"In my long and inglorious military career, I traveled to many places. Kofia, as an exceptionally comfortable planet, left a particularly deep impression on me. At least, strictly speaking, that's not wrong. But don't forget, our purpose in being there was to fight, so there were many things at the time that forced me to rein in my thoughts and keep a clear head. Overall, however, I still look back on my old days there with a touch of nostalgia."
"As an agricultural world, its scenery was full of pastoral charm, and what left the deepest impression on me were the endless plains covered with lush green vegetation, with roads crisscrossing them, connecting quaint villages that seemed to have remained unchanged from the Emperor's childhood until now. Kofia's climate was also comfortable, with clear, fresh water from the small ice caps on the tall polar mountains nourishing the planet's three large continents, while the narrow equatorial belt was a very popular, secluded place. There were some small island chains naturally suited for fishing and growing tropical fruits, yet they were too insignificant to attract any enemy attention, and after initial reconnaissance, our side also ignored them."
--- From 'Serving the Emperor: The Life of a Commissar', Narrated by imperial hero Commissar Caiaphas Cain, Edited by Inquisitor Amberly Vail, Ordo Xenos.
...Kofia, a planet in the same star system as Slaukenberg. Due to its proximity to the system's star, it enjoyed spring-like weather all year round and boasted beautiful scenery.
At this moment, this beautiful planet was undergoing a campaign to clear out Genestealers. Genestealers are very cunning and dangerous vanguards of the Tyranids, responsible for paving the way for the entire Tyranid Swarm's invasion. They are known for their covert invasion methods, powerful close-combat abilities, and the capacity to manipulate the minds of their hosts.
The Genestealers' most terrifying ability is to implant their genes into individuals of other races through direct contact, a process that even the infected may not perceive. Under the Genestealers' influence, the infected gradually become loyal to them. These infected individuals outwardly retain their original appearance and behavior, but are actually controlled by the Genestealers' will.
In subsequent breeding, the portion of the infected's original biological genes becomes progressively smaller, and after several generations, purebred Genestealers are born. When the Tyranid Swarm approaches a planet, the Genestealers initiate an uprising, causing planetary chaos and thereby weakening the planet's defenses.
The Sisters of Battle's battle barge received news from ground forces, suspecting that Soldiers had gone missing in a certain local area. As most of the personnel on this ship were Nun recruits, with the idea of training them, the Sisters of Battle would dispatch several combat training squads to cooperate with the Astra Militarum and Defence Force on the ground to investigate the matter.
And the nearest Astra Militarum unit stationed locally... was precisely the 12th Valhalla Field Artillery Regiment, Li Feng's old unit. Li Feng was dressed in an Astra Militarum officer's uniform, with the ballistic plate in his AVS vest replaced by a ceramite plate identical to those used by Space Marines.
Li Feng had Ace of Spades, carved with runes and decals by Ma Yinglong, hanging from his waist, and his folding sword tucked into his belt, as he sat inside a valkyrie transport.
Beside him was Fides, clad in power armour, clinging tightly to him. Today, she was leading the team. Sister Fides, as a High Sister, commanded three Nun patrol squads, totaling 30 Nun recruits including herself.
They would be stationed locally for a period, and during this time, these recruits would be like bricks, moved wherever needed.
At this moment, Fides' expression was serious as she meticulously checked her bolter and power sword. Li Feng then posed a question:
"Sister Fides? What's the magazine capacity of that bolter you're holding?"
"15 rounds."
Fides' answer was straightforward, which made Li Feng curious... How could 15 .75 caliber (19 mm) bolter rounds fit into that bolter's body and magazine ratio?
Never mind the details, as the valkyrie transport gradually landed and its ramp slowly opened, the Nuns began to disembark.
Just as Li Feng was about to step out, Fides, from behind, pulled him back. Fides removed her wristband and unlocked the explosive collar around Li Feng's neck.
"Be careful."
"You too."
Hearing Li Feng's words, Fides smiled, a sweet smile like a girl in first love... But that smile was fleeting, instantly replaced by a serious combat expression.
"All Nun squads, listen to my command! Confirm call signs..."
"Combat Squad One, 'Sacred Blood' received."
"Combat Squad Two, 'Golden Wing' received."
"Combat Squad Three, 'Holy Grail' received."
At this moment, all eyes turned to Li Feng. As the liaison with the Astra Militarum, it was Li Feng's turn to respond. Li Feng connected the walkie-talkie cable to his tactical sound-pickup noise-canceling headphones and then said:
"Liaison Li Feng, Ishmael received."
...From 'Serving the Emperor: The Life of a Commissar', Edited by Amberly Vail.
30 minutes ago, in the vehicle
It took about twenty minutes to drive to Pagus Parva, the village closest to the artillery encampment. If Yugen was driving, it would only take ten minutes to get there, so Cain had almost no time to enjoy the fresh air blowing across the several kilometers of open land along the roadside in spring.
Over the past period, Cain had become very familiar with this place, so he already knew it was a bit larger than its name implied. (Parva means "small" in Latin).
This was the administrative center of District 13, as marked on the map provided to Cain by the local government. Therefore, a few municipal buildings stood proudly in the village, their robustness and grandeur comparable to the temples and libraries in much larger communities.
In peacetime, it had two thousand residents, while surrounding villages only had a few hundred. The vast majority of them worked to support the scattered farms in the vicinity. However, the upheaval caused by the war, and the large number of stationed Defence Force Soldiers with their pay coming here to meet their needs, caused the population to nearly double.
Most newcomers supported the war by maintaining Soldier morale, though the methods they employed were not entirely approved by the long-term residents.
Perhaps in this regard, the number of local Peacekeepers and security personnel had tripled over the past few months. This sounded impressive until I realized it meant two disgruntled patrol officers were transferred from the provincial capital to work with the local Sheriff, the selection criteria apparently being those deemed an eyesore by the local government.
Cain was well aware at this moment that the Sheriff herself was an entirely different case.
When deployed to this area, Cain had established a good relationship with the local public security forces, and to Cain's delight, this relationship had already gone beyond the usual scope of work.
This was because his counterpart was Vinita Fo, a 35-year-old professional Sheriff, about ten years older than Cain at the time. Her uniform fit her perfectly and was incredibly lifelike... Of course, Cain later found her even more charming without the uniform on several occasions.
The highly skilled Vinita knew most of the locals inside out. Cain knew this was because she personally worked at the grassroots level, not just sitting in an office eating donuts to pass the time.
Although Cain and Vinita had a close relationship, Vinita still watched Cain coldly as his car pulled up at the town's airfield.
"You didn't have to rush over," Vinita said, her tone seemingly full of disapproval for Cain's tardiness.
Cain shrugged helplessly, and considering her subordinates were also present, he offered a friendly smile. They were listlessly setting up a welcome ceremony at the airfield entrance for the arrival of the Sisters of Battle.
"I apologize. You know, as an Imperial Commissar, they always dump a pile of military duties on me."
Cain feigned exhaustion at this moment, without mentioning that he had a hangover last night and had strained his back. At this point, Yugen had also parked the car and came to stand behind Cain.
"My adjutant, Sergeant Yugen," Cain gestured back and forth, introducing them to each other.
"Yugen, this is Sheriff Vinita of the Precinct Office."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am."
Yugen gave her a perfunctory salute, which, strictly speaking, was entirely unnecessary as she was merely a Peacekeeper. But to Yugen, a Sheriff was a Sergeant (both are 'Sergeant' in Chinese), and that was that.
On the other side, Vinita understood Yugen's politeness and, in return, nodded to him.
At this moment, the roar of three massive valkyrie transports in the sky broke the harmonious atmosphere of introductions. When Cain saw the insignia on the transports, some unpleasant memories flashed through his mind.
Li Feng, his younger brother, the regiment's Lieutenant orderly, and also his savior. After the incident on Slaukenberg, he had been taken away by the Sisters of Battle for "investigation" for almost a month, and there had been no news since.
Cain actually prepared himself for that being their last farewell when Li Feng was taken away.
After all, those Sisters of Battle were truly capable of anything. As the valkyrie transports landed, Cain and the others waited at the airfield entrance, ready to welcome these "Daughters of the Emperor."
As the airfield gate opened and a group of cool beauties with white hair, clad in black power armour, appeared at the entrance, Cain first showed an expression of distaste, then smiled faintly.
This was because he saw High Sister Fides, who had taken Li Feng away, which brought back unpleasant memories... And that smile was because the familiar figure of Li Feng stood beside High Sister Fides, waving at him.
"Commissar Cain! Sergeant Yugen! I'm here!"
"Welcome back, my comrade."