"In the wake of Paramar we had been re-deployed to guard the entrance to an underground refinery on Taborusa three. It was just our company, others had been sent elsewhere. Our casualties had been heavy during the fighting but we had not sustained many loses and most of us returned to the ranks in various degrees of functionality. It was only after three months that we realized we had been assigned the designation of an invalid company and were deemed only suitable for garrison duty."
"With war breaking out everywhere our lack of mobility wasn't too much of a problem, there was plenty of stuff to guard."
"The planet was fairly idyllic. Gravity was 0.9 Terran standard so even the least mobile our us had a bit of an easier time of things. We spent our time leveling the ground around the refinery and removing any cover for anyone who decided to attack us. The work was useful but relaxing and took our minds off of recent events."
"It wasn't until the Titans showed up that we were strongly reminded of the rebellion."
"They stood above the buildings like we stood above the native neo-Quokka. Giants, you could strain your neck trying to make out the details of their heads even meters away from them."
"As good as we felt about having such strong allies we knew they wouldn't be here if it wasn't felt necessary and we worried about what might be coming against us and when."
"We didn't have long to wait."
"From our positions we could see the enemy drop craft descending like falling anvils from the sky. Massive even from the distance we saw them, they could be only one thing: Titan landers."
"We turned to our work with renewed gusto, digging trenches around the above ground structures. It wouldn't do us much good if the Titans turned their weapons directly on us but it might stop the odd near miss. Besides in the hours that we had before the enemy arrived we needed something to do."
"The titans were visible from kliks away. Giant dirty yellow giants, the match of our allies. As they got closer we could see infantry moving in their wake. At least our trenches would keep us safe from them."
"Missiles streaked overhead from both sides. We had no artillery ourselves so were merely spectators in the carnage that was unleashed around us. To our fore a pair of Warhound scout titans advanced ahead of a massive Warlord."
"One our Reavers positioned itself behind the grain silo in the center of our position. The Warhounds opened up on it. We could see the explosions of the bolter rounds against the silo and pieces of plascrete rained down in front of it. As shell casing poured from the Warhound's weapons like rain pyrotechnics lit the sky as void shields on our Reaver started to collapse from the sustained fire."
"Plasma erupted from the other Warhound and we were momentarily blinded as the Reaver's void shields completely collapsed."
"The stark metal nature of the titan was laid bare with the air no longer shimmering around it from its protective field. That is when the enemy Warlord fired. We could feel the heat from the rounds striking the Reaver and armour ran like melting wax from the machine, ammunition cooking off in its weaponry and explosions projecting debris and molten metal over the silo and the area around the bedeviled titan."
"The traitors weren't having it their own way though and an even more intense flash lit up the daylight as the void shields on the Tiger Eye's Warlord collapsed."
"As our Warlord turned it's fire against its foe, we saw the machinery in the device start to buckled and give way. The damaged Reaver, trailing it's right weapon arm and with secondary explosions blooming over its carapace emerged from its cover to try to charge into and finish off the Warlord. It didn't make it six steps. With most of its armour destroyed it fell quickly to the two ravaging Warhounds and it fell."
"The burning wreck obscured our view of the field and we coughed as the petrochemical smoke covered our trenchline. From where we were we could not see the entrance building beyond the refinery and as the Reavers to our right advanced against the two Warhounds approaching the building on the ridge line to our right."
"The building rising up out of the ground mostly hid even the massive war machines from each other. The Warhounds reached and mounted the ridge first. We couldn't hear the screams from the men as the gout of flame from the Tiger Eye washed over the building and kissed the void shields of the Titan behind it but we could see some of them leap out of their trenches burning and on fire before they fell."
"The enemy warhounds battered our Reavers supported by a Reaver of their own. One of the Reavers blew apart, its ammunition cooking off as critical damage gave way to fires inside the machines structure."
"The explosion caused one of our building's void shields to collapse and we suddenly felt very naked and helpless."
"A cheer went up to my left and as I looked their way only to see the enemy Warlord explode. Our feelings rose quickly but were just as quickly dashed as we saw that the last Reaver supporting our Warlord on that flank was destroyed and the only other Reaver our side had left was being battered by the two Warhounds to our right."
"Cries of distress heralded the panic that soon over took us as that last Reaver fell like a marionette with its strings cut and came crashing down on the building we were defending. A blinding flash announced that our void shield generator had been destroyed and chunks of masonry and girders fell among our men, one of the titan's arms burying half a dozen of our soldiers in one of the trenches."
"With nothing to protect us, titans or shielded trenches I'm not ashamed to say that we ran. We abandoned our position."
"With one titan to five we sounded the alarm to the workers beneath us and fled. There was nothing we could do. We saw the Warhounds close in on the other building and it was soon engulfed with flame. I stopped for a moment and looked and looked but I didn't see anyone emerge."
"Soon our Warlord was beset from two sides by the Warhounds and while he had almost cut the legs out from under the one, the other was battering his rear armour with round after round. Missiles streaked in from the Reaver and one massive explosion rocked the frame of the moving, metal mountain before it turned and fell. Some of the dread I felt at that site was mitigated when it crushed one of its assailants under its massive bulk."
"The enemy infantry poured into the now-undefended buildings. With the titans looked on the foe spent about three hours underground. Soon after they emerged and started marching back to where their landers awaited them. While we were debating about heading back to the site smoke started emerging from the buildings, little plumes at first and then great geysers of it followed by flames."
The bearded old man slipped into a momentary silence and looked at the insignia on the soldiers chest before continuing.
"That was almost 40 years ago by my reckoning and you're telling me the war is over now?"
The soldier looked steadily into the old man's eyes and then glanced at the rest of the men around the fire, if what they wore had been a uniform at one point it was difficult to see that now.
"No. I said the enemy was driven from the Gates of Terra. The war continues as we hunt them down."
The soldier turned then and walked out of the room into the sunlight. He addressed a man with a dataslate who was busing making notes.
"Lieutenant Crisspos."
"Sir."
"Have all of those men executed for desertion."
"Yes, sir."
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April 19, 2024, 12:41:41 AM
