Fighting With Faith- Twenty-Fifth Entry

Small droplets of sweat coursed down Benlian’s face. He had been in the same position for the past forty-five minutes, crouching in his full battle dress and equipment. He held his lasgun tightly in his right hand, his other hand was clutching onto the rusted railing in front of him, hoping to find support for his already overwhelmed weight.

His face was slick with perspiration, his eye brows knotted in an unfriendly grimace. His muscles were tensed, his thighs and forearm already quivering from the additional weight being pushed down upon him on his back and shoulders.

It was midday, and the twin suns were high overhead. It was sweltering hot, with visible convection currents and no winds blew. The street was pin-drop silence.

“Enemy targets on the move. Bel Company, proceed to your specified coordinates. Low and stealthily, out.” A calm and cool voice of an arbites agent came over the microbead placed in Benlian’s ear.

Benlian, chosen acting squad leader, signaled the rest of his squad members to out. They candidly gave a sigh of relief as they stood up to a low stoop and began to advance cautiously. They prowled the rockrete ground of Sector XX-II of the mutant section of Valingdom, arms at ready and senses tune to their surroundings.

Code named Tea-strike, the meticulous and canny agents of the Planetary Arbites of the Asat Homeworld division were working together with the grunts of the Asat System Imperial Guard regiment.

Intelligence were gathered regarding the function of a major meeting amongst the leaders of the various Genestealer cults and mutants leaders in the Asat system.

Bel Company, along with Callus Company were deployed on the East facing of the enemy’s octagonal hideout. It was a vast hanger, abandoned ages ago by its denizens far less human. Ominous shadows and thick, lustrous vines grew erratically from cracks and joints on the scaled walls of the hanger. Small insectoid organisms scuttled speedily out of the way of the forests of Imperial Guard standard issue boots being stomped onto the ground around them.

Bel Company was now at their pre-determined location. It faced a junction where there was a fork road. They were at the North-East facing of the hanger. The fork road branched off to the Northern entrance, while the other branched off to the Eastern entrance, which Callus Company was covering.

Enemy patrols of deformed mutants and prowling Genestealers were everywhere. Sentries were guarding the main entrances and already more mutants and Tyranids could be seen pouring into the compound from the South and West entrances.

The Imperial units were waiting for the main leader mutant, named Elshilta to arrive. He was known to have eight metallic limbs, and a hideous face which defied any human form of recognition. Orders for this mission was to intercept his convoy heading to the hanger and destroy it.

“What’s taking that damn chabba so long?” an agitated Lamus Gelok groaned beside Benlian. His face was flushed red, obviously not acclimatised to the scorching weather due to where he was from. He hailed from the outer planet of Fashion, where it was ice cold all yot round with the only source of heat from fires or the warmth of human body contact.

“Probably lost a leg of his.” Lent sniggered, two paces down the line of crouching troops.

A light rabble of laughter coursed down the line but was soon silenced by a simple wave of Benlian’s hand. All mouths immediately went shut and eyes peeled towards the far North-East road, going away from the hanger and snaking away into the mutant habs.

A convoy of enemy vehicles could be seen arriving, flanked by even more vehicles armed with lascannons, grenade launchers and an assortment of other armaments which could easily tear apart a whole company of soldiers within minutes.

The convoy kicked up a dust swirl, obscuring the entire view of the vehicles for a moment before dissipating.

“What the-” Shralk Lopen, medic of Bel Company’s remark was cut off by a sharp hiss by Benlian.

“Damn it, we don’t need to know.”

“Arbites H-Q unit to all units, on standby.” The calm and cool voice came over again.

This was Bel Company’s first real combat mission, and Benlian could barely contain his excitement and anticipation. He could also sensed his squad mates too as they shifted anxiously within their position.

“Company, perform checks on equipment and weapons.” Benlian said.

A whizzing sound could be heard faintly, until it grew greater in decibels which drew the curious glances from the soldiers away from their last minute checks to the oncoming convoy.

“INCOMING!” someone yelled into the microbead.

Bullets began peppering the sand ridge around Bel Company, throwing up wisps and swirls of sand. A soldier was shot in the shoulder, falling to the ground screaming in agony.

“Shralk! Tend to him!” Benlian ordered immediately.

A blast of sand and shrapnel blew into Benlian’s face, causing him along with the rest of Bel Company to be partially blind for a moment. The next thing Benlian, knew was that all hell broke loose and when the dust settled, a horde of horrifying Hormagaunts were charging straight at them.

“FIRE AT WILL! KEEP SHOOTING!” was all Benlian had to say.