[h3][center]Battle-Sisters of the Fiery Thorn[/center][/h3]

Sister Sabine’s squad was almost ready to board the transport to planetside. They had donned their armour and finished their prayers to the God-Emperor. No doubt clouded their minds, and Sabine was ready to commence her sacred duties.

She would brief her squad on the situation. They stood over a map of the city district. The gang’s hideout was an old warehouse. The building had fallen out of use, and the gang had taken it for their main base of operations. It had lots of open spaces inside,  and a few dead corners. Its main entrance was on the southern wall, while the eastern wall had the emergency exits. The gangers did have antiquated weapons, but most could not punch through their power armour if the intelligence proved correct. She now talked with her squad to assign their tasks.

“Sister Iona”, Sabine said to a young, auburn-haired woman. Sister Iona the Younger, as her name suggested, younger than her namesake. There was already a Sister Superior named Iona in the Preceptory, and the elder one had suggested to give the nickname to denote the Sisters from each other. Sabine had served under the elder Iona for a while. Iona the Younger was the newest member of her squad, though all had served the Order for years. “Yes, Sister?” she answered to Sabine.

Sabine gazed her back. Sister Iona clearly had fire in her eyes. “We are going to split into two segments and enter the gang’s hideout from two sides in a pincer movement. The plan hinges on keeping their numbers in balance and attacking with great surprise. I want you to look after my back, while the rest of the Sisters attack from the eastern side.”

“I will do it gladly. I will have your back.” Iona had the clearest singing voice of Sabine’s squad, and she liked to sing and hum their battle hymns in the heat of battle. It was not quite orthodox, but Sabine enjoyed it. 

“Sister Emilia, you shall lead the flanking element. I trust in your ability to strike terror in their hearts.” Siter Emilia was almost as dark haired as Sabine, but she was quite pale in comparison to her. She had been born on a irradiated planet, where the population spent most of their lives in bunkers beneath the earth. She was almost as old as Sabine and had served the Order almost as long.

“I shall not leave any of them alive” Emilia said. She had a quiet sister’s reputation, as she did not talk much, but she kept her calm in the thickest of fights. She would one day make a good leader for her own squad.

“Any questions on the tasks?” Sabine asked, shifting her gaze from sister to sister. Sister Adriana opened her mouth. Her face had the longest scars, after an ork had struck her helmet off her head. If the God-Emperor had not willed it, she would have died that day. “Has the drop site been scouted? I wouldn’t like to get into nasty surprises.”

“No, it has not been, but most of the nearby buildings only house civilians. It is a small square near the warehouse.” Sabine pointed the space two streets from the warehouse. “It should take only a moment to close the distance between the square and the warehouse, and the gang will be surprised with our wrath.”

“Hmm. I have a bad feeling about this insertion” Adriana said to the squad. She had an uncanny sense for foreboding danger. It had saved her quite a few times on the battlefields. “They have been announced that they will be purged, and they probably have taken the  nearby streets for themselves. If I were in their shoes, I would have rigged most of the nearby streets with whatever explosives I have got in my hands.”

“You are right, but we must not suffer these heretics to live”, Sabine said. Adriana’s concerns had been often been correct in the past. “Every moment we talk here will give them more time to prepare their vile hive. And we have the rightful faith on our side.”

“The God-Emperor will know His own”, Adriana said, ending her questioning.

[i]Ave Imperator, blessed be Your name[/i], Sabine thought in her head and felt the hilt of the [i]Furious Rose[/i] in her fingers. She would finally get to test the blade on the enemies of the truly faithful. “If you do not have further questions, be ready to board the transport.”