[i]"The explosives of the Imperial Guard vary from planet to planet and from front to front. Sometimes, you have to improvise with a handful of ancient black powder, nails and a metal can, or a bottle of tar, gasoline and strong alcohol, or you can have a small thermonuclear warhead on your hands. On the front, explosives and their use can save your life on many ways, but first, you will have to learn how to use them. Remember, when dealing with explosives, simple solution is the best of all worlds."[/i]

Lance Corporal Erwyn Kovacs, a demolitions specialist, a welder and the resident ginger of the regiment ran through his head all the things he had learned in the basic training and in the demolitions school while resting on his bunk. A veteran sergeant had taught him how to handle all kinds of explosives, from simple frag grenades, flashbangs, smoke grenades and claymores to demolition charges and mines with several kilograms of explosive compounds. The sergeant had also given many other tips and tricks on the service: for example, use wool socks whenever you can, keep them dry, and your feet will thank you. Kovacs had yet to find a few pairs of wool socks, but he was hopeful.

Kovacs held a manual on demolitions in his hands and a notepad in his lap. He still relied on paper to write, as it was the simple solution. An electronic writing pad had been beyond his means on Vosmarth, but paper was plentiful. And those devices could run out of battery, get broken on so many ways and weren't always protected against electronic warfare.

Kovacs had been a welder and a construction worker back on Vosmarth. He had had a meager, yet sufficient living, although his living quarters had been cramped. He had had friends and family, but most of them had joined the Guard before Kovacs had. How could he had stayed home, when the people he knew and loved were fighting for something greater than themselves? Kovacs had pondered joining the Guard for quite some time, and when new enlistments were announced, he hesitated... for a while, and had joined. The recruiter had earmarked Kovacs for a demolitions training course.

Kovacs was about 184 centimetres tall and was of medium weight and body. He wasn't overtly muscular, but he had board shoulders and agile feet and hands, being more wiry than most. He had a dark auburn hair on a very short Mohawk, and his face was clean shaven. His facial features were quite sharp, and his eyes were a shade of clear green.

Kovacs continued to read through the manual with a slightly absent stare. He was thinking how he would perform in real combat. Training and simulated combat was one thing, and real combat was a completely different animal, whichever of the Emperor's many foes faced the regiment.

[i]Well, the Emperor will protect his own, doesn't he?[/i]