Heresy goes BLAM!

“Sister Sila?!” Jacobus was caught off guard by the embrace, but returned it joyfully. “By the Throne, when I saw the colors of the Sacred Rose, I thought perhaps I could get news of you, but to see you here!” Jacobus’ face twisted momentarily into a glare at the gawking soldiers, which set them right back to work. His glower returned to a smile as Sila straightened out his uniform. “We’re getting the band back together again!”

He looked to both Malleus and Sila. “As much as I’d like to talk about where you both have been and what you’ve been up to, I’m afraid we still have a xenos infestation to deal with.” He waved a hand in the direction of the city. “Perhaps we could discuss it better at the Guard command center. Oh, and as I’m sure my communications officer relayed to you, the buildings with the yellow X’s are to be avoided, we’ve placed explosive surprises for the xenos in them.”

The three make their way to the command center, passing fortified buildings with lasguns and heavy weapons protruding from windows. As they enter the command center, Sergeant Hiras snapped a salute to Colbert, then widened her eyes at the Space Marine and Sister of Battle. “Lord Malleus! Sister Sila! I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m glad to see you both again!” She bowed, then turned to Jacobus. “The prisoner is awaiting you, Lord Commissar. We’ve established that he speaks Low Gothic, but that’s about it.” Jacobus nodded in response.

“Varius! Go over our strategy with our old friends. I’m going to make that xenos sing.” The Gunnery Sergeant saluted Jacobus, then bowed to the Sister and Astartes.

“My lord, my lady, welcome to Ceral, largest city on Connat, and home to the planet’s Astropathic Choir. Before you arrived, the plan was a defense-in-depth, with the aim of eventually bringing the xenos into the city, where we could negate their ranged advantage with the terrain. We’ve booby-trapped some buildings, fortified others, hidden some tanks in garages and storage facilities for ambushes, and formed our light infantry into small, mobile assault teams for house-to-house fighting. We’ve blunted their assault at the line, with your help, but the center regiment was devastated. We’re in the process of pulling the remaining line infantry back into the city to hold strongpoints. Any questions or concerns, my lord and lady?”

The Chapter Master smiled to Hiras as the trio passed. “Aye, I remember you, Sergeant. Good to see you’re keeping our Lord Commissar alive.” The command center reminded him of his time as a scout, the dim glow of the lights and the cold stone walls making him almost wistful.

Malleus nodded in consideration of the plan laid before them. While he often preferred to be at the head of strategic efforts, he ceded that the Confessors had moved into action more on impulse than prior knowledge, so Connat itself was something of a mystery to them. “Nothing from me, soldier. The Emperor’s Confessors are here in more of a support role this time. Point us where we’re needed and tell us what needs to be done. If you require additional armour, we have Rhinos and Dreadnoughts available.” There was a chime in his ear. “Pardon me,” he raised a hand to Varius as he stepped away. “Go ahead.”

“Thank the Emperor, I wasn’t sure I was going to get through again,” the Saint’s captain sounded quite relieved. Raised voices were audibly in the background, but the alarms had ceased, so Mal was counting his blessings. “The Tau have drawn back for the moment, Chapter Master, but pursuit wasn’t an option; we’ve sustained damage, not so much as to cripple The Saint, but enough that it requires attention. Some fatalities among the serfs, and a few casualties among the other crew. Fury have returned, undergoing repairs, and The Saint itself is still in orbit.”

“Understood, captain. Make sure to prioritise recovery, no doubt the Xenos will return and we need to dissuade a second attempt at combat. Emperor willing, this incursion will be ended quickly, and we’ll need to be away as soon as we can. Keep Breaker and Fury on standby, along with the Rhinos and the Dreadnoughts, the whole lot might be required for siege breaking and further transport.”

Jacobus emerged from the doorway, tau blood on his hands. “Well, I doubt we’re getting much more out of that alien. I did manage to extract the fact that the presence of Space Marines and Sisters of Battle threw a wrench into their plans, they thought they were facing a lightly defended agri-world. We now now more about their composition, as well. They have yet to deploy their Kroot and Vespid auxiliaries, or their broadside battlesuits. What’s more, we’ve learned that there one of their ethereals has command of the coalition, and he remains at their first landing point.”

Varius snapped a salute to the Lord Commissar. “My lord, your original plan has been met with approval. I think it best we stick to the tactic of bringing them into the city. Their broadsides and riflemen will be easily ambushed in the city environment, leaving only the Kroot and the Vespids to threaten our infantry.”

Colbert nodded. “Get Teryan on the vox, I want to know the status of our tanks.” The vox officer worked furiously, and handed his headset to the commissar. “General Teryan, what is your status?” Jacobus heard cheers in the background.

“This is the general, we’ve routed their armor, thanks to the Astartes air support and Sororitas armor. Our tanks have a free hand on Connat now. Where are we needed?”

Jacobus nodded at the question. “Sector command, in their infinite wisdom, has ordered us to take this hive as intact as possible. It doesn’t have nearly the output of a forge world, but there are several manufactorums in the hive, including one that builds tanks. We’ll only be bombarding the outer positions. Fire missions after the initial assault will be denied if they are called on any of the production facilities. We’re going to isolate and bypass them if they’ve been fortified by the enemy. A notable exception is the PDF armory.” The armory was highlighted on the map. “If we can’t capture it, we’ll destroy it, denying the cultists whatever weapons they haven’t looted.” He highlighted the underhive on the map. “It’s also likely that the brood lord is hiding in the underhive, as that has been the pattern of behavior noted in other cults. A bombardment likely won’t reach that far into the hive, so we’ll have to go in. To this end, we’re keeping the light infantry regiments in reserve, they’ll invade the underhive after we’ve got a foothold in the city. Gangs abound down there, potentially hostile, but also potential allies, as I doubt they think the cultists are their friends. Further concerns?”

“No further concerns.”  None that needed to be brought up in front of other officers anyway.  “The legion will serve as directed, issued what weapons are available.  Use their lives carefully Lord Commissar.  Even their lives have value.”

Jacobus nodded at the question. “Sector command, in their infinite wisdom, has ordered us to take this hive as intact as possible. It doesn’t have nearly the output of a forge world, but there are several manufactorums in the hive, including one that builds tanks. We’ll only be bombarding the outer positions. Fire missions after the initial assault will be denied if they are called on any of the production facilities. We’re going to isolate and bypass them if they’ve been fortified by the enemy. A notable exception is the PDF armory.” The armory was highlighted on the map. “If we can’t capture it, we’ll destroy it, denying the cultists whatever weapons they haven’t looted.” He highlighted the underhive on the map. “It’s also likely that the brood lord is hiding in the underhive, as that has been the pattern of behavior noted in other cults. A bombardment likely won’t reach that far into the hive, so we’ll have to go in. To this end, we’re keeping the light infantry regiments in reserve, they’ll invade the underhive after we’ve got a foothold in the city. Gangs abound down there, potentially hostile, but also potential allies, as I doubt they think the cultists are their friends. Further concerns?”

“No further concerns.”  None that needed to be brought up in front of other officers anyway.  “The legion will serve as directed, issued what weapons are available.  Use their lives carefully Lord Commissar.  Even their lives have value.”

Jacobus nodded at the question. “Sector command, in their infinite wisdom, has ordered us to take this hive as intact as possible. It doesn’t have nearly the output of a forge world, but there are several manufactorums in the hive, including one that builds tanks. We’ll only be bombarding the outer positions. Fire missions after the initial assault will be denied if they are called on any of the production facilities. We’re going to isolate and bypass them if they’ve been fortified by the enemy. A notable exception is the PDF armory.” The armory was highlighted on the map. “If we can’t capture it, we’ll destroy it, denying the cultists whatever weapons they haven’t looted.” He highlighted the underhive on the map. “It’s also likely that the brood lord is hiding in the underhive, as that has been the pattern of behavior noted in other cults. A bombardment likely won’t reach that far into the hive, so we’ll have to go in. To this end, we’re keeping the light infantry regiments in reserve, they’ll invade the underhive after we’ve got a foothold in the city. Gangs abound down there, potentially hostile, but also potential allies, as I doubt they think the cultists are their friends. Further concerns?”

“No further concerns.”  None that needed to be brought up in front of other officers anyway.  “The legion will serve as directed, issued what weapons are available.  Use their lives carefully Lord Commissar.  Even their lives have value.”

Jacobus pondered the map of the rebel hive on Orim. The rebels had renounced the Emperor in favor of what they called the “Great Wyrm.” When they first rebelled, they were armed with simple autoguns, but after capturing the local PDF armory, they were well stocked with lasguns, tanks, and sentinels. The rebels had soon slaughtered the ruling council of Orim and even the Astropathic choir, but not before the choir sent a message of distress to sector command. Colbert expected the rebels to be well entrenched by now, and any attempt to dislodge the rebels would result in costly guard casualties.

Jacobus pondered the map of the rebel hive on Orim. The rebels had renounced the Emperor in favor of what they called the “Great Wyrm.” When they first rebelled, they were armed with simple autoguns, but after capturing the local PDF armory, they were well stocked with lasguns, tanks, and sentinels. The rebels had soon slaughtered the ruling council of Orim and even the Astropathic choir, but not before the choir sent a message of distress to sector command. Colbert expected the rebels to be well entrenched by now, and any attempt to dislodge the rebels would result in costly guard casualties.

“Flamers! Advance! Press our advantage, pick off the stragglers, push them back!” Came Sila’s command over the vox, her flamers came to the fore, the reek of promethium coming with them and they began to wash the battle field with the blessed flames, xenos flesh bubbling from within armour and nech suits. A no so lucky fire warrior found itself isolated from it comrades and face to face with Sila, it’s side arm came up and it managed to get a couple shots off, clipping her thigh and chest armour, Sila ducked and charged the xenos, unable to mag clamp her bolter away in such a short time she used it’s bulky form as blugeon to smash the weapon from the tau’s hands, striking again quickly at it’s chest to send it stumbling backwards so she could unleash a tight burst of shots at it’s center of mass, it’s matter splattering the ground as it’s form crumpled to a heap.

Scanning the field she picked out a commissar leading from the front, their back turned so she couldn’t make out the face, but stance and behaviour seemed familiar, an eyebrow quirked before her gaze was pulled elsewhere, enemy elements were retreating, fighting the whole way, and the guardsmen were chasing them down. But if they over stretched their line would weaken. “Reinforce the guard line, strengthen and push the xenos back, Give No Ground.”

In what seemed like a heartbeat, it was done; the Tau were routed, either dead or dying, and the Confessors took it upon themselves to finish the ones lacking the good sense to die immediately. Vaeger had the scouts do the same, and a wide spread of smiles emerged as they realised that soon they would be scouts no longer. Malleus picked himself up from the shattered remnants of another stealth suit, a couple of devastated plates sliding from the armour as he moved. The Chapter Master breathed heavily through his vox grille, the adrenaline zen slowly dumping from his brain. As he returned to his consciousness, his eyes scanned the ruined, still-burning field for the Lord Commissar, whose voice he could have sworn he recognised.

Locating the peaked cap, he approached at a quick stride and pulled off his helmet as he drew up to the man. “Jacobus? Jacobus Colbert? Is it truly you, Commissar?” The corners of the Marine’s mouth curled into a grin. “It’s been some time, Lord Commissar, glad to see you still fight, and viciously, as ever.” He called over to Vicon. “See that the Guardsmen are aided and reinforced however necessary, brother. They’ve dealt a blow today.”

He heard what sounded like a familiar voice come from behind. “My lord Malleus?” He grinned back at the Chapter Master. “It has been too long, my lord. It’s an honor to fight alongside you again!” He nodded in response to the Astartes’ orders. “My thanks, sir. Now we’ve got a fighting chance to destroy these xenos once and for all.”

Araleth Hiras called out to the commissar. “Lord Commissar! We’ve found a live one.”

He looked to both Malleus and Sila. “As much as I’d like to talk about where you both have been and what you’ve been up to, I’m afraid we still have a xenos infestation to deal with.” He waved a hand in the direction of the city. “Perhaps we could discuss it better at the Guard command center. Oh, and as I’m sure my communications officer relayed to you, the buildings with the yellow X’s are to be avoided, we’ve placed explosive surprises for the xenos in them.”

The three make their way to the command center, passing fortified buildings with lasguns and heavy weapons protruding from windows. As they enter the command center, Sergeant Hiras snapped a salute to Colbert, then widened her eyes at the Space Marine and Sister of Battle. “Lord Malleus! Sister Sila! I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m glad to see you both again!” She bowed, then turned to Jacobus. “The prisoner is awaiting you, Lord Commissar. We’ve established that he speaks Low Gothic, but that’s about it.” Jacobus nodded in response.

“Varius! Go over our strategy with our old friends. I’m going to make that xenos sing.” The Gunnery Sergeant saluted Jacobus, then bowed to the Sister and Astartes.

“Flamers! Advance! Press our advantage, pick off the stragglers, push them back!” Came Sila’s command over the vox, her flamers came to the fore, the reek of promethium coming with them and they began to wash the battle field with the blessed flames, xenos flesh bubbling from within armour and nech suits. A no so lucky fire warrior found itself isolated from it comrades and face to face with Sila, it’s side arm came up and it managed to get a couple shots off, clipping her thigh and chest armour, Sila ducked and charged the xenos, unable to mag clamp her bolter away in such a short time she used it’s bulky form as blugeon to smash the weapon from the tau’s hands, striking again quickly at it’s chest to send it stumbling backwards so she could unleash a tight burst of shots at it’s center of mass, it’s matter splattering the ground as it’s form crumpled to a heap.

Scanning the field she picked out a commissar leading from the front, their back turned so she couldn’t make out the face, but stance and behaviour seemed familiar, an eyebrow quirked before her gaze was pulled elsewhere, enemy elements were retreating, fighting the whole way, and the guardsmen were chasing them down. But if they over stretched their line would weaken. “Reinforce the guard line, strengthen and push the xenos back, Give No Ground.”

In what seemed like a heartbeat, it was done; the Tau were routed, either dead or dying, and the Confessors took it upon themselves to finish the ones lacking the good sense to die immediately. Vaeger had the scouts do the same, and a wide spread of smiles emerged as they realised that soon they would be scouts no longer. Malleus picked himself up from the shattered remnants of another stealth suit, a couple of devastated plates sliding from the armour as he moved. The Chapter Master breathed heavily through his vox grille, the adrenaline zen slowly dumping from his brain. As he returned to his consciousness, his eyes scanned the ruined, still-burning field for the Lord Commissar, whose voice he could have sworn he recognised.

Locating the peaked cap, he approached at a quick stride and pulled off his helmet as he drew up to the man. “Jacobus? Jacobus Colbert? Is it truly you, Commissar?” The corners of the Marine’s mouth curled into a grin. “It’s been some time, Lord Commissar, glad to see you still fight, and viciously, as ever.” He called over to Vicon. “See that the Guardsmen are aided and reinforced however necessary, brother. They’ve dealt a blow today.”

He heard what sounded like a familiar voice come from behind. “My lord Malleus?” He grinned back at the Chapter Master. “It has been too long, my lord. It’s an honor to fight alongside you again!” He nodded in response to the Astartes’ orders. “My thanks, sir. Now we’ve got a fighting chance to destroy these xenos once and for all.”

Araleth Hiras called out to the commissar. “Lord Commissar! We’ve found a live one.”

General Teryan looked at the sky from the cupola of his Leman Russ. A Sun Shark bomber was bearing down on his convoy now. He turned the pintle-mounted storm bolter towards the oncoming aircraft, firing desperately. Just then, the sound of heavy bolters punctured the air, and the Tau bomber burst into flames, crashing a few yards to the left of the convoy. A Stormhawk interceptor in the colors of the Emperor’s Confessors chapter flew past the convoy, bringing others in its wake as they tore through the offending xenos aircraft. Looking back to the convoy, he saw several armored vehicles in the colors of the Order of the Sacred Rose engaging the enemy tanks. Multi-meltas and heavy flamers turned Hammerhead gunships into burning scrap metal. The General could hear cheers over his com-link. He couldn’t help but smile himself.

“Many thanks for the assist, my lords and ladies. What do you say we turn this retreat into a counter-attack? If we can take out their armored forces, the infantry at Ceral will stand a better chance.”

Meanwhile, at the Imperial lines around Ceral, the guardsmen were ready for the battle to finally come to them. A heavy bolter gunner spotted the Space Marine scouts moving hurridly back to their lines, a wave of Tau infantry and Drones following close behind them. “Get word to the mortars! Tell them to drop some smoke shells behind those scouts!” The mortar officer read out the coordinates, then the teams sent smoke shells flying to hit just behind the Space Marines.

The gunner also noticed a strange sight. The air in a particular spot seemed to shimmer in the daylight. He pointed this out to Corporal Ises, who also was there in preparation or the fighting, and who knew exactly what that shimmer meant!

“STEALTH SUITS!” she cried and opened fire on the nearest anomaly, which crackled with static and fell to the ground, visible as a Tau battlesuit. Other stealth suits appeared and decloaked extremely close to the trench, which lit up with plasma and las fire.

The thunder of armoured warriors broke over the din of gunfire and screams as the Confessors and the Sacred Rose rushed the line, their own roars filtering through vox grilles to somehow sound even more fearsome. Malleus took the head of the attack with Sila close behind, the adrenaline coursing through him as he sighted the enemy. Let them know repentance through death, Malleus told himself as he stamped past the forward-most Guardsmen, emerging wraith-like through the smoke grenades, and threw himself shoulder-first into one of the Tau, sending the pair towards the ground with a whine of grinding metal. The Chapter Master was already a flurry of fists and chainsword teeth before they had even come to rest, the Tau crumpling under his superior weight and reaching a rather undignified end, lacking the wherewithall to defend itself against the sudden attack.

Sila’s forces stopped short of the trench edges and unleashed bolter rounds into the stealth suits that hadn’t been smashed to the ground by the Confessors. The return fire from the tau started to graze the front line, a sister was twisted around as a pulse rifle shot took her in the shoulder, she ended up in a kneeling crouch, bringing her bolter up to bare she unleashed round into the xenos troops. Sororitas with flamers slung their weapons their usefulness not yet within reach and opened fire with their sidearms.

Corporal Lysandra Ises let loose another burst from her heavy bolter, turning a Tau warrior to a bloody pulp. Behind her, Ace blasted a Stealth Tau with his shotgun. Guardsmen at this section of the line fought ferociously, all the more because of the legendary warriors they fought beside. The singing of the Sororitas had a calming effect on the guardsmen, who fought all the more disciplined thanks to their quieted minds. The sight of fully armored Astartes barreling into the Tau lit a fire in the guardsmen had no small impact on morale as well. Bayonets found their way into Tau flesh, and lasbolts found their mark. Yet the Tau kept coming, and more fire warriors began pouring pulse fire into the Imperial line. Drones appeared in the air above the guardsmen, firing into the trenches with deadly accuracy.

Jacobus had assigned Colonel Maclir of the Varam line regiment as the coordinator of the army in his absence. As great an impact as the Sororitas and Astartes had on the guardsmen, he knew this was where the tau were aiming to punch through, and they needed every advantage they could get.

No sooner had Jacobus saluted the scout sergeant than one of the vox-operators frantically tried to get his attention. “Sir! You’re going to want to hear this!” Jacobus rushed to the vox unit and immediately put on a pair of headphones. The color drained from his face as he heard General Teryan’s panicked voice on the other end of the line.

“Teryan here! We’ve been found out! They landed Hammerheads not far from our armored depot and they’re tearing our armor apart. Many of the tank crews couldn’t make it to their tanks in time. We’re making a fighting retreat to Ceral, but they’ve brought Sun Sharks to hit our columns from the air! We need-Feth! Here they come again!” Jacobus heard the unmistakable sound of exploding tanks on the other end of the line. “I don’t know if we’ll make it to the city! We need support! Out.” The line closed. Jacobus tore off the headphones. Another guardsman at a separate vox unit also got Colbert’s attention.

“Sir! We’ve spotted a landing party at the point we designated as the most likely xenos landing zone! They’re offloading infantry and drones, they’ll be on us in less than an hour!”

“Feth.” Jacobus spat. “They must have hidden in the asteroid field on the other side of the planet. Now they’re probably sending Orcas to land troops to attack the capital and hover tanks to attack our reserves. Get the Space Marine commander on the vox! Tell him we are humbly requesting any dogfighting aircraft be sent to the coordinates of our armored regiments retreat path! And you! Get all guardsmen to their fighting positions! We’re in it now, boys and girls!”

In orbit, the Tau fleet emerged from the other side of the planet, some ships making their way to attack the Astartes battle barge.

“Chapter Master, this is The Saint.” A female voice spoke into Malleus’ head. She sounded concerned. “Tau ships detected in Connat’s vicinity.”

The Marine’s eyes widened. “What?! How-”

“Asteroid field, sir.” The blare of sirens punctuated the seriousness of her tone. “All hands are moving to their stations.”

“Bring them down, Captain. Even if they hold us off down here, they will have no escape and no assistance from above, do you hear me?”

“Always, Chapter Master. Vae victis.” The line closed and Malleus opened the one to the forward scouts.

“Vaeger, co-” He was answered by the chunk of bolters and the cracking report of shotguns.

“Already found them, Chapter Master! Caught them off-loading equip- Reegan, watch your left, cut down those damn Xenos! We’re doing damage here, Malleus, but we loaded for reconnaisance, not a full firefight!” Plasma bolts whizzed past Vaeger as he spoke.

“Send us your coordinates and pull back, Vaeger! Second Company will rotate and keep the pressure on them!”

“Aye, Chapter Master, moving now! Keep the fire up and your heads low, the Chapter Master wants us ou-” The vox channel dropped out. Malleus hoped that the loss of communication was only temporary. He turned to Sila.

“Found them. Down here and up in orbit. Bastards were sitting in an asteroid field and the scouts have just located a drop zone, equipment and personnel both.”

It was Vicon’s turn to shout up from across the makeshift yard in the middle of the base. “Malleus, vox from the Guard! They’re requesting air support to cover their armour, as soon as possible!”

“Many thanks for the assist, my lords and ladies. What do you say we turn this retreat into a counter-attack? If we can take out their armored forces, the infantry at Ceral will stand a better chance.”

Meanwhile, at the Imperial lines around Ceral, the guardsmen were ready for the battle to finally come to them. A heavy bolter gunner spotted the Space Marine scouts moving hurridly back to their lines, a wave of Tau infantry and Drones following close behind them. “Get word to the mortars! Tell them to drop some smoke shells behind those scouts!” The mortar officer read out the coordinates, then the teams sent smoke shells flying to hit just behind the Space Marines.

The gunner also noticed a strange sight. The air in a particular spot seemed to shimmer in the daylight. He pointed this out to Corporal Ises, who also was there in preparation or the fighting, and who knew exactly what that shimmer meant! 

Jacobus busied himself overseeing preparations for what he anticipated to be a bloody battle against cunning alien opponents. He had advised the general to deploy the 22nd Varam Line infantry in defensive positions around the capital, Ceral. He chuckled in spite of himself. This city would barely qualify as a neighborhood in the great hives that Jacobus had seen in his career. The other two line infantry regiments, the 63rd Namar and the 9th Cetrati, were to guard the flanks of the Varamites. General Teryan had deployed the two light infantry regiments, the 7th and 80th Marathis, within the city, which had been largely evacuated.

Jacobus’ own inner circle were hard at work as well. Gunnery Sergeant Varius Nerus was seeing to the fortification effort around the city, barking orders and pitching in as needed. Corporal Lysandra Ises was seeing to the heavy weapons deployments within the city, ensuring every street was covered with a heavy bolter or autocannon. Sergeant Araleth Hiras was preparing homes for the fighting that was sure to come, marking the booby-trapped buildings with a yellow painted X. Corporal Silas Korlus, also known as “Ace” was assigned a special role. He was in charge of concealing the tanks of the 54th and 71st Corol Armored regiments. Several garages concealed about two companies’ worth of tanks within the city itself, but the bulk of the armored vehicles were stationed far from the city and the likely landing site of the Tau. General Teryan would personally lead this armored group to strike at the enemy’s rear echelons and landing site to relieve forces that would likely be fighting within the city itself.

Jacobus sighed. He had done what he could. Preparations would likely be finished by the time the Tau landed, but how long could they hold out? Not long, save for intervention by the Emperor himself.

But some Space Marines or Sisters of Battle would be fine if they happened to show up to. Colbert laughed at the thought. “If only, if only.”

The first Thunderhawk roared into the atmosphere with its payload of scouts. The pilot opened a vox channel to the second craft. “Approaching landing zone… no hostiles… no locals, either…” It touched down. “Deploying now.” The scouts disembarked and the Sergeant leading them tapped into the same channel. “Green light, Breaker Two. Are you deploying immediately, or do you want a report first?” Entry at night had certainly ended up being the better choice. Between that and Sila’s amended landing point, the scouts would have little trouble carrying out their duties. There was a collective clack as the group checked their armaments, bolters and shotguns as befitting the chapter’s combat doctrine, along with the odd strap being adjusted on armour.

“Breaker Two here,” the pilot of the second Thunderhawk responded. “Negative, Sergeant, we’ll be right on your heels. Landing in two minutes.” The eagerness was palpable among the passengers aboard Breaker Two, the Thunderhawk carrying the veteran contingent of the Second Company, along with their Chapter Master. Breaker Two was followed by another four Thunderhawks, two carrying an additional force of Confessors, and the other two transporting the Sororitas who had chosen to be part of the action.

Sure enough, two minutes later, the four vessels had set down and their cargo emptied from within. A group of Marines and Sisters got to work setting up the planned forward base, the intent being to first establish contact with any military presence in the area. “Chapter Master, Scout Sergeant Vaeger,” a voice mumured in Malleus’ ear.

“Talk to me, Sergeant. What do you see?”

“About an hour out from our landing zone. We see Imperial uniforms; Guardsmen, from the looks of it. Armour’s intact, looks like we might be boots-on-the-ground before the Xenos.”

Malleus heaved a relieved sigh. It sounded as though they wouldn’t have to be traipsing across the entire planet after all. “Good. Make contact, Sergeant. No doubt they saw us coming in, but we should link up all the same, no reason to make the situation any trickier.”

Varius Nerus widened his eyes in surprise. He stepped up to a firing platform, and sure enough, several Space Marine scouts were making their way toward the fortification, weapons holstered. “Welcome to Connat, my lords! If it pleases you, I’m sure the Lord Commissar will want to know of your arrival. I’ll show you the way.”

“Communications are live, Scout Sergeant. Status?” The voice was Vicon’s. Vaeger put a finger to his ear.

“The Lord Commissar has taken us through his plan. Seems sound enough. Their man has us linked into their network, so he should be able to go over the strategy with you. Is the forward base operational?”

“Aye. The Chapter Master’s teeth are itching at the thought that this whole thing might be drawn out, but we’re as ready as we need to be.”

“Good. Should we remain with the Guardsmen, or would we be best off continuing on?”

Malleus interjected. “Carry on, Vaeger. While our friends may have a sense of the problem, I’d like to ensure our knowledge is as up-to-date as possible. If the Guardsmen wish to send a squad to liaise in person, mark our position for them. Either way, push on.”

“Teryan here! We’ve been found out! They landed Hammerheads not far from our armored depot and they’re tearing our armor apart. Many of the tank crews couldn’t make it to their tanks in time. We’re making a fighting retreat to Ceral, but they’ve brought Sun Sharks to hit our columns from the air! We need-Feth! Here they come again!” Jacobus heard the unmistakable sound of exploding tanks on the other end of the line. “I don’t know if we’ll make it to the city! We need support! Out.” The line closed. Jacobus tore off the headphones. Another guardsman at a separate vox unit also got Colbert’s attention.

“Sir! We’ve spotted a landing party at the point we designated as the most likely xenos landing zone! They’re offloading infantry and drones, they’ll be on us in less than an hour!”

“Feth.” Jacobus spat. “They must have hidden in the asteroid field on the other side of the planet. Now they’re probably sending Orcas to land troops to attack the capital and hover tanks to attack our reserves. Get the Space Marine commander on the vox! Tell him we are humbly requesting any dogfighting aircraft be sent to the coordinates of our armored regiments retreat path! And you! Get all guardsmen to their fighting positions! We’re in it now, boys and girls!”

Jacobus busied himself overseeing preparations for what he anticipated to be a bloody battle against cunning alien opponents. He had advised the general to deploy the 22nd Varam Line infantry in defensive positions around the capital, Ceral. He chuckled in spite of himself. This city would barely qualify as a neighborhood in the great hives that Jacobus had seen in his career. The other two line infantry regiments, the 63rd Namar and the 9th Cetrati, were to guard the flanks of the Varamites. General Teryan had deployed the two light infantry regiments, the 7th and 80th Marathis, within the city, which had been largely evacuated.

Jacobus’ own inner circle were hard at work as well. Gunnery Sergeant Varius Nerus was seeing to the fortification effort around the city, barking orders and pitching in as needed. Corporal Lysandra Ises was seeing to the heavy weapons deployments within the city, ensuring every street was covered with a heavy bolter or autocannon. Sergeant Araleth Hiras was preparing homes for the fighting that was sure to come, marking the booby-trapped buildings with a yellow painted X. Corporal Silas Korlus, also known as “Ace” was assigned a special role. He was in charge of concealing the tanks of the 54th and 71st Corol Armored regiments. Several garages concealed about two companies’ worth of tanks within the city itself, but the bulk of the armored vehicles were stationed far from the city and the likely landing site of the Tau. General Teryan would personally lead this armored group to strike at the enemy’s rear echelons and landing site to relieve forces that would likely be fighting within the city itself.

Jacobus sighed. He had done what he could. Preparations would likely be finished by the time the Tau landed, but how long could they hold out? Not long, save for intervention by the Emperor himself.

But some Space Marines or Sisters of Battle would be fine if they happened to show up to. Colbert laughed at the thought. “If only, if only.”

The first Thunderhawk roared into the atmosphere with its payload of scouts. The pilot opened a vox channel to the second craft. “Approaching landing zone… no hostiles… no locals, either…” It touched down. “Deploying now.” The scouts disembarked and the Sergeant leading them tapped into the same channel. “Green light, Breaker Two. Are you deploying immediately, or do you want a report first?” Entry at night had certainly ended up being the better choice. Between that and Sila’s amended landing point, the scouts would have little trouble carrying out their duties. There was a collective clack as the group checked their armaments, bolters and shotguns as befitting the chapter’s combat doctrine, along with the odd strap being adjusted on armour.

“Breaker Two here,” the pilot of the second Thunderhawk responded. “Negative, Sergeant, we’ll be right on your heels. Landing in two minutes.” The eagerness was palpable among the passengers aboard Breaker Two, the Thunderhawk carrying the veteran contingent of the Second Company, along with their Chapter Master. Breaker Two was followed by another four Thunderhawks, two carrying an additional force of Confessors, and the other two transporting the Sororitas who had chosen to be part of the action.

Sure enough, two minutes later, the four vessels had set down and their cargo emptied from within. A group of Marines and Sisters got to work setting up the planned forward base, the intent being to first establish contact with any military presence in the area. “Chapter Master, Scout Sergeant Vaeger,” a voice mumured in Malleus’ ear.

“Talk to me, Sergeant. What do you see?”

“About an hour out from our landing zone. We see Imperial uniforms; Guardsmen, from the looks of it. Armour’s intact, looks like we might be boots-on-the-ground before the Xenos.”

Malleus heaved a relieved sigh. It sounded as though they wouldn’t have to be traipsing across the entire planet after all. “Good. Make contact, Sergeant. No doubt they saw us coming in, but we should link up all the same, no reason to make the situation any trickier.”

Varius Nerus widened his eyes in surprise. He stepped up to a firing platform, and sure enough, several Space Marine scouts were making their way toward the fortification, weapons holstered. “Welcome to Connat, my lords! If it pleases you, I’m sure the Lord Commissar will want to know of your arrival. I’ll show you the way.”

Lord Commissar Jacobus Colbert was feeling nervous, to say the least. The Astra Militarum had landed on the world of Agri-World of Connat in preparation for an incoming Tau offensive. Colbert knew that the troops assigned to the planet would be ill-equipped to handle anything larger than a Tau Commune. He had passionately argued for more regiments, but he was promised only 7 full strength regiments, only two of which were armored, the rest being line and light infantry. God-Emperor help them if the Tau arrived with a Coalition.

He had studied the terrain of the world. With it’s gentle rolling hills and relatively small population centers, the place would have been perfect for armored combat. With the relatively small number of tanks the battlegroup had, the commanding officer, General Teryan, would have to keep them in reserve, lest they be destroyed too quickly. Jacobus trusted Teryan to act competently, as the man was a veteran officer, but the commissar knew that competency could only go so far against what was coming.

Jacobus walked into the bastion command center, carrying a datapad with ominous information. The guardsmen guarding the tent snapped a salute to the Lord Commissar, then returned to their posts. Teryan’s weathered face looked up from a map of the largest continent on Connat and smiled at Jacobus. “What news, commissar?”

Jacobus, a tense expression on his face, simply handed the general the datapad. As Teryan read over the document, his expression darkened. “Damnation. These reports have been confirmed?”

“Yes, General, I fear we are facing a full strength Tau Coalition. If the prognosticators are correct, it’s a matter of days before they invade this planet. I requested additional regiments from sector command, but they won’t get here in time.”

“Then what do you propose we do? Command thought they were headed for Varam. If they take this planet they can starve the system.” Teryan looked despondent.

The bridge was buzzing with activity, the captain as always on her control throne, a look of permanent concern and concentration etched onto her face, below her in the encloves that housed the crew runners were relaying reports and orders with an almost calm intensity that Sila had only seen before a fierce combat, she watched for a moment before seeking out the hulling form that was Malleus, spotting him almost instantly at the holotable that currently displayed a section of space that the fleet was presently travelling through.

Jacobus’ own inner circle were hard at work as well. Gunnery Sergeant Varius Nerus was seeing to the fortification effort around the city, barking orders and pitching in as needed. Corporal Lysandra Ises was seeing to the heavy weapons deployments within the city, ensuring every street was covered with a heavy bolter or autocannon. Sergeant Araleth Hiras was preparing homes for the fighting that was sure to come, marking the booby-trapped buildings with a yellow painted X. Corporal Silas Korlus, also known as “Ace” was assigned a special role. He was in charge of concealing the tanks of the 54th and 71st Corol Armored regiments. Several garages concealed about two companies’ worth of tanks within the city itself, but the bulk of the armored vehicles were stationed far from the city and the likely landing site of the Tau. General Teryan would personally lead this armored group to strike at the enemy’s rear echelons and landing site to relieve forces that would likely be fighting within the city itself.

Jacobus sighed. He had done what he could. Preparations would likely be finished by the time the Tau landed, but how long could they hold out? Not long, save for intervention by the Emperor himself.