I barely got 5 minutes of rest after shutting down my stat screen and leaning back, the guardsman from before came over to herd a whole group of us away to make room for the new wounded that was now arriving in a steady stream of casualties. With a grunt of pain, I got on My feet and hefted my lasrifle. The wound in my shoulder made its presence known, a burning sensation flaring up as I got my rifle into position in the nook formed by my arm and shoulder and tried supporting the barrel with my left arm. It hurt and made my hand shake, but it was possible to fight like this. Thank fuck for the lack of recoil on lasrifles, otherwise, II don't know if I could still fire this thing.

Shit, I needed every advantage at this point. A single shot at a bad angle was enough to take me out of the fight at this point. And with the future looking like it did, I was about to run a gauntlet against possibly millions of random bullets fired in my direction. The next chance I got, I had to sit down and memorize exactly what I was able to utilize to my advantage, provided I survived this little excursion to the front. Even calling it that was generous, it was a couple of hundred meters at the best to the temporary fortifications.

As it turned out, the fighting had died down quite a bit once the bulk of our small attacking force had arrived, the different hive gangs unable to keep the temporary peace brought on by our attack. One side saw an opening, took it, and weakened a different position which in turn was attacked by another gang and so on. Sporadic groups of attacks were easily kept at bay with the help of massed las and heavy las fire, and between the attacks, I had time to go over everything I had at my disposal.

I had forgotten about my rallying ability and made a mental note to use it the next time an opportunity presented itself. Still, no new feats as far as I knew, but I opened the tab anyway.

Feats:

(Feats of circumstance)

What the hell? That sub-category was new! Open, damn it, OPEN!!

(NOTICE: FIRST TIME OPENING FEATS OF CIRCUMSTANCE. EFFECTS WILL NOW BE ACTIVE)

Ork familiarity: Having received combat training on a world infested with orks, and survived battle against the greenskins, you have an innate knowledge of what it takes to dispose of them. +15% damage against any greenskin.

Just a flesh wound: surviving a horrendous wound has left your body better able to deal with the sudden shock of damage. reduced chance of panic or unconsciousness when severely wounded.

Run the gauntlet: Living through a massed charge on enemy fortifications has strengthened your resolve. add +1 will.

Leaderless: Act without order in front of a commissar and live to tell the tale. add +2 luck.

Publicly loyal: You recite your prayers with duty and reverence... when others are looking. A slight reduction in purity.

Ogryn empathy: You have a weird understanding of how Ogryns function and they seem to respond to this. Interaction with Ogryn will always be positive unless actively seeking confrontation.

Deathworlder: Hailing from a world where surviving to adulthood is a considerable mark of resilience in and of itself, your natural resistance to extreme cold and the deadly living conditions puts you at a significant advantage in terms of survival. Small boost to survival-related skills, and +2 strength.

Holy motherfucking shit. I mentally kicked myself for not exploring everything on my status screen more often, I suspected it would have made some things quite a lot easier. This was great. This was more than great. These kinds of feats, which seemed to be based purely on things I had been through or were a direct part of me, could be a game changer for my life in this world. Maybe there was a way to farm such feats...

Of course, that would mean putting myself in new and dangerous situations constantly, in an attempt to figure out if I am right or not. Maybe put that on hold until further notice, I had plenty of danger in my near future. As PDF troopers, we were some of the most expendable, usually relegated to guard duty and planetary defense, we were not trained for combat like this, so our role would most likely be that of meat shield unless we captured more ground soon.

I was ripped out of my thoughts by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching in what sounded like a failed attempt at marching in order. Moments later a squad of Ogryn's entered my vision, confirming my suspicions. If the Ogryns had arrived, then the bridgehead was secure and a supply line established. They would do wonders inside the hive, the ripper guns, and massive size giving them a distinct advantage in the often cramped conditions found in Hive cities.

I had heard talk of Bullgryns* being brought in, and I hoped it was true. It would be amazing to have the added defense of a moving wall of steel and muscle in front of you during assaults, but I doubted that luxury would be afforded PDF troopers. If we were lucky they would assign us to guard duty inside the hive, at the entrances that had been created and taken to pave the way for the years-long task of clearing out the hive city. There would be no quarter given and no survivors to speak of. It was easier to simply cleanse the hive city and ship in a few million people from another world.

I was making my patrol along the fortifications when I heard someone call out "TROOPER!!" And I turned around to see the commissar from the charge on the city, making his way toward me with determined steps. As if my life wasn't miserable enough, now I had an angry commissar zeroed in on me, most likely because I didn't wait for his order. But doing so would have resulted in a lot more dead soldiers, and we all know how indifferent commissars are to human life in general. Lives are the Emperor's coin, spend it well.

I turned to face the angry commissar approaching me at a fast pace and made the imperial Aquila "Ave Imperator, commissar" He returned the Aquila reluctantly but didn't waste time with introductions. "Why did you act without orders during the assault?" he demanded and I noticed the troopers around me inching away from me.

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"I had the enemy in my sights and waiting for the wisdom of our commissar would have resulted in more troopers dying. I thought that keeping them alive by being proactive would be in line with reducing the strain on our imperial forces, prolonging the effective use of our company." I answered, hoping my quick pocket wisdom would prove enough to not get me executed for "Morale improvement reasons"

I could see the commissar's hand twitching dangerously close to his bolt pistol as he wracked his brain for any reason to accuse me of heresy, The silence started dragging out and becoming uncomfortable before he finally talked again. "Very well, trooper. but remember, a good soldier obeys without question!"

"And a good officer commands without doubt." I finished the sentence. His eyes grew wide as he asked "You have studied the Tactica Imperium**?"

"As far as my duties allow me, commissar. Which is to say, not much." I hesitantly replied, worried that it might imply a shirking of duties on my part. That was a surefire way to have your free trial of life expire quicker than quick.

"Very well," He said, "Return to your duties trooper. But know I will be keeping a close eye on you!" After saying what he wanted to say, he turned on his heel and marched away with audible clicks of his boots. How did they make a pair of boots sound so foreboding anyway?? A yellow blinking in the side of my vision informed me of something new happening on my status screen, but before I could dive into it, my comrades called on me and we resumed our patrol of temporary fortifications meant to solidify our meager hold on the hive city. The sight of the Ogryns showing up had done wonders to morale, knowing that we had murderous giants with itchy trigger fingers on our side

It didn't take long for the dreaded order to reach us and we were recalled from patrol duties to reinforce a combat group of Krieg soldiers that was gathering up for a push into the hive. The commanders wanted to secure the nearby storehouses along with the ammunition and weapons they held, both to resupply ourselves and also to deny the enemy the supplier before they managed to empty them out. The constant ringing of gunfire further in the hive told a story of the gangs waging what sounded like a full-scale war on each other, which would make sense since the leadership of the hive was essentially in shambles and could not focus on anything other than the invading forces.

Usually, the hive gangs would be kept in line by those in power, but the war changed the priorities of any people in power extremely quickly, giving the gangs the chance they wanted to take out the competition and seize more ground to control and exploit to increase their power. Unfortunately for them, this would only add to our advantage, making it much easier to eradicate any survivors of these internal power struggles.

My shoulder was still heavily bandaged and wounded, but the pain had become a numb sensation, rather than the burning sensation of a fresh wound, but it would still affect my ability to fight. I could only hope to retain a place in the back line, providing fire support for the fanatical Krieg soldiers as they did what they did best. Charge forward in eerie silence to bring the Emperor's mercy to anyone within shovel range.

It didn't take long for us to gather up behind the impatient Kriegers, the special commissars assigned to the Krieg regiments working hard to prevent them from rushing forward in their eagerness to die for the Emperor. When the last of the PDF troopers designated to assist in the push had arrived, the commissars wasted no time in blowing their whistles, signaling the time to attack and the impatient Kriegers immediately started moving at a fast walk, the first line crouched over allowing the second line to shoot over them.

This did not slow them down, however, their proficiency in fighting in trenches and bunkers showed itself in the fast walking speed of the front line. The whistles sounded a second time, signaling the PDF backup to start advancing, ready to reinforce any section that encountered resistance with heavy amounts of lasfire, in the hopes it would overwhelm any enemy they might encounter. Remembering the last fight, I had slotted a hotshot charge pack, willingly trading the stability of my weapon and the generous amounts of ammunition a charge pack usually provided, for some much-needed penetration and stopping power.

It took less than 2 minutes for us to reach the point of first contact with the enemy. The Krieg lines ahead of us started turning a corner and suddenly surged forward, much to the confusion of their commissars, as they started firing their lasrifles in the quick and controlled manner that few mortal soldiers in the universe were capable of. Before we reached the corner, our commissars were already bellowing out orders to move forward at speed and join the fight.

The area that opened up in front of us was already a scene of chaos before we joined the fight. Thousands of people engaged in a brutal fight for control of the storehouse we were entering. Judging from their different armors and load-outs of weaponry it was obvious we were seeing 2 different gangs embroiled in an all-out war with no holds barred. The arrival of 500 Krieg soldiers with a thirst for blood and a strained patience had rocked both of the groups on their heels and they were scrambling for any cover there was to find, in an attempt to escape the torrent of lasfire that started pouring down on their positions by a wave of silent, gasmask clad soldiers that all looked like the same soldier, cloned over and over.

This was soon joined by a few thousand PDF troopers adding their lasfire to the fight, forcing the already scared and desperate gangers to dig in deeper, preventing most, if not all, retaliation fire. The Krieg soldiers soon reached melee combat, their advance never slowing as they fired, and they began their grim work with deadly efficiency. The PDF troopers were ordered to a halt about halfway between the entrance and the warm corpses of the Krieg soldier's first victims, to lay down a torrent of covering fire, keeping the Kriegers somewhat safe from the stubbers of the gangers.

The fight was short, brutal, and bloody. We lost few, the element of surprise complete, but a couple of dozen managed to make their escape, no doubt in the hopes of rousing any kind of support against us. We pressed forward through a sludge of blood and entrails, the stench was unbelievable, yet most of the troopers seemed completely unbothered by it. I tried not to let it get to me as we moved toward the main body of the stores, the Kriegers having picked up their pace once more, now proceeding at a fast walking speed. How they managed to keep formation while doing that was beyond me.

As expected, the survivors had warned of our coming and we were soon met with concentrated fire from behind hastily constructed barricades made of flimsy materials. While it took a few shots to penetrate, it was not impossible and we took full advantage while withering the angry return fire. Most of it was focused on the Krieg soldiers, letting the bulk of our forces shoot rather unhindered. The effort was useless though, the fanatical mindset of the Krieg soldiers leaving no room for fear or doubt. Any soldier that saw themselves being killed by the enemy as the ultimate glory was not a soldier you wanted to fire your weapon at.

More friendly troopers were trickling in every minute from our lines, being sent directly from their arrival into the hive, toward our position, but the same was happening for the hive gangers. The battle grew in intensity as both sides got reinforced over and over and it seemed as though it would grow into a full-blown battle instead of the expected skirmishes.

That's when it happened.