"To die in combat, is to die a hero." - Anonymous
The cool red sun set low on the horizon filled with bloodshed. Pieces of man scattered the area. Alien flesh-beasts ripped apart rotting corpses for food while their masters, beasts as well, cracked a whip to call attention. A small group of the remaining Cadian Youth Corp. lay huddled under debris from an exploded Leman Russ Battle Tank. They were merely boys, no older than seventeen. With the comm.-link down, and behind enemy lines, the Youth Corp. was stranded. Kimley Skarr, the eldest, peeked out from the debris. Enemy las-fire quickly clashed into the dead metal. Kimley immediately withdrew and cowered in the shadows.
"What are we gonna do?" a small voice spoke.
Kimley rolled his head and turned to the young soldier. "W…We're going t…to do as w…we were told. We are going to make it through enemy lines back into friendly territory. We're going to bring back the Chaos great weapon and claim victory where the Relictor squad failed."
The young soldier nodded and clenched his lasgun. Another soldier, John Pearson, pried the Chaos weapon from the dead hands of his commander. The boy, barely thirteen years old, gagged as he took in the foul stench of mangled, rotting flesh. Kimley glanced from the debris once more. There was no sign of the enemy for a good hundred yards. Kimley turned to his retinue of four.
"This is our chance. I can see the front of the enemy likes. Just like an eye of a very unforgiving hurricane, we must take this opportunity and make a break for it. Even if we can just get closer, we must succeed."
The boys nodded and slowly rose to their knees. Youth Corp. Cadet Pearson struggled to stay upright with the weapon. Kimley slid over to him and grabbed hold of his tunic.
"I'm counting on you Johnny. If you make it across, you're going to be the hero. Just as long as you don't drop the weapon…got it?"
Cadet Pearson nodded and sniffed back his fear. He knew if he and his squad failed, not only will they suffer the same fate as the Relictor squad, but the Imperium would lose the war against Chaos and worlds of people would be demolished. The time for action was now. With no Chaos still in sight, the boys of the 71st Cadian Youth Corp. escaped their safe-haven and bolted towards friendly territory. Kimley was ahead of the rest of the Corp. while Cadet Pearson lagged behind, fumbling with the Chaos weapon. Panting heavily, Kimley dodged left and right, trying to find cover in case their moment of hope was to come to an abrupt halt. He turned his head to see where everyone else was, but couldn't see anyone. He paused and called back to them, hearing faint responses. "How could I be so stupid?" Kimley thought. "I'm five times faster than them. They're just kids."
Kimley glanced over towards their goal, so close to him, then back at the empty space of where his Corp. mates should be. Cadet Pearson was falling behind faster and faster as his small legs shook and strained to keep him and the weapon upright. The other three cadets: Xander Parlan, 14; Wade I'bsa, 12; and Larz Benny, who just turned 16 the morning of this battle, made sure that they all stuck together. Xander dove behind cover, and then peeked out to see if anything was coming before doing the same thing again. Larz was slowly walking and scanning the area with a brand new lasgun that his now fallen Captain had given him earlier, while Cadet I'bsa scurried behind. The three knew nothing of Pearson's whereabouts and had no idea how far they were from Kimley. For all they knew, they were the last ones alive and wanted to just get back to base safely.
"Xander, slow down," Larz beckoned. "You're getting too far ahead. Do you really want to be alone?"
"You're just going to slow!" Xander cried out.
"Guys," Cadet I'bsa squeaked, "there's no need to fight. We has to stick together."
Larz turned and knelt down to Cadet I'bsa, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling. "It's 'we have to stick together.'"
"Oh," replied Cadet I'bsa as Larz stood up and went back to scouting their surroundings. Cadet I'bsa muttered "we have to" to himself as he continued walking. Xander paused behind cover and pulled out his auspex. The area turned into mixtures of red, blue, yellow, green, and black as Xander peered ahead into the empty space.
"How's it lookin' Xander?"
Xander turned his head. "Shut up Larz and lemme see." He turned back to his auspex as Larz muttered "let me see." Xander nestled his eye into a custom-made scope that he made for his auspex in time to see a bright red figure race across the ground. Xander threw down the auspex and glared at the area where he saw the figure. Nothing was there. Xander tilted his head in confusion. A bolter round embedded itself in a piece of cement next to Xander's face. The sudden shot startled Xander and he dropped to the ground.
"Larz! Wade! Enemy fire's coming from unknown coordinates! Take cover!"
Xander covered his head and closed his eyes. Larz crouched and peeked through his scope. He couldn't find anything. More bolter rounds appeared and just barely missed Larz each time. Cadet I'bsa dropped to the cool, wet gravel and began crawling. Tears streamed down his face as enemy fire grew heavier, and yet the enemy was nowhere in sight. Larz turned to check on Cadet I'bsa.
"Wade!" Larz called out. "Just hang in there!"
By now, enemy fire was enormous. Xander fired his lasgun into the empty space, hoping he'd hit something. Once he ran out of the power cell, he feverishly placed a new clip in as enemy bolter rounds exploded around him. One enemy Chaos Marine took off his stealth and slowly began stalking Cadet I'bsa. Larz dove behind cover and glanced around. Cadet I'bsa had stopped crawling and was now bawling. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He shouted Larz's name over and over, proclaiming how scared he was. The Chaos Marine stepped closer, slowly raising his axe. Larz's eyes caught a sudden movement and his eyes became deadlocked on Cadet I'bsa and the sneaking Chaos Marine.
"Wade!"
Larz flew out of cover and ran towards Cadet I'bsa. His heart pounded heavily against his ribcage and his hands clenched in fear. Cadet I'bsa heard a faint voice calling his name and opened his eyes. He searched left and right, seeing nothing. A small twig broke underneath the Chaos Marine's boot, causing Cadet I'bsa's eyes to widen as he slowly rolled over. The Chaos Marine held the axe high and smirked. A loud shriek escaped Cadet I'bsa's mouth as the axe began its decent. Cadet I'bsa clamped his eyes shut. Larz came just in time. He jetted past the Chaos Marine, snatching Cadet I'bsa off the ground. The axe smashed into the concrete and the Chaos Marine looked stupefied. It scanned back and forth, finding only a glimpse of Larz and Cadet I'bsa. The Chaos Marine took one step towards their direction when it felt a small sting in its lower abdomen. A small hole was burnt through the Chaos Marine's armour. Its rotting flesh had melted and mixed with the armour. It let out a cry that was ear-piercing to any living creature. Another shot, and then another. The Chaos Marine slowly toppled and died, while Cadet Xander Parlan lay against a piece of debris, holding a smoking lasgun.