Lasidream People

Five months later, outside Lasidream City-State, Sacks stood facing its towering walls, dressed in Arbitrator Carapace Armor and frowning. The ill-fitting armor chafed his shoulders raw, but the battle ahead worried him more.

After all, if they didn't take Lasidream City soon, he and his brothers would be dead men.

Five months earlier, when he'd arrived at the Primitive City-State Camp, where all their supplies were stockpiled, and met up with a dozen or so subordinates, Sacks had discovered that they were even less dependable than he was.

At least he was a company commander in the regular Astra Militarum. The others were either Planetary Defense Force captains, Hive Enforcer Patrol officers, military academy dropouts, or even a PDF cook.

Faced with this band of so-called brilliant minds, Sacks could only grit his teeth and patiently hold the current planning meeting with them.

Like a teacher instructing a remedial class, Sacks patiently guided his subordinates. He planted one foot on a Frag Grenade Box, held an antenna he'd temporarily removed from the Communication Radio, and tapped at the blackboard as he marked the key points.

"The Forged Steel Lord's demand is that we take the main continent within six months. So what's the key problem?"

"The key problem is the problem's key, and the key to the problem is that we have no armored units. Even the only Aquila Shuttle belongs to the Blackrock. The Astartes ordered them to provide air support, but as everyone knows: the Navy can go eat shit. All they do is fly around overhead, send us useless topographical maps, and lazily fire off a few autocannon bursts."

"We have only thirty thousand soldiers, and we didn't bring them with us. If casualties get too high, they might mutiny... So... uniforms... maneuvering back and forth... firing ammunition... occupying the enemy's homeland..." After a ten-hour planning meeting, they had more or less settled on their strategy.

First, they'd urgently train the citizen soldiers for half a month. Then Sacks and his dozen or so subordinates would split into five forces and attack the major city-states. Once the big city-states fell, the smaller vassal states would know what to do.

They would use firepower beyond the locals' understanding to seize some of the city-states, proclaiming themselves the heavenly soldiers of the Iron Angels. They might even persuade some city-states to surrender without a fight. Along the way, they would recruit some local soldiers, then have their five armies converge on the eastern coastal plains and take Lasidream City-State in one decisive strike.

But now he knew he'd made a mistake: leaving the toughest nut to crack for last. The locals said the Lasidream people were a warrior nation, envoys of the Evil God Ares. At the time, he'd dismissed the idea. They were just savages with wooden spears who didn't even know what guns were. A single burst would be enough to defeat them.

By the time they finally reached Lasidream, their weapons and ammunition were nearly depleted. The good news was that their force had grown to nearly two hundred thousand, and they had the last city-state that refused to submit completely surrounded.

What could they do without weapons and ammunition? They had to use the old methods. What were those? Build Wooden Siege Towers and Catapults, have the soldiers carry ladders, and charge!

But the seven or eight thousand soldiers and twenty thousand slave soldiers in the city had driven back their two hundred thousand men all by themselves. During the battle, Sacks had even lured the opposing king to the battlements for negotiations, then killed him with a single shot from a sniper Laser Gun.

After the king's death, the enemy's resistance grew even fiercer. They not only dared to sally out and fight, but even drove back the besieging troops. The locals said it had something to do with their Dual King System, and that it didn't matter if one king died.

Looking at the map, Sacks couldn't understand how the war had turned into a fight with stones and javelins. The worst part was that they'd been defeated by a bunch of natives carrying spears. All in all, the war was going backward.

But the more pressing problem was that the Forged Steel Lord's deadline was almost up. If they didn't take the city, in five days the Astartes would twist his head off and kick it around like a ball. He'd heard that the Iron Warriors practiced Execution by Tens even on their own men. If he failed... God-Emperor, protect me.

Beside him, his adjutant couldn't help cursing.

"Damn it, why did they make us fight this war?"

Even now, Sacks still wondered why the Forged Steel Lord had sent them to attack these city-states when there was a much easier way. One or two Astartes, leading a few hundred Sailors off the ship, could sweep the entire world.

Meanwhile, aboard the Storm Eagle Gunship in the planet's stratosphere, Peter, Anthony, and Wonaby watched the footage on the screen.

Wonaby spoke first.

"This is the last city-state. We can now confirm that they have no dark technology left over from the Old Night."

Peter kept his eyes on the screen and remarked, "Good. Even at an overwhelming disadvantage, these soldiers called the Lasidream people have shown courage. They've even won in some local engagements."

Anthony scoffed.

"Captain, they're just a bunch of primitives. One unarmed brother could slaughter them all. Since they have no artifacts of ancient technology, I recommend we massacre this last resisting city and show the other city-states what happens when they defy us."

Peter shook his head slightly.

"Anthony, look at their spears and Large Round Shields. They cover one another and form a Shield Wall—primitive, but they work together well. The Dark Eldar Slaves have fallen back, but not one of the citizen soldiers in heavy armor has fled. I think we can easily spare them."

Wonaby picked up the thread.

"Lord, I've studied the local records. They don't worship the False Emperor, but follow a primitive Local Faith."

"Any signs of Chaos?"

"None so far. However, this city-state has poor relations with the others. 'Lasidream' means 'Arable Plain' in the local language, and they do indeed control some of the few plains and the most fertile land. They also follow a Pagan Faith, which has made the other city-states hostile toward them."

Peter nodded.

"Since there are no signs of Chaos, we can spare them. Warriors always get a few privileges. Their fierce warrior culture could make them an excellent source of recruits."

Peter looked at his brother Anthony. He was too stubborn and looked down on everyone. He was barely fit to lead a squad, and promoting him further would be a disaster. So Peter planned to gradually remove Anthony from the command structure and have him serve more as a War Band Champion and bodyguard.

Just then, Peter's communicator rang. After hearing the message, he replied, "All right, got it."

After ending the call, he turned to Wonaby.

"Captain Wonaby, we have an honored guest. I'm going back to the flagship to receive them. Take two brothers and capture this city-state. Don't let too many men die."

"Yes, Lord."

Anthony asked curiously, "Captain, who's the honored guest?"

For once, Peter smiled.

"The Dark Mechanicus."