The young Commander awaited his fate on his first battlefield; his compatriots festooned in a rusted-flavored orange armor. His Astra Militarum-issue uniform of Administratum Grey and Terracotta camouflage pattern fatigues - a Drakenhof Nightshade shadow adorning them from a strange night sky in a toxic atmosphere…

Beside him were his Commanding crew and initial forward-operating base construction team. All of them were faces of people he knew.

All of them friends from home, dreading in his heart how many were going to be alive afterward

. . .

CHAPTER 01 - Innocent fun

14 years ago, on some trashy, backwater "civilized" world

. . .

"SANCTIONED MUTANTS! CHARGE!" Avery yelled, waving an obviously fake, wooden power-sword in his hand, almost laughing under all the childish fun the kid was having against his "foe". He loved these games. He loved them with all his heart.

"YEW 'EAR DAT YE GITZ?! LEZ GEAW!" Daggy, tied for second among Avery's best friends - he rallied the "Muty Boyz" for their go-round, some braying as they charged straight into the "renegade's" flank (as a good ammount of them were Emperor-fearing beast-kids).

"Oh dammit, not again!" Roggedo managed to mutter when he noticed the 20 or so goat-kids absolutely demolishing his flank.

"JAKOB! MOVE 'EM FORWARD!" The young "Commander" called to his "Commissar" as he readied his "bolt pistol" (some pitiful make-shift hand-held catapult, only powerful enough that whoever hit in the back of the head was considered "respawn-bound"). He was Avery's other first-best friend.

Long story short, it was another resounding success for the Imperium (or whatever fairy-tale Avery desired to tell at the time). Roggedo got to make-up his own "heretical outcome" whenever his separatists won, which was a fair amount - a good 50% of the time.

"I don't understand! How did I fail THIS BADLY this time?!" the "renegade commander" calmly exclaimed his frustration.

"You're spending too much time turtle-ing!" Avery explained to his actual, #1 best friend. "Seriously, you could've sent scout parties or something to at least know where we were going to assault from!" he finished on his constructive criticism with a giggle in his throat.

"F-ffffffff-FAIR ENOUGH!" Roggedo replied in both frustration and acceptance in his raspy voice.

Meanwhile, within one of the Imperial Spires

. . .

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE LEFT?!" A gross, overweight, typical Upper-Hive noble spat at his secretary.

"Your honor, he got the assigned duties completed! Cleaned his room, finished his homework-" Susath pleaded with her employer before being cut-off.

"I ASKED NOT FOR A STATUS REPORT ON HIS- Wait, he did his own chores? But we have servants for that!" Andersoth's temper completely subsided like a mask being dropped, pausing to contemplate, then his obnoxious voice returned.

"EXPLAIN TO ME SECRETARY! WHY DID HE DO HIS OWN CHORES?"

. . .

"Alright, Emperor's first-and-only Junkers! Come forth, for we have a new member to our ever-growing team!" Avery side-hugged his newcomer, eager to introduce him to the rest of the troop.

Everyone came running, getting into formation and standing strait - an imitation of what they saw around PDF and random guard regiments that would stop by - a damn quality imitation, but an imitation nonetheless, done so out of passion and respect for their "Lord General" rather than from any discipline.

"Everyone, this is Alextros. Alextros, these are...-" He walked with his companion down the hap-hazard line of fellow members;

"Scout squad - they handle recon, rapid-assault and are REALLY good at being sneaky...

"Trench feet. They act in defensive line and are good at holding aforementioned line..." He introduced a squad of kids that were buffer than the others, covered in dirt, trash and sweat.

"Our Stormtroopers - our offensive line. They overlap with Trench squad alot, but are better at breaking the line, led by 'Commissar' Jakob - my friend, brother and my closest compatriot." Jakob took off his dirty hand-made commissar cap, bowing as the pair passed him.

"And this is where we'd put our armor division, if we had one!" The young commander gestured to a vacant plot on the ground.

Then Avery and Alextros got to the mutant-kids that had joined them.

"And these are our Sanctioned Mutants - the 'beasty-boys', led by my accomplished 'Daggy', or rather, Dagg - my other, closest friend!" Alextros froze before the Ogryn, his fists the size of his head. The mutant was a foot taller than him, shy of what rumors and reccordings had him believe. Nonetheless, it was still an unnerving sight.

"Howz ya doin', Aleckz?" Dagg nodded toward the newcomer, reaching out a grimy hand as Alextros shrunk away.

An awkward silence ensued.

"I'm sorry, I'm just- I never thought I'd see your kind this close, let alone MEET one." Alextros tried to explain himself.

"Ehh, iz fine. I tenda be scary. Zorry, mate."

With introductions completed, Roggedo and his band arrived, which reminded Avery.

"Oh yea, I forgot! Here's the Op-four, led by Roggedo, our acting Renegade leader."

"Uh... Op... four?" A confused Alex gazed at the arriving detachment - kids, all of 'em.

"T'is an acronym for 'Opposing Force', if our outdated copy of the Tactica Imperium still serves us correctly!" Jakob enthusiastically dawned his raggy, make-shift commissar cap and adjusted the plywood chainsword on his belt.

"The what?"

"This thing!" One of the kid-soldiers pulled a decently sized book out and brought it before Alextros, who looked at it with surprise and eyed it like a new toy. He flipped to a random page and started reading.

"So... Yea! That's the Team. You've met Roggedo, Dagg, Jakob... Who am I forget-?" Avery was interrupted by Alextros who wished to ask a question.

"What's this section on the use of Sanctioned Psyk-?"

"NO!" Everyone yelled, immediately breaking character, startling Alextros so much, he dropped the book straight into Jakob's grasp, as he almost anticipated this as Avery held the newcomer by the shoulders.

"No, no, no and no, my friend. We. Don't. Have. Those. Here, and it's for the best we never have any of those around us." Avery exclaimed, wearing a mask of calmness, concealing his distraught and worry.

"We already run a huge risk by allowing mutants to hang around us and we really, REALLY don't ever want to get into trouble - not with the gangers, not with our parents, not with the Arbites, and DEFINITELY, as sure as the Emperor is on that golden throne, keeping the real bad guys away, NEVER with the Imperium."

Avery looked Alextros dead in the eyes, his smile fading, his calm demeanor dropped, revealing an extremely understandable emotion.

"Ever." He added, dropping his grip on Alex's shoulders.

A pause consumed the air, then Alextros nodded his head.