Blessed is the mind too small for doubt - 3D Imax extended edition!

[Pilum]

For Linn and Narric - hope you like it! For what it's worth, I'm not sure about the intro (the asterisked section), it's a legacy of an earlier draft, but someone I showed it to felt a bit lost without it. Think of it as an extra on the DVD! 8)

Blessed is the mind too small for doubt.

*** It is invariably the case that a rebelling Guard unit will, as its first act of heresy, execute all Commissars. Other senior officers not in the plot will be targeted too, of course, but, especially if popular and/or weak-willed, may "merely" be imprisoned or abandoned somewhere inhospitable. But those responsible for monitoring religio-political orthodoxy will never receive even this slim consideration. Strangely, what frequently gets forgotten is that occasionally a Commissar will specialise in liaising with any abhuman auxiliaries present, and some of these have extremely reverent – bordering on the filial - attitudes toward the living representatives of Him-On-Earth. ***

   Captain Arjin swore as he watched the drop pods land on what had been Bravo Platoon's position. He ignored the cries for help on the commlink – those troops were already dead. What he needed was a counter-attack, something to buy him time while he repositioned. Something even space marines couldn't ignore. Something like...

   "Sergeant Orthagg!" he yelled.
   
   "Sir?" came the slow, deep rumble of the leader of the Ogryn Auxilia from just behind him. Arjin couldn't help but jump a little. The massive abhuman had a surprising talent for appearing in unexpected places – more than would be expected from what could only be described as a giant bodybuilder.

   "Get your troops out there! We need to push them back NOW!"

   "Yes sir" replied Orthagg, snapping off what was possibly the smartest salute Arjin had ever seen before leaving the command centre.

   He wasn't gone long.

   "Er, Lieutenant...?"

   "Captain, Orthagg. Captain. What's wrong?" Arjin asked, his voice slightly strained as the sound of bolters came closer, and more and more unit-idents winked out on the tac-holo.

   "Er.... Did you say... attack?"

   "Yes! Why are you here?"

   "Er... Can't, sir."

   Arjin stood there, stunned. It wasn't simply the refusal. It was the refusal by an Ogryn! The brutes never refused an order – the creatures were usually so eager to please their officers they would do anything they were told to. He turned from the display screens. Orthagg was just... standing there. Further behind, three or four big heads peered through the door, wondering how this would go.

   "Are you refusing a direct order, Sergeant?" Arjin demanded.

   "Errr... yerr. I mean, yes sir" grunted Orthagg. He saluted again, just to be sure. "It's... wrong, sir."

   "Wrong? How in the name of all that is holy is a DIRECT ORDER WRONG???" Arjin snarled.

   "They're marines, sir."

   "They're the enemy, Orthagg. I need you to attack. I need you to charge! That is an order!"

   "Er... no, sir."

   Arjin stared up into Orthagg's eyes. The Ogryn was avoiding his gaze, looking extremely uncomfortable, fretful even. Shoulders hunched, absently rubbing those meaty hands together, biting his lower lip... If it hadn't been for the sheer size of the mutant, Arjin would have sworn he was looking at a child worried that it might be getting in BIG trouble this time.

   "I mean..." continued Orthagg, almost stammering out the words, "they're... they're marines, sir... They're not baddies. They're goodies. Like us."

   Dumbfounded, Arjin turned from his anxious NCO, holding his face in his hands. By the throne, he'd always known that the Ogryns had evolved for muscle at the expense of mental ability but seeing this as a playground game? He groaned as he faced Orthagg again.

   "They're...?"

   "Goodies sir. Mister Nigel always said that they was the only ones who loved the Emperor more than we do...."

   Nigel...? Oh, that would be Commissar Basden. He'd been a specialist Ogryn Liaison Officer – until four days ago when he'd abruptly become a specialist corpse. Resented as only representatives of Supreme Authority can be, Commissars were always first to be shot when a Guard unit mutinied. They'd made sure it had been done well away from his giant charges though; no one had fancied finding out just how far that renowned Ogryn allegiance to the chain of command extended.

   Come to think of it... Did Orthagg even know what had happened this week?

   "Orthagg..."

   "... and... they're like his kids..." Orthagg's voice was now dropping to a mutter. "... so they're really really special..."

   A stray bolt shell krump!-ed against one of the plasteel windows. Arjin jumped, yelping "Special!?!"

   "Yerr. Er, Lieutenant..."

   "CAPTAIN! HOW MANY MORE TIMES, SERGEANT? I! AM! CAPTAIN! NOW!"
   
   "Yes sir... Captain, sir... Er, sir, where is Mister Nigel, Captain, sir?" Another salute.

   "Gone," Arjin growled through gritted teeth. "Now – get out there and hold back the enemy. That is an ORDER, Sergeant!"

   "Sorry sir, can't obey orders that are naughty. Mister Nigel and the Emperor wouldn't be 'appy." The giant looked at the floor, shuffling his feet. "I... I wanna see Mister Nigel, this feels bad."

"Well 'Mister' Nigel isn't here!" yelled Arjin, even managing to pronounce the apostrophes. The tac-holo started chiming and he spun back to look at it. Green lights were winking out all across it, rapidly replaced by red symbols.

"Oh hells, they're getting closer!"

There was a deep throaty cough behind him.

"Oh for the love of...! Why are you still here Orthagg? GO! GO! GOOOOO!!!" howled Arjin, now quite beside himself, his voice rising in pitch and exhibiting a magnificent vibrato.

   "I think..." came that low rumble again.

   "You don't think! Who gave you permission to think, you big dumb brute?" Arjin screamed, all pretence at officerly self-control evaporating. "Get your great fat hide out there and kill those swine or I'll have you shot too!"

   Silence. Then came a growl like a wild animal followed quickly by two wet splats. Whirling round, Arjin saw the bodies of his two guards being tossed into the corners of the room, having been slammed head-first against the walls by the Ogryns who had been stood outside and were now inside. Extremely inside. Arjin was suddenly very aware of just how big these monsters were. And how muscular. And above all, how angry...

   "Wh-what are y-y-you all...?" he stammered out. In just an instant, Orthagg and his men had changed from worried, scolded children to playground bullies. Enormous playground bullies, taking Arjin back fully twenty years. Involuntarily, the word so often on his lips then squeaked out now, as the light darkened and the gang closed in.

"mummy!"

[Saulus]

Alert us all to the sequel as well . I do enjoy the small perspective offered by this and your previous piece!

[Narric]

This is just as excellent as I thought it would be.

Great work