Chapter 4: Holding the line

Pip and Tungsten could only stare at this realization. They were about to be thrown into a war. How likely would they be to survive this?

Would they ever see home again?

The governor seemed to notice their concern, kneeling to them. "Don't worry; you will be safe. Heidrum has bunkers in case of an attack." His expression was sympathy with a weak smile, odd for them. Then he turned to Oscar. "Your family better gets home now."

"Yes, sir." He nodded; his wife led the children outside, their visitors following quietly, yet still trembled slightly. "Shh, calm down," Zoe Spoke in a mothering tone to them with her daughters hugged the colts, who appreciated it.

"It's okay to be scared. We'll get through this, I know it."

"How can you be so sure?" Her younger guest asked, unsureness in his eyes.

"Because, the Tau don't target civilians, it would be against their belief of the Greater Good." Slowly, the colts realized she had a point, and it made sense. If the Tau's goal were to help the rest of the galaxy find their way to peace and prosperity, they would not target unarmed civilians.

Finkle considered his options in the conference room with Oscar and his Space Marine guests. "We probably have only hours to prepare, maybe a day or two until Tau forces arrive. It would be best if you call for reinforcements, Uwe." The Tech Marine nodded in response as Oscar gave a tactical suggestion.

"Considering the Tau's advantage is range but disdain up-close fighting and are unskilled in hand-to-hand combat, I'd suggest we focus our defenses in locations that force the Tau into close range. That way, we can also preserve our limited forces."

"Good thinking, I knew I can count on you." Finkle praised him.

Tungsten and Pip spent their time playing with the sisters, unable to tell how much time passed as suddenly; there was a metal clash and two young cries outside, sounding oddly familiar. "Ouch!"

"No way…" Pip mumbled and looked through the window with his friend. They saw a grey earth pony colt, his yellow eyes darting around in confusion. Next to him was a human girl in a white t-shirt and orange skirt, her blue eyes sharing the colt's reaction, yet in comparison to the colt's brown mane, her hair was yellow and orange striped. “Katja and Blau Streifen?” Tungsten blinked in confusion, and they walked to the door to meet their friends. As expected, the two looked at the colts in confusion.

"Pip, Tungsten? What are you doing here? Where are we?" Blau asked, shaken.

"Its…a long story. You better come inside." The pinto colt gestured to their hosts' house. Just Oscar came back as well, a look of surprise at the newcomers. "Who are you?"

"Some friends of ours." Pip took the word to explain how they had met the other children, that they had landed on earth just like Dinky, and by staying together, they had found a way home, also becoming friends.

It fascinated the family, who tried to explain the universe they had landed in, causing both to shiver briefly, only to be hugged by their friends. "It's alright; you got through it before, and you can do it again." Tungsten gave a weak smile. "How did you land here? Us, it was a strange storm.

Just then, Zoe made some time for the siblings, and they took it gladly as Katja started to explain. "We were trying to comfort Dinky after hearing the news before also such an odd storm occurred as we did a walk and…it sucked us in." She was still a bit shocked.

"Odd…" Oscar mumbled, "Warp storms rarely occur twice in the same place. But be assured, young ones, you're in good hands." Both siblings smiled weakly in response.

"But are you sure this won't be a problem for the governor? Pip expressed doubt, sounding worried.

"With the threat of the Tau, this will be a minor thing now." The veteran assumed.

Despite this, the day went relatively quiet, all having dinner, with the 2 Trottingham colts deciding for the bed. "Katja, Blau, you can have the bed, we'll take the sleeping bags."

"Alright Pip, goodnight." Blau's sister took her socks off and got comfortable with her brother, falling asleep fast.

They could not tell how much they slept until they woke up in a Meadow, seeing their home in the distance, smiling at the sight. In joy, they galloped toward it as fast as they could, happy to see their family again.

But as they got closer, a sharp smell entered their noses; only now they saw darkness swallow everything till it surrounded them.

Every building once known to Sunny Town looked like it had been in disrepair for decades, near the edge of collapse, but no resident in sight anywhere. The children's unease and anxiety rose, and their hearts beat inside their chests.

Oddly enough, their home seemed intact, the front door slightly open. A cold chill was in the air as they opened it and went in. "Mom? Dad?" Blau called out, but there was no response.

Dread lingered in the air as they looked around every room quietly, but it was empty. Then suddenly… "Mama!" Blau exclaimed in shock, and Katja turned to see him looking at the fireplace.

"N-no…It can't be…" She mumbled in shock to see a burnt, charred skeleton in it. Something told them this was their mother, but they could not imagine what caused it nor who would do such a thing.

A terrible groan greeted her, forcing them to jump at the sight of movement from outside. Several bodies rose from the ground, their coats near flesh…rotted away. All their eyes were completely red, with patches of black and grey coats, with their muscles, veins, and bones exposed or with missing limbs.

"W-What? E-everything but that…" Blau whimpered in fear.

"You…." A female voice rang behind them, demonic and distorted, followed by a cracking sound.

Trembling, their eyes went small to see the charred skeleton standing up, its eye sockets glowing red.

"You did this to me…" They hugged each other as their mother spoke to them.

"You cursed us all…." Another familiar voice sounded in their ears, and they saw a large crowd of dead ponies in front of the house, realizing who that voice belonged.

"N-Nana?"

Fear was in their voice, with ponies looking identical, yet he swears one of them was staring at him and his sister from the crowd.

"You have doomed us…"

A male voice added, followed by heavy steps as a human stepped from the crowd of ponies. Their eyes had the same red glow with their bodies rotted, exposing their bones, muscles, and organs. He raised his hand and pointed the finger at them.

“D-dad…p-please…” Katja whimpered before the door and windows were shattered, the crowd slowly surrounding them.

"You did this...

"N-no…" Blau hugged his sister tightly as it echoed in his ears.

"You did this…!"

"W-what…did you mean!?" His sister pleaded, but they just repeated the exact words.

"You did this…!"

Gasping, both siblings shot up, breathing heavily, looking around.

They sighed. It had just been all a dream.

"Are you alright?" Pip asked, concerned with Tungsten and his fellow pony took a deep breath.

"Just…a bad dream."

Nodding, their friends went back to sleep, with the siblings taking another deep breath as they tried to rest again, hearing a faint voice.

"Don't be afraid….

In the morning, the sun invaded through the window, making them stir in their sleep, slowly waking up.

"Good morning." Pip greeted the siblings with a weak smile before going into the kitchen for breakfast.

The four friends enjoyed oatmeal meals as their first meal of the day, then brushed their teeth and played cards to pass the time.

As Lunch time came, Zoe made chipped potatoes, and everyone enjoyed their warm meal until a siren sounded outside.

"Attention Citizens of Heidrum: Xeno attack imminent." A female PA voice warned. "All residents report to the planetary bomb shelters without delay. Display identity badges at all times. Report any and all xeno sightings without delay- Remember: The faithful shall have the Emperor's protection as he watches over us all, The Emperor Protects."

"No time to waste." Oscar calmly said, and his family nodded with the guests, making their way to the nearest bunker, seeing other civilians seeking shelter as they ran through the streets.

The sounds of explosions startled the children, seeing anti-air fire explode in the sky, with Tau transports attempting to land and avoiding the incoming barrage.

"Watch out!" Someone yelled, and their eyes widened at seeing a burning transport ship diving down, spinning out of control like a flaming meteor, and heading right toward them. Out of instinct, Oscar pushed his guests out of the way, barely diving away himself.

"T-thanks…" Pip stuttered from the adrenaline as a loud explosion followed. The transport ship crashed in the middle of the street, blocking the way in a pile of burning rubble.

"Daddy, are you alright?" Lara called out, worried from the other side. "I am fine, my dear. Zoe, get our kids to the shelter, I find another way for our guests!" He called back.

"Will do, stay safe!"

"Damn, that was the only way; come on follow me!" His guests wasted no time to do so, with Pip and Tungsten seeing Kyle and Jan joining, having panic and fear on their faces.

It was not long until they came to what seemed to be a bunker on an elevated position with barbed wire and sandbags fortifying it all around, with several guards posted around wearing dark green body armor carrying what looked to be futuristic assault rifles in the same color with a winged skull on the side. A surprised look on their faces to see kids.

"Good, you made it." Finkle walked out of the bunker. He wore gold body armor, a dark green cape, and a holstered pistol. Noticeably, he had retractable claws on both gauntlets and a weapon-like box on the right. For Tungsten and Pip, it looked similar to the armor one of the officers in the royal guard used by Colonel Peregrine.

"And who are these you've brought here?" Finkle eyed the siblings with surprise, Oscar did a quick explanation with the two colts, and he nodded.

"I see; welcome to Heidrum, I wish it would be under more pleasant circumstances. But worry not, Kyle, I'll do my best to keep you and your mother alive."

He assured both with a weak smile as they trembled slightly, "I hate it, but you best gear up for your own protection. And don't worry, you two, I can get some for yourselves." He pointed to the armory where the soldier's gear was kept, together with the armor for the colts.

It fit perfectly, having a hostler with a pistol, much to their surprise. A fellow PDF soldier quickly took the measurements of the siblings down.

"Why did you give us pistols?" Tungsten asked the governor with concern; he gave a weak smile in return.

"Just for self-defense, better safe than sorry." In a few minutes, one of the soldiers gave the siblings their gear as well; as they put it on, seeing Oscar, Jan, and Kyle walking out of the armory, geared up as well.

"As a veteran, should you not wear some…better equipment?" Blau dared to ask, and Oscar just shrugged.

"What can I say, Flak armor is relatively lightweight, cheap to produce, and dependable in most combat situations, so I like to stay with it, given its cheap and lightweight yet reliable. Same with the Lasgun, really. While the guard's standard infantry weapon, its solid and rugged, remains reliable and precise in almost any environment, and requires very little maintenance. In addition, its power pack can be recharged by exposure to sunlight or by being put into a camp fire for a few minutes, ensuring that the weapon almost never runs out of ammunition, even on prolonged operations or in situations where resupply is unlikely. Same with the Laspistol."

"I see. Where can we help?"

"For starters, we should carry some supplies to our other defensive positions." Millan chuckled, "I like our ingenuity; a massive tunnel network runs between most Imperial Guard structures, allowing troops to quickly redeploy without exposing themselves to enemy fire. That way, we reach any position easily."

And so, the kids grabbed ammo and other supplies as they faintly heard Finkle talking to Jan. "You should not be directly at the front, I think you're best as Medic…"

The tunnels were similar to a mine, with light bulbs being the only source of light held together by support beams. It was not a long way until they reached another entrance to another bunker. It was located at a street corner, offering a chokepoint in defense.

The bunker's armament had what looked like two heavy-mounted weapons. One looked like the classic auto-gun on a tripod with a shield to protect the gunner. Yet the other was puzzling for the children.

Also featuring a shield but a long barrel, its top was open to allow a clip of large ammunition rounds.

"Those are the heavy bolter and Autocannon, the former is our standard heavy infantry weapon. The latter…well…” Oscar paused and closed his eyes, looking for the right word, "An ancient weapon, yet still more than capable of eliminating heavily armored infantry or light vehicles than the Bolter can, thus versatile."

"Contact Contact!" A guardsman yelled in alert and fired his weapon.

Quickly going behind sandbags for cover, peeking carefully over, the kids saw a squad of five soldiers that had a bizarre appearance.

They were dressed in white armor with a red visor with a red strip on the tap, their rifles looking very bulky and long; almost unimaginable for the kids how the soldiers could carry them, let alone fire.

Before they could escape, the bolter team open-fired on them, and they watched the enemies be ripped apart by bolt fire in a matter of seconds, screaming as dark blue blood splattered against the walls and floor.

"A Pathfinder Team, scouts of the Tau forces. Their main force must be close behind." Oscar suspected, and he spotted several shadows around the corner.

"Mow 'em down! Eat plasma fire!" A voice yelled as several squads of Tau soldiers in yellow uniforms came into sight, opening fire; their human adversaries returned it.

A volley of red lasers and blue volts of plasma were exchanged between both sides, with the children hoping their cover would hold as a Tau Soldier yelled, "Keep firing! Keep firing!"

"That's it, just run into our guns!" There was a wicked sense of satisfaction on the heavy bolt gunner as he mowed them down before he added, "Keep that ammo coming!"

While disliking it, Pip looked at his friends, and they nodded, knowing it may be crucial to their survival. Quickly getting up, they grabbed bolter ammunition while the siblings carried ammo from the Autocannon to the weapons teams. The latter's assistant lifted a new clip and placed it into the open top as the precious clip vanished into the gun with each shot, quickly running it dry.

It seemed like hours until one of the Tau yelled, "Fall back, now!" causing the kids to sigh in relief.

"I know it was a good idea to use choke points, we rob the Firewarriors of their range advantage." Oscar commented in slight relief as he saw Kyle and Jan joining them.

Worry was in her eyes as she asked, "Are you children hurt?"

"No, we're fine." Tungsten replied, despite feeling his heart racing from the adrenaline before hearing a groan. To his surprise, the defenders had no casualties, just a few minor wounded. Together, the two helped Jan to patch them up with bandages, receiving slight smiles in return.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a crack as the bolter gunner was thrown back, his chest blackened with a large hole in it.

Using his experience, Oscar scanned the area and saw a faint flicking, firing a few shots from his Lasgun at it. With a scream, three Tau soldiers in small, red uniforms became visible, falling dead to the ground.

"Stealth team down, keep your eyes peeled!" He announced his kill before a terrifying wail made the kids flinch.

Over the street, wall jumped what they could only describe as humanoid birds at first glance.

Bird-like beaks and long quills protruded from their heads like hair, with smaller quills scattered over their bodies around half a meter taller than the humans, with their mouths featuring sharp teeth; Those creatures looked dangerous and savage, ready for a fight.

"Kroot Carnivores! Shoot them down, don't let them get too close!" The veteran warned as he manned the bolter and mowed them down, as a handful managed to get close by leaping into the defenses.

Seeing one coming towards him, Oscar quickly raised his bayonet, stabbing it in its chest as it groaned, dying from a stab in its heart.

While inexperienced and scared, Kyle quickly ducked to avoid a strike and stabbed his attacker in the throat, taking him out. His mother did the same.

They all know they could not allow the Kroot to get near the children, huddled behind a piece of cover, trying to stay brave.

Despite the defender's best efforts, one Kroot passed them, eying the children with a sinister smile. Yet Pip, quick to think using his small size, charged forward, dodging a strike with ease and slipping between its legs before kicking its left leg, causing it to kneel and let out a cry of pain. Tungsten and Blau used this to deal a strike to its chest, with Katja following a strike of her own, knocking the enemy back.

Then suddenly, a laser hit it from behind, falling dead on the floor; they saw Oscar had fired his sidearm. "You okay?" He said, concerned, but they nodded as they breathed heavily. His mouth opened but was cut off by another wail. This time, quadrupedal, canine-like Kroot charged toward the defenders, who opened fire, managing to kill most.

Tungsten screamed as one of them managed to leap at him, struggling with all his might to prevent it from biting his throat. "Get it off me! Get it off! Get it off!"

Blau quickly kicked it off him, allowing his sister and Pip to shoot it with their pistols, throwing the Alien back with every hit until it fell lifeless towards the ground.

His heart was pounding against his chest, with Tungsten breathing heavily as his younger friend checked him with worry. "You're okay?"

"I am f-fine…"

"They retreating!" One of the defenders exclaimed in relief, with Oscar gently putting a hand on the older colt's shoulder.

"It's okay, deep breath." His expression was one of sympathy. "You were not meant to be here after all." Slowly, Pip's friend calmed down, giving a weak nod before the bunker's radio buzzed.

"This is bunker 7; we need supplies, over."

"Copy that, sending some over." Oscar replied, then turned towards Jan and Kyle. "Can you and the kids take care of it?"

"Of course," Kyle replied; his mother nodded with the children, grabbing some bolter ammo and medical supplies.

It was not a long way to the next bunker, manned by a bolter and large mounted gun, somewhat rounded, connected to what looked like a generator.

Just as they got in, there was the sound of battle, and they saw a group of Tau soldiers in bulky suits with large cannons mounted on the back. One of them fired, a blue beam missing the bunker barely as the kids instinctively ducked.

Then an explosion followed by a scream, causing the children to look up. In a puddle of their blood, the Tau soldiers were lying on the ground; the regular ones sought cover behind a wall.

A Tank of the PDF suppressed them; its design took the kids by surprise. A massive turret topped it like any typical tank but with side-mounted heavy bolters, similar to the tanks from the First World War on earth.

"Get on that Multi-Laser!" A voice ordered on the radio, with the kids saw an APC with a small three-barreled turret joined, firing a rapid laser at the enemy infantry to support the tank, forcing them to fall back.

As they did so, there was a whistle, and the youngsters barely made out a barrage of missiles flying past the corner and hitting both vehicles. Their damages weren't significant, leaving with smoking engines but still operational, backing up.

Their reason became clear to the young friends as they saw a large shadow coming closer. It was a Tau vehicle hovering over the ground. Rather slick in design, it was held in the air by two rectangular engines on its side, its weapon placed on top, a missile launcher as it aimed at the bunker, causing the kids to scream.

Yet Kyle was quick on the draw, operating the rounded gun and aiming at the vehicle before firing at it. A large laser from the mounted weapon hit successfully, and the Tau vehicle exploded, firing misses uncontrollably.

"Direct hit, Nice shot boy!" One of the defenders praised him, "One Skyray Missile Gunship less to worry, over. How are the Leman Russ and Chimera holding up?"

"We require repairs here." The tank commander replied, "Where are those damn Techpriests?"

"I will ease the machine's pain; it will take only a moment." A new voice added, sounding slightly distorted as if cybernetic, and a hooded man stepped into view. He carried a large gear-shaped axe and wore a breathing mask over his mouth. A mechanic arm with a drill extended from his back, and he began repairing both vehicles, seeing it only took him a few minutes to fix, replacing and patching up the damages making a sight of amazement for the kids.

"Thanks for the supplies, but for now, you best get them kids back to safety." The same PDF soldier suggested to the son and mother.

"I was thinking the same." Jan added with worry for the children, returning to the tunnels again.

"Who was that man?" Katja could only ask in awe.

"That was a Adeptus Mechanicus Techpriest, the greatest field engineers and maintenance specialists of the Imperial guard. The Leman Russ is our main battle tank, a simple design with the versatility and relative ease of construction. The other vehicle you saw was a Chimera, the ubiquitous transport vehicle of the Imperial Guard." Kyle explained to them.

"A good thing for that Las-cannon, or that might have been it for us…" He added in relief.

He greeted them at Finkle's command center with a weak smile. "You all did well, get some rest; you earned it."

They nodded; Tungsten and Pip shared a bunk, and the siblings fell asleep fast.

"They are petty brave for their age, their parents can be proud." Jan commented with a smile, with her son and governor nodding in agreement.

"Indeed, the reports I received from the bunkers sounded very impressive. The Emperor surely watches over them.” Finkle replied.

The days passed, with the children helping to carry supplies where they were needed, feeling it was the least they could do. Fortunate for them, fighting was reduced to little action, as the defenses held, but they lacked the resources to go on the offensive, both sides stuck in trench warfare, apart from occasional mortar strikes.

It was around a week when Jan made the children something to eat, which they gladly took as Oscar came to check on them. "Hey there kids, how you holding up?" His eyes had a tired expression and sweat and dirt on his face, but he managed to smile.

"We are okay. You look like you need some rest though Oscar." Tungsten replied with caring in his voice.

While appreciating it, Oscar shook his head. "I have to fight on. For Heidrum, for my family, and you."

"And you do a great service Oscar, may the Emperor protect you." Finkle sounded proud as he walked in, yet had a slight expression of regret. "But we have a problem. Enemy artillery threatens our positions. I need you to take it out."

"Alright, sir, will do." Millan saluted as Uwe and his two tactical Marine brothers came into view.

"Allow my brothers to join you." He offered, and the veteran nodded.

"I take any help I can get and it's an honor to fight by the side of his angels."

"Can we help too?" Pip asked as he and his friends got up, ready to help.

Already knowing their selflessness, their hosts just nodded. "Stay behind us and do as we say." Jan and Kyle joined as well.

It was longer than usual; their exit led to the rural areas, through a forest, and into a ditch. Just a few meters away was a cliff overlooking the city, and they saw a missile gunship firing from it, guarded by a squad of Firewarriors with a small round drone.

"We'll take them down while you go in for the final strike, my lord." Oscar suggested to the Space Marines, they both nodded.

He then aimed with Jan and Kyle, and the kids did too. "1, 2, 3…fire!" As they opened fire, one Tau soldier screamed as he got hit, hitting the ground. The other hostiles scrambled to cover as the Tactical Marines stormed forward, firing a few shots from their bolters as they did so.

"Shield activated." With a mechanical voice, the drone announced before it created a shield around the squad, absorbing some fire and allowing them to shoot back, but only hitting the crater's surface.

While their suppressors had to duck, the Space Marines managed to close in, resorting to their knives.

Peeking over the cover, the kids watched as one Tau soldier attempted to strike the space marine with the butt of his weapon, but his opponent sidestepped the slow attack, then sliced his throat. His comrade punched another Tau in its chest, cracking its chest plate and sending it flying and crashing into the ground, dead.

Despite being outnumbered, they quickly took out one defender after another but paused as soon as the gunship turned toward them.

But as it did so, both space marines threw a Frag grenade at it, forcing them to retreat to a safe distance.

With a loud explosion, the enemy vehicle exploded in a giant fireball; Oscar, Jan, and Kyle let out a small cheer and praise at their success.

Yet the eyes of the children went small as their ears heard a loud whistle from the burning wreck. Due to a malfunction or the ammo cooking off, rockets were fired off uncontrollably, and some headed right for them.

"Watch out!" They called out in unison as they pushed Oscar, Jan, and Kyle out of the way before the explosions knocked them over with great force, screaming in pain before everything went black.

Author's Note

What would be WH40k without some action? thanks again to my friend for proofreading/editing.

As to why Katja and Blau Streifen are here, with permission, I thought them and wh40k could be an interesting combination