Commander of the 238th Mordian Tank Company
The desert planet Charadon VI had little to offer apart from absolute desolation due to the rampaging xeno green-skins. The planet had faced three enormous Waaagh!'s yet it was still a fighting and biting Imperial planet. Half the planet was still being purged from the previous war and a fourth attack was on its way. The auspicious Major General Polonius and his Mordian Companies were to hold at the planet for as long as possible until reinforcements arrived. He now sat on his command throne in the great Stormblade super heavy tank "The Noble Heart". The General looked across a field map assessing all critical locations and strategic assets. He mentally noted that if he didn't hold the space ports strewn over the planet then he would never receive the promised reinforcing forces. The approximate time before the enemy fleet entered real space was about two days, and the allied forces would arrive a week after that. Still the orks were known for how fast they could take down well defended planets in a few days. He prayed that there were Astartes forces coming along with their infantry reinforcements. He turned back to the tactical map and started to plan.
Deep Space
Ork Space Hulk "Bone Kruncha"
"All rite boyz, lizen up!" yelled a large brute of an ork covered in large black metal plates. "Wez gota nice litl' planet to take! Wez gonna give em some boot lever!" All the surrounding green-skins roared their brutish approval. One large ork, a Nob leader, smashed the rollicking orks around him with his large bionic claw grafted onto his arm in a pure show of exultation to go to battle. Such occurrences were happening everywhere around the large, spacious room. Once, a long time ago, when this was still an Imperial warship, this room had served as a docking hanger for other smaller craft. Now it held thousands upon thousands of vile and vulgar orks. Their ostentatious leader, the large ork with black warplate, was the Arch-Arsonist of Charadon. He was the same ork that had assaulted the planet Charadon VI three times. This time he promised his boyz he would not run away. This was his fourth assault on the planet. He knew everything he needed to know about the planet.
"Oi, Mek Boy!" roared the Arch-Arsonist."Ow long till' wez git there?"
" Not long now boss!" cried a smaller ork with a large wrench and a backpack with strange wiring going through it. "Wez just started up da big engine thingy"
"Well go fasta you git! And where's Makiro, I want me banna!" screamed the effusive warlord. "Wez gota planet ta stomp down!"
A small pale green-skinned little runt dragging a large poll with skulls and chains appeared suddenly beside the roaring woarlord. "I'm rite ere boss" said the timid little grot. "I got da big banna"
"Good, dats real good. Now zog off and go git your gretchin and grot mobz redy, and call the Nobs ova ere I need ta talk ta dems."
"Yes bozz" the small gretchin cried as it scuttled, off traversing the huge mobs of orks to get to a small tunnel that led to other decks.
Good, now all's we needz ta do is git dere an' kill da humies. Thought the Arch-Arsonist. Soon, soon.
Charadon VI
"The Noble Heart" stood vigilant at the entrance tothe Hive city Herasa, all the commanders were outside the tank in a small tent. Polonius and his captains were discussing the strategies to defeat the coming fleet. The orbital defence and Battlefleet Charadon VI would give them some precious moments to make final preparations for the defenses of the planet. The general was continuously looking at his chronometer and checking how soon the orks would get there. He considered waiting for the enemy a tedious task. As a tank commander he loved charging the enemy head on. His 1st company commander, Captain Teed, was the one speaking now. He spoke, without any discretion, his thoughts to Polonius.
"General, if we let them take the spaceports, the orbital batteries or any of the hives it will mar our unblemished history. Please I beg you, do not make the blunder of charging their landing site like Thorelas XVII. That war was an abso…"
"DON"T BRING THORELAS XVII INTO THIS!" Screamed the general smashing his fist against the table inches away from Teed. "That planet had no valor or glory. It was a mistake to call it a battle. It was a slaughter. It was my fault. All my fault." The general's voice wavered on the verge of breaking. All his commanders knew that Thorelas XVII was a sore point for Polonius. He had lost his two brothers and his only son because of his reckless charge. The fact the Teed had brought up that painful memory galled all the captains. Even Captain "Iron Wall" Mathequa, the perfect soldier, stood with his mouth agape. Teed stood surprised by the sudden outburst immediately realized what he had said and fell into a lapse of silence. After a few minutes silence the general spoke.
"There will be no valiant charge this time. We will stand, we will fight and we will die standing. We are the Mordians. We are the Steel Army of the Imperial Guard. 1st Captain Teed you and your company are to be stationed at the Diabla V Spaceport. Defend it with your lives. 2nd Captain Mathequa, lead your company to Hive Altrona. Fight well old friend. 3rd Captain Waresen, you are to defend the Orbital Battery Centers in the Tempora District of Hive Slethat. Make sure those batteries never cease fire. 4th Captain Exarious, You are to stay with me along with 5th Captain Bareston here in Hive Herasa. All other companies are to be stationed across the deserts to reinforce any hive or territory in need of help, or any enemies you see. Now then Secondary General Nickentri, take all of your infantry regiment and spread them out along with the tank companies. Third General Dyasik, get your Thunderbolt flyers and Marauder bombers up into the sky and attack those enormous, lumbering giants of metal, those "gargants" as they call them. Now then you all have your orders get to it and may the God-Emperor be with you."
There were as few muted "ayes" and all the commanders left to prepare for their parts of the defense. A lone man stood by Polonius. A young looking man he stood with his large ebony staff with an Aquila at the top. He would have once been handsome but there was a large metal band around his eyes and most of his face. He was a military psyker, and had served Polonius as a seer of the future. He stood there now waiting for the general to give him some orders.
"Ah, Quelan. Your already here. I have a question. Has there been any disturbance in the Warp lately?" inquired the general.
"Lately no, but just two hours ago many of the other psykers including me felt a large stir in the murky depths of the warp." Answered the young psyker in barely a whisper.
The general was instantly awake. "You mean they are here? They were supposed to arrive tomorrow!"
Deep Space
Ork Space Hulk
The large space hulk broke free of the Warp at last trailing the sinewy threads of corruption, decay, and utter chaos from its large and powerful Geller Field that stopped the demons of the Warp to enter the ship and slaughter everything on board. The Arch-Arsonist stood with all his Nobs who all displayed their picturesque banners protruding from their backpacks.
"All rite boyz, you may be 'tronga den da boyz and humies but you hain't 'tronga dan me. So lizen up!" roared the big brute. "We are 'bout a few days from da humie planet. Whenz wez git dere wez gonna give m some boot lever and send 'em all ta oblivion. All da Speed Freeks will be getting dere bikes and trukks, and da Mek Boyz will be getting dere big gargants walking. Now den youz boyz betta git dowz udar smaller, runtier orksiez ready to WAAAGH!"
The huge war cry was taken up by the Nobs and the whole command bridge seemed to shake from the roaring green-skinned beasts. Then with a wave of his large claw-hand all the Nobz went to get there soldier orks ready. The moment the ship landed all of the orks' pent up fury and madness would be set loose on the unprepared planet. Now they just needed to get to the planet and land.
Charadon VI
General Polonius sat kicking the ground listlessly awaiting for a signal from space to signal the arrival of the ork xenos. The orks had translated into real space a few moments ago and the general had sent Quelan to get his psyker brothers ready for war. Psykers were the outcasts due to their psychic abilities and were feared by all the men of the Imperial Guard. They were feared but also respected for they could unleash powerful spells to stop an enemy advancing. Polonius had handpicked Quelan for the abilities the young boy displayed during his training. The Regimental Commissar always followed him around in case his powers went out of control and he needed to be eliminated. "Bullet magnets" they were called because that was the only way that a psyker would turn out if his powers went awry. Polonius stood up and stretched.
"Time to get a fightin' old girl" he said to his great tank patting the side tracks of "The Noble Heart". He climbed the side ladders up twelve feet and got into the cupola of the tank. Sitting down in the tanks command seat he became a different man. He now roared his order across the vox to all his commanders and soldiers.
"FIGHTING MEN OF THE IMPERIUM!LOOK TO THE SKIES NOW! EVEN NOW THE GREAT ENEMY, THE VILE ORKS THROW THEMSEVLES AT THE GREAT BATTLEFLEET! SOON THEY WILL BEGIN TO LAND THEIR GREAT MANY SHIPS AND ATTACK US! BUT WE ARE MORDIANS! WE ARE THE 238TH MORDIAN BATTLE COMPANY! WE WILL FIGHT TO THE END HERE! SO GET READY TO FIGHT THESE BARBARIOUS ORKS AND WIN!" He switched off the vox set. "Tell all Hive cities to seal the cities. Martial order is now in effect."
"All done sir." Answered his vox controller.
"Good. All right then MOVE OUT!"
And then the battles started all over the skies. And this world would never be the same.