They left the base in a single file line like a trail of ants leaving an anthill. One by one they entered the jungle, becoming enveloped in its large trees and vines. The thick vegetation absorbed them. After traveling only a few miles, it became impossible to tell where one was. All traces of the base were gone. The only indication that fellow militarum forces existed at all were the periodic sounds of aircraft flying overhead. Only the sounds, for it was impossible to see the sky past the leaves above. Waino was in the middle of the formation, traveling alongside Verro and a trooper lugging a large vox-caster on his back. Waino felt pity for him. Each trooper had to carry a large kit of supplies, ammo, and their weapon. The vox trooper had to carry all that in addition to the vox-caster. The air was hot and humid, not making matters any easier.

Waino felt as if he was wading through water. Sweat made his uniform stick to his body. He tried his best to hide his discomfort. A commissar couldn’t be seen struggling in front of Guardsmen. Verro next to him was perspiring as well but his face was as rigid as stone. The Guardsmen all along the line were the same way. They were uncomfortable but were used to such toil. The Guardsmen spoke amongst themselves in low tones. They had been traveling for about four hours without a break. Waino’s feet ached.

“So sir,” one of the Guardsmen spoke up while they plodded along. “Since you’re a cadet, that makes you a baby commissar right?”

Waino looked over his shoulder. It was the trooper they called Rogers. He had a wide grin.

“I’m not a commissar at all,” Waino said.

“But you will be right? So you’re a baby. You’re babycom.”

The Guardsmen nearby began to laugh, including Verro. The other Guardsmen began to repeat it, taking enjoyment in Waino’s new nickname. Waino raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve been waiting to use that one haven’t you?”

Rogers nodded.

“It’s true. It came to me as soon as we left.”

Waino glanced at Verro. The second lieutenant smiled and shrugged.

“It’s going to stick.”

“It’s better than what we call the Lt,” Rogers said.

Verro rolled his eyes.

“What do they call you?” Waino asked.

“We call him Jorge,” Rogers answered.

“Jorge?”

“It’s an acronym. Junior Officer Requiring Guidance.”

The Guardsmen began to laugh.

“Rogers shut the hell up,” an older guardsman with a narrow face and a straight nose growled.

“Yes sarge,” Rogers said, still smiling.

“I’m the youngest officer in the company,” Verro explained in a deadpan voice.

“And because he didn’t know what he was doing when he first got here,” the trooper Jenkins added, walking behind Rogers.

“But I do now,” Verro said sternly.

Waino nodded. He could tell by the man’s disposition. Despite being the most junior officer rank, he acted like a man who had only seen battle could. There was confidence in his gait. His eyes had a shallowness to them, like he was always looking into the distance. He looked like he could swing up his lasgun and fire it at a moment’s notice. These were all things Waino felt himself lacking. The caravan of men stopped abruptly, causing a few to bump into each other and curse.

Waino stopped as well, confused. Verro snapped his fingers and the trooper lugging the vox-caster came alongside him.

“What’s the hold up?” Verro asked.

The trooper got onto the vox and asked the question.

“Point stopped sir, said he has a bad feeling,” the trooper answered.

“What?”

“I’ll go check it out,” Waino said, volunteering to head to the front of the column.

“That’s not safe. You should-”

Waino began moving forward before Verro could finish. He worked his way up the line, pointing out infractions as he moved to the annoyance of the troopers.

“You didn’t shave this morning,” he quickly said to one.

“No cursing,” he said to another.

“Keep your eyes open,” to a third.

He made his way to the front, finding another junior officer and a trooper he recognized as Vanc.. The latter was leading the entire column and currently kneeled, aiming his lasgun forward at a bend in the dirt path. The first third of the column were kneeled as well, tense.

“Nice to see ya cadet,” the junior officer whispered.

Waino tried to remember the man’s name. He had dark blue eyes, short brown hair, and a round face. He knew the man was a first lieutenant. There were five officers in Bravo Company; three platoon leaders, one XO, and one CO. The man before him was the leader of the 2nd Platoon. Verro led the first. Waino finally remembered the man’s name.

“Likewise Thayer,” Waino replied. “What’s the problem?”

“See that up ahead sir?” Vanc said.

He pointed to the bend he aimed his weapon at. There was a bush that looked like it had been stomped on, surrounded by tall grass. In fact, tall grass surrounded all of them, tall enough to go over their heads. It was as if they were insects in a yard.

“I see it. And?” Waino inquired.

“Someone walked through there. They could still be here.”

“Could’ve just been an animal.”

Waino looked at Thayer.

“We don’t have time for this. We need-”

Las shots cracked through the air. Red beams of light came out of the grass, hitting the ground. Mud and rocks flew into the air.

“Ambush!” a guardsman screamed.

The announcement was a statement of the obvious. The troopers fell to the ground while shooting back. They fired indiscriminately into tall grass. Waino took to the ground by instinct. Las shots flew overhead in both directions. Men yelled as they got hit by las fire. A trooper with a vox-caster laid prone next to Waino. He could hear Captain Carnell yelling over the vox to know what was going on. Waino hadn’t fired his weapon. His body wouldn’t move. He continued to lay in the mud. It became hard to breathe. This was combat, real combat. It was what he had been looking forward to his whole life. Now that he had it, he was terrified.

Thayer and his vox-trooper crawled on their stomachs, joining Waino.

“I don’t know how many there are!” Thayer yelled into the vox. “Do you think I have time to count? Tell the colonel there’s a crap ton! I need artillery fire!”

Thayer gave the vox back to the trooper.

“Give them the coordinates!” he ordered.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The trooper took out a data slate and began relaying a series of numbers.

Thayer raised his weapon and fired into the grass. He then slowly rose onto one knee when a las shot knocked his helmet off, forcing him back down. He cursed.

The Guardsmen continued to fire back, rolling to the side so they weren’t out in the open. Waino didn’t move.

“Get the cadet!” someone yelled.

A trooper grabbed Waino by the collar, hauling him into a section of the tall grass while others covered them.

“You alright? You hurt?” the trooper asked him, examining his body for wounds that weren’t there.

Waino slowly shook his head. He forced himself to sit up when he heard a loud whistle. It was faint at first but slowly became louder and louder.

“Incoming!” a trooper yelled.

The artillery arrived, hitting the area before them way too close for comfort. Rocks and mud flew dozens of feet into the air. Trees fell before them. The ground shook with each impact. As soon as it began, it ended. The jungle became eerily silent. No one moved for what felt like an eternity.

A trooper fired his weapon into the grass. No return fire came.

“Alright move your arses,” a sergeant said.

They slowly moved forward as more Guardsmen from the back of the column rushed up to join them, only to be disappointed the fighting had ended. Waino slowly moved ahead, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. He’d done nothing. He froze. He could feel the troopers glance at him, judging him. The word would quickly spread. Waino joined Thayer talking to the sergeant that told him to move.

“We don’t have any losses sir. Only a dozen wounded. Nothing major,” he reported.

“That’s a miracle. Make sure the medic sees them, Fairburn, ” Thayer said.

He scanned the tall grass. It looked unchanged, as if all the firepower meant nothing. The only difference was that behind them were a few less tall trees. A few of the Guardsmen had been sent ahead to scout to ensure there was no more enemy lying in ambuscade.

“HeyIfoundsomething!” a voice called ahead of them.

“Oh that’s Chatterbox,” Thayer remarked.

He looked at Waino.

“Come on cadet. Let’s see what they found. Don’t freeze up on me now.”

Waino winced. They moved forward a few paces bringing the vox-trooper and Thayer’s sergeant, finding Vanc and Chatterbox standing over a lasgun. It made the group of men shift uncomfortably when looking at it. Something was wrong with it. It gave off an unnatural energy. The weapon looked profane, being covered in purple and pink rune markings with dark purple crystals sticking out of the body casing. Chatterbox attempted to grab it but Vanc smacked his hand away.

“Don’t do it. The thing is tainted. It’s an abomination,” Vanc said.

“It’sfreakyalright,” Chatterbox concurred.

Thayer spoke into the vox to report it before turning to Sergeant Fairburn.

“Spread out. Try to find a body so we know what we’re dealing with.”

“You heard the man,” he said to the troopers.

They began to spread out, searching the grass. Hours passed. Evening came. They never did find any bodies. All of that fighting, and nothing to show for it. Captain Carnell joined them not long into the search and Waino heard yelling over the vox about the lack of confirmed kills. The troopers clustered together for the night, bivouacking in an open area after some troopers cut down the tall grass.

Waino sat by himself on a mat, replaying the events of the day over and over. He was mad at himself. All of the training was for nothing. He felt awkward and incompetent. His first firefight against the imperium’s enemies and he was useless. If a true commissar saw him, he would have been put to death for cowardice. He stared at the orange sky above, ignoring the Guardsmen nearby. No doubt they were talking about him. Verro came up to him.

“Hey, we're having a meeting. Come on,” he beckoned.

Like a servitor, Waino mindlessly obeyed. He followed Verro to a tent, finding all of the company’s officers sitting on a large mat in a circle. Carnell smiled up at them.

“Glad you could join us babycom,” he joked.

The others snickered.

After what happened to him that day, Waino didn’t even feel like he deserved that embarrassing nickname. He sat down beside Verro. Carnell put a large dataslate down in front of them, and pointed at an area on the map it projected.

“We’re here, four days out from the hill at the current pace we’re going yet we’ve already encountered resistance,” Carnell laid out.

“Still irks me we didn’t find any bodies,” Thayer said, taking personal umbrage by the fact it meant none of his men killed anything.

“We knew this world fell to the Ruinous Powers before we got here. Expect the unexpected,” a man with thin black hair and a narrow mustache noted.

That was Captain Knight, the Executive Officer of Bravo Company. Waino had only seen glimpses of him before the company set out from base. He seemed like the strict type; a commissar’s favorite type. A second lieutenant Waino hadn’t spoken to yet groaned. He had dirty red hair and light green eyes.

“This is gonna be such a pain in the arse. If they’re already after us that means they’re defending something out here. That means more fighting,” he moaned.

“War’s not easy, Bracer,” Verro said, annoyed.

“Yeah yeah.”

“Bracer’s right,” Carnell interjected. “Something is on that hill. Given we couldn’t find any bodies, we have to assume the worst. They’re on their way back to their hideout. If we don’t get there in time, this could all be a waste. The colonel’s already on my arse for not having any confirmed kills. We’ve received orders to go faster. Timeline’s been moved to the left. We have to get there in two days.”

The men collectively looked at Carnell in disbelief.

“Sir we’re already going as fast as we can,” Verro pointed out.

“We can go faster,” Knight declared. “We’ll have to leave some gear behind.”

“Like food,” Bracer said dryly.

Carnell nodded.

“We’re only a scouting party. We confirm what’s on that mountain and we head right back. We’ll live. Spread the word to the men and have them set up a perimeter. Verro, 1st platoon will have first watch. Enjoy the night fellas.”

The men nodded and stood up. Waino rose when Carnell leaned in close to him.

“Don’t worry babycom, you’ll get over it,” he said.

“You’re right sir,” Waino replied, not believing it but agreeing so he could leave.

“If you want to talk about it, I’ll be here.”

“Yes sir.”

Waino left the tent.

He stood absentmindedly, watching the men grouse. They had already received word that they needed to leave some supplies behind. As they complained, they stuffed their faces full of rations, not wanting to leave it to waste. Waino traveled to the perimeter of the camp, finding 1st platoon getting into position. The men trickled in as a sergeant ordered them to their posts.

“Hey, it's babycom!” they said upon seeing him.

Waino took his position down beside a group of them which included Rogers and Jenkins. Verro wasn’t with him. He was out ensuring the rest of the perimeter was set up. Waino said nothing for a moment, looking out into the jungle. The sun had completely set and night had begun. Waino could see nothing. It was complete darkness ahead, like staring into a void.

“Is something wrong babycom?” Rogers asked.

“No. I’m fine,” Waino said.

The troopers shifted uncomfortably. The cadet’s presence made them feel uneasy.

“So what’re you all talking about?” Waino asked, hoping to distract himself.

“Dumb trooper stuff,” Jenkins admitted.

“Such as?”

Even though he wasn’t looking, he sensed Jenkins and Rogers exchanging looks.

“We’re talking about my future wife,” Rogers declared.

Waino assumed the worst. He was afraid he stumbled into a fraternization violation.

“Oh no, who is it?” he asked.

“The most beautiful woman to have ever existed,” Rogers began.

“And is in the Adeptus Sororitas,” Jenkins clarified. “Some Mission was on base for a few hours before heading off. He only saw a glimpse of her.”

“That’s all I needed,” Rogers said. “Short silver hair, light gray eyes, cute scar on her right cheek. The complete package. When I see her I’m proposing to her on the spot.”

“She doesn’t know you exist.”

“Yet!”

“Can they even get married? They’re pious women. I think they need to be celibate.”

“I think they’re only loyal to the emperor,” Waino said.

“Babycom please I need my hope,” Rogers pleaded. “I plan on using the money Jenkins owes me to get a nice engagement ring.”

“I paid you!” Jenkins angrily retorted.

“Shush!” Waino said.

He heard something in the jungle ahead. Everyone quieted, aiming their guns into the blackness. That’s when he saw it. For only a brief moment, he saw someone. A woman. She was dressed in a flowing white dress, standing out in the blackness before hiding behind a tree.

“Did you see that?” Waino asked in a hushed tone.

“See what?” Rogers asked.

“The woman.”

“What woman?”

Waino stared at the tree, waiting for further movement. Nothing happened. Suddenly he heard a faint giggle coming from the jungle.

“It can’t just be me. Did you hear that?”

“We didn’t hear squat,” Jenkins answered.

“Babycom has only been out here for a day and he’s already lost his mind,” Rogers commented.

Waino stood up, keeping his lasgun aimed forward. He slowly crept ahead. He would not freeze this time. His anger at himself pushed him forward.

“What’re you doing?” a trooper hissed.

Waino ignored him. He moved to the tree that was a few dozen meters in front of the perimeter. After reaching it, he pivoted around the trunk, aiming his lasgun. Nothing was there. He stood still for a moment, trying to hear anything. All he got were the chirping of insects.

You do not belong here. This place does not suit you.

The voice was in his head and not his own. Beads of sweat rolled down his head. He frantically looked around, trying to find the source.

“Who’s there!” he called into the night.

He heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Rogers and Jenkins joined him, scanning the area.

“Babycom what are you doing? We gotta get back to the perimeter. We’re sitting ducks out here,” Jenkins said.

Waino continued to look into the blackness. He saw nothing more.

“Alright,” he finally consented.

Together they moved back to the perimeter. Waino retreated back into the bivouac, feeling his skin crawl. He didn’t sleep.