Chapter 754 The Avengers are Assembling
“Ahel.”
This is a phrase uttered by the Space Marines after announcing the gathering of survivors, a phrase that the residents of the hive do not understand very well. High Gothic.
At first the commander and the soldiers thought it was a greeting, then they guessed it was a curse, and then they realized it was neither.
The phrase was passed down orally among the citizens of various shelters and strongholds, men and women whispered the word to each other when they met, and parents would say it to their children as if it were a cure for fear. Good medicine, old friends will hold hands and say it before parting.
None of the soldiers asked the survivors what it meant, and those who did were met with shaking heads and gloomy looks, as if they had just asked why people were breathing.
Later, just as the soldiers' curiosity wore off, volunteers stepped forward.
At first there were only a few people, brave men in ragged clothes, and then more came - old people, young people, men and women, gathered together.
When the officers show up, the ragged citizens will say that they have volunteered to fill the void left by the fallen soldiers, that they are willing to drive any war machine and obey any order.
At first the scattered Guard officers refused, but with each Ork attack the losses mounted.
They can replace machines. Unused munitions are scattered in forgotten corners and bunkers in bunkers. Most of the equipment is old and damaged, or it is brand new but incomplete, but the damage can be repaired, or Replace with found parts.
What cannot be replaced are those who operate the machines, control the guns, and press the triggers.
So, in the end, the terrible arithmetic of war gave the surviving residents of Hades what they wanted - they would launch an attack on their lost land, killing those who had brought it down Everything that was taken away from them.
The old, weak, women and children were sent to a safer place, and the remaining people were taught how to operate armored vehicles, how to load artillery, how to aim, fire, and how to use a microphone.
As training, this is too short and inadequate. The soldiers know it, and the citizens know it too.
Most people know that harsh reality will either teach them or kill them, but no one talks about it.
What’s the point of speaking this truth out loud?
After less than twenty-four hours of training, volunteers were assigned to units that had suffered losses.
A small number of them, those who are talented and have mastered the skills, are given vehicles to control.
Later, only after realizing that they would live and die together, did the soldiers ask the mysterious Adepts Astartes what "Ahhel" meant.
The explanation of the Astartes is simple. It comes from the distant planet Nessen IV and has many meanings, but here and now, it has only one meaning.
“Revenge.”
So they said.
“It means revenge.”
After the meeting, Masin returned to the extremely busy camp. Ten thousand soldiers in gray uniforms gathered in this original armory. Nearby, hundreds of workers climbed up and down the shells of Chimera and Cerberus covered with battle damage marks, inspecting armor plates, repairing track devices, testing the rotation performance of turrets, raising and lowering gun barrels, and chanting battle prayers to comfort them. The angry machine spirit of the great war machine.
This armory had a semi-buried structure, so it was not discovered by the Greenskins. A group of retreating Guardsmen used it to defend it. In the end, these weapons became the key to the newly formed army.
The roar of engines, the hum of servos, and the chant of mechanical chants filled the air.
The exhaust emitted by the vehicle is comparable to the pungent planetary atmosphere, and the air is vibrated by the roar of the vehicle's engine. Unless you see it with your own eyes, no one can truly realize how complicated and noisy it is to get an army on the move.
Even Maxin did not expect that there were so many survivors in the occupied areas.
It took them just one week to gather more than two hundred thousand young men and women.
Before the battle begins, everyone can feel the atmosphere of secret excitement and suppressed fear. But when a person has been surrounded by fear and isolation for several months, he will no longer be so afraid of death, after all, there are so many more people around him.
"Have you made contact with the Nineteenth Regiment?"
"Sir, we have made contact. The other party is moving towards the scheduled assembly point. They are far away from the green skins. The gathering area is relatively close, so it may take some time.”
They passed by a row of Chimeras. The crew lay on military blankets with their heads resting on their luggage, checking their light guns. Masin occasionally met familiar faces along the way. People nodded in greeting. From the siege to now, there were very few familiar faces that could be recognized.
Passing a long row of trucks with idling engines, the drivers stuck their heads out of the windows and looked around. Several people shouted at the troop carrier in front and asked what was going on when they were waiting there.
“What’s going on?”
Masin soon discovered the reason for the team’s stagnation.
A truck broke down due to mechanical failure, blocking the entire convoy. A team of workers and their tractors were lowering a metal crane in front of the truck, hoping that the crane rail could successfully lift the truck.
Another team attached a chain to the front tow hook of the truck to pull the trapped vehicle away.
Maxin quickened his pace and left the chaotic place on foot.
In front is a large area covered with bubble-shaped tents. This was originally a sports ground and is now the main gathering place for the Armageddon Counterattack Corps.
In the open space between the camping areas, a company is seizing the time to train and repair equipment.
Officers always like to keep their soldiers busy.
“Look at these people.”
Masin said, waving his big hand with his right arm and pointing at a bunch of new recruits.
"They should go back to the church to recite scriptures."
Maxin's deputy glanced but said nothing, probably because he thought so from the bottom of his heart.
A large part of the crowd is made up of new faces. Many of these teenagers who are just fifteen or sixteen years old still have shaved choir head hairstyles. Their childish looks are all too familiar to veterans. .
According to the time span of this war, they were like this not too long ago.
At this time, a veteran made a low whistle that is often used to express happiness.
"Why don't you go up and impart some life experience?"
"Don't delay things."
These newly added soldiers are still sharp-edged and full of energy, and they clearly have no experience. Beatings on the battlefield.
Ma Xin knew that a large number of them would not live long enough to have the opportunity to mature. This was not a matter of foreboding, but that they had experienced many battles.
They quickly moved to the core area of the camp. After two inspections by the guards, there were very few people here. Only officers and technicians wearing standard uniforms occasionally hurried past.
This is not only the command center of the counterattack group, but also the location where the Astral Knights Chapter, the real pillar of the counterattack, is stationed.
(End of this chapter)