Chapter 3 – To Battle!

Author's Note: As I have been getting some pretty informative reviews for my latest chapter, I figure I would take some time to address them.

Eipok: Holy shit, you were right. I re-read through Captain Titus' dialogue, and it felt he was just reciting lines from a script or something. I'll be more careful with his dialogue in the future so he doesn't sound too boring.

AncientRaig: I'm glad you brought up the point on how Linda can fire a bolter with ease. I'm going with what I've read on SpaceBattles stating that a fully-armored SPARTAN-II is about as strong as a Scout Marine (on a good day), and those guys can fire bolters with no problem. Of course, Linda isn't the shortest Spartan, so that might also have something to do with it. Also, yes, I do follow up with "If the Emperor Had a Text-To-Speech Device". That show is pretty great. I'll branch into his other videos eventually.

Well, onwards with the story. I own nothing.

UNSC Infinity – Wargames Observation Deck

"Commander on deck!" A Marine called out as Sarah Palmer stepped in.

"At ease." Palmer said nonchalantly before setting her eyes on the person she was looking for. "Miller, how's the game progressing?"

"Pretty lopsided, ma'am." The Spartan replied. "Blue is trashing Red pretty badly at 260-32."

"Did Roland screw up and stuck the new recruits together by accident or something?" Palmer raised an eyebrow. "How the hell can the scores be this bad?"

"Actually, ma'am, Red is made up of Majestic and Crimson." Miller replied. "You know? Battle-hardened veterans of our second tour at Requiem?"

"Who the hell is on Blue, then?" Palmer asked, but her gut feelings already gave her a pretty good idea.

"Fireteam Switchback and 'Spartan' Blue." Miller put air-quotes around the word in an attempt at humor. "If you can call that team 'Spartan' because, you know, two thirds aren't Spartans?"

"Don't ever quit your job to become a comic, Miller." The Spartan Commander rolled her eyes. "The Astartes are probably just being lucky in their first game."

"This is actually their fifth game today, Commander." Miller explained. "Red improved even though Fireteam Shadow left after game three."

"WHAT?" Palmer crushed the Styrofoam cup in her hand, oblivious to the spilled coffee on her shirt. "How the hell can you call that score an improvement?"

"Well, in the first couple of games, Blue's score were roughly in the 500s even though Red had the numerical advantage." Roland's voice came over the speakers. "Crimson, Majestic, and Shadow were able to adapt their tactics and, well, die less often. If you want to see how our visitors are doing, just look at the big screen instead of trying to ask for Miller's number."

Palmer let out a grunt of annoyance at Roland's choice of words before setting her eyes on the live feed just in time to see Captain Titus land in the middle of the Red fort. Not only was he unaffected by the hard landing, but several Spartans were knocked on their backs. She saw Hoya pumping round after round of 8-gauge slugs into the Ultramarine. The rounds bounced harmlessly off what appeared to be a shield similar to the ones used by Spartans.

"Why the hell aren't they using plasma pistol overcharge?" Palmer asked in an annoyed tone.

"They tried it several times, Commander. It never worked." Miller replied. "Their shielding seems to work in a different way from the shields on the MJOLNIR armor."

After Titus knocked Hoya out of the fort, he turned his attention to the other Spartans, who were quickly wiped out by Titus' thunder hammer. Two Scorpion tanks used by Fireteam Crimson that were firing on the Blue fort turned back towards their own fort and began to shell it.

"You need at least 10 direct hits from a Scorpion's main gun to actually take down that shield, not that Red ever did that, but they came close." Roland said nonchalantly. "It's not like their armor's ridiculously strong or anything. You know, Titus and Cyrus never actually got 'killed' during these five games."

Barely two minutes after the shelling began, the guns went silent.

"Oh, did I mention that Cyrus is an absolute beast with the Stanchion?" Roland asked sarcastically. "Whatever they feed those guys in the Imperium, I want a lifetime supply of it."

"Well, umm, let's see how these guys can do against the Covenant." Palmer said quickly and nervously. "I'm sure those guys, uh, are going to run into some problems."

"Commander, did you just stutter?" Miller raised an eyebrow, taking his eyes off the sight of Titus charging a Mantis head-on.

Planet on the Outskirts of Ultramar – Day 5 of Liberation Campaign

"Devastator Squad Atavian, keep those sluggas on the left flank pinned down while Tactical Squad Fennion readies a grenade volley. Predators 3 and 4, Deff Dreads approach from the South-West." Fred relayed the orders through the vox. "Assault Squad Ixion and Venerable Sicarius, there is a platoon of Auxilia troopers trapped in that farmhouse. Have the Ancient engage the surrounding horde while the assault marines mop up the survivors."

After a week of Warp travel, 2nd Company's strike cruiser finally arrived at the agri-world under Ork attack. Despite the constant nightmares and visits to Chaplain Trajan and Company Librarian, Fred still got his studying done. By planetfall, Fred had learned the most basic of Astartes tactics dictated by the Codex. With the first day of arrival, the Ultramarines and their Spartan guest were already in action. The devastation caused by the Orks reminded Fred too much of a Covenant invasion, if the invasion consisted entirely of Brutes. The memory of Grace-093's death at the hands of those ape-like barbarians still stung, so he fought and lead the best he could, with Acting-Captain Antonius filling in the gaps in experience and knowledge. Although the Battle-Brothers of 2nd Company were initially skeptical at being led by someone who can't even lift and fire a bolter effectively, their doubts were soon dispelled at his courage in combat and willingness to take some close calls for the mission.

"Brothers, contact!" Apothecary Venatio called through the vox as he fired his bolter into the air. Fred looked up and saw 30 Stormboyz along with their Nob flying towards the Command Squad's position.

"Evasive manouvers!" Fred yelled as he ran outwards. The Lions of Macragge were able to move as far away from their original position as possible before the Orks landed with a massive shockwave.

"Kill da humies! Da boy dat krumps da most gitz wins a squigload of teef!" The Nob bellowed as he waved his massive choppa as the stormboys charged outwads. "WAAAGH!"

"Purge the xenos!" Fred channeled his hatred of the Jiralhanae into the battle cry as he motioned with the Lightning Claws on his right hand. "Box them in!"

Honoured Prabian did not hesitate as he charged towards the surrounded xenos, hoping to keep them surrounded or, better yet, dead. He slammed his combat shield forward into a charging Stormboy before stabbing the fallen Ork in the face with his power sword. The force of the stab, combined with the deadly effects of the disruption field, caused the hapless Ork's skull to explode violently and splatter the Company Chamion's ornate armor with Greenskin blood and brain matter. Prabian paid the stain no heed as he lopped off the head of another Ork.

Malcian did not have time to draw his combat knife before the Orks closed in on him, so he simply used his melta as a club to cave in the skull of one Ork before ducking under the swing of another Stormboy's chain-choppa. Then, he lifted the melta with one hand and fired his weapon into the Ork's groin. The Ork did not even have time to scream before the searing hit vaporized everything below his armpits.

Vandius kept his distance as he supported his brothers and the Spartan with precise bolter fire into the fray. A Ork felt particularly kunnin' and jumped behind the standard bearer, hoping to tackle him. The Astartes did not even spare a glance backwards as he flexed his left elbow so that his bolter pointed backwards, and fired two shots. The bolts drilled their way into the Ork's skull before detonating, causing the Ork's head to erupt in a grisly fountain consisting of bone, teef, blood, and brain matter, not that Orks needed much of the last item. Vandius brought his bolter forward once again and squeezed the trigger, only to discover that the magazine was empty. He muttered a prayer to the Emperor as he reloaded and continued to fire.

Apothecary Venatio, like Vandius, supported the other members of the Command Squad from a distance with his bolter. He was the one who examined the Spartan's physiology and was the first to raise objections about the suitability of the Spartan for taking on the role of a Brother-Captain, mainly due to the inferior nature of his implants. As the days went on in the liberation, however, the Apothecary was pleasantly surprised that Fred did not him as much as he previously thought. In fact, the Spartan never required his care simply due to the fact that he fought well enough to avoid injury.

"Guide my aim, O Emperor." Venatio prayed as he fired into the torso of a charging Stormboy, causing the Ork's midsection to explode and shower the surrounding fighters with liquefied organs and the creature's last meal. "And may I never have to perform a gene-seed extraction in this campaign."

Veteran Sergeant Daceus, who declined multiple offers for promotion, lashed out with his powerfist. Any Ork brave or dumb enough to face him were already dead, but they simply haven't realized it. Ork after Ork simply exploded as the Sergeant punched at the xenos, inching closer to the leader of the attackers.

Acting-Captain Antonius grunted as he pulled his roaring chainsword out of the body of a freshly-killed Ork, then turned to his left and vaporized another with his plasma pistol. Like many other brothers, he initially had doubts about the capabilities of the Spartan, deeming him to be little more than a Scout marine in terms of both performance and experience. However, the journey through the Warp and the ongoing campaign slowly changed his mind as he saw that what Fred lacked in raw strength, he made up in effort. Whenever he wasn't visiting the Librarian or Chaplain, the Spartan was either studying the Codex Astartes or practicing his firing rites despite him having trouble with most of the weapons used by the Adeptus Astartes. The fact that Fred could fit into a crowd of unaugmented humans due to his smaller stature was more of a hindrance when trying to use a bolter. Still, the Spartan contributed to the campaign to the best of his ability by commanding and killing Orks with lightning claws, bolt and plasma pistols, meltas, or stalker bolters.

If he was an Ultramarine, he would have had a very illustrious career. Antonius thought as he cut another Ork in half. Terminator honours would be quite fitting for this man.

Chaplain Trajan screamed litanies and curses at the top of his lungs as he swung his Crozius Arcanum at the incoming Stormboyz. When the Orks discovered that shootas didn't work on Trajan because of the conversion field generated by his rosarius, they decided to tie him up in close combat. That turned out to be an even worse idea than just shooting him. Anything caught in the Chaplain's path died a messy death courtesy of the golden Aquila mounted on top of his staff.

In his studies, Fred read about the acts of courage by military chaplains during Earth's past wars, and he personally witnessed the heroism of UNSC chaplains during the darkest days of the war with the Covenant. All those paled, however, compared to the skull-helmeted Astartes' bravery and righteous fury. Although Fred had fought alongside Trajan for 9 days straight, it was still quite jarring for the Spartan to see the Astartes clergyman switch from ministering to refugees to brutally mauling aliens in close combat in just under an hour.

"Join your false gods in everlasting damnation, xeno!" Trajan proclaimed the curse as he executed a legless Ork with his bolt pistol. "You and your kind shall face the ultimate judgment for the sins you have committed against humanity!"

I should really write down what this guy says. Fred thought as he gutted an Ork with his lightning claws. Psy-Ops is going to have a field day with these phrases.

Within the span of a minute, the Ork platoon was reduced to the Nob and a surviving Stormboy, with the command squad surrounding the two in a 10-meter radius circle.

"Yooz gits are all zoggin' worfless!" The Nob yelled as he crushed the last Stormboy in his power klaw and threw away the mauled remains. "Looks like I gets to haff all da fun ta meself."

Before the Ork can do anything else, Malcian shot the Ork in the midsection with his melta while Fred sprinted forward with his lightning claws at the ready. The Nob quickly recovered from having his armor ruined and charged as well. At the last second before impact, Fred used the single advantage his lighter stature and armor gave him over the Astartes: he jumped good.

The Nob had a brief look of confusion on his face as the Spartan sailed through the air, but it was too late to turn or even stop because of his sheer momentum. It turns out that as Fred charged, Prabian was right behind him with his combat shield at the ready. Prabian held the shield in front of him and planted his feet firmly in the ground in a way similar to how members of the Adeptus Arbites conducted anti-riot operations. The Nob smashed face-first into the shield, stunned. Fred, who had already landed by that point, emptied his bolt pistol's magazine into the Nob's jump pack while Venatio and Vantius fired upon the Ork's flanks. The combination of dozens of bolter shells and the jump pack's fuel tank caused a massive explosion. The Nob was reduced to nothing but chunks of flesh that rained back towards the planet's surface onto the Command Squad.

"A most excellent feint, Spartan." Antonius said. "It seems that you understand the spirit of the Codex quite well."

"A lot of the tactics described in the Codex Astartes are quite similar to Spartan combat doctrine." Fred shrugged as he replied. "Besides, the feint would have not succeeded if it were not for your cooperation."

"Sound battle tactics and humility among humanity's defenders?" Trajan chuckled slightly, which was pretty unnerving coming from someone who is wearing a skull helmet. "It appears certain human traits are trans-universal."

"Company command, do you receive?" Fred heard over the vox channels. "This is Scout Sergeant Tellion."

"Go ahead, Sergeant." Antonius replied.

"We have discovered the Ork encampment housing the Warboss conducting operations on this planet. Multiple looted tanks, Deff Dreads, and one Squiggoth. Suspected Weirdboy presence." Tellion's voice crackled over the vox. "Assassination is impossible as we have no long range weapons, and the Orks have captured numerous citizens and Auxilia troopers as slaves. Orbital strike is not recommended."

"Roger that, Sergeant Tellion." Antonius replied. "Standby. Well, Spartan?"

"If we kill the Warboss, the Waagh! will into disarray and infighting, correct?" Fred asked, seeking to confirm his knowledge about the Orks.

"Indeed, I see your studies have been through." Trajan replied.

"In that case, have our forces mop up operations in this area and regroup. We attack at midnight." Fred said. "We cut the head off the Ork's operation here, and the rest will be easier to fight."

"Actually, our operations here are essentially complete." A voice spoke in the minds of everyone present.

"What do you mean by that, Librarian?" Fred asked.

"The Nob you slain appeared to be the leader of the Orks in this area." The Librarian replied. "Immediately after his death, I sensed a massive collapse in the Orks' psychic field, and our brothers in the area have reported that they are retreating from us on all fronts."

"In that case, burn any Ork corpses you can find. Then, have our forces in the area converge and resupply. The rest of the company will remain in their assigned AOs to as before to provide distraction." Fred said. "Sergeant Tellion, stay on site and update us on any changes in the encampment. Relay the coordinates to us as well. We move within the hour."

Refectorum, Omnis Arcanum

Before Linda could speak, a chapter serf approached the group.

"Excuse me, my lords and lady." He bowed. "I have an urgent message from Chapter Master Angelos for Captain Diomedes and our esteemed guest."

"Very well, chosen. Recite." Diomedes said.

Linda's eyes widened at the sight of the serf's eyes rolling upwards into his skull. Before she could perform any first aid, Thaddeus put his hands upon her shoulder and shook his head lightly. The Spartan looked around the group and realized that the event was a perfectly normal occurrence.

"Apollo, I have grave news. I have just received a request for aid from the Inquisition. A Hive World in a nearby sector has fallen under the thralls of a Chaotic cult led by a warband known as the Flawless Host." The serf droned on in a monotone voice. "Although Arbites and loyal PDF troops are resisting, they cannot last for long. Return to the Litany of Fury immediately and prepare for departure. The location of the planet has already been transferred to the Battle-Barge's cogitators."

The serf paused briefly before turning towards Linda.

"Spartan, the Master of recruits has assigned three Scout Squads for this mission. Go with Captain Diomedes to the Litany of Fury and convene with Scout Sergeant Priam. He will familiarize you with Scout Tactics. Also, I understand that this will be your first time battling the Ruinous Powers. I urge you to visit the company Chaplain for guidance against the Archenemy. Angelos out."

Somewhere in the Eastern Fringe – 2 Days Later

"Brother, I am pinned here!" Diomedes cried over the vox. "Chaos heavy weapons team fire on me!"

"Diomedes needs our help, Initiates. The main force is more than ten minutes away." Linda said as she went to prone and deployed her sniper rifle's bipod. "Have you located the Captain?"

"I see Captain Diomedes, Spartan. Two kilometers out. No obstructions in firing path." One of the Scout Marines reported. "Five-man Havoc team. One Reaper Autocannon, one Heavy Bolter, one missile launcher, one flamer, plus an Aspiring Champion with bolt pistol and chainaxe."

"Roger that, Initiate." Linda replied. "Conditions?"

The Scout Marine relayed to the Spartan the wind and other environmental conditions. Linda and another Scout Marine made their adjustments accordingly.

"Initiate Belus. I will take the one with the flamer, you have the honor of ending their leader's aspirations." Linda ordered. "Fire after the third breath in."

"Roger." Belus grinned slightly at the Spartan's wit, something the five-man squad greatly appreciated. "Target is in my sights."

Immediately after the Belus responded, Linda began the standard breathing procedure for all marksmen, something she began to pass along to the Scouts under her care after branding it as a ritual of preparation. In a way, it was.

In. Out.

The Autocannon and Heavy Bolter Havocs continued to fire on Diomedes' position while cackling manically. The flamer Havoc stopped to change fuel tanks.

In. Out.

The Flawless Host Aspiring Champion next to the Autocannon Havoc decided to squeeze off some potshots and yell obscene taunts at the pinned 3rd Company Command Squad. Flamer resumed firing. Missile launcher Havoc started to complain about not getting any action.

In. Hold.

In a split second, both Spartan and Scout squeezed the triggers on their rifles. Both weapons sent their payloads towards their intended receivers who were unaware of the fate that was about to befall them. Initiate Belus' round found its way squarely into the left temple of the Aspiring Champion mid-taunt, drilling through the ceramite-infused skull and into the delicate grey matter within. The high-explosive round detonated inside the Chaos veteran's skull, showering the Autocannon Havoc with bone fragments, brain matter, and some kind of unholy mixture that an Apothecary later determined to be eighty-percent combat drugs and twenty-percent blood. The freshly-deceased Aspiring Champion, who was missing the entire right half of his skull, was knocked off his feet and actually spun in the air before landing in a crumpled heap.

Just when Belus killed the Aspiring Champion, Linda's round impacted the flamer Havoc's ammunition belt. The armor-piercing incendiary round punctured one of the fuel tanks, through the hapless Havoc's fused ribcage, and exited through another fuel tank. The round failed to hit any major organs in the corrupted Astartes, but it didn't need to. The already-volatile concoction within the compromised tanks soon caught fire. The intense heat produced by the burning tanks spread to the other fuel containers, causing them to combust. Within the span of a second, the Havoc was engulfed in flames before being blown apart in a massive explosion that knocked the Missile Havoc to the ground, drenching the Chaos vehicle killer in some burning flamer fuel that wasn't completely destroyed in the explosion.

"Yes! YES! Lord Slaanesh, I thank you for this glorious burning sensation!" The Havoc laughed as he stood back up while the flames spread all over him, including the large cache of backup missiles strapped to his back. Oblivious about the state of his ammunition, the Havoc continued to gloat and offer his praises to the Prince of Excess.

He's not doing a single Slaanesh-damned thing to help us crush the corpse worshippers. The Reaper Havoc was beginning to get annoyed by the Missile Havoc's antics. After I defile the Loyalist corpses, I am seriously going to shove my autocannon up his…

The Reaper Havoc's train of thought was interrupted by an explosion that was even more massive than the one that destroyed the Flamer Havoc. The detonation of multiple frag and krak missiles vaporized the Missile Havoc and his weapon while sending white-hot shrapnel all around where he once stood. The two remaining Havocs were peppered with metal fragments and knocked down. As they relished the feeling of being knocked down and the burning pain inside them, Diomedes activated his jump pack and landed in their midst with the Company Champion following suit. Without any hesitation or mercy, Diomedes brought the Hammer of Aramus, previously the Hammer of the Nameless, down onto the Autocannon Havoc's head. The force of the blow, amplified by the sudden discharge of the power field, along with the sheer force of the metal helmet caving in, crushed the Havoc's skull into a bloody pulp that soon leaked out of the seams in the wrecked helmet. Meanwhile, the Company Champion stabbed Alexian's blade into the neck joint of the Heavy Bolter Havoc's power armor. The blow severed the Chaos Marine's neck, and the Champion kicked the detached head away in disgust.

"Captain, this is Spartan-058." Linda's voice came through the command vox channel. "You're clear."

"My thanks, Spartan. Perhaps I shall finally hear of the Spartan's deeds once we finish cleansing this Hive World." Diomedes replied. "Wait, I hear some kind of rumbling, can you see anything from your perspective?"

"Negative, Captain." Linda responded. "Hang on, something is happening to a large pile of rubble to your left, I suggest you and the Command Squad take cover immediately."

As soon as the words left Linda's mouth, the pile of rubble exploded, and a Chaos Predator drove through, backed up by four squads of Chaos cultists and two squads of Chaos Marines. The cultists wore nothing but rags covering their most vital areas, exposing their pierced and scarred skin to the air. The four Aspiring Champions all held bolt pistols in one hand, and long barbed whips in the other. The chunks of bloody flesh on the whips and the wounds on the cultists told Linda what those were used for. To Linda, the two squads of Chaos Marines, in their spike-adorned pink power armor with screaming faces on their pauldrons, were quite tame compared to the cultists and the Predator.

Especially the Predator.

The flesh-colored Predator was covered in spikes and various blasphemous iconographies Linda had no way of describing. The longest spikes each had a skinned person impaled on them. Upon taking a closer look, Linda realized that they were still alive. A banner made up of several people that were stitched together stood erect at the rear of the tank, with imagery unspeakable acts tattooed on their skins. It might have been the wind, but Linda thought she saw the banner wiggle and move, as if the unfortunate victims were still living. Seeing a Chaos Predator for the first time, Linda started to feel queasy and lose her focus.

"What do we have here? Lapdogs of the Corpse Emperor wandering the streets like lost little lambs?" A sickly smooth voice came out of the tank's loudspeakers. "Do not worry, brothers; we shall take good care of you. All right, whelps, fire!"

Laughter poured out of the tank's speakers as the entire Chaos force fired upon the Command Squad.

Author's Note: Dum dum dum. How will Linda fare in her first major engagement against the Forces of Chaos? Will Diomedes survive? Also, I'm thinking of switching up the format of the story. Instead of fitting all three POVs into one chapter, I'm going to devote one chapter to one side and switch it up. For example, one chapter is going to be focused solely on the Infinity, and then the next is going to be focused on Fred, and the one after that for Linda. What do you guys think?