Rumble!
The entire ground trembled slightly, and the sky-obscuring radiation sandstorm was still a hundred kilometers away.
In the trench, Hawk felt the tremor and heard the terrifying sound of the sandstorm moving.
Hawk had never seen such a massive sandstorm. It covered the sky and the earth, like the end of the world. The most terrifying thing was that it was accompanied by lightning.
His hometown did not have such a terrifying sandstorm. Only this alien planet, which also belonged to the Human Empire, had such a sandstorm.
This is Ophelia II system.
planet Two is an Earth-like planet, and the Empire's colonists have built hive cities on this planet to maintain normal production and life.
Unlike the hive cities in other worlds, the hive cities here extend downwards.
The system being binary star system, and the strong stellar radiation constantly bombards the four planets in the system, turning them into barren lands.
Hiding underground is undoubtedly a good solution.
The entrance to the hive city is a giant mountain. The colonists hollowed out the entire mountain to build a spaceport and also built a large number of buildings to collect solar energy to power the hive city.
This structure makes the entire hive city easy to defend and difficult to attack.
At least before Hawk and the others arrived, the orks had not been able to capture the hive city.
Hawk also didn't expect that his first battle in the Astra Militarum would be against the orks.
They had already defeated the orks several times.
But those guys always came back. Unless the space battle ends, it will be difficult to end this war.
Hawk belongs to the Natal 65th Regiment, which is a new recruit regiment.
The Primarch needs enough troops to defeat the enemy and defend the results of the reform.
The veterans were dispersed and assigned to different units to lead the new recruits.
This ground battle was also Hawk's first battle.
The fear of death made his adrenaline surge, and even after the battle ended, he was still unable to calm down.
"Those greenskins are really disgusting," said Castin, who was standing nearby.
Hawk glanced at Castin, who was also completely wrapped up.
The thick double-layered protective military uniform completely concealed her good figure. Her young, collagen-filled face was red, obviously from being stifled.
The Emperor's cause requires the dedication of all men and women.
Castin was from the 68th Regiment, which was an all-female regiment.
The regiments were not mixed with men and women, but separated, which allowed for better management and avoided some improper behavior.
"Which enemy of the Emperor isn't disgusting?"
Hawk said humorously.
Castin smiled, a beautiful smile, like that of a girl next door.
"It's over, let's go have a drink," Castin said.
"That would be great. There's no reason not to go when such a beautiful female soldier invites you for a drink," Hawk said with a smile.
Castin was about to say something else when the piercing siren sounded.
Noisy sounds came from a distance.
Accompanied by the dust and the strong winds brought by the storm, the orks appeared before their eyes.
Those guys were driving extremely terrifying modified battlewagons, shouting "WAAAGH, WAAAGH."
"They're here," shouted the officer wearing black long boots and holding a laspistol.
His voice echoed through the entire front line via the servo-skull.
The sound of artillery fire rang out, and beams of light and shells spewed out from the rear of the front line.
Medusa missiles, heavy bolters, and lascannons were all firing, unleashing ammunition without restraint.
The rocky plain in front of the trench became a sea of fire. Many ork battlewagons were blown over in the explosions, and the orks of all sizes on them were blown to pieces, their limbs scattered all over the ground.
"These damn beasts, hahaha," Castin's voice came, and she also shouted, "All xenos should die."
Castin's voice drew agreement from others.
The soldiers' joy did not last long, as those orks rushed out of the sea of fire, brandishing their weapons.
They also pulled out those strange-looking cannons, which looked very much like they were made of scrap metal, and launched a counterattack on the human positions.
A shell exploded next to Hawk, kicking up a lot of dust, which then fell under the planet's gravity, covering him in mud.
The rumbling explosion made his ears ring.
"Stand up, aim, they're coming," the company commander's voice came.
Hawk stood up, picked up his lasgun, inserted the power cell into it, and adjusted the output power as he had been trained.
The orks were approaching, emitting excited roars.
"Fire," the company commander roared.
Ruby-colored beams of light shot out from the trench, forming a dense, interwoven red network.
Countless lasers shot at the orks, making them cry out in pain.
Hawk aimed at every enemy, trying his best to ensure that his shots did not miss.
Suddenly, a shocked voice came.
"By the Emperor, are these greenskins crazy?"
Hawk turned his head and saw another comrade, who was looking up at the sky.
He followed the other person's gaze, and his confused eyes quickly showed shock.
The creatures called Gretchin were flying over, carrying huge shells.
Many Gretchin were blown up before they even landed.
Some lucky ones released their shells in time and landed in the trench.
Hawk had to turn around and deal with these Gretchin first. They were not tall, but their attack power was not weak.
Wielding various sharp weapons, they frantically slashed at everything they could see.
The appearance of the Gretchin caused chaos in the human defense line.
Using the chaos, those powerful ork warriors quickly broke through the firing line, holding their large-caliber sluggas, and firing everywhere with bangs.
The defense line fell into chaos. ork warriors were much stronger than Gretchin.
Castin's desperate cries came from the side. She hoped someone could help her.
Hawk wanted to turn his head to see what was happening, but he couldn't. He was also in danger.
An ork warrior was about to chop him into minced meat with the power axe in his hand.
"Your enemy is me, xeno."
A space marine in blue and white armor rushed out from behind the defense line. The power sword in his hand slashed at the ork. After being blocked by the ork, he seized the opportunity and kicked the ork to the ground.
Then, he swung the power sword in his hand and chopped off the ork's head with one strike.
"For the Emperor, for the Lord of Ultramar!" The warrior roared and rushed towards the other orks.
More Primaris Space Marines joined the battlefield, assisting the Astra Militarum in holding the defense line.
Hawk got a chance to breathe. He ran to where Castin was calling for help, but it was too late.
Castin lay in the trench, blood flowing from the wounds that had torn her body, staining her uniform. Several dead bodies of ork Boyz and Gretchin lay around her.
"No, Castin," Hawk shook his head, his eyes a little wet.
Castin was a kind and understanding girl, able to get along with everyone, sunny, positive, courageous, and full of infinite loyalty to the Emperor.
She longed to fight for the Emperor and for the Lord of Ultramar, but she sacrificed herself in the first battle.
They had just agreed to go for a drink together.
Now, she had become a cold corpse.
"Quickly follow the Space Marines and launch a countercharge, soldier. Don't grieve for the dead. She has fulfilled her oath and mission."
The company commander's voice came.