Entry
Nothing further pinged on the auspex, not so much as a particularly dense ice crystal cloud and Yoren was bored with the reports listing the likely delays on the overpass in the valleys below. He shuddered at the cold seeping slowly through his jacket and leant his chair back, laying his chin on his chest. He didn't bother looking at his chrono, it was longer than he wished to believe until his shift was over. He considered taking a turn at patrolling the walkways outside, just for something to do. But the door to the landing pad only opened from the inside and he didn't trust one of the others to lock him out and take his place inside where it was relatively warmer.
There was a reason they all been assigned to Spiretop and it was mostly because they didn't respond well to authority. That didn't say much for his chances of being let back in after he ventured out. No, he would stay where he was and make the best of it. He reached out and twisted the knob on the civ-net link, turning the crackling reports down a couple of notches. Then he shoved his chilled hands up into armpits and hunched down again, let his eyes close a little but so that he could still keep an eye on the auspex returns screen.
With the sentries dealt with, 1st Platoon was free to move around the outside of Spiretop Station uninhibited. Turran and her squad were already abseiling down the east side of the mountaintop using the spider-lines they had carried in, heading for the top-hive and the comms installations there. Their task was secondary to the overall objective, but if things began to get out of control they would be in position to begin disrupting the hive comms networks and broadcasts. If Lieutenant Kasbek failed to gain entry to Spiretop, then it would be up to them to find a way inside.
It would be hours before Turran's squad would reach their objective though, even with dark-view visors the route down would be icy and frozen, and any mistake likely to be fatal. They had to move with caution if they had any chance of reaching their target.
Lieutenant Kasbek, on the other hand, was surveying the single doorway from the landing pad to the interior of Spiretop Station. There didn't seem to be any way of opening it from the outside without a cutter of some description and a ripbar. The nearest thing they had available would have been a meltagun, but even those were in stationary orbit on the Absolom with the rest of the regiment. There was no way 1st Platoon would have been able to bring one down on the drag-wings. They would have to find another way.
Thankfully the Colonel Atreus had planned for this. Lieutenant Kasbek had been there when the Spiretop Station protocols were brought in by a nervous Administratum clerk. Thank the Emperor for small mercies. They even had the standard shift changes, unless the secessionists had altered them.
Kasbek knew the door was ten inches thick, but she also knew that there were no pict-recorders on the outside of the Spiretop, the cold, wind and moisture had long ruined any attempt to replace human sentries. It was still a gamble though, either she gained access when the shift ended and the inside sentry opened the door, or they played it by ear and tricked him into opening it.
Her visor told her she had five minutes until the shift ended, she assembled her squads.
Bang. BANG. Bang.
Yoren jerked awake, nearly losing his balance and going over backwards on his chair, but he managed to hook his feet under the console and pull himself forwards. He blinked and scrubbed at his eyes, noticing the time on the console.
BANG. BANG.
There was more than two hours until shift's end, but someone was banging on the airpad door. It was probably Farg, miserable and fed-up with the cold, and wanting to get out of the wind.
He lifted the comm-set to his ear and tried the sentry channel, 'Farg? That you? What in buggery do you want? I'm not letting you in, you know.'
He just got static in reply.
'Arse,' he told the console emphatically, 'Useless frigging cogboys.'
He got up and made his way out of the console room and down the corridor to the aired door.
BANG. BANG.
'Oh, shut up!' he grumbled as he reached it.
He banged on it once with his fist in reply and shouted through the thick door, 'WHAT DO YOU WANT?'
The voice that came back was higher than Farg's, it sounded panicked and indistinct. All he caught were the words, 'fall' and 'bleeding'. It sounded like that sissyboy Hared.
'Great,' he groaned, some tit had probably slid on the icy walkways and done himself an injury. He was half tempted to leave the stupid sods out there, but he took pity and punched numbers into the codepad by the door until it beeped at him and he gave the door a shove. In fairness to the cogboys who'd built it swung open as though it had been freshly oiled, probably because they knew they'd get it in the neck if some big shot was kept waiting in the cold because of a faulty door.
It wasn't Hared on the other side. It wasn't even Farg.
He had the brief impression of a dark figure in a dark full-face helmet pointing a gun at his face, then it dropped and with a quiet phut like someone clearing their throat he felt a searing pain in his leg.
He desperately tried to pull the door back towards him, but gloved hands were already grabbing hold of it and his leg gave way, toppling him onto the floor with a cry of shock and pain. He scrabbled desperately for his gun, a small part of his mind already knowing it was still propped against the auspex console down the corridor.
The door was pulled fully open and the figure stepped inside, revealing more behind it.
Were the Imperials already here?
The figure pulled off the bulky helmet, revealing a young woman with a heart-shaped face, appealing light brown hair and a sinister-looking augmetic eye. Who were these people?
He scrabbled backwards, grimacing as his leg oozed and smeared blood across the floor.
She just pointed the pistol at him and said, 'Don't bother, you're the only one up here and you won't make it another metre before I splash your brains across the floor.'
He stopped.
'On the other hand, if you cooperate, Ynesa here will bandage you up and take care of that for you.'
The figure behind the brunette took off its helmet to reveal another woman, this one with red-streaked blonde hair, cut short and a stern expression centring around another augmetic eye. This woman however had a medi-pack attached to her waist.
'I-' he began and with another phut and a ping a bullet ricocheted off the floor by his arm and bounced away down the corridor.
'Okay, okay!' he held up his right arm in surrender, 'I'll cooperate.'
The brunette smiled, 'Wonderful,' she told him.
'Come in Geyr, this is Ravine, over.'
Vox-Chief Vanderlein suddenly grinned and said, 'Banzi, get the Colonel,' before responding.
'Ravine, this Geyr, requesting sit-rep, over.'
The tension aboard the Absolom had been growing over the last two hours and been thick enough to cut with a knife, now it was already visibly easing. Either the mission was go or any minute PDF fighters were going to swarm up out of the atmosphere and tear the Absolom apart wit the regiment inside. Nic Vanderlein didn't need the rest of Kasbek's sit-rep to know they had gained entry to Spiretop Station and most likely had it under control. They wouldn't have been able to access a comm-link with a strong enough broadcasting range otherwise.
'Ravine sit-rep follows: Objay One, repeat, One, is secure. Copy? Over.'
Vanderlein's grin widened and repeated, 'Objay One secure, stand by, Ravine. Over.'
'Ravine standing by, out.'
He sat back and let his fists pump at the air for a moment in celebration. The whole regiment knew what the girls from 1st Platoon had been asked to do and they had pulled it off, Spiretop Station was under Imperial control and the secessionists didn't know any better.
He passed the message on to Absolom's comms officer to send back to the Imperial Fleet. The fleet would have to get its arse in gear now if they were going to exploit the gap the Tantalids were going make in the Hive defences.
Colonel Atreus and Major Ventran appeared at the door, 'What's the word, Lein?' the Colonel asked.
'We're on, Sir, the girls have control of the station.'
Both officers did their best to suppress their relief but it must have shown through, 'Very good, Vanderlein, send my regards and let them know Arocar is en route.'
'Aye, sir.'
Vanderlein turned back to the vix-set, still grinning happily and initiated the link.