The Guardsman Defend

Part Two. The Greenskins Attack

So I enjoyed writing about Trooper Edwin “Ed” Knoll in my last little short story. I’ve seen some feedback so I will try my hardest not to repeat those. In the Navy we give feedback in what I call the burger method. We give some good feedback (the top bun) followed by something that could be improved (the meat patty) and then finishing on a good point (the bottom bun.) I hope I can take this on board and improve my story telling. So onto the story. I hope people like it. Once again please give feedback both good and bad and where I could improve.

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"It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of His inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that He may never truly die.

Yet even in His deathless state, the Emperor continues His eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst His soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods."

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Trooper Edwin”Ed” Knoll gasped as he opened his eyes, his ears ringing. Explosions sounded in the distance. He looked around and could see Sgt Wend shouting at him and gesturing to him. He looked around and groaned before pulling himself unsteadily to his feet. He stooped to pick up his lasgun and checked it over.

“What happened?” he asked the sergeant as he completed his check and powered up the lasgun. He looked around and could see a few of his squad also pulling themselves to their feet. A few did not.

“What do you think Ed?” The sergeant growled. “Damn orks launched some artillery our way. We got two dead but that can’t stop us, we have to provide support to the front.”

Ed sighed. Battlegroup Iolus had been anchored above the Forge World Beta Cornix, refuelling and rearming, ready to push further into Segmentum Temepstus to secure more of the God-Emperor’s realm. Orks had put paid to that. They had erupted out of the Warp and immediately attacked the Battlegroup and the Forge World. Three cruisers had been destroyed with all hands lost almost immediately. Ork Rok’s smashing into them and overriding the ships void shields. One of these had been the Lord Nemion which had been a noble warship known for critical the suppression of T'au wretches at Outrron Minor.

More Ork Kill Kroozer’s had been spat out from the warp and thousands more Rok’s. Many of these bypassed the Battlegroup, making for the Forge World itself. The fleet had been slow to react but before long had won supremacy in space but not before more losses at the hands of the Orks with the biggest loss being the Battleship Arrow of Purgatory which had been present at repeated massacres of traitor scum at Finrru Primus.

The Forge World had shot hundreds of Rok’s out of the skies but thousands more had crashed into the surface of the planet and spilled their contents. Groupmaster Nathaniel Est Kimmaro had soon taken charge of the defence and had launched the Adeptus Astartes accompanying them to the surface to behead the Ork Warboss who would be leading Orks. Plans had been made and Ed and his squad had found themselves to the west of the main forge known as Cornix Prime. Cornix Prime was a forge that made holy Power Armour for the Adeptus Astartes chapters in the Segmentum. It had to be saved. An Ork Rok had landed about 100 miles to the west and a huge amount of resources were being spent to have it and the Greenskins it contained, destroyed.

That’s where Ed and the rest of his squad now found themselves. The Greenskins were like a virus. They had already spread from the Rok, heading east towards Cornix Prime. Artillery was already being fired in their direction by the Orks but their am had always been poor. A lucky shot had hit near his squad, killing two. Ed looked to St Wend who was yelling.

“IT WAS A LUCKY SHOT!! LET’S MOVE IN THE NAME OF THE GOD-EMPEROR” Explosions filled the air and smoke was in the sky. In the distance Ed could see a number of Lightning aircraft in a dogfight with some Greenskin aircraft. He watched them for a few seconds as a Greenskin aircraft was blown apart in a ball of fire and smoke before one of the Lightnings was destroyed.

“ED!! COME ON” Ed turned and moved with his squad. To his left he could see a platoon of Leman Russ tanks rolling forwards towards the front. Cannons firing into the distance. The tank commander turned to the squad and waved them forwards. Ed’s squad moved closer to the tanks for the added protection.

Five minutes later and Ed hit a barricade and looked over, aiming his lasgun. The Leman Russ tanks all rolled up and came to a stop. Sgt Wend moved over and was shouting something to the tank commander who pointed. They all watched as another Rok fell out of the sky. It hurtled to the ground in the distance and thrusters seemed to fire at the last second. The shock-wave was incredible. Dust and smoke rose from the impact. The squad looked around as more squads moved up to the barricades to join them. A Commissar joined them, bolt pistol and chainsword in hand, a scar running down his cheek with one ear missing. He turned to Sgt Wend.

“Sgt, the xenos scum will soon be here and by the God-Emperor we will hold the line.” He looked around to survey the squads. “Get into position. By your holy weapons, blessed by the God-Emperor, will we kill the Greenskins. Do no falter. Do not run.”

The squads looked around nervously. They had knew what Commissars were capable of doing. Ed looked into the distance. Smoke and dust was still rising from the impact of the Greenskin spacecraft. A Lightning fighter flew over where the impact site was, dodging anti-air fire and then sped towards them, flying overhead in minutes. The numerous squads Vox-casters all sprung into life as the Lightning flew.

“Xenos are on the move and heading in our direction Sgt” reported Trooper Dallum quietly as he pointed in the direction of the Rok that had impacted in the distance.

The Commissar took over. Ordering the squads and tanks out into a line along the barricades. A war-horn bellowed in the distance and Ed took heart. He looked behind him and smiled. In the distance he could see two shapes. They walked on two bi-pedal legs and looked big, even at this distance. The best thing to Ed though was ghat they were getting closer. Smoke and ash rising with each step.

He turned back to face his front and once more check over his lasgun. Everything seemed okay but he still muttered a small prayer to the machine spirit of the weapon. Ed looked up over the barricade once more, smoke rising and could taste the dust and ash on his tongue. He took a small swig of water from his canister and looked over the line. Everyone looked nervous, even with the Commisar shouting about the Emperor. The Greenskins were notorious for being hard to take down and loving to fight.

“INCOMING” shouted someone down the line. Ed looked out and saw a line of what looked to be bikers hurtling towards the barricade. There was at least a hundred of them. The tanks immediately started firing and bikes started to drop but that just seemed to spur them on. Bullets started hitting the barricade and Ed ducked slightly. The Orks were also notorious for being lousy shots so he knew he didn’t have much to worry about.

The war-bikers rode closer and closer, hooting and roaring, rounds still firing from their guns. More were taken down by the tanks. Behind him, Ed heard the war-horns of the two God-Machines, closer now. Ed knew that they would rain down The Emperor’s fury on the Greenskins who had dared desecrate this planet.

Ed heard a clatter and turned to see a trooper running, his lasgun dropped. He looked to the Commisar who was already turning towards the running man, Bolt pistol raised. He fired once, the rocket propelled round striking the man in the back and exploding, leaving a small, smoking crater in is back. He fell to his knees and collapsed face down in the dirt.

“No remorse, no mercy, no forgiveness. Not a single step back, not a single moment of hesitation. You will not succumb to fear or doubt, and you will relent only after you have given your last moment for the Emperor. Nothing less than this will be tolerated. DO YOU UNDERSTAND” the Commissar called out.

Ed heard calls of “Yes Sir” and turned back to the barricade. The whole incident had taken 10 seconds and he could see the Greenskin warbikers were closer. Another couple were destroyed and he now started to add his fire alongside the tanks. He took aim at one in particular and fired. His las-shots striking the bike and Greenskin. More shots joined his.

“Concentrate your fire on one bike” Sgt Wend yelled out. A flash of blue appeared in Ed’s peripheral and a ball of blue plasma his the front tire of a biker, causing it to fly into the bike next to it and explode. All Ed could taste and smell now was gunpowder from the tank, promethium and ash as he continued firing.

“ORK TRUCKS” yelled someone down the line, Ed glanced up and could see ramshackle trucks flying towards the barricade, Greenskins holding on and firing weapons. He carried on firing at the immediate threat, the bikers. The bikers turned and started to ride off down the line, roaring, bellowing smoke and firing their guns. This allowed the trucks time to drive almost up to the barricade. Ed counted twenty of them. He watched as some of them stopped, dropping off their cargo and continuing to fire. Ed ducked as a round pinged off the barricade near him and hit the arm of the trooper next to him, tearing off his arm in a shower of blood. The man screamed and fell back.

Ed looked and could only blink. The Greenskins were flying out of the trucks and charging into the fire of the men manning the barricade. They were wearing bits of armour and holding clubs, axes with sharpened teeth, swords. One was bigger than the rest and was pointing at the barricade. It looked to the sky and let out a cry. “WAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!” The other Greenskins joined it in the cry. Ed watched as it flung it’s axe into the neck of another Ork and nearly decapitated it. As they started to charge he fired at one, putting small smoking holes in it’s green leathery skin. It didn’t even flinch. He kept up the fire with more men joining him trying to put down this one Greenskin. The Commissar was shouting out orders and firing his bolt pistol into the charging Orks causing ones head to explode.

Another ball of plasma leapt out and struck another Greenskin, melting half its body. It swayed on the spot and fell before being trampled by he remaining Greenskins.

“FIX BAYONETS” yelled out Sgt Wend. Similar orders where being shouted out up and down the line. Ed quickly grabbed his and fit it then aimed back down at the Greenskin he had been firing on. He fired at it again and again. More shots joined his and eventually the Ork fell to it’s knees. A shot hit it in the eye and it fell back.

“Throne it takes so many shots to bring one down” Ed thought as he moved to aim at the next Greenskin. A minute more and they would be amongst them and then he knew it would be over.

The tanks continued firing. Their main guns picking off the Greenskin trucks one by one, causing each one to explode in balls of fire as each one was hit. The side sponsons were firing at the incoming Greenskin horde.

Another war-horn sounded. Very close this time. Ed realised that over the booms of the tanks firing, he could feel the vibrations of the two Titans. He knew that they only had to last a few more minutes and the two Titans would be able to destroy the Greenskins.

Ed took aim at the Greenskin who seemed to have eyes on him. He tried to put his shots at the Greeskins face but it was hard. It roared at one of his shots hit it’s mouth.

The first Ork hit the barricade. It swung it’s axe, beheading a trooper in a fountain of blood. It was in turn blown apart as a bolt shell from one of the nearby Leman Russ tanks slammed into it’s chest and exploded. Ed tried to ignore that and took a few steps backwards, never taking his aim off the Greenskin aiming for him.

The Ork leapt over the barricade and charged at him. Ed kept firing. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. Just as the Greenskin raised it’s axe it toppled. Ed looked and saw that it was now missing one leg. It roared in what Ed thought must be pain and fell to it’s side. It glared at Ed as Ed turned the power up on his lasgun to max power. He aimed and fired at it’s head.

A hole seared in its flesh and then abruptly it died. Ed looked for his next target. He aimed at one that was standing over another trooper, axe raised to strike him. The trooper was yelling out and as Ed pulled the trigger of his lasgun, the axe was brought down and the man was bisected. It turned towards Ed as he continued to fire at it. As it started towards him, shaking it’s large grey axe it grunted. Ed watched as the Greenskin looked down and a chainsword erupted from it’s gut. The sword’s teeth whirled chewing through the guts with ease. Ed watched as the chainsword was slowly removed and then reappeared at the neck of the Greenskin which slowly collapsed.

The Commissar stepped over the body. “We fall back to the God-engines” he shouted as he fired his bolt pistol at another Greenskin. Ed nodded and started to shout the order. He watched as the tanks started to fall back, exhausts billowing smoke, guns still firing. The troopers that could hear him and were still standing also started to fall back.

The Warhound Titans were nearly at them now. Ed watched as they seemed to look down on them. The war-horn sounded once more and before Ed could do anything the Titan fired hundreds of rounds from its Vulcan Mega Bolter. The tanks withdrawing with him stopped and added their fire to the carnage. Ed turned and watched as hundreds of Orks were reduced to a red mist. He grinned as he watched the carnage unfold. The firing stopped and he watched as the God-engine started to move forward once more, aiming for the crashed Greenskin spacecraft. He watched as the energy built at its right arm and a huge blast of blue plasma leapt from it’s plasma blaster and away into the distance.

The Greenskins started to fall back as they couldn’t compete with the overwhelming firepower.

“Maybe we can hold this planet” Ed muttered and set of in pursuit of the Commissar who was chasing down the remaining Greenskins.

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So there we have it. My second attempt at a short story in the Warhammer 40’000 universe. I hope you enjoy it. Once again any criticisms are gratefully received.

I hope I find you all happy and healthy.

Vulkan

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