Speculum Enigmate Chapter 17
Sergeant Gotram moved through the darkness under the world, its cloying tendril draping him in shadow and mystery. He felt at home in the sunless depths, it matched his purpose and his manner, a silence menace that passed unremarked until it was too close to avoid. The Reivers did their work in the dark places, unseen and unappreciated by those who stomped about in the light bellowing of pride and honour. It was an inglorious existence, nobody wanted to know of the things Reivers did for Mankind, yet they had the satisfaction of knowing that victory would not have been possible without their silent assistance.
The Reivers were deep under the city, heading downwards as they sought the trail of the lost heir. The Storm Heralds had marched into the undercity with heads held high, confident they would soon find the child and drag him back to the Jade Citadel. Unfortunately it hadn't been quite so easy. The Undercity was a warren of tunnels, supply pipes, sewers and rail tunnels and the trail had gone cold before an hour had passed. Lieutenant Persion had determined the best option was to split up and seek a sign of the boy's passage. Zeax and the Devastators had diverted down an empty railway line, some underground network that had been abandoned long ago, possibly when Imperium came and brought starfaring technology that made subways obsolete. Persion had led the Intercessors down a ladder into a stinking sewer, muttering under his breath as he did so. Jediah however had taken the Reivers towards the scent of freshwater, following a trail only they could see.
As the squad advanced Gotram eyed his new Lieutenant warily. The Space Marine was shorter than a Primaris and wore bulkier armour. The Reivers boasted elite Phobos plate, a new invention by Belisarius Cawl, designed to maximise stealth and manoeuvrability. It was faster, sleeker and quieter than Jediah's growling Mark VII plate, plus the squad carried long knives, bolt pistols and shock grenades, they should have the older Marine outclassed in every way yet time and time again he had outfought them. At first Gotram had resented the Marine but then he had determined to learn everything he could from the veteran. In their time together he had learned scores of new moves, techniques for stealth and assault that would never have occurred to him. Gotram was no novice, he'd seen hard fighting at the front of the Indomitus Crusade but he was starting to realise that he had always fought from a position of strength, backed by thousands of Primaris Marines and war fleets. The Firstborn Astartes had enjoyed no such privilege, they'd been fighting endless waves of dread opponents and unimaginable horrors for ten thousand years and so had forged diamond-hard wills and a ruthless determination to win at any cost, no matter how much pain and hardship they had to endure. Qualities Gotram reluctantly admitted the Primaris had not yet embraced in their hearts.
His musings were interrupted as Brother Hernaa called out from ahead, "There's a drop!" The squad hurried nearer and saw the tunnel they were following came to an abrupt halt. Illuminated by stab lights was a wide cavern, falling away from them. It was fifty metres wide and just as deep and one side of it was taken up by a waterfall that cascaded down into a pool at the bottom, some form of underground adequate bringing fresh water to the city. A stream flowed from that pool, heading off into the darkness and it was crossed by a wide stone bridge that connected two dark circular openings. Gotram's eyes swept the walls and saw they were lovingly carved, with beautiful frescos and statues in high alcoves.
Gotram looked at them and muttered, "Who would spend such labours on a place none will look upon?"
Hernaa mused, "Those look ancient, possibly dating from before this planet joined the Imperium."
Their conversation was interrupted as Jediah growled, "We are not here for a history lesson. Deploy grapple guns and prepare for descent."
The squad hastily obeyed, taking out small devices that shot cables into the surrounding rock walls. These were clipped to their belts and by pairs they began to descend, those above providing cover then the first two doing the same for the rest who followed. As they waited Gotram eyed his Lieutenant and considered that Jediah was merciless, cruel and vicious yet not in a wild, uncontrolled manner. He was teaching the Reivers discipline and focus, taking their darkest impulses and honing them to a razor edge. Strength of will and commitment were the keys to victory and Gotram saw that while the Reivers embraced the dark, Jediah was born of it.
Finally their turn came and Gotram practically flew down the wall, bounding downwards in great steps. His boots hit the surface of the bridge and as they did so he heard a deep rumble. He frantically looked about, concerned the stone span was structurally unsound but to his surprise Jediah said, "It's not us, that's Crotalids."
"The what?" Gotram hissed as his eyes scoured the area trying to find the source of the noise.
Jediah nodded at the frothing waters below the bridge and said, "Migratory reptilian predators, they like underground spaces. We had an infestation of them on Lujan II when I was a Scout-Novice, they made good hunting exercises for the Neophytes but sadly the oceans proved too salty for them and they died out."
Gotram saw a scaly hide rise up out of the frothing waters then sink back, by his estimate the creature it belonged to must be at least five metres long. He swallowed and asked, "How did they get here?"
Hernaa answered, "I've read about them, they have some natural skill for Warp transit. Nobody understands how they do it, but they can leap up to ten-light years at a time. This planet is covered in wetlands, it must be perfect for them."
Gotram shook his head and said, "Just when you think the galaxy has nothing left to surprise you."
Jediah took a step forward as he said, "Forget them, we have to move on. Form up and…"
Suddenly from the tunnel on the far side of the bridge came a hissing whisper, a noise Gotram instinctively recognised as the pattering of many feet. The sound set his hackles on edge and he immediately knew whoever was coming was not friendly. They were too many and moving too fast, whoever it was wasn't idly passing by they were heading straight for the Reivers in great numbers: a charge into battle. Instantly the Reivers presented their pistols and Jediah growled, "Fire only on my command."
Gotram's lip curled at the dismissal of their judgement but held fast as the far tunnel seethed with movement, then a crowd of filthy and dishevelled people burst into the gleam of their stablights. Gotram saw emancipated bodies, clothed in rags and stinking tatters of clothing. There seemed to be no order among them, no common trait, they were of all ages, young and old, men and women but all of them shared a look of feral rage in their eyes. And one other thing united them; the weapons in their hands were all brand-new, bayonets, autopistols, knives, mining tools and pneumatic rockbreakers. They held them with expert grips and the intent to use them.
"Fire!" Jediah roared and the squad opened up, blazing away with their bolt pistols. Flashing rounds crossed the space of the bridge and hammered into the crowd, blowing off limbs and tearing open bodies in showers of gore. Crimson fountained high and splattered the aqueduct and the waters bubbled as unseen Cotalids swarmed, seeking the rich scent of blood. The crowd should have been halted in their tracks by the barrage but they cared not, more people poured out of the opening and drove their way onto the bridge, pressing forward into the teeth of the fire without concern for their losses. Gotram didn't understand, their morale should have been broken by the bloodshed but they were not given pause, running straight into the face of Space Marine fire. Gotram saw the front rank fall but they shielded the rank behind them, who shielded the rank behind them and each time they grew nearer and nearer. Gotram poured on fire, unleashing tight bursts that cut down many but then his pistol ran dry and the squad's fire slackened.
Instantly the crowd pressed forward but Gotram yelled, "Shock Grenades!" The Reiver's hands flashed and canisters flew high, detonating over the crowd. Blazing light and sound washed over the mortals, causing them to wince in pain and look away and in that instant Jediah yelled, "Charge!" Gotram gripped his knife tight and leapt forward, his sinew coils lending him startling speed as he dove into the crowd. His knifepoint tore out the throat of a blinded man, then cut through the heart of a reeling woman, then disembowelled a young boy. The other Reivers followed suit and a slick of blood covered the bridge, cascading into the flowing waters and making the Crotalids go berserk as they fought over fresh meat.
The crowd had suffered losses but they were undaunted. It made no sense, they should be fleeing in panic before the Space Marines but their courage was unbreakable, almost as if they were being driven forward by a will other than their own. They recovered quickly and bayonets flashed and knives stabbed as they tried to bring down the warriors of the Emperor. They surged up the bridge trying to drown the squad in bodies but were stymied by the narrow span. They could only bring so many to bear at once and the eleven Storm Heralds formed a wall of blue, denying their advance. Nevertheless they drove forward and Gotram found himself beset by foes who screamed, "For the Kiith!"
Gotram hacked and slashed at the wall of flesh, lopping off hands and blocking stabs to his guts as he snarled, "Why won't they break?!"
Jediah blocked the swing of a mining pick with his left arm as he tore out the wielder's guts with his Fractal-edged short sword and snarled, "Ponder later, kill them all!"
Gotram's world shrank as the crowd pressed forward, the sea of faces and knives closing in. A woman tried to drive a pneumatic drill into his side but he caught the machine behind the head and knocked it aside as he stabbed her through the eye. A man swung a lasgun at him, the tip glowing with energy and a shot seared over his shoulder, marring the ceramite but leaving him alive to slash his knife through the enemy's throat. Mortals died under the Reiver's onslaught, bodies toppling off the bridge to fall into the water, reptilian bodies churning below as the Crotalids seized the corpses and devoured them eagerly. Gotram fought with all of his ardour, killing as well as he ever had but the numbers set against them were growing ever greater and the crowd was changing. The Reivers had killed off the mundane foes but the ones behind them were different, scaled skin, fanged teeth and aberrant muscles becoming more evident, revealing a dark and disturbing aspect to the foe. Gotram stabbed a man with three arms and pearl black eyes as he yelled, "Mutants!"
Hernaa shattered a skull with the pommel of his knife as he cried, "I thought this world had no mutants!"
Jediah backhanded a woman off the bridge, sending her screaming into the waters to be torn apart by hungry jaws, as he cried, "We'll sort it out later, kill these wretches!"
Gotram redoubled his efforts, cutting down ever more vile mutants as they came at him. The Reiver's kill tally was considerable but the foe was growing more vicious and more deadly. The chaff had been taken from their ranks, leaving only the most cunning and ferocious of their kind behind, those least human in shape and form. Gotram felt his hatred build in his hearts, the vile debasement of the human form offended his Hypno-indoctrination and as his Emperor demanded he felt only the urge to eradicate the foe.
A mutant came at him roaring, "The Kiith demands your deaths!"
Gotram met him with a stab under the jaw as he roared, "Kill them Brothers, kill the filthy mutants!"
Hernaa cried, "For the Emper…."
His cry was cut off and he suddenly went rigid, frozen in place. Gotram's jaw dropped as he saw a clawed hand plunging within Hernaa's chest, rending claws cutting through his Phobos plate like it was tissue paper. Red blood poured over an arm encased in purple chitin, bound with inhuman muscle and alien sinews. The body it was attached two had four arms and back-jointed legs that ended in clawed feet. The torso was hunched and encased in chitin, crested by a row of bony prominences that stood proud of the spine. It was in no way human, an alien monster completely anathema to mankind, but worse was the head, hairless with pearl-black eyes and a mouth filled with fangs from which a pointed tongue hung low. A face Gotram recognised with absolute dread and horror.
The monster jerked its arm back and Hernaa fell into a heap, his hearts torn from his chest as Gotram took a step backwards, filling with shock and denial as he gasped, "No, it can't be them. Not here, not now."
Yet Jediah hefted his blade and snarled, "It is, Pascum has been infested by the taint of the Genestealers!"
