"And this is supposed to help us transport two thousand civilians out into the fields?" Katiya asked, sliding off the roof. Zeb half-caught her, steadying her as was his duty. Her boots clapped onto the pavement, and she steadied the emblazoned coat of her office. 

"If you have a better idea, sir...ma'am." He corrected half-heartedly. He did not think he would ever get used to being a commissar's comrade. He had always been taught a commissar was like a feral beast. It could allow you in it's presence, but one day it would be in the wrong mood, and it would be your head. He had a hard time believing Katia would do that to him, but old traditions take awhile to leave one's system. 

"No, I do not." She said, and reached into her coatpocket to pull out a handheld military-grade vox.

"Once we're across, we'll clear the Orks out and let the convoy get through the drained portion." He told her. He could tell she didn't need convincing. She pulled the trigger on the vox, and static rose before a voice answered with a gruff "Corporal Lance Henry" was fed back. She pulled out a dataslate, and began barking orders to Henry with a voice of command that would have karskins standing straighter. She voxed six more corporals, before sliding her thumb across the dataslate and switching the transmission. Static fedback again, whining like a small animal, until another man barked an introduction, his voice baritone and his accent vaguely Tanithish. "Sergeant of the Piece Donnal! Sir?" 

"This is Special Imperial Officer Petrovska. What is your current location, sergeant?" 

There was a nervous pause. "417 West, Commissar." 

"Good. Find me a corporal who can plant six shells at these coordinates I am about to give you. 2917 Eagle, 4869 Neptune." 

"Yes ma'am! Er, sir... ETA ten minutes. Out."   

"Out." She replied, and glanced behind her. Curiously, Zeb was gone. She tucked the dataslate and vox back into her breastpocket, and stalked toward the filling station they had been planted on not minutes before. She called out for Zeb, but when she turned the corner, she paused and saw he was amidst a squad of six greenhorns, field stripping and refitting a standard lasgun. Even as he replaced the stock and shouldered the weapon, the first armored cars began to arrive, and in the distance of the far street, transport cars filled with civilians and a loose assortment of guardsmen slowly approached in a large column. Katiya waited for Zebulon to notice her, before he stood to attention and ordered the other men to do the same. They saw Katiya and gaped, before roughly snapping to attention, no doubt the horror stories of Commissars still fresh in their minds. 

When she gave the 'at ease' Zeb barked at them to get moving. The newfish scattered, scrambling off. Zeb jogged over to her, and grinned. That was when they both heard the high-pitched whinnying of artillery shells.