Home Fires – Chapter Twenty-Six: Trajectory
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The siege dragged on.
Antonius managed as best he could. Governor Sterling, unable to unseat Antonius without enraging the populace, managed to relieve some of the stress by managing public relations. Lieutenant Sandeep led forays into Ork territory. The PDF held. Mostly. As the months fell off the calendar, Antonius watched the line of the defenders’ territory shrink daily. The Orks were slowly winning.
There were highlights, though. An enterprising sewage engineer was awarded a month’s rations by correctly predicting the Orks would advance through Relliketh’s sewers. A hastily constructed pipeline to the ocean literally drowned any chances that Orks would appear underfoot. Like a true hero, the engineer donated his rations to the scholam where war orphans had been rehoused. Of course, Governor Sterling had not consulted the poor man, but the submissions for the war effort surged after Sterling had robbed him of his prize.
Another feel-good story was the rescue of two members of the PDF who had been in charge of an early warning station near the Altean system’s Mandeville point. A heroic charge into enemy territory had saved the two heroes. The bump in morale was almost worth the soldiers it had cost.
A woman with a… checkered mental health background had submitted three hundred seventy two ideas, most of which were utterly insane. Dropping asteroids from orbit to wipe out entire continents. Using children as bait for traps. However, one was approved: luring large columns of Orks near large industrial structures and demolishing them. The disused building would fall on the Orks like a shoddy bookcase, killing hundreds and stunting advances. After three buildings had flattened Ork formatons, the Ork advances became much more gradual. They moved cautiously, even shelling empty buildings out of fear.
These were, of course, exceptions. Most battles were pitched affairs where PDF forces grimly fell back after suffering unspeakable losses. These trained PDF soldiers were replaced by citizens. Some voluntary and some less so. Penal legions were thrown at the enemy, emptying prisons to be used as refugee camps or makeshift factoriums. Altea’s Imperial Navy fighter wings dwindled as casualties and lack of spare parts ate into their combat readiness.
Ordnance and vehicles were being lost at an alarming rate. Worse, each tank lost was a tank looted by the enemy. Antonius ordered tank crews to sell their lives and scuttle their tanks if needed.
Reserve troops dwindled. Keeping the line whole was taking a toll. Antonius let controlled parts of the city go to simply shorten their defensive perimeter.
Antonius began moving civilians displaced by the violence towards the spaceport. It would be the last holdout in case of a full collapse of the line. Perhaps a few thousand civilians could be saved, even if most ships would be shot down by the Ork fleet in orbit. Antonius grimaced at the thought of a ragtag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest. They’d need divine intervention to make it very far…
However, it seems Antonius’ efforts were enough.
A vox link was routed to him. From within the system.
“Hail Altea Command, this is Obscurus Task Force Actual, please respond.” The voice of a woman Antonius knew from a war that never officially happened.
“Admiral Jann Kolten!” Antonius replied. “You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again.”
Kolten’s laugh filled the vox with musical glitter. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Altea Command. We have definitely never met before. Excellent guess at my name, though. I’m impressed.”
“Of course.” Antonius said. “I assume the colour of your task force’s paint is… black?”
“Sadly no.” Kolten replied. “I am in command of a small portion of Battlefleet Obscurus tasked with delivering you reinforcements. My former fleet has been… subsumed… by order of the Inqusition.”
“I am in no position to complain, Admiral. What reinforcements do you bring?”
“About six regiments of assorted troops. Basically what was left over from a previous task force. Less than one regiment of tanks. And two Knights of household Vyroni who are very eager. That’s it. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry!” Antonius shouted. “The fact that we’re receiving help at all is a blessing.”
Kolten grunted. “You are the most optimistic bastard I’ve ever met, Antonius.”
“What are you saying, Admiral? We’ve never met.”
A sharp bark of a laugh split the vox. “Oh, right, I forgot.”
At least someone thinks I’m funny, Antonius thought. “I’m patching in the Honor now. They’ll join your fleet and take point to hold off Orks while your troops make planetfall.”
“Copy that, Altea Command, always a pleasure to fight alongside Astartes. Once we deliver the troops, we’ll head for the outer planets and coordinate with you for raids and planetary bombardments. Obscurus Task Force out.”
The transmission ended. Antonius worked feverishly to coordinate the Honor’s movements to join the fleet for the planetary assault.
***
Once again in the Theater of War, Antonius saw the Obscurus Task Force as a mighty red wedge approaching the green sphere of the Ork fleet. The Honor led the wedge, but it was Kolten’s expertise that cut through the Ork defenders, leaving the planet bare to attack for a short but vital window. Capital ships rained bombardments onto ground weaponry. Transport craft in the middle of the wedge approached the edge of the atmosphere.
Sickening amber siguls appeared over them. Target locks.
Antonius’ eyes popped.
The orbital defense platforms, thought destroyed by the enemy, had been rebuilt. Looted.
Their lances put to deadly purpose.
Antonius sent commands to the Honor, which turned feverishly and loosed its Bombardment Cannons upon the taken platforms. One broke up and began to crumble into the atmosphere, but the last two fired again and again with an accuracy unheard of in Orks. One by one, the crimson dots of the transports winked out of existence.
Only one made planetfall.