Chapter 13: Hammer Blow

The ground shook, the artillery was really hammering the enemy. He looked around, conscripts much like him as far as the eye could see. He had spent the last few weeks training with the Imperial Guard, and this was his first battle.

An entire company of Leman Russ tanks was in front of him, his unit's task was to follow them and clear the enemy defenses of infantry while the tanks supported.

Several Chimeras were also nearby, word had it through the ranks that this was the Governor's final effort to defend the city from the droids, a second army was on its way and the Colonel had told them that when it arrived they would push the soulless abominations back.

He shifted in his armor, and held his lasgun close, word among some of the veterans was that of the towering greenish gray behemoths, capable of killing an entire platoon single handily. The rumble of the tank's engines grew louder, it was soon.

The commander of the tank company popped out his tank, and turned to look at the assembled troops.

"Advance, drive them from our planet!"

The tanks surged forward and they followed. the artillery continued to fall. He had to run to keep the tanks, silently wishing he was one of the men in the Chimeras. The explosion from one of them changed his mind, his was even more grateful for the strength of the tank's armor.

They had six hundred meters to cover before they would start engaging the enemy, and each step brought him closer.

There was the roar of air evaporating and an explosion sent him to knees. Two of the tanks in front him had been slagged, one had its hull roof peeled back and it turret was on the ground behind the tank. The other had its tracks on the ground and a crack running on the top of the tank, its turret was turned at an awkward angle.

The form of a massive bronze tank loomed ahead, it had twin ball mounted cannons which were firing at the onrushing Imperial forces. It had already taken several battle cannon strikes to its armor, craving deep gouges into the armor of the foul heretical machine.

He had to keep going forward,whether he wanted to or not, to stop would only cause the men behind him to trample him as they pushed forward. They were catching up with the tanks now as the slowed to allow accurate fire on the move.

A droid firing position started firing at them, rapid fire las bolts started scything down a nearby group of soldiers, before one of the tanks sent a battle cannon shell into the position. Similar scenes were happening all along the droid lines, as far as he could see they were making headway.

That was until his real role in this attack came, his entire platoon flooded into a droid defensive position.

"Spread out, we're gonna get shelled soon!" The sergeant shouted to them and a second later a massive green turbo laser blast nearly blinded him.

The deep throated roar of a Leman Russ filled his ears, three of them were breaking off the group they were with and flanking the giant droid tank. A Leman Russ Demolisher stopped and fired into the tank, the massive siege shell rocking the tank and leaving a gaping hole in its side armor.

The sergeant grabbed his arm and forcibly turned him away from the tanks to face the droids that were in front of them. This outlying machine gun nest had the remains of several droid machine guns, and their operators scattered by the battle cannon shell over the floor, however in front of them were much more formidable defenses. A flurry of blaster bolts flew at them, several droids were firing at them, and at least two from he could see were using their version of a heavy stubber.

Clambering forward through a shell crater, he spotted a group of the smaller yellow droids, one of them was carrying what looked like binoculars and beside it was another droid with a large antenna emerging from its back. Suddenly what could only artillery rained down on them, purple rockets leaving black trails in the sky started raining down on the PDF troopers who had yet to take cover in the front lines of the droid's defenses, body parts flying from the explosions.

A chimera thundered forward, ignoring the repeating blaster fire from the bunker to their fore. The droid's fired several rockets at it, several missed but several more impacted it and it listed off to to side, however some of the men inside it must have survived the volley as the heavy flamer in the front hull spat a roaring jet of fire into the trenches and firing positions the droids had built.

He curled into the tightest ball he could, the explosions from the rockets sending dirt flying.

The storm continued raging over his head and he felt something hit him.

"Hey, You still alive?" a voice asked.

Looking up he saw one of the Imperial guardsmen looking at him, reaching his hand down into the crater.

Brushing the dirt off himself, he responded with a grunt and fired his las gun at a nearby xeno machine. The bolt took down the xeno construct as it crawled towards them, its legs missing.

With a great groan, the enemy tank died and multi colored fires burned from the many holes in its armor. He hadn't seen the blow that felled the machine but with it fallen, the tanks and transport could continue forward.

He took a look at the area ahead of them, covered in craters from the bombardment that had preceded the assault. He could see one of the metallic xenos moving, one of the larger steel constructs.

It spotted him and raised its arm and a flurry of las fire strafed his position. What he didn't notice until it hit him was the shock wave as a battle cannon fired too close to him. His ears ringing from the noise he looked around in a daze, watching the geysers of dirt erupt as shells impacted into the hastily prepared defenses of the xenos.

The purple rocket barrage was lessening and the xenos seemed to be one the back foot. He stood shakily and started across the field. The men around him were charging into a storm the dirty las fire favored by these xenos.

He fired his las gun, spraying its crimson beams into the xenos ranks. He was closing in on one, getting closer and closer towards the machine as it fired its stocky oddly shaped las weapon at his brothers in arms. It turned towards him, raising its weapons to fire but it was too late, he slammed into the xeno, the bayonet of his rifle screeching off its metal hide. He lost his weapon as it smacked him with the metal butt of its rifle.

They grappled in the mud, foul metal imitation of the holy human form and him, one those blessed to live in the Emperor's light.

He tored one of the xeno's arms off as it's cold metal fingers closed on his throat. The inhuman creature kept reaching, trying the crush the life out of him, it's black flat eyes staring into his. It pressed him into the mud with its strength and his reached out for anything to get it off him. His questing fingers found a rock and he brought it down on its head, striking over and over again. It let go long before he finished, screaming his rage and will to survive.

He slumped into the ground, his las gun beside the detached arm. He had to keep going, all around him were similar scenes playing out as the xeno's were crushed under the sheer wroth of the Hive's defenders. Lifting his las gun he joined once more in the furious assault.

As he rose up from his small position of cover he stared out over the field of bodies in front of him. He saw the plain stretching out in front of him, the xenos were falling back, their tanks and walkers laying down streams of fire while their smaller companions fled.

Then like a black cloud, their aircraft came from the skies, large fat bodied shapes streaking down in a great black cloud. They poured rockets and other ordinance into the ranks of the PDF, covering the retreat of the xenos.

The pintle mounts of the vehicles returned fire, bolt and stubber fire peppering the skies while some of the larger batteries further back created a stream of heavy auto cannon fire. Watching all of this, the young PDF trooper sat down, cradling his weapon and staring around. He had never been outside the Hive before, he barely could grow the hair on his chin most men prided themselves on. He had barely reached the age of 14 terran years before he was thrust into this hell.

Far away Fredrick observed the retreating CIS forces, the ferocity of the assault was unprecedented. Never had the Republic's clone troopers, bred from birth for the sole purpose of war had exhibited this much fervor.

The frigate's control room's red colored lights were blinking. He had dispatched almost all of his fighter escorts and the entire gunship contingent to cover the retreat. Only one course of action remained, he had to wait for the report from the Commando droids and proceed from there.

B7782 was coordinating the regrouping of their ground assets and several attending OOM droids were transmitting his orders.

"Commander Fredrick, the enemy's elite troops, designated as the Sisters of Battle, were encountered in the heavier areas of combat, they have proven to be far more formidable than our original encounters suggest."

B7782 paused, and sent out another dispatch to one of front echelon forces who were pulling back to quickly for the rest of the line to keep up. Continuing in his emotionless voice.

"They represent a significant threat to our forces and should be eliminated, interrogation reports that they have a significant religious impact on the enemy's forces and have raised morale significantly since their arrival."

One of the OOM droids turned from its console and addressed Fredrick,

"Commander, our factories established during our initial landing have reached a stage where rapid construction can begin of infantry and light vehicle class droids."

Underneath his armor Fredrick smiled, the special cargo of the Star Hammer, as the prototype of a new Lucrehulk Battleship line was bearing fruit.

"Commence full scale production, I want an additional hundred thousand droids readied."

The droid turned back to its console and once again, Fredrick felt the invasion's balance begin to tip back into his favor. Once the droid's numbers began to be replenished they could crush the resistance and allow his own empire to be born.

The droid's were readying for a counter strike. They would bide their time, if this planet was in as a hotly contested zone as it was claimed, the fleet would have to be recalled to deal with another greater threat and in that time, his army would grow.

He laughed, he was prepared for a long war of bloody attrition which in the end, his droids would triumph.

"B7782 I want a defensive line established around the Hive City, be prepared for another assault as the enemy still possesses immense mobile forces."

The droid buzzed in acknowledgement and Fredrick turned and ordered one of the OOM droids to send a transmission to the Star Hammer, he wanted the captured enemy officers pressured for information that detailed the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy fortifications.

He had to delay any offensive action by the Imperial forces until he could amass sufficient forces to take what remained of the planet.

Night fell and with it a hush upon the battlefield while both armies licked their wounds and braced for the storm yet to come.