Augustin IV, fight!

[The Emperor's Penguin]

"Well...if we both make it out of here alive, I'm sure we could find better circumstances...."

Authan's grin froze, his surprise a the answer conveyed by that and the fact his eyebrows rose as far as they would go up his dirt-splattered, grime-encrusted face. Can love bloom on the battlefield? he thought to himself, Frak this, I'm going to live through this one. He was about to push himself up and check out the tactical situation when the all-too-familiar screech of an incoming mortar shell cut through the moment like a power sword through warm butter. If possible, the man's surprise was increased even further when the medic threw herself on top of him. But that could always just be due to the healers' urge to protect life.

Dirt and miscellaneous pattered down around them and Authan wondered if Alora had taken any shrapnel in the back and promptly stopped when she got down to patching up his face as best she could in the very business-like manner of all medicaes everywhere with a job that needs doing. He watched her obvious wincing and struggling to finish her sentences with a faintly concerned frown on his face.
"Maybe it is you who needs tending to, medic," he said carefully, picking up his lasgun and hunkering down on the lip of the crater next to her.

(OOC: A cookie to the first person that gets the reference hidden in here)

[Shiva]

"Maybe it is you who needs tending to, medic."

Alora flashed him an appreciative smile and sighed heavily, her eyes still scanning the field beyond in the direction she'd last seen the Sergeant go. "Keep your mind focused on the battle at hand. I've suffered through wounds worse than this to bring aid to those battling in the Emperor's Name."
Using the barrel of her laspistol, she pointed toward a group of foxholes beyond their position. "We should head that direction - I believe that's the direction the Sergeant and some of the other troops continued the charge."
A stray lasblast smashed into the ground in front of their position, causing Alora to drop her head quickly below the craters edge. Her eyes flashed like fire as she glanced at Authan. "Cover me till I get to the next trenchline? Then I'll return the favor and we can work our way to rejoin the rest of the troops...." she paused, her eyes dropping for a brief moment to focus on the burn on Authan's armor. Then she lifed her eyes and continued, "....unless you have a better idea?"

(OOC: I see Otacon from Metal Gear Solid - "Can love bloom on the battlefield?"
Do I get a cookie?? )

This post has been edited by Shiva on Dec 16 2009, 05:08 PM

[The Emperor's Penguin]

(You certainly do get a cookie! Any particular type?)

"....unless you have a better idea?"

Authan flashed the medic another grin, a movement of the face muscles uncommon when under fire but very common on the man's face. However, in light of very recent events it had been absent though he planned to make sure it was able to appear again for many times to come.
"A better idea would be not getting shot," he said with a grim humour, "But this seems to be the best we have. Rejoining the troops would at least give us a chance."

Spotting the nearest group of traitors with a chance of hitting them, Authan stood up and with a cry of "For the Emperor!" he let loose a flurry of lasbolts on full auto, fully intending to give Alora enough covering fire to dash toward the Sergeant (if he still lived) or anyone else who would need her healing hands.

[Lord Jacobus]

The bayonet plunged deep into the mans thraot. Warm blood spurting out as he grabbed at the sergeant helplessly. The solid heel of Vladamiers boot smashed into the other hereitics chest, knocking him back to the side of the foxhole. Vladamier wrenched the bayonet from the throat of the body and began to repeatedly plunge it into the face of the stuned traitor. Reducing it to a very bloody pulp. He heard the crunch of boots and whirled, rifle at the ready, as another sergeant and his voxcaster slid down into the hole.

"Wasseli... What.... Why do you follow me comrade" The grief evident in Vladamiers voice, cracking it slightly. tears streaked his face, turning into little salty ice balls.

"Vladamier... I .. Saw Nishka.... and.... Were with you Comrade Starshij Serzhant. The Tactica states a good defence is a stiff offence. kapitán Vlastov is in concord, we follow!" The senior sergeant nodded and scrambled to the lip of the foxhole. Peering over the lip and carefuly aiming and fireing it at the the rebals hunkard behind the path. More of the valhallans moved up takeing up positions in the shellholes and began to open fire.

<ALL STATIONS, GLAVNYJ GORBCHAV REPORTS INCOMING SUPPORT><PREPARE FOR COUNTER OFFENSIVE><ASSAULT UNITS STAND TOO> Crackled the vox units. Causing the rest of the company to start to move towards the north side, where the sergeant had allready begun to advance. More mortar shells from the enemy lines began to crump down amongs the valhallans. One landed right beside Alora halfway through her sprint to the next spot of cover, knocking her five feet to the side. Her left leg blown off and a jaged peice of shrapenel in her temple. Another peice scythed by Authan, knicking him ever so slightly in the neck.

[The Emperor's Penguin]

The advance was gaining momentum; what had started as a blood-crazed charge from the Sergeant had turned into a defiant counter-offensive from the Imperial lines. Authan could see through the fog of gunsmoke, debris and falling snow his comrades from the regiment running alongside towards the Chaos lines. The men were running with little fear of the mortars still orchestrating their deadly rain among the ranks, and the sight of it stirred Authan's heart; he grinned, flashing a side-long look at Alora. By the Emperor, they were going to m-

*SCREEEEEEE..... WHUMPH*

Suddenly Authan was on the ground whereas moments ago he had been running full-tilt in pursuit of the sergeant. He was confused about the situation and it seemed as though the noise of battle was coming from very far away. He pushed himself up and cast around; where was his weapon? He couldn't find it. There was a lot of blood down the front of his coat and he was dimly aware of a pain in his neck, but he completely ignored it when he saw Alora lying a few feet away, her leg taken off by shrapnel.
With a strangled croak, Authan staggered -he was getting quite dizzy now- over to her and fell to his knees next to her. He knew she was dead but he kept looking at her through increasingly foggy vision -there really was a lot of blood- for any sign of movement. There was no grin on his face now, merely a vacant expression of disbelief that after everything he had been through it had come to this. Slumping sideways as the last of his lifeblood drained away through the arterial wound in his neck, Authan took one last look at Alora before his vision darkened forever and he went to the Emperor.

[Lord Jacobus]

The twin suns beat down upon the planet. Vast streatches of dunes, sparsly broken with random outcrops of orangeish sandstone. The dull roar of engines begins to grow. whisps of dust rising above the dunes as a colomn of vehicles crests the ridge. A group of twelve chimeras and five Leman russ. The vehicles all wearing the lightning bolt symbol of the steel Legion. In the lead Chimera, the company Major clamperd back down from the turret back into the cabin of the chimera. She dusted himself off and removed her goggles and rebreather. She looked around at her command staff before turning to the driver.

"ETA to omnicron theta?" She asked, her voice an augmented burr. A deep scar streaching down aross her throat. A small mechanical implant at the base her neck. She reached up and scratched her cheek.

"Four minutes Major, broken transmissions from scatterd elements report heavy fighting near our arrival area. I'm also picking up what appears to be..... well... im not sure sir.." The driver glanced over his shoulder for a moment, pointing at the auspex screen. The major leaned over the to look at the screens. Slight readings flickering aross it, about eight contacts, more or less holding steady at about half a kilometer away. "Sir? shall we move closer to engage?" asked the driver. The major shook her head

"No corpreal... Stay on course, no sence in allerting them that we know they are there just yet" She turned and moved over to the grim faced commissar in the crew cabin. "Out of rampant curioisty, did your former master ever mention his cousins servie with Inquisitor Barbarossa?"

[Lieutenant Havenborn]

"Out of rampant curioisty, did your former master ever mention his cousins servie with Inquisitor Barbarossa?"

"I did not converse much with my former master, he kept to himself for the most part." Rostov answered through the rebreather that was attached to his helmet. Rostov checked to make sure that his pistol was securely strapped to it's holster, he had gotten into a bad habit of doing that when not in combat.

"Sir, if I may suggest we should bring the tanks up to the front of the column." Rostov wanted as much firepower up front as possible, he also wanted to be at the front so he could watch the enemy's advancement, and to make sure the troops themselves do not run from combat as was his duty.

[Shiva]

"Four minutes Major, broken transmissions from scatterd elements report heavy fighting near our arrival area. I'm also picking up what appears to be..... well... im not sure sir.."

Sighing softly, Kori opened her eyes and turned her head curiously toward the conversation between the Major and the driver. Hmm....sounds like we've got company. she thought, her green eyes narrowing as she absentmindedly slipped a hand to the hilt of her Power sword.

"Sir? shall we move closer to engage?"
"No corpreal... Stay on course, no sence in allerting them that we know they are there just yet"

Turning her head from the conversation and leaning it back against cold steel of the Chimera's inner wall, she again closed her eyes with an almost unnoticeable nod. Good call, she thought, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. Always best to have the element of surprise on your side whenever possible. She sighed again, trying to relax and clear her mind. She normally liked to meditate a bit before entering into battle - it had been a ritual of hers since her youth and she knew a clear and calm mind in battle was as great a weapon as the Lasgun or Power sword she carried.

"Sir, if I may suggest we should bring the tanks up to the front of the column."

Kori inwardly flinched at the sound of the Commissar's voice, her eyebrows furrowing just a bit as her consentration was broken. She didn't particularly care for individuals of their rank - the ones she had met up until this point had all been too pompus and self-absorbed for her taste. But maybe this one is different, she reminded herself, trying to refocus her thoughts as the Chimera continued on. Not likely....but maybe....

[Lord Jacobus]

"A good suggestion commissar"

Turning away from the forboding figure she picked up the comm receivor from the back of the drivers seat.

"Kruiger... do you read?" She paused while a mans voice crackled over the vox "Ja, I would like you and your tanks up front...... Ja ja the commissar executioner as well.... I know... Ja ja.... Good, Assault position Kreig 9... Ja, Blessed be his name" She hung the reciever up and grabbed the ladder to the commanders cupula. She clamberd up into it and reopend the top hatch. As she stood a blast of hot arid wind and sand whipped into her face. She pulled down her goggles and reafixed her rebreather in responce. The outline of the fast approaching town grew in her vision. Weapons fire flashes from the streats and explosions vomited up dirt and debris. They were just in time. She watched as the tanks rumbled to the head of the formation and the chimeras grouped up into a wedge.

"50 Seconds!" The drivers voice rang out over her microbead. She grabbed the pintle mounted stormbolter in front of her and racked the bolt hungrily.

[The Emperor's Penguin]

"50 Seconds!"

They had been riding in the chimera for Emperor knows how long and, though he was a veteran used to such a mode of transport, the seats were not known for their comfort value and he was starting to get a cramp in his buttocks. Jorkull looked sideways at his loader, Marius, and muttered "Finally." with a wry grin that his friend returned.
He stood up and slung his missile launcher across his back, the heavy metal cylinder being almost as big as he was, and picked up his carbine with one hand, using his other to hold onto the overhead handrail so he didn't overbalance and fall with the jerking of the transport. The launcher was heavy but he was used to it, as was Marius with his pack filled with spare missiles for the launcher. Both men of the missile launcher team stood at the ready to deploy as soon as the rear ramp of the chimera opened and battle was joined.

[Lieutenant Havenborn]

Rostov stood up and checked his weapons, they were at his side just waiting to be unleashed against the Emperor's enemies, and if need be against those that would betray their oaths to the Emperor and flee from combat.

He knew that he wasn't a well liked man, but he also knew that these troops were the Emperor's divine will, they would fight and die in his name and he would make sure that no one forgot that. Rostov had killed many a man or woman who had tried to abandon their post by fleeing, cowardice was one thing that he did not tolerate. Back when he was a junior Commissar training under the Lord-Commissar Kayln Griggs he was taught that if the troops under your care did not have your fear, respect and dedication to the Emperor then they were susceptible to the ruinous powers.

Rostov had worked hard all his life to be able to live up to her, when he heard of her death in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade he mourned for her privately. He decided from then out that he would teach a Junior Commissar someday to pass on the lessons she had taught him.

He brought himself back to reality from the momentary relaspe into his history and moved over to communications officer. "Soldier, get the Line of Death on the line, I wish to issue orders out to my men." Rostov said to the communications technician. While his men were technically not Commissars they had never the less executed traitors to the Emperor without him in the tank before. Rostov hoped it wouldn't come to that as they needed every tank they had but if the crews of the other tanks made the choice to retreat than there was nothing he could do but execute them for betraying their oaths to the Emperor.

[Shiva]

"50 Seconds!"

Kori opened her bright green eyes with an almost unnoticeable smile, inwardly thanking the Emperor for the short time she'd had to meditate before battle. Then she quickly stood with the others and readied herself for deployment - double checking her pack for supplies, adjusting her helmet, and readying her Lasgun. Satsified, she shifted it deftly to her left hand and slipped her right hand to the handle of her Power Sword, quietly whispering a blessing over it. Then she again shifted her Lasgun to the ready and waited patiently beside the missle launcher team for deployment - giving both men a soft smile and nod of acknowledgement.