Assault on Celenius Primus

[Omega]

Sergeant Adrian Verfollen felt the assault carrier buck beneath him as it streaked through the sky but he could hear the engines through the metal as he rested his head back against the bulkhead. He had listened to that sound on countless occasions so he always knew no matter how rough the airspace got as long as those engines kept up their rhythmic hum they would stay airborne and reach their target. Looking acround the assault carrier he saw the men in his squad each one was a battlehardened veteran looking ready to go, they had all made countless drops before and this would be no different, the only one with worry in his eyes was the commissar near the front. He was recinching his grav-chute again. Unlike the rest of them this was going to be his first drop and while apparently the enemies of the Imperium brought out no fear in him plummetting to his death did. Smiling slightly Adrian turned away to make sure the commissar would not catch his look. It seems that he did not need to worry afterall though as almost immediatly after the commissar managed to finish working on his grav-chute the pilot called back over the vox to them, "We are nearing the drop zone, 30 seconds out."

Standing up from his seat in the back of the assault carrier he called out over the vox in return, "Good copy, 30 seconds," he then switched over to the squad comms and spoke yelling out orders even though he knew they could hear him easily through the vox, "Alright everyone check your gear and check your buddy's gear then form up three lines and pray the Emperor likes you or you are about to be the first one to hit dirt and dirt might just hit back." With practised ease everyone in the squad checked everything one last time save for the commissar who was a grizzled older looking man covered in scars and just glared at anyone who tried to help him.

All too quickly the 30 seconds ran out and they could hear the shriek of missiles firing and the chugging of heavy bolters, a moment later the back ramp dropped and the light over it went green. With that Sergeant Verfollen of the 88th Elysian Drop Troops jumped out of a perfectly good Valkyrie and plummeted down towards the planet below, now normally they teach you to go out boots first for various reasons but everyone knew any seasoned drop trooper worth his lascarbine went out head first to meet whatever fate was in store for him head on. The rest of his squad followed him out in a similar manner and he could see in either direction several other Valkyries unloading troops or drop sentinels as well. The drop for this operation was short but right into a combat zone, flipping over about halfway to the ground he triggered his grav-shute in order to abrupt his momentum enough that when he landed he could go into a roll and drop his grav-chute with practiced ease, coming up with his lasrifle ready.

All around him the sounds and stink of warfare was happening, and the first thing he saw was the abhumans, terrible abominations forsaken by the Emperor and generally worthy only of death. Expecting them to be fighting for the ruinious powers as their kind often do Adrian was prepared to gun down the pair he saw in the trench before him until they opened fire out into the no man's land further out. It seemed to him that these ones at least were perhaps not beyond saving, taking his sights off the beastmen and out towards the rapidly advancing cultists he added his own lasfire to the mix, dropping a trio of cultist trying to climb through the barbed wire. Advancing he saw that the land had become a meat grinder, cultists and abhumans lay in piles around the trenchlines in several locations in seems the beastmen had been pushed back out of the trenches and been forced to assault back into them taking horrendous casualties int he process. This line was expected to be attacked but was vital and thus well defended, a series of hills with steep slopes on several sides held by the Cadian 564th and a regiment of beastmen were holding here, the ground long ago turned to mud as blood and water soaked it and was churned up by foot and shell alike.

Pushing forward Adrian fired off a grenade from the underslung launcher on his rifle though was not even given a chance to reload it before cracking off several more shots at cultists attempting to push in once more. All up and down the line the war raged, he dove into a trench and found himself alongside several abhumans as well as his own squad pouring in. Standing up he ignored the abhumans for now and began to fire once more at the enemy advancing, his company had been sent here to hold the line but looking out now with a chance to study the battlefield all he saw was doom, thousands upon thousands of cultists were preparing for another great charge out there he could already see, it would take a miracle to hold now. Sighting in and preparing for the worst his thoughts were interrupted by the vox operator for the squad, "Sergeant I am getting a lot of reports in, the 564th is preparing to fall back further up the hill but it seems we are getting reinforcements here, from the sound of it a lot of reinforcements several regiments are converging on this area as we speak."

Adrian could only smile as he pegged another cultist in the head with a las-shot, "I guess a miracle of man and steel is still a miracle."

[Miss Nikki]

Several heavy ground transport vehicles churned through the mud to reinforce the elysians and cadians. The contents iaside the transports were platoons of Mordian Iron Guard. Their uniforms starched and well kept their rifles in immaculate condition. They were clean and sharp in their dress uniforms.

Commissar Cersei Phillida sat quietly in the vehicle triple checking her voters pistol before standing and moving to the ramp door. "Soldiers we come here today because the emperor demands our blood and honor. We come here because we are the best and sharpest! We come here because only the Iron Guard is strong enough to beat back these forces of chaos!" As she finished her speech the ramp dropped and the sounds of battle attacked their ears. Cersei was the first out the vehicle the other soldiers close behind. All the troops of Mordia moved as one not jumping in the trench but instead making two long side by side lines. The first line knelt while the second line stood. Cersei stood at the end of the line aiming her bolt pistol in one hand and aiming, then raising her power fist in the other. "Ready!" Several soldiers fell but the Iron Guard moved mechanically filling in the gaps. "Aim!" More men fell and once more gaps were filled. "Fire!" Hundreds of las rifles went off at once filling the air with a thick heat. Cerseis voters began firing of some shots as well. Just about every enemy who had not been in a trench was dead now. "Fire at will!"

[Ollumhammersong]

Micheal Surveyed the surrounding landscape with his minds eye. He glanced over to the man the colonel sent to hold his leash. The Telepathica has deemed fit to send his services to some regiment or other body of soldiers. HE hardly cared. He sighed and brought his sight and focus back into the salamander he was riding in. The half squad he was with was either looking at him with contempt or avoiding his gaze out of fear. And to an extent fear was warranted, he admitted that to himself. But the disgust was getting tiresome. He looked up and saw several firery lines arching down towards the surface. More reinforcements. He lost all interest in regimental designations truth be told. He has yet to meet one that was actually glad to see him and he usually only spoke to the commissar or higher ranking officers anyway. Yet now he was being asked to perform the duty that made him both valued and inspired the most fear. HE was being sent to some trench to help clear the heresy and put the fear of the Emperor in the foe. He titled his head back as he remembered one of they platitudes the commissar said to the men before they left. “Kill the Mutant” Micheal almost smirked when he heard it. Almost anyway.
Soon the Salamander ground to a halt as the sounds of war and combat became thunderous. He exited the vehicle in a far slower and more measured stride than the fire team he was assigned to “accompany.” He surveyed the chaos of the battle field and sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. This action alone caused concern amongst the troops near him. They hardly had time to think as a wave of cultists swarmed over the lip of the trench to charge of the advancing company. The troops dived for cover and began firing back but Micheal stayed were he was and never opened his eyes. Slowly he leaned his force staff forward and with a momentary shudder of effort he seemed to stop completely before throwing his free hand out and lightning arched from his finger tips to hit several of the advancing horde in the chest and face. Screaming and howling they fell to the ground singed and smoking. The rest of the company paused to witness the act before continuing o mow down the remainder of the horde and moving to take the section of trench.

[Hagazussa]

Reza Orlizh was dead tired, he did not know how long he had been on this battlefield, and he did not care, two weeks ago he had been sent to some regiment who's name escaped him, it had been the same story as it always where, they needer a psyker but they treated him like a leper, at least no one had attacked him this time, though the isolation and silence from the other men who generally did their best to their glare at him or ignore that he was alive got jarring, but Reza was used to this by now, and he tried to not let it bother him, off course it did not much matter what relationship he had with the regiment he was placed with, soon he would be reassigned to another.

This morning, or last night...who knew how long ago Reza's regiment had been called out to defend this settlement from the forces of Chaos, a worthy enough goal, it was not like the young psyker did not hate and fear Chaos as much as any other citizen of the Empire, but it felt like forever now since he had been driven to the battlefield, it seamed like forever since people started dying, Reza did not know how many of his regiment still lived, all he knew was that he had to do his job. The green clad man knelt by another wounded soldier, the man glanced up at the psyker in fear but Reza ignored him, for a moment he seamed to shiver and then the soldier's wounds begun to close, they did not seal completely but the wounded man where no longer dying and what was more important he could fight again. Reza did not have the strength to help the soldier he had healed back to his feet, his joints and bones felt like they where made of butter, he had been at this for so long, healed so many, his head felt like it would split in two for how much he had used his abilities. Wonderful if I take a bullet to the head now I will hardly feel it. Reza think to himself had he had to laugh at his own dark humor, the wounded soldier looked at him strangely then got to his feet and tossed himself back into the action, Reza suspected his healing of the man would be for nothing in the end, very few would survive this day.

Reza staggered on, there where more men to heal, every now and again he had to use his abilities to get a beastman or other enemy combatant out of his way, or he just used his side arm, Reza had started up being afraid that one of those monstrosities would kill him but now he was so tired that he hardly cared, all he managed to focus on now was putting one foot in front of the other and heal the fallen soldiers he found along his way. Suddenly something caught Reza's attention, lightening glinted in the air, lightening like he himself could create, there was another psyker on the battlefield. Reza cocked his head to one side and looked in that direction curiously, he had to check it out, if the other psyker was an ally then perhaps they would be more effective backing one another up, and besides Reza longed to just see another human being that did not hate him or where repulsed by him and if the other psyker where an enemy, well then he was a danger and it would be his duty to take him or her for that matter, out. Reza turned and begun to walk in the direction the lightening had come from with tired steps, keeping his pale eyes open and scanning for anyone who could be like him, but seeing more with his feelings, than with his eyes. Where was the other psyker?

[Ollumhammersong]

Michael Stepped over some fresh corpses of the unfortunate cultists that tried to retake the trench from the company. His arm was thrust out like a claw to suspend a horrifically mutated individual by the throat. The creautre was several feet away and about a foot off the ground and clutching is ever tightening windpipe. With a heavy breath and a twist of his wrist the creatures neck snapped audibly and the corpse crumpled to the ground. HE surveyed the field. He was a little tired already. The comapny was shoving him from one area to the next to utilize him as much as possible. He took this opportunity to breath and survey the landscape with his minds eye. HE was searching for the next area where he would be the most useful. There were chaos beasts everywhere but tacking the trenches seemed to be going to Imperium's way, for now. He was about to hone in a what he felt was a fair sized group of cultists approaching to the right. He would have sent a warning to the men there but they would probably scream Heretic and demand his execution afterwards, no matter if it helped them survive.
He was about to when he felt something else searching like he was. He focused on the feeling. IF it was a chaos psyker it must be killed quickyl and he was the only person within miles probably that could do it. He did not want to fight a sorcerer but he had no real choice. If it was an imperial psyker then that was better. It would be possible to pool their focus and achieve a little more headway than what they were currently gaining. He reached out with his mind and took the chance. HE started to walk towards the being. His hand was at his side, the laspistol would be largely useless in this fight and he would have to go on his stamina and willpower alone.
As he neared the person he constantly reached out with his mind, Several of the soldiers looked at him as he walked past, Down the lip of the trench. He refuesed to sully himself by entering such a hole. Some of his Aristocratic bearing still showed through even if he couldn't remember his previous life. Soon he felt the mind of the being. It was human he was sure of that. It was also coming from imperial lines which ment it was another psyker like himself. He relaxed a little as he scanned with his real eyes and saw he slightly hunched and robed man leaning on his force staff. He nodded to the man and displayed his own force staff to show who and what he was beofre walking closer.

[Hagazussa]

Reza walked the battlefield wearily, his search for the other psyker was halted every now an again as he had to stop to heal some unfortunate soldier or another, each time he did so his fatigue grew, soon he would have to rest or he would just collapse or worse loose control of his abilities which could lead to all sort of nastiness, even if he slipped for just a second. Finally Reza saw the man he had been looking for, he was human and his staff did seam to indicate that he was not with the Chaos forces, the young psyker was relieved, he was not so sure he would be able to stand his ground against another of his kind right now. The other Imperial psyker nodded to him as he made his way towards Reza who returned the nod, apparently the elegant looking man had gotten the same idea that the shopkeeper's son, two psykers could do their job allot better than one.

When he had reached Michael Reza pushed the fabric of his robe slightly aside at his shoulder to reveal his sanctioning brand which was located over his left collarbone, he was reasonably sure the other man knew that he was not with the Chaos forces but it never hurt to be on the safe side, Reza did not want to be shot because of a mistake and the brand did prove that he was sanctioned. As his fingers touched the slightly raised scar on his shoulder the young man momentarily remembered the searing pain he had suffered when he got it, and the indignation of being marked like a cow at market.
"My name is Reza Orlizh."
The young psyker said as he pulled his robe back into place once he was sure that the other psyker had seen his mark. Reza's voice was hoarse when he spoke, he had been walking in silence for so long, healing...healing...walking and using his abilities that is all he had been doing as death flew around his ears, again Reza found himself wondering how long the fight had lasted now.
"I saw your lightening."
Reza said as if that would explain everything.
"I do not know if anyone from the regiment I was placed with are still alive and if so where they are, but two of us working together could do more good than if we work separately, what do you say?"
The question was direct, but then again they where at war, this was not really the time to beat around the bush.
"And besides I am so worn out that..."
Reza did not need to finish that sentence, the other psyker would know, he was so tired that he would feel safer with another of his kind present and able to kill him if he should slip and loose control over his abilities in his fatigue, better than then risk corruption or being possessed, a creature from the Warp manifesting through him on the battlefield right now could loose their side the battle, and Reza did not want to be the cause of that.

[Ollumhammersong]

Michael Bowed to the man when they met face to face. "Micheal Val'Holryn" he said with his ususal monotone voice IT was a well spoken voice none the less. He was certainly happy to meet another of his kind but he learned long ago not to show any expression lest he be shot for seeming as if he was enjoying himself to much or looking to angry. He rolled up the sleeve of his royal blue greatcoat to show his own brand on his forarm. He tapped it out of habit. whenever it was visible he felt the need to run his finger along the burn welts, to feel the leash that held him in place and yet stopped every commissar and inquisiotr from killing him immediatly. Usueally they waited a few seconds after learning you were branded 'safe to use.'
He listened to the mans words and proposition and nodded. "Very good." he said. He knew exactly what this man ment. He was already tired an he was only here for an hour at most. Reza looks like hes been here for close to a day. For an hour he killed and killed again. He hated chaos as much as the next man but having your mind even near one of them made your head itch. And the smell and sight of the roasting cultists from his abilites never really left your memory. He sighed and prepared to launch into more assualts. Hopefully this time an actual sorcerer wont rear his corrupted head. dueling sorcerers was always dangerous. Even if you won there was a chance part of the seed of chaos was left in your mind from the experience. Still He was releived to find another of his kind, it was nice to work with someone who didn't want your head on a pike for a change . And who didn't look at you with constant revulsion and contempt.
"There is a trench used by company I am leashed to" he said casually and pointed to the way he came. This man would know what that means to be given a Guardian for everyone elses sake and told he was to 'assist you.' "It is about to be attacked if it is not already." he said and started to walk back towards the men. No dout the would be furios with him for wandering off but he could care less about the sergaent or corpral or whatever rank he calls himself by. "I am Designated High Theta." he said referring to the assessment scale used on all psykers in the Imperium. "Yourself?" He was always curious to see what designation the Imperium stamped its assests with.

[Black Bob]

"Hold! Hold fire until you see the whites in their eyes brothers!" Marxx and his ten man squad were dug in deep in a makeshift trench, created by the many shells that recreated the firm ground anew. The field was a mess, black smoke billowed into the skies form the number of downed aircraft and smoking wreckage's, the screams of the dying and wounded tickled the ear of even the most stalwart of soldiers and the smell of all these things assaulted the senses. Marxx and his squad stood fast however and readied their ornate lasgun's at the approaching enemy. At least fifty cultists were trudging through the deep mud of no-man's land, somehow gaining the courage to storm the stranded Vostroyan. They were rampant and advancing in a shoddy formation, their guns were already firing, mainly by accident as not one of them seemed to know how to shoulder a weapon properly. Their leather rags were ridden with heretic scriptures and symbols, Marxx guessed that they only rebelled as they did not out of belief for the ruinous powers, but out of self-respect that their lives are not to be cast aside at whim, like most Imperium lives are. Marxx's squad all lifted their lasgun's and aimed down the iron sights, each picking out a single victim within the advancing rabble, Marxx himself readied his laspistol and hatchet. The Vostroyan Firstborn excelled at CQC and Marxx enjoyed making the first battle of a campaign a personal one. The cultists were close and their shots came ever closer, Marxx grew tired and aimed his laspistol at the weakest of the group, a dangerously skinny female beautiful yet scarred on the inside. Marxx lifted his face guard and secured it with the leather buckles, he inhaled deeply and his heart started to pound.

"FIRE!"

A flurry of red shots pierced the air and whizzed towards their intended targets, several of the cultists were hit by each shot, some falling victim to more than three. Blood and the odd limb or two was left behind the advancing cultists, like breadcrumbs in the forest. Bodies hit the ground and some lay screaming in pain. Marxx raised his hatchet to the wounded cultists.

"For the Emperor!!!"

His men roared and climbed from the improvised cover, they readied their bayonets, sabres and stock-axes as they charged the cultists. A flash of steel and blood came soon after as Marxx and his squad collided with their enemies. The Vostroyan stuck the ill-equipped cultists like pigs, they showed no mercy as they continued stabbing and impaling them with their bayonets. Marxx ducked in between two of them each swinging axes at the Sergeant, he spun around and dug his own axe deep within the back of the taller of the two. The tall man cried in pain and fell to the ground dead, Marxx yanked the axe out and raised his laspistol to the remaining cultist's face, pulling the trigger and emptying his skull with one foul shot. Marxx turned around and saw all of the cultists dead on the ground, not one of them remained alive as his men double checked, prodding the bodies with their feet and bayonets.

"Alright brothers we fall back to the command trenches, Asterix get a vox link going on an open frequency, alert them of our retreat!"

Asterix, a young Firstborn by Vostroyan standards operated the vox link and relayed the squad's alert.

"Guardsmen Asterix of Squad Kavros, 245th Vostroyan Firstborns. Making ready to make a tactical retreat to the command trenches, we are being pursued by hostiles, we believe they are mounting a full attack on the front line trenches. We request support to rendezvous and escort us back to command..."

[Hagazussa]

Reza gave a slight bow back to Michael, he had never been one for such formality but when a courtesy was offered it was always a good idea to return it. Reza glanced at Michael's brand, the same as his own but on the man's wrist instead of the shoulder then he nodded, that mark was both a shield that protected them from being shot on sight by over eager soldiers of the Empire, but it was also a collar around their necks, a mark that showed that they where little put property and useful tools in the Empire's eyes.
"Since I have no idea where my company is, this trench of yours seams as good a place as any."
Reza answered and followed as the other psyker lead the way, only stopping to pick a beastman who got a bit to close up with his mind and snap the desperate creature's neck at one point. Reza noted the lack of emotion in Michael's voice, that might be wise but he himself had never managed to sound like that and yet a psyker needed all the protection he could get, more than once he had been threatened on his life by some over eager Arbiter or soldier who wanted nothing more than to put a bolt in his head and once he had been bound and caned until he bled for some imagined slight, fighting back against the treatment would off course have lead to the much more undesirable bolt in the head scenario so Reza had been offered little choice but to just accept the unjust punishment, another time an Inquisitor had ordered him put to the question just because he was a psyker, the company he was with had cleared out a hive of Cultists and the Inquisitor wanted to make sure their corruption had not affected Reza, the memory of those hours under the Inquisitor's question made the young psyker shudder, yes it was best not to do anything that could cause even the slightest provocation if you wanted to survive as a sanctioned psyker.

Reza heard Michal ask him about his level designation and that brought his mind out of the less pleasant pondering that had been occupying it.
"I am a mid range Zeta, I specialize in healing."
Reza said over the sound of screams and gunfire. If Michael was a high range Theta that meant he had more raw talent than the other man, but Michael seamed to be much more proficient at using his psyker abilities for combat than Reza was who where more skilled with fixing broken bodies and augmenting physical ability in others...or himself for a while, but in either case they where within the same range of one another.
"Do you specialize in anything? Your combat powers seam far more practiced than mine."
Reza said, it was not really meant as a compliment, just as a statement of fact, Michael was better at killing things than he himself was despite having less raw talent, but then there was more to this art, if you wanted to call it that than just how big the gateway to the Warp in your head was to say it like that.

[Omega]

The tide of the battle seemed to turn in an instant as the troops of the Mordian Iron Guard arrived, they took casualties right away being a massed target but unleashed devastating fire in return. For a moment there was a calm, then the tang of warp permeated the area, on the right flank more troops had arrived and brought at least one psyker with them it seemed. The fire of the Mordian troops had been so intensive a red bloody mist hung over the battlefield now, and from that mist hell returned. Monsters slowly crawled forth from no-man's land, chimera transports bedecked with chaos regalia, they struck fear into the hearts of all who looked upon them and began to fire at the Mordian troops employing heavy bolters and stubbers. Turning back he yelled at the men, most of their uniforms still pristine as though freshly pressed before battle, "Get down you fools, you will shredded without cover!'

Adrian had no other time though for then the chimeras opened up truly, pouring out came chaos cultists firing autorifles and lasguns, Adrian fired shot after shot at them picking his target bringing them down one at a time but they looked to soon be overrun. "Prepare to fall back to reconnect with the Cadians!" He bellowed out to be overheard with the din of battle at it's fiercest now, he should was suddenly grabbed though, turning he looked at the squad's vox operator.

"Sergeant, we are getting word Vostroyan on our left flank are being pushed back towards this position."

"Damn!" was all Adrian had to say, if they fell back now they would abandon the Mordian's who would no doubt rather die than give up a single inch of land as well as the Vostroyan's who were attempting to fall back, "Belay my last, we hold here until the last drop of Imperial blood!"

The cultists charged up the hill, the mud churning beneath their boots clawing over barbed wire, Adrian fired a grenade down at them killing several but cutting a hole in the barbed wire in the process which more cultists streamed through. It seemed like in moments they were upon them in melee, Adrian switched to full auto and sprayed across one group closing on them but was too slow to turn as one cultist came at him, chain axe whirring through the air he barely got his lasrifle up in time though felt it cut and jarred from his hands by the spinning teeth as well as sending him sprawling into the trench, as the cultist raised his axe to deliver the killing blow Adrian managed to get his autopistol out of it's holster and fire into the man's knee sending him down and making in scream in pain. The pain was short lived though as Adrian brought his pistol up and fired a shot through the man's skull, standing up not he fired as more and more cultists pressed in on them the chimeras providing devastating support fire.