Marsh Silas II: Bloody Platoon

Chapter 13

As the morning went on, Bloody Platoon treated itself to a larger breakfast than usual, or at least what could constitute a larger breakfast. Up until that point, they were subsisting mostly on dry or cold rations with the occasional heated half-meal. It was to minimize their profile of course; leaving ration seals would create a lovely trail for the enemy to follow. Food intake was carefully monitored as they needed to sustain themselves as long as possible. After all, they carried everything and their wargear loads needed to be evenly distributed. Too much weight would wear a man down over the course of their marches. It was a difficult tactical choice, as the amount of walking under such heavy loads caused the troopers to lose weight quickly. But finally, with a quarter of the platoon on watch and with the enemy presence in the immediate area subdued, they could sit down, rest, and eat a full meal. Or at least, something close to one.

Others were too excited and restless to remain seated, however. While Marsh Silas smoked his pipe for the first time in weeks, many of the men picked through what the heretics dropped on the field. While none dared to touch their flesh or search their pockets for parchments with maps and scribbles, they were fascinated with the weapons they carried. Whether these were stripped from the bodies of the Interior Guard, acquired from an Imperial storehouse, or piecemealed together from various models and pieces, these were intriguing trinkets. These were not kept for fear of taint on the part of cultists and heretics, so most were acquired, briefly studied, and then discarded in a pile Yoxall would destroy with explosives.

It was concerning to see so many looted firearms among the dead. Marsh Silas spent most of his career fighting heretics armed with autoguns, not foes equipped similarly to him. Of course, it was all for naught, as the heretics could not best Shock Troopers armed with M36 Kantrael pattern lasguns and MG Defender Pattern service laspistols. But he was more puzzled by their recently manufactured arms. How did the heretics equip themselves with patterns of both laser and ballistic weapons which did not fit any template he encountered before? Were they forging them underground?

The troops of Bloody Platoon picked up the littered arms and compared them to their own. Their weapons, although dirty from the long march, were properly maintained. Some of the enemy autoguns were made from recycled scrap metal and the cells for their lasguns were scrounged. While a number of the enemy's firearms were in decent condition while others suffered from poor seating and manufacture. Furniture was weak, warped, and loose. Some even broke apart as a Shock Trooper picked it up. Barrels and buttplates were rusted, magazines didn't sit correctly in the well, and grips often consisted of a series of metal wiring twisted to fit in the palm of a hand. Pieces of pipes were nailed to the top rail of some of the long autoguns, a crude attempt to create optics and scopes. Bayonets consisted of extended pieces of rusted metal or a fighting knife wrapped to the barrel by tape.

"Look at this one here, brother!" Walmsley Minor called from halfway down the southern slope. A few standard feet away from Marsh Silas, Walmsley Major stepped up to the edge. His brother heaved an enemy autogun at him which he caught with ease. He looked it over; it was not a very large weapon but there was something strange about it. Even Marsh, who just so happened to glance at it, found it odd.

Walmsley Minor trudged up the slope and tapped the center of the weapon, his fine hair matted to his head. "It's the body of an M36. Can ya believe it? They converted a lasgun to fire slugs. The heretics must have a skilled weaponsmith with them."

It was true. Although the weapons were made of flimsy and cheap material, the actual craftsmanship was simple but elegant. Whoever was putting the firearms together was knowledgeable enough with ballistics and lasers. Was it a corrupted Tech-Priest or Enginseer? If so, Marsh Silas wondered what other vile creations the traitor was conjuring.