10,000 meters meters above South Sea, close to coast of Nehekhara, Brunntag 6. Ulrichszeit
Miki Koslowski was still more than 400 kilometers from his target and he was already past the IP of his attack run. From here on he would no longer deviate from course or altitude until the weapons were released. He might command his plane and the flight, but till the bomb bay was closed again he did as David Grun, "bombs" told him. He checked the three other planes of his flight, they were in echelon to his plane with a wide spread. It would not hurt accuracy at all, but increased safety if Murphy dropped in for a surprise visit.
He felt the vibrations increase even through the huge mass of bomber between him and the opening bomb bay doors and advanced the throttles minutely while he listened through Grun`s litany of "Bomb bay opening bomb bay opening, bomb bays open.."
He worked together with the fly-by-light system to keep the plane level and at the same altitude while a rotary bomb dispenser behind him released one weapon, rotated and repeated until all six were away. He turned the plane when the bay had closed and led his formation back to far-off Ramstein airport while 24 cruise missiles sped to their targets.
The missiles looked angular and misshappen and was the newest version of the Taurus cruise missile. Until two years ago they were very restricted use as some of their components, such as the small turbofan engine, were not produced in Germany. Now these things, or at least acceptable replacements, were made and the weapon saw widespread introduction. After their release they extended wings, dropped protective covers from their air intakes, ignited engines and started their long descent to the ground. They received GPS data and matched it with inertial sensors that allowed autonomous navigation without revealing radiation. Before they were within a hundred kilometers from their target they were flying so low as to be below the pyramid`s horizon. Their course kept several mountains and hills between them and the target as long as this was possible. Whether that worked was an open question, that it wasted one missile that missed a turn and smeared itself into a hillside was a fact.
Normally the Taurus missiles would have communicated with their controllers via satellite, as the target was rather distinctive it was assumed that Emission Control or EMCON would improve the odds. Against any other target on this world or Earth that would have been true. The Pyramid used technology of a civilization that was a going concern when a huge impact caused most dinosaurs to die off. The missiles, like anything else, had mass and so deformed space around them to a tiny degree. Sensors in the Pyramid measured them and as they flew faster than nearly anything else on this world they stood out like sore thumbs. Several Void Dragon fragments and something that might have been a part of Nagash`s memories realized that this might be a danger and their combined chorus overwhelmed chaos for a short minute. Picomachines flowed into different configurations, taking other, inert, materials with them. The Pyramid dropped to the ground, saving the energy to shield it from gravity`s pull and energy storage devices took all the energy the mobile tomb could provide.
When the flight of missiles crested the last hill between themselves and the pyramid their sensors found the target easily enough. Half of them surged upwards in a pop-up maneuver, the rest stayed as low to the ground as possible. Their flight took them towards one edge of the Black Pyramid which allowed it to use the weapons on two faces. The humans that had fallen prey to them so often had called them Gauss Flux Arcs, their makers had known them as disintegrators. The green beams that came from their muzzles projected a field that weakened the bonds between the atoms that made up their targets. The beams covered the target and dissembled the molecules presented to it layer by layer. Eight beams went out, six connected with Taurus missiles. They broke apart quickly enough, some in spectacular explosions when thinned tanks released fuel on hot parts in flight. The next salvo got the rest of the missiles that flew the terrain-following profile, leaving a few pieces of burning fuel and melted metal on the ground before it.
By now the surviving missiles had switched on their two-way communications via satellite and their controller winced when they realized how few of them were left. Only 30 seconds later five more missile links blinked out, never to reappear. There was a lot of indrawn breath while the surviving Taurus missiles closed and the weapons recharged. A very few seconds before the impact the last salvo went out. This time only four missiles were hit and two managed to impact on the Black Pyramid together with the warhead of one which survived destruction of its carrier. The warheads were half-ton constructs of steel, explosives and complicated fuses. One simply shattered on the Pyramids surface in a huge fireball. The other two went in for a third of a meter before their fuses realized they were no longer decelerating and fired their charges. Both blew shallow craters into the Pyramid`s side. The "Hammer Hawk" drone was far away, but its optics were good enough to show them closing up again within a few minutes of the strike.
Inside the Pyramid the semblance of order that had existed for a moment broke down into madness again. The short period had allowed the multitude that was the Pyramid to defend itself and to retrieve an important piece of memory. This morsel of data once belonged to Nagash and told all and sundry where a really big amount of Warpstone could be found.
1: Above Troll Country
It should have been mere routine. Everything had been normal until it had happened. But sadly, problems have the habit to happen at times when one expects them the least.
Flight PT-391 had the mission to conduct a far-reaching recon mission, looking for enemy movements and general mapping of the terrain. Even before the beginning of the Northern Campaign, the Army of Light had received extensive data material from the Germans. But during the years strange phenomena had increased in Troll Country. Fog that appeared and disappeared on a moment's notice, eerie green aurora, appearing locally and growing in frequency and strength with each passing year. This and many other phenomena made it difficult for highly technological devices to gather clear data. And as this was part of the Chaos Deserts, one could not be sure that something that had been there yesterday, might still be there today, and vice versa. So the Army of Light had returned to the basics: Human eyes and analog cameras.
Flying at a height of a thousand meters, the twin-engined plane of Imperial build had just a few minutes ago reached the point where it had turned around, flying home on a slightly different course. The crew was working routinely on their jobs, wearing thick winter clothes, as the heater on their battered plane had once again given up, just as they had expected. The pilot, Sebastian, was checking his instruments. His instructors had made sure to hammer continuous vigilance into him. Everything could happen anytime, and on a plane, even the smallest problems could make things very ugly—especially if one was above enemy territory.
The cartographer, Mortimer, was looking through the large windows embedded into the sides and bottom of the rather small plane. The weather was great for this type of work. Nearly cloudless, no turbulence. He noted down everything suspicious or otherwise noteworthy. Lakes, hills, forests, potential hiding grounds, traces of some beings. Just like Sebastian, he had received a strict drill, write down everything, as you can always deem it irrelevant later. But everything you deem normal, your mind will simply dismiss to concentrate on the strange things.
Thanks to his assistant, Kain, he once again learned the importance of this state of mind. He had finished his base training only two months ago. Even with his impressive build, his excellent eyesight and vigilant personality had brought him to his current post within the scout branch.
"Forest of type three on the right. Doesn't the formation look too uniform? Maybe someone had planted these along rows…"
"Right you are. Noting it down…"
Just when Mortimer returned his eyes to the frozen lands beneath them, he noticed a short flash. The next moment, their plane began to tremble, and something exploded on their right wing. Alarm signals began to blare.
"Something hit us! Into your seats!"
Sebastian cursed, he hadn`t seen anything coming. Nearly mechanically, he conducted the necessary steps to react. The right engine was failing and on fire, so he had to shut down fuel lines and activate the fire extinguisher. No reaction, the fire extinguisher remained inactive, the fire continued to ravage the plane.
"Damn those mechanics! I fucking told them to replace the damn extinguishers. Hold on guys, we will have to land somewhere."
Landing deep in the Chaos Deserts, this could only lead to one conclusion…
"Mayday, mayday, mayday. Flight PT-391 is going down. Unclear engine failure. Potential enemy contact. Estimated position…"
While Sebastian continued his duties as pilot, Mortimer began to prepare for after the landing.
They might be as good as dead, but the drill all of them had received made them continue their duties to the end.
"Kain, get the camera films! Make sure to cushion them in the bags."
Sebastian gave his best to keep the plane in the air, every kilometer closer to their base would increase their near non-existent chances of rescue.
"Comrades, you were the best drinking buddies a professional drinker like myself could wish for. We smashed many noses of stupid rookies or other idiots. I always wanted to die with two beautiful babes in each arm, but you two make a well-earned second place."
Short laughter filled the cabin, drowning out the alarm signals and increasing noises of mechanical strain. They had known that none of them could ever return to their homes. Sebastian was the target of a blood feud his family had caused, sure to die an untimely death as soon as he left the relative safety of the Army of Light. Mortimer was the fifth son of a Bretonnian nobleman. When he tried to escape his fate of serving his older brothers, unable to build up a life for himself, his family had put a high bounty on his head for the outrageous sin of abandoning them and joining the Army of Light. And Kain? That bulwark of a man had killed his brother-in-law with his bare hands after he had crippled his sister because she hadn't been servile enough during her wedding night.
"We will fight. For Sigmar…"
Kain interrupted.
"You mean for the poor girls that will cry about their loss. Our visits to the brothel were always the climax of their week."
"And that was not the only climax we caused there."
It was preferable to live, but to die with his best friends, side by side… It could be worse. Little did they know that it would really get worse...
2: Troll Country
Kain kept running, even as he heard the screams. So now it was Sebastian's turn.
About ten minutes earlier: They had to leave the plane by parachute, as the right wing was about to break apart. Before jumping, they had agreed to try to land south of a nearby table mountain. With some luck, they might find some kind of cover to hide. Well, it seemed like they had forgotten their luck on board their plane, now laying shattered on the plain. The crash already had attracted enemies. After landing on the snowy ground, they only had a few minutes before a pack of wolf-like monsters appeared. White fur, mighty muscles easily visible even under the fur, maws filled with ugly yellow teeth, way too many teeth. Seven of them were the size of horses, one was smaller.
The crew stood together, back to back. A single handgun had been allocated to their plane—for the captain to use in emergency situations—and while there had been one, it had been a defective one. Sebastian had routinely checked its presence, but not its state. The last four times the weapon had been okay, so he had skipped this step on his start list as they were already late when they boarded their aircraft. The only available weapons were the combat knives each of them possessed and that were now the only things separating them from several slobber-filled maws. The larger wolves had encircled them, while only the smaller one approached them. If they came one after another, maybe they might have a slim chance…
Already the first attack shattered all their hopes. The young (?) wolf leaped towards Mortimer, ignoring the knife attacking it as it simply was deflected by the thick fur, and went straight for his right arm, ripping it out with one swift move. It then began to play with him, while he screamed out all his pain and horror. Sebastian was standing only one meter away, petrified, pissing his own pants, being unable to assist his friend. And Kain… couldn't think about anything else than to run away. He turned around and started running. The adult wolves ignored him. If they only had eyes for their young learning how to handle prey, or if it was so it could then learn how to chase prey was irrelevant for Kain. All that counted were the additional seconds he could wring out of his life.
Twenty minutes later Kain still frantically searched for cover, stumbling through the snow. Fog had set in and he could see only so far. His sub-conscious already had time to process his betrayal, but he had no time to mourn his friends, or to curse his decision. It was the same as when he had seen the battered face of his sister. He had acted on instinct and as he regained control again, everything was already over.
He followed what he perceived as the path with the best chance of a hiding place, soon reaching a hillside with a cave entrance. Several times he had heard angry howls in the distance. He turned around for a moment. Why hadn't they overtaken him already? Was it luck or was it a trap? But he had no choice. Quickly he rummaged around his backpack, finding a flashlight. Inspecting the entrance, it seemed like it might be too small for the wolves to enter. The howls came closer, so Kain entered the cave, hoping the best.
3: Cave in Troll Country
Kain had won only a few minutes rest within the cave. But these he had urgently needed. Even this rather short escape through the snow had been exhausting. He had gulped down two bars of emergency rations and emptied a bottle of water before the wolves found the cave. His estimation had been correct. Even the young wolf couldn't pass through the cave entrance. But now it did its best to enlarge the entrance with its claws, at least that was what Kain deduced from the scraping sounds. He had started to explore the dark cave, in hope that the cave would lead deeper into the mountain. And once again, he had luck in this sure-to-die situation. At some time in the past, something had broken through the wall, revealing a tunnel that now was connected to his cave.
The air in this tunnel smelled completely different, somewhat mushy, but Kain had neither experience nor time to find the origin. All he knew was that the tunnel had prolonged his life for a short while. The tunnel walls were riddled with small crystals, slightly glowing with an evil green light. Warpstone contamination was one of his least concerns. The howling sounded nearer, so the wolves had already entered the mountain. And Kain had found massive scratch marks along the tunnel. Something was living here, luckily the normal inhabitants seemed to be not at home.
During his continued escape, several times he had the alarming feeling that the wolves had nearly reached him. But each time, he heard their angry howling, as if something was distracting them. Maybe the tunnel inhabitants? Whatever it was, he had to find safety, even if deep down, he knew he would find none so deep within the Chaos Desert. Then he heard something. Water droplets? And wasn't there some kind of natural light at the end of this tunnel? For a moment, he thought what would await him, only to let another howl remind him what was behind him.
When Kain left the last turn behind him, he stood in a large cavern. The most prominent features were a large heap in the middle of the cavern, and an opening in the ceiling, seemingly perfectly circular and exactly above the heap. The water he had heard dropped in from the ceiling hole, gathering around the heap, forming a small shallow lake. His haunted eyes soon found out that the cavern had only two exits. The one in the ceiling and the one Kain had used. So he was trapped.
Before he could make more observations, he heard the sound of scraping claws on stone. Instinctively, he turned around and saw the young wolf appearing from behind the turn, fixating its eyes on him, readying to jump on him. Kain stepped backwards, stumbling over something, forcing him to crawl away from his doom. He could only stare at the teeth-filled maw, while he continued crawling. He reached the shallow lake. Only then he realized that the wolf wasn't attacking him.
The adult wolves had also arrived in the cavern, at least five of them. The fresh wounds on their bodies he didn't notice as he hadn't taken the time to look closely before he fled instead. All of them only stood there, staring down Kain with pure hate in their eyes, slobber dripping from their maws, growling at him. Why didn't they attack him? It took Kain an entire minute until he was sure that the wolves wouldn't approach him. He dared to look around. Then he saw that he was in the strangest cavern he had ever seen or imagined.
The walls seemed to have been glassed by intense heat, the hole… seemed like something had burnt its way out of the cavern… and the heap. What had been an unidentifiable heap in the first moments, now revealed some of its secrets, as Kain had enough time to inspect it. The entire heap consisted of dead bodies, most of them already too decomposed to identify, but their sizes spoke about them surely not being human. Had this been the origin of the strange stench? And as he looked closely, there were blooming flowers all around the heap, growing between the corpses.
A new round of growling and snapping forced Kain to divert his attention back to the wolves. They had approached him one more meter, but were still not attacking. Right now, they were standing exactly where he had stumbled before. Now he notices a root directly in front of the wolves. Had he stumbled over this? And… why wouldn't the wolves cross this root? Following the roots he now noticed that they were everywhere around the lake, they originated from within the heap. Were these the roots of this strange white flower? Was it something dangerous? Dangerous enough to frighten these Chaos wolves? Well, no harmless flower would bloom atop of Chaos corpses, wouldn't it? But… even then, a mere flower had protected him from the wrath of Chaos itself? It was owed to the adrenaline, fear, and exhaustion, but Kain couldn't stop laughing. A flower! However dangerous it might be, he had been saved by a flower!
While angry growling and insane laughter filled the cavern, something else observed all of this. It had been more difficult than estimated. Several events had been different, intervention had been necessary. And things would only get harder with the next phase. The required outcome was clear, but information about what had to happen was nonexistent. Kain praised Sigmar for his grace, still laughing manically between his praises, and the being began to look angry. If Sigmar really had his hands in this, if he really would be supporting Empire and Army of Light, nothing of this would have been necessary. None of the preparations, compromises and sacrifices. Sigmar wasn't here, had done nothing. But the events would still take the required paths. Either that or all was doomed to end.
