Part 4 (2/2)

Seth closed his bleeding eyes. The trembling ceased, and every man present felt the invisible tremor of the psyker reaching out with his powers. Zailen stepped back, as if the unseen forces at work could destabilise his temperamental, humming plasma rifle.

a”Ia'm still hearing the voice. Ita's trapped, barely reaching the surface a”

a”Seth, focus now or I shoot you where you stand. Ignore the d.a.m.n voice.a” Thade asked again, a”What do you see?a”

The psyker smiled. A Cadian smile, a morbid twist of the lips, grim and humourless. a”Traitors.a”

Enginseer Osirona's warning flashed through the vox network, squad by squad. No one was surprised. Hopes had hardly been high of the mission being a success, and many of the 88th had questioned the initial orders to reinforce the Ja.n.u.s 6th in such a tactically unviable location. The green unit had pushed too far, too fast, and it was down to the Cadians to get in there and do their best to keep the fresh meat alive. In theory.

Of course, there was only so much you could do when the regiment you were supposed to reinforce was already annihilated by the time you arrived.

Taan Darrick crouched behind a row of stone pews, clutching his battered lasrifle. Chunks of his cover broke away in flying pieces or were disintegrated outright by the bite of heavy bolter rounds. His glance kept flicking up to the stained gla.s.s dome thirty metres above his hiding place. Kathur Reclamation protocol was adamant about avoiding collateral damage, but any second now, Kathur Reclamation protocol was about to go to h.e.l.l.

Deft fingers ejected his riflea's spent power pack. The sickle-shaped magazine fell into his free hand, and he stored it in his webbing.

a”Machine-spirit, forgive my actions. Soon you shall be whole again.a” The Litany of Unloading. Taana's voice was cool and unshaking. Cadian blood, ice in the veins. There was no way hea'd let himself die here.

He slammed the fresh power cell in and pulled the recharge slide, now speaking the Litany of Loading.

a”Machine-spirit, accept my gift. Swallow the light, and spit out death.a” Simple words. Even silly, in other circ.u.mstances. A grunta's attempt at something poetic. Yet Darrick had been saying the same words since hea'd loaded his first lasgun at age four. They made him grin now. Funny how certain things gain such significance.

The last time hea'd raised his head above the row of seats, hea'd counted close to seventy of the Remnant scattered in a loose line, their numbers punctuated by hastily erected heavy weapons emplacements. Seventy soldiers. There had been over a hundred a few minutes ago.

Seventy left.

Taan looked left and right, counting his own remaining men as they crouched in the makes.h.i.+ft trench, sheltered from the onslaught by the rapidly-eroding stone pews.

He counted twelve. Wonderful. Thata's just wonderful.

a”Darrick to His Holy Blade. In the name of the Emperor, where are you?a”

a”On approach, Alliance. Cruor requests pict detail of deployment.a”

a”Do I sound like I have time to start a career as a taker of rare and beautiful picts? Wea're pinned. You hear that gunfire? Thata's not us shooting, you son ofa-a”

Taan was Cadian, born in a barracks and bred under the violet sky. Even as he ranted, he focused the lens of the picter attached to the side of his helmet, and took a peek a- no longer than a heartbeat a- long enough to take a single pict of the wall of Remnant forces across the circular chorus chamber. All the while, he swore. Darrick ducked again just as a lasbolt burned the stone black an inch from his eye.

a” raised by dogs, you ungrateful a” he trailed off, clicking a”Senda” on the helmet picter. a”Can you see that?a”

a”Quite a party in there. Patching it through to Cruor now.a”

a”No rush.a” The pew shook as a ma.s.sive chunk of its front detonated under the full force of a direct heavy bolter round only three metres away. a”Take as long as you need. Ia'm starting to get comfortable.a”

Taan couldna't resist. He looked up, taking a pict of the stained gla.s.s dome. It was the only point of entry unless the Valkyrie was going to drop Cruor through the hole blown in the wall. That was unlikely. Darrick clicked a”Senda” a second time, transmitting the pict of the pristine dome.

a”See that second pict? Ia'm not seeing much deployment here.a”

The pre-dawn light filtering through the dome darkened under an avian shadow. The Valkyrie hovered, its thrusters screaming as they burned. Several of the Remnant cried out as coloured melted gla.s.s rained on them in sticky, agonising drips.

a”Now!a” Taan called to his surviving men. They used the momentary distraction to break cover, twelve rifles firing. Twenty-two Remnant soldiers went down, hit in the first or second volley. Two shots went wide. Taan laughed as he ducked back into cover.

a”I saw that, Kallo! Are you sure your mother had violet eyes?a” He knew Kallo had been hit in the shoulder and it was ruining his aim, but still a”Two misses! The captain will hear about this!a”

Kallo offered no excuse. Taan called out the Litany of Forgiveness with a wicked grin. a”Sweet G.o.d-Emperor, forgive Your servant Kallo his sins. Remember he is just a man!a”

Several of the soldiers sn.i.g.g.e.red in their cover.

The gunfire renewed, but in less force. Some of it was angled up towards the Valkyrie, but the greatest difference was the fact that a third of the force was no longer firing.

a”Strike Team Cruor confirm receipt of tactical situation. Deploying.a”

a”Oh? Nice of them to finally drop by.a”

a”I heard that,a” came a deeper voice that Taan recognised instantly. a”See you in a second, joker.a”

Taan grinned as Strike Team Cruor made their entrance.

Ten men in night-black carapace armour fell through the melted ruin of the gla.s.s dome. Boots first, they dropped like knives, firing as they plummeted. The Valkyrie above stayed locked in hover while the squad rappelled down.

On maximum power, standard issue lasguns constructed on the Cadian armoury world of Kantrael fired a finger-thin red beam of superheated laser energy. The blasts roaring from the ten rifles in the falling mena's gloved hands were headache-purple with a blinding white core. Several of the Remnant hit by the las-fire burst into flames as their clothes caught light. They dropped to the ground, already dead, their clothes aflame.

a”Stormtroopers!a” one of the Remnant cried, and the devastated remains of the enemy force turned to flee. One of the black-clad soldiers cut down two enemy either side of the shouting Remnant warrior, and disconnected his rappelling cable. He caught the running Remnant in three strides and bore him to the ground, punching down with a double-edged combat knife.

a”Stay awhile,a” the soldier said, burying his blade in the traitora's neck.

The rest of Taana's men joined Cruor, leaping the cover of the pews and cutting down the foe. For a handful of seconds, the chamber was illuminated in an insane display of strobing laser light: red from the lasguns, purple-white from Cruora's h.e.l.lguns.

Except for the ringing in the Cadiansa' ears, the chamber was silent less than a minute after Cruor deployed. The last surviving Remnant soldier was put down with a las-round to the forehead while he pleaded for his life, on his knees, insisting he had no choice.

a”Aina't that a shame.a” His executioner, faceless in his dark rebreather and full visored helm, turned from the falling corpse, scanning the room. Master Sergeant Ban Jevrian sighted Taan through the green glare of his visor. He popped his helmet seals in a hiss of air pressure as he strode over to the lieutenant, removing it to reveal a shaved head and the suggestion of brown stubble around his thin mouth. Jevrian wasna't so much in athletic Cadian shape as he was a layer of slab-like muscle over thick bone, encased in black carapace armour. His h.e.l.lpistol, connected to a humming backpack via thick cable feeds, purred as he lowered the setting and holstered it.

a”Sir.a” He offered Taan a salute, his deep voice resonating across the chamber as he made the sign of the aquila over his chestplate. a”Kasrkin squad Eight-Zero-Eight reports successful deployment.a”

a”Took your time,a” Taan saluted back.

a”Thata's funny. Youa're a real joker,a” Jevrian said, unsmiling. He didna't smile much. Jokes that had most men in st.i.tches might, if they were truly worthwhile, lift the corners of Ban Jevriana's lips for the ghost of an instant. a”Wherea's Yaune?a”

a”Dead,a” Darrick said. a”Blown out of that hole in the wall.a”

The Kasrkin shrugged. a”He owed me money.a”

a”Youa're all heart.a”

a”Whatever. Orders?a”

Taan did a quick count of his remaining men, thinking of the names hea'd be writing on death notices once they were clear of this h.e.l.lhole.

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