Entry #2

Scuffle on Grunnur

999 M.41

Planet Grunnur

*So, now we come to the next section of my life, which is where I find myself now; the Agementa Campaign. But first, a little backstory; after escaping Freeport, I was integrated into the 15th Freeport Regiment with some…creative paperwork. The Commissar didn't look twice when he saw me on the transport in an appropriated uniform; he just grinned and passed me by. After that, the decimated regiments of Freeport departed the Octarius Sector with haste for the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar; the home of the Ultramarines. Here, the surviving seventeen regiments of Freeport were coalesced into the 1st Freeport Fusiliers and the 2nd Freeport Dragoons; an infantry and armored-cavalry unit respectively, with nearly thirty-thousand men comprising each regiment (no one seems to know what a regiment's size should be, it's just an "ish" thing).

Now, the terms "infantry" and "armored-calvary" are very, very broad in the grand scheme of things. As "infantry" we can be whatever we need to be, to include, but not limited to: light infantry, mechanized infantry, armored infantry, dismounted calvary, air assault, airborne, etc. We had the auspicious honor of choosing, so the Fusiliers became…well trained, shall we say?

I, alongside Sarge and the rest of the squad, were assigned to the Fusiliers, 4th Battalion, which had the auspicious honor of being whatever the fuck the freshly promoted Brigadier General Elaine Königlich needed us to be. In the first year, we went from being dismounted cavalry to anti-armor, which, while providing us with a broad skillset, really fucked with how we trained. In addition, our squad size, to accommodate the size of the regiment, was increased from a mere nine to twenty-five. This introduced me to my seven new teammates: Edward "Eddie" Price, Silas "Si" Johnston, Lucas "Hob" Hobbles, Irvin Lutes, Geo Bowles, Penny Renton, and Trent "Vic" Vickers. All eight of we FNGs (Fucking New Guys), were under the watchful eyes of the recently promoted Corporal Mal, Shay, Julia, and Douglas.

At the beginning of the second year, we began training as "air-assault", which meant we knew how to conduct air-to-ground assaults better than almost anyone else, baring Space Marines and Elysian Drop Troopers. We didn't use jump jets like the Drop Troopers; instead we focused on fast-roping from Valkyries, para-foil drops. and rapid dismounts from our transports. We were fully committed to learning this and became proficient fairly quickly, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that we did less bullshit training due to our skill level, but a curse because we had to do the bullshit the other battalions couldn't do because they were training. In this case, I was met with a further curse due to who I would meet on one of these extra duties, in the city of Heimilislegt, our home on Grunnur. *

ENTRY 2A

Heimilislegt, Grunnur, Y.999.M.41.

"I'm just sayin' it's bullshit is all," Eddie, our ex-conman, complained as we walked through the streets of quiet Heimilislegt. It was a relatively quiet late afternoon in the suburbs of the city, a far cry of the Guard Ward the where Fusiliers had been assigned quarters. Myself and several others from my squad had been assigned patrol duty, which was the topic of Eddie's latest rant. Normally, this would be a job the Adeptus Arbites, 40Ks version of police *(Arbites are essentially police if every police officer was a bad one)* however, the small Arbites garrison was preoccupied with a visit from some noble from Ultramar, hence we were on the prowl. "We're the best, right? So why do we get assigned all the shit duties?"

"Pro'ly because the commander hears all your bellyaching and wants us to suffer because of it," Si, our former gamger, retorted, tired from roaming the streets of Heimilislegt. He rested his lasgun over his right shoulder, the grip of the rifle resting in his right hand, and was very much checked out from patrolling.

"Would you rather be in the field eating cold rations and sleeping under pine trees that'll poke you to death?" I called back.

"I'm just sayin'-"

"We know!" We all chorused, with our ex-factoria worker, Hob, letting out his signature deep chested chuckle. Penny and Geo, our two girls, smiled and shook their heads at us, mocking our antics.

"He does have a point, lads and ladies," Vic countered, "why do we have to do all the crummy work when 2nd Battalion, the worst in the regiment, barely does any of it?"

"Because the best can be trusted not to muck things up; the worst have to be trained constantly to try and get them to competency," I answered.

"And what other sage-like advice does our silent soldier have for us?" Eddie mocked. I shook my head; I didn't have much to say most of the time, whenever I did speak, Eddie always had to comment.

"If you ran your mouth half as well as you ran on the fitness test, you'd be off Sarge's shit list," I retorted. I heard something unclip from Eddie's belt and ducked as an empty canteen hurtled through the space my head had been. "And if you threw like that on the grenade range, you would be a step closer to that expert infantry badge."

"Fuck you, Russ," Eddie cursed.

"It'd be the best chance at you getting a lay," Hob chuckled, causing us all to laugh with inappropriate glee at the big man's joke. We walked on, preparing to hit the street where our turn back home began, when a pair walked onto the street. One was a dirty, disheveled man with dark hair and a beard, the other was a similarly disheveled woman with dirt-covered blonde hair, both of whom seemed lost.

"I'll get these two, you all walk on," I called, slinging my rifle behind my left shoulder. The others moved on as I diverted towards the presumed couple, who seemed to be in hushed conversation. "S'cuse me folks, can I see your IDs please?"

It was policy whenever we were on patrol to check IDs, which either resulted in compliant citizens handing over their ID cards, or they took off running, which allowed me to call the Arbites and let them handle it, or, if they turned violent, to return the favor. So far, no one had gotten violent…yet. The couple turned their attention to me.

"Sorry, what was that?" The woman said, her voice low and frightened.

"I need to see your identification, please," I asked politely, trying to keep the situation neutral.

The couple nodded and mutely pulled their ID cards out, handing them to me. Both cards were local, with the blonde's card listed her as Amanda Hunters and was blessedly in date. The man's card told me his name was Ricard Oglesby, and his card was perilously close to being expired. Expired IDs couldn't be used for anything on Grunnur, and a…zealous Arbitrator *(all Arbitrators)* could fine or imprison you depending on long the card had been expired.

"You're clear, but I'd recommend you'd get that ID renewed, sir," I said, handing back the IDs. I caught a brief, irritated glance from the woman to the man, who seemed to halfway roll his eyes.

"Where would I get that done, Guardsman?" The man asked, his voice flat and unassuming. There was a ping in the back of my head; both accents were not local, the locals always referred to others they didn't know as "sir" or "ma'am" and not by titles, and the ID cards had them listed to this suburb. After Freeport, I had learned to listen to such warnings, but I didn't act on them immediately.

"There's an Administratum office two streets down; they're closed now, but you can go in tomorrow. I'd recommend catching them when they open, they tend to be the least busy then," I explained, the latter part a bold-faced lie if you'd been on Grunnur for two weeks. The planet's residents were notoriously early risers, preferring to get errands done in the pre-dawn hours.

"Will do, thank you Guardsman," the man said.

"Anytime, stay out of trouble, the Emperor Protects," I said, walking on. Ahead of me, I could see the backs of my squadmates as they prepared to turn the corner. I waited until I was well past the couple before I triggered my collar vox bead. "Fellas, I got a ping." I'd explained my "pings" to my teammates, who'd learned to trust me whenever I had one.

"Please tell me they're wanted murderers; the paperwork would be worth it then," Eddie answered, boredom in his voice.

"What's the ping?" Vic called back.

"Their cards state they're local, but from how they spoke and what they didn't know, I don't think they are."

"Callin' it in?" Si asked.

"Not until we've confirmed it; circle back and let's follow them for a bit."

"Copy that, heading back. Stay on them," Vic said. I glanced back to find the couple heading down the street; I pivoted on my heel and followed, keeping my left hand firmly on my rifle sling. I kept my distance and stuck to the left side of the street, the shadows being longest there, and I kept my eyes glued to the couple. They stopped a few times, forcing me to hide as they seemed to get their bearings before moving on. This allowed time for my team to gain some ground, and were two hundred yards away when the couple entered stopped at a two-story office building.

"They've stopped," I hissed into my vox bead, sheltering behind a low brick wall. I heard a click from the bead; our way of acknowledging each other when quiet was needed. I watched as the woman knelt at the lock, fiddling with it before entering, the man drawing a las pistol. "They've entered a building; one is armed with a las pistol."

"Copy, we're moving," Vic answered. A moment later, the other seven arrived, eyes roving the streets.

"One team in front, one in back?" I recommended hesitantly.

"No choice, they might be robbing or murdering someone," Vic said.

"Usually both," Si countered, shrugging when we all flashed him a glance.

"I take front, you take back?" I asked Vic and he nodded.

"I'll take Eddie, Penny, and Geo, you take Si, Irv, and Hob," Vic said, slapping the power pack of his las rifle, checking to see if it was seated properly. I nodded and we split, my team moving to the front while the others went through a gate to the back. We crept up to the office, crouching low as we peered through the windows. No one seemed to be on the first floor, so we opened the door, quietly, and snuck in.

Upstairs, we could hear the sounds of heated conversation, alongside the sounds of boots stomping across the floor. We made for the stairs, our pace quickening as the sounds of a scuffle were heard through the floor, followed by the sound of furniture being shoved across the floor. As I made it up the stairs, I unclasped my bayonet pouch, just in case.

"You will tell us where the shipment is!" Said the voice of Amanda, the strange accent replaced by a firm, confident voice. At the end of the hall, I saw Vic and Eddie cresting the stairs on side, and together we made for a cracked door with light spilling from it.

"To hell with you! I won't betray the Greater- AGH!" The scream was cut off by the sound of the las pistol discharging. Vic stood to his full height in front of the door and kicked in it.

"Imperial Guard, hands up!" He bellowed, and I surged inside as he spoke. Inside were the two from before, both with las pistols in hand, alongside a man in a chair, clutching a stump where his hand used to be. I kept my rifle on them, which led to me missing the third, fourth, and fifth man in the room, one of whom leveled his own las rifle at me.

It became a confusing mess of screaming and shouting as eleven people's voice filled the room before the man called Ricard held up a badge and roared "Imperial Inquisition!" Silence filled the room as we saw the sigil of the Inquisition, a red I with a skull in the center, three lines on either side of the skull. Fuck.

"What is the meaning of this?" The woman called Amanda snapped, "You," she pointed at me, "rank and name!"

"Private Ald Russman, 1st Freeport Fusiliers, ma'am!" I answered, snapping to attention as I caught a proper glance at the three other armed men in the room. Tempestus Scions. Inquisitorial Storm Troopers. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.

"Explain yourself, now, before I have your head!" The woman barked.

"Ma'am, I followed you under the suspicion you were not who you claimed to be. Once I saw you breaking and entering this building, my team and I breached to apprehend you." I explained.

"And how the bloody hell did you know to follow them?" One of the Scions, an older man with a scar running along his chin, asked.

"Their ID cards were local, sir, but they didn't sound like locals, nor did they have the knowledge of the locals."

"And that means?" The male Inquisitor asked, still holding the las pistol to the man in the chair, who was now whimpering.

"Grunnurians are early risers, sir; the worst time to go renew an ID card is in the morning when they open," I replied. "Nor do most locals allow their ID cards to get so close to expiring." The woman leveled a frustrated glare at the Inquisitor, a look that roared "I told you so", which he knowingly avoided.

"Astute observation, Guardsman, but you are interfering with Inquisitorial business, you will report to your unit and-"

PING!

I glanced to an open window and saw a crouching figure on a roof opposite us, a weapon pointing in our direction with a faint blue light growing in intensity.

"Down!" I cried as the light flew towards the room, shattering the window. We all dropped as several other such blasts followed, blanketing the room in heat, shattered glass, and broken permacrete. The Scions immediately returned fire with what I realized were not lasguns but Hellguns. How the hell they had managed to avoid attention on Grunnur was beyond me, but I would worry about that later. If there was a later.

I duck-walked to one of the shattered windows and peered out. On the opposite side of the street, I saw light gray armor of an oddly shaped humanoid, the hands and feet seeming to be differently shaped, and then I saw the helmet. A vertical visor with the helmet curving backwards to give it a sort of tail. Our attackers were Tau.

"Tau!" I cried, ducking down as the pulse weapon fired again.

"Astounding observation, Guardsman!" The male Inquisitor called, himself lying on top of his quarry, who still cradled the stump of his hand.

"Sir!" Vic called, patting the Inquisitor on the shoulder, "Do you want this called in?"

"Of-bloody-course! Tell them the next Black Crusade has started here for all I care!" The Inquisitor barked.

I couldn't help but grin as I peeked out the window once more, the Tau kneeling for a better shot. I braced my lasgun on the window sill and fired, four red bolts spitting from my rifle. Two struck the Tau's cover, splintering it, one went wide, and another clipped its shoulder pauldron, forcing it back into cover. Further down, I saw a flash as one of the Scions blasted a Tau through the chest, burning a hole through it, causing it to fall from the building. Behind me, I could hear Vic swearing and arguing with whoever was on the other end of the line. The man on the ground was cackling now.

"There's your shipment, Inquisitors!" He giggled out, and I realized that we had walked in on the Inquisitors' bust.

*I am so dead* I thought as I leaned to fire through the window, *No question, I'm dead, no worse, I won't exist. Ald Russman will just vanish from any record I have. They'll just make me disappear from living memory.*

I fired again, chipping away at the Tau's cover. It stood abruptly with its weapon raised and I held down the trigger. Red light spewed from my lasgun, penetrating and puncturing the Tau's armor and internal organs. It went limp and tumbled forward to the street below, its weapon clattering off the roof with it.

There was a loud THWUMP! as what sounded like a grenade launcher went off. A disk landed in the side of the room near Hob, who was trying to erect cover for the Inquisitors. Hob saw the disk and, without a second thought, flung himself on it, covering the disk grenade with his body. I turned my head and heard a loud hiss as the disk grenade went off and Hob yelped in pain. Bright light briefly shone from beneath him, burning his armor, but nothing else happened. Hob let out his signature chuckled and went back to work, a disk-shaped burn hole in his armor.

"Incoming!" One of the Scions cried. Looking over, I saw something hovering over the surrounding buildings, and that something had a gating gun mounted on the prow.

"Everyone out!" The female Inquisitor called. We all turned and fled the room as the Tau vehicle fired its weapon into the building, neon sky blue beams obliterating the permacrete in a hail of rock shards. I exited the room and threw myself to the floor as the weapon raked over my head, sawing through the walls of the building. I crawled towards the rear stairs as fast as I could, hoping that the gun wouldn't be lowered to rake the floor. A hand emerged through the haze and yanked me forward by my collar; Hob dragged me to the stairs, the side of his face bleeding.

"We ain't dying today, come on," he said calmly, hauling me to my feet and shoving me down the stairs. I damn near tumbled down the stairs, barely keeping my feet as the gatling gun sawed overhead again. We threw ourselves out the back, Penny and Geo already taking cover further down the back alley, the other ten hurtling through it. Our flight was short lived, however, as the gunfire ceased and the roar of the Tau vehicle vanished.

"What… the fuck… was that?!" Eddie panted.

"A Tau Devilfish," the male Inquisitor answered, still holding his prey, "and that was a Tau Pathfinder squad, most likely sent to watch over this vermin. We are fortunate to have survived."

"A brief stay of execution, it seems," the older Scion said, his eyes sweeping over we eight.

"Enough; Xenos have arrived on this world, we must be swift. Guardsman, were you successful in your report?" Ricard asked Vic. He held up a hand as he listened to his vox bead.

"Yessir; Tau presence has been confirmed, in addition to our engagement," Vic reported.

"They must be moving up their schedule," Amanda commented to Ricard.

"Ma'am, what schedule?" Irvin asked.

"Nothing to concern yourself with; your part here, however unintended it may be, has ended. Return to your unit and speak not of our mission," Ricard said. Without another word, he hauled his prisoner and departed with his retinue.

"Russ?" Si said as they left.

"Yeah?"

"Next time you have a ping about a person, don't tell me." I smiled.

*And thus sparked the beginning of my reoccurring hell; the Inquisition. It proved…interesting trying to explain what in the fresh hell had happened on that patrol, as trying to write the incident up without mentioning the actions of the Inquisitors or the Tempestus Scions proved difficult. Nonetheless, our actions set the whole world on fire (metaphorically, no Exterminatus); all PDF and Guard regiments were mobilized for a week before were learned the Tau scouting force had fled the planet.

In addition, our skirmish with the Tau Pathfinders did not still well with the visiting noble, who turned out to be a fucking Ultramarine checking in on his fiefdom. Apparently, the Ultramarines are not terribly fond of Xenos stomping around in their backyards, and took interest in the Tau incursion. This led to a startling revelation; the Tau were beginning to encroach upon Imperial territory once more. The Agementa system, with its three habitable planets, submitted to the Tau Empire, from which they launched further scouting missions. A fourth planet had refused to submit, leading to a grinding war of attrition in which the isolated Guard units and PDF had no relief. The Ultramarines, preoccupied with other engagements, requested aid from Segmentum Command. What follows…well, you can guess right? Nahhhh I'll just tell ya.

Entry 2B

Two weeks after the Tau Incident, our platoon had assembled for the birthday of our platoon leader, First Lieutenant Urbanus Apelles, a former noble from Freeport.

At the time, he had been assigned to a relaxed position on the battalion staff until the Orks, let us say, disturbed that peace. The battalion command post was breeched by the Orks and most of the staff fled, but Apelles, despite his lack of experience, remained and rallied what defenders stay behind. In the ensuing brawl, he lost his left eye but earned a reputation as a stalwart leader. Upon our arrival at Grunnur, he was granted a promotion to first lieutenant, received a cybernetic eye, and was placed in command of our platoon. Now, we gathered to celebrate the "Redeye's" birthday.

He'd stepped out briefly with our platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class Volker Stadtlander, after a runner had summoned him. The ensuing absence of central leadership caused the party to devolve into bawdy party games and over-embellished retellings of the Redeye's defense…and I was fairly sure no one telling the story had been there. I, alongside my team, sat off to the side and watched as someone from third squad attempted a back flip, only to kick someone else in the face and land squarely on their face.

"It was a good try," Hob chuckled as he took a bite out of a pastry.

"Not even! I've seen people twice as drunk who were able to at least make it to their feet!" Penny argued.

"I give him an A for effort at least," Irvin commented.

"And an F for common sense," Geo retorted. I smiled and listened as they went back and forth, my eyes scanning the room. After the Tau scare, we were in a good mood; no bullshit duties were being passed down to us after our skirmish, and we were being left alone. That was both enjoyable…. and a little concerning, considering who we had intruded upon. I took a sip of the poorly spiked punch and watched as the Redeye and Volker walked back in, a near unnoticeable slump in their shoulders. Something was wrong.

"Eyes up, PL's back," I said, and the team shifted as the Redeye took to the stage we had erected for him.

"Can I have your attention, please?" He called, his voice carrying over the party. Everyone quieted down, turning to listen to him. "I've just received word from battalion staff; the 1st and 2nd Freeport will be mobilizing within the next month…ladies and gentlemen we are going on campaign against the Tau." Silence dominated the common area as the words hung in the air. "Further details will follow over the following weeks. As for today, enjoy the party; tomorrow, be ready for what comes. Thank you."

No one was in the mood to party after that.

*And within a month, we deployed to the Agementa system. And life got even more insane.*