Chapter III- Consequences

We finally reached the end of the third block where we waited for the Tortoise. I had expected it to be waiting for us for it must have come across some trouble on route to this position. I ordered my men to take cover as we where now in the heavy caution zone. They all took position behind something and waited to escort the Tortoise through the streets. I had tried to establish a comm link with it nothing worked. We had all been waiting anxiously for less than ten minutes when someone finally said something. He said that it had probably been ambushed without since it didn't have an escort. Chimeras are fairly large and is a sitting duck in urban combat, given I doesn't have a ground escort. I had agreed with him and ordered two men to go and search for it while the rest of us waited. We would stay in contact the entire time.

I directed the men through the streets of the comm to places the Tortoise may be. The team was about half a kilometer away when gunshots where heard over the comm. It then went silent. I feared the worst and ordered my unit to advance on their last known position. All seemed calm on our way. No stray Orks, no dead bodies, no shells landing nearby; the perfect setup for an ambush. I immediately ordered my men to take cover and only move on my orders. But cover was scarce. I refuge in the doorway of an abandoned shop but others were not so lucky in finding any cover. Some men were scrambling in the streets looking for something to hide behind but there was nothing left. Then suddenly the ambush occurred, just as suspected. Nearly 30 Orks seemed to jump out of nothing to attack us. Their poorly made rifles didn't seem very useful but one of my men did fall victim to their inferiority. His body dropped dead onto the streets as the green tide came our way. I ordered all of men to open fire upon the beasts. Immediately, my men let loose a hail of Hellgun fire upon the crowd. They weren't very far off and three of them dropped. Many were hit dead on but the blasts didn't seem to effect some. A large aura of blood encompassed the mob 10 meters off. The sight of their strength was amazing. My unit continued to let loose imperial death upon the mob but not many fell. We knew there would be combat. One man threw off a smoke grenade blind them as they neared. Some of my men continued to shoot through the smoke but others braced for combat. I put down my pistol and grabbed my blade. I knew it would serve me well. I watched as the first Ork ran out of the smoke. He was instantaneously pelted in the head by gunfire. The ground was shaking, as the Orks were very close. Suddenly four more Orks sprinted out of the smoke but one immediately fell. I and two others pounced on their bodies and cut them all down with few strikes. I then drew my pistol and shot blankly into the disappearing smoke that lay beside me. The road cracked as three more Orks hit the pavement. We could all now see the remaining green skins as the smoke cleared away. They were all soon met with fatal gunfire.

I turned and looked at my men and saw three human bodies lying lifeless on the ground. Victims of blind Ork fire they were. We had no time to bury them. I gave a prayer for the Emperor and their souls and ordered the remaining of my men to carry on.