Kalidar War - Strength of Desperation: With Honoured Lieutenant Cortein still on the Magnificence, Bannick was the highest ranking officer on board Mars Triumphant and he immediately took over from Sergeant Ganlick, the Baneblade's Second Gunner. The situation was grim: only half of the crew were aboard, and with Mars’ reactor due a full-maintenance check on the next day, it had been deactivated beyond the abilities of Tech-Aspirant Vorkosigen to reawaken it.Mars Triumphant was running on back-up batteries only, hence the silence of the tank's main weaponry. Bannick took over on the Third Gunnery Station -- the one that controlled the tank's sponson-weapons -- sending Ganlick on top to man the pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber. At least the short-range Vox-systems worked and Bannick could keep contact with Artemen Ultrus, the formation's second Baneblade and Ostrakhan's Rebirth. Hounoured Lieutenant Marteken of Artemen Ultrus was also at his post and Bannick was relieved not to be in command of the whole formation.Using the tanks' immobility to their advantage, the Orks outflanked them, attacking from both sides. Remembering the bomb he had defused, Bannick shouted a warning, but it was too late. The Orks swarmed Ostrakhan's Rebirth, using their Krak Grenades to blow its hatch apart and butcher its crew.The Hellhammer's guns soon fell silent and it took a moment for Bannick to notice that Ganlick's Heavy Stubber had stopped firing as well. Entering through the tank's open hatch, an Ork had forced its way down the Baneblade's turret, its huge, muscular form barely fitting through the narrow opening.Bannick threw himself on the ground just as the Ork's knife cut into his seat. The force behind the blow was such that it cleaved straight through the back of his seat. With no room to wield his sword, Bannick instead reached for his Laspistol, hoping it would be enough to slay the Ork. Another crew-member, Third Loader Marsello, cried out, distracting the Ork long enough for Bannick to squeeze off a shot.The searing laser-bolt hit the creature in the shoulder, failing to do any real damage. With a brutal lurch, the Ork floored Bannick before killing Marsello with his knife. Winded despite the heavy breastplate he was still wearing, Bannick realised that he had let go of his sidearm. Staring at him, the Ork gestured to the gun, challenging him.With the blood of his former crewmate still dripping on the turret's floor, Bannick lunged for his sidearm. Instead of raising himself, the young officer rolled sideways, letting himself drop down the ladder linking the Baneblade's turret to the main chassis. He hit the floor hard, cutting his hand on a bunk door that had been left ajar, but his desperate stunt had allowed him to put some distance between himself and the Ork.Even as the brutish Greenskin was reaching through the hatch with his apishly long arms, Bannick fired another shot. Just like the first, the second seemed to infuriate the Ork more than hurt him. With the Greenskin squeezing himself down the ladder, Bannick retreated further along the corridor linking the main space to the driver's compartment. With the corridor too narrow to wield its knife, the Ork came on, trying to grab Bannick and finish him off with his bare hands. Fortunately for Bannick, the Greenskin was far too large to squeeze himself through the narrow corridor. Eventually, the Ork became stuck.Hearing the commotion unfolding a few metres from him, Tech-Aspirant Vorkosigen emerged from the rearward compartment which housed Mars Triumphant’s mighty generator. Seeing the Ork in front of him, the tanker quickly seized a large spanner and began to hit the Ork with it. His first blow crashed onto the creature's thick skull, drawing blood. Too big to turn around and deal with this new opponent, the furious Ork bellowed its rage, renewing his efforts to come to grip with Bannick.Recognising the futility of trying to harm the brute with his Laspistol, Bannick looked around to find another weapon. His eyes fell on the thick cables running the length of the corridor: the Lascannon-feeds. A plan quickly formed in the young Lieutenant's mind.Hitting the cable's quick release switch, Bannick disconnected the cable's end, grasping it in one hand. The Ork was not facing him but was trying to get at Vorkosigen, still hammering at the Ork's backside with his improvised weapon. "Ork!" Bannick shouted, trying to get the creature's attention. When this failed, Bannick shot the Ork in the face, the las-bolt burning away one of the creature's ears. The Ork howled in genuine pain and turned his full attention at the human that had wounded him, bellowing his rage.His roar was abruptly cut short when Bannick rammed the live end of the cable deep into the brutes' mouth. With the other end of the cable still attached to the Baneblade's batteries, megawatts of energy surged through the Ork's body, the Greenskin dancing and twitching as the electricity ran through him. The smell of burnt flesh quickly filled the compartment and as the charred body of the Greenskin hung limply in the corridor, Bannick repeatedly shot it in the face, just to be sure the Ork was truly dead.As the Imperial camp roused itself into action and the senior officers directed their efforts, the fighting shifted from the vehicle park to other areas before the Greenskins vanished as quickly as they had appeared.