Fredrick saw the ten sisters charging out of a new type of APC.
The B3 lifted its flamethrower arm and launched a torrent of fire from it, cutting down several sisters in on pass. It fired its plasma cannon at the APC and blasted a large hole in its front.
Fredrick back pedaled, he had seen enough of these enemies, to know that prolonged combat would result in his eventual death at the hands of one of them. These were not enemies that he could causally defeat.
"Send an armored task force to my signal, I require evac."
"Roger roger." One of the OOM commander droids responded over the comms channel.
If more Imperial forces kept coming to this system he would be unable to take the planet and establish a foothold.
"I need more droids to the front, or they'll break through our lines." Shouted a OOM through the comms channel.
"Help, help I have been surrounded, they're coming from every direction!" Another shouted.
"Commander Fredrick, we have twenty breakthroughs in ours lines near your location, unless you launch a an counter attack, immediately with all available forces, the front lines will collapse." B7782 said over the comms channel cutting through the panicked transmissions of the nearby OOM commanders.
The ground shook as Leman Russ tanks and Chimaeras thundered across no man's land, with the new transports dispersed throughout them.
Multi-laser fire filled the air and Fredrick saw a B2 get shredded by it, and the cries of the Imperial Guard and PDF as they surged out the trench lines behind the armored forces.
Rockets fired from the enemy lines struck the ground sending up massive blasts into the air, in a massive display of firepower.
For the first time on this world Fredrick felt the cold touch of fear as a wave of Imperial armor sweep towards him.
Drop pods were starting to fall from the sky and he saw one smack into the ground one hundred yards away from him.
"Fire, fire, fire." He yelled, raising his laser cannon and firing it at the power armored women.
An Assault droid fired its rocket launcher into the side of an onrushing Chimera causing it to erupt into flames. He saw a group of B2s which before had been formidable weapons against his enemy being cut down under the chain swords and bolter fire from a group of sisters.
An AAT emerged from behind one the bunkers at the head of a platoon of droids. A group Dwarf spider droids crawled over the bunker walls and started firing. Destroyer droids shot up to Fredrick, going into standing position and activating their shields. Battle droids started filling the area.
"Droids to me, we shall assault the enemy!"
The rank and file of his army started to gather around him, responding either to his call, or under the orders of the tactical droids.
Turbo laser strikes from the artillery began falling closer and closer.
One fell directly onto a destroyed Imperial tank, sending large chunks of shrapnel flying.
Battle Droids swarmed forward, meeting the soldiers who leaped out of the Chimeras. A group of Guardsmen had lugged a heavy bolter forward out of the Chimera and were laying down heavy fire from the protection of some rubble.
Around them a group of guardsmen were firing their las guns into the onrushing droids, many of the B1s falling to them.
The multilaser of the Chimera was cutting a swath through the infantry but failed to halt the large homing spider droids which fired its laser cannons into the Chimeras destroying it. Its underslung laser cannon fired rapid fire into the guardsmen gathered around the husk of the destroyed IFV.
A group of hailfire tanks speed past Fredrick, retreating to a safe place for their rearming drones to equip them with more missiles. Fredrick rolled into one of the trenches, seeing an approaching group of Leman Russ tanks. He landed on the ground hard, the drop farther than he had expected.
Looking forward he saw a group of Sisters in front of him, their backs turned. The ones he could see had bolters in their hands.
Fredrick started backing up, a bend in the trench a few yards behind him would give him shelter from their weapons. Overhead innumerable bursts of lasgun and blaster fired streaked above the trench.
He was just about to get into cover when he tripped over the frame of a destroyed B2, with the resulting noise would have alerted them if the air hadn't been filled with explosions. One of them turned around however, she saw him backing up, laser cannon raised and most importantly, the black color scheme of his armor, juxtaposed with the sliver of the B2 he was alongside.
"Sisters, there is the leader of these heretics!" Raising her bolter and firing a stream of bolts at him.
Throwing himself into the shelter of the other trench, he was too slow and several of the bolts shredded his robotic leg, leaving him crippled.
"Idiot" He thought, being this close to warriors of this caliber, and even worse crippled by them.
"This is Commander Fredrick, I need my body guard now!"
Rolling over he discharged a blast from his laser cannon, aimed for the head of the sister he assumed would be aiming a bolter at his head.
The sound of something metal rolling caught his attention and he knew that one or more destroyer droids was responding to his distress signal. The tip of the bolter going around the corner was the only warning he had before the Sister burst into his trench.
Firing off a burst of laser fire, he tried to rise to his feet, but the damage to his leg was far too extensive. If she had been an Imperial guard, PDF trooper or Clone trooper, she would have been killed by that, but her armor absorbed the bolts and only had carbon scoring to show for it.
"A weak weapon, I am surprised that you have been the terror you have been with just that." She scoffed.
"That statement is inaccurate, an efficient weapon it is, especially considering that behind me there are several destroyer droids bearing down on you."
"You'll be dead before they arriā¦" She was cut off by a blow to the head from a Magna Guard's electro staff.
"Quickly commander, the other two will not be able to stop them for long."
"My leg has been damaged, use the Destroyers to cover our escape. I have an idea on how to win this war before they can bring any more forces to bear."
The droid paused for a second before lifting Fredrick to a standing position and helping him back towards the droid lines. The discharge of a radiation launcher and the resounding explosion told him that the other two Magna Guards were fighting to give him time to get out.
Three Destroyer Droids sped into the trench.
"Commander, from my calculations this war is untenable, how you calculate that the outcome will be positive I don't understand."
"We need to get back to B7782 and HK-217, I'll need both tactical droids for this to work, and I'll need access to the fleet for this to work."
"I shall deliver you to the command units, in what condition I cannot predict. The enemy designated sisters are formidable but the damage appears to primarily on your mechanical leg as opposed to your body."
"Bloody whore got me as I attempted to get away."
A trio of HMPs streaked above as they went in on an assault run and a pair of HATs moved to respond to some break in the front line.
A PAC moved past them ferrying battle droids to the front. Fredrick knew that he had a small time window to get back to the command post and if he had a bike or STAP, he'd make it.
"This is Commander Fredrick to all nearby STAP units, I need a pair of STAPs delivered to my location."
The affirmative came through the channel, and a few minutes later a trio of them arrived.
"Two of you dismount, accompany us to the command post."
"Magnetize and lock legs," and pausing to look to see if the Magna Guard had mounted on the STAP, Fredrick said "Full speed back to base, do not pause if attacked, we have no time."
With that he thrummed the engines of the STAP and rocketed forward.
It took him fifteen minutes at full speed to reach the command post, his flight leaving the battlegrounds behind at quick speed.
The perimeter defenses caused him to slow and didn't fail to notice the new shield generator installed to protect the base from bombardment. Turret Droids and repeating blaster nests were placed to cover all approaches.
Fredrick watched the Magna guard dismount and he followed suit dropping to the ground, his damaged leg crumpling under his weight and he gestured to the Magna Guard to help him up. Supporting the bulk of his armor was no easy task and Fredrick could see the strain on the droids limbs.
"Open the doors to the command post I need to speak with HK-217 and B7782."
A pair of B1s opened the doors for Fredrick as his was half carried half limped in.
The Tactical droid was busy giving orders to armored formation to counter attack the enemy lines when he saw Fredrick sit down heavily on one of the seats in the room, around the table.
"Get HK-217 on screen, I have a plan that will allow us to take the planet."
"Commander I recommend a withdrawal, we cannot hold this planet from the enemy if they keep sending reinforcements. Nor would it be tenable to suggest that we could overwhelm the present forces."
"Yes, Commander Fredrick I heard you have need of me," HK-217 said his flat monotone voice played over the speakers.
"Yes both of you listen carefully as you'll be crucial to the success of this operation. I need a single Munificent to leave the orbital fleet to serve as a massive assault gun, using its heavy and medium turbo lasers to support our droids and eliminate hard points and large troops concentrations. HK-217 you'll need to engage the enemy fleet to prevent them from interfering with our plan."
"There is one problem with this plan, if the enemy destroys our orbital assets in this engagement than we lose the war, and all trace of the Confederacy is destroyed. "
"That Frigate would be sorely missed by the fleet, but if it must be absent for us to win this battle than we need to use it, HK-217 I agree with the commander we must use the resources available to us at peak efficiency."
"I will give the order, and will move to engage the enemy in one hour, I calculate our chances of success at fifty percent."
"Excellent, I shall wait remain at this command post until the conclusion of the naval battle and will command from the rear, alongside B7782."
In orbit HK-217 stood on the bridge, OOM droids milling around prepping the ship for combat and redistributing power.
"This is HK-217 to section three, deploy one Munificent from your ranks and connect a secure channel to the planetary command post. Transmitting orders now."
