Inside Hive City, on Old Tower Street.
The street was engulfed in battle, with smoke billowing everywhere.
Burke piloted a Sentinel walker, speeding through the maze of trenches and ruins.
Inside the cockpit, his expression was grim as his gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings.
Every soldier in the Armageddon Steel Legion received extensive training in armored vehicles. Whether it was coordinating armored units or driving, they had long since mastered the skills.
As an infantryman, Burke had been unable to pilot a Sentinel before, simply because there hadn't been enough resources to go around. Now, at last, he had permission to operate one.
Skillfully working the Auspex, Burke reported over his comms, "No signs of organized resistance so far. The enemy seems to be pulling back its forces. Stay alert."
"Copy. Understood."
A deep voice came through the Vox Array Communication.
Meanwhile, amid a pile of ruins, an Ork sniper had already set up Big Boom and lined up its crosshairs on Burke.
Once it had its target, it squeezed the trigger.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!
A furious volley rang out. Bullets poured from the modified weapon in a torrent, instantly engulfing the Sentinel walker.
Unlike snipers of the Imperium, who prized precision and a single lethal shot, Ork snipers usually preferred to make their guns bigger and meaner, chasing even more terrifying firepower. They wanted to blanket their targets with a barrage and turn them into a heap of bloody chunks.
But every bullet that struck the Sentinel walker simply bounced away.
What the Ork saw was layer upon layer of shimmering refractor shields.
Ever since Yarrick had received the resources Rowan provided, he had distributed these rare charms to every Astra Militarum reconnaissance unit.
And, just like the other Astra Militarum soldiers, Burke had wasted no time hanging every Rose