The next three weeks were filled with grueling training and drills, courtesy of their new squad leader, Sergeant Ninke Ingran. She wasn't a bad leader, but she seemed rather strict and rigid, and was visibly uncomfortable around the abhumans of their unit, most especially Khaz. She was also a religious individual who never wasted an opportunity to speak to them about the glory of the God-Emperor. Through all this however, she showed herself a capable commander, but Marcus was worried about how she would react to the stress of leadership in their next combat zone.

Khaz, was a straightforward and single-minded individual. He made his purpose clear to everyone around him, even if he did not explicitly say it: He wanted to bring as much glory to the God-Emperor as he could through battle before dying, and he was not afraid to die at any moment. He was also lethal at close combat and Marcus felt sorry for anyone unfortunate enough to be within range of the abhuman's limbs, and thankful that the squad had someone like Khaz to watch their backs should enemies like Orks try to engage them in close combat. Of course, his nature as an abhuman would certainly cause friction within the group.

Same goes with Meris Fixun. She seemed like a reasonable individual. Unlike some of the troopers and commanders that Marcus knew, she did not have that much in terms of ambitions or dreams of glory and grandeur. She did her job, with no need for any fanfare or recognition, yet she did her job well. Her behavior in their drills showed that she knew what she was doing both as a Guardsman and as a medic, and every now and then she showed that she was capable of using improvised healing methods through the occasional anecdotes she shared with the rest of the team. Though Marcus knew she would not save them from artillery barrages or getting gunned down by extreme amounts of gunfire, it was somewhat comforting to know that their minor injuries would not grow worse with her around.

Meanwhile, one of the people he was worried about was John Fenley, the Frateris Militiaman with a dangerous tendency to lash out. His temper and mild disregard for Imperial hierarchy was worrying, but it did not seem like it would be detrimental, at least not yet. On the other hand, his zeal and courage were unquestionable. His devotion to his cause and his willingness to die for it was clear, but whether this would outweigh his negative points in a prolonged campaign, they would have yet to see. Marcus only hoped that his heavy stubber would be pointed in the right direction when the time came for it.

A somewhat familiar face among the squad was Angelika Carscallen, the Cadian woman who shared the Squig bits with them. She was a cybernetically enhanced Flamer trooper with the discipline of a seasoned veteran, and if her war stories were anything to go by she was probably one of the oldest veterans in their unit. She seemed like a capable leader herself and would no doubt be the first one to take charge should Ninke die or crack under the pressure. She was also quick on the draw and could react rapidly to a changing situation, moving faster than Marcus himself ever could throughout his own experiences in chaotic battlefields. She and the rest of her Cadian allies would make a strong backbone for their unit.

An interesting addition to their squad were the 3rd Wisps of Settler's Bane, coincidentally only three of them remained alive after the carnage on Vernum Primas. They were an odd sort who mainly kept to themselves and preferred each other's company rather than mingling with the rest of the unit, but they were accommodating enough when approached. It seemed that the regiment had them to thank  for being issued their new close-combat curved blades as they spoke fondly of their own weapons and did not seem very enthusiastic on the idea of giving it out to the regiment. Though Marcus was just pleased over having a weapon slightly more reliable than his bayonet or entrenching tool (as he had seen how inefficient those weapons were against beasts like the Orks). In terms of combat ability, the Wisps were excellent sharpshooters who everyone else in the unit could barely get on par with, with the exception of the biggest of the three, named Marco Boucher, who seemed to be more effective at close-combat than sniping. Despite their aloofness, Marcus thought that they would be an advantage to have when facing the enemy at a distance.

After the weeks had passed and he felt he got to know his team better (and he himself became more used to his Lasgun and the placement of equipment on his new uniform) their mettle would be tested by their first new opponent.

[hr]

The speech given by Colonel Nizar wasn't as inspiring as Marcus thought it would be. [color=darkgoldenrod][i]"If anything, that probably just made the men more anxious especially with the rocky beginning that this deployment is having.[/i][/color] Marcus thought as he began heading towards the Chimeras. He passed by Hardin and Dace along the way, gave them a brief salute (which they returned) before they split off into their different assigned squads.

Once he had stepped inside the squad's Chimera, he immediately began one last check on his weapons. He made sure all of his explosives were in place (2 Frags on the top of the bandolier, 4 Kraks lining all the way to the bottom, and a Melta Bomb strapped securely in his pack along with his ammunition), his bayonet and Hija in easily reachable locations on the left side of his uniform, and some spare magazines for his Lasgun on his right side. 

Before each deployment, he would always rapidly unload and reload his weapon in order to make sure that he would be able to keep a constant stream of fire on the enemy, so he quickly swiped his left hand around in an attempt to make himself used to the reloading motion of his Kantrael-pattern Lasgun. [color=darkgoldenrod][i]"Unload. Holster left. Grab right. Load. Lock. Aim. Unload. Holster left. Grab right...[/i][/color] He repeated in his head like a mantra as he performed the motions.

Eventually, the entire team was loaded on board. Ninke went to the front of the vehicle and addressed Bertolt in the driver's seat. [color=palevioletred]"Ve are yours now Bertold, get us there in one piece yes?"[/color] She said.

"Yes, sir! As soon as the birds get us on the ground, Lucky Lucy's delivery service will be sending a deluxe package of the Emperor's fury, courtesy of the 87th Combined!" Bertolt replied. "Leo, keep an eye on those gauges. Valerie, do one more check on our brake wires..." Bertolt said to the Chimera crew as Ninke returned to her seat.

Marcus had become satisfied with his reloading routine and finally holstered his Lasgun as he adjusted himself in his seat. He sent a prayer to the God-Emperor, before turning back to his squadmates. [color=darkgoldenrod]"The Emperor never runs out of work for us, so let's get down there and fill our kill quotas for the week, lads!"[/color] He said out loud in an attempt to raise their spirits.