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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2014 5:58:22 GMT
Valhallen 442nd Guardsmen Nickolas Chenko
They marched forwards slowly, in full view of the enemy defenses this would have been an impossible advance, if not for the tanks before them. Nickolas gripped his Las-gun tight as he walked less than a meter behind the tank in front of him. Gone was the rambunctious and cheerful attitude, gone was the confidence and eagerness, all that had been replaced by fear. Nickolas was trembling in his flak armor, every step was getting harder and harder to take as the traitors gunfire blazed around him. His breath was shallow and ragged, his felt his body going numb, he knew he couldn't go any further, and then Sergeant Nicon screamed a war cry and charged out from behind the tank, all the fear, all the doubts, washed away with adrenalin as Nickolas charged after Nicon.
It happened in a blur, shooting, kicking, stabbing their way through the trench. Nickolas wasn't sure if it took seconds or hours but he made it though, he didn't know who was alive and who was dead, he just kept following Nicon. Over the top and into the next trench they charged, screaming like madmen they leapt into the trench. And just as quickly as it came it was gone, Nickolas stood in a captured trench, his Las-gun's power pack was empty, his combat knife was dripping blood from a dozen men. His armor suddenly became heavy, so heavy he couldn't stand. He fell back against the trench wall, his knife slick with blood slipped from his grip. Sergeant Nicon looked at him and the four others who had survived, "We made it troopers, we survived the first assault. Now, collect yourselves and see what you can do to improve the cover here. I need to find a functional Vox-caster and check in." And with that he left the five soldiers, each man practically numb from the adrenalin crash.
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Post by Warork on Oct 23, 2014 15:31:46 GMT
Day 1 The Iron Serpents
The iron serpents snaked and coiled their way through the virgin soil for miles along the outskirts of the city of Novus. The serpents ran parallel to the wall, just a mile away from it. Each serpent had scales of flakboard and sandbags. Some were thin and some were fat, a few even connected the bunch; line upon line of earth dug up in the grim style that suited the mastery of siege warfare which one regiment of the guard were known for. Within those iron serpents which carved the landscape were thousands of men of Krieg; each man unremarkable as the last behind their rebreather masks and trenchcoats. Mortars and a few artillery pieces from the fortifications around Halikon's gate sent shells into the iron serpents who never moved or budged, just as implacable and stalwart as their inhabitants. Somewhere near the rear of the Kriegsman lines their own earthshaker cannons, thudd guns, and colossus mortars bellowed death as their machine spirits sent shells blessed by the Munitorum a mile or more through the air to land amongst the traitors' own fortifications, most doing only minimal damage. Such was the long, slow grind of trench warfare. The war of the iron serpents.
General Rast could see it all in a top down view provided by the Navy upon his central holocaster board which was sat in the middle of his command bunker in the rear lines. The neon green glow of the holocaster shone on his face, a grim scarred thing, as he beheld his section of the line that the imperials around Novus had drawn. The city was surrounded, it was really only a matter of time. The General took another look at the pocket chronometer in his gloved hand. On his home world time could be measured in the amount of lives spent to take an objective. The quartermasters of the Death Korps had become very good at calculating probable casualties for any one objective taken by his regiment. Simply put; the quicker an objective needed to be captured, the more lives were spent. He had received his time table from the Lord General as well as his objectives, one of which included taking Halikon's gate and the bridge beyond it intact. Rast had, in turn, asked his quartermasters what the projected casualty rate would be for this time table...
The results were considered acceptable...And so Rast had told General Oximar that his expectations were in the realms of possibility and that had been the end of the conversation.
A figure approached from Rast's right side. At first the General though the man was one of the many orderlies within the bunker but when he turned to look at the intruder he found himself looking upon a figure a head taller than most of his men. The figure was dressed in the black of the Commissariat with a matching peaked hat that symbolized his office as the regiment's Commissar attachment.
"General." The Commissar regarded with a salute.
"Commissar Kraevan." Rast said, nodding and returning the salute.
"I'd like to report that the Engineer teams have been gathered for your review as you requested." The Commissar intoned, his hands clenched behind his back in a very dignified pose.
"Very good, Commissar." General Rast said as he began to leave the holocaster table. "I will address them at once. There need be no delay as we must continue at the current pace in order to attain the objectives as the time table dictates." Rast explained as he looked again at his pocket chronometer knowing full well that the changing numbers on the display reflected the amount of men he lost in the field.
"By your word, General." Commissar Kraevan said as he followed the General and his retinue out of the command bunker and into the stark light of the Ollanian day.
General Rast had put his rebreather on and indeed would have looked like every other trooper at their posts in the mud of the trenches had it not been for the decorative pieces; medals, laurels, seals, and trimmings that marked him out as an officer of high importance. Rast and his retinue made their way down the winding trenches passing soldiers on duty, stretcher bearers carrying the wounded, and all other sorts of traffic that was to be expected in guard controlled trench. After ten minutes of steady navigation the group made it to their destination.
One side of a trench had been completely carved out as if by enormous machines. The trench lip itself rose far above the men's head at that point and in fact was one of the deepest parts of the Krieg trenches along their lines. Sandbags had been piled all around this gaping hole which seemed to slope down into the crust of the planet. Electro torches had been hung with cables on the ceiling of the tunnel every few meters until they disappeared as the tunnel became straight again and vanished from sight from the entrance. This was a Krieg mine; a tunnel dug by the regiment's engineers using one of their Hades drills which allowed them to approach enemy fortifications without facing their tough firepower...usually. Rast knew it was a rather risky tactic but facts were facts. He had a time table, he had no other choice but to give his men the orders that would see his objectives captured when and how he was ordered. How many died to achieve that was almost always irrelevant. That was the Krieg way.
Rast peeled his eyes away from the tunnel and looked at the line of engineers standing off to the side of it. Their leader, another officer, stood in front of them.
"Officer on deck. Atten-shun!" The officer barked through his rebreather. The Engineers came to attention simultaneously. The engineer officer marched up to Rast and saluted. When his salute was returned, he nodded.
"All engineers present and accounted for, sir."
"Very good, lieutenant. Rejoin your men." Rast replied, examining the Engineers through his own mask. He saw that they were about a platoon strong and each one had dutifully cleaned and maintained his kit as he had been instructed despite the conditions associated with working inside a muddy, dark tunnel. Rast nodded his approval as he paced up and down their line.
"Men," he began. "You have been ordered to to dig this tunnel to the specifications the quartermasters have given you. According to my report, you have done exactly that over the course of the past week. Now I will tell you why. The Lord General has given the word for a general advance. The 226th will follow that order to the letter. You're activities are vital to the way the regiment will carry out that order. By completing this tunnel, you will use the drills which you have been issued and dig right into the heart of the enemy fortifications at Halikon's gate. It is of the utmost important that this attack coincides with the assault above ground. This two pronged maneuver should break the enemy defenses with as little chance for them to escape, or worse, destroy the bridge which has been deemed vital to the war effort. I have been assured that you will do your duty in this effort. Go now and bring the traitors the Emperor's wrath."
"For Krieg!" The engineer lieutenant barked in echo of the General's words.
"For the Emperor!" His platoon called out. Five minutes later, they were all headed back under ground with renewed purpose. Across no man's land the men of the 226th could see the huge bunkers that guarded the entrance to Halikon's gate; each one bristling with guns with walls so thick that the Krieg could shell them for ten years without much effect.
And so the engineers would simply come from the most unexpected quarter...
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