Lady Commissar Cedercreuz is awakened by a Private belonging to the command squad of Company A. She is asked to come speak to Sergeant Kravos, who has garnered a field promotion to Lieutenant and commander of the company. She finds Kravos busy with reorganizing the Company and coordinating the securing of the docking arm. She tells him about her understrength squad, which is currently only composed of herself, Harmon, Malakai, and Solon. Father Angelos has unfortunately succumbed to his wounds, and Warrick has gone missing.
Kravos tells Imperatrice that her three surviving troopers have earned promotions to the rank of Corporal and the entire squad has gotten the Ribbon Intrinsic for their deeds during the landing assault. He pins the medal on her uniform and gives her the others for the rest of the squad. Kravos offers to help the Lady Commissar find replacements from some of the other platoons of Company A. She asks for a Medicae and Kravos suggests they also find a vehicle operator to help in anti-armor engagements.
Kravos and Cedercreuz recruit Privates Adel and Brinker from 2nd Platoon, Beta Squad, then find Privates Marcellus and Sol from the command squad of 6th Platoon (aka "21st Jackrabbits"). With her squad back to full strength, Cedercreuz leads the new additions to Sector 132, where Alpha is currently on work detail cleaning out a storage room. She awards the medals to the soldiers there and tells the newly minted Corporals about their promotions.
The nasal-voiced Commissar Niklet from Regiment Command appears somewhat suddenly to tell Cedercreuz about a dozen infiltrations attempted by rebel forces in Guard uniforms. He insinuates that she hasn't performed her duty in questioning her troopers about their allegiances, waving a pamphlet in her face in front of the soldiers. He departs after this needling, and the Lady Commissar decides to speak to each of her replacements one-on-one.
During the interrogations of the additions to Alpha squad, the Lady Commissar discovers some interesting facts about the new troopers. The two vehicle operators (Adel and Brinker) are apparently involved in a covert affair, and she lets them know that they can't let it get in the way of their duties. She also finds out about the dark history of the new Medicae, Marcellus, who has seen action before. In one traumatic mission, he was forced to euthanize a wounded civilian while his wife observed.
After these somewhat tense questioning sessions, Cedercreuz turns her attention to trying to find a working vehicle for Alpha. As she does so, the squad is alerted to an armor assault advancing on the Regiment's defensive wall near the terminus of the docking arm. The troopers regroup and head to the wall to try and assist, commanded by Kravos to take over control of a captured super-heavy Stormlord tank and aid in the defense.
A Major from Company B directs Alpha squad to the tank in question, and they quickly convince the soldiers currently trying to man it to leave and let them take over. Lady Commissar Cedercreuz acts as tank commander, spotting targets and weak spots in enemy armor for Private Adel, who takes over manning the turret. Private Brinker sits at the driving controls, shifting the tank's position behind the wall when so commanded. The powerful Vulcan mega-bolter shreds the armor of the enemy tanks, destroying a Devil Dog and disabling the turret of an attacking Stormlord.
Privates Marcellus and Sol exit the tank to get some heavy weapons firing again. They briefly try using a heavy bolter, but it is insufficient when targeting the rebel armor. Marcellus spots a melta gun left behind by a dead heavy weapons squad, picking it up as the Devil Dogs and the last enemy Stormlord closes in on the heavily damaged defenses. He microwaves the crew of a flame tank, which then explodes.
As the Severan Dominate Stormlord crashes through a large hole in the defensive wall, Alpha turns their weapons on it, combining the mega-bolter, laser cannons, and Marcellus' melta to good effect, disabling the super-heavy tank. Their attack broken by the battered defenses, the enemy turns tail and runs, some crews abandoning two flame tanks as they retreat. Alpha moves forward to cut down many of the Severan Dominate troopers mid-flight.
Cedercreuz calls Lieutenant Kravos on a vox borrowed from Company B's commander, reporting on their successful defense and capture of several enemy vehicles. While the defensive wall has many large holes in it and Company B has suffered around 50% losses, the counter-attack was stopped at their position. What could have been another disaster for 1st Aerial Assault has been turned into a telling victory by the intervention of Alpha Squad.