Heartbreak117

  "Phew~" I whistle. "That's a whole other pany right there." I say while gesturing my head at the advang Traitorous formation now visible on the horizon.

  Holy, I have no idea what the pany is even cssified as. It sists of a mixture of Imperial Guard armored vehicles like Leman Russes and some Taurox quad-track APCs. Yet, perhaps most surprising of all is the rge number of antique Testudo wheeled APCs. These phased-out equivalent to a TPz Fuchs on steroids are riding alongside numerous civilian vehicles that ran a trip through the Khyber pass, thus turning the tter into a bunismatg teicals. Some are hardy all-terrain vehicles with little modification other than having pintle-mounted heavy stubbers. These are used to ferry several colorful bands of Traitors to battle. Then there are teicals sp shoddy armor ptings all over. They bring with them mismatg sets of armaments, ranging from fmers, and Lasons, to mans. Yet, everything about this Traitorous pany seems and feels old, with nearly all of their equipment being outdated patterns. The Testudo APCs are a dead giveaway, their faded regimental paint jobs are shoddily covered up by cultist markings and decorations. I idly wonder whether they have just raided a surplus store or not to get all of that antiquated stuff out here.

  I know that the business of selling military antiques and surplus is always booming in Cadian Kasrs due to the stant demands for war materials. Even a kid may be handed an auto-pistol, provided they're reliably trained and are carrying a lise to bear arms as civilians. Cadian civilians and off-duty Guards may even be seen shopping in surplus garages for demilitarized Testudo APC or Tauros buggies for recreational purposes, with them being the rare vehicles that hahe oh-so-wonderful enviro of Cadia. It won't be the first time that some ill-saned patrons rob or buy the surplus gears for some nefarious needs... Or they get all of the old stuff by an intergactic delivery from who-knows-where, though that will be a whole different of worms to open.

  But I digress.

  Right, I don't know whether or not I should call the Traitorous pany an Armored, Meized, or Motorized pany with how they're so damn Fraeinly-stitched like that. Post-battle a reports will be fusing if I don't know how to call this enemy unit, you know? However, my vexation is soon vindicated wheraitorous formation is besetted by a hail of missiles from the air.

  "And there they go..." I muse, watg as multiple Hellstrike missiles, unched from both Valkyries and Thunderhawks, strike the enemy's heavy armor.

  With little to no dedicated Anti-air vehicle in their formation, the Traitors only gaze on helplessly as the few Leman Russ battle tanks they have explode into fiery bits when missiles e down on them from the top. The bsts then force the Traitors to disperse their vehicle formation haphazardly, casting a s of dust clouds that makes visual trag near impossible. It's only due to our slightly elevated position that Weiss and I barely see the shapes of the Traitors' vehicles iween the clouds. Johnson and the rest ers down there 't see anything, evehey use the scopes on their Chimera IFVs or the missile uncher.

  Yet, while mortals like us Imperial Guards may struggle, our aerial units have a field day thanks to their on-board augur arrays. The Valkyries use their Multi-sers to pick away the lightly protected Testudos and teical trucks. Semi-rigidly fitted to the side of the Valkyries on slightly mobile mounts, the Multi-sers swiftly deliver withering hails of sers, pung melty holes through thin armor ptings while vaporizing flesh and bones all the same. The Thunderharwks, however, bring out the bigger guns in the form of their wing-mounted Lasons and dorsally-mouurbo-Laser Destructors. If the prior Valkyrie Multi-sers be described as MG-42 buzzsaws, then the big sers from the Thunderhawks be equated to 88 mm Fk on and 240 mm 'Bck Dragon' Howitzer M1. The beams from the Lasons of the Thunderhawks are more than enough to tear through a Leman Russ or a Chimera from end to end. Yet, their Turbosers have their beams amplified wider, more potent beams of ser energy. The beams carry enough punch to explosively vaporize its impact point in an area-of-effect bst. Leman Russ, Taurox APe unfortunate dude riding a Tauros buggy o them... All are made equal uhe might of the Thunderhawks' Turbo-Laser Destructors.

  Still, despite the potent AOE bst from the Destructors, they're ultimately not proper ons of mass devastatioo their irait of being precision-based beam ons. Despite the Flights of Valkyries' and Thunderhawks' best efforts, there are still many targets left alive, ripe for the pig, of course. Some of their prey even dare to retaliate in a lively ma the aircraft cirg high and far away from them. Autoons from the Testudos let out stant barrages of armor-pierg indiary lead. Lasons aboard teicals are fire haphazardly in the air with a total disregard for the Traitors' lives and safety. A more brazen cultist brings out a Fk uo fire at the Space Marihunderhawk, only for the backbst of his uo kill the driver of his buggy. The whole vehicle soon careened out of trol, crashing into the side of a Taurox APC before being crushed by the rear tread of the Traitorus vehicle.

  One only wonder how his backbst killed the driver who was in the front of the buggy, but this is 40K where -fuckery is all-around so... Nothing of importance was lost there.

  Anyway, the missile is destroyed by the targeted Thunderhawk's twin-linked Heavy Bolters which also acted as its close-in on systems. The missile detonates without any fragments scratg the paint job of the Thunderhawk. Other than that, none of the Traitors' autoon shells or ser beams e even close to hitting our air assets. Still, that sure grabs the undivided attention of the pilots from up there and they start f up for a major and enpassing attack run.

  Weiss reacts to this by saying. "Well, the Traitors sure brought the Emperor's wrath onto themselves this time."

  "Nobody provokes aerial superiority with impunity." I pat Weiss's shoulder with a smile as we ze behind our cover while enjoying the show. "Take it as a genuine advice from me."

  As expected, the Valkyries and Thunderhawks open up the st missile salvo in this bat sortie. Only this time, they use Hellfury missiles instead of Hellstrike. If Hellstrikes are powerful anti-tank missiles, then Hellfuries is one of the top picks to deal with swaths of lightly armored units. Each Hellfury warhead is packed with dozens of indiary sub-munitions desigo be released in an airburst across a wide area. In other words, a singur Hellfury is parable to that of a 21st-tury TOS-1 Buratino thermobaric rocket salvos. With one missile having a zone of ensured destru of 200 x 400 meters. Now imagine having six such missiles being lobbed at a pack of enemy vehicles...

  Yeah, that's one Hell of a sight and the bined bst even disperses away all of the dust clouds kicked up by the Traitors' war band. Heck, we feel the stingi all the way in our alcove. Dispersed as the Traitors and cultists might have been, there's no way they could escape the six Hellfuries that were strategically uo ehe utter annihition of everything. Well, nearly everything as there are still some bulky and reliably structed Taurox that pushed out of the danger zone. Yet, even if they are battered are a mere gust away from burning up themselves. No mercy for the treacherous humans, Lasons tear holes through the bed sky and elimihe survivors.

  "Holy Terra." Weiss has a trickle of sweat running down her forehead.

  "I knht?" I smile, gazing at the beauty iru, something that is intrinsic to the ws of this universe. "When they're on our side, aerial supremacy is like a free get-out-of-jail ticket."

  "And if they're not?" Weiss asks while looking away from the smoking battlefield, only to gaze at a pair of Valkyries marauding for survivors.

  "You better dig a five-foot hole and pray to the Holy Emperor, Weiss." I chuckle as I watch a green Thunderhawk ndih Sergeant Johnson's hill.

  "The Samanders, huh?" I muse.

  My lips quirk upward when I see well-respected Samander Space Marines disembarking alongside Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady. "Holy Emperor ohrone." I raise an eyebrow, muttering. "Is that a Chapter Master and a Librarian? What are their names again...? Tu'na and Vel'? And is that Mama and Tsavht o them!?"

  I mean, I kind of expect them to e, but Space Marines and their leaders, seriously? I am relieved and happy when Mama suddenly looks up to Weiss and me, waving for us to e dow, I 't help but be worried and giddy that I will have to literally look up to the Emperor's fi. I still sider myself a mortal after all, and I don't wish to invenience my Mama for any potential faux pas I may it. The Samanders may be merciful and patient, but I don't want to rely oa-knowledge that may as well be undependable thus far.

  I sigh and bite down the inkling of wariness before looking at Weiss. "Well, Rookie, ready to meet yels?"

  Weiss seems to gulp before replying. "Any advice, Ein?"

  "One." I reply before turning around to head out of the alcove... After I wave back at Mama, of course. "Treat them as you would tious or a military superior. It should help you navigate some potential ndmines."

  "Joy..." I feel Weiss' rolling her eyes behind me as she follows me out of our hiding spot.

  Heartbreak117