Radiance

Chapter 139: Comrades in Arms.

"This is Eagle eye one one to Sitting duck one one how copy over?" Celine's voice came over the comms inside Sasha's power armour suit and he winced at that as he could feel the glares from his comrades.

"You just had to prod the snarky bird woman with stick didn't you?" Natalia said refering to the fun he'd decided to have by calling Celine's scout team Eagle eye as their collective call sign which had obviously irked the large Condor somewhat as it had kinda backfired when she had instantly countered by suggesting the call sign 'Sitting Duck' for his Cossacks.

Now Sasha could have vetoed it given that he had overall command of the team but he had always belived in fair play and given she had countered him so quickly with that one despite still suffering the effects of her hang over had admittedly impressed him, so he'd simply laughed at it and nodded.

Though the little joke didn't seem to sit as well with his other human companions by the death glares he could now feel trying to punch him through his armour.

"Is fair, i teased her and she teased me right back, is nothing more or less than I'd expect from any of you," he said before reaching for the PTT on the back of his arm.

"This is Sitting Duck one one, go ahead Eagle eye one one over," he said putting real emphisis on the word 'Eagle' as he could almost hear her clacking her beak in annoyance at it over the beating of the Vertibird blades.

"We have reached the staging area and are beggining our primary sweep, so far all looks quiet down there, over," she said.

"Roger this, be aware that looks can be deciving when it comes to Ghouls, they like to hide in most unlikely places, keep your heads on a swivel until we are on the ground, Sitting Duck one one over and out," Sasha replied releasing his PTT.

"Roger that Eagle eye one one over and out," Celine replied.

"Teasing women is one thing but teasing women who can peck out your eyes through your suit is quite other," Ivan said making Sasha snort a laugh.

"How can they expect to live and work with us is they cannot take jokes, so far they have endured both you and your drinking games and my crappy call signs, so far is so good yes?" Sasha said.

"We will see, we have yet to see them in combat this will be where meat truly meets the metal," Natasha said and Sasha nodded in agreement.

Taking a joke and even a drinking session was one thing but the real truth would be when their first engagement broke out, that would truly prove their metal and worth as soldiers, it would also show exactly how far they would be able to go as to trusting their new comrades.

"Thirty seconds to drop!!" the pilot called back and Sasha gave him a thumbs up before signaling his team to get ready.

All of them stood up and moved to the two side doors of the assault Vertibird, two to a side.

Now where most Brotherhood units liked to touch their Vertibird down to drop their soldiers into a combat zone, the Cossacks were not your average Brotherhood soldiers.

"Go go go!!" the pilot yelled and Sasha hit the button that changed the lights above both doors from red to green which caused all four of them to step out into the air.

The four Cossacks rocked towards the ground like oversized stones before hitting the concrete with a series of booms which anounced their presense on the surrounding landscape rather effectifly.

They did this for two main reasons, the first was for speed and well most people didn't expect their enemy to drop from their above their heads, the second tied into this further as there was seriously intimidating about seeing a power armoured soldier drop from the sky above your head before charging into battle as if nothing had occured, it was a powerful psycological tool in their arsenal.

Now most power armour frames were built to absorb the imppact of jumping from a great height with little or no risk to the user but the Cossacks always went above and beyond with their engineering.

Their power armour suits not only had reinforced joints and shock absorbers capable of withstanding a terminal velocity impact with no risk to the user but they had also outfitted them with a series of explosive vents that released a powerful explosive pressure as they hit the ground, which not only added to the psychological effect of their entrance but helped to clear the area if need be.

As they hit the ground the boom of their impacts pealed away across the landscape and the group instantly formed up into a diamond shape with each of them facing outwards on its four points.

"Keep it tight people no telling if our little friends are gonna hit us up here or wait until we go underground," Sasha said as he thumbed the prespin button on the side of his gun which started his barrels spinning so that their spin up time was reduced when firing.

Suddenly from high above them a shot rang out and Sasha saw a tracer shoot downwards inbetween the buildings ahead of them, it was the Valkyries using tracer rounds to show them where their enemy was going to come from.

"Eagle eye one one to Sitting duck one one we have engaged hositles moving in your direction from a tunnel entrace aproximatly two hundred meters to your north, over," Celine's voice said before another shot screamed down from the sky as well as a series of others.

Sasha found himself wondering how in the name of hell they managed to fire their weapons acurettly while flying but even if they were missing at least they knew where their enemy was coming from.

"Roger that Eagle eye one one we will engage as they make themselves known, over and out," Sasha said and he signalled the others for them to set up a firing line facing in the direction that the shots were falling on.

It didn't take long for the rotters to show themselves and by the looks of it there were quite a few of them as a line of Feral ghouls slowly shambled into view from between the buildings.

"On my mark unleash hell upon them!" Sasha said and he could see everyone of his people taking up the aim suddenly there a series of whooshes from above them and he instinctivly ducked as the Valkyries did a low pass over head.

As she quickly recovered he caught sight of Celine giving him an upside down smirk before she flew her people right over the ferals heads.

For a moment Sasha wondered what in the name of hell they were doing, that was until his eyes caught sight of the small shapes they were air dropping into the group.

The first of the grenades exploded with a massive green flash as the plasma it contained went critical as it breached its containement before washing outwards over the Ghouls around its detonation point, turning them all into fizzing puddles of green goo.

"Open fire and keep your barrels low, do not hit our comrades with strays!!" Sasha yelled and as one his team opened fire.

It was only now that the Ghouls seemed to even noticed Sasha and his team and as one those still standing from the Grenades still going off in their midst turned to look at the four humans who were sending a wall of lead and lasers in their direction.

Honestly it was like the Ghouls had run face first into a wall as the first of the projectiles hit them, but regardless of how many of them were shredded into meaty confettei still they charged relentlessly towards Sasha and his people.

Behind them there was a fluttering sound that they only hear because of the advansed acustic sensors in their helmets filtering out the gunshots to protect their hearing.

Suddenly in the gaps between the power armoured Cossacks the Valkyries appeared, each of them touting their impressive looking DMR rifles which they had obviously switched to on the wing for close up engadgements.

They wasted zero time getting stuck into the fire fight alongside their comrades and adding their bullets to the wall of lead that was decending on the wall of irradated flesh that was charging towards them without a single shred of fear.

Thankfully the 20mm rotary cannon that Sasha was weilding didn't give a single fuck in they were fearless or not, the collosal rounds it fired would go through three or four of them in a straight line before the explosive tips detonated on the fifth turning them inside out.

It it hadn't been for the reinforced servos of the power armour suit he was wearing he'd have had no chance of even lifting a gun like this let alone being able to fire it and keep it on target.

The weapon had recoil stabalisers to prevent it shaking the living shit out of the aircraft that it was supposed to be mounted to, but thanks to some serious modifications this now man-portable monster of a weapon was the perfect tool for mass crowd control, well crowd control in that you no longer wanted the crowd to exist in solid form anyway.

Thens when the assaukt Vertibird that had brought them in circled around to the flank of the horde and truly tipped it over the edge for the special forces team by opening up with its nose mounted rotary cannons.

It had two cannons simular to the one that Sasha himself was carrying mounted directly under its nose and these were controled by the co-pilot which freed the pilot to focus on keeping the craft clear of their troops or any potiential hazards on the ground.

Under this truly monstorous barrage of fire from both the Cossacks, the valkyries and the Vertibird the horde of feral Ghouls were reduced to nothing more than a giant slimy stain on the ground that led from the edge of the abandoned town right to the entrance to the underground railway system.

"Cease fire, I think we are clear," Sasha said lowering his smoking gun barrels and letting them spin down while waving his free hand in the air to signal his intent to his people and as one the team stopped firing and began to swap out their magazines for fresh ones.

"Check ammo make sure you have enough to continue onwards, if you are short pick up a resupply from the human aircraft, also if anyone is injured in anyway make it known now," Celine said addressing them all Valkyrie and Cossack alike.

Sasha nodded approvingly, she was stepping well into the role of his second in command and was straight away showing her care for those under command.

As if on cue the Vertibird circled around them and put down on the road behind them keeping its engines in low power so that it could lift off in a moments notice.

"That little scuffle ate through about half of my ammo, I am glad I chose to put more cans on the bird," Sasha said as he checked his ammo counter in his HUD.

Thanks to his weapon being a rotary cannon all of his ammo was displayed as a single large number rather than split off into magazines like the others.

"Can that suit of yours carry any more than you have on you already?" Celine asked and Sasha nodded but before he could answer her Ivan got there first.

"Are you kidding? I watch this man walk into battle with enough ammo hanging off him to bring down entire Enclave single handed once, pity he had to use it all on Mirelurks and their queen, but at least we all had Mirelurk steaks to go with good Vodka that night," he said and Celine clacked her beak in annoyance.

"Is Vodka all you think about?" she asked and before Ivan could answer her all of his comrades got there first.

"Da," they all said in unison.

"Morning noon and somtimes if he is not pissed as fart by then, night as well, pretty sure he even dreams of it," Natalia said making the grizzled vetran scowl at her through hs helmet.

"Slander I tell you! Boss tell these harpies to stop bullying me, it is making how the Americans say, a hostile work enviroment," Ivan said turning to Sasha who was trying his hardest to remain proffesional and not laugh his arse off infront of their new comrades, well that was until he saw the smirk on Celine's oddly handsome face, it seemed she had the same struggle as him.

"Pretty sure his mother made the mistake of many parents when he was young," Sasha said addressing his comment to Celine who cocked her large and rather regal head to one side in curiosity as she fixed her large golden eyes on him.

"Oh and what mistake is that?' she asked as she checked her own magazines as the pair began to walk towards the bird to rearm along with the rest of the team trailing behind them.

"Parents of wayward children who caught their children consuming things like tabaco before they are supposed to would oftern make them smoke whole pack of ciggarettes to make them sick and turn them off it, think Ivan's parents tried this with Vodka and it fucking backfired," he said making Celine bark a laugh as she nodded in understanding.

"It seems that maybe we are not so different after all, Valkyrie parents oftern use tricks such as these to dicipline their wayward chicks as well," she said bringing her large hooked beak up into an obvious smile.

"I guess Free Peoples of Wastes are really onto somthing, seems we have more in common than we have differences," he said as he detached the large back pack filled with belt fed 20mm from his back and went through the process of unloading the gun itself.

Celine nodded in agreement as she pulled the empty magazines she had stowed in her belt kit and placed them into an emtpy ammo can while taking fresh ones from another can and placing them into her pouches.

"Yes I do belive I can see this, when you first explained your plan to me I will admit to having my doubts about it, I thought that it was needlessly over dramatic but i stowed my doubts for the sake of proving our dedication to this cause but as I see the plan unfold before me I see the sense in it that eluded me before, the loud sounds drew the horde towards the killing zone funneling them through the narrow gaps in the buildings and forcing them into our lanes of fire, if it had been left to what I had lanned in my head I belive we would have failed because there were simply too many of them to handle without the heavy weapon support," Celine said in a rare show of humility.

Sasha placed a large armoured hand on her massive muscular shoulder and gave it a squeeze causing her to look at him with a slightly alarmed ruffle of feather until she realised he was showing her cameradery and her feather fell back into place.

"Is alright Celine is why we are all working together on this and do not be too harsh on yourself, your idea about using tracers to draw our attentions to the approach vector was genius, it sped things up and allowed us to form a firing line quicker, it seems we work well together already but if you have doubts about my plans or ideas bring them to me, i wish you to speak your mind wheather you think I will like what you to have to say or not, I did not make you my second in command as a token gesture, I belive that if you have already earned a prestiegous rank among your people who in our eyes are already battle proven warriors of great merrit then this is good enough for me, I will trust your decsisions and your thoughts, all I ask is the same respect in return," he said.

A shocked look flickered over Celine's face as if his words genuinly surprised her that he could hold her in such a high regard already, but it was quickly replaced with a determined smile and she narrowed her eyes as she gave him a nod.

"Deal commander, from now I will not hold my tounge, for better or for worse I will voice my opinions," she said and he nodded before clapping her shoulder again.

"Good I would expect nothing less from one of my own and if you are going to become one of our own then I expect it from you too, now come we have much work to do, if there were this many of these ferals on the surface there will be many many more of them underground," Sasha said picking up a double backpack that was filled to the brim with 20mm and feeding the chain into his gun before cocking it and racking a round into the chamber.

As the team began to move towards the subway opening they had to pass through the field of devestation that their weapons had wraght and all of them couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for the creatures they had just annilated.

Here and there crippled Ghouls were groaning and trying to move having been crippled by the team's hail of bullets but not fully killed and Sasha noticed a look of sympathy on Celine's face as she looked at once such creature that was now missing both of it's legs and arms as it reached towards her with its remaining tattered arm.

"What could cause such creatures to exist let alone to take such punishment and still keep going like this?" she said softly as she watched the Ghoul trying despretly to flex its ruined fingers that all hung limply from the remains of its hand which had taken a bullet clean through it.

"Radiation, there are many Ghouls that are as much people as you or I are, they live the same lives as us just much longer than any of us, some of them have been around since the war itself ended," Sasha said letting his rotary cannon hang on its bracing arm which was attached to his armour and helped him to control his aim and the recoil of massive weapon.

"I have heard stories told by our scouts of such creatures but i always took them with a pinch of seed as the stories of an over active mind in hostile territory, I knew there were nightmares made flesh that stalked the lands below our fair city but to see them with my own eyes is both humbling and troubling," Celine said never taking her eyes off the blood red ones of the ruined Ghoul.

"Is very sad, like I said, many Ghouls are good people who just ry to make best of bad hand life dealt to them, they did not ask to be remade this way but they make best of it and go on, is very commedible and I oftern ask myself if I could do same, but then there are those who end up like this, wheather it be overdose of radiation or simply losing will to live there are many many theroies as to why it happens, as many as there are stars in sky or empty Vodka bottles in Ivans locker, but it happens all the same," Sasha said trying to lighten Celine's morose mood somewhat and by the soft smile that crossed her beak for the briefest of moment's he was at least somewhat successful.

He drew his side arm now from the holster embedded on his armoured thigh and she looked at the weapon for a moment.

"What are you doing, it is helpless and can hurt no-one now, why kill it?" she asked.

"Is mercy, Ghouls are ageless and it can survive like this despite apperences, it may very well not die if we leave it like this, but it will not regrow limbs we tear off it so here it will remain helpless and anguished by wounds that will never heal, I am soldier not monster, if my foe is beaten and helpless i will show them mercy in which ever form I can deliver it, in this case it is swift death and no more or less, it is a burden we must bear as the victors, if I ever found myself in such a position I would hope that someone somewhere would have the same mercy upon me and put me out of my misery so that I might have peace," he said before leveling the large revolver on the Ghoul's swollen and mishapen head before pulling the trigger.

The retort of the massive reveolver split the silence like a hammer striking a gong before peeling off across the landscape around them, the bullet split the Ghoul's skull open like a watermelon hit with a sledgehammer but it ended it's suffering in a split second.

Sasha turned to his Cossacks and there was an unspoken prder that passed between them all in that moment as he got a series of nods in return before they all drew their side arms and split up to dispatch any survivors.

As Celine and her Valkyries watched the Cossacks moved among the large piles of corpses and body parts and fired single shots into their fallen advereries to send them onto the next life if there was such a thing, meanwhile she and her bretheren said a brief prayer to the Great Flock that they might take pity on the souls of these poor creatures and grant them some measure of peace in eternity.