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(I wrote this in my spare time. I will continue it. I hope that by writing my armies fluff, It'll inspire me to paint more, and the painting will inspire me to write more and will lead a vicious spiral of creativity. From time to time, I'll post a link to a picture of a painted model, so uou can see some of the characters present in the story. So, without further ado:


The Valkyrie's engines coughed and spat large clouds of exhaust before choking and falling silent and still. The guardsman stood on top of the cockpit, between the two massive engines which normally would muscle the warbird through the planet's atmosphere. Disappointed, he drew his laspistol, flipped it, gripped the barrel in his hand, and struck the turbine with the butt of the pistol. Instantly, the turbine spun to life with a dull whine. He quickly slipped back into the cockpit, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to relax before sortie, unfortunately, a warm desert breeze kicked up a wave of sand from a nearby dune. He sucked in a lungful of sand and started coughing louder than his Valkyrie's engines. The bout of coughing stopped and the pilot came to. He looked over his shoulder at the encampment nestled between two sand large sand dunes. A few tents and tarps had been erected to give some reprieve from the three suns that beat down on this dry excuse for a planet. His passengers, a gaggle of heavy weapon teams from the local PDF, had finally finished disassembling and securing their lascannons for transport. They reluctantly turned, and started to hike over towards the pilot's Valkyrie.

"I need a gunnner!" The pilot yelled over the din of the Valk's twin turbines. The lead guardsmen stopped, nodded, and plucked the nearest soldier from a group sitting under the blissful shade of a tent. The recruit eagerly nodded, and hustled over to the Valk, stopping to the side of the empty cockpit.

“Private Peter Bennet reporting for duty, sir!” The PDF soldier snapped to attention and reported enthusiastically. The private’s limbs were thin, and his flak armor hung loosely over his chest. Bennet’s helmet started to slide forward, and the private caught it with a well-disguised salute.

“Get in.” The pilot simply replied, “I’m Technical Sargent Rayne Vos. You’ve never flown, I take it.”

“No Sir.” Bennet eagerly strapped himself into the front seat, “but I have to say sir I never dreamed of serving in the Imperial guard. I didn’t make the cut last time, and I thought I’d have to wait until next sweep. It’s an honor to get a taste of being the Emporer’s finest, even if—.”

“Hold on.” Vos cut him off. By this time, the heavy weapons squads had loaded themselves into the Valkyrie. Vos leaned out the cockpit and exchanged a thumbs-up with the sargent. All the troops were loaded and they were ready to take off. Vos increased the throttle and the Valk reluctantly lifted into the air, kicking up a large cloud of sand. The cockpit started to close.

“So what happened to your last—“ Bennet started to ask. The cockpit closed with a click and the private eyed the large auto-round hole that penetrated the dura-glass, “ah.”

Vos spoke up, “it won’t be like that today, kid. You’re lucky. It’ll be a milk run. We’ve found some of their supply lines near the mountians. We just need to go in, drop these heavy weapon teams off at key positions where they’ll meet up with our, that is my company’s, recon teams. Once in, they’ll be placed at key positions to disrupt and destroy enemy supply convoys.”

A moment of silence passed. The dunes silently passed under the Valkyrie’s hull.

After a while, private Bennet spoke up again, “You guys aren’t a normal regiment, are you?”

“What makes you say that?” Vox said, feigning surprise. Uh-oh. He thought.

“Well, first,” Bennet continued, “The response time was fast. The governor put out a distress call only two weeks ago.”

“We were in the neighborhood.”

“And this Valkyrie. The markings are Naval, old Naval. We did have an imperial patrol cruiser a few years back, and the markings look different.” The private was right,

“Different regiments have different marking patterns.”

“That’s not the point.” Bennet said, “ And I’ve never seen an autocannon mounted as a sponson like that. The point is Valkyries are from the Imperial Navy, and you guys didn’t come off an Imperial cruiser. You guys disembarked of that ugly Rouge trader ship.” It was true. The yellow “13” emblazoned on the top of the left wing was a naval identification marking, and an autocannon hung, mounted on its sponson, under the right wing.

“Well you’re a sharp one.” Vox dryly commented.

Bennet relentlessly pressed the verbal assault, “That isn’t reason enough alone for me to start asking questions, but the real thing that did it for me were the tactics. This ‘putting weapons to disrupt convoys’ and sneaking around thing isn’t taught in the Tactica Imperialis. The real guard wouldn’t have time for this nonsense. They’d have arty’d the secessionist foothold and be marching in the wreckage by now.”

Well frakk. The kid had it all figured out.

“You’re right.” Vos admitted, “This regiment operates on its own terms. We go in, reinforce a local PDF or guard regiment in exchange for bodies, bullets, and bandages, lift off, and ship out.”

“Mercenaries.” Bennet stated with a hint of contempt.

“The Ulyssian 521st.” Vos corrected, “and one more thing, how do you know about the Tactica?”

Bennet smiled, “It’s how I learned to read.”

The cockpit fell into silence. Their objective was coming up. Vos let the subject go and focused on his piloting. The Valkyrie soared through the clear blue sky.



(Yes, it's a bit of an exposition dump, but I tried to introduce the setting in a unique way that also developed some character. Feel free to tell me what you think, as positive comments help me write , and remember to sub if you enjoyed the read.)

Well I liked it, good build up and what seems to be a few interesting folks in your story. Good work

Imperial tactica?! what is dat- da emprah no none of this. Just kidding. Cool intro

“I don’t see them” Bennet said as the Valkyrie slowed to a hover over the LZ.

Vos chuckled, “Good. You shouldn’t. Gunny sergeant Leo knows what he’s doing. You keep an eye out for trouble and I’ll worry about the rendezvous.”

Bennet nodded. The LZ was located on top of a rocky plateau, with steep canyons flanking either side. The only thing visible were a few clumbs of dry desert brush and a tumbleweed that bounced merrily along before being blown off the plateau due to the Valk’s wing-mounted VTOL engines. Bennet tapped his fingers idly on the panel while Vos skillfully landed the Valkyrie.

“There he is.” Vos said, “12 o’ clock.”

Bennet looked, puzzled. The only thing in front of them was a couple of bushes and a rock. He squinted his eyes. One of the bushes parted, and the sand shifted slightly in front of it. For a moment, Bennet’s brain couldn’t put together what he was seeing. A eight-man squad simply appeared out of the rocky desert. A moment ago, they weren’t simply hiding in the desert. Their camouflage was so convincing Bennet’s mind struggled to cope with the fact that they were indeed there before he saw them. To his brain, the desert simply spawned the men, as if they were more desert than human. As if that wasn’t enough, a heavy bolter team swiveled to life, previously buried and obscured by sand. One large figure approached the Valkyrie, a white vest hung loosely over his bare chest. The man was large, easily six feet tall, and sported muscles that would rival an ork. All this emphasized the heavy bolter he wielded with ease, as if it was a lasgun. The man approached. Vos opened the cockpit just as the heavy bolter-wielding man started yelling over the engines.

“Alright nuggets!” The man yelled, “outta the gunship. I am gunnery sergeant Leo, but you laser-brains will refer to me Sir, Gunny, or the Emperor, because while we’re out here, I might as well be. If you stick with me and do what I say, you will live to see these three suns rise again.” The PDF teams hurriedly exited the Valkyrie. Leo continued, “Now, who wants to tell me what has to be defeated first.”

“The enemy, Sir!” An eager soldier piped up.

“Wrong!” Leo spat back, “It’s the environment. The desert. The dehydration will kill you. The freezing cold at night will kill you, and a prick from a small vulgaroon’s stinger will kill you faster than any lasgun shot. Now, nuggets, take off that flak armor. I don’t want the heat exhaustion killing you before the enemy does. Now, I want one team on overwatch above the canyon. The rest of you nuggets, follow me! ”
The teams moved to their posts, and Rayne used this opportunity to sit back, relax and—

“Vos, We’ve got contact.” Leo’s hushed voice came in over the vox.

For Feth’s sake.

“Three chimeras” Leo continued, “1 mark north of our position. Get the bird up.”
Vos dutifully started up the engines. Bennet strapped himself back in the gunner seat. Already Vos could hear the muffled screech of las-bolts firing from the cliff. Vos guided the Valk gracefully around, and bringing the guns to bear on the lead chimera before increasing throttle and rocketing over the canyon.

“We’re going to make a pass on their rear armor. You’re in charge of the multilaser, private. Aim it with stick there and just follow the tracers.”

“Right Sargent.” Bennet said nervously as he gripped the stick. Vos guided the Valk, lining up a shot while hovering just above the rim of the canyon. Bennet sized up the scene before him: Already the lascannon teams had immobilized the front chimera, and the enemy lasgunners were already running away from the vehicles and scrambling for the rocky cover. Bolter and lasgun fire streamed down from the plateau to little affect.

“For the Emperor.” Bennet whispered under his breath. He pulled the trigger.

The multilaser spat lines of ultraviolet at the enemy position below. The first burst struck high and right, missing the enemy entirely but causing solid granite wall alongside the cannon to splinter. Bennet grimaced and tried to correct his aim. He fired. This time the las struck left of the target, causing a few enemy troops to go to ground in an attempt to gain what little cover they could.

“You have to shoot at them!” Vos yelled at his gunner.

“I’m not the best shot, okay!?” Bennet yelled back.

The turret on the rear chimera rotated, and steadied the barrel of its deadly multilaser. The chimera fired, multiple beams of las seared through the air. One las-bolt flashed by the cockpit and glanced the left intake turbine.

“I just fixed that.” Vos said as his fingers quickly danced over the control panel, shutting down the left engine before the broken turbine tore itself apart, “I just fixed that!” He punched the throttle. The twin wing-mounted vertical engines flared, fighting the pull of the planet’s gravity and lifting the Valkyrie up and out of the chimera’s arc of fire.

“Are we okay?” Bennet asked, the panic apparent in his voice. A volley of lascanon fire ripped into the chimeras below. One exploded, sending a plume of flame upwards.

After double-checking his instruments, Vos replied, “Yeah, private, we’ll be okay.” The single engine strained to hold the warbird in the air, but held all the same. Vos took a moment to analyze the situation. Suddenly The thrust to the VTOL gave out, and the Valkyrie plummeted to the ground below. The solid canyon rock brutally tore off the old warbird’s wings before it erupted in a brilliant explosion.

The turret on the rear chimera rotated, and steadied the barrel of its deadly multilaser. The chimera fired, multiple beams of las seared through the air. Vos punched the throttle, jinking the heavy gunship out of the way. One las-bolt flashed by, passing through the space the left turbine occupied only moments ago. A volley of lascannon fire ripped into the chimeras below. One exploded, sending a plume of flame upwards. Vos steadied the craft.

Leo’s voice crackled in over the Vox, “ Vos, you see a storm up there?”

Vos smiled, they’d been through this plenty of time, “Nothing but desert and the dry blue sky.” He replied.

“Then it’s time you bring the rain.”

With a click of the switch Vos armed his Valk’s multiple rocket pods. He slid the Valkyrie into firing position and open fired. Clusters of rockets streaked out from under the wings, leaving many threads of smoke in their wake. The canyon walls shook as the barrage left a stream of fire in its wake. The final chimera erupted in a cloud of smoke. Vos increased altitude and looked at his handiwork.

A bright orange emblem formed in the flames, only visible from above. Its unnatural, wavering outline became apparent. It quickly flared, casting eerie shadows across canyon. Vos’s hand shook as he tried to keep the controls steady. He knew the kid in front of him couldn’t feel it, but to him it felt as if his nerves were being grated upwards along sandpaper. Vos winged the Valk over, intending to zoom back to base. Just as soon as the feeling started, it stopped, and the fire died to embers.

Vos clicked the Vox controls over to the command frequency, “Commander.”

“Yeah.” A rough voice replied.

“This planet may be in more trouble than we thought.”




(cool stuff, amiright!? Unedited as of now--I wanted to get this stuff up before class. I'll be busy for a while, but its a big update, so enjoy! )

Yes very cool stuff. And I like that pilot, seems like a man I could enjoy reading about

You killed the air plane here

After double-checking his instruments, Vos replied, “Yeah, private, we’ll be okay.” The single engine strained to hold the warbird in the air, but held all the same. Vos took a moment to analyze the situation. Suddenly The thrust to the VTOL gave out, and the Valkyrie plummeted to the ground below. The solid canyon rock brutally tore off the old warbird’s wings before it erupted in a brilliant explosion.

But later left it alive. Very Confusing. I like the story though. Seems fairly confusing from a PDF/ pilot view.

The fact that you're asking questions means you're paying attention (and hooked).

All will be revealed. . . in time! muhahahahaha!

No the fact i ask questions means i dont understand your story. Never said anything of hooked. I can stop reading any time and work on my own story.

Point: You used the word "feth" as an explitive. As far as I know, it's a swear specific to the Tanith units.Obiously words travel farther than men, but just pointing it out.

Pretty good story overall. I'm not the biggest fan of the action, it feels very game-ish, if you will. It's something I've encountered in my own writings; the story becomes too different from the battles.

Also, I think you've made an interesting choice with the "mercenaries" ideas. I hope you've got a solid concept as to how they stay disconnected from the Imperium as a whole. . . Honestly, every single one of these guys are traitos and would be executed on the spot. They're basically pirates, yes?

If you have good concepts for all of these things, the story will rock.