- Nico -

  It had been decades sinico st served as a team captaihe pse in time hadn't dulled his abilities. Unsurprisingly, Nico was entrusted with leading one of their Yeller units even within the first few weeks with the Dardanus.

  Nico's group was statio the Half Wall and tasked with defending this critical position. The structure, resembling an iron titan, seemed to cleave the p Olympus in two—it was the most important strategic point on the p the moment.

  Though the Yellers specialized in logistical missions, they had bee the wall due to a she of Bck Rangers and because it served as one of the most vital supply points for the front lines. Nico often found himself pag along the top of the massive barrier. It wasn't teically his duty, but he couldn't rex unless he was watg the vast tropical juhat stretched out before them. That dense forest was their greatest risk.

  Whehey attempted to ve and reduce the number of trees, the Orks would attack their teams. The enemy used the thick foliage as cover, ung sudden assaults against the wall. “There's no point in drafting another report; they'll just ig," Nico sighed, watg the trees that grew less than a meter from the wall's base.

  He had repeatedly expio both the Dardanus and the hat this ck of visibility was critical—a security issue that could jeopardize everything. Yet many tered that it was a waste of time, arguing that they had thermal visors and that the wall was nearly imperable.

  Nico couldn't vihem, and even he found it hard to doubt the might of the Half Wall. Built upon a foundation of reinforced crete and armored with yers of posite metals, the structure radiated an air of imperability. T gun turrets lis top—massive rail-mounted ons capable of firing rounds that could shatter an Ork caravan in seds. Along its length, trains transported additional artillery, supplies, and personnel, ensuring the wall's defenses were always at peak readiness.

  Marked with the Imperium's insignia, the wall was more than a defense meism—it was a decration of domihe stant hum of engines and the cttering of tracks echoed across the structure, creating a symphony of power.

  Nico recalled when he first arrived. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a wall like this—it was standard procedure for the NEA whehey were testing a p. However, the wall hadn't been nearly as imposing during the st Wave.

  As he desded from his ship for the first time, Nico watched the formidable structure before him. Soldiers patrolled the top of the wall, their silhouettes dwarfed by the enormous ons they operated. The massive artillery pieces loomed overhead, stark against the sky, embodying the sheer power of the fortification.

  Beh the surface, byrinthine corridors housed barracks, aers, and stockpiles of munitions, ensuring the wall was as formidable inside as it was out. Yet, despite the impressive defenses, a sense of apprehension lingered.

  Nico stopped recolleg the st few days when he heard the footsteps of another soldier approag. The man's attire was standard issue, simir to what the NEA used. However, the symbol of House Dardanus was embroidered on his uniform.

  "Sir. The other captains have already arrived; they're gathering in room B3. They asked me to inform you," the soldier said, snapping a crisp salute.

  Niodded. "Thank you," he replied, keeping his expressioral.

  ‘Dammit, they sent a soldier just for that,’ Nico thought, trying to ceal his irritation. Unfortunately, not all the other captains were pleased with his sudden rise through the ranks of the Great House. Messages that could have been simple s were delivered in person, deliberately wasting his time.

  He quickly removed his helmet, wiping the sweat from his forehead and neck. Even above the forest opy, the oppressive heat and humidity g to everything like a damp shroud.

  As soon as Nico finished fastening the Dardanus helmet bato his head, the enormous wall beh him began to tremble—so much so that even the soldiers aced to the fortification took notice. A deep rumble resohrough the structure, uling the air and drawing wary gnces upward.

  There was no need for a lengthy iigation. The moment Nico looked to the sky, he saw dozens of Ork ships approag, their jagged silhouettes cutting through the clouds. They unleashed a barrage of missiles and ser fire upon the fortification. Though hundreds of projectiles streaked toward them, the majority were deflected by the shimmering energy field enveloping the wall. Still, a few found their mark, striking the base and sending shockwaves rippling through the massive wall.

  "To the ons!" Nico shouted to the soldiers around him. "Attack from the south—ships ining!"

  The entire base erupted in a symphony of arms. Kxons bred, and crimson lights fshed along the corridors. Soldiers sprang into a, asding via elevators to take their positions at the thousands of turrets embedded at every wall level. The hum of maery and the ctter of boots against metal filled the air as the defensive behemoth awakened.

  Grabbing his unicator, Nico reyed the situation. "We're utack! Dozens of enemy ships are firing on the fortification!"

  Static crackled before another captain's voice responded with dismissive calm. "No problem. They often attack just to test our defenses. We're still waiting for you."

  Another explosion, more forceful tha, rocked the wall. Gng toward the forest, Nico saw trees sway violently before crashing to the ground. From the shadows of the colpsing opy emerged the dreaded Ork war maes.

  Hundreds of Grinder Beasts surged forward—a brutal bination of iy and chaos. Built on the chassis of a tipede-like struct, these tanks crawled over the terrain with uling agility, their segmented, armored legs smashing through obstacles with the force of a stampede. Each limb ended in an enormous cendage, capable of ripping apart fortifications or tearing through enemy vehicles like paper.

  The bodies of the Grinder Beasts were patchworks of salvaged armor ptes, scorched metal, and glowing red energy duits that pulsed like veins through their hulking frames. The cockpits, perched atop the monstrosities, bristled with antennas, scopes, and crude lyphs etched into the pting. Main turrets—absurdly oversized ons—domihe structs' tops, spewing shells rge enough to obliterate entire squads in a single shot. Smaller gun empts jutted from their sides, allowing uo unleash a relentless storm of firepower in every dire.

  A fresh salvo of enemy fire hammered the wall, testing its defenses anew.

  "cel that fug meeting!" Nico barked into the unicator, his voice edged with urgend authority. "This is not a scouting attack. We have Grinder Beasts on the ground. Any captain not at his post in the hree minutes sider himself no longer this base!"

  Nice didn't actually have the power to dismiss other captains, but they didn't know that. After his rapid rise within the House, it was entirely possible he had some leverage—an ace up his sleeve they weren't aware of.

  "ons ready!" one of the officers near Nico reported. "Should we focus on the ships or the Beasts?"

  Making a swift decision, Nianded, "Target the ground—elimihose Grinder Beasts!"

  The ships were powerful but highly agile, capable of evading their fire. The Grinder Beasts, however, were a tangible threat advang relentlessly toward the wall's foundations. By fog their firepower on the ground, they could swiftly ralize the tanks and prevent a catastrophic breach. Moreover, destroying the Beasts would help clear the battlefield, expanding their line of sight.

  As the orders echoed through the ranks, the wall's artillery roared to life. ons discharged in unison, sending explosive shells raining down upon the advang horde. The groued in plumes of fire and smoke as the first line of Grinder Beasts exploded uhe assault. The air was thick with the stench of burnial and the deafening cacophony of warfare.

  The explosion had finally cleared a signifit portion of the forest that y before them. Trees toppled and fmes licked at the remains, casting an eerie glow over the battlefield. However, the newfound visibility did nothing to ease Nico's apprehension. Hidden behind the wreckage of the Grinder Beasts, another horde was advang.

  Emerging from the shadows were fourteen colossal monstrosities, dragging themselves across the scorched earth—aberrations fed from a gruesome fusion of blood, entrails, aal. Their hulking forms oozed malice, meical limbs entwined with anic matter in a horrifying blend of flesh and maery.

  "Fug Hell," Niuttered under his breath, feeling his heart pound as he beheld the Titans marg toward the Half Wall. Each step they took sent tremors through the ground, the very earth recoiling at their presence.

  Grabbing his unicator, he switched to an open el eg all Houses and the NEA. His voice was steady but ced with urgency as he issued the highest-level alert. "Fourteen Titans are advang toward the Half Wall. Maximum support is requested. Satellite strikes and Meeeded immediately!"

  He then toggled to the internal el, addressing his own forces. "Fourteen Titans inbound. Hold your positions and brace yourselves. Good luck to us all."

  GCLopes