Heartbreak117

  Believe it or not, there are proper protocols to follow when entering an unknow. In this case, when seeing the ining Chimeras with dark green livery, one is expected to ask questions first and shoot ter. Since Johnson's group is busy setting up and positioning their two Chimeras in a hull-down position, tag the four nd bogeys is left to Weiss. I watch Weiss operate her vox-caster backpack, trying to tact the unknown units to no avail.

  "Trouble in paradise?" I ask, gazing at the lead Chimera in the front.

  There's no disible weirdness ierior hull of the vehicle, so I 't say for sure that it's a corrupted Chimera. Yet, my instinct is giving me red warnings all over. Sihat gut feeling carried me through many hairy situations, I am ined to believe that the unknown Chimeras are Trojan Horses and the real troubles are hidden in their holds.

  Weiss, hearing my questions, shakes her head. "No joy to be found, Corporal. I have tried broadcasting on all known Cadian military els, even using the usually prohibited open-s, but I 't seem to reay of the vehicles... Do you think they're experieng meical failures?"

  "Pfft, as if." I snicker. "Each Ptoon has at least one vox-caster with the additional -beads. Four Chimeras carry two Ptoons, with the Chimeras housing their own vox-casters. Tentatively, there should be at least six sets of vox-casters in the unknowns' formation and the appropriate amount of -beads. Yet, for two dozen of their vox transmitters to fail at the same time is literally nigh impossible when ours are perfectly fine."

  Sergeant Johnson, stig his head out of a retly structed fighting position, says while looking up at us. "Ein got a point. This situation is getting a bit too stinky for my taste. New order, you two are to provide overwatch while we try our owhod of getting them to stop."

  I have an inkling of what the Sergeant is about to do, yet I still ask to firm. "Which is...?"

  Johnson smirks through the -link before spping the hood of 3rd Ptoon's Chimera. "This!"

  Ohe friendly Chimera opens up a brief one-sed burst of its Multi-ser turret. Yet, in that one sed along, one hundred red hot bolts are discharged and impag right ih of the unknown IFVs n. Capable of potentially killing a Space Marih a well-pced, burst, the effectiveness of the Multi-ser is wasted wheentionally misses the target by a mile. The ser beams kick up searing dirt and scorched materials instead of b through anything worthwhile. Yet, they serve well as a warning shot, prompting the unknown n to halt on its path.

  Strangely, all four Chimeras maintain their n formation with no visible dismount or otion. They're just sitting there, exposed and mostly silent. For one full minute, nothing happens until suddenly, someone pops out the turret hatch of the leading unknown Chimera. Instead of trolling the IFV's pintle-mounted heavy stubber, this person of i, draped in generic Cadian war gear, picks up a magnocurs to s the horizon. It doesn't take him long to spot Johnsorenched position though making no overt a other than stantly eyeballing it.

  At this point, the eariness prompts me to say. "Sergeant, I don't like where this is going..."

  Knowing that el Mustahim is viewing the proceeding through the pict-feed, Johnson unicates clearly. "Me too, kiddo... We are severely g in firepower here so... Donovan! I need you to start log on to that lead unknown Chimera, the oh the heavy stubber! All other mud stompers, be prepared to bat enemy dismounts!"

  Johnsourns to the Chimeras some meters away from them. "Frogger 3-3, Frogger 3-4, if shit hits the fan, I need you to focus on disabling one IFV at a time before they melt through our cover."

  "Solid copy, 3-1. When needed, use our hulls for prote." Replies Frogger 3-3, one of the two Chimeras that carried 3rd Ptoon.

  Being hull-downed into the ground, with only enough clearance for their heavy bolters and Multi-ser, the Chimeras act as durable bunkers for the soft-skinned soldiers.

  "Wait." Weiss asks in a small tohat is only meant for me to hear. "Our unit's niamed Frogger? And are we seriously sidering them to be hostile?" The st question is asked aloud.

  I reply while keeping my finger near, but not origger of my srifle.

  "We named ourselves Froggers due to us being deployed a great many times as QRF and our tendency to nd ourselves in situations like this one. As for why we're raising the arm... Tell me, have you ever seen a military that stopped in the middle of nowhere after being shot at instead of rushing for cover and force deployment?"

  "..." Weiss stares back at the unknowns with her magnocurs before sighing. "Point taken."

  Weiss then puts away her magnocurs to grab her srifle. "Range is 600 for us. Johnson's position should be less than that."

  "Eh, I have made harder shots than this. Lasrifle makes it too easy." I ent.

  Weiss is just about to ask something when I notients from the unknowns and my danger sense spikes with red alerts. The unknown Chimeras are f a line... A firing line.

  "Johnso down!" I shout a warning through the -link.

  -----------------------------------------------------

  Ag orust we have fed through battles, Johnson and his unit dive behind cover, just in time for tless sers to sweep across the hill they're on. If a single Multi-ser has a standard rate-of-fire set at 100 sers per sed, imagine what four Multi-sers will do to a makeshift entre. Thanks to prior preparations, Johnson's group of Guards have dug deep enough into the ground so that they're safe from being directly hit by the ining sers. Yet, being shot at is still not a pleasant experience for any of them as they csp their helmets tight. That said, none of the Guards voiy of their ive emotions. Cadians, particurly those that fight stantly like the 3rd Ptoon, are much too hardy to wear their fear and displeasure on their hearts.

  When five seds have passed, gone is the green hill where Johnson and the rest of the Ptoon are. Now the hill is left charred, barren, and is even burning and smoking on some of its parts. Scorched were the foliage the Guards had hidden behind, thus revealing to their firmed-to-be hostiles their retively intact fighting positions and Chimeras. At this point, Johnson is given the go-ahead by el Mustahim to dispense all pleasantries and fire away.

  Poking his head out to survey the situation, Johnson turns to Donavan, their Anti-tank Specialist, and nods. The Specialist, sitting on the ground in a foxhole and poking only his Cadian-pattern missile uncher out, returns the nod before pulling the trigger of his on. Apanied by a popping sound and a backbst, a krak missile is soft-unch out of its munition tubes. A blink of aer, the missile booster is activated and propelled the krak warhead upward. Guided by its seeker, the krak missile uses its flight trol surfaces to maneuver for a top-down atta the leading hostile Chimera.

  To protect the Specialist and to attract the attention of the enemies, Frogger 3-3 and Frogger 3-4 open up with their own Multi-sers and Heavy Bolters. The sers and bolt rounds get to the targets faster than the krak missile as heavily on the enemy IFVs. Unfortunately, the thick frontal ptings of the Chimeras prove to be hard to beat for anything other than the ining krak missile. Pung through the turret hatch of the lead enemy vehicle, the krak missile explodes internally, taking out the IFV and its many octs in a bst of ashes and fire. After firming the kill, the AT Specialist cycles another rocket tube as part of a two-tube disposable magazine before aiming for another enemy Chimera.

  His effort is cut short when the hostiles wise up to deploy a thick smoke s to protect their force deployment. Uo loto the enemy heat signatures, the Specialist curses.

  -----------------------------------------------------

  From our vantage point, Weiss and I see over the smoke s. I report over the -link.

  "Johnson, I got multiple enemy dismounts in sight. You good down there?"

  "Peachy, Corporal!" es Johnson's fident reply. "Donovan thinks he squeeze out o shot before the return fire makes his position untenable. Even if they're down two Chimeras, they still have more s than us so we're ihick till CAS arrives!"

  "Ain't nothing we haven't done before, sir." I add with a bright grin. "By the way, they're moving into a defide for cover. From their mismatg attires, I don't think they're any standing militia, much less a Guard unit."

  "Aye, then it's them traitain. Bloody wankers 't go to sleep without causing mayhem here and there." That's 40K in a nutshell.

  "For now, focus on taking out the deadlier ones and try not to attrauch heat on your position. Since support is on the way, we don't o mount anything too desperate." Johnson reminds.

  "Got it, though don't bme us if we end up hogging all the kills." I say with giggle.

  Pulling the trigger, a fire a ser through the dissipating smoke s and hit a traitor manning a heavy stubber on one of their Chimera. The traitor now sports a gaping hole as his charred corpse slid bato the vehicle. Right after, Donovan unches another krak missile to eliminate another IFV. The man is swift to drop the disposable tube, only retaining the fire trol unit, before dashing into Johnson's trench. The Sergeant pats his subordinate on the shoulder as a pliment before addressing my ent.

  "Daring today, aren't we?"

  "Eh, I may be feeling a tad too eic, what's with all the as to be had." I reply with a smile, eyeing Weiss who is looking at me in slight surprise. "e one, e on~! What are you waiting for, Weiss? It's time to do your part~!"

  The look of 'What's the fuck is going on?' that Weiss is wearing is gold. Ah, Emperor blesses that I move the world with recaf alone.

  Heartbreak117