‘Bully for them,’ I said. Rather more pressing from my point of view was the undeniable fact that the swarm was becoming more cohesive, and the tactics it employed more sophisticated, and I lost little time in saying as much as soon as the meeting started.
‘We’ve seen this before,’ Kasteen said confidently. ‘The hive mind analyses the tactics being used against it, and modifies its own accordingly.’
‘I would be inclined to agree,’ Izembard said, ‘were it not for the speed with which these changes are occurring. We’re beginning to see separate sub-swarms coordinating their efforts, which would be far beyond the capabilities of the synapse creatures previously identified.’
‘Then how are they doing it?’ I asked, the familiar tingling sensation in the palms of my hands forewarning me of serious trouble to come.
‘We hypothesise,’ the magos said, after what seemed to me to be suspiciously like a pause for dramatic effect, ‘that some major node of the hive mind survived whatever catastrophe overwhelmed the lesser creatures, and lapsed into dormancy along with them. Now the increased synaptic activity among the neural net is causing it to revive, rallying the other bioforms.’
‘You mean the bioship which brought them is waking up?’ I asked, my stomach knotting at the thought.
Izembard nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s possible,’ he said, ‘although if such a vessel were anywhere in the vicinity of Nusquam Fundumentibus it would almost certainly have revealed its presence by now. It’s more likely that some fragment of it accompanied the other organisms to the surface.’
‘Then we have to find it and kill it,’ Kasteen said, her face pale even for an iceworlder, ‘before it wakes completely. If it’s that strong, it could start to call the fleet it originally came from.’
‘And if it does that,’ I concluded, ‘we’ll be facing a full scale invasion.’
We stared at one another, the full horrific implications sinking in. We knew from bitter experience that even a small splinter fleet could annihilate a world in a matter of weeks. With its relatively low, highly concentrated population, just a single fully functional bioship would probably be enough to lay waste to Nusquam Fundumentibus before the reinforcements we were expecting had time to arrive.
‘Could it be lying low in the halo?’ Forres asked. ‘It would be almost impossible to find among the cometary debris.’
Broklaw shook his head. ‘It would need to be a lot closer to maintain reliable contact with the swarm on the ground,’ he pointed out. ‘Perhaps it’s in orbit, concealing itself somehow?’
‘Hive ships are notoriously difficult to detect on auspex,’ Izembard said, ‘but there are no records of any managing to evade notice entirely at so close a range. The controlling intellect is almost certainly somewhere on the surface of Nusquam Fundumentibus.’
‘If all the active ’nids are in the Leeward Barrens, then the hive node must be too,’ I speculated aloud.
Izembard inclined his head. ‘A reasonable inference,’ he agreed. ‘Although that still leaves a considerable area to cover.’
‘Too big,’ Kasteen said. ‘We’re spread far too thin already to mount a search on the ground, even if we knew what we were looking for.’
‘What about aerial reconnaissance?’ Brecca asked, and the senior PDF officer present shook her head.
‘All our aircraft are fully committed to the evacuation,’ she said. ‘We could redeploy them...’
‘No,’ Clothilde cut in, forcefully. ‘Getting the civilians out of danger has to be our highest priority.’
‘With respect, your Excellency,’ Forres said, ‘saving the planet should be our highest priority. Collateral damage is regrettable, of course, but...’
‘Then I suggest you find a way to achieve that without feeding my citizens to the first tyranid organism that happens along,’ Clothilde replied, in a voice which brooked no argument.
‘Aerial reconnaissance probably won’t help much in any case,’ I said, in my most diplomatic manner; the last thing we needed now was to start bickering among ourselves. ‘Whatever this hive node is, it’s probably buried just as deeply as the rest of the ’nids.’
‘Then we’ll just have to hope someone spots them digging a hole,’ Kasteen said dryly, ‘in time to call in a bombing run.’
To my surprise, Izembard was nodding again. ‘That would probably work,’ he said. ‘Killing the primary node would, at the very least, severely disrupt the swarm. If we were particularly fortunate, the resulting psychic shock would incapacitate the majority of the subordinate organisms into the bargain.’
‘So how do we find it?’ I asked.
To my surprise Izembard shrugged, with the air of a man who only vaguely remembered how the gesture was performed. ‘Blind luck is somewhat beyond the scope of the Omnissiah,’ he said.
‘Luck works best if you make your own,’ I replied, trying to sound confident, but in truth I was anything but. If Izembard was right about the existence of a higher coordinating intelligence, then the swarm was infinitely more dangerous than we’d believed.
Editorial Note:
While the Imperial Guard braced itself for further attacks from a foe which now appeared even more formidable than they’d believed, the efforts Governor Striebgriebling had initiated to persuade the civilian population of Primadelving that it would be better off away from the firing line continued. Though only a relatively small proportion of the total number heeded the carefully dropped hints, a steady trickle of refugees began to make their way to other cavern cities; which, though relieving the pressure a little in the capital, began to create administrative difficulties of its own in the other population centres.
This selection of extracts from the printsheets and other sources should give something of the flavour of the efforts to influence the most footloose among the citizenry to leave.
From The Nusquan Diurnal Journal, 373 942 M41
XENOS INCURSIONS INCREASE
Governor calls for calm.
Despite the best efforts of the planetary defence force and the recently arrived Imperial Guard units to defend them, reports are continuing to come in of outlying settlements throughout the Leeward Barrens falling victim to the depredations of the tyranids. Though efforts to evacuate the civilians most at risk continues, further casualties seem inevitable before the xenos interlopers can be dispatched.
Noting that the vast majority of those rescued are being taken, not to Primadelving, as would seem most reasonable under the circumstances, but to cities in other provinces, it is not hard to conclude that the planetary capital itself is considered vulnerable to the xenos horde, speculation which Governor Striebgriebling did little to play down in her most recent address.
‘We must all remain steadfast and vigilant,’ she told the Delegate Assembly, ‘even where safety seems most assured. The tyranids undoubtedly pose a potent and terrible threat. We must not, however, allow blind panic to dictate our actions, but proceed in a calm and rational manner to ensure our safety.’
From The Solar, 373 942 M41
THOUSANDS FLEE RAVENING XENOS!
The full horror faced by desperate snowsteaders95 became clear this morning, with the arrival in Primadelving of the survivors of a tyranid attack on the village of Eastridge. Over half the population were slaughtered by the ravening beasts, before a detatchment from the 597th Valhallan could respond to their vox messages pleading for help.
‘It was a nightmare,’ ice filtration artisan Jezeba Cleff told us. ‘They were ripping people to bits and eating them wherever you looked. All we could save of my gran was her specs.’
‘The Barrens aren’t a fit place to bring up kids in now,’ her husband added. ‘We’re moving on to Polatropolis as soon as Jezeba can line up a job.’
(Exclusive picts, pages 3,5,6 and 8. Comment & cartoon, page 2.
‘Don’t panic,’ says Governor, page 7.)
From The Nusquan Diurnal Journal, 376 942 M41
WESTERMINE BOOM BRINGS JOB OPPORTUN
ITIES
Rapid growth in the economy of Westermine, fuelled by the recent completion of new starport facilities second only to those of Primadelving, has led to a critical skills shortage in this burgeoning metropolis. Wages have risen sharply as a result, with some skilled artisans seeing as much as a thirty per cent increase in their incomes, making them noticeably better off than those doing the same job in Primadelving. Despite the greater costs involved, many businesses remain desperate to take on staff, and are pinning their hopes on a fresh influx of workers from the Leeward Barrens, where the tyranid and greenskin incursions are causing some disruption to traditional patterns of employment.
Extract from a pictcast by Governor Striebgriebling, 387 942 M41.
The evacuation of the Leeward Barrens has been a remarkable success, with uncounted numbers of innocent lives preserved from the tyranid menace. But let us not forget the heroic sacrifice of so many members of the Imperial Guard and the planetary defence force which has made this possible. Even now they are engaging ever-growing numbers of these obscene and deadly creatures, which, deprived of the easy prey they had hoped to consume, must surely be seeking fresh victims.
Primadelving remains a well-defended refuge, but this is no time for complacency. Many of the creatures among the swarm are skilled at infiltration, and must surely be testing our fortifications, hoping to find a way in. Remain vigilant, and report anything out of the ordinary to the appropriate authorities at once.
Remember, you are our first line of defence.
TWENTY
‘I think the troopers out on the ice might disagree with that,’ I said. ‘Surely they’re our first line of defence?’
Clothilde had just made some remark in a pictcast which effectively told the civilians skulking in the warmth and comfort of Primadelving that they were just as much in the firing line as the men and women fighting for their lives in the frozen wilderness, and even allowing for the hyperbole I’d normally expect in such a speech, that had struck me as a trifle inconsiderate. The governor looked at me across the hololith in the command centre, as her projected image faded, a curious expression on her face.
‘I take your point,’ she said, ‘and I don’t mean to play down the heroism of anyone out there facing the tyranids. But you know as well as I do that it’s only a matter of time before they attack the city.’ We all glanced at the display, where a chain of contact icons formed an ever-tightening noose around our collective neck. ‘It’s getting harder and harder to keep the crawler routes open; the more citizens we can persuade to leave before they’re severed the better, and a little judicious scaremongering should help to get a few more moving.’
‘Besides, it’s a fair point,’ Kasteen conceded, much to my surprise. ‘Sooner or later we’re going to see a lictor or a genestealer brood sneaking past our defences, and when that happens we’re going to need all the eyes we can get.’
‘There might be such a thing as too many,’ I said, turning back to Clothilde. ‘If we’re going to lose the crawler routes soon, then we need to get a proper evacuation under way as quickly as possible. I understand your reluctance, but...’
‘No,’ she said flatly, ‘I don’t believe you do. This may be an abstract tactical problem to you, but to me it’s the lives and homes of millions of people who put their trust in the Emperor, and in me as His official representative. Abandoning the capital would be like turning our backs on all the Imperium stands for.’
‘With all due respect, your Excellency,’ Forres said, chiming in equally unexpectedly, ‘we can defend all the Imperium stands for far more effectively without millions of civilians blocking our fire lanes, and being devoured wholesale so the tyranids can spawn Emperor knows how many reinforcements. Now the Barrens have been cleared, and we have the resources available, we should begin evacuating the city at once.’
‘Well said, commissar,’ I put in, happy to let someone else draw the ire of a hacked-off planetary governor (which in my experience could be quite formidable, especially if they turned out to be a genestealer hybrid, or a gibbering madman with a personal retinue of daemons, as had happened on a couple of memorable occasions in the past).
Clothilde looked at Brecca, and the PDF contingent, no doubt hoping to find some support for her position there, but found none; all were looking at Forres, clearly in complete agreement.
Kasteen coughed delicately. ‘If you feel unable to give the order,’ she said, ‘perhaps it would be a good time to bring the province under the direct protection of His Divine Majesty’s armed forces.’
Clothilde looked at her in open incredulity. ‘Are you threatening me with some kind of coup d’etat?’ she demanded.
‘By no means,’ I said, as diplomatically as I could, which was quite a lot given the practice I’d had over the years. ‘Colonel Kasteen is simply pointing out that the most senior Imperial Guard officer present is entitled to declare martial law if a state of civil emergency exists, and if the planetary authorities are failing to respond in a timely and appropriate manner.’ I inflected the phrase to sound as though I was quoting, although the actual wording of the appropriate regulation was far more syntactically mangled, and I couldn’t recall it in that much detail anyway. ‘Technically, that’s subject to ratification by the most senior member of the Commissariat available96,’ I added as an afterthought, a requirement presumably intended to rein in any Guard officers fancying a career change to governor, ‘but as the most senior commissar on Nusquam Fundumentibus is me, and I trust the colonel’s judgement implicitly, we can take that as read.’
‘But she isn’t the most senior Imperial Guard officer,’ Clothilde said, with the air of a regicide player unexpectedly taking the king. ‘Colonel Brecca is of equal rank.’
‘Colonel Kasteen has several years seniority, which makes her the ranking officer nevertheless,’ I pointed out. ‘And a gun. Both of which enable her to declare martial law right now, with, for the record, my full approval, should she see the need.’
Kasteen caught my eye, signalling her gratitude for my support with a barely perceptible nod. ‘Are we all agreed on the necessity of an immediate evacuation, then?’ she asked.
‘We are,’ Clothilde said tightly, after a fractional pause.
‘Then I’d say the civil authorities are responding appropriately,’ Kasteen said, looking distinctly relieved. ‘For the time being, anyway.’
‘I’m not sure this is a good time to be making an enemy of the governor,’ Broklaw said, when we filled him in on the events of the last meeting. His face was still reddened from the driving sleet on the surface, where he’d been supervising the construction of a ring of new defences around the perimeter of the city, and he’d clearly been enjoying the jaunt among the snowdrifts the job had afforded him. ‘But under the circumstances, it doesn’t sound as though you had much choice.’
‘I’m afraid we didn’t,’ I said. ‘The last thing we need is... what was the phrase you used?’
‘“Three million pieces of ’nid bait getting in the way,”’ Kasteen supplied helpfully, while Broklaw grinned at the good-natured leg-pulling.
‘Exactly,’ I said. ‘I’m sure she won’t bear a grudge, once she’s had a chance to think things through.’
‘I hope not,’ Kasteen said, flinching a little as Jurgen passed close enough to hand her a steaming tanna bowl. ‘It’d be a pain in the arse having to shift our command post at this stage.’ She glanced round my office, paying particular attention to the opulent drawing room furnishings I’d found on moving in, and which I’d promptly had pushed back to the walls to make room for my desk. Accepting the governor’s hospitality had been convenient when we first arrived, but that could turn out to be highly problematic if we fell out with her.
Broklaw took his tanna gratefully, warming his hands around it, before sipping the fragrant liquid. ‘I don’t see the problem,’ he said. ‘If she gets difficult, declare martial law anyway, and let Ciaphas threaten to shoot her again.’
�
�I did nothing of the kind,’ I said, accepting my inevitable share of the ribbing97. ‘I just pointed out that Regina was carrying a gun.’
‘Which could so easily have escaped her notice,’ Kasteen said dryly. ‘Anyway, we made our point. The evacuation order’s been issued.’ She spoke with some relief, which I must confess I shared. Putting Primadelving under martial law would have saddled us with innumerable responsibilities connected with its governance, which in turn would have impeded our efforts to deal with the tyranid problem almost as much as leaving the civilians underfoot.
‘Will that be all, sir?’ Jurgen asked, handing me the last of the tanna bowls from the tray he carried.
After a moment’s consideration, I nodded. ‘It will,’ I confirmed. The main reason for holding our meeting in my office was the near certainty that we wouldn’t be interrupted once he resumed his post in its anteroom, deflecting all but the most urgent petitioners with his habitual mixture of obstructive politeness and near-lethal flatulence.
‘The big question is how many of the civvies we can get out before the overland routes become too dangerous for the crawlers,’ Kasteen said. ‘Once we’re restricted to aircraft, we’re frakked.’
Broklaw and I nodded thoughtfully. The pitifully few aircraft the Nusquans had available would be wholly inadequate for the task of moving so many people, even if the atrocious weather on the surface didn’t keep them grounded half the time98.
The Last Ditch Page 21