Characters
Helikian Guardsmen
1st Lieutenant Munzn, Robert (21) - In charge of The "Helikian Detachment" after Captain Karl was injured before the expedition to Rivia
2st Lieutenant Fell, Yzir (27) - Apart of the HQ element as an Air support Observer
2nd Lieutenant Shinn, Tarlz (25)- 3rd Platoon leader in the "Helikian Detachment"
1st Lieutenant Corr, Helot (29)- 1st Platoon leader in the "Helikian Detachment"
Sergeant Zhell, Darius (22)- Squad leader in the "Helikian Detachment"
Corporal Lyth, Dak (17)- Fireteam leader in the "Helikian Detachment"
Lieutenant Hilko, Dak (23)- In charge of Commander Sosa's protection
Tarth Guardsmen
Commander Sosa, Igguda (52)- In charge of The Tarthian Task Force sent to Rivia
Senior Sergeant Spears, Harry- 2nd Platoon leader in the "Helikian Detachment" temporarily in charge after Captain Karl was injured before the expedition to Rivia
Imperial Navy
Captain Alexander "Ship Master"- In charge of the Emperor's Light
Pilot David- Personal Pilot of The Drake
Iron Drakes
The Chapter Master (?) - Unnamed Chapter Master of the Iron Drakes frequently referred to as "The Drake"
The greater Imperium know the Plague Wars
as a saga at Ultramar
Tarth remembers the Plague Wars as
a moment in history where the troopers were
shocked to its core
-The Historian
The moment Robert's feet touched the ground and received his orders. The ground battle was quick to show it was a brutal and violent one. Robert was immediately sent to the front lines and helped hold the horde at bay. A few brutal door to door encounters and Robert already had a few dog tags in his waist pouch and a dozen men being sent ship side to receive medical attention for their wounds. The true nature of their foes only then began to be understood after hours of combat and several defenses of vital locations. The men held firm as they lost men. It wasn't until the undead horde became a human wave that necessitated the full force of the Chapter Master himself. That Robert felt the true weight of his task set before not just him but the few thousand men that arrived on Rivia.
For the better part of the first day, Guardsman fought off the undead with bayonet and fists. While the Tauros' could lay waste to their foe. The guardsmen found that the undead was more than fast enough, numerous enough and foul enough to push past the volleys of lasfire and get close enough to engage in hand to mouth fighting. The troopers held back the waves to prevent the heavy guns from falling silent. Fortunately, the horde was disorganized by the sweeping fire of the very guns the troopers fought to protect leaving the troopers fighting a less than able enemy most of the time. It was only when they gathered in true strength of numbers or when they were outside the range of heavy support did the troopers truly fear their foe.
Meanwhile, Sosa did his best to overhaul the defense of Rivia. The Chapter Master while offering tactical advice did little to worry about the dotting and crossing of i's and t's instead concerned over the matters of the apocalypse. Sosa was the spokesman for the Chapter Master's orders for logistics, politics, and reorganization of the Rivian command. He spent as much time as requisitioning warehouses as he did ordering his men to mount new defenses and the like. Unable to leave his war room, Sosa sent word to Robert to get a lay of the land and report immediately with a report to get his bearings after being thrown into such a role.
For a time, Robert's detachment fought small skirmishes with the armed traitors while getting a lay of the land after the initial few probing traitor movements. An action Robert noticed after an attack made by the horde of mutants. After a few questions, Robert knew the horde wasn't centrally led in tandem to the armed traitors. It seemed more a force of nature than anything else. Robert's theory was the mutants were taken from a facility and used as shock troops or maybe it was a vicious cocktail of bad combat stims. A theory that simply solved why the traitors never attacked while the horde attacked.
Thankfully the men were placed in good areas to defend, but they had no supporting units. If one squad fell before sending a runner. The exposed passageway would have no one to inform the others. The men did what they could to communicate with one another, but it was a failing system if the war continued. Orders came from the chapter master himself asking the Helikians to punch breakthroughs or lead a rearguard action in designated areas to help consolidate their holdings which were fully obeyed without hesitation with many local officers of a like mind. It did take time as many of the positions were under attack or wary of their traitor shadow clinging so close to them.
It was a grand idea when one simply moved the runes on a holo map. It was a nightmare for those leaders in charge of the consolidation with little in the way of resources to protect one's withdrawal despite knowing the need for such orders to be fulfilled. The Tarthians, airstrikes and the like were masterfully used to buy the PDF time to pull back or press forward and by the time night had fallen the order was completed, and the Sosa could sigh in relief as a failing defense became reinvigorated, restructured and resupplied. The order completed and assets freed up did the next phase begin.
"Sir! Sosa wants us to return to base" Robert scooped as much chow as he could before shoving it down his gullet and standing to his feet and grabbing his rifle. The men took a short break at the center of a former traitor safehouse. The vox operator, ever prepared, already had the map out showing him the route Sosa had suggested. A haphazard route making a mile journey into 3 miles. The route specifically was meant to hit the "safest" route for the men and a few outlying areas to ensure the troopers stationed there were still alive.
After a quick meeting with the squad leaders and officers, a quick order was given out to prepare the men. The Helikians quickly obeyed without hesitation after the order throwing their leftover rations into a pile as one man doused it in a heavy dose of promethium from his flamer and moved on. Little traps were set for those that would find this place. The area was marked for future reference and to inform any friendly units the place was trapped, and the Helikians disappeared into the ruins and back to friendly lines under the cover of ruined buildings and ravaged streets.
The journey to friendly lines was humbling as they walked past those few survivors desperately trying to make it to safety. The men walked through the streets seeing that fear cast a shadow over every interaction. Groups of people split apart by the sights of untold terror they'd seen only hours before. The sight of Robert and his men seemed to only add fuel to the fire to paranoia, mass hysteria and violence would break out leading to Robert leading his men into reestablishing order resulting in broken bones and a suppressed crowd of refugees being forced into being "rescued" too friendly lines.
Only when safety was in sight did heads begin to cool. A collective swell touched the hearts of all the troopers and survivors. From a distance, the palace was all the more impressive and extravagant with large looming towers and proud walls that seemed to shine in the darkness. The natural mountains surrounding the man-made palace seemed to only shine a brighter glory on the man-made mountain that appeased the eyes. The cynical side of Robert couldn't help but wonder what it would look like when the hordes of the undead were dashed upon them as the men evacuated as many civilians as they could.
Sosa came out to meet them, shaking Robert's hand and leading the Helikians indoors to safety where they walked down hallways filled with priceless pieces of Rivian art. "Rob, I have nobles up my backside demanding we evacuate them even after what Drake said. I have hundreds of PDF squads spread across a city demanding they need ammo if we can't evacuate them and a long list of possible leads on surviving sectors that need immediate evac before they join the ranks of our enemies." A final turn led them to an opulent ballroom with a crystal fountain as the centerpiece and dozens of hanging pieces of art dancing around the heads of the men held by a beautiful vaulted ceiling.
The room was littered with cots in their hundreds. From the patches on the shoulders of the guardsmen, there seemed to be a good few of Sosa's men lazing about or preparing for their own set of missions for that day.
"The Great Drake wants you to lead some men and verify these hold outs exist along with a few vital secondary objectives. If they do more than one of them sits on armories that if not depleted already would be of great help for the overall effort. If you could just find fuel for our flamers it would be a great win." all the while Sosa was reading hundreds of pages of information from his datapad becoming increasingly frustrated at the reports. While he was not in charge of PDF manpower. He was to help ensure they got supplies from the Emperor's Light.
"We've been out there for the last day earning our keep. We haven't even gotten settled into our billet" The detachment of men who followed behind Robert and Sosa had yet to set their gear down already expecting the worse. The men had started to redistribute the weapons and ammo expecting the inevitable with the majority smoking Lho sticks as if they had only seconds left on Rivia.
"The Drake would've briefed you himself, but there is an assault underway by our enemy trying to seize a major logistical artery leaving me to give you the news. The largest tower out there in AO Gamma lays a cathedral. The Rivians claim some Sisters Hospitaller reside there. We don't care how many are alive. As long as one lives, it will be a morale victory and information victory worth the potential risk of your men. We also hope they may have some stores of weapons to liberate" tired and worn down by the cries of the dead and his men. Robert wasn't happy, to say the least about being told his fight had yet to end for the day.
"Sister Hospitaller? You must have them confused with Sisters of Battle. They won't have anything but bandages and herbs. I have 121 good Helikians alive. I'd rather not spend them so recklessly for a few rumors and gossip. I won't send my men to die in some shanty town shrine with no fortifications to die in" Sosa ground his teeth as he spoke trying his best to be diplomatic in the face of Robert's stubbornness.
"There's the main sanctuary and then at least over a dozen rooms from what blueprints we could find. The Drake has authorized the field promotion of Captain upon you with a detachment of additional men to help in this mission. I will also ensure you are the priority for extraction and air support" Robert shook his head as his thoughts strayed to his men and the size of the cathedral expecting a much smaller target. A promotion and a thousand more men. Robert still wouldn't commit to the mission. Too many rooms and too little information not to mention his men were dead tired after fighting for almost a whole day nonstop.
"My men are tired. We need hot chow, a warm cot and time to resupply. That's at least 3 hours before we can roll out again. Combat stims can only keep us running so long before we become human again." A textbook excuse to get out of detail if Robert had ever made one, and a terrible attempt to conceal Robert's doubts about Sosa's capability as a leader.
"Munzn, I need you to get those sisters out of that cathedral. We don't know anything about what we are dealing with. Those sisters have been here since the black lung outbreak 3 years ago. If anyone has information with what we are dealing with they will" This was one of the few times Sosa's tone was that of a father talking down to a foolish child. His frustration was boiling over his neck showing red blemishes.
"Well, Igg-"
"Address me by my proper rank, Lieutenant Munzn." Robert's face twisted for a moment in rage before he managed to reign in his emotions. A flame of rage still flickering in his eyes at being put in his place like a petulant child.
"Commander Sosa, I've watched dozens of boys get dragged into an undead cannibal horde. I don't know how or why they are like this. What I do know is if you shoot them in the head or heart they die. That's all we need to know. My men will rest here for 6 hours. We will then take the fight to the enemy until we can evacuate who we can-" Robert began to move and try to push past Sosa to find that the older man made an effort to place himself in the middle of Robert's path.
"MUNZN!" Sosa shouted. Heads turned and immediately hands went to knives. Helikians began to surround the two officers Lho sticks discarded. Native Tarthians casually strolled up fewer in number to the Helikians but no less determined to defend their leader. Sosa cleared his throat meeting Robert's eyes looking to see if he would continue to challenge him.
"Your men will go now. I have a route already planned through the sew-" Robert threw his hands in the air pacing in a circle addressing the crowd gathering support from not only the Helikians but the Tuspapusians, Edroytisians, and other off-world troopers.
"You said it yourself we have no idea how this disease spreads. My men will stay above ground away from the sewers filled with the disease-" Sosa grabbed Robert by his shoulder before jabbing Robert as he spoke his face only inches from Robert.
"I'm not requesting. I'm ordering you to Munzn don't think because we don't have commissars that we fight like Catachans. Deciding what orders we follow based on feelings or motivation. You Helikians should know better than anyone how to follow an order. I expect good order and discipline if-"
"SILENCE!" during their dispute, the Chapter Master seemed to have appeared covered in blood if one would consider the undead's blackened liquids like blood. "I will not have my men bickering like school children! Munzn! We will have words after this war!" The fight immediately left Sosa upon seeing the Chapter Master and his eyes immediately swept down to the floor. Shame crept into his heart upon realizing his loss in bearing resorting to the words and mannerisms of a lower enlisted man. Those who gathered around the two officers did their best to pretend that they had some important duty to go to or that their cot seemed to have the magical power that made them fall asleep and forget anything that transpired between Robert and Sosa.
"Munzn, you fought Eldar raiders with a dozen men and lasguns. I don't understand why you won't follow Sosa's orders" Robert met the Great Drake's green lens without any fear.
"I won't send my men down into sewers filled with disease and become like those diseased cannibals." The Drake didn't move an inch before his voice filled the hall.
"Then will you disobey a direct order?"
"My men will go when we don't have to go into disease-ridden tunnels."
"What would you suggest then? What would you do that Sosa has overlooked? A commander with decades more experience than yourself."
"3 Aquilla landers. Let us use the landers to enter the cathedral-"
"Milord! We can't do that! If we halt any bombing runs, supply runs and evacuations we risk the chance of being overrun or losing civilians at an unsustainable level and-"
"You will have them Munzn" with that, the Astarte left leaving Sosa and Munzn alone once again.
"I'll have your flight ready when we can afford such a flight in the middle of an apocalypse. I would pray to the Emperor that we can afford your frivolous flight" with a huff Sosa left. Robert looked to a few men who stared at him with smiles on their faces laughing. There was no doubt in Rob's mind they were mocking him. "You there! You're on latrine duty."
Duty, Honor, and Sacrifice
-Helikian motto
Liberation of Rivia +3 Days
It wasn't until two days later the Helikians moved. This wasn't time wasted as the Helikians had the blueprints of the cathedral in hand. They took over the ballroom placing paint on the floor to rehearse what each room would be roughly placed and how each squad would perform their task. The nobles complained that they were tarnishing floors placed by some planetary governor hundreds of years ago and the floor was a masterpiece, but the Helikians continued training and the nobles continued to be ignored.
In this time, Three men returned from the Emperor's Light. While they were injured, they were allowed to return on the expressed orders that they were to be put on light duty. Fortunately, Lieutenant Fell was already placed on the palace security detail and absorbed the returning troopers. They were swept up to the cathedral on the wings of thunderhawks barely fitting all the men most were forced to sit on the floor of the thunderhawk. Fortunately, the traitor's lacked the anti-air weapons needed to shoot down the thunderhawks. Letting them fly at a comfortable speed while only taking a few las rounds to the fuselage.
The men disembarked quickly in front of the cathedral. The plan was that the cathedral would be garrisoned and with no training in aerial insertion, the Helikians planned to do this as close to Helikian line infantry doctrine as possible. The entrances were already opened and the Helikians swept into the cathedral with righteous fury and fear that only the massive cathedral could bring.
The cathedral was empty from the ground up. The Helikians swept the building only finding the dead remains of survivors or the cannibals. The undead horde and traitors seemed to avoid the cathedral after defaming it. Perhaps, it was because of how far from the front lines it was. Sergeant Darius voiced his own opinion that even the traitors had some honor left. Robert saw the signs of old strong points and fortifications and could only think that this was a battle site left in pursuit of the next battle already picked clean.
Hours the men scoured the building for anything and everything. The entrances were easily blocked by pushing the adamantium doors back in place and further reinforced by the weight of dead bodies and furniture. The cathedral, fortunately, lacked the great stained glass windows with only the three entrances to guard. The cathedral was only half the size of the palace ballroom leaving the men plenty of room to lay out their gear and bedrolls. The officers and senior NCOs gathered around the altar, shoving the corpses off of it and replacing it with a map of the complex and the surrounding shrine sector. Green marks covered the cathedral on what the men knew was secured at the moment.
Robert could find little more to do in the center of the cathedral and soon agreed with his squad leaders that the west wing would be scoured. The men pushed the barricades aside before going forward. The west wing was nothing more than an unsightly prefabricated box added to the cathedral to house the priests, staff, and guests. The east wing was designed to receive the daily crowd with food, medicine, and prayers taking on much of the artistic architecture one would expect from a holy building. At least that's what Brother Verus had written and designed. More than a hundred years had passed leaving the building open for alterations.
The men searched the west wing and eventually returned after an hour of heart-pounding anticipation with only a single youth. It was hard to decipher the youth's gender as their head was shaven and the child refused to speak. "Is this all?"
"Yessir, we found nothing. 2nd platoon is rechecking every room for any hiding holes we might've missed during the initial sweep and as you ordered, they're consolidating all the furniture to the sanctuary. 1st is already fortifying the roof with what we brought, and 3rd is prepping the choke points inside with leftover furniture." Robert nodded his thanks as he took a drag from a lho stick that was making its rounds around the map.
"Sergeant Zhell, we need to move faster. Get Shinn's men and have them clear the east wing. He can pull from 1st if he needs to." Robert looked to Lieutenant Corr for affirmation who merely nodded while he grilled the senior vox operator on why they couldn't reach the HQ element, but they could somehow reach a city half a continent away.
"Right away sir" with that Sergeant Darius immediately left quickly rounding up the men required to take the east wing. The upper leadership continued to argue their own opinions on what direction the men should take.
"Sir, we should expand outwards. There are a few smaller buildings that can act as sentry points and-"
"Leave the vulnerable!" Senior Sergeant Spears cut off Lieutenant Shinn with no decorum. The tone in his voice was one of pure disrespect at such a pointless endeavor. "Sir, I recommend we fortify this cathedral and wait for more men that Commander Sosa promised us"
"We won't get more men sir. Before we left, Commander Sosa planned on taking the spires, and he's going to need every man he can get. We should consider ourselves behind enemy lines and begin disrupting their supply chain." Lieutenant Corr supplied. Always a reliable man with a reliable answer. Robert continued to scan the map as the men bickered before speaking up.
"This cathedral is our limit of advance as per Commander Sosa's orders. We are simply a recon element as far as he's concerned. I want everyone to scour this cathedral and find a living sister once we do we're leaving. The time is now 1426. Everyone will report at 1730 with duties completed to the Helikian standard before we begin bickering about who does what." no longer needing their console, the other senior leaders saluted and made their way to their men to ensure all duties would be completed on time.
Robert groaned as he pulled out datasheets of useless information they had found in the desk of whoever was in charge. Robert felt frustration bubble up in his heart as he tried to figure out where all their grox meat and grain was. The sheet was recorded only weeks ago and with the sheer volume, they received it had to be somewhere hidden from his men's view. His men at the moment only found dead bodies and abandoned rooms.
A second glance at the blueprints hinted no closer to a secret cellar. The cathedral was massive and men admitted to finding multiple secret passageways now marked with various markings and called various names for the men to navigate quickly through. It would only be a few more hours before he would have his men draw up various route plans to get men, weapons and equipment flowing through these secret arteries that made up the cathedral.
"SIR" Rob turned to see a trooper running from the east wing's entrance and make his way over to him. It was no small surprise the trooper yelled at the distance he was from Rob. Anything short of yelling in this cathedral would be diffused into a garble of incoherent words. Another issue Robert had to fix lest every squad would need a runner losing a valuable rifleman on the front line.
"Trooper?"
"Sir, we found a pile of dead sisters in the East Wing. They're mostly unarmed, but there's a cellar-like you said. Sergeant Zhell sent me to come to get you, sir."
"Lead on trooper" Robert gestured as he grabbed his rifle off the table and slung it across his chest and followed the trooper. The east wing was filled with larger common rooms and with that larger doorways and windows that meant a higher risk in defending these sections. Robert had to concede that being able to hold the kitchen and dining facilities would be the backbone of his men's morale, but the defense of such objectives would take more men than he was willing to spare unless he shifted the center of his defenses and risk the loss of the main sanctuary. Issues he would rather not deal with, and one he would avoid by pretending that the cellar had more strategic value than it truly did.
Robert found the cellar and pile of dead sisters quickly by simply following the smell more so than the trooper. The whole damn cathedral smelled like the solvent recycler back home on Helikia. Unsurprisingly, the cellar was attached to the kitchen area. The dead sisters were already moved into neatly placed rows showing off more bone than flesh. They were all dressed in the power armor that all sisters no matter their vocation seemed to wear with pride.
What shocked Robert was the armor itself was ripped apart as if the sisters were like shelled animals that were killed before being broken to eat the delicate feast that lay below. An action Robert had never seen during the short time he was here. Then again, none of the civilians or troopers were armored like the sisters were and perhaps their hunger was truly that great.
"Sir" Sergeant Zhell saluted before making his report. "We found all these sisters weaponless, but there was enough blood, guts, and casings to make us question whether or not that's true. The cellar is locked uptight. We need your permission to break in." Quick and to the point as always. Zhell truly was the model NCO following the rules by the book.
"These sisters didn't die to protect the traitors from more traitors. We're opening it up now" Darius nodded and already knowing what Robert would want the men already in place with entrenching tools held at the ready prepared to open up the cellar. Robert stood idly by appreciating the craft being performed before him requiring no physical exertion himself.
Before one man could make their way down, a hail of hard rounds pierced from the darkness into the kitchen forcing the men to hit the deck to avoid the ricochets. "Die, traitors!" The hard rounds stopped after a few seconds of firing and the ricochets disappeared alongside that quickly enough. Heart pounding in his chest and relieved to be alive. Robert saw all his men shaking and running around to get a better view of the deep darkness that led to the cellar.
"Warp take you! You almost killed us"
"By the Emperor, I hope I did traitor scum!"
"You're a traitor! You shot at Imperial Guardsmen!" Robert countered
"Ha! A clever trick, but you cannot fool us, traitors! Prove to us you are loyal to the Imperium" Robert looked dumbly at Sergeant Darius who made a gesture indicating that the Sisters had a point. Robert rubbed his temple wondering how he was playing such a childish game behind enemy lines. If it was up to him maybe locking the survivors back up wouldn't be such a bad idea. At least, they would know where they were and what to protect.
"Anyone have any ideas?" The other troopers looked blankly at Robert with most of them making gestures to just toss a frag grenade in and call it a day which seemed to be the majority vote. Another voiced his own opinion to simply let the sisters stay in the cellar. "Send someone down unarmed? That's what they do in the holovids" Corporal Lyth spoke up as he fiddled with the power settings on his rifle. He was less than invested with whatever would happen as he went on to ask if anyone had a spare lho stick he could bum. Every Helikian looked at the absent-minded junior NCO before his rifle was forced from his hands and Sergeant Zhell roughly kicked the boy down into the cellar. The men eagerly waited.
Corporal Lyth, on the other hand, bounced a few times on the stairway to the cellar. He huddled in a fetal position cursing his comrades. He didn't have time to recover before he felt a foot place itself onto his head and into the ground. "State your name trooper"
"Corporal Lyth of the Helikian detachment stationed out of Tarth" a yelp of pain came out as the foot pressed harder onto his skull. "I've never heard of Tarth! Now tell me again where they are from!"
"Ah! We're Helikians! We're Helikians! We fight under the banner of Tarth" the foot immediately came off his skull as the survivors murmured amongst themselves. Lyth overheard a few mentions of Helikia and mercenaries. It didn't take long before the foot placer returned with an outstretched hand.
"You aren't dressed as a traitor and you're clean. What are Helikians doing this far out from home?" Lyth rubbed his head. His pride wounded more so than his head.
"I told you we fight for Tarth. We were sent here to help" The sister cast a glance at the other survivors and didn't see if anyone could find a flaw in the logic.
"You're here to help us, guardsmen? You are fighting a disease. One cannot defeat a disease with just lasgun and frag." Lyth couldn't help but smirk as he looked up to the sister shrouded in darkness.
"We have the Chapter Master!-" the survivors shouted in shock, many falling to their knees and praising the Emperor. Many were already grabbing what few belongings they had intending to go up and meet their rescuers. The sisters didn't seem keen on joining the crowd doing their best to speak their reasons, but their words fell on deaf ears and soon they were left with only a few stragglers.
Now with shaky unease, the sisters emerged duty-bound to protect those they fought so long to protect during the plague. About a dozen of the survivors were armed with kitchen knives or an auto pistol or las rifle. Behind them, an odd gaggle of survivors no more than 3 dozen wielding steel pipes or whatever else they could find. Robert had his men immediately step out of cover and lower their weapons before stepping to the gaggle searching for the leader.
"1st Lieutenant Munzn of the Helikian detachment under the Tarth Expeditionary Force" Rob went to remove his gloves before holding it out and praying to the Emperor the leader would just take his hand and reveal themselves. Instead, all he got was babble" and three different hands trying to shake his while fending off their competition.
"Sister Sylvie I'm th-"
"Trooper Ty I'm th-
John Kerry I'm th-
"-e leader" they all finished at once before immediately bickering. Robert looked to his men seeing only flabbergasted faces. The 3 dozen survivors were a motley mix of troopers, manufactorium workers and aside from sister Sylvie and another. They were dressed simply in white robes with faces much too young to even be a Helikian conscript. Robert sighed and looked to Sergeant Zhell who nodded and lifted his rifle to fire before realizing the blasphemy he would commit if he shot.
"At ease!" Robert let out a shaky breath of relief at seeing there wasn't a lasblast in the ceiling, and the crowd listened.
"Trooper Ty take your men to the main sanctuary. Congratulations you're all under my command in accordance with…" Robert's mind went blank before he shrugged. "Either you join us or we shoot you as deserters." Trooper Ty's mouth dropped open as fear entered into his eyes. "Sergeant Zhell please escort our new comrades" Zhell with a sadistic smile helped round up the half dozen troopers armed with knives and made sure they knew he would love any excuse to shoot them.
"What about us guardsman? Do you plan on conscripting us!?" Sister Sylvie spoke out. It was clear she had no love for the troopers and had no intention of giving unwarranted favor on the new troopers.
"No, I have clear orders to get you and your… reduced coven out, and unless you want to stay, worker John. I can get you and your people out on the next evac shuttle." The civilians excitedly whispered amongst themselves exulting the Emperor. The sisters, on the other hand, seemed disinterested.
"We have a duty to continue to heal those afflicted, guardsman" sister Sylvie crossed her hands across her chest with the bright shining faces of the rest of the sisterhood making their bold declaration of some vow or another to stay and heal those they could.
"Well, you can heal those afflicted in the palace. You might do more good there. We need specialists to teach our medical cadre and people to help screen for infection" Robert scanned their faces and only saw the firm resolve displayed moments before. It was hard understanding why noncombatants wanted to stay in their own grave, but Robert didn't have the authority to take any civilians kicking and screaming much less those from the Sister's Hospitalar
"There's no point we don't know more than you. Only the infected feed on living flesh and they have a mind of their own" an elementary understanding all the defenders knew, but it was disheartening to learn that even the sisters had little to no idea what was going on. Robert would've liked to say an unholy force was guiding their foe, but this was no tale taught in the Schola on Helikia. This was Rivia. A planet filled with filth and undying mutant hordes.
"Great, write it up and I'll read it after I send you on the first shuttle back. Lyth organizes these people and continue the mission. Lieutenant Corr should be around here somewhere clearing out the east wing" at the end of the day it was all the same. Robert had his orders and if he spoke with enough confidence. Usually, the other side would bend to his will and try not to press the issue. Robert could only hope as civilians and the like would only clog the cathedral and leave a vulnerability Robert was loath to let happen on his own free will.
"You'll have to fight us!" Robert doubled back his head swerving at the words of Sister Sylvie. Her eyes glaring into his soul. "Before our defenses were overwhelmed and before the horde stole our homes, we broadcast a message to all who could hear that this was a sanctuary from this disease. There are people still out there who have heard us and try their best to make the pilgrimage here. We have to remain and keep these doors open to the Emperor's children." Robert met the sister's intense glare to only find what was always there since he met her.
"Find them a billet near the roof. When all of this comes crumbling down I want them to be the first ones out"
"Yessir" with a respectful nod Robert left to tend to the first raids outside the cathedral and the stationary defense network required to keep his men… and sisters alive.
In the Guard leading men was simple
I now find myself surrounded by foreigners who speak like beasts
We are surrounded by a hungry enemy who seeks to eat our souls
I am with little hope that we will evacuate in time
-Trooper Ty
Liberation of Rivia +20
For days Robert spent doing his best organizing his defenses for two weeks. Men planted explosives everywhere around the cathedral to blow up these chokeholds and deny their enemy entry into their bastion. The buildings around the cathedral were obliterated as best aerial assets, and the Helikian demolitionists could do. The cathedral itself was less than optimal for mounting an effective defense. The East wing provided the mess hall, common area, and an area abundant in resources. The East wing held a wealth of cultural milestones such as art, literature, and shrines that the Rivians held near and dear in their worship alongside the Emperor himself. The Cathedral itself held the main spire that supported the heavy weapons, storage area and the vast empty sanctuary provided an excellent place to hold the line. Unfortunately, the East wing was the heart of the defender's war efforts. It was a large box with dozens of smaller boxes within it and tight hallways one man could hold for hours. The issue was this was the only area survivors could be somewhat comfortably housed, the roof provided the only secure LZ and it was a maze taking a 15-minute trip going upstairs and narrow hallways carrying just one crate of munitions.
The cathedral's defenders were forced to question where to place the defenses with many half measures taken to appease the locals as many of them refused to help unless their desires were met. While they shared in the labors and hardship of the disease, a rift had formed between the locals and the Helikians with many of the locals openly questioning why unenlightened and uneducated Helikians were calling the shots, and those of the brave locals who stayed behind were forced to endure their leadership without their voice which the Helikians always quelled with unnecessary brutality. His only saving grace was Robert ensured the locals who stayed were informed that their families were safe or even received letters from loved ones willing to sacrifice boxes of munitions for boxes of letters instead. Even with this attempt to bridge the gap, tension still gripped the cathedral with the Helikians on one side and the locals on the other.
While Robert sent what survivors he could daily. Those who waited for their evacuation were gang pressed into helping build the fortifications. By the end of it, the cathedral was structurally sound with no obvious weakness. An elastic defense was formed with the first line being pews set outside the cathedral with jars of scented oil next to them to act as a firebreak. Inside the cathedral rubble was reused to act as makeshift sandbags and in some areas, they were simply scattered, alongside glass, on the floor of the flat sanctuary floor to act as caltrops with large cleared lines to a walkthrough for the survivors. The hope was the horde would simply trip and cost the horde their momentum, and if traitors were to attack through these rubble ridden areas. They would find any charge blunted by the restricted ground on which a man could keep his footing. A foolish idea that was passed simply because no one knew what to do with the excess rubble that surpassed even their need for traps, fortifications, and rebuilding efforts.
The roof was armed with the finest weapons Robert could bring to bear and steal from Sosa's frontline. A squad armed with Longlas, boxes of frags and 2 heavy bolters oiled and blessed. More than once scavenging traitor platoons met their end by the accurate fire of the roof. Admittedly, some men complained about having to crawl on the roof to prevent themselves from falling off. A series of ropes had been devised for the marksmen after one had fallen during a traitor attack.
The Sisters had proven their worth many times over with the small cuts and bruises of moving the rubble to deep injuries caused by shrapnel or sword. Robert had yet to medevac a man off this cathedral without the skillful healing done by the sisters almost rendering the medevac moot with how well they stitched, cared for and cleaned any wound a trooper suffered. The sisters seemed incapable of sleeping, eating or drinking instead of being only capable of healing, praying and leading survivors.
Robert did his best to maintain communication with not just Sosa back at the palace, but the other bastions that covered the shrine sector. At least 2 other sizable hold outs remained with Robert spending long nights filling out paperwork to send landers loaded with supplies to help arm the holdouts. Smaller holdouts up and left their safe places to reach the cathedral and be sped to the rear always at a great cost, but Robert did his best to coordinate his forces and those aerial assets he could to help protect the refugees.
In the short time the Helikians spent in the cathedral, the Helikians had dug in their heels deeply into the cathedral despite the human waves and harassing fire. The horde was kept at bay with the skillful use of airstrikes, raids and a generous helping of being insignificant compared to the Chapter Master's own efforts across the city killing the horde by their thousands. Sylvie's Passage, as many had now taken to calling, was simply one of the dozens of Tarthian supported bastions leading survivors to safety.
That wasn't to say the horde had reaped their deadly toll. Only 73 Helikians remained of the original task force bolstered by the ranks of arbites, PDF troopers and brave unsung heroes who only months earlier were miners or merchants. All good things, of course, came to a close as the survivors came now in only trickles of ones and twos instead of the massive groups that once entered into the refuge. If Robert did the numbers right, Sosa was sending more men to the cathedral than he was evacuating.
The tide of war began to shift after the Chapter Master's brave rescue of another cathedral. While men were lost, the tide had truly changed with Sosa leading the charge in reclaiming hab units and eradicating the diseased who clung onto half-life there. The nobles had begun to make dealings like they always had and for many of the survivors in the rear. The disease was present and dangerous, but the mines were also dangerous and a wall of lasguns held the line between them and the infected. A nice change compared to the rampant wave of black lung the miners began to get as they mined deeper and deeper into Rivia.
Like everything else on the forsaken planet, hard decisions were being made along with it was Sosa's last order or rather intelligence report. The horde had gone into hiding as far as Sosa was concerned. A city with 2 million people in it, and he was having trouble finding the undead in their tens of thousands instead of only killing them by their thousands. Whatever drive, hunger or controlling presence that led the horde was planning an offensive if it was capable of intelligent thought.
Robert's men confirmed much of the same, able to leave on patrols and even reach an odd bastion of Adeptus Arbites and their Enforcer counterparts which was 4 blocks away. When they first arrived, the first patrols barely made it out of the cathedral before they were forced to flee back into the cathedral to survive the living waves of mutants. Risky scouting maneuvers into the underground found no mutants. A silent blackened void.
This went against all logic on what little information they had on the cannibal horde. The Chapter Master himself saw the great human tide almost wash away his men in the catacombs. The PDF troopers especially refused to believe a few hundred bombing runs would wash away the unclean mutants. Robert agreed wholeheartedly and thus the evacuation began.
For over a week, the Helikians began to move as much as they could as quickly as they could back to the rear. Robert spoke to those he could over vox entreating them to join his men at Sylvie's Passage. Many did join and were quickly evacuated why they were able to. Anything considered of value was sent to the palace with the Helikians burning what they couldn't take and hiding what they could into the small cellar that once held the Sisters.
The explosives placed to seal entrances were argued with the sisters to be utilized to take the whole cathedral down before the Imperial faith prevailed, and Robert relented instead compromising to only destroy the west wing as it held no true value that couldn't be replaced with the next prefabricated hab unit, and it held the most direct strategic value to the men as they could slowly destroy the staircases and eventually the building as they evacuated from the theoretical infected horde when the time came.
Nonetheless, Robert like any good officer inspected everything and anything daily doing his best to visually inspect and remember any flaws or great advantages a particular area of the cathedral held after the fortification efforts. Communication around the cathedral was primitive at best and impossible in most situations due to the size of the complex. Every square inch had to be memorized to best command his men in the event a messenger could not reach them. He had to know if the decision had to be made to abandon the men or to detonate a choke point while keeping the structural integrity of the whole cathedral in mind as best he could, so he wouldn't bring the roof falling in on his men.
Robert felt the pressure of this "grand evacuation" as many had called it. If the traitor troopers felt the weakness and attacked in full force. Every flight was a rifle off a window or barricade. The wings of Thunderhawks, Aquilla Landers and other assets should bring hope to any trooper only brought dread to Robert as he lay in his cot at night thinking how he could protect everyone as he lost manpower, equipment and weapons with every payload of survivors delivered to the Chapter Master.
Robert was forced to sit down with his fellow Lieutenant Corr and devise the evacuation plan. The injured, noncombatants and those volunteers were the first wave out with little to no concern as the pair decided they were dead weight at the best of times. The Arbites and Enforces would be next as they were few like the PDF and if enough casualties were wrought on the defenders then they could also leave with the PDF troopers as one collective wave leaving the Helikians and sisters last.
The sisters had been argued time and time again for why they should be the first or the last ones out before Robert gave into Sister Sylvie's brave words and had them as the last ones out alongside the Helikians. Robert eyed Corr as it soon came to the platoons who would leave first and the theoretical last wave that would stay behind if there wasn't enough room due to a lander being shot down or there simply was just not enough available space.
Robert's eyes met Corr's who knew the question was about to be asked. "Corr you and your 20 men will be the last ones out" Corr rubbed his temple, his eyes bloodshot from being awake at all hours to be the first on the barricades defending alongside his men. Corr was Helikian through and through. His eyes carried the predatory glare that Robert hoped all his men would have by the end of this campaign. A lho stick was lit and passed to Corr who inhaled deeply grateful for the smoke.
"1st platoon has most of the veterans and the most experienced leaders. It's what I would do." a coy smile replaced the troubled look of Corr and erased the predatory glare on Corr's weathered face. A grim acceptance was felt in the room as the two shared the smoke.
"You can't call any of the men green anymore. The tempering has been a good teacher to our men, and The Emperor knows we've seen many lessons since our time here. If anything we're leaving the old men to die" the pair eyed one another before breaking out into laughter with a few other quips making fun of the other before the pair grew serious once again with Robert looking Corr and the eye and placing his fist over his heart "Say the word, I'll stay back with my men and hold the rear" Corr shook his head violently before coughing up greenish-blue and spitting an unrefined purple onto the cold floor.
"Damn fruit," another drag filled his lungs as he grabbed the roster for 2nd platoon. An eyebrow was raised at seeing the red marks and Helikian runes. "Your boys took a beating. Explains why they're on the rooftop now."
"3rd took the brunt of it when they retook the East wing from the traitors two days ago. All of us are hurt and there wasn't a chance to pick favorites." Corr's eyes flicked to the ground as he leaned down and picked up a crumpled paper.
"We have the 3rd Recon Wing. We shouldn't have to worry about this. Bastards fly like they were born to" a soft chuckled trickled out Corr's throat at his little joke, Corr quickly unraveled and read the letter. "Why don't we just leave the PDF behind? Most of them are wounded or insane. There's enough of them to do so-"
"Standing order as per Commander Sosa. No man left behind sealed by the Chapter Master himself" the pair smoked in silence until the lho stick was nothing more than a memory. The two unsure what to say in face of such authority. After a time, Corr let out a huff and stood stretching as he prepared to leave the room. His business over with as far as he was concerned upon seeing and recognizing the crumpled papers on the floor as direct orders from HQ.
"Munzn, you're still a bit wet behind the ears. We will evacuate just fine. Even if the infected charge, we can put enough rubble between us and them that we can sit for evac drinking amsec and trade war stories by the time they can dig themselves out."
"You're right Corr, but we- I'm wor-" a hand was held up to halt Robert's lengthy explanation of why the tides and the skies themselves were against them, and other such superstitious anxiety that truly did impact Robert's frame of mind.
"Of course you're worried Rob, this is your first command as a company commander. We've planned for weeks for this, and you don't need to invite me for a smoke to ask me to do my job. Helikian steel son" Robert mumbled the same and the two shook hands. "Get some rest sir, we have plenty of time to worry but for tonight. We've doubled watches, the Arbites and Enforces are patrolling the perimeter and I heard a few thunderhawks earlier doing some night runs. This is a good time as any"
Before Robert could counter with his fears, Corr had closed the door and went on his way leaving Robert alone in his thoughts. Practice habit found another lit lho stick in his mouth, his hands already reaching for the next set of reports he read a thousand times over. He was confident when a decision needed to be made immediately, but when decisions became piled of paper, politics, and numbers. Robert lost his confidence wondering where the loophole, gossip, and miswritten number laid that would somehow grant him more men, weapons, and equipment.
Robert found his way to his feet. He grabbed his rifle and placed his beret on his head. His helmet lost days before along with more than one blade. He strolled out the west wing passing by a few tired troopers who didn't bother to salute. Instead, they muttered their respects before stumbling into their bunks to try and sleep. His worn boots echoed off the tiles of the sanctuary before he found his way to the infirmary in the East wing.
There like clockwork, the sisters worked tirelessly. Sister Sylvie slept in a bloodied cot while her sisters cared for the wounded. The Emperor and the Iron King's protected these people as they had yet to execute any infected, or the sisters were simply that holy and knowledgeable to prevent the infection. Quiet words and reassuring smiles, Robert tried his best to see what the sisters needed in their war against the wounded flesh of his troopers and unfortunate civilians. One of the sisters simply handed him a list before giving him an hour-long lecture on why each item was important much to Rob's annoyance.
After, a time he left finding no peace speaking to the Emperor's daughters and once again found himself pacing around the cathedral. He spoke to the night's guard learning nothing he didn't know days before. He spoke to the civilians each complaining about something insignificant. Each person he spoke to he already heard before and plans to rectify the problem were in action already. Still unable to find peace and sleep, Robert simply found his way back to the night's watch and told the men to get some rest much to their relief and tied himself to the safety ropes and set his rifle aside for a longlas.
Moments later, he heard footsteps approach and found sister Sylvie's blond hair gleaming in the moonlight before she angrily shoved her renegade hair back under her nurse's cap. She tied herself in and grabbed a longlas before on shaky legs making it to Robert. Robert awkwardly peered into his scope making "alterations" wondering why Sister Sylvie sought him out. The two sat in an awkward silence before Sylvie spoke.
"We need more bandages, painkil-"
"Painkillers, antiseptics, doctor's kits, and other specific items written on a list" Robert reached into his pocket and pulled out the list one of the sisters handed him earlier when he visited. "The talkative one told me"
"Ah yes, Acolyte Verena is more… scholarly inclined then the other acolytes" Robert searched his memory trying to remember earlier conversations at the inconsistency of Sister Sylvie.
"I thought acolytes were new to the sisterhood, not almost a sister?" Sister Sylvie corrected herself trying her best to explain ranks to Robert before giving up when she saw the clueless look on his face, and another awkward silence took hold. The two fiddled with their longlas.
Sister Sylvie clearing her throat "how long were these troopers assigned to the rooftop?"
"12 hours.. 9 now"
"Uh… I see…" the two glanced at one another and for the next hour the two tried to strike up some conversation to little to no success.
"What is Tarth like?"
"What?" Robert was thoroughly distracted watching two dogs fighting over some diseased scraps. He peered through his scope trying to decide if he should interfere with the survival of the fittest.
"What is Tarth like, your homeworld?"
"My homeworld is Hel-" Robert fired a beam into the skull of one of the dogs before they attracted the attention of the horde. It was a miracle the beast survived as long as it did before finding its way here. He then turned his attention to the sister who winced at the sudden bright light of the longlas. "Tarth is a new colony world. The trees are as plentiful as rats on this planet, the water clean, the wildlife untamed and the air… unpolluted"
"It sounds wonderful. A garden world? It sounds magnificent!" Sister Sylvie smiled no doubt imagining a place filled with smiles, laughter, and joy.
"No, a death world. The wildlife grows as big as hab units, the native humans are feral beasts and the planet is vulnerable to invaders. It's anything but a garden world." Robert found himself once again looking through his scope for something else to shoot to end the conversation.
"Well, those aren't problems I have no doubt"
"They aren't problems? Every day we send men into the forests and pray they push back the wild." Sister Sylvie smiled as she gestured to the cathedral.
"You've held back what not even my sisters could for weeks. You've been a bastion of hope guardsman. The Emperor sees your work and will help you tame the death world into a garden world."
"The Chapter Master will tame Tarth"
"Who do you think sent the Chapter Master?" Before Robert could answer Sister Sylvie stood up and left back into the cathedral leaving Rob to his thoughts leaving him with the conclusion that Sister Sylvie was an oddball, to say the least. With a sigh, Robert sat on the rooftop scanning for threats.
A/N