Baptized by Fire

Hello again guys. I haven't really been doing too well regarding my chaptered stories... Recently I just bought a lotta of tanks and formed another section of my army as an armored company under a female captain named Anna Boulanger. Here's a re-count of one of the first battles she participated in.

I wasn't sure whether or not to make this more than just a short story, so leave me any feedback if you guys want me to continue or anything.

So.. Here it is!

'Ranger


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Baptized by Fire


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Anna Boulanger, captain of the newly formed armored company of the 203rd Combined, pulled the gloves off of her hands as she sat on the turret of her Leman Russ battle tank. The snow had finally begun to slow to the point where she could see across the plain. Anna pulled out her magnoculars and scanned the arms depot the imperial rebels had recently captured. It was her objective to take it back by all means necessary.

The young officer had at her command thirty-six imperial tanks that were currently in waiting inside the forest several hundred meters away, the low rumble of their engines was concealed by the strong gusting winds.

The brand new '1st Armored of the 203rd' consisted of the regiment's best tanks: Fourteen main battle tanks, ten Vanquishers, six Demolishers, four Punishers, and two Macharius pattern Vanquisher heavy siege tanks.

It was late and the sun had already disappeared beneath the horizon and it was time for her to conduct the attack. Captain Boulanger pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and slipped down into the command cabin of her tank, Iron Whirlwind. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. All vehicles report in."

One by one each tank commander sounded out their call-signs.

"Remember." Anna said as she adjusted the sight on her periscope. "You are not to fire until I give the command."

A stream of 'Affirmatives' came through the vox-caster.

"Good." She looked down at her driver. "Vance, roll us out at combat speed."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The tank began to slowly move out of the tree line under the cover of darkness. The large imperial vehicle cut a swathe in the deep snow, followed by the thirty-five tanks that made up her company.

Several dark shapes loomed in the darkness, but they weren't quite the size of buildings. She could easily identify them as four Trojan support vehicles, the smaller and weaker cousin of the Leman Russ.

Yet she wasn't quite ready to open fire... Anna was going to wait just a bit longer.

The distance between her line of tanks and the rebels' preliminary defense line was growing smaller. She made sure that the vox-bead was securely pressed in place.

Now...

"Gunner! Target: Tank at twelve o'clock!"

"Identified!"

"Gunner! Open fire!"

"On the way!"

The tank shook vigorously as the cannon let out a sheet of flame. The middle Trojan exploded in a brilliant display of orange and red fire. The other three vehicles began to back up in surprise.

Soon her head-set was filled with vox-chatter from the other vehicles. Anna could distinctly make out the tank commander of the Vanquisher King Panther target the closest enemy vehicle. There was a distant rumble followed by an impressive hit on the rebel tank, but instead of exploding it came to a complete stop, a gigantic hole cut clear through the driver's carriage.

There was an orchestra of cannonade as all of the vehicles of the 1st Armored Company unleashed a blanket of lead at the military base.

Heavy cannon were soon followed by the steady tatter of heavy bolters and the occasional zap of a hull-mounted lascannon.

They had achieved complete surprise and the rebels were panicking.

A black and white painted Leman Russ battle tank rolled out of a nearby warehouse and turned its turret toward Anna's tank; but before it could fire, the Macharius Vanquisher Sturmtiger punched a snake eyes whole in the vehicles side with its deadly twin-linked vanquisher cannon.

Iron Whirlwind rolled over the smoking wreckage.

All was going as planned.

Anna smiled. These rebels have no idea how to wage war. They have no idea what our regiment if capable of, they don't know what she was capable. Or what the Emperor was capable.

She couldn't help but chuckle.

From the moment her tanks rolled out of that tree line, it was all over...