Author Notes:
Ay! New GSS chapter is up!
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Gosh, I am much too sleepy lol
Enjoy! And peace! Me crashing out kek
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[Daily login reward received:
Estas Tonne's musical talent.]
Huh, I guess I can play a guitar now... If I ever manage to get my hand on one.
Idly filing that Perk away, one that is quite useful for recreational activities, I refocus back onto the briefing given to members of the JTF.
"Briefing begins." Colonel Mustahim says, enlarging a Hololithic image of a building schematic.
Well, calling it a building schematic isn't exactly correct. The projection is, in fact, a 3D rendering of a decommissioned blue-water fortress, one that was part of the massive coastal bastions on the Cadia Secundus continent. Colonel Mustahim continues his briefing after taking a good look at the assembled troops.
"Installation 08 was heavily disrupted in the past due to an Ork invasion. Given its criticality as part of Cadia Secundus' defense, it was decided that the repairing of Installation 08 took top priority. As such, a great deal of resources went into its reconstruction. However, under the tainted management of the former Cadian Planetary Governor, Installation 08 has long since become a breeding ground for heretical practices, kept well under the lid by the Governor himself. We wouldn't have known of this rotten nest if it wasn't for the Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus."
I then watch as Colonel Mustahim steps back, ceding the stage to a scarred Inquisitor.
"Further investigations into the now purged Planetary Governor's activities revealed that while Installation 08 was slated for a full reconstruction, the task has only been partially complete. A great many of the coastal bastion's defensive systems laid incomplete, and most of the battle damages Installation 08 suffered back then are still in disrepair."
The scarred Inquisitor then manipulates the Holoithic projection, highlighting a few parts of the six-pronged sea fortress. Many of the highlighted parts are depicted to house massive gun turrets or other emplacements.
"Regardless, despite their inefficiency in getting the repair work complete, the heretics are slated to accomplish the reactivation of most of the Installation's perimeter and anti-air battery in the next few days, if not already so. As such, time is critical, and we must strike now to stamp out this threat before it can snowball into something else. We all know how costly it is when Chaos spawns managed to get a solid foothold on Cadia."
The Inquisitor then nods at the Colonel, allowing the man to once again take the podium.
"Installation 08 is currently inaccessible by land, thus leaving the naval and aerial approach our only choices to proceed. Sadly, other than a few raids targeting Installation 08's onshore facilities and aerial recons at range, we have been unable to verify the exact battle-worthiness level of the coastal bastion itself. Since this is a time-sensitive operation, we will be flying in blind, for the last half at least."
Colonel Mustahim then changes the Hololithic view to showcase a top-down view of Installation 08 and its surrounding area.
"Fortunately for us, members of 3rd Platoon, 1st Company, uncovered a critical piece of intelligence regarding some of the defenses that are active around the coastal bastions. Marked on the map are satellite structures featuring a host of anti-air, anti-orbital, and anti-surface batteries. The successful elimination of these sites will pave the way forward for a swift aerial assault against the main Installation itself. You can expect the full force of the Aeronautica Imperialis to be brought to bear on this particular operation. This will then be followed by the bulk of the JTF. The Cadian 8th will be part of the first wave, seizing secure landing zones for the Tempestus Scions and Space Marines of the Salamander Chapters. With their arrival, and as a combined force, we will then advance deep into the bowel of Installation 08 and end this incursion for good. Any question?"
One of the assembled officers raises his hand, and it's a familiar face at that. Colonel Mustahim gestures for the man to speak up. "Go ahead, Lieutenant Creed."
"Thank you, Colonel. The satellite defensive structures, who will handle them?"
Instead of replying, the Colonel turns to look at a nearby Lucifer Black Captain. The masked soldier answers Creed's question in a raspy tone. "The Lucifer Black and Kasrkin will see these structures seized, Lieutenant Ursakar Creed."
Creed nods respectfully before taking a seat and engaging in a whisper conversation with his Sergeant. There's a few seconds lull before I raise my hand as well.
"Corporal Ein," Colonel Mustahim nods at me with the barest hint of a grin. "Surprise me."
"After the satellite structures are taken care of and the initial airstrikes are through, how are we to proceed exactly, sir?" I pose my questions. "What types of support are we expecting and is there an ETA for the second wave's arrival?"
Quite frankly, I am expecting the Cadian 8th and the Aeronautica Imperialis to be live baits in this operation, losses are expected and my questions perfectly sound.
"Good question, Corporal." The Colonel replies. "For operational integrity, precise instructions will only be given to unit leaders moments before deployment. Due to the intrinsic nature of Installation 08, however, the first wave will only have minimal heavy armor upon touchdown, just enough to hold the fort and take stock of the situation on the ground. Expect everyone and their grandmother to know you're coming and have already laid ambushes all around you. That said, you will have access to constant overwatch by our air assets. Air Controllers, today will be your field day."
Understandably, some of the boys and girls cheer, even I must crack a small grin. Colonel Mustahim then continues saying.
"The second wave will be thirty minutes away from you as we still need time to load up the heavier equipment for the push to the center of Installation 08. Additionally, we'll have QRF on standby to reinforce each LZ. A special note to QRF units and Air Controllers, you're to meet with your new friends after this briefing. Anything else, Corporal?"
"None, Colonel." I snap a salute.
"If there's no more question, then briefing's dismiss."
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I close the lid on the now-empty accessory crate before pushing it towards a waiting Tech-priest, who is one of the armorers for the whole 1st Company. I then nod at the man respectfully, earning a blessing in binaric in return, before moving to a nearby workbench. There, I set out to work on my gear for the upcoming deployment.
As expected, 3rd Platoon is on QRF posting once again. Only this time, we won't be going around on Frogger 4's Chimeras. Instead, we will be riding on the back of the newest additions to 3rd Platoon, Roughneck 1, an element consisting of two Valkyrie airborne assault carriers. The two Valkyrie gunships and their crews are not just a necessary expansion for this aerial assault operation but also a permanent one. Given that I recently learned the Cadian 8th Regiment is expanding its size and arsenal, my initial reaction was a welcome surprise when I heard about 3rd Platoon's new roster. Sergeant Johnson, additionally, was keenly invested in the 'first-class tickets for us Froggers', as he put it. I can't exactly fault the man for his enthusiasm, riding in the back of Chimeras tend to get too stuffy and boring on the long trek.
Since we'll be going with what's basically a Warhammer version of a Vietnam War-era heliborne invasion, my loadout defaults back to the good old Lasrifle instead of a Long-las and my two backup Laspistols. A few grenades are a must, and I have my Yoroi-doshi in case shit really hit the fan. That said, my Lasrifle is equipped with a suppressor, similar to the one I used before in the spars, and an adjustable 1x to 6x magnification scope. It's mostly for the drip and less for practicality, to be honest. My role as part of the QRF is that of a VTOL-borne sniper, with most of 3rd Platoon being the boots on the ground should the situation call for it.
"You know, I think this getup of yours may as well be your trademark, Ein." Weiss, who is running another workbench next to me, comments.
Much like me, Weiss is running with a Lasrifle and suppressor combo, the only difference being the mounting of a holographic sight instead of a scope. Oh, and she obviously doesn't pack two Laspistols like I do, only one.
"When will you even have the opportunity to use two Laspistols? Better yet, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need two of them at once?" Weiss asks with obvious curiosity as she zeroes her sight on a target at a corner of the armory.
I reply while instinctively running through all the checklists to make sure the machine spirit of my weapons remains as happy as ever.
"I did, a couple of times, in fact. Those were parts of a time before your arrival, Weiss, and each time something went horribly wrong."
Weiss shivers, blanching as she pops two shots at the target. "Yikes, now I regret asking those questions, all the more so when we're minutes from lift-off."
I shrug with a small grin. "Curiosity kills the cat, Rookie. And your sight is drifting off target by 0.1 MOA in the 8 o'clock position, by the way."
"... How the fuck did you even know that immediately?" Weiss turns to me as if I've grown a cogitator for a brain.
I am pretty sure that she already knows just how far her sight is off target anyway, but it's fun to surprise her whenever I can.
"I got the fundamental down properly?" I reply with a wink before going back to fit all the gizmo on my Lasrifle properly.
Weiss rolls her eyes before briefly adjusting her holographic sight according to what I said. "I am pretty sure that's way beyond the fundamental..."
After fixing her sight properly and firing a few shots to get pinpoint accuracy, Weiss nods a couple of times in appreciation before asking. "Say, what's your feeling about the new blood? Obviously, I can't call them Rookies, considering they're in service probably way longer than I am."
I look up at her. "The entire shebang or just the Pilots?"
Weiss ponders. "... Just the Pilots. They seem to be the most interesting?"
"So Roughneck 1-1 and 1-2 Actuals then. If memory serves me well, their names are Blake and Yang. One's a quite refined Felinid with a penchant for literature judging from the book chained to her belt. The other is quite happy-go-lucky and possibly trigger-happy blondie that probably can't lie worth a damn." I reply honestly, recalling my first time meeting the newcomers. "And while it's a surprise to see a Felinid being a pilot of all things, they usually tend to favor ground combat instead of flying, I can see them both as competent in their jobs..."
"There's more to that, isn't it?" Weiss turns to me fully with her rifle slung over her shoulder.
"We'll be fine as we will be hitching a ride with Roughneck 1-1, Blake. For the ones that are stuffed aboard Roughneck 1-2, with Yang as the pilot though? I expect a bumpy ride ahead. She seems to be the one to go hard and fast and punch even harder and faster than one can scream 'Slow down'." I shrug. "Hell, I half-expect her to do a barrel roll with the Valkyrie."
"That is both scary and exciting to think about... As a spectator, not an occupant." Weiss admits. "But the Valkyrie is built to be able to withstand a lot of insane maneuvers so... We should be fine?"
"There are non-standard modifications aboard Yang's Valkyrie. Yang is probably a big motorhead, and I am pretty sure her Enginseers are the same as well for them to allow changes that will increase the 1-2's speed and maneuverability... But at what cost?" I lay out to Weiss my keen observation from the brief moment we spent in the Roughneck's temporary hangar.
Weiss still, her eyebrow twitching before she says. "I graciously take back what I say. May the Emperor bless Scorpin's team."
"You and me both, though Scorpin would probably enjoy it when her girlfriends hug her out of fright." I smirk, imagining the scene. "Anyway, let me wrap this up first before we continue our chat outside. Don't wanna have the Sergeant burned through all of his cigarette packets."
"Sure thing, Ein." Weiss nods, turning herself into a silent sentry as I zero my gun sight.
Once those are done, we both hit the airstrip. It's high time the Froggers go slap some traitors once more.