Part Two: Casualty Of War
A day on from Freyers and Straugens incident, Freyer sat in a crumbling old tank factory mumbling curses and wincing as veteran Medic Johanson sat picking bolts out of his leg with a blunt knife.
"Trust my luck, I get shot in the leg and arm and all I get for help is a blunt knife and a Medic with shell shock" he muttered to himself amid the stabbing sensation in his leg. Freyer wondered what Straugen was doing with recruit Thompson, he laughed to himself at the thought of Straugens quick temper. But Freyer was sadly brought back to reality by a new pain in his arm.
"All done in the leg Julian, just gotta get the ones outta yer arm now" Johanson chuckled, a mortar round went off and Johanson ducked digging the knife deep into Freyers arm. Freyer grunted in agony and stared around the factory taking in the environment of death and disease.
"Not that frigging switch you idiot!" Straugen bellowed and smacked Thompson around the head with the back of his hand as a mortar round was sent flying at the enemy lines, it exploded on what looked like an enemy bunker. Soon after a reply was made from the enemy side of Dabec and Straugen pushed Thompson into the trench.
All around the Imperial lines shells exploded, Lemen Russ 241 exploded in a fireball that engulfed the crew who were desperately trying to take cover, shrieks of anguish erupted and a few nearby soldiers rushed to help the burning crewmen. One stumbled out of the wreckage clutching his ruined face as flames licked his clothes; he soon crumpled to the floor twitching slightly.
After a few minutes the explosions stopped and all was silent in the city again, except for a few creaks from some buildings that were recently struck by the shells.
Straugen kicked Thompson in the ribs sharply "Get up you fool" he snarled "It does not take a genius to understand left from right, I said the LEFT switch, the one that is on the LEFT side is the one that does the temperature reading, thank the emperor it was not over heated otherwise we would be sitting by the emperor himself"
"Sorry sir…I…I thought you said red switch" Thompson grumbled, he had never used a mortar before and Straugen had a vicious temper when angered which did not help matters.
Resisting the temptation to give Thompson another smack Straugen ordered him to scout around for las rounds while he visited Freyer.
As Straugen approached the tank factory he noticed his commanding officer Commissar Bradvt on the vox comm to someone who must have been high authority, Straugen stopped for a while to eavesdrop.
"No sir, we cannot break through the city the traitors have a strong perimeter in their part of the city and now you say we have Xenos Dark Eldar approaching from behind. Well what do you expect us to do?"
A voice on the comm was cut out by interference as it crackled but Bradvt could still be heard.
"An artefact sir? In Dabec? But we have no men to spare. We need more men. No sir we do not need them. I meant more Imperial regime…very well sir I will do what I can" Bradvt finished his convocation and slammed the vox back onto trooper Wellers pack.
The Commissar glanced around annoyed looking for something to take his mind of things and noticed Straugen, who diverted his attention and began walking to the wrecked tank factory.
Freyer was leaning against one of the walls next to a dead Cadian with a slash covering half his face and no leg; he lay in a pool of his own blood so clearly he had not seen a medic.
Straugen studied Freyers new appearance, he had his arm bandaged up as well as his leg plus he had to use his lasgun as a walking stick to walk any amount of distance.
"Doc says I will be up and running in a few days, said the bolts missed the bone in my leg" Freyer rubbed his throbbing arm "That your mortar round that went off earlier?"
Straugens face said it all, he looked grim and went all rigid "Yeah, that kid Thompson doesn't know what the hell he is doing, no sense whatsoever and I didn't have the heart to tell him that his stupidity cost him the lives of three tank crewmen"
"That bad huh?" Freyer shuffled where he was leant, the stench of the corpse next to him made him want to be sick "Doc thought it was an incoming missile, dug the blunt blade deep into my arm without warning when he dived for cover"
"Mm he still here? I thought Bradvt would of got rid of him by now" Straugen glared at the dead Cadian "Didn't get much help did he…"
"Doc says he is only helping those who will live, the rest are as good as dead anyway" Freyer looked around the tank factory at the many wounded inside, there had to be at least 160 men in there, half were dead though "I will be out of here in a few days, then you can get Thompson out of your hair"
"Here Julian, I heard Bradvt on the comm earlier talking about some artefact…whoever it was on the vox seems keen for it" Straugen whispered.
Freyer looked at his old friend "I see some excitement in you…. you are not thinking of volunteering to find this artefact if Bradvt asks anyone…are you?"
Straugen shuffled his feet and did not meet Freyers eye "I'm fed up of mortars Julian, I want to do something else, be part of a squad, see battle from up front and not the occasional straggler at our position" he turned to face Freyer "Plus its making me deaf" he grinned.
Freyer saw no need in arguing with him, if his mind was made up then it was not going to change "Ok if that's what you want, but I will volunteer with you, can't think you are going into some hellhole without me eh?" Freyer sat up now and raised his left arm to Straugen who grasped it.
"Ok then that's how its gonna be" Straugen smirked "Bradvt also said something about Dark Eldar coming up from behind Dabec"
Freyer groaned, he hated Dark Eldar ever since the Eye Of Terror Campaign. Thinking he was going to be fighting rebel guardsmen he encountered Dark Eldar in the Sentinel region, one nearly took his head off with a scythe like weapon.
Suddenly the factory main door burst open and in came a burly looking Corporal out of breath, he glanced around quickly around at the wounded men and spotted Straugen before sprinting over.
"Commissar wants to see you right away" the Corporal stuttered and left as quick as he came darting in and out of the wounded men.
Freyer shrugged at Straugen and watched him walk out of the derelict building without saying a word.
Commissar Bradvt was a man of about 60 a veteran of Armageddon and other countless battles. He had a peaked hat and some gold teeth to match the eagle on it; a dark black cloak was draped around him and an old custom made bolt pistol was holstered at his side.
Bradvt glared as Straugen approached and saluted him.
"Is this yours?" the Commissar asked coldly as two soldiers dragged a third to him.
It was Thompson, blood dribbled from his mouth and his eyes stared into nothingness a rusty dagger was lodged in his neck and a few las rounds clutched in his cold hands, many gashes were in his face and torso, it was not a good way to die.
"They found him in no mans land, I thought he was meant to be with you?" Bradvt asked sharply.
"He was sir, I sent him to collect rounds" Straugen said truthfully looking at the surprised expression on Thompson's face.
"Oh? Well in that case I suppose it was all right for him to get taken by those traitor Raptors is it? He was meant to be with you always, he was young, reckless and learning the ways of war that YOU were meant to teach him" Bradvt snarled.
"But sir I…" Straugen began to explain but was cut short.
"Silence, as it is I have something that needs doing, and it is going to mean you and your wounded friend up there" the Commissar indicated to the factory "Are going to have to leave your precious mortar behind and join a squad led by Herud, on a very dangerous mission for me"
Straugen wanted to praise the Commissar but thought better of it "Finally some action" he thought although he did not know he was volunteering them for the death of Thompson or because they were two of the few that got along with Captain Herud.
"Grab your gear from supply, find someone to use your mortar and come back to me private, I will have to round up some other men for this mission so you three will not be alone, now go" Commissar Bradvt ordered as Straugen saluted and turned heel and walked to supply without turning to argue.
"Weller, Bates…. dispose of this casualty of war" Bradvt muttered pointing to Thompson's corpse "I could do without fly's near my uniform when they come to feast on the dead"