Session Sixteen: Company Command

By mathey, in Only War Fan Fiction and War Stories

The members of Alpha Squad are gifted with several promotions and honours for their actions on Solace. Most notable among these is the promotion of Imperatrice to the rank of Lady Commissar-Captain, but Adel is also commissioned as a Lieutenant and Arion becomes a 1st Sergeant. As a result of these promotions and reorginization on Lycurgos, Cedercreuz becomes commander of Company B of the 1st Aerial Assault, a veteran unit that has suffered many losses since the regiment entered the field. Alpha Squad is now the Company Command Squad.


Meeting their new charges in a hangar bay, the squad prepares to get their first assignment for the upcoming assault on Warzone Epsilon, codenamed BULLSEYE. Arion goes to meet the Platoon Sergeants serving under him, gauging them for personalities and learning what is needed.


Sergeant Bron of 1st Platoon is a former cook who is complaining about bad vehicles and his Lieutenant's (Lieutenant Bulert) death-wish. Sergeant Regiam of 2nd Platoon seems to be very orderly to the point of obsessiveness, but he confesses that Lieutenant Bulnes has become addicted to combat stimms. When he can't find Sergeant Samara of 3rd Platoon, Arion learns from Lieutenant Dorvillier that she is a practical joker, much to the annoyance of the Lieutenant. Arion locates Samara up in the rafters, seeing her just as she dumps some unknown substance onto a cluster of visiting Helldiver Elysian Drop Troop officers. He chews her out for her activities and warns her to go have a heart-to-heart with Dorvillier about her complaints.


The new Commissar-Captain goes to check in with Lieutenants Bulert and Bulnes about their personal issues, as they both impact their performance in the field. She gives Bulert some things to think about regarding her reckless behvior and then convinces Bulnes to visit a medicae to try and get off of stimms. She does as Arion suggests and makes Lieutenant Adel the company Executive Officer, meaning that he spends most of his time before the briefing getting gear and items requested by the Platoon Sergeants.


Commissar Niklet tracks down Adel and then Cedercreuz after she's stopped chatting (in private) with Bulnes. He informs them that Colonel Veerv is going to be giving the briefing on the new drop mission.


Colonel Veerv details the basics of the mission; as part of a massive planetary invasion force, the 1st Aerial Assault has been attached to the Elysian Drop Troopers 13th Regiment for an airborne landing on the continent of Neta. While the Helldivers are to capture the cities of Strum, Chur and Rabat, the Chrysopeleans will be taking Hydera.


Hydera is a town beneath the fortification of Castle Hydera where intel suggests a void shield generator is being built. While Company A takes the town's streets and guards against counter-attack in Hydera proper, Company's B, C, and D will be assaulting the castle. Company B is to rendezvous with some local resistance fighters friendly to the Imperium who will help guide them past a minefield to one of the castle walls. They will then breach the wall with demolitions charges and lead the other two Companies inside. They are then to locate the void shield generator, destroy it, capture the castle and hold it until relieved by other Imperial forces.


The relieving forces are not anticipated to arrive for at least a day, perhaps even as long as several days. While the regiment will have some light vehicles such as Tauroses and Sentinel walkers, they will not have armor support. They are instead assigned anti-tank weapons and told to use captured enemy defenses to hold off Severan Dominate forces.


With their mission briefing over, the squad sets about getting its company equipped and assigns basic roles for the operation. 1st Platoon is to focus on demolitions, 2nd Platoon is to handle heavy weapons, and 3rd Platoon will do recon for the company in advance of their approach.


Less than a day remains until Zero Hour...