Blood Red Steel by Damien Larkin

Author:Damien Larkin [Larkin, Damien]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Space Marine Science Fiction, colonization of mars, Military Science Fiction, Time Travel Science Fiction, Science fiction military adventure, Space war science fiction, Space warrior, Space Fleet Science Fiction
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press LLC
Published: 2023-10-03T04:00:00+00:00

LEVEL 1, FORWARD BASE ZULU

18:29 MST

DAY 2

Reichsführer Wagner stood by the gaping hole in the wall leading into the rubble-strewn Level 1 storage area. Across the wreckage of concrete and containers, he noted the bodies of the Wehrmacht killed in the earlier attacks. He could differentiate with ease. Most were intact, wearing whole, if not stained, uniforms. The new additions were something else entirely.

Shattered and burst carcasses dotted the macabre landscape, mostly broken apart from the fall. Each one bore the same handiwork, similar to their counterparts dangling from the chains above. Looking up, Wagner scanned the dozen or so corpses with chains around their lopsided necks, swaying where the ceiling used to stand. Every one of them oozed blood from the variety of wounds inflicted. He recognised the Star of David carved into the foreheads of every victim. After that, the injuries varied. For the most part, eyes, ears, noses, and digits had been hacked off, often tossed down afterwards like a hellish rainstorm.

The messages sliced into their flesh intrigued him more than anything. Words like “2ND BATT WAS HERE,” “HOLLOW JUSTICE,” and “MOF RUNS MARS.” Of them all, one seemed directed at him. Simply “WAGNER” carved into the chest of an unfortunate with a knife buried into the centre of his name. In all his time, Wagner had witnessed plenty of what could be termed brutality, but he had never seen it inflicted on his own people. The change in tactics fascinated him, not so much for its originality than its effectiveness. The Native Martian militia refused to fight.

He turned away from the scene and peered down the corridor where the wounded stretched out. For the third time in the past five minutes, Oberst Walu shouted and cajoled the latest batch of Red Blade militia fighters into advancing. Although he couldn’t speak the Native Martian dialect, he grasped a sense of the conversation from their tones and body language. Walu commanded them to continue the fight on Level 2, but these reinforcements were terrified. They took one look at the hanging bodies and flinched when another, a native, plummeted down, splattering across the ravaged concrete and contorted steel.

The new group pulled away, backstepping towards the corridor they’d come from while Walu waved, urging them on. He looked each one in the eye, spittle forming on his lips, and gestured again and again in the direction of the enemy. Upstairs, rapidly deteriorating Wehrmacht forces fought to hold back the MOF push, their only hope to stem the tide refusing to fight.

“Who is the ringleader?” Wagner said, approaching the band.

All backs straightened at his words, and Walu came to attention. “They are my soldiers, Herr Reichsführer. I accept full responsibility for their conduct.”

“At ease,” Wagner said and looked over the mob. “I’m not looking for someone to blame, Oberst. I want to know who the ringleader is so I can understand their concerns.”

Wide-eyed, Walu glanced over the reinforcements, lips trembling. The militia spoke fluent German, so there was no need to translate.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.