abstract
| - 0330 Hours The sound of a fleet of Valkyries went unnoticed over the country side surrounding the sprawling city of Prasia. From the transports, newly promoted Sergeant Bellum looked down below on the former crown jewel of Normandie II; once a symbol of the wealth and prosperity of the Eropea Sector, the planet had fallen to the spreading forces of Chaos three years before, and now lay ruined. Nothing had been forced under the iron heel of Chaos more than the capital city. Now, as Bellum looked down on the city, he thought he could almost feel the suffering rising from its razed streets and decrepit buildings. Once boasting a population of over eighteen million, after the occupation this had dwindled to less than five. The stunning loss of the planet and the destruction of the city led the Imperium to devote resources to reclaiming the planet. One of the leading edges of this effort was the newly raised 75th Ranger Regiment from the bastion of Cadia. This regiment was raised of the best volunteers from Cadia, including young men like Bellum, and after two years of training he and 2400 of his comrades were poised to infiltrate the Chaos wasteland and open the door for a conventional invasion. Closing his eyes in one of his last moments of peace for the near future, Bellum ran through his company's objectives. Immediately after the massive grav chute drop, they had to organize and gather the unit into a cohesive fighting force. They were then to move immediately to blocking positions to protect the rest of the force as they dropped in, including the headquarters and all-important air-mobile armored units. Within 4 hours, everyone would be assembled and would move to their following objectives. For Bellum, this included knocking out communications, liberating imprisoned guardsmen captured in the initial assault, and lastly, but most dauntingly, neutralizing a Chaos armored brigade. At the moment however, Bellum was only thinking about the drop and repeating the sequence of actions. Soon, he noticed the red warning light turn on in the cargo hold. Around him, his forty five man platoon exchanged grim but confident looks, as they struggled to their feet under the immense weight of their equipment. Grunting, Bellum dragged himself to his feet, and steadyed himself in the pitching aircraft. Turning to his squad, he shouted over the turbine engines, "listen up second squad! I know none of this is news to you, but im gonna tell you anyway! Remember your assignments, focus on the drop, and identify targets on the ground. Were shooting rebels not each other. When we get organized, i want to move out asap, and move to objective alpha. Lets keep tight out there, and do what weve been training for. Lets liberate these people and knock those traitors back through the Eye. Hooah?" "Hooah!" shouted his squad. Looking in their eyes, Bellum saw uncertainty but also courage. He knew these men would not falter under extraordinary cicumstances, but the situation on the planet below them was anything but ordinary.
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