Chapter IV:

Duty and Sacrifice

Republic of San Magnolia's Eastern Front, Spearhead Squadron Base, May 30th SY 2148

"We're arriving to the base, general. Two minutes until landing," The flight lieutenant informed dutifully.

General Farestein readjusted the collar of his field uniform. While not as grand and ornate as his usual dress uniform, he has always fought beside his men with the standard officer field uniform. He was easily recognizable by the red sash hanging diagonally across his torso and his grey greatcoat that hung over his shoulders. The Cadian officer olive drab peaked cap rested on his laps. He wore a lighter variant of the Kasrkin carapace armour, giving himself better mobility.

The Valkyrie shook upon landing, the interior light by the rear door turned green. The guardsmen of his command squad stood up. He unbuckled the seatbelt and rose to his feet, placing the peaked cap neatly on his head, covering his greying slicked back hair. His power sword was sheathed by his hip while his laspistol was holstered on his chest rig, donned over the carapace armour.

His command retinue consisted of two veteran guardsmen specialist gunners, a Navis Imperialis liaison officer equipped with the upgraded Master Vox, a combat medic, a commissar, a techpriest enginseer, his aide and Death Korps Marshal Arnem, his counterpart of the Death Korps of Krieg's 12th Siege Regiment and 78th Heavy Mortar Company.

The high-ranking Korpsman officer wore the iconic grim gasmask of the Death Korps, his lifeless black lenses staring at the outside world. He wore a recently shined cuirass, a dark khaki trench coat and the standard Krieg helm with a protruding steel crest. He was only armed with a laspistol strapped to his hip.

Even though the two exchanged occasionally, Farestein can't help but feel unease and disturbed by the Krieg officer. He may outrank him, but he could physically feel the years of macabre death and grim aura from the Marshal. Arnem was a man of few words but an excellent and experienced leader, having fought in the Cleansing of Radnar, the Octarius War and just recently the Third War for Armageddon before the Krieg 12th Siege Regiment were pulled away to join the Cadian 501st for Vigilus.

Once the rear ramp dropped open, they were greeted by a small group of teenagers dressed in desert camouflage tanker jumpsuits. At the lead was a boy of small stature, a sky-blue scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Captain Parris wasn't lying about these Eighty-Six, they are all young kids," Commissar Darius remarked with an inquisitive voice, "And he is the captain, I presume correctly, general?" He turned to the Cadian officer.

"Apparently so, Commissar," Farestein replied flatly, "The PDF must be in shambles if they are drafting kids into their officer corps at this stage of the war," He shifted his gaze to Marshal Arnem, the Korpsman returning his stare with the emotionless and empty black lenses of the Krieg pattern rebreather.

"We have been informed that the locals of this planet are ignorant of His holy light. We suspect that it has lost contact with the Imperium for a very long time to have forgotten the God-Emperor of Mankind. So please… do try to tolerate these pagans," Farestein requested, although it came out more like a plead, "Or at least, temper your fury and direct it towards the real enemy."

The Death Korps Marshal was visibly offended but bit his remark. He reluctantly nodded in compliance. Both Farestein and Commissar Darius sighed with relief.

"That's one problem solved… at least for some time," Commissar Darius thought gratefully.

Although the commissar wasn't attached to the Krieg regiment, he did have some experience fighting in one before his transfer to the Cadian regiment. From his past experiences, he greatly appreciated the Kriegers iron discipline and zealous bravery, capable to withstand massive casualties and facing cosmic horrors without flinching; he does, however, find their fanaticism and fatalistic mentality disturbing, willing to send wave of infantry and armour in a suicidal charge to gain a couple of metres of ground or to capture a tactical position.

Unlike the usual job of a commissar to instil fear and control morale of the troops, when attached to the Death Korps, the commissar must instead temper their fanatical temptations and direct them for a more tactically sound approach. There were rumours that Kriegers would sometimes execute a commissar for suggesting a tactical retreat if he wasn't being respected by them.

He was fortunate that the Kriegers he personally worked with were able to be flexible and tolerant… to a certain degree.

General Farestein's retinue stepped out of the aircraft and met the Eighty-Six captain at speaking distance. The two bodyguards stepped aside to let him walk ahead and saluted the young officer. Shin rigidly returned the gesture, prompting his squadron to salute as well.

"General Farestein, it is an honour to welcome you in our base. I am Captain Shinei Nouzen, commanding officer of the Spearhead Squadron," Shin said in a monotonous tone as if he was reciting a script. Probably Captain Parris' work to not offend the commissar and Marshal Arnem.

Farestein extended his right hand towards the boy. Shin formally grasped his hand in a firm handshake. The General might've gripped his hand too firmly as he spotted a slight discomfort from his bland face.

"I wish to extend my gratitude for the help and intel you've provided for the 501st Cadian Regiment. I have heard great things from Captain Parris, so I hope that, once our alliance formed, you would see the fruits of our cooperation soon after," Farestein stated diplomatically.

"We thank you for the aid we've received in yesterday's battle and hope that we do not disappoint you after agreeing to cooperate with us." Shin replied flatly and gave respectful head bow, "I have set the negotiation tables at the hangar behind you so that we can start the discussions," He pointed at the large light grey hangar, with a line of tables set in a "U" shape and the heavily damaged Scout Sentinel resting at the far end.

Sat at the tables was Shin and the platoon leaders in the squadron: Raiden, Theo, Kaie, Daiya and Kurena with their chief mechanic, Lev Aldrecht, joining as well. The other Eighty-Six processors returned to their daily duties.

"I've heard that you have some excellent recaf," General Farestein said humorously as he sat down.

"Do you want us to bring in some coffee?" Shin asked bluntly, the humour passing over his head and earning an exasperated groan from Theo.

"I was only joking, captain," Farestein responded with a placative hand, "Water will suffice and besides we have other more important matter to attend,"

The general's aide, Lieutenant Rose distributed the documents to the Eighty-Six representatives while Farestein distributed to Marshal Arnem and Commissar Darius. The grizzled commissar took out his reading glasses and attentively read the document.

The Eighty-Six processors read the documents as well, reading them thoroughly to make sure there weren't any loopholes or ambiguity that might lead to a betrayal or sudden change of their alliance. Shin seemed satisfied, the demands were simple, straightforward and pragmatic. The Cadians needed a base of operations planet side, intel on the world and their enemy, maps and their cooperation in future combat missions. Theo however discovered a discrepancy.

"Um, excuse me, general…" He spoke out hesitantly, earning curious glances from the Cadians while the masked Marshal stared lifelessly at him, sending a dreadful shiver down his spine, "I-I don't want to make a hassle because of a term but I can't ignore this…" He gulped loudly, "But, uh, we Eighty-Six don't fight for the Republic nor are we volunteering to be here in the frontlines," He pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Farestein asked curiously, "I thought we were in the Republic of San Magnolia. Your war machines were built and belong to the Republic's Armed Forces, isn't that correct?"

"It is correct, sir, but… we were forced into this, the Republic don't even recognize us as humans… the citizens and their military are cowering behind the Gran Mur while we fight and die in their stead," He explained heatedly, "Out here, we only fight for ourselves… We've all lost our families, all of them died here, sent to the grinder for the spineless Republic,"

General Farestein remained quiet, his features unreadable. He leaned forward on the table, his hands propped up to rest his chin on, observing Theo with stern, critical dark purple eyes. Theo could feel his blood pressure dropping, becoming extremely self-aware of the attention he gathered.

"Listen, young man," He finally said after a couple of tense seconds, "If you were in the Astra Militarum and spoke up without the permission of your commanding officer, you would be punished for your lack of discipline and insubordination." He stated sternly. He then breathed out heavily, "However, you are not and you're just a young boy, so I'll let it slip by. As for the choice of words to describe your forces, that is simply an honest mistake on our part, we are a bit confused with your relations with this republic," Farestein explained honestly. He then turned his attention to Shin. "But we would like to know as to why you and your families are in this situation to begin with,"

"Here goes nothing…" Shin thought as he cleared his throat, "About nine years ago, when the Legion started to attack every nation on the Continent, the Republic Armed Forces were crippled in less than a month. To replenish their ranks and save their own race, they sent us, Colorata, into concentration camps, used us as scapegoats, experimental guinea pigs, hard labour and finally conscription. They call us the Eighty-Six or "processors", stripping off our names, our dignity and humanity. We're nothing more than cattle and lambs for the slaughter,"

"In the Alba's eyes, we're no longer human, just a resource they could spend without constraint," Kurena added grimly.

The others sat quietly, the reminiscence of their futile existence souring their mood. Raiden crossed his arms over his chest and stared emptily at the documents.

"You may be disappointed to hear this but it is not the first time that planetary governors or governments are prepared to draft their people to the slaughter," Farestein informed tersely, "Usually, they start with the poor and the unfortunates before moving up the social ladder until they cry for help to either us or turn their backs on the Imperium and seek aid to the xenos or Chaos," As predicted, they were shocked and despondent by his words, the most affected being Theo and Kurena, "However, to have their own Armed Forces not commit to the defence of their own homeland is punishable by Imperial Law for cowardice and negligence to Duty. Every human being is an equal servant to the God-Emperor of Mankind, no matter the homeworld thet came from, background or wealth. If one must spill their blood for the Imperium, then all of them must commit to the defence of Humanity as well."

"Now tell me, Captain Nouzen, where is this Republic and Gran Mur you speak of?"

The stadium was quickly transformed into a FOB baptized "Sturnn" in honour of the Cadian regiment's origins. The guardsmen of Second and Third companies worked around the clock to fortify and refurbish the abandoned stadium into a proper defensive base. Squads of Cadians were on sentry duty, surveying the destroyed cityscape for any Legion raiding parties. Heavy weapons platforms were set up around the base and on rooftops of nearby buildings. Valkyries frequently dropped off fresh waves of troops and supplies, techpriest enginseers guided their lobotomized servitors to carry out supply crates and equipment while the newly arrived guardsmen were quickly dispatched to their assigned duties.

Vox relay stations were slowly erected to establish a proper and clear communications lines between the Imperial Guard forces and the Imperial Navy vessels.

Stationed at the base's southern perimeter was Third platoon from Second Company. Private Jaeger stood watch while a heavy weapons team settled down their Heavy Bolter emplacement behind a wall of sandbags. They were posted on a rooftop eight hundred meters away from the stadium. On the street level, the rest of the platoon erected a checkpoint, putting down more sandbags and Accordion wires while setting down Aegis defensive walls.

Jaeger sat down on one of the ammunitions crates for the Heavy Bolter and picked up the pair of binoculars. A handy device used usually by officers and heavy weapons teams, the binoculars allowed the user to display the distance of a lased target, thermal imaging and night vision capabilities with a maximum of times twenty-four magnification.

He surveyed his sector of fire established by his squad leader. The surrounding buildings and streets were eerily silent. Despite the huge commotion and loud activity caused by the companies and Valkyries, there were no signs of any enemy force, not even a scouting party.

Jaeger was startled abruptly when the team's vox-caster blared to life, "Helios 4, status report," The platoon leader requested.

One of the guardsmen of the heavy weapons team picked up the handset and faced Jaeger, "Seen anything, private?" He shook his head in response, "Uh, that's a negative, Helios 1, over,"

"Helios 4, copy that. Out."

Jaeger turned his attention back to the desolate cityscape. Vegetation overgrowth took over some of the ruins, shell craters were filled with rainwater over the years, flags of unknown significance to the guardsman were discoloured, tattered and ragged. Shattered glass pieces were still strewn about on the streets despite the passing weathers.

He heaved out a sigh of boredom, it is going to be one those planets, where campaigns would drag on because the opposition force wasn't bold enough to face the hammer of the Imperium. Not that he could blame-

"What the…?" Jaeger squinted down the street, bringing up his binoculars to his eyes. For a second, a bright flash spurred him out of his idle trance. He saw a dust cloud barrelling towards his position, he was certain that it was a charge but of what he couldn't tell. He switched to the thermals and gasped with shock.

"Contact front! Over two hundred hostile, beelining for us! Eleven hundred meters!" He shouted urgently.

The rest of his platoon jumped into action, dropping whatever material they had in possession and grabbed their weapons and set up a firing line behind the sandbag walls and Aegis defensive walls.

The heavy weapons team quickly pulled a belt of bolter rounds out of an ammo crate and fed it through the heavy bolter, the gunner deftly pulled at the charging handle, the large calibre weapon snapped loudly.

"Company command, this is Third platoon! We're engaging a battalion sized enemy force, requesting mortar and air support!" Jaeger heard the platoon leader requested pressingly.

The wave of Ameise Scout-types rushed towards their new human targets, they were sacrificial lambs to the slaughter, meant to test the defensive capabilities of this new and unknown human force. Dullahan, through the eyes of their army, observed the battlefield, meticulously going through every tactical and mathematical scenario, preparing for any possible counter-attacks and tactical plans to whatever these humans would throw at them.

The Guardsmen opened fire at three hundred meters, the Kantrael MG 1a Infantry lasgun was a step-up to the carbine variant. A versatile and high capacity lasrifle, it has a slower rate of fire but manageable to deliver sustained and accurate fire. It was the same humble lasrifle pattern that craved a bloody path for the Imperium's reconquest of the stars.

The volley of lasfire was effective. The Ameise's armour was no match for the mighty punch of the lasgun. The Legion drones returned fire, their machine guns roaring louder than the lasrifles but it wasn't enough to stop them. Suppressed, the Cadian Shock troopers replied in kind with a barrage of heavy bolter rounds.

Affectionately nicknamed the "Bruiser" or the "Back Breaker", the heavy bolter was a staple heavy weapon in the Imperial Guard arsenal. It enables a team of three to lay down a sustained salvo of armour piercing, high explosive .75 calibre shells at a staggering rate of fire, the perfect weapon to hose down a mob of lightly armoured or soft infantry units.

Against the might of the bolter rounds, the Ameise stood no chance. The hard hitting bolt perforated cleanly through one before violently exploding into another. The Legion's drones dropped like flies, their casualties mounting and literally piling up. Encouraged by the success of their firepower, the Imperial Guardsmen stood their ground valiantly, ignoring the torrent of flying machine gun fire.

All the sudden, a rain of rockets pummelled on top of their line. The heavy weapons team was instantly silenced by an accurate burst of rocket fire, destroying the entire rooftop and two floors below them. Third platoon scattered around, wounded and dead thrown away in the blasts.

The Legion pressed their attack, the Grauwolves' initial battery fire was a success. The platoon was in disarray and stunned, their wounded crying out in agony.

"Reform the line!" The lieutenant barked sternly, "Take your positions and keep firing!"

Shortly after, it was the Cadians' turn launch a mortar bombardment, hailing down from the clear blue sky, the mortar rounds decimated the Legion's vanguard, scattering their mangled carcasses across the battlefield. Yet they did not stop their attack. Another wave pushed through the corpses of the first, suppressing the smaller Imperial force.

"Vox operator!" The platoon leader shouted, ducking as bullets flew by him.

"Sir!" The vox operator replied hurriedly, sliding behind an Aegis wall.

"Request reinforcements and tank support, we are getting overrun soon!"

"Yes sir!" The operator took the vox-caster's handset, "Company command, this is Helios 1, requesting-"

"Mama!"

"What in the Warp?" He looked at his handset in confusion, "Company command, do you read-"

"It's hot! God, help me!"

"Please no! I don't want to die!"

"I'm ready! Are you?!"

"Someone, help me!"

He shakingly threw away the handset and sporadically unstrapped the vox-caster off his back. The agonized voices of the damned still crying in his headset. "Get off me!" He screamed in panic.

"Guardsman, what the frag are you doing?" The officer asked sternly, "Take the vox-caster and call-in support!"

"I won't, sir! There are fragging voices of the dead haunting the blasted thing!"

"What are you on about?"

Before he could berate the stubborn vox operator further, an explosion ripped through the first sandbag wall, killing a whole squad of guardsmen in the blast.

"They're hanging on the sides of buildings!" A guardswoman alerted hastily before dropping on the ground heavily, clutching at her throat as blood pooled out of the fresh gunshot wound.

Sergeant Feodor pushed in a fresh battery pack into his lascarbine, switching to automatic fire mode. "Get the wounded out of here! The rest of you, cover fire!" He and four other guardsmen peaked out of cover and released a flurry of lasfire down the street, taking down a dozen of the Scout-type drones.

The drones retaliated, machine gun fire overwhelmed the small team of shock troopers, killing two more and wounding another. Feodor grabbed a fragmentation grenade and hurled it out of the window. "Fall back to the lieutenant! This building's los-"

A high explosive rocket slammed into the room, detonating and wiping out the remaining squad in a spectacular explosion and inferno.

"We can't hold! Run!" A guardsman screamed in panic.

The Grauwolves caught up to the checkpoint, jumping into the line of guardsmen and begin their slaughter in close quarters. Their high-frequency blades tore through flak and flesh with disturbing ease. Blood splattered on the ground along with eviscerated corpses and mangled guts.

The platoon leader pulled the pin of a krak grenade and let the spoon fly out. He counted down two seconds before throwing the grenade at a Grauwolf. The anti-tank hand grenade detonated upon impact, its concentrated implosive blast cracked open the Dragoon-type's paper-thin armour and fried its internal circuitry and processor, destroying the close quarters war machine instantly.

Another Grauwolf turned its attention to him, its blades covered with the blood of his men. The officer unholstered his laspistol and unleashed a rapid fire of lasbolts but did little to destroy the drone.

Suddenly a fusillade of laser tore through it, chewing through its hull and interior. The Chimeras of Second platoon have arrived. More Cadian shock troopers disembarked to assist Third platoon, overcoming the Legion drones with sheer volume of fire. Bullets bounced off harmlessly the Chimeras' dozer blade that acted as an additional front armour. One of the tank commanders manned the pintle mounted heavy stubber, its heavy and hard-hitting bullets punching through the enemies' light armour.

"For the Emperor! Forward!" A commissar shouted dynamically, his power sword pointed at the Ameise drones, "Destroy those blasted abominations! Send them back to the Warp!"

A roaring battle cry echoed, filled with stalwart determination and fury, "Cadia Stands!" The shock troopers cried out fanatically.

As if shaken to their cores and in disbelief, the Legion drones have momentarily halted their assault, witnessing the human soldiers charging forward.

"First rank! Fire!" The commissar shouted fervently. The first line of guardsmen knelt down and fired a burst of lasfire, the sheer volume and concentration of laser bolts took out a dozen of drones, pushing them back. "Second rank! Fire!" The second line, standing behind the first, released a salvo of the Emperor's fury, wiping out another wave of hostile machines.

Outgunning the Legion, the Cadians pushed forwards after each volley fire, effectively halting the Legion's unwavering assault and forcing a tactical withdrawal. Grenade launchers sent out barrages of airburst rounds, the grenades would explode just above the Legion drones, raining down armour piercing and super-heated darts on top of them, crippling and immobilizing them.

Plasma gunners released burst of superheated solar flares, melting and exploding through the armour. The Imperials were thorough with the enemy, not letting them retreat or recover their dead, they chased down the Legion's raiding party until a mixed squadron of Vultures and Valkyries performed a ground-attack run, their payloads wiping out the remaining enemy drones.

The guardsmen cheered at their victory, filled with invigorated and rejuvenated fighting spirit.

From afar, Dullahan examined the Imperial forces with disgust and disdain. For the first time in the Legion's history, they were pushed back and completely wiped out by mere humans. This anomaly was gaining ground and boldness. If this continues, the Legion might have a harder time to conquer the Republic of San Magnolia. The anomalies' weapons were too strong for their drones, easily penetrating their armour while most of their ranged weapons proved ineffective against the enemy infantries' armour.

Dullahan actually felt humiliation. He could accept a tactical defeat from the Eighty-Six and their Juggernauts but against fleshy humans in what looks like cheap armour. He couldn't accept it. Yet, he didn't feel the wrath or disappointment from No Face. Instead, they were rather shocked and remained silent for several long, uncomforting minutes.

"No Face, requesting next course of action." Dullahan inquired with urgency in his tone, "No Face, suggesting pressing on with another attack."

"Silence." No Face's authoritative voice boomed through his entire unit, freezing his internal computers. The emotions felt by Dullahan were completely reset and wiped clean, waiting patiently for his next orders.

"No Face to Dullahan, tactical retreat outside the city. Send in the flanks to cover your retreat and await further instructions."

"Dullahan copies. Commencing tactical retreat."

The techpriest enginseer recited a canticle of the Omnissiah as the heavily damaged Scout Sentinel was transported to the Sky Talon, tracked by four servitors. The Eighty-Six were shocked and apprehensive by the sight of these mindless and heavily modified servants. Their limbs were replaced with large and sturdy artificial loading claws, reinforced legs and torso for better loading capacity and other cybernetics.

In the meantime, Shin went over the last details of the documents before signing them, fully agreeing to the military alliance between the Astra Militarum, and to an extent the Imperium of Man, and the Eighty-Six of Spearhead Squadron and other surviving squadrons in the Republic of San Magnolia.

Farestein extended his gloved hand once again. Shin responded formally, shaking his hand, "I'm glad that you see reason and offered your support to the efforts of the Imperium,"

"Thank you, general," Shin replied flatly.

"General, sir," The Navy liaison officer interrupted their discussion hesitantly, "Vox reports of massive enemy movements egressing to the stadium. Second and Third Companies are engaged on all fronts as we speak," He reported sombrely.

Farestein turned to Shin with levelled eyes, "Captain, battle stations, I do want to see how your fellow pilots fight in those machines."

In less than a dozen minutes, Spearhead Squadron deployed into the war-torn city. The sporadic sound of machine guns and explosions could be heard through their cockpit, each detonation rattled the inside of their Juggernaut.

Shin glanced up as a squadron of Vultures flew in the distance, hosing down Legion drones with devastating bolter fire. As they got closer to the battlefield, their Para-Raid ear cuff picked by the radio transmissions of the Imperials, giving out erratic and hasty reports on the ground.

"We're taking light casualties; we can hold the left flank!"

"I have visual on three large war machines! They look like walking tanks; the armour's too thick for our lasguns, requesting tank support!"

"First and Second platoons on me. Third and Fourth platoons support our allies on their left flank, outmanoeuvre the Legion. Fifth platoon stay at the centre, provide crowd control wherever needed. And Sixth platoon, priority target on the Löwe, stay on high ground and lure the Grauwolves to us if necessary."

"Roger!" They all replied with determination and fanned out.

Shin's platoon rushed forwards, climbing and vaulting over buildings to cover larger distances. Undertaker methodically scanned his environment, considering the terrain, enemy composition and friendly forces on the ground in a matter of seconds.

Enemy machine gun fire suddenly roared at them, forcing the Juggernauts to spring out of cover and spread out. He found himself in the crossfire between Imperial forces and Legion Scout drones. Quickly, he closed the distance, destroying a Grauwolf with a single accurate shot from the 57mm cannon before sliding between the enemy ranks, his high-frequency blades protruded and slashing through the lightly armoured mechs with ease.

The Cadian shock troopers were stunned by the Juggernaut's fighting prowess, effortlessly cutting through the enemy ranks, leaving behind a trail of wreaked hulks of metal and wires.

"Just what the Hel are those things?" A guardsman asked aghast.

Without skipping a beat, the Juggernauts sought after the Legion, eliminating each drone they encounter with deadly and terrifying skill and efficient. Each round was not wasted, each movement was precise and purposeful, each jump meant to close in with the enemy, each strike with the blades meant to destroy the target swiftly and instantly.

Emboldened by the arrival of their new allies, the Imperial Guard infantry surged out, returning fire with more fervour and ferocity.

In the midst of battle, Shin felt the Para-Raid connect to another caller, the soft and candid voice of Handler-1 calling him.

"Undertaker! I came as soon as I receive the alert," The Major said through ragged breaths, it seemed that she sprinted to get to her station, "Why didn't you call me sooner?" She asked in an annoyed tone, upset that she couldn't join her squadron sooner.

"You don't have to worry about us, Handler-1," Shin reassured her stoically, "With our new allies, we have the numbers and firepower to fend off this Legion raiding party,"

"Heh? Raiding party? There's about a whole battalion out there! Maybe more with Löwe support among them," She pointed out as a matter-of-fact.

"Well, the Cadians did agitate them. The sudden influx of activity and numbers in the sector forced them to investigate the anomaly," Shin explained plainly.

"Investigate? How did you know that-"

"Handler-1, as much as we want to share more intel with you, we're kind of busy fending off the Legion, some tactical intel would be appreciated." Shin interrupted curtly.

"Hehe, nice one, Undertaker," Laughing Fox commented with a snide grin.

"R-right… The enemy seemed to have halted their assault and are withdrawing as we speak. Their right flank collapsed, I suppose that it was the works of the Cadians, as you call them,"

"That is correct, Major!" Kirschblüte chimed up happily, "I wish you could see them in action. Their laser weapons are tearing through the Legion!" There was a surprised gasp that echoed from Kaie, followed by several silent seconds, "Damn it! We're pinned down by a platoon of Löwe," She reported through gritted teeth.

"Black Dog, do you think you can provide artillery support for fourth platoon?" Shin inquired while jumping on top of a Löwe tank, slamming the 57mm cannon at the light armoured turret gun and fired a shot, the APFSDS round penetrated its core and ammunition rack, instantly destroying the large Legion drone.

"Um, it is going to be tough with all those flyers above our heads. We might hit one of them by accident. I'm going to have to close in with the enemy. Sorry, Undertaker," Daiya replied frankly.

"I'll handle it," Gunslinger, Kurena, proposed carelessly, "I'll relocate with my platoon and wipe out the Löwe at a distance,"

"Noted. Be mindful of the Imperials running around, we have zero comms with them." Shin instructed to everyone in the squadron.

"Roger!"

Another explosive shell surged over their heads, splashing against a tall apartment complex. The shock troopers of fifth platoon, Third Company, immediately returned fire, taking out the Ameise drones while avoiding getting hit by the larger and heavier tank types.

"Good thing those thin cans can't aim," A vox-operator sighed in relief.

A 120mm HEAT round hit the Aegis wall, the blast and torrent of molten tungsten shredded the vox-operator and two other guardsmen. A heavy weapons team managed to access a store's rooftop, setting up their missile launcher.

"Come on, quickly!" The team leader urged them, his lasrifle clutched in one hand while he brought up a pair of binoculars with the other, "Five hundred metres! Three tanks, load krak missiles!"

The two-man crew swiftly grabbed a Krakstorm missile and loaded it into the launcher's tube. With a firm tap from the loader, the gunner knelt and aimed through the weapon's scope, acquiring his target.

"Backblast!"

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

With a powerful whump, the missile soared and headed straight for its target. The Löwe tank didn't have time to respond, able to turn its turret at the missile launcher team before taking a powerful blow to its turret ring. The Krak missile punched through its thick armour and ignited with a concentrated explosion, cooking off the ammunitions rack. The Löwe dropped lifelessly on the street, its turret ruptured and sprang in the air while a hellfire burst out, illuminating the surrounding terrain like a Roman candle.

"Good effect on target! Next target, shift right, four hundred metres and closing fast! Load krak missile!"

"Krak up!"

"Backblast!"

"Fragging clear!"

A second Löwe succumbed to the krak missile's destructive and penetrative power. It staggered side-to-side before violently crashing into a building. A thick cloud of smoke covered the drones' advance. In response, a barrage of high explosive rockets poured from the smoke cloud, annihilating anything in a wide area.

A Chimera took a direct hit from a top-down shot, instantly killing the crew and passengers inside. The rear ramp dropped forcefully and screaming guardsmen jump out, enveloped in flames and diesel. Other troopers tried their best to extinguish the fire but were proven futile, preferring to deliver the Emperor's peace rather than letting them die burning alive.

Theo watched the scene from above, perched on a destroyed roof. His hands gripped tighter around the Juggernaut's command handles.

"Damn it, they're taking some losses down there," Hariz Senya commented nonchalantly.

"Cato'Nine and March Hare, provide close fire support for them. Artemis, stay close with me, we're going to help Fourth platoon." Theo ordered coldly, shifting the Juggernaut towards Kaie's position, "Join us when you're done, guys,"

"You can count on us, Laughing Fox," Myna replied eagerly.

"Laughing Fox, be advised, there is a large concentration of Löwe over there, be careful when you close in." Handler-1 cautioned attentively.

Theo scoffed and shook his head. He was already getting tired of the Major's princess act. She thinks that she's different from the other Albas just because she cared a little about them or calling them "processors". He gritted his teeth and swallowed a sarcastic comment.

"Yeah, roger that, Handler-1," He replied offhandedly.

The Valkyrie landed quickly in the middle of the stadium's playing field, General Farestein and his command retinue disembarked and headed straight for the field command headquarters. It was simply a large olive drab tent that all the necessary equipment to communicate with ground and air forces.

"Status report, gents." Farestein demanded as soon as he entered the tent.

"Enemy forces are withdrawing from our southern and eastern fronts. The western front is still contested with a much larger concentration of tank-type machines, general," A ground operations captain reported dutifully.

"Second and Fourth Companies are moving to support Third Company," A lieutenant added.

"Tell Second Company to hold their perimeter, this could be a distraction to lure our forces into a death trap." He then turned to Marshal Arnem, "Are your men on the ground?"

The Krieg officer nodded almost expectantly, "Eighth Company is ready on your word, general,"

Kaie's platoon sheltered in an old construction site, dug deep in the ruins to return fire with relatively sturdy cover. Almost a whole company of Ameise with Löwe and Grauwolf support poured into the desolated town square, an obelisk dedicated to San Magnolia herself was erected in the centre.

To Kaie's left flank, a small force of Cadians was entrenched in buildings and shell craters, drawing some of the enemy fire away from her platoon.

"Gunmetalstorm! Dodge right!" Kaie shouted with urgency.

Tohzan hastily slid his Juggernaut to the side, barely dodging a flying 120mm HEAT shell. "Thanks, Kirschblüte, I owe you one," he said gratefully.

The floor shook violently, a layer of dust and ash fell on top of the Eighty-Six platoon. Kaie grimaced as the Scout and Dragoon types surged forward, poised to close the gap and meet them in CQB.

"Damn it, Theo! Where the hell are you?" Kaie thought, irritated.

Suddenly, the ground below her gave out, taking hers and Tohzan's Juggernauts on the floors below. Their Juggernauts slammed through each concrete floor, each impact was more violent and crushing than the previous one.

They ungracefully grounded to street level in a heap. Kaie groaned painfully as she tried to straighten her Juggernaut. Tohzan recovered surprisingly fast, laying down cover fire for her.

"Kirschblüte! Kirschblüte! Come on, get up!" She could hear him scream through her Para-Raid. "Crap! Come on! You want a piece of me? Come and get it!" His vicious battle cry was abruptly silenced as Kaie witnessed a APFSDS shell pierced his Juggernaut from the front. The mech stood still, its legs trembling before it fell heavily. "F-fuck… I… I'm hit…" He reported with uneven and short breaths.

"Hang in there, Gunmetalstorm! We're coming!" Laughing Fox yelled hurriedly.

And help would come, but not from Theo, it came from their right flank. A shower of laser and autocannon fire cut down the wave of enemy drones. The Ameise and Grauwolves were no match for the en-masse volley of the Imperial Guard. Pushing through the town square was a squadron of Storm Chimeras, armed with autocannons or multi-lasers, they surged forwards to disembark an entire company of Death Korps of Krieg guardsmen. These faceless and unwavering soldiers formed a rigid firing line and returned fire, supported by the APCs behind them. The Kriegers held their ground stalwart and unflinching, despite taking casualties among their ranks, uncaring of their dead and wounded.

Having drawn all the focus of the remaining Legion force to them, the Cadians doubled their efforts, setting up their heavy weapons squads and overwhelmed the enemy drones with accurate and proficient fire. The Armoured Sentinels of Nineth Company rushed out and pour down deadly burst of autocannons and plasma cannons, chewing through the ranks with ease.

Kurena's platoon concentrated their fire on the Löwe squadron, picking them off quickly before the enemy's will to fight crumbled and forced to retreat. The few Ameise that tried to recover their fallen were immediately mowed down mercilessly by the Imperial Guard; no one would escape the God-Emperor's wrath.

Kaie jumped out of her Juggernaut and sprinted for Tohzan's downed Juggernaut. She gasped with shock when she witnessed the sabot dart still intact inside the hull, it had struck right through the red, eye-like, camera and further into the cockpit. She could see trails of blood leaking out of various bullet holes.

She nervously unholstered her sidearm and swallowed her spit, her stomach tying knots. Usually this was a job for Shin, their very own Grim Reaper. But with no one sight, she figured that she was responsible to deliver the coup de grâce. She manually unlocked the canopy, the armoured sheet of metal groaned and whined painfully as it lifted upwards, revealing its gruesomely wounded pilot.

Tohzan was barely alive, his short, ragged breaths were the only signs that he was still living. The sabot dart penetrated his abdomen, firmly immobilising him in his seat. His desert uniform was in tatters and covered in his own blood, profusely bleeding out of his wound, ears and mouth. He weakly raised his head, his dim brown eyes staring back at her, begging her to deliver the finishing blow.

The young Orienta girl nodded in solemn silence and raised her pistol, aimed at his head. However, she froze, unable to put him to rest. She knew why it was necessary but for some unknown reasons, she couldn't pull the trigger. She growled and berated herself, forcing with all her will to fire… but nothing come.

Seeing her struggling, a lone Krieger climbed on the Juggernaut and gently pushed her aside. She was surprised by the guardsman's appearance. Quite different from the Cadians, the Krieger was completely sealed from the outside world. He wore a dark khaki greatcoat with matching trousers with leg bindings wrapped on the lower half. He seemed to be wearing low marching, hob-nailed boots, reminiscent of soldiers that fought in muddy trenches during the Great War two centuries ago. He wore the Mark IX Krieg-pattern plasteel helmet and the iconic gasmask.

He brought out a small black amulet, the Imperial double-headed eagle hanging at the end. He softly placed his hand on top of the boy's head and faintly whispered:

"In His name, we shall fight. In His name, let none survive. In His name, we shall die. In life, war. In Death, peace. In life, shame. In Death, atonement." He cited sombrely, "May the God-Emperor of Mankind guide your soul and may He welcome you to the Eternal Gates. Emperor, give me strength to carry out the deed, and Brother, grant me forgiveness for what I am about to do. Your duty is done, and I must now do mine."

With these solemn and profound words, he stood up, shouldered his lasgun and took aim.

"T-thank you…" Tohzan whispered.

The Kriegsman fired a singular shot to the head, finally ending the boy's suffering with a painless and instant death. He bowed his head and muttered a couple of words before joining his company.

Undertaker has just arrived, dropping out of his Juggernaut and making his way to Gunmetalstorm in a brisk jog. He crossed the Krieger and climbed up the Juggernaut. He stood still upon seeing that the final blow was already delivered. Quickly, he spun around and called the guardsman.

"Excuse me! Trooper!" The Kriegsman stopped and turned around, curiously watching the boy walking towards him. "Were you the one that ended his life?" He asked bluntly.

Hesitantly, the faceless soldier nodded, ready to accept the punishment for acting out of protocol. To his visible surprise, Shin extended his hand towards him. He firmly grasped the smaller hand and shook it.

"Thank you." Shin said, his tone soft and grateful. The Kriegsman nodded again and returned to his company. Shin tapped on his Para-Raid, unmuting the ear cuff. "To all platoons, return to base. I'll be back with Fido shortly."

"Roger," They replied stoically.

Shin ignored the incoming calls from Handler-1, wanting nothing more than finishing his duty before returning to base. After a couple of seconds, he conceded and answered the call.

"Undertaker, I wanted to-"

"Save it, Major," He interrupted her dryly, although he didn't mean to sound too harsh, "Sorry… it wasn't your fault, this was a surprise attack caused by the Cadians' sudden activity. We couldn't have predicted it, so don't mull over it,"

"…okay…" The Major replied meekly, "May I call you guys tonight?"

"Sure. We'll chat later tonight, Handler-1,"

"Okay… don't forget about the reports, don't mention about your new friends on the field, got it?"

"Of course, Major,"

There was a moment of silence, neither knowing what to say after nor did they want to end the call. As he reached Gunmetalstorm, Shin sighed heavily. "I'll end the call, if you don't mind, Major,"

"No, of course. Go ahead. Later, Undertaker,"

As the sun sets and the Imperial Guard has solidly planted its foot on the planet, General Farestein has gathered the guardsmen that fought in today's battle. He mounted on top of a Leman Russ battle tank and observed his men with a satisfied grin. He was proud of them. They have shown once more Cadian resilience and determination to overcome any threat the galaxy can throw at them.

"Guardsmen of the 501st!" His voice boomed over the stadium's field, "I want to personally congratulate you all for today's battle. You have managed to withstand and push back a large enemy force of rogue and corrupt machines that have plagued this world for well over a decade. Once again, you have fought and displayed bravery and loyalty far and above your calling as Guardsmen and have greatly honoured the traditions and history of this regiment. Our task remains however, for this war has now begun for us! I have pledged our forces to the aid of the Eighty-Six and to the rest of this planet. We will defeat the Legion and bring this world back into the Imperium. And although the Golden Throne of Terra orbits a distant star, far from here, the Emperor's hands are on your shoulders today. The Emperor protects and Cadia stands!"

"Cadia stands!" The companies replied with enthusiasm, their morale rejuvenated by the stirring speech.

"Regiment!" Commissar Darius bellowed, "Return to your duties!" He ordered sternly after the general descended from the Leman Russ.

As General Farestein marched to the HQ tent, the Navy liaison officer waited patiently for him at the entrance. "General, sir, milady Admiral Ravenkin requires your presence at Cadia's Requiem." He reported stiffly.

"When, lieutenant?"

"As soon as possible, general, sir,"

"Very well, call in a Valkyrie and we'll go shortly after," Farestein replied indifferently.

"Yes, sir!"

With the Legion defeated and currently licking their wounds, the Imperial Guard forces saw an influx of reinforcements, supply runs, and fortification works around the stadium, slowly turning the massive, abandoned infrastructure into a formidable fort.

While the Cadians worked in the fortifications, the soldiers of the Death Korps of Krieg took up sentry duties, defending the base from any Legion attacks. That night, everything was quiet on the Eastern front.