Gek'hen bounded hurriedly through the corridors of the Imperial Cathedral to the Communications tower where Ethereal Aun Shi Que waited to provide fresh orders. The death of the human priest by Gek'hen's own hand surely would prove the death knell for the pitiful resistance. In truth Gek'hen could not believe in the ease with which the Tau forces had taken virtually the entire planet. While he had a warrior's heart he saw the benefit in bloodless conquest, opponents of the Greater Good had little to argue against if they had nothing to complain about. Gek'hen only knew that whatever had diverted the Space Marine protectors away from the planet and had so effectively subdued the local defences was something to be thankful for.
The double doors to the communications tower were guarded by a pair of fire warriors, pulse carbines at the ready. Gek'hen's quills stiffened involuntarily, instincts overriding learned calm. He observed the protocols though and stated his name and purpose.
"Gek'hen, Shaper of the Red talon tribe, here to speak with Ethereal Aun Shi Que, the Greater Good be sought."
"Greetings, Shaper Gek'hen, fortune on your tribe." Said the fire warrior on the left as they both lowered their weapons. "The Ethereal has been expecting you."
The magnetically sealed doors slid open as if on cue and Gek'hen loped into the communications room.
Imperial machinery beeped and flashed around the room as tau technicians manipulated the unsophisticated controls, levers, buttons and old worn dials being pulled and pushed as needed. Gek'hen could not understand how such a primitive empire could hope to stand against the technological might and understanding of Tau, his own people had long ago seen the value of working with them and understood that the only future for the galaxy lay with the principles of Tau Greater Good.
Ethereal Aun Shi Que was speaking to the human renegade who had surrendered to the Tau on the Western walls. The man looked cowardly, he was no real professional soldier and while Gek'hen had little love of the fanatical zealots he had been fighting a short time ago, at least they stood for something. This maggot had no scruples of any kind and sought only to serve his own base needs.
"Not a warrior, but a parasite seeking only his own needs." Thought Gek'hen as he scowled inwardly.
The Ethereal turned to Gek'hen and the Shaper felt an immediate calm wash over him.
"Ahh, Shaper Gek'hen, I am pleased to see you are well. I hear your brood is thriving." Said the Ethereal by way of greeting.
A flush of pride swept over Gek'hen at the praise but he quickly controlled himself before he started to make satisfied clucking noises.
"Thankyou my Ethereal, our well being is only the result of pursuing the Greater Good, it is a pleasure to serve."
The Ethereal placed an elegant blue hand on Gek'hen's wiry shoulder and with a beatific smile said.
"The venerable warrior who you felled in combat was the leader of the humans here and his loss is a great blow to the misguided who resist our efforts to release them from servitude to the Imperium. However, his second in command has led a group of rebels into the catacombs which lead under this very building. It may prove troublesome in the future and so they must be eliminated, for the Greater Good."
"I understand Ethereal, I shall take a clutch from my brood and pursue them, there shall be no survivors." Replied Gek'hen.
Aun Shi Que nodded sadly as he thought of the necessary violence. "They are accompanied by several of the female warriors called "Soritas". While these women live there can be no peace in this place, like a disease they must be eradicated as they are the source of infection."
Gek'hen nodded and bowed deeply before stepping back to take his leave.
"I shall return soon my Ethereal." Gek'hen said, his heart beating faster in anticipation of the hunt.
"Take a team of path-finders with you loyal Gek'hen, the humans need to see that the sum of the Tau is greater than that of its individual peoples."
Aun Shi Que smiled once more at the faithful Shaper before turning his attention back to the still cowering human. Gek'hen turned away and bounded out of the room to gather his brood and begin the hunt.
The catacomb air stank of caked faeces and rotten meat. The remaining militia retched and gagged as Leanne and Vamis pushed them deeper into the gloom. A miasma of putrid gas hung in the air, clogging their eyes and noses, burning and clinging like a wet slimy film to their clothes, skin and weapons.
"Yer Eminence, where are we going? We been walkin fer hours and I dun even know what we doin down ere." Asked a particularly badly educated militiaman whose farm boy accent Vamis found particularly difficult to understand.
"We are going to attack the enemy within our blessed cathedral from right below them, a surprise assault. I do not like the thought of subterfuge but we no longer have the numbers to launch a frontal assault and in any case, we may have the opportunity to decapitate their leadership with one righteous blow." answered Vamis, his confidence returning after dispatching the mutant so easily. He looked around the murk. "We will rest here, I need to pray for guidance from the Holy Emperor before we launch our strike."
The ragged band murmured in agreement and set themselves down gingerly in the filth, squatting amongst the muck and dust. Vamis closed his eyes and thought of what to do. His mind's eye was cloudy, as if filled with cataracts; he saw shadowy figures moving through the gloom, lenses in helmets burning brightly, others with birdlike faces, long gnarled arms carrying rifles. He saw them poised to strike at the refugees, no...not refugees, pilgrims, holy pilgrims. The first bird man struck at the sleeping form of Canoness DeSade.
Uthaniel opened his eyes with a start. A gentle throbbing had started in his head but he knew in his heart that his vision was not simple fears but a warning from a protector. A warning from the Emperor or perhaps a saint, warning of impending doom.
"My flock, we are being stalked." warned Uthaniel with utmost seriousness. The Cannoness looked at him gravely.
"How do you know Arch Deacon? The foul air down here tests the clear headedness of us all." She said gently but with doubt obvious.
"I have received a vision my child." Stated Uthaniel grandly, the kroot and tau are following us as we speak and will strike soon, I say we stand ready for them and give them a taste of their own treachery.
Many in the motley band nodded in agreement. They hid themselves around corners and behind piles of refuse and waited as silently as possible, ready to spring the trap.
Pathfinder Nu 'Shi felt something was wrong. The pervasive gloom and presence of massive microbial life in this area confounded his helms sensors; instead of lifeforms shining brightly the entire area was a riot of colours. He felt sure that if he had no helm at all he would probably be crawling with diseases by now. How the human rebels were able to survive down here he could not fathom.
"Shas' ui, my helm seems to be malfunctioning he breathed over his helm's com link."
"Negative pathfinder, all our helms are the same, there seems to be too much bacterial life here for our detection to function, switch to black lights."
Nu 'Shi did as instructed and the riotous haze of colour was replaced by grey and white images of the surrounding catacombs. Detritus and refuse were piled up in great heaps against the walls. What appeared to be strange signs were drawn in excrement on the walls all around. Although the brief had not spoken of any sentient life forms living down here this was not simply the work of passers-by, great effort had been taken to place the runic drawings in a particular order...what order Nu 'Shi could not tell, the scrawling seemed to blend and move somehow.
"Ambush!" cried another pathfinder.
Lumps of grey filth shifted and humanoid shapes charged down the tunnel towards them, spread out as they were for tracking the pathfinders could not close ranks for a disciplined firing line. The humans were upon them already, the Shas' ui was already overwhelmed and being beaten to the ground. Nu 'Shi fired wildly at the frenzied mob, worried that he would hit his faithful companions. The human rebels showed no such worry as those armed with shotguns and autoguns fired blindly, a crazed fusillade of lead and metal tearing at the walls and floors, blasting friend and enemy alike.
There could be no victory here, time to regroup and reassess the situation. Nu 'Shi turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, past the kroot who were following and towards the light of day.
Gek'hen snarled in rage, the pathfinders had been ambushed, the humiliation was unbearable. It was strange though that he had not been able to smell the humans either, even with this putrid miasma swirling around him it was unbelievable the humans had successfully sprung their ambush attack. Now the catacombs were lit with the strobing light of gunfire and the kroot leapt forward into battle but the fleeing pathfinders hindered the charge and the pack met the humans piecemeal instead of as a single crashing wave. The mad human priest who had allowed the human leader to be killed swung around him with abandon, his ungainly weapon arcing and looping like a wrecking ball. Beside him the warrior woman fought silently, her teeth gritted in anger and desperation. The attack was a failure and to stay was to invite destruction. Gek'hen hooted a call of retreat and the kroot disengaged with backwards leaps, leaving the humans flat footed. A single volley of shots kept them at bay as the kroot turned as one and ran, Gek'hen smiled with satisfaction as one of the large bore slugs tore into the stomach of the mad priest as he lunged forward to crush a wounded kroot.
"To oblivion with you human." snarled the shaper as he bounded away in disgrace.
The Arch Deacon was wounded badly, Leanne looked worriedly at the bloody puncture wound in his stomach.
"It is nothing Cannoness." Growled Vamis through clenched teeth. "The Emperor will not see me die this day, I have foreseen it."
Indeed his head swam with visions of the future now. He stood giant like over the enemies of man, smiting them mightily with his great mace, of them falling down and rotting away like flowers wither in the summer heat. He saw all of them fall, orcs, tau, eldar, heretics, all fell beneath his mightly weapon, cowered in the shadow of his magnificence.
Uthaniel raved wildly, frothing at the mouth as he lay on the ground covered in filth. Leanne looked aghast at the wound, already the edges were blackened and the blood stank of sepsis. Had the kroot used some foul poison to ensure a kill? DeSade took a vial of antibac from her combat kit and pumped the drugs into Vamis' neck with an injector cap. She followed it with a heavy dose of Emperor's peace to ease the pain. The Arch Deacons eyes widened for a moment and then he lapsed into slumber his raving subsiding to muttering and his eyes drooping shut.
Leanne's lips tightened in the gloom. She was a fighter, not a leader of men, what would she do with the militia now? Lead them to a safer place or continue with Vamis' plan of attack. Like Vamis had only a while ago, she closed her eyes and prayed for guidance.
"Docking in four minutes sir." The pilot informed Benjamin over the ships intercom
Benjamin did not bother to reply, his minions were mostly beneath his notice. In any case he was too preoccupied thinking of how he would modify his latest recruit, the novice Milissa although few would soon recognise here as ever having been such a promising recruit for the Sisters Soritas.
"Power claw?" he mused to himself. "Maybe another melta weapon, you can never have too many of those can you."
The two servitors that stood in their transport alcoves nearby said nothing. As would happen with Milissa they were mindwiped and had no ability to comment on Benjamin's thoughts. That was part of the reason Benjamin was so fond of the cybernetic guards.
Milissa's former companions would hardly recognise her, copper tubing and synthetic pipes pierced her once fair skin, burns had been cleaned and covered with thick synth-flesh, vat grown and rubbery. Her face was half her own, half a metal mask but Benjamin had made sure that her delicate mouth remained her own. Such pretty lips she had, if she could think she should be thankful that he had saved them although she was far beyond being able to vainly appreciate them anymore.
"I have done you such favours novice." He cooed to her unspeaking form. "I have made it impossible for you to break your sacred vows of chastity now, even though you undoubtedly would still lust after me had you the power. You will see how my kindness, my...generosity, knows no appreciable bounds."
Milissa looked at the Inquisitor blankly, without a command chip she was unable to even move beyond the occasional residual spasm although time and the atrophication of unnecessary nerve endings would fix that too.
"Preparing to dock with Dread Perceptor, all passengers please secure yourselves." Came the regulation order over the intercom. It still rankled DeSade that he had to listen to even a regulation order. He was the only law he need heed. On this occasion it seemed prudent to listen though and he strapped himself into his deluxe lounge seat for the ship to land on the looming form of the Inquisitorial frigate Dread Perceptor.
Communications officer Corin met the Inquisitor in the landing bay, ringing his smooth feminine hands anxiously. Benjamin scowled as he saw the nervous little man waiting for him. No news was good news so why was this worm waiting to tell him something.
"What is it Corin?" snapped Benjamin, at his wits end before they even began what would doubtless be an inane or bothersome conversation.
"Mi'lord, there is news from the planet surface, I tried to contact you enroute back here but there was too much interference from the Tau fleet."
"Spit it out you cretinous swine herder." bawled Benjamin, dousing the communication officer's face with a generous amount of spit.
"We have received word that the remaining leadership of the rebel ecclesiarchy on the planet have fled into the catacombs beneath the surface, a task force sent to eliminate them has been unsuccessful in their task." Corin paused and then added. "Mi'lord, is the planet attempting to secede from the Imperium?"
"Of course they are seceding your ork brained zombie, that is why I was sent to investigate them. If you ask another question though I shall put a round through your misbegotten face." DeSade spewed.
Benjamin felt his cheeks colouring with justifiable rage. "And so are they still looking?" he growled.
Corin gulped and looked around sheepishly. "I...am afraid not mi'lord, they were beaten back with heavy casualties, the Tau leadership has decided to deal with them at a later stage, they..."
"They will do what I damn well tell them or I will incinerate every single last one of the stinking blue skinned shits, I will lay waste to their settlements and pronounce exterminatus on their home planet if they fail me." raged Benjamin to all around him. "I could kill you for your failure Corin, I continually must manage your impotent attempts at achieving our goals, goals that I set on behalf of the Holy Emperor, father of mankind."
Corin paled and shrank away, starting to blubber incoherently in the face of Benjamin's rage.
"But I won't." smiled Benjamin with a snake like smile. "You still have tasks that need doing and I will not sully myself with them or leave it to any of your idiotic underlings."
Corin attempted to compose himself; smoothing his black starched uniform and gulping several times in quick succession.
Benjamin cleared his throat and looked around haughtily at the storm troopers and staff in the hanger bay. "It is time to move our plans forward; I will deal with the miscreant Ecclesiarchy rebels myself. It is time to cleanse the Tau from this Imperial world and return it to the arms of the Imperium. Have the astropath send an anonymous message out for aid. These pathetic aliens will soon eat the might of our greatest warriors."