by Andy Hoare
Lucian stood in the midst of his battle group’s command post, Major Subad nearby poring over a large map while the voice of Sergeant-Major Havil bellowed in the background. A gaggle of Departmento Tacticae specialists had joined the Rakarshans and were busy attempting to disseminate the reams of intelligence the crusade had gathered, and learn what they could of the aliens from those who had fought them. The Rakarshans had done a lot of that recently.
Putting some distance between himself and the anarchic command post, Lucian brought the vox-set to his mouth. ‘Go ahead, Korvane.’
‘Father,’ Lucian’s son replied. ‘Would you prefer the good news, or the bad?’
Lucian scowled, knowing that his son rarely joked about such things. ‘Give me the good news, son. Sugar the pill.’
‘I have two more candidates for the council, father. It looks like they’ll be accepted at the next sitting.’
‘Who?’
‘The first is Pator Ottavi. He found me in fact. He’s been pronounced Pator Sedicae’s successor by his House, making him the senior Navigator in the crusade.’ Sedicae had been killed when the Regent Lakshimbal had been destroyed by tau warships, and it made sense that his successor would desire a seat on the crusade command council. Well enough, thought Lucian, so long as he showed a little more interest in the running of the crusade than his predecessor, who was almost entirely concerned with predicting the currents of the warp.
‘He’ll support us?’ Lucian said, lowering his voice and moving further away from the command post.
‘I believe so, father,’ Korvane replied. ‘He seems to agree that this region should be exploited, not put to the torch.’
‘Well done, son,’ said Lucian. ‘And what of the other?’
‘The Explorator, Magos Gunn,’ Korvane said. ‘I sounded him out and eventually discovered that he’s a member of a Mechanicus faction that seeks to study the type of technology the tau use. He doesn’t care if they all die, but he wants something left behind to study, and that puts him on our side as far as I can make out.’
‘I know the man,’ said Lucian. ‘Something of an outcast amongst the wider Mechanicus, but not so much for an Explorator. Make it happen, then.’
‘Did you want to hear the bad news, father?’ said Korvane.
‘Not really, son,’ said Lucian. ‘Give me it anyway.’
There was a pause, during which Lucian guessed that his son was checking the channel was secure and the conversation was not being listened in on. ‘Something’s happening,’ Korvane said.
Lucian glanced back at the command post, and the Tacticae advisors busying themselves at their temporary cogitation-stations. ‘Go on.’
‘I think the fleet is preparing to face another force, father,’ Korvane said. ‘I think it’s a big one.’
‘The tau?’ Lucian said, though he knew it could be no other. ‘They’re reinforcing?’
‘More than that, father,’ Korvane replied. ‘I think the Tacticae are in the process of re-assessing the tau’s capabilities.’
‘Re-assessing?’ Lucian said. ‘As in, voiding themselves because they’re coming to realise the tau aren’t dirt-grubbing primitives that can be rolled over with a single crusade?’
‘Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that, father,’ Korvane replied. Lucian wouldn’t expect his son to, for he had been raised in the Court of Nankirk, one of the most refined in the quadrant. ‘But essentially, yes.’
‘Have they informed the general?’ Lucian asked.
‘No, father,’ Korvane replied. ‘I don’t think they’ve told anyone yet. Perhaps at the next council sitting…’
‘Leave this with me, Korvane,’ Lucian said, his mind racing as a hundred possibilities sprang into being. ‘See about calling a council session as soon as possible, even if we have to conduct it remotely. Understood?’
As Korvane signed off, Lucian walked back to the command post, his eyes on the Tacticae advisors all the while. There was certainly something… furtive about them. It was as if they were desperately trying to piece together a puzzle they really didn’t want to complete.
It all made a kind of sense, Lucian thought as he stepped back into the post. The crusade had already met far greater resistance than any had thought possible, first in space, and then here on the surface of Dal’yth Prime. The landings had started off well, but the advance had all but ground to a halt along the northern bank of River 992. Tau reinforcements were by all reports flooding east from the world’s other cities, and now it appeared that a new fleet was inbound for Dal’yth Prime.
Things were just about to get interesting…
Chapter Six
‘Lucian,’ said Sarik as the White Scar strode into Battlegroup Arcadius’s bustling command post. The staff were preparing for a session of the Damocles Gulf Crusade command council, with each councillor attending from a remote station. Large pict screens were being erected in the centre of the tented command post, each connected by snaking cables to a central field-cogitation array.
The rogue trader turned from the tacticae-station he was leaned over, and grinned when he saw his friend. With a last word to the Rakarshan trooper manning the station, Lucian crossed to the Space Marine, and the two clasped hands.
‘How goes the war?’ asked Sarik.
Lucian’s expression darkened before he replied. ‘We’ve been ordered to dig in,’ said Lucian. ‘The whole operation’s grinding to a halt.’
‘Aye,’ said Sarik. ‘It’s the same along the whole front. The tau have evacuated non-combatants and their reinforcements are flooding in. We’ve been fending off probing attacks all night.’
Lucian nodded, and leaned in conspiratorially. ‘Have you spoken to any of Gauge’s staff?’
Sarik noticed that the command post was manned by a large number of Departmento Tacticae staff, and guessed that the rogue trader was not entirely happy about the fact. ‘Indirectly. Talk plainly, friend.’
‘Well enough,’ Lucian replied quietly. ‘I think something’s up. I think the Tacticae are reassessing the strategic situation.’
‘To what end?’
‘I think they’re coming to realise that the crusade is overextended,’ Lucian said. ‘My son reports that the fleet is struggling to protect the supply trains, and if things get any worse dirt-side will be hard pressed to support orbital and ground operations together.’
‘It’s only a matter of time before Gauge receives this information, then,’ Sarik said. ‘And when he does?’
‘Hard to say,’ Lucian said. ‘If I read Gauge right, I think he’ll press for a breakout, but something will have to be done quickly. My son believes there is a substantial tau war fleet inbound, so time is at a premium.’
‘Is this to be the crux of the council session?’
Lucian grinned. ‘Possibly, but there is other business too. My son has been busy, finding prospective replacements for the vacant council seats. I aim to propose three new members, all of whom are sympathetic to our faction’s agenda.’
Something inside Sarik stirred, for he disliked being dragged into the crusade’s politics. Far better to leave such things to Chapter Masters and their peers, he believed, and leave sergeants such as himself to lead the troops. Still, he had accepted the responsibility of a seat on the command council, and could scarcely expect to avoid such things, no matter how tedious he found them.
Before Sarik could answer, one of the Tacticae staff called out, reporting that the pict screens were all in place and the council session ready to convene. Sarik and Lucian strode to the centre of the command post, the screens arrayed in a circle around them. ‘Ready?’ Lucian asked.
‘Ready,’ Sarik replied. The advisor gestured to a technician, and the screens burst to life as one.
A respectful quiet descended on the command post, and the static on the screens resolved into a dozen images of th
e face of the council’s convenor. The man’s expression looked distinctly stern, and he was obviously unhappy with the nature of the session, which was being conducted with each of the councillors widely separated rather than together in the council chamber aboard the Blade of Woe.
After a brief moment of silence, the convenor spoke. ‘This extraordinary session of the Damocles Gulf Crusade command council is hereby convened. In attendance are Inquisitor Grand of the Most Holy Ordos of the Emperor’s Inquisition, General Wendall Gauge of the Imperial Guard, Admiral Jellaqua of the Imperial Navy, Captain Rumann of the Adeptus Astartes Iron Hands, Lucian Gerrit of the Clan Arcadius, Veteran Sergeant Sarik of the Adeptus Astartes White Scars, Logistician-General Stempf of the Adeptus Terra and Cardinal Esau Gurney of the Adeptus Ministorum. Cardinal Gurney has the chair.’
With that, the convenor slammed his staff of office against the deck, and his face disappeared from the pict screens, to be replaced by the councillors. Four of the screens remained blank.
Cardinal Gurney now addressed the council, the scene behind him indicating that he was near the front line, his attendants gathered around him. ‘It is my honour to chair this session of the council at this most auspicious of junctures. The first order of business is to answer the petition of Korvane Gerrit Arcadius regarding the election of three new councillors to our august body. I call Korvane Arcadius to address the council in this matter.’
Now one of the previously blank screens showed Korvane’s face. Lucian’s son was stood on the bridge of his vessel, the Rosetta.
Something occurred to Sarik, and he leaned in to speak to Lucian. ‘Was that too easy? Would we not expect the cardinal to place obstacles in the path of this petition?’
Lucian appeared to be thinking the same thing. ‘Aye, Sarik,’ he replied in a low voice. ‘Something isn’t right here…’
‘Honoured members of the command council,’ Korvane said. ‘It is my intention to propose Tacticae-Primaris Kilindini of the Departmento Tacticae, Explorator Magos Gunn of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Pator Ottavi of the Navis Nobilite be called to serve the council. I would like to–’
‘The council thanks you, Korvane Gerrit,’ Cardinal Gurney interrupted Korvane’s petition. ‘Given the urgency of the situation I call upon those in attendance to cast their votes.’
Now Sarik knew that something was definitely awry. Gurney had sidestepped procedure and gone straight for a vote, as if he was not even concerned that those proposed for council seats might be sympathetic to his rivals’ agenda. Within a minute, each of the councillors had cast their votes and the three were elected, their faces appearing on the three remaining screens.
‘Welcome, then,’ Gurney continued. ‘With that settled, I call upon General Gauge to appraise the council of the strategic situation.’ Sarik could not help but read a note of smugness in Gurney’s voice, as if he looked forward to his rival being forced to recount bad tidings.
‘Thank you, cardinal,’ Gauge scowled, his flint-hard eyes narrowing as he spoke. ‘I have this hour received a full report from the Departmento Tacticae, presenting a reappraisal of our enemy’s strengths and capabilities. Needless to say, I have not had the time to fully assimilate the report, but I can summarise what I have read simply enough.’
Sarik glanced around the screens, gauging the reaction of each of the councillors. Admiral Jellaqua looked as dour as Gauge, while Captain Rumann was as unreadable as ever. Gurney still looked smug, while Inquisitor Grand looked downright triumphant. ‘He knows already,’ Sarik whispered to Lucian, nodding towards the screen showing the inquisitor’s face. Lucian nodded slightly in reply.
‘It now appears that the tau are a substantially more established race than previous intelligence maintained,’ Gauge continued. ‘Their domain is larger by a factor of ten than initially estimated, and their technology far more dangerous.’
‘And what do you propose, general, to overcome this situation?’ Cardinal Gurney interjected. ‘Given the evident perniciousness of our foe, how shall we defeat it?’
It was obvious that Gurney was attempting to bait the general, to force him to admit that conventional military tactics would not prevail. Sarik doubted the veteran warrior would rise to so crude a tactic, and was pleased to be proven correct.
‘My staff have been busy preparing a new plan, cardinal,’ Gauge replied, his voice dry and dangerous. ‘I propose Operation Hydra.’
‘I don’t think–’ Cardinal Gurney began, before he was interrupted by Lucian.
‘I would hear the general’s plan,’ Lucian said.
‘So too would I,’ said Sarik.
Admiral Jellaqua and Captain Rumann added their ascent, and Gauge continued. ‘I propose a rapid breakout across River 992, crossing using the bridge at the settlement designated Erinia Beta. By massing the Titans and the armoured units of the Brimlock Dragoons, we can take the city’s star port and push the enemy back against the southern coast.’
‘And what then?’ Inquisitor Grand spoke for the first time. ‘When the star port is in your hands and the tau beaten back, what would be your next course of action?’
General Gauge’s cold eyes swept the screens in front of him, evidently measuring carefully his next words.
‘Having taken the star port, we will have reached a tipping point,’ Gauge said. ‘The tau will not be able to bring in any more reinforcements, and the city will be ours for the taking. In fact, we can use it to bring in our own, without the need to bring units through the desert from the landing zone.
‘But there is this,’ Gauge continued, his voice suddenly low. ‘The reinforcements we were promised at the outset of the crusade have not materialised. Without these, we may have to consider–’
‘There are to be no reinforcements, general,’ Inquisitor Grand interrupted.
Silence descended on the council and in the command post, all eyes now focussed on the inquisitor.
‘Explain,’ Gauge said, his eyes glinting with murderous incredulity. ‘What do you mean, inquisitor?’
‘This crusade is over,’ Grand said, pulling back his hood as he spoke. His features were twisted and scarred, the result of Lucian’s daughter attacking him with a flame weapon before she had fled the crusade and disappeared. In amongst the scars, Grand’s face was decorated by a swirling mass of tattoos, describing esoteric runes and symbols. His eyes had no lids, a deliberate message that his gaze would see all and never falter. At his neck was the red-wax seal of the Inquisitorial rosette, the irrefutable font of an inquisitor’s power and authority.
The message was quite clear.
‘The tau are to be exterminated, one world at a time. I have heard all I will of pride and honour. They are xenos, and they deserve no mercy. Exterminatus shall commence in precisely twenty-four hours, by which time any ground units not evacuated will be left to their fate.’
A stunned silence followed, before Admiral Jellaqua spluttered, ‘The council must vote–’
‘There is no council!’ Grand boomed, the first time he had raised his voice above a sibilant whisper in all the council sessions Sarik had attended. ‘I hereby invoke the authority invested in me by this rosette. My orders are to be obeyed as if they came from the High Lords themselves.’
The Inquisition had such power throughout the Imperium that in theory, its servants could do as they pleased, enacting every possible sanction from summary execution all the way up to planetary devastation, for the survival of humanity. In practice, however, the extent of an inquisitor’s power relied on his standing within the Inquisition, and the broader strategic and political situation. To Sarik’s mind, Inquisitor Grand was on anything but firm ground, dealing as he was with highly placed officials and far from the Imperium’s borders.
Sarik reached a decision, and was on the verge of speaking when Lucian gripped his forearm, and subtly shook his head. Anger welled up inside the White Scar, a fee
ling that honour and duty were being set aside for the aggrandisement of the inquisitor and his pet firebrand cardinal. The thought of the inquisitor unleashing a virus bomb and enacting Exterminatus filled him with seething fury, for where was the honour in reducing every last scrap of biological matter on Dal’yth Prime to a rancid gruel?
He took a deep breath, and Lucian redoubled his grip on his forearm. ‘Sarik!’ Lucian hissed. ‘We’ll deal with this, but not now, not like this…’
Sarik forced himself to calm, and nodded back at Lucian. The rogue trader was correct; Sarik knew that. Then his attention was turned back to the screen that showed Gurney’s smirking face as the cardinal addressed the council.
‘So there it is,’ Gurney crowed. ‘I suppose it falls to me as chair to close this convocation. Each of you shall be receiving his orders in due course, and these will be obeyed without question, on the authority of the Inquisition. That is all.’
‘That is all?’ Sarik fumed as he and Lucian stalked away from the command post. ‘How dare he speak like–’
‘Friend,’ Lucian said, coming to a halt and placing a hand on the Space Marine’s shoulder armour. ‘You are a warrior of great renown, and I have nothing but admiration for your battlefield skills…’
‘But?’ Sarik interjected. It was obvious there would be a ‘but’.
‘But,’ Lucian smiled as he went on. ‘The council is not your native battleground. I don’t mean that–’
‘I know, Lucian,’ said Sarik, smiling himself. ‘You are going to say that around the council table, my skills are no more deadly than those of a neophyte.’
‘Well, I wasn’t going to go quite that far,’ Lucian said. ‘But essentially, yes. There is far more going on here than we just witnessed.’
‘What else is happening?’ asked Sarik, frustrated once more by petty politicking. ‘What did I miss?’
Lucian looked back towards the command post, where several dozen staff officers and Tacticae advisers were already starting to break down the tacticae-stations and pict screens.