“Volk Primus (the capital of the Volk system) is tidally locked, meaning: one side of the planet is always facing towards its sun. This means that 90% of all people on Volk live in the ‘habitable belt’ also sometimes called the ‘twilight belt’ or the ‘sunset belt’ This has led to several interesting cultural phenomena such as Volk’s maps being changed so that the ‘cold side’ on the top half of the map and the ‘hot side’ is on the bottom half of the map for cartographic simplicity. There is also the fact that Volk’s local dialect contains 60 words for different levels of light, which they regularly name their cities for. For example, the capital of Volk Primus, Sokarin.” -An excerpt from Billius Morb’s notes on Volk’s geography and culture.
| Two Hours Earlier... |
M31.004, 12:22/Volk, the Volk System/FOB Tyr
“Did you eat enough son?”
I’m not your son.
“Couldn’t, stress got me” I replied honestly, I was being deployed to my first active combat. While the pressure wasn’t on me personally (after all, many people in the company were in the same situation as me) I was still way too stressed to eat. And even under normal circumstances, I couldn’t be bothered to eat that much. Had to maintain a top physique, or, at least that was the lie I told myself.
“Son, ya worry me sometimes, here, take these,” Max said as he handed me a small bag of candy-coated chocolates after fishing around in one of his belt pouches. He saw the look on my face and tried to assuage my fears.
“Ah, don’t worry Son, I’ve got plenty more for myself.” He patted the pouch on his belt, “Benefits of bein’ a Captain. Ah, but don’t you go telling the other riff-raff!” He said with a good-natured laugh to indicate that he was joking. The rest of the command squad gave some chuckles and snorts while I awkwardly tried to laugh along.
Before I go on I should probably explain a few things: Max’s full name and title was Captain Maximus Alfondus Xafer but he just had everyone call him either Captain or Max. Max was a quite charismatic leader, had served in the regiment for a decade, and his strategic abilities were apparently above average, even though I still beat him in Regicide regularly. I’d often tell him that it was “too simple of a game for him” which was a lie, but it was to soothe his ego which made it okay.
Also in the command squad was Bill, the “Master of Communications” though if there was anything he was a master at, it was being so calm and polite you’d think he'd quicker fall dead than be rude to someone (that probably helped with his actual duties now that I thought about it). Then there’s Lucy & Hendrik, the two stormtroopers attached to the command squad. As for why someone would squander two of the most elite troops in the regiment to bodyguard duties, I had no idea (there was a chance that their… let’s say confrontational personalities had rubbed whoever was in charge of their placements the wrong way).
Then there was me. The humble standard bearer. I am eternally the most mediocre person in the company. There was nothing notable about me, I was plain looking, I never excelled in boot camp, and I never got into any trouble. The only thing I was above average at was sucking up to authority. That’s how I was able to get my position in the company command squad.
Max was about to say something else when static rang through my vox-bead.
“Falcon-1 to Captain Xafer, you’ll be joined by a very important person in just a second, over.” It was the pilot of our Vendetta Dropship.
“Falcon, this is Xafer, who exactly is joining-“ Max began before someone approached the cargo ramp.
She was in a full set of Volk-pattern Void Carapace, which was covered in engravings of scenes from the Nor Mythol, and atop her armour was an officer’s coat, with a few minor modifications, most notably of which, rather than the dark grey of most officer’s coats, hers was a bright purple. And in place of company or platoon markings, she bore the royal crest.
That wasn’t the most striking thing about her though, what was the most striking was that I recognized her! I had seen her on the pictcasts a few months before, standing right beside the King, when she announced that Volk would secede from the Imperium effective immediately and that she had already killed multiple nobles who had wished to stay loyal.
The entire command squad (Max and I included) stared at her, eyes wide, opening and closing our mouths a few times akin to a small school of fishes.
Eventually, Max was the first to recover, "Yer Majesty," he said with a rushed bow in her general direction.
"Captain," she responded, with a half bow, signifying respect as if they were of equal rank. a notion she immediately dispelled with her nest words, "I am Princess Freya Foxway, though it seems you all already knew that," I didn't, so I was thankful that she gave us her name, "and I will be accompanying you on this mission."
She took a seat while the rest of us regained our composure after the news. Max once again took the initiative, "Uh, M'lady, are yeh sure it's wise to be going into an active warzone?"
"I accompanied the last mission, I'm sure I'll be just fine this time," she stated nonchalantly.
"So the rumours are true?" Lucy blurted out, though we were all thinking it.
"I can't attest to any rumours, but what I can say is that I did accompany 3rd Company last week," she responded with a shrug and a slight smile like it was the simplest thing in the world. She was entrancing, I found myself jealous, whether it was of the way she carried herself, her status, or something else, I couldn't say.
Meanwhile, the cargo ramp was raising. And static buzzed in ou vox-beads, "Falcon to Captain Xafer, taking off in five."
"Minutes?" Max asked.
"Nope, four"
"Ah! Helmets on!" Max said in a panic. The Princess, who didn't seem to have a helmet, reached into her coat pocket and unceremoniously jammed an earplug into her ear canal, seemingly unperturbed by the imminent takeoff.
"Three," our pilot informed us as the engines started growling louder by the second.
"Two," the door gunners both remained standing but grabbed onto their heavy bolters tighter than before.
"Lifting off," our pilot signalled, as everyone was pressed to their seats with the rapid increase in altitude.
"We'll be at the LZ in an hour." he finished, before cutting the link.
***
The subsequent disembarkation went smoothly, as did the fortification of the city streets we found ourselves in. Max currently held a pair of magnoculars in one hand and a handheld holoprojector, which displayed the deployment of our company.
"Take a look at that," Max told me, gesturing towards the enemy as he handed me the magnoculars, "See that right there?"
"That's an enemy command squad," I said, stating the obvious, "although with the number of forces they're deploying that might be the command squad." I watched them for a few more seconds as a few las-tracers hit the officer, "Oh shit." I said, rather calmly.
"Language Son," Max said as I handed him his magnoculars back, "What is it?"
"Looks like it might have been some sharpshooters from Fourth Platoon that got them," I said looking at the holoprojector in his hand while he took a look at the command squad.
"Bill, tell Abigal to send my compliments down to them," Max said without looking away.
"Mine as well," The Princess chimed in. She was also holding a pair of magnoculars, through which she was looking at the command squad. To be honest, I nearly forgot she was there.
“Uh, Captain?” Bill said after a short exchange on the vox. he had an odd tone in his voice.
“Yes?” Max asked looking at the Comms Officer.
“Lieutenant Abigail is telling me that none of her sharpshooters have fired in a few minutes. Apparently, the enemy is pulling out in her sector, she also apologizes for not telling you sooner.” Bill stated flatly as if Max would’ve shot him for delivering the… well, I guess not bad news per se, but strange news certainly.
The Princess started discussing something with Max in a polite but forceful tone. I was busy staring at where the command squad had been downed. I looked to the ground for a suitable pile of rubble, and when I found one that looked just right, I planted the standard in it.
I looked back at my command squad and the Princess. I knew what I had to do.
“The enemy colours are unaccompanied. I’m going to get them.” I stated before running down the street where Second Platoon was rapidly advancing.
“NO, YOU FECKIN AREN’T. SON YOU GET BACK HERE OR I SWEAR-“ he stopped. I looked back at him where he had his pistol in his hand, though it was pointed towards the sky. I saw the Princess holding out a hand to forestall him and silently swore to repay her for that gesture.
The street I found myself running down was wide enough to accommodate two Baneblades side by side. At the end of the road was a series of concrete roadblocks the defenders had been using as cover. I say had because they seemed to be rapidly retreating.
As I ran a peculiar thing started happening, the buildings to either side of me were more and more becoming bombed-out ruins as the streets were littered with more and more rubble, until, I saw him. he was a stormtrooper and, after a glance at the vitals readout on the wrist of his armour, I could tell he was dead. But what I realized was that the only weapon I had was a laspistol. And so I was severely in need of a primary weapon, and he had just the thing: a power axe. You see, stormtroopers (or Veletarii as the Solar Auxilia call them) carry one of three different weapons: volkite chargers (like the ones Hendrik and Lucy carried), promethium-spewing flamers, or power axes.
“Sorry comrade, but I’ll be needing this,” I said to the corpse as I picked his axe up off the ground. Its weight was comforting in my hands. I quickly found the grip I was taught in boot camp and placed my thumb next to the activation rune.
While I continue to run forwards I looked to the sky where a massive dogfight was taking place. I watched as a Valkyrie Dropship, which seemed to be carrying reinforcements from Fith Company, made an emergency landing behind the enemy troopers down the street. I watched as an Atheon Heavy Sentinel, from The Royal Calvary Regiment, engaged in a doomed duel with an enemy Knight Warden as the knight blasted its war horn.
Eventually, I caught up with one of the squads from Second Platoon, they were stormtroopers and carried power axes just like the dead trooper I had found. That was when it hit me that the squad was missing a person. That the dead trooper I found was probably a squad mate of theirs. I thought about that for a second but was rudely interrupted by the warcry of a charonite ogryn charging our line, followed by a small sea of enemy troopers.
Without a thought, I charged back toward the armoured brute while I thumbed the activation rune on my axe. The ogryn's charonite claw swung down toward me as I raised the Power Axe in a defensive stance. The claw crashed onto the secondary blade of my axe and, to my surprise, I parried it. I immediately moved in and swung towards the ogryn's chest with satisfying results. The brute stumbled and fell on their back.
"Last words?" I asked the Ogryn while brandishing my axe.
"Traitor." The Ogryn spat back.
"Indeed I am," I said.
Then I raised the axe high as the streets around me were coated in blood and the outskirts of Vrantanius burned.
Including quotes for every chapter was a great idea, because now I can give you some exposition that would be awkward otherwise.
anyways! here's an image of a Vendetta (on the left) and two Valkyries (on the right and the one in the back) in the livery of the Volk Royal Air Corps painted by yours truly.
(the image doesn't show up on mobile)
