Exterminatus

by Imperaxum

Before the Descent Into Hell

Entry No. 1
My name is Private Hei Ed-Song of the - wait, it's not - I don't have an eraser on this thing, bought it for a whole ticket of scrip - my name is Hei Ed-Song, private is my rank.

My name is Hei Ed-Song. I am a private in the auxiliary rifle company of the Saggart 14th. I have procured a notebook and a small charcoal stick, having decided to take notes of my service in the Edek Auxiliaries of the Saggart Infantry of the Emperor's glorious Imperial Guard.

I do not believe additional entries will be quick to follow. Colonel Diefenbaker is an exacting man and pays special attention to the conduct of the auxiliary units. We are currently on the troop transport Daughter of Boetia and the hum of the engines is pervasive. More drills will be conducted on the fifteenth deck in a short while.

Diefenbaker- the Colonel, Colonel Diefenbaker is a rigorous man, but Sergeant Mencken is alright. He's served in combat before, rebels in my province, actually, but pleasantly, he doesn't hold it against me or any of my fellow auxiliaries. Our province rebelled but all the Edek soldiers in the 14th were from loyal areas. Sergeant Mencken is running card games in the barrack rooms, I imagine most of my free time will be spent there. Daily life in the auxiliary company is not interesting at all. I will recount any major events, though.

Entry No. 2
I've been thinking about it a long time, listening to my comrades reminisce about home - thinking that I'm very glad that I really have no ties to draw my thoughts back to Od-noen Saggart, our planet's name is Saggart and its dominate people are the Saggarts. I have no wife, my father is peacefully passed and my mother will not long follow. Sister is distant, but well employed. Well, hah, Mei is very very distant right now.

I'm just glad I don't have much of a reason to miss home.

Entry No.3
We have arrived at the staging area for the entire Battlefleet Lorat, the fortress-planet of Mydon-III. There are no windows, but the warp engine has quieted. All the officers have disappeared for some kind of briefing.

Addendum
We are not going to Mydon-III. Rumor has it that the warfront that had been the reason for the 14th being raised has actually been won by the Imperium. We are to be landing on Mydon II, an industrial world. Also, our passage through space has actually sent the Daughter of Boetia one-hundred and thirty standard Terran years into the future. Everyone we left behind is dead, which has caused great anguish in the ranks. The Saggarts of the regiment are more hard-hit, their families are tight and their societies intact. Us Edeks have been occupied for centuries and while my family had it better than most, shocking loss is not so unfamiliar to us. I feel absolutely no joy in the Saggarts' suffering, though. The corridors echo with the crack of lasfire, many are joining their families by the barrel of the gun.

Addendum No.1
Colonel Diefenbaker was one of the ones who shot himself. No one knows what will be next for us. Edeks are alright, like I said, mostly. The Saggarts look like ghosts.

Addendum N
Entry No.3
No more addendums, it has been three months. We are on Mydon II and are occupying an understaffed PDF fort in the middle-hive of Hive 34. I am in awe of this city. Port Eng-Sol was the largest settlement of my life back on Saggart, and I cannot begin to describe how many that was in comparison to this hive. It is infinite in size, it would take a thousand lifetimes to see any fraction of this great city.

Entry No.4
The remains of the 14th have been dispatched to Hive 21, there has been some kind of disturbance in the lower hive. I am writing this from the 'grav-train' we are taking, it is extremely fast and the trains going in the opposite direction are visibly damaged.

Entry No.5
By the traditions of Saggart, we have added the first battle laurel to the flag of the 14th. We aided the PDF in putting down a fanatic rebellion. Losses were not extremely heavy, but I do not know what our regiment's future is with so very few men left from all that has happened. Out of 10,000 we hardly have 4-5,000 left.

I killed a man down in those suffocating metal tunnels. He came at me with a curved knife and in bright robes, and what he was yelling hurt my head to listen to. I shot him through the chest with my lasgun.

Entry No. 6
I was on leave in the lower levels of 34 (it really feels like home now) and I met this girl a ways down a dusty alley. She is named Judith and she is the receptionist to a small insurance firm. She was very bored, she talked happily for hours. I have not spoken at length with a native of Mydon II and they are bright, earnest people underneath their shells. At least Judith is. I am writing this from a rented hab-room on her level.

Addendum
I am sitting again in this rented hab-block. I must go back to the lift and make my way up to the garrison shortly, but we have another meal that we plan to share in less than an hour.

Also, my comrades and I are back in Hive 34, I forgot to mention that. The 14th Regiment does not exist anymore, we have been incorporated into the recently-arrived Saggart 287th. Apparently Imperial Guard tithes have really taken off back home in the century that we were in transit.

Judith is the most wonderful woman I have ever met. I pray to the Emperor that this can somehow work.
Entry No. 7
We have marching orders. I have paid a man half my hive scrip to deliver the news and a written message to Judith.

Entry No. 8
The 287th has been bloodied in the Ork raid on Kastal-Voda. We were hurriedly loaded to our transports about a year ago and were rushed to the nearby star system, and the travel was flawless this time. The volleys I was a part of killed many Orks, and by the grace of the Emperor, I was not hurt. I cannot remember many details. Combat is a mix of numbing tedium and intense, terrifying excitement and noise and sound. The xenos died beneath us.

Entry No. 9
By virtue of 'service with merit', and probably survival, I have been promoted to Senior Auxiliary Corporal. Saggart and Edek privates are the same, but the NCOs have different branches. Obviously the Saggarts are more privileged and have authority over me, but SaC Hei Ed-Song has a good ring to it. Judith can make a song out of it.

Entry No. 10
I remember this exists. We have served on garrison duty for over half a year and I am now married. The Saggarts of the original 287th, over a century our juniors, cannot understand the morose fatalism of the Saggarts of the old 14th. In turn the 14th men still have a difficult time sympathizing with the homesick petty worries of the original 287th men. They worked together just fine in combat, but garrison duty frays nerves. I am in a world of happiness quite apart from all those fellows.

Entry No. 11
We have marching orders. Rebellions have struck in many places, astropathic channels are silent. Everyone I see of any rank is incredibly tense. I have said my due goodbyes to Judith. If I survive this, I hope to settle down with my wife on Mydon II permanently. We are going to a place called Lorn III. Thank the Emperor that Mydon has been largely spared this unrest.

Entry No. 12
We are above the planet. I found a window, the surface is ugly. It is populated hives, but more than even Mydon II, and they are burning. Black splotches cover the wastes and some say those are the rebellious hordes.

Entry No. 13
We are going to drop now. I am SaC Hei Ed-Song of auxiliary rifle company no. 2 of the Saggart 287th Infantry. If I do not retrieve this and you find this, please send it to Hive 34 of Mydon II, reception desk of Irte and Sons Insurance Co. on level 465 precinct 3 address 38-288-49. Emperor bless you all.

Author's Note:

I've been rather inspired, lately. Note that Hei is not a major character in anyway way, he's not even a side character. Just an expansion of the circumstances that Thess and Barley find themselves in.

Comments

[Schroedingers_Katze]

I rather like fluff like this. Makes the grim darkness of the year 40.000 a bit more relateable. Plus it´s very nice to see actual "human" beings, amongst all the star elves, murderous mushrooms, high tech undead and whatnot.^^

[Neacroon]

7713327 Plausible reason indeed :P