There is nothing more terrifying than the pacifist. Nothing more damnable than inaction.

- Mathias [1:23] Testament Luminus. 

-//-

In the silence haunted Bridge 149, Rosetta stood guard as was her charge. Restless, she paced back and forth, her helmet tapping on her side. Her bright red hair fluttered in the stale cold wind. It had been a few hours since Squad Lorraine had taken the bridge and for one whole week, she stared off into the distance with envious eyes.

The sight and sounds of explosions in the distance. They such teasing little devils crawling into her ears. She scoffed at it. It was all too much like the long boring months spent stuck, bed bound on board the Sovereign a hospitaller medicae ship dedicated to the care of the Emperor's soldiers.

Prayer and meditation could only do so much to soothe the nerves of a warrior on that dull ship. She held her bolter close. The bark and bite of bolter and blade drawing blood from a belligerent foe; that is the true prayer the Emperor demands! Idle whispering and nigh pointless chanting alone will simply not suffice.

She turned about, helm tapping away at her thigh as she walked. She sighed and scoffed at sights all around her. This was to be her great return to active service. Her heroic return to the frontlines of mankind, not just another boring life guarding a desolate plane of nothingness. She cursed her fate, she cursed her commanders, she cursed... Mirabel.

No! Rosetta halted, she cursed herself now. She turned around and paced back whence she came. No, Mirabel is no fool, she had to have known something to believe it best to station us here. Rosetta started to move again and that helmet kept tapping, distracting her from her thoughts again.

She took it off and placed it on top of a wall of sandbags. She looked at it, all alone down there with the blood and gore. It was like a small child, whimpering, wondering what was its sin. She sighed and took it. She looked at it apologetically then put it on.

-//-

Morning, the next day and Bridge 149 was a hub of industry once more as the Order prepared to move out. Holy tanks of silver and gold rolled out of the hive one after the other and gathered before the bridge, poised and ready to strike.

Immolators, rhinos and the few exorcists the Order possessed all took their place in a triple file column. The mighty Immolator IFVs bore their turrets with pride as they lead the column from the front. Most boasting the hallowed Immolation Flamers upon them, a few bearing twin multi-meltas, eager for tank kills.

Rosetta sat on the roof of one such tank; Sabbat's Embrace. Staring forward, baring her excitement with a content smile hidden behind her helm. Cornelia sat with her while the gunner took off her helm in reverence and tended to her weapons; blessing them with purifying holy water and offering their spirits prayer to the Emperor.

Today was a good day. Today they were moving again and no one would be there to fight in Rosetta's stead. Cornelia, on the other hand grew restless with curiosity. Her eyes were plastered against the battered walls of the hive.

"Ever wonder what happens when the light of our flame moves on?" Cornelia asked.

"What would be the point? We perform our charge. We shed the Emperor's light upon the faithless. That is all." Rosetta snapped back.

Cornelia was taken aback.

"Sister, you prepare for battle, do you not?"

Rosetta took a breath to speak when Lorraine's voice came through the vox, stopping her.

"Squad assemble. Briefing in five," she ordered before she cut the connection.

Rosetta faced her as she began her descent. She stopped right next to the venturous sister.

"For your sake. I don't want to hear of this again Sister. It smacks of arrogance and of heresy."

She then ducked under the roof of the immolator and left Cornelia behind.

-//-

Down within the transport, Loretta, Gloria sat together on the right praying while Cassandra sat opposite to them, tirelessly cleaning her flamer. They took half the seats available and with Rosetta took her own seat and passed through the same old rituals of checking and rechecking her gear.

Around them the walls of the transport were formed by silvered steel, untainted by paint, draped in brass sculptures of saints and heroes, all holding up the ceiling with their bare hands. Hanging between them there shelves and racks offering all the munitions and supplies the Sisters would ever require.

Lorraine came in last, from the driver's cockpit, through the lower levels of the turret she peered her head through all the stout piping and blessed mechanisms and walked on through. Unhelmeted, she was beautiful in her own way. Finely healed scars littered her face, tracing over her striking features.

Her amber eyes were perplexing. Ablaze with the purity of purpose yet peaceful in the surety of faith. She looked around with these very eyes at took satisfaction in the diligence of her squad. They were already ready.

A moment passed as the praying and checking ended. Her presence alone, all that was needed. Then an image appeared on our HUD's. We all stared intently as trench line after trench line of defences, artillery batteries, store houses, bunkers and more were presented to us. Then four markers appeared upon four large bunkers, numbered 032, 033, 034 and 035, at the rear of the lines. Above these markers were the words Primus Terminus.

Only then did the Sister Superior speak.

"Sisters! It is this task that we have been entrusted with. We are to lead a spearhead through the enemy's lines, take these four bunkers and break the Siege of Hive Solaris. Carry yourselves with pride Sisters! Today we bring the Emperor's Light to the faithless once more!"

"By duty and by right, we follow his light!" the Squad chanted.

Rosetta could not help but feel her heart swell with those last words. Righteous fury teasing her, flooding her with anticipation. She felt constricted in her own body, the bloodthirsty promise of battle called to her. No, it sung to her. Sung to her in sweet lullabies of glory and action. At long last, she will finally shake off the dust of idleness heaped upon her bones.

"What will be our support. We cannot take the line on on our own," Gloria spoke out.

Rosetta found herself watching Loretta as she stared at Gloria, a glare palpable through the red lenses of her helm. As if somehow the mere thought that the Sisterhood had its limits was in some way blasphemous. Lorraine turned to her, her expression a lot softer, perhaps even a little relieved as her mind worked on several trains of thought.

"The 104th, 105th and 107th Armageddon Steel Legion will support our push on the flanks and rear so that we can concentrate on cutting through the enemy lines. House Helepolis may be in the region to assist but there has been little sign of their presence" She answered.

Gloria scoffed as she ran her bolter through the usual line of checks as she started to complain.

"Hmph, knights, their arrogance knows no..."

Rosetta relaxed in her seat, eyes front, looking at what seems to be a brass depiction of St Sabbat, tuning out of the conversation. Still though, she kept Loretta in view. Loretta's gaze turned to Rosetta and then Cassandra, then Cornelia as if she suspected heresy among the faithful.

The woman was quiet, too quiet. Tactless too, her actions, uncaring of others and ever dancing on thin ice. The woman rubbed her the wrong way. Her piercing eyes, an uncomfortable presence, they seemed to barely hide a savage mind bathed in fantasies beyond Rosetta's machinations.

It was then that Rosetta realised that she still had yet to speak to her once in her time as part of the squad. Rosetta didn't fret, this was her first week with the squad. Rosetta made a mental note of it though she did not look forward to it.

There will be plenty of time for talk soon enough. For now, action.

-//-

Glimmering, gleaming, the gold and silver of the order's exorcist tanks shone across the land as the earth shook and air filled the holy hymns of their blessed organs. Rockets spat into the grey sky upon columns of fire and smoke as a line of silver tanks surged across the battered desert of no man's land.

Rosetta watched from her place in the Sabbat's Embrace, poking half her head out the opened roof of the tank. She saw the trenches, gun emplacements looking like small dots on a vast canvas of greyish brown earth. Each one lit up on its own, powerful lascannon beams blasting through the atmosphere in the blink of an eye.

Many streamed harmlessly in between the tanks, others reflecting off of shining armour, leaving behind a molten mark of seramite glowing yellow and red. Loretta roared with righteous fury as the order's rockets rained down from above, a constant stream of munitions smothering the traitor's trenches in smoke and flame.

"The Emperor's light is with us, Sisters!!!" the woman barked into the vox. Her voice was hoarse as she stood, head and shoulder exposed out the top of the tank.

Rosetta even flinched from the sudden outburst from the typically silent Sister. Most of what frightened her was Loretta's voice. The voice of a barbarian that crackled and croaked as it echoed in one's mind. Rosetta's disdain for her turned into curiosity in one jarring moment. A flash of light made Rosetta shut her eyes turning away from the immense light.

A laser beam glanced the side of the hull, leaving behind a garsley streak of glowing metal. Rosetta looked down the line and bore witness to the rumbling, roaring majesty of a charging tank line. A core of silver tanks surrounded by horde of their grey and brown cousins all rushing ahead on rolling treads of dull steel.

Clouds of sickly dark brown dust kicked up all around by those grinding treads. A laser beam blasted through one, tripping a Rhino over, making it flip onto its side in a thundering halt. Then the trembles to the distant rumble of artillery from both sides. The distinct whistle of flying shells sang in heavens above as they flew back and forth through the air.

Shells exploded as they slammed into their fates detonating in a fiery demise. Rosetta held onto Sabbat's Embrace as she watched the flat wasteland disappear in a storm of fire dust and shrapnel. She held her gun at the ready, anticipation growing into agitation, her foot starts tapping, wishing to run.

The tanks, they disappeared into that rolling, growing whirlwind of smoke and fire. One by one, each one gutted, skewered and butchered by shell and laser.  Each one barking, growling and howling, spitting their munitions into the fortifications. None could see far as shell shot and energy blast shone in the darkness of the storm.

Sabbat's Embrace drove over a trench, ramming through molten barricades and slowing to a halt. At once its assault ramp drop to the floor. Lorraine placed her foot onto the entrance and drew her sword. She looked back at the squad taking them in with a kind of motherly love before she raised her sword.

"For the Emperor!" she barked before she donned her helm and charged out, Rosetta and the others following her out. Voices roaring as guns barked and roared. They dropped into the trenches. Rosetta gunning down a pair of machine gun teams with Cornelia fending off an officer behind her, his head exploding from a bolt lodging itself into his chin and detonating.

Further down the trench, Cassandra kicks in a door and bathes a bunker in flame. All the while Gloria and Loretta mowed down troopers all around them, affording Cassandra the time to do her lethal work. Lorraine joined them, adding her bolt pistol to their fire.

They pushed on and on, grinding their way through a trench burgeoning with enemy troops in disarray and then with a sudden sickening clang Gloria was sent flying over her sisters. The five standing sisters stood as a massive hulking humanoid beast towered over them, standing at twice their height.

Utterly bold with slabs of armour draped its vast hide. Colossal slabs of muscle curling up into balls on its arms as it holds a massive sledge hammer at the ready. Its voice gurgling through its thick gasmask. They knew it as an Ogryn. It took it's first steps towards them and detonated in a great explosion of blood and gore as a mighty mechanical foot took its place.

The Sisters looked up as a true giant loomed over them, its colossal gatling cannon spraying shells down range while its thermal cannon searched for targets. Standing at forty feet tall, bristling with power, its shield absorbing hit after hit. In their mics a single announcement rang.

"The Knights of House Helepolis have arrived."

-//-