Chapter Two
They descended on a lift-platform, a broad platform they had found in an adjacent chamber to the block where they had killed the defence troopers. Lumen strips had been placed in the walls at regular intervals, bright enough to light only the edges of the platform.
Squad Racine were all there, minus Enteth. Vathar, Acren and Kaito sat apart from their brothers; the Bull was looking over his weapon; Acren was organising the grenades of his bangalore; the squad second listening in over the vox-caster.
The platform began to shudder to a stop. Racine rose from his crouch, he had been talking of squad formation with Acherman and Zolan. Now he drew off, and drew his pistol and sword.
'Form up, formation Calestus,' he ordered, the squad dispersed around the platform in firing crouches.
'I'm not picking up any lifesigns.' Kaito said, holstering the auspex and picking up the vox-caster. 'Nothing on short-range vox.'
'Good, Zolan, take point. Advance.'
Squad Racine marched into the darkness for over a kilometer. When they did stop, it was before a giant bulkhead, labelled as L-PLATFORM XXVI along with a worn out hazard strip before it.
'No hostile readings,' said Kaito.
'I'll get this open.' Racine said, replacing his weapons. There was a small box next to the bulkhead, inside where a number of switches and icons. 'To be a Techmarine.'
Kaito linked the vox-caster with his helm once more. Again, Long-range vox was silent.
The bulkhead began to open, slowly, grinding gears pulled the bulkhead into the wall. Racine drew his power sword from its scabbard.
'Squad,' he called. 'On me. We have a lot of distance to cover, and a lack of information to make up for.'
He stepped beyond the hazard strips of the bulkhead, silently examining the space beyond.
Beyond the bulkhead was a large terminus, a space so large that three Land Raiders could move along with space to spare. The ceiling was crystalflex, above which was the rig, being hit by angry waves. Just like the lift-platform, the terminus was lit with lumen strips, though these seemed to be more illuminating than their smaller variants.
The terminus was lined by ferrocrete walkways and maglev tracks. Loading and unloading platforms, Racine concluded. More hazard stripes marked the border of the platforms.
'Sergeant,' called Kaito from a small structure at the corner of the left platform. 'I have a small map of maglev routes.'
'Pass it here, brother.' The map was indeed small, it was in better condition than Racine would have expected it to be. 'Maintenance tunnels. Closest is nearly a mile down the right platform. If we take it, then we should come out into an active maglev tunnel.'
'Zolan, run ahead and confirm this. The rest of you, form up.'
Squad Racine ran on, the minutes ticking by. Suddenly, Zolan came to a halt, one hand raised. Immediately, the squad dropped into fighting position, sighting for targets. 'What is it, Zolan?'
'The maintenance tunnel. And a few rodents.'
Racine moved to take Zolan's position. With a mute click, runes in a control panel turned green. Locking bolts disengaged, the hatch slid back and the tunnel beyond was revealed.
Kneeling beside the lip of the ladder, Kellcar and Kron helped Varath up into the tunnel with his heavy bolter. He was the last up.
Racine rose to his full height. 'We go down this passage way, until we find something that will take us into the hive proper. Kron, Arezon, take point. Take care to find anything helpful. Kaito, besides me. The rest of you,' he turned to them. 'Two by two.'
So ordered, Squad Racine moved on.
They moved at an Astartes jog, fast enough to eat up distance but slow enough to be wary of sudden threats and potential assets. Eventually, Kron stopped besides a map, a more accurate one than that carried by Racine.
'Ah, here we go. If we take the left passage, we come up on an active route. Depending on how fast the maglev is going, we should be able to use it to get into the city.' Racine said, looking at Kron.
He was an old blade, never one to make it higher than battle-brother. He knew his place, and was comfortable with it, Just as he was with his scarred mask of a face.
Deep beneath the jagged rocks of Hive Narkvan's island outcrops, some miles distant of the rig that had almost seen them all dead, Squad Racine hung from a gantry above a maglev track.
'Sergeant Racine,' Kaito said. 'I have mentioned that I question you more… unique plans before, correct?'
'Indeed you have, brother Kaito. But it is for that reason I was promoted to the First, was it not?' Racine said, patting his helm.
'And yet I find myself wondering.' He snorted, a rough sound compared to his voice.
'Fear not brother, if they detect us we can quickly dispose of them.'
Kaito nodded. 'If you insist.'
'Are we clear on the plan?' asked Racine.
'It is hardly complex,' voxed Acherman. 'Wait for the maglev to come under us, then we drop on it and rally on you.'
'It is hardly that simple a matter,' said Racine. 'The train is likely travelling in excess of a hundred miles per hour, and is likely only the breath of two of us at most.'
'And in the event the train is filled with hostile defence troopers?' asked Vathar, whose heavy bolter was hung to his chest by a firm strap of Quovuren snake hide, the creatures that lurked on the distant volcano world made excellent carry-straps for Astartes wargear.
'Then we either kill them, or we jump off a speeding train. Whichever one works for you.'Racine said, getting a few laughs from his squad.
'We can take the train a few miles before the first active platform. It should slow to acceptable speeds a mile or so before we reach it.' He looked around at his brothers. 'Trust in your brothers. And let the Emperor and Forgotten One guide you all.'
His brothers gave their appreciation in murmurs, drowned out by the rumble along the tracks. Overhead, glow globes began to swing about frantically. The gantry to which the clung began to vibrate, emitting a tinny moan as metal slapped against ferrocrete walls.
When it came, the train whipped past Racine lightning fast.
'Now,' called Racine, blink-clicking a series of confirmation runes.
As one, Squad Racine lepat from their gantry.
Racine dropped, and the train hit him like a Caestus Assault Ram in the atmosphere at full speed. He managed to wrap a hand around the lip of a carriage. The metal bent, but held, allowing the sergeant to right himself.
'Sergeant, up here,' voxed Vathar. Racine looked up and saw the Bull hunkered down with his heavy bolter aimed towards the front of the train. 'Perfect kill zone, less they can climb the sides.'
'Agreed,' said Racine. Joining his brother.
Kaito was the first to arrive, vox-caster in hand, he slid wordlessly into position with bolter raised. Arezon and Arcan came next, bangalore wrapped tightly around the Pax Imperialis of his armour. Zolan, the last of them to arrive, took up position towards the rear.
Kaito tapped Racine's shoulder, whipping a fine sheet of dust from the Chapter badge. 'I have something on the civilian and military vox-nets, they've mentioned Thunderhawk and Enteth.,' he said grimly.
'Patch it in for us,' commanded Racine.
Doing as told, Kaito connected the caster to a port in his armour. 'I'll see if I can boost the signal.'
The first few words were inaudible, then with startling clarity words banged over the vox.
'Dear people of Vatrek, hear me and hear the words of One Truth!' The voice was heavy and accented, it was also that of a mortal. 'We have eradicated vermin that have been sent by the False One! Look, look I say upon that which we have achieved!' There was a large roar that followed the mortal man's pronunciation, cheering.
'What is it, what are they cheering at?' Questioned Arezon.
'Something which bodes poorly for our lost brother,' Racine answered.
'We have destroyed the False One's False Angels before they even set foot upon our sacred world.' The man said triumphantly. So on, it went.
'Perhaps they only have pict-captures?' Arezon hazard, no one answered him.
'We are coming up on our stop brothers,' said the Bull.
'Good then, brothers, ready yourselves.' Racine said lifting himself wary of the slowing train.
'On my mark, jump. Three… Two… One…' Racine pushed off, falling into the darkness beyond.
Two Chapters posted in one day, damn I am proud of that. So, the first Chapter was written up just short of a week ago, then fixed up, this Chapter is the product of today (post day) and a night of tea-filled madness. Until next time, I've been Jam.