Frozen Tundra

Weather: Clear Sky, Moderate Winds
Predicted Temperature: -69˚C

The regiment began to mobilize in the middle of the night and the darkness that engulfed the city was absolute. The hive was asleep; the only noises that could be heard were that of the ever-awake factories in the city’s distant industrial zone. Surprisingly the skies were clear. The only things that illuminated the night were Valetron’s four bright moons.

The Imperial forces did their best to make as little noise as possible. They didn’t want to draw attention to themselves as they departed the city. Officers communicated with their soldiers by hand signals and light whispers only.

Andre was standing adjacent to the opened Chimera door, using a series of hand signals to usher his squad members into the awaiting armored transport. They silently and quickly got into the vehicle. The sergeant crawled in as the last passenger and beat on the armor next to the driver to indicate that they were ready to move.

They took in a final view of Lashvowe as the Chimera’s door slowly closed shut.

The APC lurched forward and began to roll along with the rest of the hundreds of armored vehicles making the sixty-seven kilometer trip to Durham.

Durham was a lonely and quiet factory town in the outskirts of Lashvowe, but recent development and expansion led to its abandonment. The majority of the city was now ruined buildings, and shells of structures that were once seen as the pinnacle of human engineering.

It would serve as the Imperium’s first waypoint towards their trip to the city of Winiske, the headquarters from which they will stage the attacks on Dothen and Sarasita.

But Andre found the location somewhat un-strategic. Between Winiske and Dothen was a huge, completely open plain of what seemed to be never-ending snow mounds. As for Sarasita, a dangerous series of deep lakes and rivers served as a natural barrier.

The 78th Valhallan reconnaissance regiment had gone out to do a preliminary scouting mission of Durham and the reports were, so far, good. It was completely empty and devoid of any life.

Andre silently chuckled as he read the report, Perhaps the governor will get what he wants... With not a single soul in the city, the only reports the Governor would be getting would be straight from the front. But the delay in communications on this planet due to the strong magnetic field restricted the long range comms strictly to old-school data-plates and electronic telegrams. That meant a four-day delay between messages.

All of the troopers sat quietly. Half of them were asleep.

Most of them had seen their share of action and Andre understood why they were not keen on talking. There wasn’t much to talk about, unless they wanted to discuss the horrific tragedies they all suffered in the last campaign.

He decided it was best to keep his mouth shut.

Andre drew his chainsword close to him and rigorously inspected each and every blade that made up the deadly swords teeth. Once he was through making sure the cogs on the blade were polished and maintained, he moved to the motor. When he realized that it was in good order, he placed it back into the holster next to his seat.

Yawning, he closed his eyes.

“Hey, Sarge.”

Andre responded, “Yes?”

Carson Freedmen was the one who summoned him. She was a veteran of Cassadore, but not an original member of the 126th. Carson joined the fighting half-way through the campaign; she quietly whispered to her superior, “What are we up against?”

“Chaos space marines.”

“Have you ever fought them before?”

“No. I haven’t. I’ve studied them before though. The Iron Warriors to be exact.”

“So, do you think we have a chance?”

Andre opened an eye and sighed, “You’re asking the wrong person.”
________________________________________
Hannah was sitting half-asleep in the Chimera. Her lasgun sat idly in her lap.

The others sat at the edges of their seats. It seemed as if they were anxious for something.

The new trooper guessed it was something she would get in time...

It was hard to believe that she was even tired given the bumpy ride and stench of gasoline that filled the compartment. The only sound was the constant drone of the engine. Inside was lit with a dim red light and the compartment was very hot, despite the below freezing temperatures outside.

She had long abandoned her helmet, pulling her semi-short hair back into a ragged ponytail.

“You still nervous, Hannah?” Talila asked in a hushed voice.

She turned to Talila, “I guess, a little. Well, not as nervous as before.”

“That’s good.” Talila held her boltgun close, “I suggest you get some sleep. Trust me, you’ll need it.”

Hannah looked at her squad mates. For some reason or another, she had failed to notice that they all had dozed off. Some were even snoring, but none compared to Kristof when it came to sounding off the Zs.

Tightly clasping her lasgun, Hannah slunk down into her seat.

A slight depression gripped her as she sat in the compartment of the bumping Chimera.
First-time combat-stress.

That’s what the sergeant at the academy back home had said, The first time you enter a battle-zone you’ll probably feel a depressed spell come across you. Don’t panic, it’s a natural feeling to have before going into combat. In technical terms it’s called first-time combat-stress. It passes when that first bullet or las-bolt flies past your head. Trust me.

She held the lasgun tighter.

Then her thoughts suddenly shot back to her mother back in hive prime in Valhalla. She was still performing the same routine, waking up early and spending the day in the factory constructing tanks for the countless regiments of Valhallan soldiers.

But what surprised Hannah the most was when she told her mother she wanted to volunteer for the guard. Hannah had expected her mother to break-down in tears just like when her father was enlisted.

She didn’t surprisingly. Her mother was proud.

A tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Hannah swiped it away angrily.

Besides, there was nothing she could do now. Her mother was on Valhalla, and she was on Valetron. Some ungodly amount of space measured only by light-years separated them now...

The Chimera continued on. It’s treads plowing through the meter-deep snow.

It had already been several hours since the battle group had left the hive. Durham should be close by now, and resting on stable ground is what Hannah was looking forward to.
________________________________________
The morning was dark. A snowstorm prevented most of the sun’s rays from penetrating past the clouds. It was nearly mid-day by the time the 126th arrived in Durham and not a single ray of light shown on the city. The darkness outside suggested nothing else.

By the shine of a small, hand-held mag-light, Andre helped to guide his troopers from out of the Chimera’s hold. Once the last trooper was on his feet, he tapped the armor of the vehicle and it speedily drove away.

Durham loomed in the gray and white abyss ahead. The silhouettes of long-dormant smoke stacks and factoriums made up the shadows of the city.

The sight was unnerving and sent chills down Andre’s back.

Perhaps the souls of those who once worked in these decrepit places still roamed aimlessly through the deserted hallways.

Directly ahead of them was a tank factorium. The grand structure was once the home of thousands of workers, servitors, and enginseers toiling day and night to construct Valetron pattern vehicles for the war effort.

Now the building lay dormant. Replaced by a more modern and advanced brother lost deep within one of the planet’s major hive sprawls.

Andre’s squad entered the structure.

The mag-light barely pierced the darkness.

The sergeant took a step forward and he felt and heard the familiar crunch of glass beneath his booted feet.

To his left was a long-eroded window pane. The metal was rusted and the majority of the glass panes had fallen out and shattered on the floor.

His squad quietly followed behind him, their boots breaking the already destroyed glass into minute speckles.

It took several minutes before they reached the actual factory floor where the majority of the 126th was already assembled. Colonel Komivosky stood on a high cat-walk that overlooked the floor below. His commissar and tactical officer stood at his sides.

The constant murmur created by the anxious soldiers echoed through the building’s large and spacious main floor.

Andre and his squad stood with their company, ready and assembled.

Komivosky’s commissar nodded. He stepped forward against the railing of the cat-walk, “Soldiers! Our time has come once again! The hardships of winter are not uncommon to us! We were born in it! We were raised in it! And we sure as hell can fight in it!”

There was a loud responsive cheer.

“We have been given a great honor to defend this forge-world.”

Another cheer.

“And it is my honor to announce to you that the 126th Valhallan mechanized regiment will be spear-heading the attack on Dothen. The 29th Valhallan storm trooper regiment and the 97th Valhallan armored will follow quickly behind us.”

A low murmur began to echo through.

“We are the tip of the spear, gentlemen. And by the name of the Emperor, we shall not fail!”

Vasily Astinof, Andre’s closest friend in his squad, whispered quietly into his ear, “The tip of the spear, eh? I guess our performance on Cassadore makes us the first to be shot at I’m assuming.”

Andre slowly nodded his head, “I guess. It’s not comforting, I can tell you that much.”

“Of course not. Elite status is never comforting.”

“To be honest,” Andre said turning around as the colonel finished his speech, “We don’t even know what we’re really up against. We could be sorely outnumbered for all we know. I don’t even think we’re getting reinforcements.” He let out a sigh, “The Imperium is leaving it to us to make damn sure that Valetron is saved.”
________________________________________
Hannah was wide awake in her cot. Although she had been eager for sleep on the trip to Durham, what she overheard a sergeant say at the assembly left her somewhat bothered.

To be honest, we don’t even know what we’re really up against. We could be sorely outnumbered for all we know. I don’t even think we’re getting reinforcements.

She wasn’t ready for combat yet. She wasn’t ready by a long-shot.

The wind outside howled, the previous blizzard had remained and a small trickle of snow was blowing through parts of the shattered window panes.

The young private shifted uncomfortably.

It was cold. Colder than Valhalla, perhaps it’s just her nerves getting to her because she knew for a fact Valhalla was colder... Hannah let out a sigh and she watched the cloud of heated mist dissipate into the darkness.

She wasn’t sure how long she was awake, or if she even slept. What felt like minutes, less than hours, later Talila was shaking her to get up. “Did you get any sleep?”

Hannah shook her head.

“Well, we still have a long trip ahead of us. Try and get some.” Talila began to gather her materials together into her bag, “Like I said, you’re really going to need it.”

“Talila...” Hannah said feebly and quietly.

“Yep?”

“Do you think we have a chance in this fight?”

Talila paused and looked silently at the green trooper. Hannah could read the look on the demolition officer’s face though she tried to hide it. The veteran was worried, despite the fact that it was only a quick lapse.

Once she regained her composure, she smiled. “Don’t worry, Hannah, stick with us and you’ll be fine!”

Hannah wasn’t sure if Talila was being completely reassuring. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Hannah was a private that forced her to say that, nonetheless the young private was nervous.

It didn’t matter what anyone said...

The battle-group was assembled once again in the main floor; all were dressed in extreme-cold winter gear. Heavy boots, thick trench coats, masks, scarves, and goggles.

There was a blizzard outside, and it seemed like they were going to make the advance no matter the circumstances.