Operation Lambda Part 1
By: Banjo
INTERROGATION OF MULTIPLE SUBJECTS ON "Operation LAMBDA".
Directed to: Inquisitor Creed
Commit to: Imperial Record HALIFAX 443/12n
Inquisition Record INR(OrdSic) 33412/872
Crossfile to: Warlord Wagasnoga
Transmitted: Patrick Occisor
Imput Date: 4452139. M39
Thought for the day: What good is life if there is no Emperor?
Note: This transcript is from multiple interrogations, and has been pieced together according to chronological events.
Inquisitor Alferdo: Please, start from the beginning. I want to know all about "Operation LAMBDA", and why you failed.
Canoness Victoria: Ok, I will begin. I shall omit no detail however small. And, I shall not bore you with unnecessary details.
IA: Good. Please, start with the beginning, when you first got the assignment.
CV: It was one decade ago. Due to the warp, it's taken us some time to get here...
IA: (Interrupts) Details? I thought you weren't going to bore me with...
CV: Sorry Inquisitor. Well, it was a decade ago, like I said. Our Chapter, the Ebon Chalice, as you know, was on the planet of Dunbar X. We had been there for one complete orbit around it's sun. We had finally dug in, and had factories going to make plenty of tanks for the Guard and Marines that passed through. We had also slowly started to amass weapons and equipment from this factory.
IA: This is the same factory that was captured by Wagasnoga?
CV: Yes, unfortunately so. It is easy to say that this factory, now being in the hands of Wagasnoga, could easily become a threat to the Imperium.
IA: Yes, we have come to realize this.
CV: Well, back to my story. I had come in one day from a recon mission. There were small skirmishes that were starting to pop up all over the planet. Most of them were just revolting citizens who were tired and hungry. But, other skirmishes were...
IA: Wagasnoga?
CV: Yes. It seems that the Orks and Wagasnoga had somehow managed to bribe some of the citizens of the planet. This was done so that the invasion wouldn't have been noticed. You see what I mean?
IA: Yes, to slay the dragon, you must not let it know you are there to slay it.
CV: Exactly. It was just cover for the landings on the planet. The Orks figured that we wouldn't pay attention to the vessels coming in. However, our keen operators knew better, and they kept a good track of where the crashes were happening. Anyways.... I had just gotten back in. I didn't know about the revolts being used as a screen for the invasion, at the time. I had just got into the main control tower of the base, to find a message for me from Inquisitor Creed.
IA: Yes, Creed made mention at the fact that you had gotten it so fast...
CV: (Cuts off IA). I read the message over, and I looked out over the horizons. The Marines were coming in full force for a massive preparation before an assault on the planet of Phalpax V.
IA: Phalpax V? I've heard about that place...
CV: Yes, well, Canoness Bello was far more lucky...
IA: Oh? Why is that Canoness Victoria?
CV: Well, I had received the transmission. So, I went and I told my troops, who were glad none the less. They were finally going to have a day off (rolls her eyes). There were no days off in the Imperium, I told them. Anyways, my Veteran Squad Commander Cecilia Antes was one of the few who took this as a warning of something bad.
IA: Bad? Why bad?
CV: Well, she's my best Commander. I know, and so does she, that if anything major were to happen, she'd be the first one on call. You see? She is our first, and best, line of defense in the face of a major enemy. Even if ALL of my troops had leave, Cecilia would still be ready with her troops, incase something happened. You see why she reasoned this way?
IA: Well, yes. Now, continue with your story.
CV: Ok, so fast forwards a bit to the near arrival of the Marines. We were preparing arms, ammo, and vehicles for the Marines when they landed. I guess that had to move fast to their next post, wasn?t it severely under attack and seiged?
IA: That is of no importance to you. Continue.
CV: Yes, well, you do have a good point there. Well, one night before they landed, we had a major outbreak of riots in the small town of Morrisville. So, a small detachment was sent to deal with this problem. At first, no one thought nothing of it, rather more of a nuisance than of anything else. So, when the detachment arrived there, they were surprised by a large force of Orks, as we would soon find out. Only one Sister came back from that fight, Sister Isabel.
CUT TO INTERROGATION OF SISTER ISABEL
Inquisitor Blane: Ok, so what did you find when you arrived at Morrisville? Please, spare no detail.
Sister Isabel: (stumbling over words, and muttering at times) We came in, my squad and Sister Mariah's. We arrived in our Rhinos at 1800 hours TST (Terra Standard Time). What we found there shocked most of us at first. The streets were quiet, burning buildings that we could see as we came in, were really major bond fires. Our Rhinos pulled up into the small street, and we all disembarked, expecting nothing more than small groups of restless peasants.
IB: And what did you find? I take it not revolting peasants, right?
SI: Yes, this is correct. Instead, we were shocked to find a hundred squads, 10 men strong, camped out in Morrisville. They were sitting around, wallowing in their own filth. They were roasting the peasants of the town on large spikes, over the fires. The Orks had back stabbed the people of Morrisville, as we would soon find out. The Orks weren't paying much attention to us, so we ran back to our Rhinos, and got in. Inside, my fellow Sisters were pleading to our Superior to turn around. I remember her exact words, "We are in Rhinos, they are Orks. We have the workhorse of the Imperium, they have small pieces of metal and tiny guns. What harm can they do to us?" We all looked around to each other for answers, but there were none. "At least report in!" one Sister cried. Well, this almost didn't take place, but our Superior knew better. She called back into the base, but received nothing but static. She looked at us, and she shrugged her shoulders.
IB: Did you ever find out why this happened?
SI: Sadly enough, yes. It just happened that before we left, our Superior "modified" the com-systems. She had been bought out too. But, we didn't know it at the time. Instead, we followed our orders from the other Superior, who was far more combat broken than our Superior. So, the Rhinos roared to life, and from the firing slits in the tanks, I could see the Orks stir to life. They turned and looked at our tanks, with their beady red eyes looking at us. They stench of their breath reached us all the way in the tank, and some of the other Sisters even revolted in disgust.
IB: What happened then?
SI: All hell broke loose. First, our Rhinos charged the Orks who were not paying attention. The tanks only ran over one or two squads of Orks. I felt the bump of the Orks' flesh beneath us. I heard some of them scream their trademark "WAAAAGH!", others I heard cry for their Gods, and for their Warlord. Our tanks couldn't pull away, however. The pile of bodies beneath us kept us trapped in the spot where we were. The fire raged on outside of us, and I heard the Orks coming at us. One Sister jumped up and manned the storm bolters. The rest of us were forced out the back of the tank.
The Orks were just waiting for us. There was a green horde before us, and we knew that there would be not way to survive this. Our Heavy Flamer Sister moved forwards, and open fired into the crowd. I could smell their burnt flesh beneath the flame?s reach. Then, I could hear the WHOOSH of the other Heavy Flamer in the other tank, which was still mobile. We all piled out of the tank, and opened fire. I remember being shot at while I was taking down the Orks. I also remember seeing our Superior being escorted off away from the battle, and I was in shock. Another Sister saw this too, and took command of our squad. We were quick to regroup, and we moved closer to the other Rhino.
The areas that we cut down with out bolters and flamers, quickly refilled with more troops. On both sides of me were the rest of our squad. The Orks were getting close, and the Rhino was still out of our reach. Then, the Orks got close enough to force us to hand to hand them. They screamed, and charged us. I remember seeing a sharp knife go flying into the Sister to my left. It hit with a thud, and planted itself inside the skull of the Sister. At least she went quickly. Our squad was falling to pieces, and it was only me, another Sister, and our new Superior. We backed towards the Rhino, and then our worst dreams came true.
The Rhino closed up, and moved away. I saw it running over Orks as it tried to maneuver out of the way. I motioned to the new Superior to look at the Rhino. She saw this, and started shouting at it. The other Sister, who was lagging behind us, was swarmed by the Orks, and was killed. There was only two of us left now. We ran for the Rhino, which had finally found a path to take. I was within reach of the Rhino, so I jumped at it, and grabbed onto the side of it. Our new Superior wasn't as lucky. Instead, I saw her realize what was going to happen to her. She stopped running, and she looked at me, hanging onto the side of the Rhino, looking for some pity. She turned around, looking to give the Orks all that she had left. She raised her bolter, and opened fire. But this was to no avail. The fire against her came, and it tore into pieces, literally. Her arms ripped off in three places, and her knee was shot out. Then, I saw a bullet exit from the back of her head as she finally passed on.
IB: So, you left your only comrade on the field of battle to die!? That is desertion!
SI: (starting to cry) I know, I know. But we were set up from the start! The whole situation went to hell and back! It wasn't even a fight! I had to run! What would have happened if I hadn't gotten back!? The, the, the base wouldn't have been taken without warning!
IB: I do not want excuses. Continue with your story!
SI: (wiping her eyes) Well, the Rhino took off down the empty streets. It seemed that the Orks were all piled at the front of the town. Well, I thought this was the case. The Rhino rolled on smoothly for sometime. The Rhino headed towards the exit to the north, the opposite of where we came in from. Well, as we were heading north, a small band of wartrukks raced up along side of us. I was still on the outside now, keep that in mind. All of a sudden, I heard a THUD, and I knew something was wrong.
IB: What was it? I know that might sound a bit too simple of a question to ask, but I must know what it was. Did you see it?
SI: No, I didn't see it, but I know it was some kind of a bomb. Maybe a melta bomb they took from the garrison in the town. Well, it exploded with a massive force, and knocked the Rhino onto it's side, the side with me hanging on that is. I jumped from the Rhino as it started to tip over, and I fell to the ground. The Rhino moved forwards and out of the way as it started to tip over. I could hear the screams of the Sisters inside as the tank's power source exploded. The tank shattered into a few large pieces, and the main hull remained intact, but the rest of the tank went to hell. I got up, and walked over to the wreckage to see what I could find. But, there were no survivors. I turned in disgust and ran as fast as I could towards the north.
IB: You ran? What a weak person you are!
SI: (with a hint of anger) I was doing all that I could to stay alive! If I would have died, then you wouldn't even have gotten the rest of the Order off of that hell hole!
IB: SILENCE! I have no time for excuses! Finish with your story!
SI: Nothing much else to tell, I ran to the north like the Rhino was headed. I heard warturkks running through the streets, but none of them found me. I eventually made it out of the town, and found myself with a two day walk back to the base.
IB: And what happened then?
SI: Talk to Canoness Victoria.
CUT TO INTERROGATION OF CANONESS VICTORIA
Inquisitor Alferdo: Ok, so, let me get this straight. The two squads went out, encountered the enemy, were destroyed, and you didn't know anything about it?
Canoness Victoria: We have a 48 hour time limit on when we expect full reports on situations. We do usually recommend checks every two hours, but I guess we just forgot about it. It wasn't much of a concern to us, we were more occupied about the arrival of the Marines.
IA: Did you prepare the necessary supplies for the marines?
CV: Yes, we did.
IA: So, tell me about what you made of Operation Lambda.
CV: Well, I didn't believe it at first. I had heard the reports of Orks in the area, but I was defiant to believe that there was such a large concentration so close to us.
IA: Oh? How close were they to you, as described by the report?
CV: Two parsecs. That was what the report told me.
IA: Did you put your troops on ready?
CV: No, not at first. We were expecting the Marines to be sticking around for the Operation, but we were wrong. They came and got there stuff, and bugged out.
IA: Back to the Operation, tell me, for the records, what it said, exactly.
CV: Ok, Operation Lambda was to be a major operation in our sector. The message told me to be ready for a large Space Marine Chapter to be landing on Dunbar X. And then it went on to say to be ready for a follow up attack after the Marines cleared the way on Phalpax V. We were going to be the clean-up crew for the Marines. However, it also mentioned that Ork penetration onto Dunbar X was to be expected, but not to a great extent. The orders finished up with telling us that one week after the Space Marines had left Dunbar X, our whole Order was to follow, leaving only a small garrison of troops on the planet.
IA: But, I take it that did not happen?
CV: True. The Marines arrived a day before Sister Isabel finally got back to the base. We had started supplying the Marines with whatever they needed. They took tanks, ammo, guns, you name it, we gave it to them. Our factories within the base were churning out all of this with minimal fall behinds. And then, Sister Isabel arrived. She was spotted five miles out by our scouts, and was picked up by one of our Rhino patrol squads. They brought her back to the base, where she told her story. With a bit of delirium in her eyes, she told her tale of how the Orks were on the planet in massive swarms, and how the people and her Superior had sold out. We were defiant of what she had said, none of us had believed her at first. However, the Marines that had heard this, believed it, and they left in a flash. They had all that they needed, so they figured it was time to leave. They packed up their gear, and they took off. We had been deserted by the Marines, and we were left with one week?s time to get ready before we left Dunbar X. It was like there was an hour glass, and it had just been tipped, we now had one week until we would be off the planet. However, there were still two things hindering us.
IA: What were those two things?
CV: Well, first, we knew that we were going to have to fight the Orks. Then, there was the problem of who was going to be left behind when we took off to follow the Marines.
IA: Well, tell me about that when you get to it, continue with the story.
CV: Well, Sister Isabel was taken to the Med. Bay for further tests on her. Then, we received a message from the Marines who had left us. It said, and I quote, "Situation status: Hopeless. Repeat: Hopeless. Swarms of Orks closing in on your position, you have little time. May the Emperor protect you." The words echoed through the strategy room like a gunshot. There was panic at first, but then it started to calm down. We worked out a strategy to block the Orks from entering our base. This was easily accomplished, as we knew of certain things that the Orks would want to capture, mainly the factories.
IA: Please, detail the defensive plan you put into action.
CV: (Begins to draw) This is a rough sketch, but this is what it looked like. Ok, let me explain what this is. Do you see that green spot at the bottom of the map?
IA: Yes.
CV: Well, those are the Orks. And those yellow dots are our Seraphims. The red dots denote our Heavy Flamers, and the black dots are our Heavy bolters. The Blue squares were the only Immolators inside of the base at the time of the attack. Then, the brown squares are our Rhinos, and the teal squares are our troops. Now, as it says in the Tactica Imperium, when fighting a massive enemy, try to bring them into a small space, and attack. This way, the Orks in front who run, will only halt the Orks behind them, causing confusion and death. And that is exactly what we did. The Seraphims baited the trap, and the Immolators and Heavy Flamers took care of them. The Heavy Bolters were used to make sure that the enemy didn't get too close... but that would prove to be a worthless attempt. Oh, and the orange dots denote the bombs we placed on the factories, we figured that if they took the base, we wouldn't allow them to have all the factories. However, we did leave one intact, so that incase some day a counter attack was to be mounted, this base could be taken, and anything the armies needed could be pumped out in no time.
IA: But I have a question, why did you mention that the Heavy Bolters attempts would be worthless?
CV: Ok, let me explain. The Orks were massive, and the amount of troops they had, were uncountable, and eventually well, you'll see. On the first day of the attack, nothing much happened. There was some small skirmishing with our forces who were unfortunately locked out of our base. Then, on the second day, things started to pick up the Heavy Flamers did what they were supposed to, and so did the Heavy Bolters. We took no casualties that day. But, on the third day, the Orks came form behind. It was a surprise attack that we weren't ready for. There was a major loss of our Heavy Bolters in the rear, and that's why you only see two of them, because we had lost so many. Then, finally, on the fourth day, with the stench of the Orks becoming overwhelming, we decided to carry out our own Operation Lambda. The gates opened, and the Seraphims charged out. The Orks took the bait, and raced right into the crossfire. The Seraphims got behind the gate in time, and the door was shut. The Orks were fed up with sitting around and taking casualties, and they started to ram the gate. The plan was working perfectly, the Orks were being defeated. By this time, the Sisters were running out of ammo. So, our two Seraphims started to make ammo runs to the armory. By this time, the fifth day had begun. The Orks' carcasses were starting to pile up the walls, and they had made it half way up the wall with their bodies. And then, they did something totally unexpected. They started sending all their armored vehicles up and over the pile of bodies. The Trukks, Scorchers, and all the other stuff started to ram the wall. There was a massive pounding on the gate as the metal bodies hit the gate and exploded. There was nothing much that we could do, we didn't have any Multi-Meltas, so we couldn't stop the Orks from doing this. Eventually, the gate had been broken through, but this was by the end of the fifth day, and the start of the sixth day. We had two days left, and then we were pulling out, and blowing the factories up. On the sixth day, now known to us as The Day of Hopelessness, the Orks breached the gate, AND the wall. The dead bodies had piled up so high, that the Orks could climb right up onto the walls. The siege had become an invasion. We took heavy casualties, but we were able to hold off the Orks on the walls. Then, there was the gate. With the walls being assaulted, the Orks could get to the newly opened gate. There, they were met with the flames of purity. The Immolators and Heavy Flamers did their job in repelling the Orks. But once again, the Orks got over the walls. This time, they weren't stopped. Our Sisters fell back to the ground, and the Orks started coming in.
IA: What happened then?
CV: Our Rhinos went and picked up the Sisters who had fallen back. Then, I ordered Veteran Squad Commander Cecilia Antes to lead the counter attack so that we could make it to the next day.
CUT TO INTERROGATION OF SISTER CECILIA
Inquisitor Alferdo: Canoness Victoria tells me that you were approached to lead the counter assault. Is this true?
Sister Cecilia: Yes, it is.
IA: What did you do?
SC: I agreed.
IA: Please, explain this counter attack.
SC: Ok, I'll try.
IA: Here, show me on this map the Canoness Victoria made.
SC: Well, the Orks were being held back from the front. So, we had to take the sides. I took my troops, and another four squads up from the lower levels to begin the push.
IA: Oh? You weren't up top fighting?
SC: That is correct. Victoria wanted me to be safe, I was her contingency plan, if you will.
IA: I see. Continue.
SC: I picked another four squads from below to come up with me. They were lead by Veteran Squad Commander Daniel. I ordered them to take the right, and I would take the left. We planned it so that the attack would happen at the same time, so that the Orks wouldn't have a chance to focus their firepower. I was far more lucky than Daniel was. She encountered the larger forces, and didn't do too well. I heard from another survivor that she had been struck down in the opening shots of the counter strike. I, however, did really well. I took the left side, and I held it through the night, until the beginning of the seventh day. My casualties were heavy, it's true, but we were successful in what we had to do. That was when things got really weird, the beginning of the seventh day, that is. First, I took count of my troops at sunrise, and counted 30. Then, I took one more check, and counted 29. One troop had disappeared in a matter of about five minutes. I looked around, and saw a Callidus Assassin. It's something you don't expect, you never believe the awe that an assassin puts in you until you actually see one. The assassin took off, and jumped over the wall, and right into the Orks. I couldn't see where she was going, but she took off into the green tide, and was never seen again. I guess she went to look for Wagasnoga.
IA: Ah yes, Wagasnoga. How did you get to see him?
SC: It was on the seventh day, our position was finally overrun, so we fell back. Canoness Victoria congratulated us on what we had done, and told us to start to fill our dropships. The troops piled into them like wild animals. The Rhinos and what was left of our four Immolators packed into their own ships, and the final troops did too. We were defeated, and the Orks had finally gotten into the base. Canoness Victoria had finally decided to retreat. But then, from the main gate, the Orks stopped coming, and they pulled out. There was silence as a massive figure stepped through the smoking hole in the gate. It was Wagasnoga. I saw him with my own eyes. He started to shout at us in his Orkish tounge. "Sistas', ya' should suhrrenduh, I won't kill ya' like dos' otha' fools." Victoria would have none of it. She ordered what was left of us to open fire on him. He screamed as he grabbed his head in pain. But I noticed that there was something behind him. The Callidus Assassin jumped up from behind him and brought her sword up to his throat and almost killed him. But, the Orks swarmed her, and ripped her to pieces. That was when we knew it was time to pull out. We did so, and took off within minutes of the death of the Callidus. We looked down from above, and saw the planet was covered with large spots of green, the Orks truly had the planet. But then, Canoness Victoria realized that she had forgotten to blow up the factories. She did reached for the switch, and hit it. From below us, we could see a large flash where the factories were, and then we never looked back. Dunbar X was overrun.
IA: Where did you go form there?
SC: Like we were ordered, we took off for Phalpax V.
IA: What happened then?
SC: Don't ask me, ask Canoness Victoria, she'd know.
END INTERROGATION
Sorry folks, I just can't seem to find it in myself to rate my own story. However, I will say that I had a LOT of fun writing this, and that I really like it, as compared to my 16 page OoOML fluff, which I have yet to finish... Anyways... I wrote this story in an interrogation fashion, as you can tell. I used, as a "guideline", the interrogation story in the Assassins Codex. Check it out, it's really good. Oh yeah, final note, this is "Part 1" of my Operation Lambda series. It will be going on for another two or three stories, and will finish up (at this rate), but the end of 2000. Sorry. :)
-Banjo-
* out of 5
What do YOU think of my story? Drop me a line and let me know!
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