Second Assault

"Incoming assault!!!"

The sergeant's booming voice still echoed across the entire frontline position. Joseph had never loved hearing the man roar so much. On a battlefield where people died every moment, having such an energetic sergeant overseeing the fighting was truly reassuring.

The louder roars of the Waaagh! greenskins drew ever closer. Their aimless barrage poured bullets into the bulletproof steel plates Joseph had hastily planted in the dirt, filling the air with a constant clanging.

The heavy weapon positions that had not yet been overrun by the Orks opened fire once more. This time, their targets were no longer the ramshackle vehicles racing forward, but the endless sea of Orks. Artillery fire from behind the lines came crashing down again, landing amid the Orks and clearing out vast stretches of crater fields littered with shrapnel and chunks of corpses.

The artillery barrage dealt a heavy blow to the Orks' charge, but it also provided them with plenty of makeshift cover. Those Orks who did not enjoy rushing in to fight with axes and fists pulled out the big guns they carried on their backs. In typical Ork fashion, three or four thick barrels had been welded together. An improvised ammo box on their backs fed out a belt of ammunition, which the Orks crudely shoved into the feed port. With one foot planted in the dirt inside a crater and the other braced on its edge, they rested their bizarre-looking guns against their waists and opened fire at the points of light where Astra Militarum fire was most concentrated.

"Dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka dakka!"

The three barrels fired almost simultaneously. Perhaps only The Emperor could understand how one ammunition belt supplied three or four barrels at once. "Wahahaha! You humies' guns sound as puny as weaklings!" The big-gun Ork arrogantly mocked the Astra Militarum soldiers' firepower, spraying a barrage that suppressed the position of a heavy weapon team.

"Mortar squad! Do you see that Ork standing in the crater?!"

"Got him, sir!"

"I don't want to see him!"

"Understood!"

The mortar squad in the circular trench aimed their rangefinder at the Ork still standing in the crater and pouring out ammunition. Another soldier raised the mortar shell in his hands to the muzzle.

"Load one round!"

"Load one round!"

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

At the artillery sergeant's command, the soldiers repeated his orders in an orderly manner while swiftly loading a mortar shell.

With a bang, the mortar's firing pin struck the fuse and sent the high-explosive shell flying. The iron plates buried underneath to absorb the recoil jolted violently, while the shockwave and thunderous report shook loose dirt from the walls of the pit.

A sharp whoosh blended into the symphony of boltgun fire and rear-line support fire. The shell blew the Ork who loved spraying bullets into the air. The high-explosive round landed right at his feet, shredding his armor to pieces. Shrapnel punched through his body, while the blast's flames and heat roasted him black.

Joseph tucked his head as deeply into the trench as possible. He held his lasgun roughly level and fired instinctively. It was not because he was cowardly or weak; the rain of bullets created by the Orks' indiscriminate fire had barely stopped. He had heard the constant clanging against his two armored plates for several minutes now. Sand and dirt above his head were continually blasted loose by Ork bullets, cascading onto his helmet.

That brave comrade who had still dared to stick his head out and shoot had gone silent after a stray bullet struck him squarely in the forehead. Only the lucky kid remained in the trench with Joseph, copying him by sticking out his gun and firing.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

Joseph caught this sound, so distinct from all the others. Every muscle in his body tensed at once. He pulled his gun back, pressed himself against the other trench wall, and leveled his bayonet. The kid had clearly been keeping an eye on Joseph. He quickly moved closer and raised his own bayonet.

"Waaagh!" An ugly Ork head popped up and peered into the trench. Joseph shot it in the head, and it collapsed onto the ground. Hearing the commotion, more Orks eagerly rushed over.

"Humie, eat one of me fists!" An Ork with a metal gauntlet strapped to his hand leaped into the trench and threw a punch at Joseph's face. But the trench was clearly much narrower than it had looked from outside. His shoulders became wedged between its walls, limiting both the speed and reach of his punch.

Joseph ducked beneath the Ork's attack and drove his bayonet upward through the brawling Ork.

"Sir, watch out!"

The warning from the soldier behind him made Joseph instinctively dive to the ground. An Ork's strike aimed at his head missed, and the lucky soldier riddled it with lasgun fire.

"Thanks for the warning, brother."

"Mhm."

Seeing the rookie gradually recover from his tension and fear, finally beginning to look like a soldier, Joseph let out a great sigh of relief. At least it was better than fighting alone.

Unfortunately, the rookie and Joseph's luck ran out there. An Ork shell landed directly between them. As black smoke rose from the explosion, the two soldiers collapsed into the trench.

The loudmouthed sergeant at the frontline position also fell silent. After losing tens of thousands of Boyz, the Orks broke through this hastily constructed defensive line.

"The first trench has fallen! Tunnel 00371 requests fire support!"

"There is no fire support! The Orks charging in from the front have turned the artillery positions behind us into a complete mess. You need to hold the line until we can regroup!"

"How long will that take?!"

"Twenty minutes!"

"In twenty minutes, you can come collect my corpse!"

Furious beyond measure, Sergeant Karmik slammed the handset in his hand onto the ground. The communications operator beside him nervously reconnected it to the high-frequency communicator on his back.

The first line of defense, built from hundreds of thousands of mines and soldiers, had completely fallen under the Orks' frenzied assault in just half an hour. The Orks were barely stopped only after being forced into the central position. This was also the final line of defense protecting the artillery, and only five short kilometers remained between it and the steel gates of Heglas Hive.

Karmik grabbed the lasrifle from the corner and stormed out of the shelter. He knew there would be no artillery support. Those men claiming they needed twenty minutes to prepare their positions were surely using that precious time to withdraw their beloved Basilisks and Manticores through the gates of Heglas.

Basilisk

In other words, the troops stationed at the central position had become an isolated rearguard force. Although he had long been mentally prepared to sacrifice himself for the God-Emperor, being so ruthlessly abandoned by his comrades still filled him with indignation.

"Sir, are there reinforcements?"

The moment he stepped out of the shelter, a soldier lying at a firing slit asked him about support. The sergeant, who had been furious just moments ago, immediately changed his demeanor and answered with enthusiasm and confidence, "Hold your position, soldier! Our armored tide will be here soon. Their big guns will blow every one of those green-skinned beasts straight to hell!"

Seeing their commander's certainty, the soldiers' fighting spirit rose one by one. The morale that had been shaken by their fear of abandonment recovered once more.

Karmik nodded confidently to every soldier he passed, like a general inspecting his troops during a victory parade.

"The Emperor, forgive this liar's deceitful words."

Karmik's prayer was completely drowned out by the roars of Orks charging into the trenches.