A/N: A massive snow storm is coming, due to this a short chapter and no new chapters for a week, peace be with you.
Word count: 1.8 k
With the death of Karanak I was moved to a different position, this time I was next to Logan himself on the wall of Hive Volcanus; here the plan was as simple as could possibly be.
Prolong the fighting as long as possible until Angron appears, then the Grey Knights will teleport assault and surround the Daemon Primarch, there they will bring him down.
The squad that had the privilege to take him down was already chosen; Brother-Captain Aurellian and his perfectly crafted team assembled just to take Angron down, and strangely enough Bjorn himself, seemingly forced his way into the squad that was designated.
Despite the fierce opposition.
"The year is 445 of the 41st Millennium, more than ten thousand years since the Emperor first walked this galaxy!" A commissar was giving a speech on top of a Leman Russ tank.
I tuned him out.
For some a speech from an officer would make them happier or boost morale, however for me, in this situation it has done nothing but filled me with apathy.
I exhaled as I looked down below the wall, the wall itself was more than a kilometer tall, down below the ground was wet and littered with the dead bodies of traitors and loyal alike.
Destroyed vehicles rose above the muddied ground like spires and crosses of pain and suffering. I tore my eyes away and went back to looking around me.
Guardsmen from the Armageddon system has finally been reinforced by another Segmentum, both the 23rd regiment of Acadia has been dispatched and 356th Vigilant Guard.
Both are green, both are faithful, most are going to die.
"Angnar" I turned to Ivarr next to me "what do you think of guardsmen?" Was this because I was watching them? Was this because he saw my hands shaking?
I blinked after a moment, what do I think of them? Pity? Close, very close. It only took me another moment of thought to fully get my own answer.
"I am envious" I spoke truthfully after a few seconds of silence.
"How so?" Logan glanced at me as he tore his eyes away from the emptiness of the no man zone before us.
"I am envious because I could be like them" I spoke as I sighed "I could be human, understand emotions, learn what it is to give my life for a being I do not fully understand, to have a family"
"…do you understand the Allfather?" Ivarr looked into my eyes.
"No, but the thought that I couldn't get as close as I could now makes me slightly envious" I spoke as I stared back.
"And the family?" Logan asked.
"Aye, I am envious that I cannot hold a child of my own" I spoke.
"Mortal thoughts do not suit you" Logan bit back "but I understand your sentiments"
"We have only ten minutes before Angron appears, all of The Twelve have fallen and has been banished back to the warp where they belong - now I will give you your final orders until we either win or lose" Logan fully turned to me.
"You are to make sure this section of this wall stands" he kept it short.
How was I supposed to keep this wall standing? I'm just a man! I don't have leadership! I don't know how to defend! I've just been doing what feels right!
"I can do that" I just settled on that as I warred inside my own mind.
"Good, Ivarr, make sure he doesn't fall" Ivarr nodded as Logan walked away.
"We should talk to the colonels" Ivarr spoke.
I only nodded, another pitiful feeling welled up into my stomach as I walked like a slave towards the commanding building.
The building was g much of a building and more of a tent that was hastily placed as Commissars gathered around it like ants on an apple, I had to bend my head down to get in.
"My lords" the colonels spoke to Ivarr and I as we walked in, one was male the other was female, they were both scarred and relatively old, both had grey hair and equally looked as down with the universe as I was.
"Colonels" I spoke first "I am Agnar, and I am here to ensure that this wall you stand on is to stand until we win or lose"
"Are you here to assist us as well?" The female one immediately.
"Is your goal the continuous existence of this position?" I asked slightly sassy.
"Yes?" The male Colonel said this in a questionly manner.
"I will assist where I can" I supplied with a little help as they both glanced at each other.
"My lord" a Commissar walked before me with a salute "I am Commissar Fabius, I humbly request that you give the men a few words"
Why would you ever want that?
'Go kill the enemy' I wanted to say that but that's not a rousing speech.
"I will not impede you nor your men's functionality" when in doubt use confusing wording and deny.
"Enough, Commissar, we've all our orders" Ivarr stepped in "it's time to devise a plan"
"…I recommend that we fully commit to fortifications as the archenemy gets shelled from the artillery; it's obvious enough, the main problem is that most of the machine spirits are… chaos touched." The male colonel hissed.
"The mechanicus?" I asked, only to get a head shake.
"They've done their best but… the Machine Spirits still sing of death and destruction, not righteous, the unruly taint of chaos controls them like chains on slaves" the Commissar spoke out of turn as he frowned.
The colonels didn't seem to mind so I didn't, I glanced at the war table we surrounded, it showed the wall, untouched by the blade of chaos, yet the forces of loyal are attempting to entrench themselves inside of it.
"what works?" I asked
"Small guns do, the heavy bolters still sing of the emperor's tune, thankfully flak cannons still work, but the las-cannons and our orbital weapons are simply done for" the female colonel spoke.
"Divert all weapons to ground form, flak guns included" I spoke.
"We've already started m'lord" the male colonel nodded.
"Good" I didn't get to continue as the guns began to fire as the vox came online, it felt like an earthquake awoke all around us.
"Sirs! The Archenemy is here!" I didn't wait nor did Ivarr.
We walked out and immediately the sounds that were toned down due to the tent exploded out and almost made my ear ring, the wall beneath me shook with both violence and faith as the skies before me exploded in red lasers and bolter rounds.
"What do we do, Ivarr?" I asked as he glanced at me in confusion.
I shrugged "you're the experienced one" he nodded at the words that came out of my mouth.
"Counter point: you're blessed" he attempted to push responsibility on me.
I wanted to protest that I wasn't blessed but the falling graceful golden sparks of light that dangled before my eyes made my words die in my throat.
It won't work!
I refuse!
It didn't work as we continued forth to the edge of the wall.
Looking down was a disaster, as the archenemy were broken on the sheer mass of armaments that we brought down upon them, lesser daemons and cultists turned into ashes and showers of gore.
Nothing on the internet could prepare me, not the stories, not the real videos, not the art. What was happening before me was real, daemons marching forth with violence upon their tongue and humans fighting the darkness before them futilely.
"Why?" I asked after a second of silence between us two "why do they fight?"
Ivarr inhaled ever so slowly stewing before my words that seemed to be heavier than the weight of the duty he was told to hold since his recruitment.
His eyes met mine.
I wished they didn't.
"Maybe it's because it's all we can do, maybe its because if we don't there's nothing left, maybe it's because the Allfather told us to, maybe because Russ himself did so, maybe because they believe that it's the Allfathers' will"
He tore his eyes from my own as he stared down at the approaching mass of violent flesh.
"Maybe because if we don't were at the mercy of horrible gods, maybe because what's before us is worse than what's behind us, maybe because those who've not yet known the horror will never know because we fight" Ivarr spoke as he narrowed his eyes at the archenemy.
"Or maybe it doesn't change anything in the end" Ivarr glanced at me "maybe our answer of violence doesn't answer anything but rather bring on a cycle of war: either way, in the end, I believe we do this because we have nothing else."
"This or die silently" I muttered.
"Yes, exactly that" Ivarr nodded.
The horde was now halfway through the trench that was no man's land, marching over their fallen comrades with smiles on their faces and violent hymns filling the air.
"Why do you think we do this?" Ivarr asked me.
"Because what else can we do?" I asked him "make alliances with xenos? Everyone hates us, they won't accept us and everything we are. Can't go to the chaos gods because" I gestured to the mass before us.
"Can't go back because we'll be branded traitors. Can't ask for peace because war is all we have." I inhaled ever so slowly, the scent of war fresh on my lips.
"Because anything else would destroy the very Imperium and thus, shatter the Allfathers' dreams and hopes for us: his people" Ivarr nodded at my words.
"I love philosophical debates, less of faith" Ivarr admitted.
"Faith, the ecclesarchy are slave drivers when it comes to that" I spoke.
"Aye, not as bad as the inquisition, those on the other hand…" Ivarr trailed off frowning "they will never like us, simply because of the Great Wolf's ideals"
"Protect the civilians?" I asked.
"Aye - honorable as we are, we hold our oaths higher than a few, but a new oath has taken shape in the first decade of his command. 'To protect the incapable is as honorable as slaying the archenemy.' The oath was originally supposed to be contained to only his company but it broke out to multiple companies over the years."
I nodded at his explanation.
"So what do we do now? Stand here and look good?" I asked.
"Yes" Ivarr nodded.
I sighed as I rubbed my left temple now feeling more like a Roman statue rather than an Emperor crafted weapon.