United Front

Weather: Blizzard, Possibilty of Clearing
Predicted Temperature: -36°C

The three high officers of 6th company were gathered in Hannah’s quarters, a map of Tsorograd spread in between the three of them.
Hannah leant back in her chair, placing her hands behind her head, “Well, are you guys ready for this?”

The commissar and 2nd in command silently nodded, both still staring at the map. Andre got up and moved to the window, attempting to peek through it, “It’s still snowing hard outside.”

Lilia joined him by the window, “According to intel, it should clear up tonight.”

Andre sighed, and said under his breath, “Which is a bad thing.”

Hannah was able to overhear him, “I know what you mean, fighting at night, especially here on Taiga, is a very bad thing.”

Andre turned back around and sat back down at the table, “Just to pass the time, Hannah, how long have you served in the guard?”

Hannah sat back down as well, “Only five years, I started when--.”

“You were seventeen, I am aware. Are you planning on leaving the guard once you have completed your ten year service?” He asked, pouring himself a cup of vodivilisk.

“No, I’m not planning on leaving,” She said.

“Such well spoken words, Captain,” Andre said impressed, “I haven’t heard that from most other officers I’ve asked.”

Hannah smiled lightly, “What about you Andre? How long have you served in the guard?”

Andre handed her a cup, “Five years, I started when I was eighteen.”

Lilia sat down with them, “Why do you two know each other so well?”

Both Hannah and Andre turned to her, “We trained together, and we were assigned to the same regiment for two years, until Andre left to become a servant of the Progenium.”

Andre nodded, “She’s right, but in the three years I haven’t seen her, I never expected her to become a captain so fast.”

Lilia was surprised, “With an attitude like hers! Of course she’d rise in the ranks fast!” Hannah chuckled, “Yes, she’s a very kind-hearted commander and speaks well of her troop, but you don’t want to get on her bad side.”

They grew quiet; the small talk didn’t seem to pass the time as they originally had wanted it to. They all could sense how tense each other was, there was only a total of about 6,200 soldiers total defending Tsorograd, hardly enough to hold an attack by the ork force that was just sitting a few kilometers northeast of their position.

Hannah’s vox-bead came to life, “Commander, this is Alexsandr from 1st platoon, the snow seems to be clearing, unfortunately the sun is also going down. By the time the snow has completely cleared, it will be nighttime.”

She silently said a prayer to the Emperor, “Thank you, Alexsandr, report to me when the blizzard has lifted.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Andre and Lilia had also heard about the weather and began to gather their equipment.

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Alexsandr Colonov, the commander of 1st platoon, lifted his head over the trench parapet and stared into the tree line. Night had fallen, and he was expecting an attack at anytime. He whispered to Leonita Lilionov, “Leonita, can you see any movement in the trees?”
“No, Sir, at least not yet,” She had her long-las pointed into the tree line to get a glimpse of the slightest movement, but so far there was nothing.

Why are these orks waiting, this is a perfect opportunity for them, Alexsandr thought to himself.

“Alexsandr, do you see anything?” He heard his commander, Hannah, say.

“No Ma’am, we haven’t spotted anything yet, thank the Emperor.”

“Even so, keep an eye out for anything.”

“Yes Ma’am."

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Hannah had a pair of magnoculars in her hand; the orks had not yet made a move. It was too quiet for having greenskins as enemies.
The darkness of the night was eerie; the bright blue moon of Taiga was the only source of light on the dreary planet’s surface. Despite the freezing cold weather, the entire Imperial defensive line of Tsorograd was active. The snow had stopped, it was the clearest day that the defenders had seen. Yet the night was quiet, not a single sound was heard.

“Hannah, this seems rather strange don’t you think?” Lilia said, her long-las directed at the woods.

All she did was nod, her right hand held high in a ‘hold fire’ stance.

Andre was also focused at the woods, his body balanced against the former pillar of a once huge cathedral.

A soldier was walking by with a tube launcher when Andre asked it from him. The trooper obliged politely.

Lilia looked at the commissar curiously, “Why would you need that sir?”

“Trust me; we’re going to need it.”

As soon as Andre finished his line the tree-line erupted in a blaze of tank lights.

Unfortunately two looted Russes was not the only armor the greenskins had, there were so many lights that Hannah couldn’t count past three dozen, “Fire on my order only!”

She heard her soldiers reply in large, responding cries in her vox-bead.

Andre steadied the tube launcher on his shoulder and against the pillar, his focus on the turret of a looted Leman Russ, if he placed his shot correctly, he could take the main cannon out of commission.

Hannah stood defiantly, her hand still raised in the air as the line of ork armor began to make their approach. The soldiers of 6th Company held their ground, awaiting the eminent attack.

Hannah formed her hand into a fist in the air and the mortars began to fire their deadly payloads. The resounding mortars were soon joined by the electrical zap of lascannons. The combined power crippled and even destroyed a few of the armored vehicles, but it was not enough.

A sound compared to a clap of thunder echoed through the river valley clods of dirt and rubble flew up into the air as a tank shell exploded into the wall behind the line of guardsmen.

Hannah dropped her hand and 6th company lit up with heavy gunfire.

Andre held the launcher steadied and slowly squeezed the trigger, the rocket zoomed into the side of the battle cannon ripping the main weapon apart.

Lilia saw what the commissar had done and yelled into the vox-bead, “Take out the main weapon first, and the tank should be easy prey!”

Valhallan troopers with missile launchers began to get into positions, their sights directed at the main battle cannon.

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Villisan Mockov ran behind his fellow comrade, Gregory Ferasen. He loaded a rocket into the launcher, “Gregory, don’t fire until I tell you!”

Gregory was a new recruit who had arrived with the fresh batch of reinforcements and he was very nervous. “Sir, could you say that one more time?”

“Fire only when I tell you!”

He nervously nodded, “That’s what I thought you said…” Gregory steadied his aim.

A looted Leman Russ was headed in their direction, its guns blazing in a frenzy of fire, “Not yet!”

The tank was just a few meters away when Villisan tapped Gregory’s shoulder. The Valhallan soldier popped out from behind the rubble and fired his rocket into the muzzle of the battle cannon.

The vehicle exploded in a brilliant display of orange and yellow.

Villisan ran up to Gregory who had been knocked over by the explosion, “Ha ha! Gregs! Are you alright!”

The trooper had the launcher hugged tightly to his body, “Yeah, I hear ringin’ in my ears.”

“Right! Let’s go!” He helped the young soldier up and ran to the next street.

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Hannah and Andre ran into a nearby apartment, an ork trukk was parked outside with its big shoota pointed in the doorway. Hannah signaled a trooper over, “get on the second floor and distract him, when he’s out of ammo, cover me!”
The trooper nodded and she ran to the second floor firing shots into the ork vehicle below.

Hannah listened closely as the big shoota fired at the second floor above, Hannah put a hand on a krak grenade attached to her belt.

She positioned her self against the door, and then the shoota fell silent. Hannah kicked down the door and tossed the krak grenade into the truck bed of the crude ork vehicle.

Hannah braced herself against the wall when the trukk exploded, she nodded to Andre and they moved out.

Hannah yelled into her vox-bead, “Push them back!”

The Valhallan soldiers gave out a cheer when they saw tanks from the 63rd appear behind them.

With guns blazing the combined force of the Valhallan and Armageddon soldiers began to push the greenskins back into the trees.

By the time the Imperial soldiers came into view of their lines, a horde of orks had taken position on the opposite side of the defensive wall.

“6th Company, hold position! Let the armor tear their line open!” Hannah yelled as a Vanquisher drove by.

Hannah walked slowly behind the tank and covered her ears as the long Gryphonne made vanquisher cannon erupted into life.

Andre and Hannah watched as the orks were torn and thrown by the fury of the Steel Legion Armor, “6th Company! Charge!”

With lasguns blazing, the 200 soldiers of 6th company, with support from the 63rd’s armor, charged down into the line of greenskins.

With her sword raised, Hannah jumped over the wall and charged furiously at an ork nob.

The nob had his axe raised high and began to bring it down when its hands were caught off, sending the axe flying into the ground.

Suddenly struck by its inability to use its hands the ork began attempting to bite Hannah’s arm off when its head was sent flying by Andre’s singing blades.

Back to back, Hannah and Andre spun in a circle of death, cutting down any enemy that attempted to come close to the two commanding officers.

The two heard a war cry from the city as 4th Company from the 203rd charged down into the battle below.

With their moral renewed the Valhallan soldiers began to fight harder and with greater ferocity.

As Hannah disposed of another ork she looked around and took in the scene that surrounded her.

Time seemed to slow down as she watched what was taking place around her.

Hannah witnessed dying orks and falling guardsmen in a death struggle for territory.

She regained her senses when Andre pushed her to the ground as a rocket flew over where she previously stood.

Andre sheathed one of his swords and removed his boltpistol from its holster and began to fire it into the crowd of orks.

Hannah took a boltgun from an unfortunate guardsman and began to follow suite.

Andre and Hannah looked behind them and they saw a Krieg Macharius Vanquisher turn into the street. The turret, armed with a twin-linked vanquisher cannon, turned toward the horde of orks and opened fire.

Greenskins were tossed in all directions when the cannon of the Macharius came to life.

“By the name of the Emperor! Charge!”

With two hands on the handle of her sword, Hannah leaped over the rubble and ran straight into a group of orks.

It seemed as if her entire company charged with her, Hannah saw the distinctly blue armbands that sixth company wore form a huge charging line. And with that sight, the orks turned and ran.

Andre looked at her, “That’s one thegging good start. But I would advise your troops to reload.”

Hannah nodded, “Keep sharp, soldiers. Reload and rearm, I think that’s just a taste of what is to come.”