The shots stopped. Setheno jumped to her feet and brought Skarprattar up. She sliced into the chieftain’s stomach with the power blade. The ork’s eyes blazed with rage and frustration, then dulled. It slumped against her, almost knocking her over with its huge mass. She threw the corpse aside. She fired her pistol again. She had the luxury of time now, so she aimed carefully. The bolt shells first decimated the ork’s cover, then its body.
Von Kierska was screaming. He had covered his face with his hands. The pages of his speech were strewn about the chamber. The vox horn was still on, relaying his screams to all of Infernus.
Setheno walked up the slope to him. ‘What. Have. You. Done?’ she hissed. Her only answers were screams. The governor’s quivering servant on the other side of the doors had told her enough. The treason was believable in a creature so weak.
She reached the lectern. Von Kierska stumbled back, still with his hands over his face.
No, she thought. No, you don’t hide from judgement. ‘Look at me!’ she ordered.
His hands dropped from his face. His expression went from pleading to a fear that reached far deeper than a superficial terror of death. When she was sure he knew the risk to his soul, Setheno swung her blade, decapitating him.
She called for Brenken on the vox again. ‘The orks are here,’ she warned the colonel. ‘Von Kierska betrayed…’
She trailed off. She recognised the sound coming off the vox. It was the deep, treachery-filled grinding of the gates of Infernus opening wide.
1. Yarrick
For the second time in days, I heard of the defeat from afar. First the Legio Metalica, then Infernus. I mourned the loss of Mannheim and the decimation of the Iron Skulls. But there was honour in that tragedy. The orks had suffered for that victory. I did not know whether they had paid enough to make a difference. I could not afford to be optimistic.
About Infernus, though, I felt only rage. Though vox contact with the retreating Steel Legion elements was sporadic, I had spoken with Setheno and Brenken. I knew what had happened. I knew of the treachery. I knew of the events of the rout. Ork commandos, given access to the city by von Kierska, opened all the gates. At the same moment, a rapid strike force of warbikes and battlewagons raced up the western highway. This time, Ghazghkull didn’t even need to force the walls. The orks were inside before the Steel Legion could respond. Bombers flew out of the blood skies and hit at the same time. The battle was a rout long before the first stompas and gargants appeared. All that was left for Brenken to do was extract what she could of the regiments before they were annihilated.
The orks were sacking Infernus. Once again, refugees spilled out in desperate convoys from the city. Once again, they had nowhere to go. The Diablo Mountains were as inhospitable as the Ash Wastes and the Plain of Anthrand. Millions fled, and millions would die with or without being harried by orks looking for sport. What remained of Brenken’s forces were heading for Helsreach. They were leaving the refugees behind, even those who had decided to travel in the same direction.
The cold pragmatism of the move was Setheno’s doing. Brenken had been born on Armageddon. She was one of the finest commanders I knew, and she believed that when she defended the Imperium, she was defending more than an abstract concept. She was defending its people. Abandoning a third population must have been agony. Her instinct would have been to provide some aid to the people fleeing for Helsreach. Understandable. And wrong. Without exception, every human on Armageddon was a tool of the war effort. We were all only valuable to the degree we damaged the enemy. Brenken knew this. She also experienced doubts in a way Setheno could not. What was simple clarity for the canoness would appear as cruelty to others.
Today, that cruelty was necessary.
The events at Infernus precipitated another necessity.
I entered the Chapel of the Martyrs Militant. Lanner had sent me word that Matthias Tritten was there. He had been seen going in, though he had not, as yet, descended to the crypt. So he was still alive.
The chapel was empty of civilians once more. Tritten’s bodyguards were seated in the rear pews. They looked at me. I stared back. They turned their heads to face forward. They would see what there was to see, but they had no desire to interfere. I made a mental note of their apathy.
I found the governor in the chancel. He knelt before the altar, head down, hands crossed over his chest in a pious aquila. The great skull of the altarpiece looked down at him in judgement. He looked up at my approach. The brittle arrogance of the earlier meeting was gone. In its place was animal fear. He was sweating. He licked his lips every few seconds. Tritten was a weak man, easily broken. He was broken now.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked.
He licked his lips. ‘I didn’t go down there,’ he said. ‘I didn’t even try. I’m telling you the truth.’
‘I know you are. Why are you here?’
‘Praying for guidance.’
‘And has the way to your duty been revealed to you?’
He nodded. He looked eager now. ‘Yes. Yes it has, commissar.’ He was still on his knees. ‘I had a decision to make. I had to know if I could best serve my people by being far from the site of immediate danger.’
‘No,’ I told him.
‘No,’ he agreed, nodding vigorously. ‘I can best serve them by removing the danger.’
‘Which is impossible. We are at war.’
‘Precisely.’ He smiled. The smile was unhealthy. His eyes glittered with the ecstasy of desperation. ‘We remove the danger by ending the war.’
I sighed. ‘You hope to negotiate.’
‘Yes!’ Tears trickled from his eyes. ‘I didn’t think you’d understand.’
His gratitude was revolting. It was worse than his arrogant incarnation. ‘I understand perfectly,’ I said. My tone was level, neutral. I wanted him to be open with me. ‘What stage have the negotiations reached?’
‘They haven’t begun,’ he said, and he sounded ashamed. ‘I told you. I was praying for guidance.’
‘So you haven’t sent an envoy.’
‘No.’
‘You have one selected.’
He nodded. He looked back at the bodyguards. ‘Seitz,’ he said. ‘He volunteered.’
‘I see. Come with me.’
‘You know the best way?’
‘I do.’
He followed me back down the nave to his guards. I said, ‘Seitz.’ The youngest, hardest-looking of the group looked up. ‘Out,’ I said.
The three of us walked out the doors of the chapel. The rest of the guards followed a few moments later.
Outside, Helm and the senior officers of the Steel Legion regiments waited just below the top steps of the porch. Below them were a few hundred troopers. A crowd of civilians had gathered. After hearing from Lanner, I had asked Helm to gather witnesses.
All of this was necessary.
Tritten blinked at the faces looking up at him. The harsh glow of the street torches turned them into pale skulls. ‘Citizens of Hades,’ Tritten called out. Then he fell silent. He didn’t know how to continue.
‘Tell them what you have planned,’ I prompted.
‘Yes, yes. Of course.’
Seitz’s eyes widened in alarm.
‘Citizens of Hades,’ Tritten began again. ‘I will spare you the terror of war and the misery of a siege. I will negotiate with the orks.’
He waited. He expected cheers. Instead, the civilians muttered anxiously. The legionnaires stood in silence.
‘I…’ he tried again.
‘That’s enough,’ I said. I drew my bolt pistol.
‘But…’
I raised the pistol to his face. ‘Matthias Tritten,’ I said, raising my voice so it carried down the steps and into the street below, ‘you admit to conspiracy and treason. You are unfit to lead, and you deserve no mercy.’ I
pulled the trigger. Before the echoes had faded, I turned to Seitz and shot him too. Then I stood, bracketed by the corpses, and addressed the people below. ‘Citizens of Hades, you are children of Armageddon. You know the easy path is an illusion. War is upon you, and the orks will be soon. You have been betrayed by your governor, and I have acted in accordance with my duty. My name is Sebastian Yarrick, I am a commissar of the Imperium, and having imposed the ultimate sanction on this traitor, it now falls to me to act in his stead.’
I let my last pronouncement sink in before continuing.
‘Hades Hive will not fall,’ I said. ‘I have vowed this, in the name of the God-Emperor. Now I call upon you to join me in this vow. Hades will not fall. Hades will not fall!’
I paused. Helm led the troops in answering. ‘Hades will not fall!’
Then the people responded, swelling the choir. ‘HADES WILL NOT FALL!’
‘The struggle will be hard,’ I said. ‘We will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will bleed. Every wound will strengthen our resolve. Every death will feed our vengeance.’ I pointed to the corpse of Tritten. ‘Every act of cowardice and thought of treachery shall be punished by immediate execution. This end is dishonour. But every death in combat will sweep you to the Emperor’s Throne. That end is glorious.
‘Tell me your vow.’
‘HADES WILL NOT FALL!’
‘Though the orks shatter the sky itself,’ I said, knowing full well the gargants would appear to do just that, ‘Hades will not fall!’
‘HADES WILL NOT FALL!’
Over the course of the next few hours, I repeated my speech. It was broadcast over the vox network. I made sure it was heard in every corner of Hades Hive. When I spoke, I was burdened by the ghosts of Tempestora and Volcanus. Nothing I had said in either locale had come to pass. But this time was different. I knew what was coming. I had time to prepare. The orks stopped here.
2. Von Strab
The vault was deep into the Ash Wastes to the east of hive Tartarus. Until von Strab had ordered its excavation, its precise location had been a secret guarded by his family. For generations, it had been regarded as the last resort. Usable only once, it was the tactic to be reserved for when the von Strab hold over Armageddon was under mortal threat.
Such as now.
Inside the vault, von Strab stood with Syranax in a vaulted gallery overlooking the main floor. The overlord gazed left and right. This was the first time he had set eyes on the means of his victory. He was awed and proud. The space was huge. He had not expected all the weapons to be in one place. ‘Isn’t this dangerous?’ he asked.
‘The question lacks meaning,’ Syranax said. ‘It ignores the decision that precedes it. Once the determination is made to proceed with this course of action, consideration of safety becomes irrelevant.’
‘I disagree,’ said von Strab. ‘I plan on being very safe before, during and after the deployment.’
‘As you say.’ It was impossible to tell with her metallic rasp of a voice if she was being sarcastic.
Enginseers moved with reverent solemnity between the weapons. Their chanted prayers floated up to von Strab. The ones who were not part of the ritualistic parade toiled at work panels in the side of the weapons, mechadendrites coiling through the ancient mechanisms. The air roiled with incense.
‘The orks are at Infernus now,’ von Strab said. ‘This is the moment to strike.’
‘Impossible,’ said Syranax.
‘That was not a suggestion. Implementation within an hour of my command, you told me. I am giving that command.’
‘With apologies, overlord, further complications have arisen.’
‘When, then?’
‘Another few days.’
Von Strab’s mouth dried. How fast would the orks sweep east? Tartarus was the hive furthest away from the front. Could he count on wiping out the greenskins before they were at his door?
East of Infernus, Hades was on the north coast of Armageddon Secundus, with the Diablo Mountains between it and Infernus. Helsreach was on the south coast, across more level terrain. If the orks kept up with their established pattern of attack, they would lay siege to those hives, and then Acheron, before turning on Tartarus. That was good.
And Yarrick. Yarrick was at Hades; though stubborn, he had his uses after all. He might hold the orks’ attention another day or so.
Yes, yes, there was still time. Von Strab breathed more easily. The victory was still his. The plan required some fine tuning. ‘Very well,’ he said to Syranax. ‘Let me know the instant they’re operational. We will be using multiple targets.’
3. Yarrick
The orks amused themselves for a few days at Infernus. When their forces moved on, they left behind a contingent at the hive, as they had at Volcanus. They were beginning their occupation of Armageddon. We received fragments of vox transmissions from the captured hives. One of those came from Captain Stahl in Volcanus. He still lived. There was resistance in those cities, though I feared it was more entertaining than threatening for the orks.
Helm sent out reconnaissance flights, and we learned the greenskin army had split into two. One force made for Helsreach, the other for Hades. Their advance was quick, but the geography of Armageddon came to our aid all the same. The orks could not defeat distance merely by willing themselves to their next target. They had to cross the mountains and the desert. We had some time. In Hades, we used it well.
We also spoke to the other hives. Or we tried.
In Tartarus, Colonel Yurovsky had command. In Acheron, Colonel Morrier. And in Helsreach, Colonel Rehkopf. In Helm’s tent, we set up vox communication with all three.
‘I wish you luck,’ Yurovsky said. ‘We will listen for your news with interest. But Overlord von Strab’s orders are explicit. I will not challenge them.’ He had left Infernus after Brenken’s takeover. Von Strab had rewarded his loyalty by giving him control over the combined regiments in Tartarus.
‘General Andechs also chose not to challenge those orders,’ I pointed out. ‘We might have been spared this disaster if he had.’
‘Really? Things went better for Infernus under Colonel Brenken, did they?’
‘That is how you’re interpreting what happened there?’ Helm was floored.
‘I wish you all well,’ Yurovsky repeated. ‘The Emperor protects.’ He signed off.
‘He has a point,’ said Morrier.
‘Where?’ Helm demanded. ‘On his head?’
‘The chain of command is vital,’ she said. ‘I shouldn’t have to remind you.’
‘Agreed,’ said Helm. ‘The higher up the rot goes, the more urgently correction is required.’
‘Is that what you are doing, Commissar Yarrick?’ she asked me. ‘Because what I see is a coup. Ordering the execution of a general and killing a governor involve very generous interpretations of your remit, don’t you think?’
‘I act according to my duty, and I will do whatever I must to save Armageddon.’
‘Convenient that this mission of salvation means installing yourself as ruler of Hades Hive.’
‘Whatever is necessary, colonel.’
‘You mean whatever is opportune, I think. Lord Commissar Seroff was right about you.’
I sighed. ‘This serves no purpose, Colonel Morrier. The orks don’t care about our political differences, though our divisions are paving the road to conquest for them.’
‘You’re right,’ Morrier said. ‘This serves no purpose. I will not be fuel for your ambition, Yarrick.’ And she was gone too.
‘Colonel Rehkopf?’ Helm asked. ‘You’ve been very quiet.’
‘Just thinking. So Yurovsky and Morrier are leaving it up to us to stop the ork advance?’
‘So it would seem,’ said Helm.
‘Commissar Yarrick,’ Rehkopf said, ‘with the orks dividing their forces, do w
e have the means to stop them? We have many times the resources you had on Armageddon Prime.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘Ghazghkull used a fraction of his strength on Tempestora and Volcanus. Conventional means and conventional tactics won’t be enough. Total mobilisation is necessary, and we have to hit the orks in ways they won’t expect.’ I grimaced. ‘Like they’ve been doing to us.’
‘I don’t understand how they keep surprising us, and I’ve fought my share of greenskins.’
‘We have an enemy who knows us better than we do him,’ I said. ‘We have to disabuse ourselves of the idea there are tactics too sophisticated for this warlord. Colonel, this threat is historic. We are defending more than Armageddon. We are standing between Ghazghkull Thraka and the Imperium itself.’
After a moment, he said, ‘I believe you’re right.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Has there been any news from Colonel Brenken?’
‘Yes. She expects to be in Helsreach within the day. She has a few hours’ advance on the orks.’
‘Not much,’ Helm commented.
‘We haven’t been idle.’
‘Assume the worst,’ I told Rehkopf. ‘Assume the orks will breach your walls. The terrain outside Hades gives us some advantages you lack.’
‘What do you suggest?’
‘The hive must be your weapon, colonel. Find its blade.’ I thought for a moment. ‘Your docks,’ I said. The inspiration was grim, but it made me smile all the same. ‘Your docks have powerful blades.’
4. Brenken
Not enough, she thought. The gargants were already silhouettes against the red horizon. The war was closing in on Helsreach. Rehkopf had done well, and he was showing her what was being prepared on the docks.
Yarrick: The Pyres of Armageddon Page 26