He went over one of his men's bodies and picked up their carbine, he looked down and said,
"Sorry mate, I am no chaplain,"
He went back to his rescuers, they secured their immediate area, two more came over, and took of their helmets, he was surprised again,
"Bull! Rusty!"
Those are their old nicknames, they are the last survivors of Lima Team, the rest perished and lay resting in Vereka 1. The Vichi Empire took the blunt and contributed the most to the Verekan War, the were the main force of the invasion. They made the Verekan pay for the attack on the Venus Sector, a prominent sector of the Vichi Empire, amongst other sectors, but Venus was utterly devastated, the first time humanity have faced that kind of destruction, it was the first one attacked and received the full wrath of the bloody Verekans, to just prove a fucking point! The war in the end also won favor for the Vichi Imperial Clan, where imperial sons fought and died along the regular soldiers in space and on the surface, no.....not quite right, in that war, they were regular soldiers. They fought and died protecting citizens of the Vichi Empire and to enforce justice. The princes requested that their body be in the same caskets as their comrades, to be buried alongside the men that held the line behind them. It was a costly war, where entire armadas were destroyed. However, all of them held the line, knowing that they might never see a sunrise on Earth again. It was when the finest of the Empire showed their true colors. It also showed the evil of man, the Imperials included, in atrocities committed in the war, real horrendous atrocities have been committed, entire sectors were devastated and rendered lifeless on both sides. He wasn't proud of some of the things he saw and done himself, and of some of the blood on his hands. He left the army for that very reason, he had too much blood on his hands, and he is sick and tired of seeing his comrades fall and him surviving. However if he had to fight that war all over again, he would, because to him at least, it was a just war, if they Verekans, or anybody invaded his homeland, he would once again take up arms and defend his country by any means necessary.
"Nice to see you again sarge, no time for reunions, we got a battle to fight," Bull said,
Gunny punched his shoulder and said,
"Just like old times eh?"
He said solemnly,
"Yeah, old times,"
Gunny put his helmet back on,
"Channel 14432-Alpha-Red Sarge,"
He switched to that channel,
"Captain Williams, we have found a trapdoor sir,"
"Secure the entrance, wait for us,"
He then said after a short while with a chuckle,
"A Captain? Gunny, you became a Captain? I thought you said they'd have to kill you to make you an officer?"
"Well, they convinced me the retirement pensions are better, but to Lima Team, I am still Gunnery Sergeant,"
"Well, I ain't going to call you sir,"
They arrived at the trapdoor, he then opened it and shinned a light down, there is a corridor, he said,
"I am going down first,"