-XXXIV-

"Friendlies ahead." came in the Chimera driver's voice into the back compartment.

Ioras was riding the gun hatch to see ahead clearly.

Julius was riding atop behind him, crouched atop the Chimera, his boot's mag-locks keeping him steady.

Renon was also beside him. He didn't wanted to leave anything to us apparently, thought Julius glancing at the Lion Warrior.

"Finally we are here." Julius heard Ioras say.

A second later came in his vox-comm "Squads strap up, we have arrived.".

"Affirmative." replied Julius and checked his bolter.

They had replenished their ammo supplies at the bunker and was eager to spent more bolts against the greenskins.

"Incoming fire." a driver called.

Several random rokkits landed far ahead. In response a Griffon artillery fired over the chasm and into the Ork-held territory.

"I like what I hear." said Horatus into team vox.

"It looks like the both sides have no way to root one another." voxed Julius.

Three Chimeras arrived at a make-shift wooden gate and stopped. At the gate were several guardsmen of Naphtali Brigadiers. One of them recognized the Echtesian colours of the Chimeras and rose above his dug-out.

He raised his hand "Cholam, who are you?".

Julius noted that the man was not fazed even though they were under danger of random rokkit bombardment.

"Lord Ioras of the Emperor's Spears, led us to your commander, soldier." said Ioras.

"Leh." said guardsmen bobbing his head as affirmative. One of his men pushed down the counterweight of the makeshift gate to raise it to a standing position.

"Follow the road, you'll reach the command tent. Ask for Colonel Ibrahim." he said pointing to the distance.

Julius wasn't able to stop anything resembling a command tent in the way guardsmen is pointing to.

"Thank you, as you were." said Ioras then tapped the armour.

Exhaust pipes roared as Chimera rumbled forward and moved inside the compound.

As they get close, Julius unclamped his boots and jumped down, landing in a crunch, crushing stone underfoot.

Renon looked after him and copied Spears marine's movements.

They walked alongside the Chimeras as they rumbled slowly among the battlements. There were guardsmen everywhere.

Some were manning their heavy weapons laying in ditches with netting atop themselves. Other were running ammo through the trenches. Medicae personnel was stacked together above a ground of wounded Naphtali. Near them was a wide dug-out that was filled with dead Naphtali, their weapons and boots stripped.

"Well organized." commented Achagon, he was overlooking the battlements at the second Chimera's hatch.

Julius also noted several tunnel entrances similar to the ones they were hiding back at the bunker.

He looked around and spotted several Termite Burrowing vehicles fitted with trench-diggers. They were far behind the combat line and hidden beneath dark blue coloured netting.

Naphtali wore dark blue and gray colors and their vehicles also had the same colour elements that made them hard to stop. But they also used grey nettings to cover themselves over the rubble from sight. Julius also spotted on a nearby guardsmen that the nettings had grey dust sprayed atop it to make it look more like a part of the urban environment. They grind debris with the trench-diggers and threw the debris-dust atop themselves.

"These guys are nothing like Idagenians or Balharethi" voxed Julius to Achagon.

The Chimeras attracted several glances but other than that Naphtali seemed to be bent on their work.

As the first Chimera came to a halt before the command tent, Ioras raised his hand in a fist to inform the following Chimeras that they arrived.

Vehicles rumbled to a stop. There was a wide netting over their head that hid their presence. Trench was dug wide to allow vehicles to pass through. There were ammo crates near the walls and sloped dug-ins near the walls to provide firing positions for the guardsmen. Several smaller trenches connected to this main trench. Their entrances was all around the main opening leading to the deeper reaches of the defence-line.

Command tent was nothing more than a glorified trench with netting over it.

Squads had disembarked and took cover around the Chimeras hiding themselves as best as they can.

Ioras, Renon and Julius went inside the command tent while others stayed behind.

Achagon grabbed a guardswomen's arm in a flickering motion as she ran past him. She stopped abruptly as the strong grip in her arm kept her from moving. Her eyes snapped at Achagon's helmet, trying to read any intention.

Pointing at the nettings around them "Do you have any spares of this?" he asked, then let go of her arm.

She pulled her arm free even as his grip was loosing. She looked for a second then ran away to her previous destination.

"I guess not." said Achagon to himself.

He grabbed his rifle and double checked for any deficiencies. He picked his scope and placed the rifle on his lap, standing upright. He put the scope in the mount-slot and locked it in place.

Then raised the rifle and looked down the scope at distance, trying to adjust his aim and stopped when he made sure his scope was adjusted.

He dropped back into the trench only to find the guardswomen looking at him.

She had a bag of netting in her hands.

"Thank you." Achagon said.

She half-smiled and stood atop a nearby crate to throw one netting over his head. She gave the second one to him, he took it and bound it to his oversized rifle.

She looked so small beside his giant frame. When he was done he presented an open hand. She gave her hand to his giant gauntlet. Achagon reached with his other hand to one of his oath-scrolls and carefully undid the wax holding it firmly to his armour. He handed it to her and let her go. She looked at the scroll, wasn't able to read the High Gothic oath written at it. She put it in her pocket and waved a hand, then left, disappearing in the trenches.

Achagon looked after her for a moment until Horatus harsh voice disrupt him.

"You look ridiculous." he commented.

"Better than nothing." Achagon replied back.

Achagon was always annoyed with the over-zealous Assault Sergeant and this mission didn't improve his impression.

Horaus sit beside him nonetheless.

"How long are we to stay here, anyway?" he asked.

Achagon didn't reply at first, not sure if the Sergeant was talking to him or just complaining.

Horatus turned to look at him "So proud to talk to the Assaults, eh?" he mocked.

A sudden realisation fell on Achagon, Horatus was only being annoying because he didn't know how else to communicate properly. He was just a social wreck.

"So desperate to talk to Tacticals?" he replied.

Horatus looked at him for a moment then looked back at the wide trenchline.

"I never approved of this." he said.

"You mean the Extus." Achagon prompted.

"A gathering of marines, it's just absurd." he said.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I can't complain to my own men. And cannot complain to Devastators either."

"And you can complain to a Tactical?" Achagon asked.

"You're no Tactical, Tempes is no more." Horatus pointed out.

"It will come back, one day."

Horatus let the subject die before talking again.

"I meant to ask you something?" he said carefully.

Achagon looked at him but didn't ask.

"What does it feel like to lose all your brothers?" Horatus asked.

Achagon didn't reply at first. A long silence passed between them. Horatus waited long enough and when he decided that his answer won't be coming he got up.

He walked towards Deciaci but a voice stopped him.

"It hurts." Achagon said.

Horatus turned and looked at the sitting marine.

"It is a helpless and defeated feeling." Achagon said.

"I understand." Horatus replied.

"No you don't, not to this extend. Your insides rip apart as you are helpless to save your own brothers. It doesn't matter if you're an Astartes or not when odds are stacked against you."

"And we still fight." Horatus said.

"We do." agreed Achagon solemnly.

"So your former sergeant, was that all his fault?" asked Horatus.

"Julius? He had noble intentions in his heart." answered Achagon.

"So it is." concluded Horatus.

Achagon didn't reply, instead rose and looked at the enemy position with his sniper.

Horatus walked back at Deciaci.

"What'd he say?" asked Deciaci cleaning his boltgun.

"As I thought." Horatus replied.

"You don't give him the benefit of the doubt?"

"Why should I? He let his brothers die."

"He is still our brother, still a Spear."

Horatus had no reply but grunted instead, then walked off to cool his head off.

Ioras entered the tent by pushing the netting doubling as a door aside. He looked inside but wasn't able to see any colonel because it was packed. There were artillery officers peering over maps at one side and guardsmen operating the many field-voxs deployed on the other. Papers littered the floor, Ioras realised some of them was old maps or military reports from various units. Floor was improvised wooden planks that meant to keep the mud under. Tent also used several makeshift columns to support its width, columns were parts of buildings that was destroyed in the fighting.

He grabbed a busy guardsmen by the shoulder. The man seemed to realise the giant Space Marine inside the tent right now. He startled and his alarming noise froze the room. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at the Astartes.

Ioras let the guardsmen's shoulder go and addressed the gathering. "I'm looking for Colonel Ibrahim." he declared.

Julius and Renon had just entered the tent and the gathered guardsmen shifted their gazes towards them.

There was silence for a moment and nobody moved. Naphtali didn't knew why these Marines were here or asking for their commanding officer.

"Are they hiding their officer?" Ioras thought.

But his suspicion was quenched when a middle aged man with grey hair on the sides approached him through the crowd.

"Colonel Ibrahim Adva of 62nd Naphtali Brigadiers, lord." he snapped to salute.

"He is sharp despite his age." observed Julius.

"Now, what brings you to our humble trenches? I thought the Lion Warriors and their allies had retreated into the cluster." he said.

"We are the Emperor's Spears." Ioras declared gesturing towards Julius in the process to further his point.

"And you are?"

"Apothecary Ioras, I am given full command over this war-effort by Patriarch Alfonzo Echnisia." said Ioras.

Crowd made disappointed noises and Julius even heard some swore as Ioras declared his command.

"Respect man." Ibrahim disciplined his men, turning half-way to them.

He turned back at Ioras "Sorry, my lord, the shelling and the presence of Red River nerved them greatly." excused Ibrahim.

Ibrahim seemed like a noble man but he suffered under the mis-care of the Lion Warriors, he probably even saw some of his men executed by the Lions. The cruel rule of Lion Warriors turned this noble man into a hopeless shell.

"Do not worry, Colonel Ibrahim. We are not Lion Warriors, we will make things different." comforted Ioras.

"I am glad, my lord." Ibrahim said still not trusting Ioras that much.

"This tent, is it not under danger of shelling as well?" asked Ioras.

"It is, lord. But we had to push it forward because the Orks flanked our position and the back-trenches are not safe anymore." explained Ibrahim.

"I understand." said Ioras.

"Can we communicate with the hive from here?" asked Ioras looking at their vox.

"Yes, lord." Ibrahim said and let the Space Marine towards the voxes.

Crowd parted before Ioras' huge frame, they still stood silent watching them. Ioras looked at the crowd and removed his helmet. They needed to see him as a human, not as a metal shell. "As you were, guardsmen. You have duties." he said in a deep soothing voice. The crowd turned back to what they were doing before.

"Link is ready, sir." said the vox officer and handed the tiny vox-bead to Ioras.

"This is Ioras, respond."

"Agathe here, good to hear your voice." came in her voice through crackling vox.

"Same here, we arrived at the Red River and joined up with Naphtali. Oh and we united with Commissar Ibrak along the way." he reported.

"Very well. Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Agathe over the vox.

"We need more men, gather every Naphtali remnant from the cluster and form them into a single unit. They need to come here to back us up." Ioras said.

"Will do. There is also the Adi Balhareth regiment gathering, they're a mess though." she said.

"Mettav Lehk!" cursed Ibrahim when he heard Balhareth's name in a guttural voice.

"Send them over, I think we need every advantage we can get." said Ioras.

"Okay, anything else?" asked Agathe.

"Stay safe, we will finish this." said Ioras and cut the link.

"Colonel, we need to talk." said Ioras.

Ibrahim nodded and led the Astartes outside the tent.

-Personal Apology-

Ive been suffering sleep complications and it messes with my head, so I am probably making huge grammar errors and missing whole words. Sorry about that. Im gonna edit and type-check everything once the whole story is done with, until then I cant do much.