Chapter 10 - 10

Commissar Yarrick POV

Commissar Yarrick frowned as he looked down at the holotable in front of him taking in the new information constantly being updated from the hive defense's augur arrays. The roar of several explosive detonations could be heard in the distance as another wave of Orks were being annihilated by the thousands of entrenched artillery platforms all across the outer edges of the hive. The holotable rapidly switched from various engaged fronts showing unending tides of hundreds of thousands of screaming greenskin brutes supported by hundreds of looted trucks, tanks, and walkers charging the lines of defenses set up outside the hive proper.

The hive was defended by its own walls armed to the teeth with many brave guardsmen ready to do their duty and die for the Emperor supported by the thousands of heavy weapon and artillery positions. In addition to that were a series of trenches protected by a minefield and tanks all positioned according to how Commissar Yarrick predicted the Orks would attack based on what they saw of his defenses. He intended to take advantage of their psychological need to always head towards the toughest fight and purposely made a single point easily attack-able and very heavily defended. The screams of dozens of fury interceptors and marauder bombers flying through the air pierced through the din of the war going on beneath them. They in turn were engaged by hundreds of crude Ork fighters and bombers made from a assortment of rusted junks and scraps bashed together into a shape of a plane. Most of them should not have been able to get into the air let alone stay in one piece, but the impossibility was made possible somehow by the Orks.

Commissar Yarrick gave a constant stream of orders to the forces at the front in response to the ever changing field of battle as some fronts held, others broke, and others retaken. To his satisfaction more of the latter and former, and less of middle was the order of battle for today. A mystery to him till the latest high altitude high risk scouting mission pilots returned from their mission and gave him new information of the surrounding area and more information came from the other surviving hives.

The Orks were on the move. Everywhere. Not towards one of the hives, but away from them, towards the Plains of Anthrand, south of the Hive Death Mire. Entire tribes were seen diverting from their original destination and in some cases literally turning completely around in order to travel in that direction.

Something was drawing the Orks.

Something in a area where no Human construction or presence was officially reported.

What was more important, more defended, and more importantly, more deadly than entire armed hives guarded by hundreds of regiments full of guardsman with artillery, tank support, and air support.

What in the Emperor's Holy Balls was killing the Orks better than them?