Faith in the Emperor is more than simply faith in the divine. It is faith in the faithful, faith in each other, and faith in ourselves for we are the living faith of his church.

- Mathias [1:30-33] Testament Luminus. 

-//-

The noble knights of House Helepolis ruled supreme. Their thick armoured plating decorated in blue, beige and silver. Each one boasting the sacred emblem of their house upon their colossal pauldrons. The twin black eagles Rosetta gazed upon with a mix of bewilderment and pride. Proud to stand alongside such godly allies. Bewildered at the true realisation of their existence.

Gods among mortals they trampled upon the battlefield delivering death and damnation onto the enemy. The ground shook with their every step and the enemy cowered with every detonation. They would be right to do so. The knights, they wielded weapons of a scale beyond mere men.

The war flames flourished before them as mighty cannons spat huge rounds into the midst of the foe. Rosetta felt her lungs thump against her breast as the earth shuddered with every thunderous detonation. She could only watch as a second wave joined the first energy beams ploughing through layers of fortifications, reducing rock and metal to molten slag.

The little ones, their lessers, known as armigers, surged forth in leaps and bounds, their digitigrade legs propelling them with great speed through the rough terrain. Rosetta watched as an ogryn monstrosity was viciously dissected in a bloody while those around it were picked apart by high caliber rounds blowing away chucks of meat at a time.

Her heart leapt as she saw Lady Mirabel herself leading the charge at the forefront of the sisterhood's spearhead. Her fingers itched and her body quivered, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping. Every fibre of her body begged for action. She looked back as she bit her lip in an effort to resist the urge to demand that they charge into the fray.

Not far behind her Squad Lorraine returned to Sabbat's Embrace. Cassandra hauled Gloria into the tank while the sister in the turret fired away into the distance, picking off the stragglers too insignificant to be obliterated by the power of the noble knights.

Cassandra laid Gloria down across the left row of seats while Lorraine requested the presence of a Sister Hospitaller on the right. Cornelia, Loretta and Rosetta gathered outside the tank. Once done Cassandra met her Superior's gaze.

"How did she fare?" Lorraine asked.

Cassandra shook her helmeted head, her dour mood, palpable through its ceramite.

"Not well. Alive but she treads close to the Emperor's side."

Lorraine nodded.

"Stay with her until the Sister Hospitaller arrives then reunite with the squad."

"Understood, my lady."

Lorraine then took a Meltagun from the weapons rack and the ammunition for it and thanked the emperor for the gift. She stepped out of the vehicle and approached Rosetta, catching her attention. Seeing the promise in Lorraine's hands she faced the Sister Superior and awaited instruction. Lorraine stopped before Rosetta and offered her the gun.

"You have a keen eye, Sister. I wish to use that."

Rosetta happily offered up her bolter.

"Gladly, milady."

Lorraine took the bolter and gave her the meltagun. Then they exchanged ammo.

-//-

As the mighty bulk of Chimera troop transports crashed over the trenches the men of the Imperial Guard's steel legion poured into the fray. Lasgun and bayonet in hand they threw themselves roaring into the trenches. Their muffled voices roaring through leather gas masks and their brown trench coats bathing in mud and blood.

Lorraine raised her bolter into the air.

"Onwards Sisters!" she ordered driving the squad into motion. Singing praise to the Emperor they surged into the next trench line, delving into the midst of an enemy broken, shell shocked and demoralised. With bolt and blade they hacked and blew through the leftovers.

Rosetta held her meltagun close as she drew her pistol. One bolt is all that was needed, pathetic wretches, unworthy of the power of the meltagun, they falter before her with every step forward she took. Her heart finding a strange peace in the rush of war. She moved with her squadmates, cleansing the sprawling fortifications with frag grenades detonating around every corner.

A man's roar drew her attention just as a massive force pushed her down a flight of stairs. Rosetta groaned, landing hard on her back, she tried to get up but found herself pinned. Something hammered against her skull, savagely battering against her helmet. She lashed out, her gauntleted fist finding bone and flesh.

Her attacker growled in pain as blood poured onto her visor. She rolled onto her side and onto her feet. Blinded she tore off her helm and drew her sarissa. Blinking, her eyes adjusted to find a black clad man charging at her, blood leaking from behind black wool. Somewhere behind it, a broken nose bled away.

She threw her helmet at him, he ducked and lashed out, closing the distance. With her sarissa Rosetta parried the strike, momentum tripping the man over. She followed it up with a fist destined to plunge into his gut but he pulls himself to the side, dodging the punch, clocking her across the face before lashing out again with his long bayonet.

Rosetta stepped back and sliced off the man's blade wielding hand at the wrist. He roared in pain, gripping his stub of an arm as he dropped to his knees. Rosetta's blade chomped into his collar bone, keeping him down in a bloody mess.

"Heretic filth," grumbled Rosetta as she readied her blade.

The man tried to rise again but Rosetta pommelled his wounded shoulder, forcing him back on his knees, wheezing and growling in pain. He took a breath and merely chuckled.

"Look me in the eye and say that," he uttered.

Rosetta grabbed him by his collar and raised it up to make him look up at her. He stared into her raging eyes and she stared back into his but through them all she found was peace. Peace, and resignation. Strange. In that moment she could not bare to extinguish it. Those eyes, they were... familiar.

The man chuckled.

"Well? Wrench of The Emperor? do it! At least I get to kneel before something that is real before I die."

Rosetta raised her blade but something froze her. She gripped his collar with both hands. Then she saw it as torn clothes peeled away, revealing skin and a holy aquila tattooed across his chest almost covered over by scar tissue. She placed her knife against his neck, blade barely cutting the skin on his throat.

"Who are you?!" she barked into his face.

He let out a laugh, harsh and cynical.

"One who sees through the lies."

He laid his chin on her blade, infuriating her with a calm stare.

"Now finish this."

Moments passed as Rosetta hesitated. She pummels him on the temple, knocking him right out.

-//-

Her helmet cleaned and on her side Rosetta gathered her weapons and dragged the man onto her shoulder. She stepped out of the bunker and looked around. Cornelia stood by the door, knee deep in the dead, firing away at an incoming wave of enemy troopers. Lorraine and Loretta stood shoulder-to-shoulder gunning down the foe as they poured into view.

Then Rosetta flinched as her vox bead screamed to life in her ear, finally receiving reception free from the prison of the fortified bunker. All around her the network was filled with the roaring fury of the sisters as reports of the enemy charging in close flooded in.

The tactic was obvious. Charge in close with imperial forces, deny them the use of the heavy guns lest they destroy their own allies. Strangle them in a sprawling melee. The Sisters were scattered, confusion and bloodshed reigning supreme. They barked and roared, their fury burning through their reason.

Then one voice came through, over powering the rest with the clarity and grace of a saint.

"In nomine imperatoris," chanted Mirabel through the vox.

In the Emperor's name.

Rosetta's heart sung with her every word as her voice silenced all others. She dropped the man and stepped into line, next to Cornelia and opened fire as Cornelia reloaded. Soon it was Rosetta's turn to reload as Cornelia opened fire and the enemy clambered over the splattered remains of their fallen to charge them. Las fire, pattering all around them and harmlessly on their armour plating.

"Igni superno lumine suo," Mirabel continued as others followed suit, standing firm against the tide. 

With holy fire bring his light.

Rosetta's spirits soared as she fought on, joining in the chorus, seeing the enemy being beaten back by an endless torrent of bolter fire. They starting slow, calm steps forward as their bolters roared, their souls sang and their voices chanted.

All the while Lorraine looked around, noticing Rosetta's prisoner as he slumped against her leg. He was different from the others. Wearing black robes as opposed to the grey flak armour of the troopers.

The Steel Legion did their part. Fighting all around the bulwark of the Sororitas' gun lines, cutting down any enemy unfortunate enough to escape the Sisters' wrath bayonet and laser blast.

"Et lumen ejus: adducere justitiam suam."

With his light, bring his justice.

It did not take long before the enemy began to buckle and crack. Then the squad halted as the muffled roar of another ogryn captured their attention. It's hammer soaked in blood it snarled and drooled through its mask in a utterly berserk rage. It roared as it broke into a sprint. Rosetta took her place, front and centre and took aim.

"Et justitiam ejus: deducere eum pace."

With his justice, bring his peace.

Rosetta relished the moment as she holstered her pistol, brought up her meltagun and opened fire. In an instant a flash of light almost blinded her eyes as the trench ahead was bathed in the immense heat of a fusion detonation. Flesh burned to smouldering ash and metal melted into molten slag as the monstrous ogryn was reduced to a burning mass of ashen meat.

Lorraine stepped in front of her. She held up her fist in the air.

"Hold for now, Sisters."

At once the squad took cover, standing still with Loretta kneeling in position at the head of the squad. She kept her smoking bolter at the ready, on the lookout for strays. The world shook again as House Helepolis unleashed another grand barrage and the Guardsmen rushed on ahead as Squad Lorraine held its ground.

Rosetta's eyes refocused as a map of the trenches showed on her HUD. She saw an objective marker appear on it, far ahead of her position. Then a second marker showed the new location of Sabbat's Embrace.

"Cornelia. Take the prisoner to the Sabbat's Embrace. Return to us at the objective with Cassandra and more munitions," she ordered as she pointed to the man draped in black.

"Aye, Milady." Cornelia answered.

She bowed her head and went to pick up the man. Meanwhile Rosetta looked at her, a sense of bewilderment about her. Lorraine looked at her.

"Not much goes on in this squad without me knowing, Sister. You needn't worry. He seems like a a fitting choice for interrogation," she explained.

Again Loretta caught her attention, getting agitated at the mention of the prisoner. Lorraine approached Rosetta and laid a palm on Rosetta's pauldron while Loretta kept kneeling, maintaining her watch while Cornelia left.

Lorraine soon took her place next to Loretta. She reloaded her bolter and stepped forward. She raised her hand holding two fingers up. Then she waved them forward twice, ordering her squad to advance. At once Loretta did so. Rosetta did the same, watching Lorraine until she walked past her then raised her bolt pistol, ready to fire at any given moment.

-//-