Warhammer 40k Fanfiction - Hero Imperator (English)

Chap. 3- Day 17 (Part 2) - Heart of Courage

Our little confidence collapsed at the precise moment we discovered the truth, but not our rifles. I didn't even have to give the order for the thousands of combatants in my sector to fire without respite or quarter towards the Ork formations.

The metal wall would contain our shots, but not the bodies of those who dared to leave cover. Only one hundred meters separated us from the terrible green tide, but those hundred meters were enough for any rookie to get an accurate shot. And I couldn't thank more the defense regiment on our right, whose Sentinels sometimes gave us a timely gap in enemy formations.

We just had to hold on. I looked to my left, and I could see the beams of light almost a kilometer away, and I knew we were still holding position. Even under the relentless rain and lightning. To my right, the reserve regiments were firing with everything they had, and I could see the diffuse curve that their superior firepower left in the greenskin formation.

Behind us, I could hear with satisfaction the rumble of Krieg artillery, the main reason why our sector was still able to hold firm, when the huge explosions would create the perfect gaps we needed to counterattack. I even remember that on several occasions, these salvoes fell just above the shield wall, a perfect point for our troops to clear the field of orks before they closed again. A coordination by our enemies that had me terrified.

— Commissioner. The orks are being kept at bay. — Mason commented, after thirty minutes of non-stop shooting.

- Very good. Stay firm at all costs. If this sector falls it will be a matter of time before the world succumbs. He will not back down under any circumstances. —

My words were cruel, but no less true. Our defensive line was all we had. Behind us there were two kilometers of plains to the positions where the Krieg artillery was located, but I really did not know the status of his regiment. Maybe they had to go support the right front. Perhaps they had been mobilized to another sector. In any case, we couldn't place our trust in an assumption. We had to hold the position at all costs, and I'm sure everyone present was as sure of that as I was.

After a few minutes, the battle reached a stalemate. The Ork shield wall maintained a position one hundred meters from us, and they limited themselves to returning fire or launching any type of explosives. Thanks to the Emperor for the cover those trenches provided us, otherwise I wouldn't be here writing this now.

Some orks tried to leave the shield wall, but they didn't usually get very far. The power of a hundred or more concentrated lasers was enough to vaporize them instantly, which seemed to boost the morale of our troops little by little, however, I was quite worried.

This was too unorkish. Nothing I had read or heard before had mentioned behavior like that. It didn't feel like something natural. It was as if the greenskins in front of us were waiting for something. As if their goal was to entertain us in some way... And only the Emperor knows how frustrating I felt when I found out that my worries came true.

— Damn cowards. —

My frustration had reached its most critical point. The orks held their position perfectly thanks to their shield wall, only sticking their heads out to return fire. This reminded me more of the passages of Nortivosh and the trench wars against the inhabitants of Gusokit, than a battle with the orks. That feeling that something strange was happening there became more and more present in my mind. Then the catastrophe occurred.

— Allied fire! Allied fire! —

The voice of one of my men was pulled from my thoughts, at the same time that it chilled every last drop of my blood. For a second I thought I had heard wrong, or that it was a bad joke, which he would punish very severely if we survived this. But it wasn't a joke at all.