A Chimera APC, its hull coated in sand and dust, rolled to a stop in the shelter of a towering dune. Its engine rumbled softly as the hydraulic pistons hissed, lowering the rear ramp onto the sand with a heavy thud.
Several agile figures jumped out.
At their head was Joker, his expression calm and unreadable. The accompanying battalion commanders all wore the full-face respirator masks integrated into their carapace armor, shielding them from the swirling sandstorm.
Joker alone left his face uncovered.
There was a reason for that.
He narrowed his eyes, letting the gritty wind brush against his face. Feeling its direction and strength, he quickly sketched several lines across a portable tactical datapad.
"Good. We're on the leeward side. My assessment was correct."
"Sir," Battalion Commander Jade said through the muffled filter of his respirator. He studied the steep forward slope of the dune. "The front slope gives us visibility for several kilometers."
"And it also lets the Greenskins see—and shoot—us from several kilometers away," Joker replied without looking up. He drew a thick line across the map with one finger.
"We'll build our defensive position on the reverse slope."
Battalion Commander EGO immediately caught on.
"We sacrifice visibility for concealment and protection from direct fire... meaning we'll need observers."
"Exactly."
Joker straightened and projected the tactical map for everyone to see. He pointed toward two slightly lower ridges extending from either side of the dune.
"Jade, First Battalion will establish the main defensive line here on the reverse slope."
"EGO, Second Battalion secures the left flank."
His finger tapped two red markers on the display.
"Set up forward observation posts here and here. I want constant eyes on the horizon."
His gaze shifted toward the only commander who had remained mostly silent.
"Mua'dib."
The young battalion commander instinctively stood straighter.
"Third Battalion will serve as the regimental reserve while constructing an auxiliary position on the right flank."
Holding up three fingers, Joker continued in a tone that allowed no argument.
"Three empty cargo containers will arrive later today. Jade, you'll reinforce your primary heavy bolter position with one. Mua'dib, another goes to your artillery battery. The last becomes the regimental headquarters."
He scanned the group.
"Questions?"
Mua'dib hesitated before raising his hand.
"Sir... I don't fully understand."
No one spoke.
He continued awkwardly.
"Where exactly is the right flank? How should we dig the auxiliary position? Where should the artillery be deployed? And... why are we fortifying here in the first place? What if the Greenskins attack from every direction?"
Silence settled over the group.
Joker simply nodded.
"My mistake. I assumed too much."
Archer immediately stepped forward and pulled up a simplified terrain map on the datapad.
Joker handed it to Mua'dib.
"Look."
He pointed as he explained.
"This dune is our main position."
His finger moved.
"The ground here slopes downward. That's your sector."
"Start with individual foxholes. Connect them with communication trenches afterward. Position your artillery behind the line, where it'll be protected until ordered to fire on pre-registered targets."
Mua'dib nodded carefully, following every movement of Joker's finger.
"As for why we chose this location..."
A faint smile crossed Joker's face.
"Individuals can approach from any direction."
"But armies can't."
He swept his hand across the surrounding desert.
"Thousands of Greenskins have to move through terrain that supports thousands of Greenskins. Dunes, soft sand, rock formations, and dry riverbeds funnel them into predictable avenues of advance."
"If they try to spread out, they'll bog themselves down in loose sand or break apart into isolated groups."
He shrugged.
"If that happens, they'll be doing our job for us."
Understanding slowly dawned across Mua'dib's face.
"I... think I get it now."
"Good."
Joker gave a short nod.
"Carry it out."
"Dismissed."
Jade and EGO instinctively snapped to attention, saluted sharply, and departed.
Mua'dib hurried to imitate them, though his salute came a heartbeat late and looked noticeably less polished.
Watching him leave, Joker couldn't help but smile faintly.
Then he looked toward Archer.
"And why are you still standing here?"
"If you're about to ask the same questions, I'll have to wonder who pulled strings to get you this position."
Archer snorted.
"No."
He folded his arms.
"I'm wondering why everyone's online names are either single letters, suspiciously feminine... or somehow both."
"It's a codename."
Joker answered without the slightest change in expression.
"It's not like you've ever called me by my real name."
He glanced sideways.
"Though I have to admit... your ability to derail a conversation keeps improving."
"Oh, go to hell."
Laughing, Archer punched him lightly on the shoulder.
The easy banter faded almost as quickly as it had come.
Joker looked toward the distant horizon.
There, resting amid the endless sea of sand, lay the crashed battle barge.
Its ten-kilometer hull resembled a mountain of black steel. Even from this distance, it dominated the landscape, casting an immense shadow across the dunes.
Yet compared to when it had first fallen, much of its bulk had already disappeared beneath drifting sand.
In another few months...
Perhaps only half the vessel would remain visible.
Joker spoke quietly.
"Honestly..."
"I never imagined I'd see something like this outside a dream."
He chuckled to himself.
"I'm commanding a thousand soldiers."
"I'm fighting aliens."
"And somehow..."
"We're doing it with World War I tactics."
Archer smirked.
"You object to our state-of-the-art trench warfare?"
Without waiting for an answer, he continued.
"World War I was at least in the early twentieth century."
He pointed toward the buried battle barge.
"Up there, they're still fighting with nineteenth-century naval doctrine—just with starships instead of battleships."
"That's exactly what worries me."
The desert wind ruffled Joker's short hair.
"Worried about Mua'dib?"
"No."
"He asks questions when he doesn't know something."
Joker shook his head.
"That's intelligence."
"The people who scare me are the ones who stop asking."
His gaze remained fixed on the distant battle barge.
"What worries me..."
"...is whether we'll become like them someday."
"Clinging to ancient doctrines."
"Repeating old ideas because they're familiar."
"Sinking deeper and deeper into the sand until we mistake stagnation for stability."
Archer's smile vanished.
Only the wind whispered across the dunes.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"We're moving forward."
His voice was quiet, but unwavering.
"We're learning."
"We're changing."
He looked directly at Joker.
"No matter what happens..."
"I believe humanity still has a future worth fighting for."