The formerly jovial expression on the face of Lou Hugo-Lévesque took a most sudden turn, his lips twisting with annoyance, his fingers tapping lightly on his sabre hilt, and his eyes roving over these simpletons - idiots smart enough not to strike first, but perhaps stupid enough not to strike at all...
"Lâches," growled the Sergeant in a steel-edged voice, turning his back to the Uzanians and waving a dismissive hand, "regarde ces imbéciles!" He half-yelled, a long finger moving to point in the direction of Ivers, "zat one there even thinks he can read...and that
old man," mocked the Lancer as his digit glanced over Freidrich, "is as useless as the rest, maybe even more so."
There had been no brawl here today, the Uzanians had stood their ground and seen off an enemy not looking to kill, but one that they may yet find behind their backs in the future.
Once the Lancers left the barracks in a clatter of calf-high boots and ornate weapons, all that was left was for third platoon to contemplate where they were going and how many would die when they got there.
One week of warp travel later, Colonel Sabbadin's quarters..."Surely you jest,
mein Oberst?"
"I am afraid not, Herr Kauffmann," sighed the Colonel as he transferred the recently recieved orders over to the dataslate of
Zwei Kompanie, "t appears that the Imperium, even in this critical moment of its history, can find little better for out brave men and women to do."
"This has to be because they are green, surely?" Questioned the sharp-eyed Captain, his back ramrod straight and his cheek twitching with barely contained anger, "they wish to test us, ja?"
"Let us hope so
Hauptmann. I doubt it shall cheer the troops much, but we go where the
Kaiser bids, and this time he bids us here."
"Ja sir, I shall relay the orders with all haste.
Der Kaiser beschützt."
"Indeed he does," half-whispered the Colonel as he turned back to face his desk, making sure the Captain was gone before he allowed himself to relax somewhat, "indeed he does."
Later in the Assembly Hall of the Second Battalion...Oberleutnant Zilla Haas, second-in-command commander of the Uzanian Rifles 2nd Company, had been beautiful once. Men had come from all over her region to marvel at her statuesque looks, her proud bearing, and to ask for her hand in marriage...she had refused them all. Instead she had taken up her fathers occupation by joining the Guard, and in doing so had cost herself the suitors, the admiration, and half of her face to shrapnel in the field.
Now the diminutive officer, standing at a proud five-feet-and-six-inches in height, glared over the thousand or so soldiers arrayed in ranks before her with both her glacial blue eye and her red bionic both.
"Kamaraden!" She announced from the dais upon which she stood, able to see the slightest movement in the ranks, and thus far quite proud of what she saw, "as you know, most of the glory goes to First Company...our orders are with me now," a hand lifted a dataslate to show this was no bluff, "and they are inglorious to say the least."
With a small nod to a nearby clerk the room was darkened, a huge projection appearing above the masses in the shape of an orb - a planet in fact - as if the gods had descended to illuminate their squalid lives. It spun slowly on it's axis and, by way of technology, the voice of Lieutenant Haas echoed about the room so loudly that none could fail to hear.
"What you are seeing is Arosep Tertias, a rather unremarkable planet in most respects. It is classed by the Mechanicus as a 'civilised' planet much like our own, except hotter due to its closeness to its respective sun."
Multiple spots on the globe began to radiate colour, specific spots shown for specific reasons.
"These are the planets fuel refineries, and the only reason that the Imperium cares so much about this planet. It is the only producer of fuel within a two sector radius, and our superiors wish us to clean it up and hold it against the followers of the Ruinous Powers."
She waited for whatever chatter may erupt after such an announcement, holding up a hand for silence.
"But...that honour will go to the First Company, while the Third will act as a holding formation in orbit should reinforcements be needed. We-" she paused momentarily, "
we will be on peacekeeping duty behind the front line, the planet having been held by the forces of the Great Enemy long enough for residual corruption but not enough to
claim the planet."
Another few moments passed before the Lieutenant spoke again, only half her mouth moving, the other metal half fused shut after her injuries.
One more click and the globe became larger, points becoming illuminated in a mass of settlements, a network of roads clearly visible linking them to one another; the terrain looked normal enough, some forested areas surrounded by rolling hills - the only thing out of place was the largest of the holographic splotches some miles away from any habitated location, that being the Eron Sigma Refinary.
"Our company shall be spreading itself over this landscape like a net, patrolling between twelve to fifteen smaller settlements, the fuel refinary having its own security and unneeding of our aid. Our mission here is hearts and minds, ladies and gentlemen, so lets try our best not to upset the locals."
Then it was all over, the globe disappearing and the lights returning in moments, Haas standing as still as she had been from the very beginning.
"We disembark in three days, rest up and prepare your equipment; this should be a quiet one, but never say never," she jokingly gave a small tap of her faces metal half, using the time to fill her lungs before shouting in her best parade-ground voice...
"DEE-SMISSED!"
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