.
"Aim that crap right." said Gazam into the vox.
He got no reply.
Gazam felt his Qurmen tense around him, he also knew the rest of the squads were also getting weaker in their resolve.
Seeing these beasts coming at them with not much imparement was devastating to the morale.
Gazam couldn't confess to himself but he felt scared too.
Killing outnumbered greenskins in the closely confined trenches was one thing, fighting an entire mob of Orks in close combat was another.
Balharethi were well versed in fighting, both in ranged and melee. They weren't the best sharpshooters or the best assault specialists but they could hold their own.
That is if the enemy was in equal footing. Greenskins were larger and more stronger than unaltered humans. Even strong Mudib would be no match for a greenskin in equal footing.
And on top of that, Balharethi were raiders. It meant hit and run. Not stay and hold the line. They needed to be on the move, always surprising the enemy with guerilla tactics.
An idea flashed through Gazam's mind.
He turned to Alanak "Spread the flag, soar it high." he said.
Alanak kept firing on full auto "Are you mad? Did the winds take your mind?" he replied.
"Do it, now!" shouted Gazam looking at Alanak with a commanding frown.
"Qafar." swore Alanak and strapped his autogun over his chest and removed the flag from it's back-straps.
He opened the flag and started to swing it putting all his strength behind it.
Gazam sent a command signal on his vox-caster that enabled all of the vox-casters on his Kavhim to switch to external speakers on full volume.
"Men of Balharra! Fight to the death! Hold your honour! If we fail here the outsider Imperials will call our name in mockery! Fight for me! Fight for the Ilimbaratur!" he roared into the vox, his voice repeating in full volume all over the Hashim Kavhim Platoon.
"Majd Alkarim Ibd Ilimbaratur!" shouted his command squad and the men around him but the warcry died down as it traveled farther down the line of men.
"If I fail that Ahsamed Malik will take pleasure in my shame." he thought gritting his teeth in anger.
His mag was spent and he threw the autogun onto the trench floor, drawing his chainsword and his stubgun.
Time for range was almost over.
Dhalid switches to his shotgun and fired two buckshots but the pellets went ineffective causing minor wounds. Then he aimed down the sights and fired two slug shots one after the other onto the same Ork. He saw Ork go down before his sights. He started to reload not wasting any more ammo, he made sure to put in slugs only. This was going to get tough real fast.
The rattling Balharethi autoguns sent hundreds of rounds down to the Orks.
But Ork kept coming, even when hit by several rounds their fungus-blood just clogged around the embedded bullet and flowed around it, keeping the muscles pumping and active.
A human group twice the size would had enormous casualties in such a charge but the Orks shrugged the horrible wounds away.
Only some lucky shots into the head or knee wounds toppled the Orks and stopped their charge and those were hard to come by.
Out of nearby sixty Orks, forty five arrived at the Balharethi line.
They jumped over the humans that were at a lower elevation and landed in the trenches.
Some kicked at the heads of Balharethi dropping the men backwards onto the trench floor.
Ork slugga fire was equally ineffective towards Balharethi due to their inaccuracy but some casualties were given.
Gazam slashed at one the Orks as it flew over him and caused a flesh wound on his leg, he managed to twist his momentum and slammed the greenskin face first using his own speed against him.
Alanak had planted the Company standard and was firing with his autogun at the Orks.
For every two Sluggaboy there were two or three Qurmen but at this range Orks had the advantage.
Mudib had spent his heavy stubber rounds and resorted to fighting with his knuckledusters instead.
He punched the sluggaboy in the nose and drew blood, Orks head bobbed backwards only a fraction and it grinned.
Ork swung his knife-choppa but Mudib tried to evade it by jumping backwards, he was too slow. A giant gash opened on Mudib's muscled chest and hot blood poured over his abs.
He grunted in pain but managed to stay in the fight.
Ork roared and lunged at Mudib in his next attack and slashed down with his choppa. Mudib jumped sideways but his flailing arm was slashed by the crude blade.
It cut flesh and the bloody meat dangled from Mudib's arm still attached.
"AARG!" Mudib roared as he felt the poorly sharpened crude blade cut a piece of his flesh.
An artery started pumping blood and Mudib realised that the blade had bit deep into his biceps.
He put a hold over the pumping wound so but in that instance he forgot about his assailant.
Sluggaboy towered above Mudib with his choppa raised.
Mudib raised his hand in defense but it was in vain, Ork cut three of his fingers in his clumsy swing and dropped them to the floor.
The giant muscled men screamed as blood rained from his hand.
Ork swung again and this time hit Mudib in the head, the knife-choppa pierced deep into his face but it wasn't enough to kill him.
Mudib's muscles let go under the pain and he lay on his back, his chest heaving heavily while he felt the hot blood gushing over his ruined eye and onto his cheeks.
Ork stepped on his chest but Mudib had already passed out.
Sluggaboy grunted seeing Mudib's unconscious body, he was displeased.
Ork lifted his head and saw Gazam chopping through an Ork's head with his chainsword.
"Now das sum propa fight." his tiny brain thought.
He charged at Gazam full speed.
Gazam saw him coming and pulled out his chainsword before it bit too deep. He would not go through the same mistake of cutting too deep into the greenskin skull.
He revved his chainsword and fired his stubgun spending the cartridge.
Two rounds hit the Ork in the chest and punctured one of his lungs. Ork didn't even slow as blood came to his throat.
It swung, Gazam ducked.
It swung downwards meaning to cut Gazam head to toe.
Gazam switched feet and jerked right.
Another wasted blow.
Ork pulled the trigger of his slugga without aiming. He managed to hit a Qurmen behind Gazam by sheer luck. The gun wasn't even pointed to Gazam properly.
Ork didn't care, it made the shooty sound and it pleased him. He wouldn't want this tasty fight to end with a gunsh... he felt the chainsword ripping into the side of his chest.
"Raaagh!" Ork roared in pain.
Gazam landed a blow on the Ork's face with the butt of his stubgun. If only he had reloaded in time.
Ork backhanded Gazam on the face and the man reeled backwards.
He had lost the grip on his stubgun but he managed to hold on to his chainsword. That was all that mattered.
He righted himself, wiping the blown lip's blood with the back off his hand and gripped the chainsword with a two handed grip.
Slugga fired again, missing horribly.
Ork charged headlong and swung high and downwards.
Gazam moved left and swung mid and sideways.
Gazam felt the choppa's wind as it swung by and also felt the chainsword fighting against meat the chew itself free.
He pushed harder at the trigger of the sword without looking at it. He knew it bit, he felt the tremor of butcher in his arms. It felt good.
He pulled the sword bringing a chuck of green and red meat on it.
Ork walked a few steps then turned to Gazam. His face was oblivious to his injury.
"Your guts hanging by." said Gazam pointing at the dangling organs off the Orks.
Ork looked down and his face grabbed an confused expression as if he wasn't sure what was happening.
"Oh zog me." he said and collapsed.
Gazam looked around to get a grasp on what's going on.
Two guardsmen were being hacked by a vicious Ork.
Another three guardsmen got butchered by a shootaboy firing full auto.
Dhalid was close by and fired two rounds of slugs at an Ork, dropping the beast.
He fired six more dropping two more.
"Kill those beasts." cheered Gazam.
Dhalid released the cylinder and started reloading.
Alanak was defending the flag with his life, he fired a full burst into an Ork but the beast kept coming. He ducked and fired his sidearm onto it's face blowing into the nose and deep inside the brain.
He got up reloading his autogun. Shoota rounds landed round him, one blowing into his arm.
"Aaarg!" he roared as he dropped to crouch and kept reloading. He had to reload or it would be over, he had to reload, he had to reload, he placed the magazine in and co...a round ricocheted off the ground before him and snapped into his head. He looked okay, except for a gaping red circle just above his eye.
He looked towards Gazam with blank eyes, a trickle off blood came out and stroked down his face. He fell sideways and stayed still.
Gazam roared in anger "Ilimbaratur!" he roared raising his chainsword high. There were people dying all over him but he wasn't to give up.
His blood ran hot, he needed to kill, he needed to murder.
A fleeing Qurmen hit him hard in the face and they both stumbled.
"Get back to the fight!" roared Gazam and realised the charging Ork behind the fleeing Qurmen.
Ork chopped down the Qurmen and fired onto his corpse with his slugga.
Men were fleeing around Gazam now.
"Fight you cowards! Fight!" he roared but none listened.
Dhalid shot the Ork beside Gazam firing from the hip. He unloaded four rounds into the beast while walking with a casual stride. His face conveyed no emotion as if this was everyday's work. I guess a dead men had nothing left for him to be afraid.
He fired the rest off his shotgun to the Orks far away shooting one Qurmen accidentally.
He didn't care now, Balharethi were routing.
"Get back here, rally to me!" shouted Gazam into the vox-caster with no avail.
Surviving thirty guardsmen fled the fight. Dropping their weapon and anything that would slow them down in the process. Orks followed in their heels eager to chop down the fleeing enemy.
"Fight!" shouted Gazam again his face was red with anger.
There was five Orks coming towards his position.
"We leave, now." breathed Dhalid unloading his entire 8 slug rounds into the Orks, managing to kill one.
"We are not. I will not be ashamed." said Gazam through his gritted teeth.
"We can't find them alone." wheezed Dhalid and started to retreat.
Gazam glanced sideways and saw that nearly all of his Qurmen had routed, Orks were finishing off the ones that were either wounded or locked in close combat.
He joined Dhalid and ran away with his men with the Orks in their heels.
"They're routed. I can't do anything." came in the vox distorted sound of Malik.
"They are your men, Colonel." said Ibrak talking into the vox-handset with the cable arching towards Aidaite Leif's backpack vox-caster.
"They are under Gazam's command, I'm their commander not their moms." came in Malik's angry voice.
"You better fix that attitude of yours Colonel before it gets out of control." Ibrak warned.
"Sorry, Commissar. But this is the reality of war, if they are routed then the burden is on their leader's shoulder, not mine." said Malik.
"I am going to stop them." said Ibrak.
"Do as you will, I don't care for the fate of cowards." Malik said.
Ibrak just grunted and slammed the vox-handset into it's place, cutting the line.
Aidaite Leif rocked under the impact.
"Get your guns, we are in business." said Commissar Ibrak.
"Yes, lord." chorused the young Aidaite couple.
Commissar moved at the line of waiting infantrymen with his Aidaites, Beau and Leif.
He unscheated his powersword and had the laspistol in the other hand.
Full three squads of Echnisian House Guard waited at attention for the arriving commissar.
Echinisians held their lasguns in a straight line with their chest the muzzle being pointed by their noses.
"We have cretins running for their miserable lives!" shouted Commissar showing the retreating Balharethi with the tip of his powersword.
"If you break before the Orks, I swear I will kill you all myself!" he shouted at the Echnisians.
Echinisians stood at attention but they were forced to. They were fresh from their precious hives and only knew parade drills. Most were either shaking or wetting themselves as they see the horrible carnage before them. They had a good look at what Malik, Gazam and Aaron's forces went through and it increased their fears.
Commissar's iron discipline was the only thing keeping them in place.
On top of that they were only three squads, roughly thirty men with no heavy weapons. Each squad was given a specialist guardsmen with a grenade launcher.
They had the black Chimera of the Commissar behind them, growling with it's engines.
"Drive do you read me?" asked Ibrak grabbing the vox-headset again.
"Loud and clear, sir." came in a voice from a confined space.
"You are to fire on the Orks on my command, do not stop firing for any guardsmen, fire on them even if they get in the way. Is that understood?" he ordered.
"Aye sir, crystal sir." came in reply.
Chimera transport had one frontal heavy bolter and a twin-linked heavy bolter on it's turret.
"Take firing positions!" roared Ibrak.
And Echnisians dropped to one knee, angling their necks to sight down the lasgun barrels.
"Do not give into the fear of the Ork, for you shall fear me before you fear these backward beasts!" shouted Ibrak taking his position behind the guardsmen.
Leif and Beau also had their lasguns aimed down the range.
Balharethi were in the distant, not at lasgun range yet.
But in the range for the heavy bolters.
"Open fire." ordered Ibrak into the vox-handset.
Chimera opened up with three heavy bolters on the distant figures.
One after the other twin-linked heavy bolter clanged repeatedly. It's barrels screaming with deadly fire, spitting explosive bolts in a dropping arc towards Orks.
The fire was uninterrupted, it wasn't a burst but a full length auto-fire.
Chimera carried enough ammunition for such a long durable firing and it pushed to the limit.
With each passing second it's barrels threw away spent casings, dozens of them piled atop the hull, sliding down to the ground.
Echnisian closest to the guns had covered their ears by putting them at the shoulders to deafen the noise.
Commissar didn't mind the noise at all, he was watching the results with intense care.
Arching bolt rounds dropped over the Orks but mostly on the Balharethi, chewing down the fleeing infantry.
Some of the Balharethi swung their arms as they ran, thinking that the Chimera was firing on them by some mistake.
Gunfire didn't cease, blowing apart Orks and guardsmen alike.
"Cease fire, I decided to give those Balharethi a chance to redeem themselves." announced Ibrak into the vox-handset.
"Affirmative." came in reply and the gunfire stopped.
Balharethi had reached their line but the dozens of fleeing men just passed through the aiming Echinisians and continued their fleeing.
"Stop in the name of the Emperor! Stand your ground, now!" shouted Ibrak with no avail.
Their leader, this so called Gazam was not among the fleeing guardsmen, maybe he was missing or dead.
"Halt you cowards, halt!" shouted Ibrak and pointed his gun at the Balharethi that passed beside him.
He dropped his aim and turned towards the charging Orks.
"They are still fleeing, my lord." said Beau.
"I am aware of that." Ibrak said coming behind the Echinisians line.
Echinisians were more shaken now that they saw the fear in Balharethi eyes.
"You pieces of shit are not going to falter me like that, open fire on the greenskins while I deal with these cowards!" he roared then went to grab the vox-handset.
"Come in, Naphtali Artillery, Officer Matan, come in." he voxed.
"Sir? This is Matan here. Listening." came in Matan voice suprised to be contacted by the Commissar.
"Officer Matan, range down with your magnoculars to my position." Ibrak said.
"Okay sir." said Matan looking at them through the lens.
"I spotted you but why?" asked Matan still confused.
"You see those men running?" Ibrak asked.
"Yessir, I...oh, sir you can't ask me to fire on those Balharethi."
"I don't ask you Officer Matan, I order you." said Ibrak with a steel voice.
"B-but sir, I need to ask Lord Ior-"
"Do as I told you to, range down to the Balharethi and fire on them or by the name of the Emperor I shall execute you myself." growled Ibrak into the vox.
"Affirmative, sir." replied Matan with a blank voice.
His muffled voice came over the vox.
"Load ammo and range down to click east-five. See the range then fire." he ordered his men.
A second later Ibrak heard the Basilisk firing.
Balharethi had reached the open fields now, a minute of running and they would reach the slope.
They didn't. Explosive round hit them right in the center, blowing a huge dirt cloud up into the air.
Balharethi group got lost in it.
Lasguns were crackling all over the place, dropping Orks.
Chimera also had opened up slaughtering the Ork clusters one by one.
"And that's how I deal with the cowards and traitors." said Ibrak firing his laspistol towards an Ork.
Orks were mostly dead in the front arc of the Chimera but the sides weren't so lucky.
Charging frenzied Orks slammed into the Echinisians killing them left and right.
Some of the Echinisians resorted to their bayonets, which they never used before.
Orks chopped them down like miserable cattle evading the clumsy and shaking bayonet swings.
Seventeen Echinisians were dead before the Orks were finally stopped.
Ibrak himself shot two Echinisians who tried to flee.
"That is how you hold a line." he commented despite the horrible death around him.
"Officer Matan, why did you fired behind our lines?" asked Ioras into the vox.
"My lord, Sir Commissar ordered me to fire."
"On what?"
"On-on-" mumbled Matan fearing a reprimand.
"On the Gazam's Balharethi, Lord Ioras." cut in Ibrak.
"Why did you order our artillery on our own troops, Commissar?" asked Ioras his voice containing anger.
"They were fleeing from the Emperor's battle, my lord." replied Ibrak, sure of himself.
Ioras didn't reply.
There was a distorted bolter fire on the vox for a few seconds.
"I assume this was needed, I have to ask, did the Balharethi survive?"
"I am not sure, my lord. I did not concern myself with the well beings of cowards. Me and my retinue are moving in to assist Colonel Malik." said Ibrak.
"You did your duty Commissar but next time do not assume to control the forces I lead." said Ioras.
"Yes, lord. I only work for you and for the Emperor of course." said Ibrak, emphasizing his position in the hierarchy.
NOTE: I have polls on this website, if you vote on them then it will help me know what you people like to see in these stories. I have no idea what that sentence says, it wrote itself. Help help I am being possessed!
