In the Grimdark Sector with a System

Author Notes:

Shoutout to Private Nyxtelios and Private RDCJ! Thank you for supporting the Imperium and the Belkan Reich!

As for this new chapter... Well, it's actually a chapter to more or less set the tone for how I want to do my 40K. I know that it's interesting, but I hope to see if I can improve even more on anything here. After all, I am a layman that don't have access to any book, game, or figure for the 40K universe.

Do enjoy it, and tell me how you feel about the chapter.

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Instead of firing my lasrifle at the normal power setting, I put it in a mode I dub 'Slightly-overcharged-but-not-boom-boom'. Although the mode consumes costs more energy than the power pack, it does grant me an additional peg of firepower. Effectively, I have a ten-shot Designated Marksman Rifle that I can use on the fly, thanks to the mode. The increase in firepower is welcome, as it allows me the capability to straight up melt the last heavy stubber on the remaining Traitorous Chimeras. While the weapon is turning into a pile of slag, the excessive heat is more than enough to cause an ammunition cook-off on the ammo belt of the weapon, causing the enemy vehicle crew to close their turret hatch while nearby traitors rush to get away from the frenzy lead shower. Using the chance when some of them are out of cover by the commotion, I accurately track and eliminate whoever I can. I swiftly strike down four of them, 'down' on this occasion is having half of their torsos blown away by the 'Slightly-overcharged-but-not-boom-boom' lasers, all the while humming a tune that I heard back when I was in the Bar.

...

I think the tune was called Every Day is Night by the Bartender? Very jazzy tune, 69/10 would recommend it.

But anyway~! More killa and more shoota~!

Noticing that the enemy IFVs are suppressing Johnson's unit by bombarding them with their hull-mounted Heavy Bolters, I use up the remaining of my available shots on one of the guns. Striking true, the barrel of the Heavy Bolter goes hot red after being hit by five supercharged laser shots. The weapon's barrel ultimately bursts when the heat finally adds up to the constant suppressive fire, thus rendering one of the enemy's Heavy Bolter useless.

"Thanks for taking off some of that heat, Ein!" Johnson voxes his compliment. "We'll have our armor take care of the last one."

"You're welcome, good sir~!" I answer in a chippy tone before suddenly rolling away behind cover. A blink of an eye later, a shower of laser beams pepper my previous sniping spot.

Now that the enemy doesn't have a direct line of sight on me, I crouch-run my way to Weiss's location which also sports numerous bullet holes and vaporized material. Weiss turns to look at me puzzledly while reloading her lasrifle as she sees me approach. Instead of saying anything, I just smile at her before reaching out with one of my hands then pull her back down and away from the outcrop. Right afterward, a dense bombardment of laser showers the entire outcrop we're on. Had Weiss and I stuck around back there, we would have singed our hair at the very least.

Weiss sweatdrops. "Well, that was half-expected..."

I stop pulling her by the shoulder as we crouch away and underneath our smoking outcrop, which is still being fired at by the Traitors' Multi-laser, by the way.

"To be fair, we have been a literal nuisance to them. We have leveled the playfield just enough so they couldn't crush us with their number and firepower. Johnson and the rest of Froggers can take care of the rest while we relocate to another post."

"That's fine by me." Weiss nods before trailing behind me as I make my way to a hidden alcove that we spotted on the way to the top of the outcrop.

While it doesn't have the greatest visibility than the now smoking top, the alcove offers camouflage and protection. Stepping cautiously inside the naturally formed tunnel of the alcove, I scan for anything that may be dangerous for us before giving Weiss the go-ahead to come in. In the alcove, there's a set of rocks jutting out of the ground as covers. Beyond our hardy covers is a hole that is widened horizontally by Mother Nature, offering a neat view of the combat below.

"Pick your cozy spot, Weiss." I instruct while setting up behind a solid and somewhat flat piece of rock to brace my weapon against. "Best we not engage anything just yet, though. I don't count on this hole in the wall to stand a concentrated bombardment."

"Yeah, I'm not fancying being buried alive also." Weiss nods. "Still, can we just sit here and do nothing?" She asks while gazing at the Sensor-skull that has been following us silently and dutifully.

"We need to scan the horizon for possible enemy reinforcement though?" I reply while looking down at the sight of my lasrifle.

"Besides, Johnson has it in the bag... Look." I turn my head to look at Weiss with a light smile before gesturing my head to the Sergeant's position.

Weiss brings out her magnoculars to gaze below. There, Johnson and the rest of Froggers are still in a shootout with the Traitors. After minutes of exchanging fire, things kinda developed into a stalemate of sorts, with the Traitors buying time rather than actually trying to eliminate the 3rd Platoon. Johnson, however, is not one to let things run their course. The man is very willing to make our unit's impact known whenever possible. Now that there's a clear battleline, Johnson waves at the two Grenadiers in our Special Weapon Squad to set up for an indirect-fire scenario. The two Grenadiers comply, kneeling on one knee inside their fighting position while angling their heavy weapons upward. With repeating thumping noises, high-explosive grenades are lobbed in ballistic arts, raining all over the groups of Traitorous Guards. Blood and limbs fly everywhere as the grenades land on the Traitors' feet. Some of the gore even comes splattering on the enemy Chimeras' hulls.

Near instantly, the enemy's fire density is noticeably reduced as survivors are trying to make sense of the situation. Using this chance, AT Specialist Donovan peaks over his trench with his missile launcher reloaded with another fresh two-missile magazine. Locking on to the Traitorous Chimera that still has its Heavy Bolter, Donovan shouts.

"Clear backblast!"

Donovan's assistant gunner gives a thumbs up. "Backblast clear!"

After getting a good tone, Donovan warns. "Missile! Missile!" He then pulls the trigger, sending the krak missile out of its launch tube and sailing through the air when its engine is activated. Moments later, the enemy IFV explodes by the krak warhead slamming through its top.

At the same time, Frogger 3-3 and Frogger 3-4 dial the power of their Multi-lasers up. In exchange for a lower rate of fire, the Multi-lasers spat out more powerful shots in a way not dissimilar to what I did with my lasrifle. The two friendly Chimeras fire their weapon at the last active enemy armor, the sound of beams searing the air is a tone lower than before but the impacts are noticeably more severe. Their combined high-powered shots swiftly melt through the opposition's turret, thus disabling its last active weapon other than the troop compartment's lasguns. Seeing the futility of continuing their holdout, the enemy Chimera reverses out of combat, bringing with them the last survivors of the Traitorous Infantries.

Donovan is just about to lock his missile launcher onto the fleeing' Chimera but Johnson lowers his weapon down. "Save that krak for something more worrisome than a disarmed IFV, son. Ein, Weiss, you girls still alive up there?"

Seeing Johnson waving at us from below, I return the gesture. "We're all good up here, Sarge, but we had to relocate. Don't have much as good of an eagle's eye than our prior post and I don't trust our location can survive an intense gunfight."

"In that case, please tell me that it's clear." Johnson says while overseeing the rest of the unit's post-battle assessment.

"I don't know..." I turn to Weiss who is scanning the seeable horizon with her magnoculars. "Are we clear, Weiss?" Though I already know the answer by virtue of visual confirmation and instinct, I still have to ask.

Weiss replies with a serious frown, seeing what I've seen. "This is... Troubling."

I smirk under my breath while Johnson sighs. "Ay, carumba... I know that tone from anywhere. Let me guess, we're not done just yet?"

"Affirmative, sir." Weiss nods seriously. "The group we initially fought to a retreat is but a vanguard force... There's a large dust cloud from the direction they're running toward, and I don't think Colonel Mustahim has deployed any ground reinforcement just yet."

"That's correct, Rookie." Johnson ruffles his hair in annoyance. "Depending on the enemy's force, we may have to mount up and pull back."

I chuckle, grabbing their attention. "Seriously, you two? Aren't you forgetting that we have air units inbound? What's their ETA?"

"Right about now, Ein." A new, yet familiar voice can be heard through the local vox.

I quirk my lips upward as I can feel the droning of multiple aircraft flying overhead. The timely arrival of multiple Valkyries and even a few Thunderhawks coincide with a formation of Traitorous armored force cresting a hill into view.

Oh my, this is gonna be spectacular for sure...

I turn to Weiss. "Hey, you still have your recaf?"

The question is so sudden that it catches Weiss off-guard. Yet, she is quick to remind herself of the recaf's effect on my battle state so the strange Rookie is swift to shake her head.

"Bad Ein! No recaf for you in combat!"

"Aww~!" I pout, earning an eye roll from Weiss.