I Was Born Nameless

Planetfall

Tobias could remember every little detail about her even after these years. Her brown hair she always kept short, her green eyes that where so expressive to him even when she's not trying to show emotion, her scars and toned muscles that she earned through years of training and war, she was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy to him. Commissar Alda Baker was the woman he loved and still loves to this day even after the fallout of their relationship.

When he first met her she was his complete opposite and they did not get along at all. Eventually Tobias challenged her to a fist fight in which after a long brawl Alda knocked the sergeant to the ground, it was the first time he realized he may of been attracted to her. Over time and many battles their partnership grew into mutual respect, which grew into friendship, and got to a point in where Tobias had to come to terms that he saw her as more then a friend.

Alda was distant with many people on a personal level not having many people in her circle of trust. When Tobias stuck by her she found herself getting attached to the Vodarian dispite regulations saying no relationships between soldier and officer. Sure he could be considered handsome but it was his heart that won her over. She had never been good with anything outside of her duties but Tobias never seemed to mind calling her commitment to her office and subordinates "a breath of fresh air compared to the trigger happy maniacs they usually get."

The day he confessed was one of the scariest days of the guardsmen's life. He did it in private away from prying eyes and told her that he loved her while blushing like a little girl. Alda was blushing just as hard and told him she felt the same way, both agrees to keep their relationship a secret.

Unfortunately, three years later she was pregnant with Tobias's son Michael. When they where discovered the two where almost thrown out service since their connections kept them from being killed. Both Tobias and Alda agreed upon to send Michael to the Schola Progenium and allowed themselves to be separated to stay in the military. Alda was transferred to the 347th Shock Company and Michael is now being trained as a Tempestus Scion. Part of Tobias wishes they took a chance on civilian life instead of sticking to what they know, the older Tobias got the more he yearned to be a father.

Suddenly the alarms on the ship woke him up informing him that they where coming into real space towards the combat zone. His body moved on autopilot, yelling orders to his squad and gearing up for a combat deployment. The next thing he knew we was on the embarkation deck with the rest of the 24th company of the 806th Shock Regiment awaiting the enter the transport.

The craft that would ferry them to the surface looked more like makeshift armored box with guns rather then an actual transport. The class was not common among the Astra Militarum but could transport large quantities of troops and even four Leman Russ tanks into a hot zone quickly and semi-safely. It was not going to be a pleasure cruise to the surface of Crucible.

The void around the industrial world of Crucible was a war zone as ships and battle stations fired upon on another in an effort to gain void supremacy. From a distance one could be in awe at the spectrum of colors from the different ordnance and how the ships seemingly gracefully sailed through the abyss but up close it was akin to a nightmare. Many ships on both sides where reduced to burning wreckage floating in space littered with the corpses of unfortunate crew members exposed to the vacuum of space. While no noice could be heard, one could feel the vibrations of the guns and torpedos firing with enough power to level parts of a hive city while others could wipe one out.

When the Voldarian fleet joined the battle they where immediately pressed into combat. The Star Madian fired its batteries almost as soon as it slipped into real space, blanketing the void in shells the size of heavy tanks towards the opposition. The massive ship rammed through a destroyer as it made a mad dash along with its escort to reinforce to ground forces already on the planet's surface.

As the troop transports left their ships, Imperial Navy fighter squadrons came in to protect the slow moving craft. The space in between the larger ships where either filled with debris, shells, or dogfighting spacecraft. The transports maneuvered through the hazards while losing a ship every so often to fighters or a stray cannon shot. The moment they broke atmosphere, the anti-air guns that were still active started covering the sky in flack.

Tobias felt the transport shake from the AA fire but knew it would take a lot to take down these behemoths, they already got past the big guns. Many of the guardsmen stood anxiously waiting for those massive drop door to open to meet Emperor knows what. The sergeant always felt nervous before a battle, even after over twenty years of war he still felt his heart try to beat out of his chest and his mouth feeling dry no matter how much water he drank. Tobias embraced that fear because it reminded him he was still human. He kissed his Aquila around his neck and silently spoke a prayer to the Emperor praying for strength to lead his men and overcome his foes.

He looked back at his men "once we leave the craft, stick with me and find cover. No matter what keep moving forward." The guardsmen nodded and Willhelm smiled "it's been nice knowing you guys" Private Vulter chuckled "I'm pretty sure at least one of us is going to make it in one piece." Edward Vulter was one of the many sanctioned mutants in the Voldarian Guard. Due to the planet's toxic waste from its many factories a third of the population became mutants in order to survive. The Vodarians never seemed bothered and saw them as equals rather than freaks, after all why hate someone who fights beside you?

"Five minutes" the drop officer called out and the sound of gun fire coming from outside intensified. A boom was heard to the right of Tobias but it was thankfully not coming from his craft. For the sound of it, another transport ship was going down and taking the hundreds of poor souls onboard with it. He hated how vulnerable flying made him feel but it was part of the job. Soon he heard the transport firing its guns and landing with as much grace as its bulky from would allow it. The doors opened letting in the sunlight and soon a hail of gunfire. The unfortunate guardsmen in the front where ripped apart by the fire as the tanks deployed along side them. A few dozen men, some veterans of a hundred battles where killed in seconds as the guardsmen rushed out to meet the enemy.

It had begun