Part 11 (2/2)

a”Near?a” the Herald growled. a”Soon?a”

Speech was also difficult. The Herald swallowed to clear its throat. Whatever had been lodged there wriggled as it went down.

a”We are only hours from our destination, Herald,a” the Traitor Astartes said.

a”The Legion?a” snarled the Herald.

a”The Legion stands ready, great Traveller.a”

Traveller. Another of its t.i.tles. And tied to its name a”My s.h.i.+p,a” purred the Herald wetly. Its scabby gauntlets stroked the corroded throne. a”My s.h.i.+p. Terminus Est.a”

a”Yes, lord.a” The Traitor Astartes was used to the warp-sickness affecting the Herald. He knew it would pa.s.s soon.

The Herald grinned behind its horned helm, facing the screen ahead and clutching its scythe in a greedy hand. The bulk of its Terminator plate would have been immense anyway, but the scabs, buboes and bone spines thrusting from the off-green armour swelled it to four times the size of a mortal man.

a”Kathur,a” it said. a”We draw near to Kathur.a”

a”Yes, lord.a”

And then, like a bolt from the chaotic storm outside, the Herald recalled its name. Who it had been. What it had become. It smiled again, and began to give orders to its wretched crew.

In life, ten thousand years ago as the galaxy had descended into the war that would never end, he had been the First Captain of the Death Guard.

Now, the Scourge of Scarus, the Traveller, Host of the Destroyer Hive, Herald of the Grandfather of Decay, prepared to do battle once more.

a”Kathur,a” smiled Typhus through his black lips. a”Their little shrineworld.a”

Seth met with Thade as the captain was in his tent, performing the rites of maintenance on his chainsword. The smell of purified oils flavoured the air. Thade was on his bedroll, wearing his grey fatigues with the blade in his lap. It was the first time the psyker had seen Thade without his body armour on in weeks.

a”Sir?a” He stood at the tenta's canvas entrance, looking in through the open door curtains. Thade was using a hand-pick to sc.r.a.pe dirt from the High Gothic runes etched into the bladea's flat.

a”Come in,a” he called.

Seth stepped in and froze at the sudden growl. The sound was mechanical and very, very angry. Seth knew it well. He turned his head slowly to see Thadea's cyber-mastiff, its bodywork of chrome and iron restored to its undamaged gunmetal grey. The size of a bloodhound, the shape of a wolf with particularly vicious jaws, the cyber-mastiff glared at him with black eye lenses.

It was still growling.

a”Uh Good dog,a” Seth said, feeling foolish for letting it slip out.

a”Down, boy,a” the captain said. a”Sorry, Seth. One second. Rax, log targeta's bio-spoor. Record name: Seth. Record status: Null target.a”

The robotic doga's eye lenses whispered as they turned - focusing, recording.

a”Acknowledge,a” said Thade.

The dog opened its beartrap jaws and its internal vox-speakers emitted a throaty machine sound. With some imagination, it was almost a bark.

a”Youa're safe now,a” Thade said, going back to sc.r.a.ping the last traces of gore from the etched lettering of his blade. a”When he was damaged last month, it wiped his cogitatora's targeting and recollection file.a”

a”His what?a”

a”His memory, apparently. Dona't look at me like that; it was Osirona's explanation. Rax needs to re-record everyonea's bio-spoors so he doesna't sight them as targets.a”

a”Am I a null target now?a” Seth leaned on his staff, feeling his headache pound behind his eyes. Throne take that d.a.m.ned dog, hea'd never liked it.

a”You should be. Rax? Prime for battle.a”

The cyber-mastiff inclined its head towards Thade, its jaws opening slightly. Seth noticed its steel teeth glinting in the dim sunlight coming into the tent. Each one polished like a prize dagger.

a”No need to test it, Ia'll take your word for it,a” Seth murmured. a”Great Eye, did Osiron polish its teeth?a”

a”He did. If you get up close, you can see the Litany of Protection etched into each fang.a”

a”Ia'm not getting up close.a”

a”Well, I thought it was a nice touch. Stay still a- let me test this. Rax? Kill.a”

Seth felt his entire body tense at the command. He didna't expect the dog to attack, but the possibility made his stomach twist and his eyes ache. The captaina's humour, such as it was, did not match his own.

Rax closed his jaws with a slam of meeting metal. Its internal speakers droned an almost puppyish whine.

a”Youa're safe,a” said Thade. a”Rax, stand down.a”

The cyber-mastiff powered down, closing its jaw and clamping its rows of shark-like teeth. It sat much the way a real dog would: haunches on the floor, but its head tracked left and right, slowly, like a security camera.

a”A simple a'yesa' would have sufficed.a”

a”Stop whining, youa're still alive. Now, you wanted to talk to me,a” Thade said, a”but first you have a question of mine to answer.a”

a”Of course.a”

a”An hour ago, you were with the Astartes psyker.a”

a”I was.a”

a”Now tell me why.a”

Seth chuckled, but it became a cough that tasted of blood. a”Thata's not a question.a”

<script>