Marshaling Majesty - 3

It didn't take the group long to reach their destination.

Just some ways down the dirt path that led from the devastated barracks to the rest of the ruined town the marines turned toward the left. Captain Malverick knew the town of Moonshine well, having been to the settlement on more than one occasion to help strategize against the Orks, and recognized the familiar cul-de-sac immediately. Even though the place had been thoroughly trashed by the Orks that came through, many of the familiar landmarks still remained, albeit a bit roughed up.

"Well if this isn't a sign of the Emperor's will…" Jorval said, primarily to himself.

Malverick looked to the Chaplain and saw that he was staring ahead intently. The captain frowned in confusion and turned to see what Jorval seemed so surprised about, but it didn't take him long to catch the cause.

Miraculously enough, the church somehow managed to scrape through all the fighting relatively intact, though the captain would have wagered that was only because the Orks found the building of interest. The church was a short and rectangular building with a tall roof, and a large set of metal double doors with large bolts lining the edges. Two statues of an intimidating space marine cast all in iron stood beside those doors, one on each side. They were supposed to be depictions of the Emperor of Mankind with his hands atop a blade thrust into the ground, and, even though the elements had worn them over the years, the grim face looking down on those who entered had lost none of its former glory. The only significant damage visible on the structure looked to be a part of roof where it had caved in, most likely from an explosion, though, from the Orks or Eldar, Malverick couldn't tell.

The doors had been left open by the marines when they went in search of their commander, and so they just walked right in with Jorval and Malverick following in back.

Once inside, the captain scoffed at what he saw. The rows of pews were all but shattered into pieces, with much of the wood having been burned in small fire pits – as noted by the array of charred piles of timber scattered around the floor. Then, even more to Malverick's disgust, it looked as if the Orks had left their leavings in the back corner, and he had no doubt that the other corner of the room looked much the same if not for the collapsed heap of metal that had fallen in from the roof. The Orks had made this place their den, treating it as their own filthy pigsty. In fact, the only thing which remained whole was the pulpit, and even that was tarnished with dents from where some large fist had come down on it.

Not surprisingly, as the top was already open, it was the stand which the marines led them to. As they approached their pace slowed, and one of the marines moved beside the pulpit before dropping into a wary stance, while the other continued a bit farther on the other side.

"Chaplain, if you'd please step forward," the marine said as he bid his leader to approach. "It's just inside the podium."

Jorval nodded his head and did as the marine requested of him, each of his steps resounding loudly. Rather than follow, the captain stayed put, already aware that whatever Jorval had to look at was business for the Emperor's Wrath first.

Suddenly, immediately after looking into the pulpit, Jorval stood stiff and hissed a single word, and his eyes were wide with shock. "Heresy…"

In all the time that Jorval had been on the planet not once had he expressed any sort of emotion, but now it looked as though he was utterly surprised. Whatever it meant, Malverick was sure it couldn't be anything good.

"The Eight-Sided Star… This is where you found it?"

"Yes sir. We were rifling through the place in case anything had been left behind, but the podium had been sealed for some reason, so we broke it open to discover this." The marine standing beside him said. "As soon as we laid eyes on it we realized immediately that it was a Chaos artifact, and left to seek you out."

Upon hearing that the item in question belonged to the Chaos caused Malverick's head to spin, for he could scarcely imagine what such a device might be doing among his people. Jorval, however, seemed to recover from his initial dismay, and his eyes became filled with a burning conviction as they fell upon the militia leader.

"Captain Malverick, do you understand what it is my men have discovered hidden away?"

Though he had no knowledge of what the artifact was capable of, Malverick knew full-well that any association with Chaos was a calling card for trouble. So, that an item belonging to them would be found here didn't bode well.

"I do, but I don't know how that thing could have possibly been here."

"This sheds a very damning light on things right now." Jorval spoke gravely. "The Orks, vile as they may be, have never been known to succumb to the corruption of the Chaos gods, and, as the podium was sealed when my men found it, this only makes it seem as though someone in the town worshipped the Chaos. If that is the case then it's possible for their taint to have spread into the people of other settlements…"

Malverick gaped in horror as he realized what the Chaplain was suggesting. "You can't honestly mean that you would call the inquisition to the planet."

"I most certainly am. If there was but even a single man or woman here who worshipped the Chaos gods in secret there's no telling if they may have corrupted others to their way of thinking. Without any sure way of knowing how the artifact got here, then that may just be our only course of action."

"There are none among my people who worship the Chaos, damn it! I'd doubt most of them would even know what they are in any great detail!" He stopped speaking long enough to take a deep breath before he continued more calmly. "I've been around all the people of Moonshine for years, and, as of the last several months, we've all banded together more often-than-not. There's no way any of my people could have been in possession of that thing."

Malverick was desperate to try and find some reason with which he might argue with the chaplain. If Jorval really called for an inquisition force to root out a traitor in their midst, a traitor he didn't believe to exist for a moment, there was no telling just what horrors the citizens would be put through at their hands. For those who cared to pay attention, it was relatively common knowledge that the Imperil inquisitions would resort to whatever means they deemed necessary to root out a threat. For a human colony to be under suspicion of Chaos activity was grounds for them to come and begin torturing people until they got what they wanted or deemed the threat to be nonexistent.

"Unless you can think of another way this artifact could have found its way here, then I've little choice in the matter. If what you speak is the truth then you should have nothing to fear."

The captain put his hands together and breathed deeply once again as he pondered over what he should do.

Naturally, knowing that his own people couldn't have been responsible for the artifact, Malverick wanted to blame the Orks. However, Jorval quickly shot down that possibility, which meant that the only others he could have imagined leaving the relic behind would be Jester and his crew. Why the Eldar would have done something like this was beyond him, and, while he'd feel morose about going back on his deal since Jester had never shown any inclination toward Chaos worship, Malverick had a duty to protect his people.

"Chaplain, you mentioned that some of the bodies out there had abnormal wounds not caused by Ork weaponry. Is it possible that whatever attacked the Orks could have brought the artifact as well?"

Jorval murmured thoughtfully. "A Dark Eldar presence here would explain the condition of the Ork bodies, though what they'd be out here for… However, Captain, you said that no reports had come in of Xenos activity."

"That's because none have been spotted clearly, but some months back I did get reports of strange figures skulking about the hills. Since we had the Orks to deal with I assumed them to be bandits, and nothing more. Until now, I hadn't made the connection that they may not have been what I thought they were originally."

Again Jorval's eyes widened, as if he'd just discovered something shocking. Then he gave a start, "Captain, you may have had an even more terrible enemy in your midst this whole time! The D-" But then he stopped as a continuous stream of gunshots sounded from the outside.

(-****-)

Jorval growled in frustration as he reached for a small device on his hip that he brought up toward the mask covering his mouth. "What's happening out there?" He asked harshly.

"Chaplain Jorval!" A gruff voice called back with the constant crack of bullets firing in the background. "A raiding party of Orks have come from the desert in one of their war trucks. We've suffered no casualties, but our men were forced to take cover behind the walls. Now they circle around the settlement and shoot at us almost nonstop."

Sure enough, the entire time that the marine on the other end of the line spoke, not once did the turret gun on their truck cease shooting in the background. Of course it hadn't just been just the turret either, and that was joined by more shots, some closer and some farther.

"How many are there?" Jorval asked into the device.

"I'd judge about six, but it could be eight if there are more hiding in the truck."

"Continue to hold them off. We'll be out shortly."

The chaplain put his communication radio back and started off immediately. There was no need for him to give them an order to head out, for the marines were anxious enough to get to the fighting as it was.

Malverick, however, wondered whether he should go out to join in their fighting as well. Jorval had already made it abundantly clear that he didn't wish for the militia to get involved with combat alongside his troops, but he was also the one who requested for the captain to venture out with him. Since the chaplain had thus far ignored his possession of the rifle strapped to his back, Malverick figured that self-defense would at least be expected. So, what would be the matter if he went out to help defend the settlement from the new raiders? With that thought in mind, the militia captain jogged after the marines who all but stormed out; besides, he found the idea of fighting outside more comfortable than being under the same roof as the Chaos artifact.

Once he was out of the church, and went down the path out of the cul-de-sac, it didn't take Malverick long to get caught up with the situation. With two primary entrances into Moonshine, and the captain immediately noticed that most of the marines were gathered at these points, while a small group ran along the walls to take unexpected potshots. However, judging by the roar of the engine beyond the walls, Malverick could only assume that they had thus far failed to kill the driver. Of Jorval, the captain could see no sign of the chaplain, but he assumed him to be with one of the groups of men.

Curious to see what they were up against for himself, Malverick ran back down the road for the barracks. If luck proved to be on his side, then the service ladder located at the rear end of the building could provide him access to the roof. Somehow doubting that the marines would allow him to fight alongside them, the captain decided that a higher vantage point would be his best if he wanted to do something useful against the raiders. Fortunately the ladder was still intact, and Malverick quickly started to climb to the top without a moment's hesitation.

As the captain climbed he couldn't help but think about how convenient the Ork's attack had been, yet, it also seemed far too suspicious. That they would come out to Moonshine so soon after it was cleared out, and armed for a large fight was too made him wonder if the Orks had known about them coming, though how that was possible he hadn't the faintest idea. Thus far the Orks lacked enough reason to be used as allies for anything, so he couldn't imagine any of the Eldar helping the greenskins. In the end, he concluded that the Orks had merely been waiting somewhere in the surrounding hills watching for anyone to enter the town, and likely hoping to trap them inside.

When Malverick reached the top of the barracks he made sure to keep his head low, or else risk one of the Orks spotting him and taking a shot. He doubted that they could aim well enough to hit him all the way up there, but that it'd be best he didn't try to find out. He'd gone his whole life without tempting fate, and Malverick wasn't about to start now.

Unslinging his rifle, the militia captain dropped into a prone pose on the ground and wiggled toward the edge of the roof. Even without the scope he could make out the Orks' war truck, a mere shadow against the bright sand. It was a black, crudely slapped together vehicle that drove on six large tires, and it seemed to move easily through the sand. The front of the truck was covered in plates and lined with spikes, and the sides were just as equally armored. There was an upper rise toward the back of the truck, just behind where the driver's seat was, where a turret sat transfixed, and, as Malverick could see bursts of fire leaving from the muzzle he concluded that there was an Ork still manning the gun. Then, in a space behind the driver and below the turret station, was a large sitting area from where the Orks could shoot out from in between the slits their armor didn't cover, effectively making them a roving death machine.

Down below the marines continued to pop out from behind the wall or around the corner of the entrance and shoot at the patrolling vehicle, but with little success. Taking deeper and deeper breaths, Malverick peered into the scope on his rifle and followed the truck, making sure to keep it in his crosshairs.

Right away he could tell that shooting the passengers was out of the question, for they barely showed themselves in between the metal slabs. However, spotting the driver was easy enough, as he sat relatively safe among a great amount of metal bars which formed the trucks cockpit; a fast and careless shot would have had to rely on luck if it wished to strike the driver, but with a trained eye he'd be easy enough to pick out. Meanwhile, the Ork manning the turret had his entire upper torso revealed wherever he wasn't directly facing, and presently he kept his gun aimed on the entrance where the marines huddled behind the walls.

Recognizing the turret man as their biggest threat, Malverick moved ever so slightly so that he may focus on the gunner. Fortunately there was no wind, not even a slight breeze, which would make this all the easier for him. The captain shifted to adjust for the trucks movements, sucked in a large gulp of breath, and then pulled the trigger. There was a loud boom as the rifle fired, and in his head, Malverick always imagined a cannon going off. Almost a second later he saw the turret stop flashing as the Ork manning it lost the top half of his head.

Then, even as he readjusted to take aim at the driver, Malverick heard a loud shout from down below and one of the figures clad in black armor stepped out from behind cover. It was Jorval, and he was leading his men beyond the gates, though they continued to remain close to the walls. The truck spun a circle once before aiming itself right for their group. The captain looked down his sights to see that the Ork appeared to be laughing wildly, and that he no doubt had plans to ram the marines. Fortunately, thanks to Jorval, the driver was now heading straight for Malverick, and he had a perfect shot lined up. Repeating the same action as before, the captain drew and held his breath before opening fire.

The shot must have caused the Ork driving to spaz out at the wheel, for immediately after the truck veered off its course for the marines and collided with the wall head-on.

Armored as it was, the war truck managed to all but tear through the wall, but the front half also crushed in on itself while it also flipped forward. A great cloud of sand rose into the air from around where the truck struck, but Malverick managed to make out a few dark shapes sprawled out on the ground near the back of the truck. However, before he could start firing on any of them, the marines returned back into Moonshine with a triumphant shout as they ran for the wreckage.

It didn't take long for the Emperor's Wrath to ensure that there would be no survivors.

(-****-)

Once the marines had reached the truck and started their executions of the Orks, Malverick set to climbing back down and returning to them. To his surprise, as he approached the group of space marines gathered around the wreckage of the truck and the bodies of the Orks, many of them started to clap and congratulate him on his shooting. Even Jorval Corvis, who stood at the head of the wreckage, stared at him with what the captain imagined to be a favorable sense.

"Your shooting with that rifle is most admirable, Captain Malverick." Jorval said as the other approached. "You performed well supporting the marines and myself."

However, rather than take the compliment, the captain could only shake his head. "All I did was what I've been doing. The Orks were attacking us, so I took aim and fired."

"With nerves of steel; you'd have made a fine marine."

Though he dared not show it, Malverick shuddered inwardly at the thought of what that would have entailed. "Their attack seemed terribly inconvenient. What are the odds that they would attack so soon after we arrived here?"

Jorval nodded. "Not likely, but, while you were on your way back, one of my men reported something of interest. Within the barracks we found a crude communicator of Ork design, but it had been shot up. Naturally the bullets pierced right through effortlessly, again, matching with the Eldar weaponry. Considering how many Ork bodies are in that pile," the chaplain paused while he motioned in the direction of where the charred corpses lie atop each other, "I'm certain if we were to rummage through the remains that we would find a few Eldar bodies in there as well."

Malverick didn't respond right away, but wrapped his mind around what the marine was saying. "So what does that mean to you?"

Again the chaplain murmured, lost in his thoughts. "It means that there is overpowering evidence that there are Eldar on this planet, and, as I'm willing to believe that the humans of this planet weren't in contact with the Chaos, that must have been an artifact left behind by the Dark Eldar. If such is the case then I fear that this world will become a battlefield before too long between them and the Orks, and now you've been caught in the middle. As for why they haven't attacked your settlements themselves that is a mystery, though perhaps they thought it best to focus on the stronger of opponents first."

Malverick tried to hide how glad he was for the change in opinion, but knew that at least some of his relief slipped through for the chaplain gave him a funny look.

"So what's the plan, Chaplain?" The captain asked with a shake of his head.

"Considering the forces arrayed against us I will have to call for reinforcements. However, as only the Orks have presented themselves we can assume that they have the advantage of numbers at the moment. The extra troops will help us to reinforce the remaining settlements against future Ork attacks, while other groups are assembled for excursions against the foul brutes. Then, while the Emperor's Wrath sets to work on purging your world of the greenskins, we will, at the same time, have smaller search parties scavenging every rock for a trace of the Dark Eldar." Jorval clenched his fist while raising it level with his chest. "We can't allow their taint to spread!"

The other marines gathered around nodded their heads and voiced their agreement with purging the planet of its evil infestation. However, Malverick could only wonder with trepidation what protection under the Emperor's Wrath chapter would entail.