Decided not to make the one shot just yet, didn't quite feel inspired enough. Maybe after a Christmas update for this story. Thanks so much for the nice reviews, as always it means a whole lot to me. For the record I am still looking for someone to do artwork and if any one wants to I would be extremely appreciative. Also I find that I often miss grammatical errors and the like. Not only this but I would like a second opinion on chapters so if any one is interested in proofreading please pm me. Cheers!
Illineth looked back across the line of men, trailing behind her. After marching for almost a day straight they had almost made it back to the imperial lines. She didn't fully understand what was happening but she grasped that the guard elements had taken a hammering. Sev's company had regrouped with the rest of the regiment, and they were now heading through the outskirts of the city, past one story houses, work shops and depots. It had been Illineth's squad, as well as a couple others turn to ride the tanks and she was enjoying the rest. The last few days had been absolutely exhausting. She had never been particularly active as a child and training to become a howling banshee had done nothing for her stamina. All she wanted to do now was curl up and sleep.
The company had made it out of the city without too much incident. There had been the sporadic mortar strike, which sent the men scurrying for cover, and left a couple of bodies in the street. The first strike had been the worst, and Illineth had seen a human's legs blown off. She watched as the mon keigh rolled in the street, howling with pain. It was barely audible over the shriek of mortar rounds and the boom of explosions but all the same she had been happy when he was put out of his misery by a shot from the commissars bolt pistol.
Illineth had seen carnage in the last few days that she never would have been able to imagine back home on the craft world. First there had been the orks, who her squad of howling banshees had ambushed and torn to bits with ease. They had gotten cocky and with the next enemies they faced, the imperials, this arrogance had proven fatal. She remembered her sisters being cut down by las fire. She had been horrified to see the deaths of her fellow Eldar, and had felt like retching when she had first taken off after the remaining humans. She had relished the opportunity to take revenge on the creatures who had murdered her kin. But there was more to it than that.
At the end of the day, Illineth desperately wanted to prove herself. She had never been popular, so to speak, and was often at the butt end of jokes amongst her peers. She just wasn't good at communicating with the others, and had slowly sunk in the social pyramid throughout her early life. She was very young by eldar years, still in her youth, but she already felt like she had no place in craft world society. That was why she had become a howling banshee. She had always been quick, even by eldar standards, and had no regrets about leaving the peaceful life behind. But she had found no luck in socializing with her comrades and ended up sliding back into her reclusive pit.
She had been very depressed during the two years of training. But with the supreme ork threat to the eldar she had been pulled from reserve and put on the front line. She was still a complete novice compared to the other howling banshees and she had a long way to go before her training was complete but she was thrilled to have the chance to prove herself in combat. But after killing two orks and a guardsman nothing had changed. The other banshees had remained apathetic towards her. And that was really the problem. Through out her life it hadn't been so much that her peers had been cruel or unkind towards her. On the contrary, they often displayed kindness and warmth. But Illineth always had the nagging feeling like she didn't belong there, like the consideration was forced. And she had never felt like she had any real friends.
She wasn't sure what she had seen in Sev. Not killing her was nice, but not exactly a selling point. She had genuinely followed him to finish him off, fuelled with hatred and disgust at the filthy mon keighs act. She had felt humiliated when she had failed to defeat a weak human, even if it had surprised her. But there was other emotions there as well, buried beneath the anger and mistrust. Curiosity and something else. After the incident with the nob it had been difficult not to put a shuriken through his head and leave him. She had saved his life, and he had repaid her with zealous hatred. But all the same she used one of her precious detox shots on him, and he had survived the fever. She had felt some strange burning want to see the barbaric human live.
She had actually decided to kill him when he left her at the apartments. At least that was what she told herself. After saving his life twice, first from the nob and then from the fever he had shouted at her and sent her off. It was really just stupidity on her part that the bikes had been a problem at all. She had been staying just out of sight and biding her time. She was deep in thought and hadn't noticed the bikes ripping along the road until it was too late. After fighting alongside him at the bridge she had changed her mind about killing him. And relations had only improved from there. He had saved her life that one night in the warehouse and despite still showing the occasional signs of stubborn zealous ignorance she enjoyed his company. Surprisingly she felt less defensive around him, more open than she had with her own species.
The tank rolled over a crater and Illineth's head bounced on Sev's shoulder. She scratched at an itch on her side. The guard fatigues felt course and uncomfortable, and the armour felt bulky and inefficient compared to her own. But she had decided to stay with Sev, and uncomfortable armour was the least of her worries.
Sev was chatting with Jonesy. The human had relished not only being able to rest on the tank but also talk with his new friend. He had introduced the other men in his squad, at least those that had fit on the vehicle, to the tank commander. The two men were chatting away in their harsh guttural tongue. When she had first heard it Illineth had almost felt discomfort at the sound. She had got used to it now and all though she and Sev couldn't directly communicate, she could pick up on his emotions from his tone.
This was really all she had needed to convince her to stay with him. It was why she had chased after him when he had sprinted out of the house behind the factory. Some amount of affection and understanding. And he didn't show apathy like the other eldar did. She felt that she had nothing to lose, and nothing to return to. She might as well enjoy her time while she had time to enjoy. More likely than not she would be dead within the week.
There was a booming not too far off. Explosions were visible less than a kilometre behind them where ten minutes before the men and tanks had been passing through. The imperial artillery was ranging in, covering the tracks of the various guard columns pulling out of the city. The orks had put some effort on pressing the advantage, but it had mainly come in the form of sporadic artillery bombardments or occasional strafing runs.
The guards passed a pair of destroyed basilisks. Their huge earth shaker cannons were blackened and split and bodies were strewn on the firing platform where they had been killed, perhaps by ork aircraft or scouts. The bodies looked stiff from the cold and bore a thin layer of frost and snow. The wind had picked up and it blew dry snow in torrents across the highway. Illineth sighed and curled up against Sev. He absent mindedly rubbed her shoulder as he talked to Jonesy.
Sev wiped a few specks of snow off the lenses of his mask. He and Tunsy were listening intently as Jonesy recalled a battle against Tau grav tanks. The wind had picked up and when Illineth had pressed further up against him he had rubbed his hand along her shoulder. At first he had been embarrassed about what his squad mates would think of his relationship with the deaf drop trooper. But other than a few wise cracks from Finn at the beginning no one had really cared. They hadn't been obnoxious about their affection but any one with half a brain could see something was going on between them.
Sev looked over at the commissar. He was sitting on the turret of the Lions Roar, talking with the two majors and the other officers. The commissar told a joke and the men around him laughed. Sev liked the commissar, although he had only talked to him personally a couple of times. He was a reasonable man and although Sev had heard of a few executions in the refinery the men felt his decision was just. They had resented the cowardice in their comrades; feeling some amount of betrayal. Sev knew that if the Commissar found out who Illineth was then he would meet the exact same fate as those men without a second thought.
The men had left the city proper now. They were moving through scrubland, past frozen fields and abandoned homesteads. A Leman Russ off to the left, a different company to Jonesy's, crashed through a wooden fence. They were rolling over flat lands towards snow laden forests. Not too far behind the jagged mist ringed peaks of mountains could be seen. The village Sev had grown up in sat at the foot of a mountain range, and he felt almost at home drawing closer and closer to the monumental behemoths of earth and stone.
After stopping for lunch the combined force of the Rolanders Regiment and Lerwington Armoured Regiment set off for the final stretch to the imperial lines. The other Roland companies had been in similar situations to Sev's company, and the Lerwington regiment had been split up to regroup with the drop troopers. All the drop companies had been in the same position, dug in against ork encirclements. They had all been reduced to around half strength. The veteran tank regiment had fared much better and other than Jonesy's company they had taken minimal casualties against the orks whose primary anti tank came from disposable rocket launchers.
The wind was really picking up. Sev's company, the third, was at the head of the column. Regimental deployment was of little importance, and all the colonel cared about was getting out of the city and to the imperial lines. The ten companies stretched out behind them and at half strength still numbered at over five hundred men. The column, which was moving at a steady pace along the twisting road, was obscured for a moment as a particularly large gust of wind kicked up a screen of ice and snow.
It was getting colder and the clear blue sky was becoming overcast as grey clouds rolled in. Sev had been fine when they were marching but now that his group was sitting idly on the tank he was freezing. The men had huddled together and Illineth was leaning against him. He slid his arm behind her back and pulled her close, appreciating her warmth. He felt the cold wind biting into the exposed flesh on his neck and he tried to adjust his collar to cover the open spot.
There were scattered copses of snow covered trees and soon the frozen scrubland and farming fields were replaced by forest. They had reached the foot of the mountains and the rockcrete highway began winding up the gentle incline. There were soon joined by more and more imperial elements. Behind them another drop regiment had caught up and sentinel squadrons stalked past on patrol. Sev noticed with a mixture of shame and sadness that the veteran drop regiment had take far less casualties than the novice Roland regiment. The men climbed higher and higher, and the road began to grow steeper little by little.
It wasn't long after that they reached the imperial base of operations. Pre fabricated rockcrete bunkers had been deployed, and Sev looked back and forth with curiosity as they passed between grey pillboxes covered with white camo netting and linked with covered trenches. Men could be seen moving inside, deploying heavy weapons and carrying ammunition crates. The strongpoint had been set around the highway in a mountain pass. The mountains rose sharply on either side. Rocky crags boasted crowns of snow and frozen waterfalls ran down the sides from different points. The top was barely visible, surrounded as it was in mist and with the clouds closing in.
The came to a large open area surrounded by barbed wire fences and watch towers. It was probably about a kilometre square; large enough to accommodate the two drop regiments and two armoured regiments. The four regiments organized into columns and stood at east, awaiting orders. The colonels and their command staff headed over to a particularly large bunker, presumably to convene with whoever was in charge, perhaps the lord general. Illineth stood next to Sev, taking in the imperial fortifications. Ryn poked him, pointing to a group of manticores driving past on the highway, perhaps to prepared artillery positions farther up the pass. While they waited Sev chatted with Ryn and the other men in the squad. It was nice to be able to have normal conversations with human beings again.
After about fifteen minutes of standing around freezing their asses off the commanders returned. The four regiments were to split. The Rolanders and Lerwington regiments were going to bolster the left flank and the other armoured and drop regiments were heading to the right. After carrying the wounded, as few as they were, to the medicae station the men remounted the tanks and headed off. Since all the other regiments were in position already the infantry was afforded flat bed trucks. It was considerably more comfortable than riding a tank or marching and the men almost enjoyed the last few kilometres. There weren't quite enough trucks to carry every one so Sev and a few other men abdicated to ride the tanks, wanting to carry on conversations that had been interrupted when they received orders.
They got back onto the highway and took a right turn down a dirt logging road. The trees hung close on either side, and they would often pass by tarantula heavy bolter nests and pill boxes set up along the road as check points. The imperial line had been well organized, and they passed guardsmen digging trenches and foxholes with pick axes and shovels. A tree crashed down off to their right as a group of guardsmen began splitting it up to reinforce the walls of the trenches.
The flat beds continued on along the winding dirt road. The sky had clouded over and snow had begun to fall. Sev looked up through the snow laden boughs of the fir trees. High up above he could see ork and imperial fighter craft, wheeling and diving in desperate dog fights. After half an hour the column stopped for the final time, and the sergeants walked along the line, banging on the sides of the trucks and calling for the men to dismount. The group climbed out and after some effort the trucks managed to turn around and head back along the winding road.
The men were immediately given orders to dig in. The armoured regiment was to remain with the infantry and help hold the line. The drop troops had been positioned along a kilometre and a half stretch of ground, between two Vostroyan regiments. The Rolanders had been afforded two pre fabricated bunkers, but other than that would be left to their own initiative to build defences. The colonel's of the armoured and drop regiments conferred and after ten minutes had made their decisions. The drop troops would dig in along their kilometre and a half stretch. The armour would go to ground a little ways back and would be ready to give fire support or move to plug gaps in the line. Sev's company was sent to the right side and his platoon immediately set about preparing fortifications.
First platoon was given the job of chopping trees, and they set to work with axes and saws that had been brought along on the flat beds. Sev's platoon was taking the first shift digging the trench and the final platoon was given a chance to rest. Sev and his squad mates got to work. There was no fresh snow and the ground was frozen solid so the squad began breaking into the icy top layer with picks and shovels. Then they began digging the trench. They had no experience with trenches, other than the basic concept of it and their commanders only orders had been to dig.
It was close to evening when third platoon was given a chance to rest and the men climbed, stiff and sore from their new trench. They had got a good deal of work done in the four hours they had and the trench was almost done. All third platoon had to do was reinforce it and dig out fox holes and dugouts. It was probably only six o'clock but it was mid winter and the sun was had just sunk behind the snow capped mountains, leaving the mountain pass in a gloomy twilight. The men of Sev's squad decided to use their break to go visit the Vostroyans on their flank. It was a short walk and they passed the other platoons of third company. Some men had taken their great coats and jackets off as they worked and they waved as the squad passed. Sev and Illineth walked a few metres behind the others, side by side. The men of the squad were joking around in the snow and laughing.
The Roland lines went right up to where the Vostroyans were entrenched. The veteran regiment had arrived early in the day and was already finished their trench line. Sev stared in wonder at the first foreigners they came across. A group of them sat in their trench, leaning up against the snow wall. They were talking in their thick accents and they burst out laughing just before the Rolanders rounded the corner. They reached for their lasguns but stopped when they saw that the newcomers were human. They wore tall bearskin hats and had rebreathers not so different from the drop troops; if not more finely crafted. Their fatigues were red and grey and their rifles looked ornate.
The sergeant saluted and stepped into the trench, slightly nervous around the veterans. But the Vostroyans were perfectly friendly and soon the two groups were chatting away. Sev and Illineth sat near the back. The men were loud but amiable. They cracked jokes and Sev found their accents amusing. He had never heard anything like it. Sev's sergeant got some tips from the guardsmen about digging the trenches. They shared a pot of re caf that was heated over a small brazier and the Vostroyans poured shots of some sort of alcohol into their drinks, offering it to the Rolanders. All of the men accepted and they took the beaten metal mugs gratefully.
The snow was just starting to pick up, the heavy overcast clouds letting forth. It came down hard and the snowflakes were big. The men from both regiments pulled up their masks and enjoyed the hot drinks. Sev noticed that all the Vostroyans had huge moustaches and many had beards. Sev pulled up his mask and sipped at the re caf. It was hot and burnt the roof of his mouth. He looked at Illineth. She was tentatively tugging at the bottom of her mask but wasn't committed to pulling it off. Sev gave her an encouraging nudge and smiled at her. She lifted off the respirator but made sure to keep her helmet and toque on. The men of Sev's squad, who hadn't seen Illineths face before, took quick glances at the girl but didn't make a big deal. The Vostroyans pointed and shouted with mock horror. The sergeant sheepishly explained how almost a fifth of the population of the Roland regiments were female.
"What's your name girl?" A Vostroyan shouted. Illineth ignored him, staring down at her mug as if she didn't hear him.
"She's deaf" explained Sev "Lost her hearing from a shell blast in the city".
"For the best" another Vostroyan joked "Emperor forbid she hears as crude a conversation as that of a first born. Not fit for a ladies ears". The men laughed and went back to their glorified explanation of their fight in the city. A little while later the sergeant checked his chrono metre. After seeing the time he told the men that they had to get moving and, after saying their farewells to the Vostroyans, they headed back to their own lines.
The rest of the platoon had finished off the trench, shoring up the snow walls with timber and sandbags. The air smelled of fresh cut pine. Third platoons three heavy bolters had been dug into gun pits and covered with camo netting. Farther back Sev could see the silhouette of two leman russes. The crews had piled timber, snow and sand bags up against their front armour and draped camo netting across the tops. The tanks would be able to reverse out of their cover at a moments notice. The tank crews were now digging shelters next to their tanks.
It was pitch black by the time the men made it back to their fox holes, the only light coming from small fires and camp stoves. Sevs squad crawled into dug outs that third squad had been kind enough to dig out for them. The commissar was coming along the line, telling the men to keep lights out for fear of the orks spotting them. Sev crawled head first into his dugout. He set up his camp stove and started heating up his rations. Illineth came in a second later. She had stayed outside, looking over the darkened forest but retire when she realised Sev had disappeared.
Sev ate his meal and curled up. Illineth took off her helmet and mask and put her backpack and the roll of canvas that held her sword up against the wall. She gave her head a shake and ran a hand through her hair before leaning back against Sev. He split the meal and after finishing wrapped his arm around Illineth. A bit of snow, melted from the heat of the stove, dripped down on her neck and she hissed with discomfort. Sev chuckled and leaned back, pulling his blanket over them both.
Illineth lay across his chest and stared up at his face. Sev still wasn't sure why the girl had followed him, but her obvious display of devotion, running after him when he left the house, made him realise that he wasn't going to be able to get rid of her. She had saved his life multiple times and he was starting to think of her less as a xenos. She wasn't so much a creature that was too feared and mistrusted then a person, if not human. She stared up at him from his chest and he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She ran one hand absent mindedly across his abs, up his ribcage and back down. He settled down into the floor of snow and soon fell asleep.