Venetti´s mind worked at full speed. The enemy was near and he could taste the battle in the air. Most of the Imperial Guard forces were already engaging an enemy and the hive resonated under massive artillery barrages. The 128th Cadian shock troops were marching through one of the already evacuated parts of the hive, trying to evade the bulk of enemy forces. Their march was a quiet one, every men silently preparing for the upcoming battle. The rest of the army was already shedding blood and soon it will be their turn to do same.
Although men of the 128th were all tough bastards, they were still a light infantry regiment and thus not very effective line soldiers. Ambushes and flanking attacks were their speciality, and now was just the time for an attack of this kind. 128th was tasked with flanking enemy positions and thus lifting some weight from the 73rd that was nearly overrun by the arch-enemy.
Commissar longed for this moment since first days on Kalvarstad and so were his men. Since their deployment on the planet, his regiment moved from one bloody skirmish with no strategic value to another and to Venetti , these skirmishes were just a waste of valuable manpower. The 128th was a renowned regiment and they surely deserved better than to die like a bunch of conscripts to slow the enemy down.
Now, they finally have their chance to participate in larger battle and even turn the tide of it. Commissar was more than just eager to show what is his regiment really made of. If they make it on time, of course.
The sector, they marched through now, was hit hard in the very beginning of the war and no stone has been left unturned. Half destroyed buildings and craters left by explosions were slowing their progress on each step. Soldiers were trying to march in a steady pace, but the rubble proved to be as sabotaging as any trap the enemy could set for them. The time was running out and the 73rd was waiting. They have to hurry up.
"Men of Cadia!" shouted the commissar to get an attention of soldiers. He was marching right in the middle of the army and thus sure he will be heard by the majority of regiment. He stopped and drew out his sword raising it above his head. It was a beautiful device, as much an art as a weapon, gifted to him after defeating an ork waaagh on the shrine world of Seefera and it somehow became a symbol of the 128th. Its energy field dimly glowed in the duskiness and soon, all the eyes were set on the commissar.
"Right now, in this very moment, your comrades are dying out there, while you are crawling through ruins like a bunch of cockroaches. You are their only hope, their only chance to beat the enemy forces and draw them back to their nests. And I am asking you, will you let them waiting?! Will you let their sacrifices to become pointless?! Will you let the heretics win?!" he asked them, his voice changing from calm to furious, and men soon responded in unisono. The thundering "No! No! No!" was their answer, and he could hear the anger and shame in their voices. A smile showed on Venetti´s lips. "Then prove it! Make your old commissar proud!"
His speech had a desirable effect and the regiment soon marched in renewed and much more sufficient speed. They still could move a little bit faster, but commissar was sure they will make it on time now. And when they do, The Emperor shows mercy, because they will have none.