"In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement." These are the words that every man in the Death Korps of Kreig, serving under arms for the Emperor, recite before entering battle. Millions of soldiers, not born of mothers, but o...
I stood in the back of the Gorgon Armored Assault Transport once more. Coco Adel and Velvet Scarlatina stood next to me, wearing Imperial Guard flack armor and holding their weapons. The Quatermaster had also issued them with proper Death Korps uniforms, respirators, and equipment. Velvet turned to face me, "Are you nervous?" She asked timidly. I gave no verbal answer, only shaking my head to the negative. "Have faith in the Emperor." I told her, "We have nothing to fear from these heretics." Velvet only nodded, though she had definite concern in her eyes. Coco looked uncomfortable in her uniform, "How do you wear this?" She fumed. She adjusted her uniform and let her respirator hang around her neck. "These uniforms stink." She held her stubber close to her chest, muttering. She wasn't wrong. The uniforms gave off a very pungent odor resulting from multiple chemical treatments, rendering it immune to chemical weapons. The Gorgon rumbled onward, the massive V12 multi-fuel engines drove the massive war-machines forward. I could hear the distant sounds of battle, small arms fire echoing in the distance. The sounds of the Gorgon transports was soon joined by Leman Russ Battle tanks, thundering alongside us to provide heavy armored support in the coming battle. The sound of gunfire was soon drowned out by the sound of artillery fire, becoming barely audible between lulls in the shelling. The sounds of battle grew louder, the open topped passenger compartment provided no protection from the clouds of dust and smoke that began to taint the air. A familiar smell came to me, the scent of blasted soil, churned up by shelling. We continued forward, and the explosions grew louder and louder.
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The terrain became rougher, and the sounds of battle now roared with full volume in all it's fury. The sponson-mounted heavy bolters opened fire, tearing into the enemy. The heavy stubber mounted at the rear of the Gorgon soon followed suit, the Leman Russ battle tanks began to open fire with their twin-linked Lascannons. These particular tanks were the 'Leman Russ Annihilator' variants, armed with lascannons rather than standard battle cannons. They joined in battle alongside Death Korps troopers already engaged, as our Gorgons moved up to our assault positions. "Alright listen up!" Shouted the Commissar. "Our enemy has spent significant time building up their defenses. They have dug in deep and have heavy weapons." Outside, a Leman Russ exploded into a mighty fireball, showering us in sparks of molten metal. The Commissar continued talking, barely batting an eye at this sudden interruption. "They have several layers of defenses, and they are willing to fight to keep us from gaining any inch of ground! But you are the men of Krieg! You will not falter!" He thundered triumphantly. "For our Immortal God-Emperor!" We cheered. "Your first objective is to take the first line. Once that is done, press onward to the second and third lines!" "Yes sir!" We shouted back. We drew nearer to our assault positions, and we began to recite the final litany of sacrifice, "In life. War. In death. Peace. In life. Shame. In death. Atonement." Each man recited it to himself, barely audible above the sound of battle. I loaded my lasgun and recited the Litany of Loading, "Machine Spirit, Accept my gift, Swallow the light and spit out death." I recited these words as I inserted the power pack into my lasgun. I turned to Velvet and Coco to make sure they had done the same. "You have recited the proper litanies, yes?" I asked. They nodded. "What do we do?" Asked Velvet. "Stay close to me and shoot anyone who isn't on our side. Can you handle that?" "Yes." "Good." I turned to Coco. "Do you know the litany of unjamming?" Coco nodded, "Spirits of the Machine-Gods, aid your servant and free his weapon so that he may use it to break his foes." She recited. "Good." I replied. I turned away from the two girls and affixed my bayonet. Coco readied her stubber, and Velvet tried to remain calm. This was their first taste of real warfare. The Commissar turned to face the men in the vehicle, "Twenty seconds!" He shouted. The men of Krieg gave no acknowledgement, simply waiting for the moment the God-Emperor called them to sacrifice. "Ten Seconds!" Velvet and Coco shuddered in anticipation. "Five seconds!" Velvet nudged up close to me. "I'm scared." She whispered. I gave no reply. "Three, two, one!" The ramp dropped with a mighty sound. "Charge!" Screamed the Commissar. But his orders were redundant and an unnecessary formality, some of us were already half-way down the ramp when he gave the order, the Death Korps needed no encouragement for a charge. It was in our blood.
