The Colonel had welcomed the Missionary and his Escort as was only normal, with a full lineup of his troops and vehicles. Short greetings were exchanged by all and discussions began. Isara watched with awe as the convent of Sisters of Battle, tall, armor-clad beauties that escorted the man in robes sat themselves down, to check the massive automatic rifles they held. To Isara, the armors were an oddity even greater than the Cadian tanks. The white-haired beauties that sat by the Cadian troopers, who seemed to pray to them, the Sisters of Battle readied their weapons.
Her gaze locked onto Matt, discussing with the woman that was leading them, as well as the man in the robe. She presumed they were talking about the current objectives that the oncoming Operation would entail. She turned her head toward the treeline, to the right of all of them and froze as she saw movement. A Cadian soldier, a rifleman, passed by her. She tapped him... Her, on the shoulder, then pointed toward where she saw the movement.
"Saw something, Corporal?" Asked the young girl, drawing her rifle. Isara nodded, eyes locked onto the spot. She saw the shaking branches of a bush, then a glint of light as a steel helmet poked up, followed by a scoped rifle. The Cadian Trooper gasped, noticing where it was aimed, then called out "Colonel! Canoness! Snipers in the treeline!"
The crack of a rifle echoed, followed by a loud ping. The Canoness had swiftly raised her armored gauntlet to halt the bullet, then pulled out her sword and yelled "It seems we aren't done yet! Enemy assault, incoming!" as the rumble of tracks echoed ahead.
Boltguns barked in greeting and Lasguns wailed, lighting the night a bright scarlet. The crack of an ally's sniper rifle echoed and the enemy Sniper collapsed, a shot between the eyes bringing his demise. One of the sisters cocked her head to see Marina, rifle still smoking as she re-cycled the bolt. Semi-automatic rifles joined the cannonade of Imperial Guard and Sororitas weapons as Alicia and her Scout squadron formed up. Volleys struck the advancing False Imp troops, forcing them into cover while Cadian and Gallian marksmen took to eliminating officers and counter-sniper teams.
The first East Imp vehicle to appear on the horizon was met with the brunt of a Vanquisher's massive shell. The massive, reinforced AP slug hit with enough force to split the tank in twain, followed by one of the unoccupied buildings in the back, only stopping after it crashed into the dirt. A False Imp APC crested the hill to the right, only to be met by two AT lance shots from Largo and one of his fellow Lancers.
Yuri's blade sang as she danced gracefully through the lines, painting a picture of blood and viscera with the edged weapon, while Nat marched behind her, firing her Las-Carbine at anything that still moved. Saoirse's Hellgun hollered its nightmarish howl as another squad of False Imps emerged from the treeline and Monyka simply stared at the enemies charging her and their existence ceased in one bleak moment of brightness.
The Colonel coordinated platoons from the front as more enemy tanks appeared down the main road, pushing through the rubble and corpses. Behind him, an odd dozen civilians stared at a young man, at the forefront of the defense, hollering orders at his brothers and sisters in arms, his pistol burning through ammo as he worked to keep the enemy at bay. Those that got close enough were met with his Power Sword, while, beside him, the Missionary spoke prayers to the Emperor as his Chain-weapon sputtered to life.
The Canoness's own power sword cut a path through the lines of seemingly-expendable Imperial troopers. She ceased counting her kills the moment she hit the tenth, right now just focusing on her whispered prayers as her blade did the work. Awed civilians stared at the armored soldiers of the Imperium, at the grandiose Adepta Sororitas and at the forces of the Gallian Militia as they held the line, defending the village from an onslaught of what they deemed to be a false empire attempting to conquer the land before them.
These men and women, who had so thoughtlessly given themselves to defending Gallia and these foreigners, armed to the teeth and there praising a 'True Imperium' and a seemingly benevolent god to unite all... Fighting in unison.
Irene Ellet sure found her favorite images in this battle. The Wall would have a lot of interesting stories to tell, but the most amazing of this one scene was probably the image of the Colonel, a young man, wielding his blade beside the woman they called a Canoness. She'd caught them together, blades drawn and swinging.
Alicia stepped up as the Edelweiss joined in on the defense, her AT Gun roaring. An Imp light tank in the convoy was blasted right in the track, disabling it just as another shot burst through the gun on the top turret, sending shrapnel flying down into the fighting compartment. The Shocktroops of the Seventh Platoon, lead by Rosie, formed up with the Cadian soldiers in the trenches, firing bursts of accurate automatic fire.
Rosie pulled a kid back by the collar just as a Sniper shot flew by his face, then dumped a mag in the direction of that sniper shot and said to the kid "Stay put, kiddo! Imps still have snipers around."
He gave a nod, took a knee and started blasting enemy cover with his Lasgun at max power. Alicia and two of her scouts joined Rosie, before calling out "They're really throwing everything and the kitchen sink at us!" garnering a chuckle out of a couple of the people there. She tilted her head to the right and said "The Lieutenant wants our teams to split in half and outflank them. We'll get two lancers each!"
"He wants us to flank, does he?" Rosie grinned "Alright! Nelson, take half of the scouts and Shock troops and go to the right! Flank the bastards! I'll go with the sarge on the left and we can pincer them!"
"Got it!" Edy grinned "Time to show you how the grey rose shines!"
"Oh, dammit, just go!" Rosie sighed. She saw a Cadian Squad with the same idea moving with them. Rosie and Alicia then formed up, moving together, before the Redhead turned to the Scout and said "Did you see the kid!? The Colonel, I mean! What the hell was up with him, staying out in the open like that?"
"Frankly, I don't know! He-Look out!"
Alicia shoved Rosie out of the way, followed by the team dodging as fast as they could, out of the way of a high-explosive anti-tank lance tip. A Cadian Lasgun crackled and the man's helmet boiled with him still wearing it. Nat sat there, carbine barrel smoking as she and Saoirse advanced. A wail of pain drew Alicia's and Rosie's attention away, toward a now-wounded Freesia, as a False Imperial tried to outflank them. Quick on the draw, Saoirse filled him full of lasbolts as she advanced.
Alicia and Susie looked to Freesia and the latter gasped. There was a laceration in her abdomen... And Alicia barely now noticed the bayonet on the Imp's rifle shining a deep scarlet. She took a knee beside Freesia, placed a hand on her shoulder and said "You'll be fine, Frees. Give me a minute." before pulling out a can of ragnaid and twisting the knob on the bottom. The blue crystal inside let its energy surge as the glass around it broke, wrapping around Freesia's wound and stabilizing it. Alicia saw it on the girl's face, she'd grown pale... Turning about, Alicia called out "Medic! We need a medic over here!"
And as if out of thin air, one of the three Gallian medics assigned to the platoon surged forth from behind cover, followed by two Cadian infantrymen, as well as a Cadian medic. Lasguns barked and any Imp attempting to snipe or otherwise injure the medics found himself facing ever-more-accurate laser and sniper fire. Marina, from the back of the line, had racked up another dozen kills so far, while the Sisters of Battle continued the onslaught of boltgun rounds and holy promethium.
Two grenades flew near the Colonel and the Canoness...
And it seemed the former knew soccer, kicking one of the pineapple-shaped explosives back toward the enemy, before pulling the Canoness back just as the second detonated. Shrapnel pinged off ceramite and carapace.
The return fire from the Chimera autocannons tore a squad to shreds as it attempted to push through the side. The Colonel murmured to himself "Emperor above, how many more pawns do they have to expend at their leisure?"
The Canoness chuckled darkly as she slashed with her power sword "The more the better, Colonel. Less heretics to deal with in the long run."
"Amen to that." Nodded Matias, raising his pistol and firing. He watched as the two squads of Gallians moved in to outflank the rest of the East Imp assault teams. After having tended to Freesia's wounds, the Medicae moved with them. He looked to Welkin, who had just now popped up out of his tank's cupola, then yelled "I do believe they're trying to stall us, Lieutenant! Think they're bringing something heavier to the mix?"
"Going by what they're doing to us, yeah, I'd think so!" Welkin responded.
"Well... Damn..." The Colonel murmured.
In another part of the forest, however...
Clad in scarlet armor and bearing odd equipment to the recruits of the Imperial Army, a regiment of soldiers too matching in size and gear marched forth, bearing a banner with words in Latin written on it at the front and dangerous fighting vehicles on the side. They were headed for the base under Radi Jaeger's command and the officer corps of this little unit had to admit that, while endearing, the East Imperials felt too much like the ones they fought on the Spinward Front.
Yet, when rumor passed through the lines of the East Empire, of soldiers clad in green with super-heavy vehicles and almost magical weapons, they knew who they were facing. Bearing the standard of Legio XV Praetorica, soldiers of the Severan Dominate marched forth. Cadians. Cadians on a backwater planet like this, fighting alongside the soldiers of Gallia. If anyone would ally with those of the Imperium, they were foes to the Dominate and that meant they were foes to them.
Sergeant Dercius knew this too well as he watched the Centurion's tank rolling past them, carrying shock troopers and specialized infantry with them. He watched them rolling off, to be the first to hammer at the Cadian forces and their newfound allies. Clutching his own lasgun of Dominate making, the trooper murmured to himself. He eyed the Eastern Imperials who gazed upon the Dominate's soldiers with fear and awe. And he eyed the civilians within the occupied town they marched through;youngsters, the lot of them. Most were also Darcsen.
To some degree, Dercius felt for the poor sods that were the Darcsens. Stripped of family names and many of the basic rights even a human in the Imperium would get, they were basically dust under the boots of the East Empire. To the people of these occupied villages, the soldiers of the Legio must've seemed like those of an ancient empire borne out of fire and risen again to wield weapons against them and their armies.
To the Cadians, Dercius wanted to think to himself, they would be their downfall. The arrogance of the Imperium was much of the reason the Severan Dominate split off from them and Cadians were no different, considering themselves their foe's best soldiers. Dercius would be one of the first ones to engage. He would take these bastards with him, for his people's sake...
Back to the team...
Matt kept up the advance, now pressing onto the enemy's defenses. The young Colonel waved forth an assault unit composed of about a dozen Cadians, plus however many Gallians decided to follow, into the fray. Lasgun fire greeted a False Imperial strike team that hauled LMGs to the battlefield. Bayonets met thin still plates and combat knives in battle, while Gallian rifles barked and bellowed, SMGs chattered and Sniper Rifles roared.
Colin sped forth with his own platoon, breaking through the door to a house and beginning a clearing op, door-to-door, room-to-room. Two Cadian troopers brought forth a Heavy Bolter, set it up and opened fire. The explosive-tipped high-caliber rounds burst through the walls, breaking apart enemy defenses and nailing Imp Elites trying to join in on the defense.
A Cadian rammed the butt of his Lasgun into the jaw of a False Imperial officer, while another guarded his comrade by keeping other Imps pinned with accurate Lasgun fire. Two more Cadians, one carrying a Flamer, marched forward toward an occupied house, kicking down the door and filling the halls with hot promethium. Due to the presure of the assault, the enemy's ranks broke into a disorganized rout, soldiers unsure of what order to follow in a clusterfuck of them.
A platoon surrendered in the face of a squad of Cadians, raising their hands high into the air and almost begging for their mercy. Shock crossed the face of Alicia, one of the many observants in the line, as she saw the kids shoulder their guns. Rushing ahead, the woman stepped in-between the line of soldiers, arms sprawled out and calling out "CEASE FIRE!" to them.
The troopers moved their fingers away from the triggers, staring at the woman with bemusement. The Sergeant commanding the squad showed her men to lower their weapons, before she took a step forth to Alicia and asked "What're you doing, Sergeant Melchiott?"
"What are you doing trying to execute prisoners?!" The woman demanded, almost horrified that a girl younger than her was asking that.
"Can't afford to take prisoners out here, Sarge. Plus, I'd figure you know us already." The kid explained. She saw the stern look in the woman's eyes, combined with surprise, then she hummed and said "Flank around, boys! We're taking out the retreating bastards!" before turning to Alicia and adding venomously "You can keep'em, Sergeant." as she ran past her.
The Sergeant rubbed the back of her neck, dumbfound at the ferocity with which these kids continued the assault. She watched Welkin's tank roll up behind her, then asked "Did you see that?" and was answered with a nod from the man leading their Squad. Rosie and the others joined up in the middle of the village as allied infantry rolled over the enemy's last remaining positions with disregard.
"They really ain't taking any shit." Rosie noted
"I like'em." Smirked Jane, slinging her SMG onto her back, "Just my style of gang."
"Heh. Their artillery's pretty swell, too." Wendy commented, leaning against the Edelweiss and watching a heavy weapons team moving up with an Autocannon. Past them, behind a destroyed wall, they saw Marina, eyeing down a target through her scope. A squeeze of the trigger and the shot, though muffled by advancing armor, probably took the cap off another infantryman.
She looked to the gathered squad, slung her rifle on her back, stood up and walked to them. Largo hummed, then said "You're still scary, kid."
"Thank you." The girl said absentmindedly, loading fresh rounds onto her 3-shot stripper clips. A few of the squad's members chuckled at the exchange, then watched the last of the Cadian tanks, including artillery, entering the town. It looked like this was the next place they were gonna dig in and secure. Every day, a few kilometers closer to their objective. This was a long-winded operation, so it made sense.
Almost an hour after the fight to secure this village, apparently called Staver, the Colonel had taken residence in one of the local abandoned houses. Radio contact with Command told him they'd need to hold the line for a bit so the rest of the main force could catch up with the 3rd Militia and the 13th Cadian. The house itself was a two-story building with some nice decorations that mostly involved wood floors and some panels, as well as furniture that you'd usually see in a cabin within Cadia's pine forests.
He pulled a book off of a shelf, propping it open and skimming over some of the lines inside. He sighed, closing the book and setting it back into place. The people who lived here would probably not want him to snoop around, provided they were still alive. He walked into another room, through a pair of glass and wood doors, turning his head to the right to see a photograph in black and white and sat on the desk. This must've been the study. The photo itself was of a 25-year-old man with his Darcsen wife and their children, laughing and enjoying themselves. He hummed, then sat himself down at the desk and pulled out the booklet containing the list of names for his Regiment.
He set it down and opened it, looking over each name. He crossed out some of the ones who had died and had to be buried, but the booklet was thick. 25,000 names per total, with only 5,000 odd of them on Gallian soil. He still prayed to the Emperor that, perhaps, he'd find them walking the countryside so they could rally up. Still, 20,000 was a lot to find.
He heard boots hitting the wood floor. Quickly closing the book and sliding it back into one of his pockets, he saw Isara walking into the place. She browsed some of the books the people had here and smiled, seeing one of them. That same book he'd gotten out, she took and opened. He found himself smiling as well, watching as the girl stepped through those same doors, so enamored by the book that she nearly tripped when entering. Nearly being an imperative world as Matt had been there to catch her just in time.
"Oh..." She blushed "Hey, Col... Matt."
"Hello to you as well, Isara." He nodded, blushing too "You alright?"
"Y-Yeah..." She nodded. The two stepped back, awkwardly, with the Colonel averting his gaze and rubbing the back of his neck.
"So..." Matt tried to break the ice normally this time "Do you like that particular book?"
"Oh..." She looked down at the book she cradled in her arms like a silly schoolgirl standing face to face with her crush. With a hefty blush that she tried to suppress at the thought, but failed, she nodded and said "Yes. It's... It was the book that my and Welkin's father would read to us from. Got us fast asleep immediately after." then she chuckled, the memory coming to her.
"Your father sounds wholesome." Matt quipped.
"Yeah. He was." Isara nodded "He took me in after my biological father died after all. Raised me as his own."
"Mhm... I never met my father." The Colonel spoke, rubbing the back of his neck, "Closest thing I and my sister had to a father was our drill sergeant."
Isara chuckled "That must've been a strict childhood..." Then she got flustered and embarrassed, realizing what she just did, "I'm sorry, I-"
The Colonel raised a hand, then said with a smile "It was a rough one, yeah. But I and my sis made it through alright."
Isara hummed, then started "You never mentioned you had a sister, I don't think. At least not to me." as she and Matt sat themselves down on the couch nearby.
"No, probably not." He shrugged while Isara set the book down on the table in front.
She asked "Well... How was she?" a smile on her face.
"Oh, she was amazing. Surprisingly good cook for being a military brat, always made our rations taste better somehow. She was also a helluva tracker, great with spatial orientation and the boys and girls of the Regiment respected her. She'd earned it too, led so many patrols out into the Cadian wilderness to find cults that they wanted to make her an honorary Inquisitor." Matt recounted jovially, thinking back to the amount of stupid things the two Telos siblings had done.
"Heh. How was she to you? I mean... Outside of the whole officer and training thing." Isara then asked, watching and gauging the boy's reactions.
He stood there for a moment, lost in thought, before answering "... Best sister one could ask for. We had our scuffles, as siblings do, but we usually came out of them with dumb smiles on our faces while we were getting chewed out by the DIs. We pulled pranks on fellow cadets when we could and, on days off, she'd usually take me to get some actual proper food. We did have places that grew our PDF's food, so we also raided officers' pantries for coffee if she really craved it. We did a lot of dumb things while Cadia was still our home..."
"Sorry..." The blue-eyed, blue-haired girl apologized
He shrugged and waved it off, smiling again "It's fine. Remembering the good times is one of the reasons so many of my Regiment still goes on."
"Very brave of all of you. And thanks... For helping us." She smiled back.
"We wouldn't be human if we did not help our fellows. Plus, the East Imps kind of asked for it." He chuckled, being joined by Isara moments later. The two sat and recounted memories of the past about their lives, with what kind of shenanigans they'd gotten involved in. Isara, of course, felt like she had less interesting stories than a boy that was older only by a bit, but that had seen enough combat to put him up there with veterans. Matt, meanwhile, felt much the same, since normalcy seemed so nice to him. That, or it was just Isara's way of telling stories that felt... Calming.
... The war be damned, he could've sat there and listened to her for days without getting bored.