When the Chimera shuddered to life, Marcus was just finished fixing his helmet onto his head. He braced himself to his seat as their vehicle moved forward into the waiting ramp of the transport ships.
"Hold on tight, boys and girls! We're about to head off!" Bertolt announced from the driver's seat of the Chimera. He felt the Chimera tip upwards slightly as they climbed onto the ramp, and then shudder back down as the Chimera flattened itself on the floor of the transport ship. Soon after that, there was another loud rumble, but this time from the outside as the ship whirred to life and began lifting off from the Castellan.
"The Emperor protects! Let's hope we get down there in one piece!" Marcus said to no one in particular as their vehicle departed for the planet below.
When they made landfall, Marcus was ready to come out guns blazing, mainly because of the hostile reception that they had when they exited warp. He was half-expecting the planet to be occupied by the enemy and that they would be expected to make a hot landing. So he was surprised to see a base being set up as the Chimera exited onto their landing zone. The vehicle halted causing Marcus to jerk a bit and wonder what happened. "Alright lads, the brass says this is where you step off. Guess we'll be killing the Emperor's enemies together some other time." Bertolt said as he opened the rear doors of the Chimera.
"No problem, Bertie. You'll get your chance as long as you don't get blown up before our next assignment. Marcus replied jokingly to him. "Very funny, Mudfish. Your complete distrust of my competence is duly noted." Bertolt replied sarcastically. With that, Marcus dismounted the Chimera with the rest of the squad as the vehicle rolled off towards the motor pool.
A Ministorum clerk then directed their unit, along with the rest of the 87th Combined's forces, into a large flat area where the infantry was gathered. After their squad had gotten an area assigned to them, Marcus took off his bag to do another check on his gear, and also took his helmet off for now. At the moment, they had little to do other than wait for further orders.
Though, it wasn't long until their squad was summoned by Junior-Commisar Sigrun herself. The blonde officer led the unit to a secluded part of the landing zone where Captain Rochus was waiting for them.
"The Captain is calling us personally? Mighty high honor for a newly-made squad like ours. What's he got in store for us, I wonder...?" Marcus thought to himself a he lined up at attention before their CO.
"Welcome to Sheol Arcadius... You may not realise it from where we are, but there is a vast and rugged planet out there. It seems that, not intent on losing it to our forces decades ago, the fish-heads have decided to come back and 'reclaim' it for their 'Greater Good' and such. We are here to stop them, of course." Rochus briefed them before gesturing at the nearby chairs and inviting them to sit. Marcus wasn't sure what enemy they were facing, but he had heard some Guardsmen from other regiments refer to a faction known simply as the "Tau" as Fish-heads in passing, but he knew little of them, much less this "Greater Good" The captain referred to. The best that he heard were vague tales of veterans about "deadly lights". Pushing the thoughts aside for now, he took a seat next to Meris and Khaz (because everyone else had already taken a seat elsewhere and it was the only ones left open). As soon as everyone had sat down, the Captain outlined his plans to them.
Apparently, their squad was being given the honor of selecting their assignment, and also deciding on the callsign that would be assigned to their unit. Rochus told them of the different assignments they could undertake and to choose between them. Marcus thought hard about the tasks they were given before turning towards Ninke.
"Sir, if I'm not speaking out of line, I suggest we take up either the northeast settlement that must be held, or the assignment in the port town. Personally speaking, a majority of us are more suited to close-combat roles and urban fighting, with a few exceptions. So I don't fancy the idea of taking our chances out in the open wilds or in unknown territory where the locals might as well be hostiles. But the decision is still yours, sir." Marcus said to their squad leader, before turning around to see if his other squadmates had anything to say on the matter.
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