"it has been drilled into our heads, it has been told for years, for millennia even that joining the Imperial Guard is one of the greatest honors a person, man or woman, can receive. Fighting for the honor of the emperor and your very being. The first and last line of defense for holy terra itself...I humble Nihleri Dread always thought this was true..."
"..when the day began, i was full of hope, full of courage to meet the emperors enemies head-on and show them our might. Yet right now, i am kneeling on the dead bodies of my comrades, holding the upper body of a dear friend of mine, or what was left of it after a tyranid bit their body apart. thousands upon thousands of lazguns are shooting over my head, the roars of tyranids on one side, the battle-cries and tanks of the imperial guard on the other. i am one of millions, noon cares about my friends, myself, what i have lost, or if i die. The truth about the imperial guard is a stark one. I have seen rampant corruption, i saw our commander execute dozens for the mere thought of not wanting to charge to their deaths."
"several tyranids where about to charge at me and kill what was left of me, but the power of the imperial guard was killing them every time, it looked like a stalemate that has been going on for hour. endless hordes of these purple monsters continue to charge the planet and our supposed might. yet the imperial guard hasn't stopped dropping their tanks, their walkers, the individuals who likely had the same dream as me. we where told Sisters of battle where on their way, but they have yet to arrive"
"i was only a simple woman who was indoctrinated like everybody else into this madness. but just as i was about to fully give into despair the battlefields random noises of battle where becoming mere back-noise to the out-drowning hymns of the battleships of the adepta sororitas, their battle hymns where music to my ears, as if the emperor himself was about to charge. as i looked up at the source of the music, as many others did, several battleships in orbit began to drop hundreds upon hundreds of differently sized pods, right in front of the line between me..no..us and the tyranids. several pods where exploding open into the holy fire that always follows them."
"the battle hardened voices of the sisters of battle are joined with the renewed moral and fighting energy of the imperial guard, they finally had a chance of winning. In the midst of this chaotic battle for this planet, one of the sisters, likely a new recruit judging by her age had approached me upfront. Her visage was a kind smile unlike i have ever seen before, Sisters of battle are known to be ruthless warriors against the unholy forces of chaos. But here the silver haired woman stood. Looking at me and the dead body in my hands with compassion."
"Her Cherub was the only one who spoke, rudimentary as if it projected the woman's thoughts forward. in one hand she held the fire spewing machine of death their chapter is known for, while in the other she held the butt of a lazgun at me. her chebus continuously spoke "no bad death, fight for you", I didn't need the cherub to speak how a sister would, i perfectly understood what it, no, she wanted. to fight so my comrades death was not meaningless, so my battle was not meaningless. i took the lazgun back into my hands, carefully laid my battle sisters body onto the ground, hoping i could find it again when all was over"
"when i stood up, my wet face stricken with the fire and fury of a thousand deaths the sisters of battles own face turned from a kind smile to that of a raging exploding heat just as she turned around with a loud battle-cry to join her sister and the guards. only a moment later i charged forward with them, with newfound hope for myself and the comrades i still had left. the deaths of the tyranids where quickly outpacing our own, their numbers where diminishing. The hatred i had gathered for not only them but the upper echelons for the imperial guard where charging my assault"
"i don't know how much time has passed, was it minutes? hours? days? however long the battle had raged, we had come out victorious, we where able to defend the strategic planet with heavy losses, which would be quickly replaced by the next week. My disgust for the imperial guards higher ups, was not wavering, i couldn't continue like this. I survived a battle none ever should have needed to wage. The sisters of battle where starting to discharge the planet with their transporter ships. I was looking at them solemnly and hoping the kind sister who was the reason i am still alive, made it through."
"But as i looked over the dead bodies of the sisters, that had been gathered for their garrison, i see a familiar face, removed from the body, likely by a tyranids razor-sharp claws. my heart had sank into depths i didn't think i had. I was staring at her intently, which caught the eyes of a nearby sister, The sister ushered me away as my garrison had to start packing for their next mission. If there is one thing today taught me, this world is cruel, there is only war."
