Carmina fired her Godwyn-Deaz pattern bolter into the onrushing horde of greenskins and rejoiced as several fell to her blessed shells. Bathed in holy water and inscribed with Litanies of Hate within the most holy armouries of the Convent Sanctorum on Terra, each was a small piece of the Emperor's divine hatred made manifest.
How she missed the blessed homeworld of Man. It had been many years since Carmina had last walked upon Terra's hallowed surface, many years since she had looked upon the awesome majesty of the Imperial Palace, and basked in the thought of being upon the same world as the divine God-Emperor she revered so zealously. She could not help but think of the differences between Holy Terra and blighted Armageddon, even as she fought for her very life.
Terra was a place where one could feel pure and clean of both soul and body. The song of a thousand choirs, in mimic of the Astropathic choir who helped the Emperor guide the light of the Astronomican, could be heard from everywhere on the planet. From the highest hive-spire to the lowest depths of the undercities, one could hear the music of Terra permeate their soul and lighten it. Carmina's first memories and perhaps most treasured memories were as an orphaned girl, looking upon Terra from orbit for the first time, beholding the power and majesty of the Emperor's throne world.
In comparison Armageddon was a pile of waste and refuse, that seemed to crush the soul with an inescapable melancholy. Carmina had never seen such a polluted world in all of her seventy years, even the massive factory-worlds of the Mechanicus Techpriests not so ruined by industry. The Canoness was amazed that human life could survive on this world, especially here in the Fire Wastes which were little more than deserts of ash.
But Hatraft and his militia seemed able to live off the land and when Carmina and her sisters had arrived to reinforce them they had been bloody and dirty but far from dishevelled and malnourished as she had expected.
She could not wait however to be away from Armageddon, even if her next destination was not Holy Terra she would be glad to see the back of this depressive planet.
To her side Canoness Valois let loose and great gout of flame from her consecrated heavy flamer. Upon touching the air the thrice-blessed promethium fuel ignited and burned down a dozen Ork boyz who fell to the ground writhing and squealing, the reek of cooking flesh and fat intermingling with the burned fuel in an awful stink that made Carmina cough.
Nearby, not far to Carmina's left an artillery shell landed and sent a great pillar of ash, dirt and blood up in the air. Moments later she received a report that Sister Pernea and her squad were gone, blasted apart by the shell.
She cursed and mourned their loss. Each one of her Battle-Sisters meant a great deal to her, united as they were in their service to the Emperor. She felt each loss dearly and she cursed Gabriel Seth's name several times. He had asked them to commit to this assault, advancing on the Ork lines near Gaius Point and bunkering down, right on the Orks' front doorstep.
The losses her Commanderies of Sisters had suffered, coupled with those of the Fire Waste Militia were mounting steadily. They simply could not stand toe to toe with the Ork horde. Faith and fire would only get them so far. Within Gaius Point itself, the muzzle flashes of great guns could be seen, even through the pollutant fog. Carmina knew a great volley of shells screamed towards the Imperial lines and she made a prayer that the shells would miss their intended targets, perhaps even fall short amongst the Orks.
Her prayer was not answered.
The whine of high calibre shells filled the air and unable to take cover the Imperials', Sisters and Militia both could do nothing but go to ground and wait for them to land. The pious made their own payers but it ultimately was all for naught as the first shells landed amongst the defenders.
High explosive shells tore apart the Imperial lines, killing dozens and wounding many more. Whole militia units disappeared in great blasts of flame and shrapnel, their flak jackets little protection against the level of ordnance landing amongst them. Even the battle-sisters, clad in their powered plate took horrendous losses, Carmina coming off relatively lightly with only a deep gash in her forehead from a flying piece of debris and being knocked from her feet.
The Orks, emboldened and cackling with murderous joy charged the Imperial positions again. Carmina raised her bolter and slew two greenskins with a quick burst before they closed. Drawing her power sword and scrambling to her feet, she gutted the first incoming Ork, tearing its abdomen clean open before plunging her sword into its skull. As more came on she found herself facing many foes at once, her blade flashing to and fro swiftly.
Lopping off a cleaver wielding hand her next stroke all but bisected the Ork's head before she brought her blade in to parry a choppa that came dangerously close to her neck. Lashing out she struck the Ork down with a clean-counter but then was immediately back on the defensive as three more Orks came at her.
Carmina was a graceful warrior, unlike the savages of the Flesh Tearers who were very much brutal predatory in aspect. Where they would crush an enemy with relentless attacks, the Canoness instead struck lightly but accurately and in the right place. Her sword was a long and slender weapon to reflect her style of combat.
Putting out one Ork's eyes she swiftly sidestepped to avoid a descending choppa and then rammed the length of her blade into the exposed side of the greenskin's abdomen, striking the heart. It was not an outright lethal blow to the Ork but it was mortal and as she withdrew her sword the Ork collapsed in its death throes, making a pitiful sound indeed from its blood filled throat. Satisfied it was no longer a threat Carmina raised her bolter and blasted another two Orks clean in the face, their skulls exploding most spectacularly.
Still more came on, eager to take Carmina's head as a trophy and the Canoness Superior knew as she cut down several more Orks that eventually they would have it if she didn't soon get support. Her battle-sisters were nowhere to be seen, most killed in the artillery barrage. Even Sister Valois seemed to have met her end, her flamer no longer roaring forth fiery retribution.
The loss of her equerry and sister-in-arms was a source of great sorrow for the Canoness and with a snarled prayer on her lips she swore to avenge each of her sisters who had fallen in battle. Slicing and cutting with a cold fury, the battle-sister ran an Ork through with her sword and failed to notice it's comrade who brought it's mighty axe crashing down on her left pauldron.
Crude steel driven by brute strength met hardened ceramite, the Ork weapon's blunted edge failing to penetrate the pauldron much to Carmina's relief though the shock of the strike jarred the bones in her shoulder as well as dent the plate significantly. Gasping in pain, Carmina brought up her bolter and shot the Ork in the stomach, the mass-reactive shells leaving a fist sized hole in the Ork.
It still wasn't dead however, raising its axe for another attempt at Carmina's head. Rolling away before it could land, the sister hissed at the pain in her shoulder, her word arm l but numb for the moment, her sword hanging loosely in her grip. Shooting her attacker dead, she turned to fire at more, charging at Carmina like bloodhounds with a scent, frothing at the mouth.
She knew her magazine was all but empty and without her other arm which still hung limply at her side, albeit regaining some mobility, she could not reload. Against a whole mob she could count her remaining life in seconds but Carmina would not run, she had sworn to the Emperor she would stand and fight. She just hoped that that savage bastard Seth and his barbaric warriors made the deaths of her, her battle-sisters and the militia count.
Resigned to her fate, Carmina fired her remaining bolts one at a time, aiming each for an Ork's cranium. She downed four before the hammer clicked on an empty chamber. With a sigh the Canoness closed her eyes and prepared to join her Emperor at His side. Her life had been battle after battle and it would be nice to at last rest.
Her death never came as the roar of bolters erupted all around her.
'Protect the Canoness Superior!' roared the voice of Sister Valois and as Carmina opened her eyes she saw the mob of Orks who had before been so close now lying upon the ash covered ground in bloody heaps while more were subsequently being gunned down by a squad of battle-sisters.
It was efficient work, almost like an execution detail and when the Ork assault was at last repulsed they swiftly reloaded their guns in readiness for the next.
'Canoness Superior, are you harmed?' asked Valois, though looking at the Commander, Carmina did not need to ask the same question.
Valois' once pristine armour was a ruin, shattered plates of ceramite hung loosely, ruined beyond repair and covered in blood. Valois' helmet was gone too, revealing her bloodied face, her once blonde mane burned and matted with crimson. It was surprising the Commander still stood at all; such was the gravity of her wounds but Carmina was just glad to see her alive.
'Nothing I cannot overcome, sister. How grievous are your wounds?' said Carmina, the feeling finally beginning to come back into her arm.
Valois seemed to waver on her feet for a moment, prompting Carmina to place a hand on the battle-sister's shoulder to straighten her.
'I can still fight, Canoness. My faith sustains me.' Indeed her faith may have been the only thing that kept her standing, but it would last only so long before her body gave out. Carmina was no medicae but she could tell that Valois wounds could not be just walked off.
If the situation had not been so desperate and every battle-sister needed on the line she would have ordered Valois to find a medicae, but with the Orks pressing in and their artillery barrages continuing unabated it was only right that Valois got a chance to die in battle, rather than being cut down while receiving medical attention.
'All Commanderies report in.' Carmina voxed and it was to her grave disappointment that only two of her five subordinate Canonesses, Valois excluded reported in.
Of Canoness Lognea and Alysse there was nothing, their sections of the line bombarded the hardest in the barrage and assaulted savagely in the ensuing advance. In places the fighting still occurred; the cries of battle-sister and Ork and the sound of gunfire carried on the wind.
As she listened to battle reports she was aware of activity on the militia command frequency, switching her vox, Carmina heard the voice of Gregor Hatraft barely above the hiss of static.
'-sses. Repeat Canoness Carmina, if you can hear me, the militia are taking heavy losses. God-Emperor the Orks are relentless. We need reinforcement or we will have no choice but to fall back.' Gregor Hatraft was largely unflappable, but in his voice Carmina detected a hint of desperation, all to be expected by a man watching his friends and comrades blown to bits or torn into bloody ribbons.
'Carmina to Hatraft. We have no reinforcements available; our positions are just as beleaguered. Stand fast commandant and place your faith in the Emperor and his Angels of Death. The Flesh Tearers will not fail.'
She hoped they did not, but as the next barrage screamed towards the Imperial lines and another horde of Orks began to charge from Gaius Point, Carmina knew it was all but academic.
They wouldn't be alive to see either outcome to the battle.
Raising her boltgun the Canoness reloaded and let her weapon roar, her wrath carried on every bolt.