Bastards.
What do you get when you send several Imperial Guard regiments on years of combat. Not the kind where you get a break or something like that, but real combat, years of non-stop fighting with just enough breaks to catch up, get a new uniform and some time to reorganize? Not much, I can tell you that. Numbers dwindle down and down, regiments become companies, companies become platoons become squads and those can turn out into one or two survivors. One man or woman on his or her own can’t do much. Sure, fire a couple of shots, but then your wasted. But what do you get when you toss those survivors together into a single snug squad?
Not something pretty, I can tell you that much. I remember reading the old books about them. I’ve seen pict shows on the big screen about them. But I’d never ever dreamed that I would live long enough to become one myself: a Veteran. Well, I’m still pretty young, thirty-two, thanks for not asking, but already I feel like I’ve seen it all before. Nothing fazes me anymore! Tau? I’ve seen them before, lemme at them. Kroot? Keep them at a shooting distance and I can do it! Orks? I’ve seen those before, glad to keep it at that. Traitors? These idiots are just stupid, can’t even get an offensive right!
Yup, I’m the member of a veteran squad, one of these so-called Kill-teams. We get dangerous missions, the ones in which you will most certainly die. But, we get free hand in how we do it and to be honest, some of my actions are shocking in a brutal "the end justifies the means" fashion. Conclusion: I am not a nice person. Nor are the others that are in the squad. We are all bastards. Okay, and bitches.
There used to be twelve of us, we were dubbed the Ditty Dozen or something like that, but as we got down and dirty in these hellish missions, even the die-hards decided to kick the bucket. Five of us remain and we no longer have a colourful nickname. They decided to stop doing that when squad member four died. So we’re just another suicide squad.
Where am I now? A woodland. Nothing too shabby. Not that I enjoy them, tunnels and gloom were always more something for me. But this isn’t a jungle either, so no lethal insects, hostile salads and extreme heat and humidity. We move in single file, Kurt on point, then the big guy, me and closing of the file the woman. I’ll give them formal introductions when I see fit. Our objective is to destroy a hidden communications hub. Briefings have become so boring as they always involve something “hidden”. Resistance would be medium and our backup was ready for anything, even tanks.
Kurt signals a halt with a raised fist, crouching down. We slowly crouch forward, reaching a half lit clearing. Kurt signals a full halt and beckons us to listen. Foot steps, too careless as they step onto noisy crap such as twigs and dried out leafs. “Sentry.” He signals. “Alone.” The big man besides me signals a query. “Want me to kill him?” Kurt nods and the big guy pounces forward, wrapping his meaty arm around the neck while the other twists, a wet crack resounding. He lets the body hang limp and pulls it into the undergrowth, all in less then five seconds and all without as much as a sound. Okay, the snapped neck doesn’t count. I nod to the large man, he smirks at me.
A murderer at work. A shiver runs down my spine. This guy is a friggin’ bruiser, I am not kidding here. He could easily pass as a bouncer or muscle for a gang back on a civilized world, but he isn’t. He’s a big ass Catachan (144th Comp. 3rd Plt. 4th Sqd.) with more muscle then three Cadians put together. Top that off with a sick and sharp mind that calculates and anticipates, well ladies and gents, you get trooper Burt Pringle. Don’t let the name catch you off-guard, cause this is guy is far from being a foppish fairy. Next to being a cold-hearted killer, he’s a good shot with the lasgun he carries and an even better man when it comes to gutting people with his “knife”. I’m using that term loosely as that thing of his resembles a sword more then a knife.
We cautiously advance, seeing another sentry, mindlessly wandering with his rifle on his back, a smoke in his mouth and his back towards us. I wouldn’t be too surprised if this guy has I.Q. rating lower then my age. We’re just three meters away from him, he can be dealt with, just not by me. The young woman slithers forward, so quiet, so dead sexy. And then to think I liked her. She’s standing behind the guard and pulls out her knife, then swiftly kicks back of his knee, making the sentry snap backwards. That’s when the grace is removed and the truth is shown, as she wraps her left arm around his neck and drops the knife in her right hand down. Not once, not twice, but a lot of times, making it hard for me to keep count. The blood splatters everywhere, some of it landing in my eyes. I blink furiously, seeing the slender young woman cleaning her knife on the uniform of the slain sentry. Yet she fails to notice the blood on her pretty face and uniform. Stupid bitch! I’d stab her if it wasn’t for those… Eyes. Yeah, her eyes. Ah frag, who am I kidding here! She’s shaped like a friggin’ dancer or smiley-girl, the ones that do things that your mother told you about not to do. No man would shoot at her without looking her up or down at least once, except for those chaos dopes, they are too stupid to appreciate the finer arts of the female body. Blue eyes, nicely shaped figure, medium long blond hair kept up under her beret. Damn you Jill Chambers! Damn you for being from Mortant (327th Comp. 1st Plt. 4th Sqd.) and your sassy looks and taunting behaviour! She’s another one of those murderers at work. Not a nut job, just really fond about ripping open people with her knives, splattering herself in blood. Shit, when did I get enlisted with the crazy people. Right, when I started surviving the worst that I was thrust into.