Armorum Fidei Chapter 16

Their first prey lay open to attack and Chuqik was eager to lay claim to the bounty within. He stood proud in a fresh exo-cuirass, newly grown about his form and felt the tug of gravity pulling hard. This planet was a cold and dreary place but he gave scant heed to its physical appearance, of more interest were the thousands of minds pulsing within their target, living souls waiting to hear the Song. Long had the Pysbrids stalked their favoured hunting ground, but the prey had adapted over time. The warren moved constantly, guns and armour thick about its walls. Worse were the layers of warding, crude and simple things but they made up for it with excessive numbers. The Song could not reach within, not without breaking the wards, which was their objective this day.

"This is a waste," Newak hissed at his side, "It's too small."

Chuqik didn't bother to look at the aggressive member of the Choir for War as he replied, "This is a test of our leashes, to see if they work. I chose smaller warren as proof of concept, if we can take this one then larger prey can be dared."

"I note your duet partner is not to be seen."

"Mewek awaits near meatier prey, once we succeed here other armies will be cleared to begin."

"You place too much trust in the Choir for Science," Newak grumbled.

"Knowledge has its place in our harmony," Chuqik countered, "We are not like inferior races, clinging to ignorance and old habits. We advance in understanding the universe and the Otherness, growing our superiority over all. Look at this human warren, so filthy and degenerate, crammed together in tight confines where their minds cannot sing, closing themselves off from all things in fear of us."

"Fear that resulted in a lot of guns," Newak retorted.

Indeed the distant prey was covered in weapons, like some spined prey-beast trying to fend off predators. Vertical walls sprouted barrels and turret cupolas while the lower flanks were doughty with anti-boarding bulges. There was no safe approach, and yet the Psybrid army was closing from the rear, smaller slaves riding the backs of monstrously large herd beasts. Such an approach limited the traverse of many guns, but the warren had no blind angles. Chuqik had faced similar defences before, and overcome them but it had always demanded time and blood, making the effort annoyingly unprofitable. This time he wanted to take the prey as fast and bloodlessly as possible.

Around him several thousand slaves loped on, driven by the Song in their minds. In his Exo-cuirass he kept pace easily and looked forward to the coming assault. Already distant barrels were rotating their way, waiting for the Psybrids to close into artillery range while flak barrels pointed into the sky, awaiting targets. Chuqik knew they'd reaped a fearful tally already, his initial probing attacks against warrens driven off with ease but they had been nothing but feints, to allow Loxatyl infiltrators to carry leashes past the wards. If all had gone as planned the defences were being subverted even now, if it hadn't gone to plan they were about to run into an artillery barrage.

It seemed Newak thought the same as he growled, "We shouldn't have come here so soon. The Praetorians have a base; we should level it first, then round up our prey."

Chuqik however admonished, "The Praetorians are not to be underestimated. They have ever been our bane and will respond with typical aggression. I have a plan to keep them busy, sending waves of lesser slaves at them. They will be tied up fighting dregs while we advance the greater scheme."

"That gives them time to find a way to undo our works," Newak spat.

"It keeps them elsewhere," Chuqik snapped, "We can deal with them later, after we complete the Nexus. Now be attentive, the time has come to test our new weapons."

Ahead the warren grew larger, swelling as they closed. The Psybrid army was nearly into artillery range and soon the truth would be revealed. The minds within buzzed with muffled fear but Chuqik strained to hear an echo, a resonance indicating the leashes had taken hold. There was little to indicate they had, but he had no time to worry, so he reached into the Song and sent the signal to awaken.

For a moment nothing happened and Chuqik was distressed as he pictured failure, but then a change occurred. Along the length of the warren a pair of artillery barrels twisted about, lofting high before unleashing belches of fire. Crude projectiles shot upwards, only to curve over and dive back down, landing on the warren's back. Twin explosions erupted fore and aft, blowing flaming craters into the hard metal. Several artillery barrels were disabled, their crews killed in an instant. Again the perfidious guns fired and again, raining down fire and panic reigned in the warren as confusion boiled over. The sounds of small arms rippled forth, others within opening fire, compelled by the Song to attack their own. Chuqik could taste the panic and confusion, hear their terror on the air and it filled him with feral glee as he urged his army onwards.

They crossed the invisible line of the outer defences without challenge, the humans embroiled in a battle from a direction they had not expected. With a thought Chuqik sent his aerial forces ahead, swarms of Q'uorl zooming away with blurring wings. Sporadic bursts of rapid fire greeted them but few fell, the swift beasts darting to and fro with dizzying speed. In return blister-rifles spat black thorns through openings, picking off the few gunners who weren't beset from behind. Here and there a random anti-air battery opened up, blowing bodies from the air but Chuqik ignored them, losses were already fewer than predicted and he exulted in the plan unfolding better than he had hoped for.

The horde of slaves rolled on, overtaking the warren on foot, hoof and claw. They scrambled over the wet ground in a tide of varied forms, few alike in shape or species. Borlac rumbled with surprising speed next to loping Tallestrians, beefy Jusnis strode next to scampering Scythians and lurching Nephilim carried chittering Monkieas, but all were in thrall to the Song. Chuqik led them with bounding leaps, sturdy legs propelling him on with great speed and soon the warren rose into a towering wall. Small bursts of fire lashed down but they were few and far between, the gunners beset by darting Q'uorl.

"Climb and open the way!" Chuqik cried as he matched deeds to words. He jumped high, his digits sinking into the metal like it was soft mud. The wards etched into the surface irritated but he pressed on, leading a gaggle of slaves up the side of the warren. Any species that could climb was pressed to serve and he drove upwards, climbing high with starting speed.

Swiftly he reached an open gun turret and heard the sounds of wrestling from within. He didn't hesitate to heave himself over the edge, squeezing through the opening to find a trio of humans fighting within. One of them was bleeding profusely from a knife in the side, movement slowing as lifeforce dwindled, the other fought with desperate strength, trying to overpower the third. This one was dressed in thinner clothes, unsuited to the environment and her mind rang with an echo of the Song. One of those taken by a leash, unable to do anything but obey the Psybrid's collective will.

Chuqik saw they were evenly matched but brought the fight to a swift halt by grabbing the defender by the scuff of the neck and heaving him out of the gunport. The human had no time to scream as he went flying, sent to his death by an enemy he hadn't even seen. The bleeding one staggered about but was brought to a swift end by a sweep of a rigid hand, ripping his jaw clean off. The human collapsed into a gushing puddle of blood as the bound one went still and awaited orders.

Newak climbed in a second later and unslung a blister-spine as he crowed, "We're inside, it will be a slaughter!"

Chuqik rounded on him and snarled, "We are not here to indulge your lust for killing. We seek to increase our slave stocks; we need as many alive as we can claim. Direct the slaves to start cracking these wards, while we lead a push downwards, to open the way for the rest!"

Chuqik stepped out of the cupola and into the warren proper as a strange sensation swept over him, a muffled smothering laying across his senses. The Song was distant and lacking potency within the warren, the effect of the human's crude wards made manifest, yet the din of many minds pressed together grew louder, drawing him onwards. He led a party of Scythians through a small hatch, causing him to bend double, only to be greeted by screams.

Beyond the hatch milling knots of humans lurked, their tepid minds filled with fear, which spiked into terror at the sight of him. Mewling cries rang loud as they turned to flee, fighting and scrabbling to get away in the tight confines of their warren. It was a pathetic display, such confusion and discord, such individuality with no thought for the survival of the greater whole. Truly these humans were inferior in every way.

Chuqik watched as the crowd drew back, biting and clawing at each other as they squealed in their mushy tones, but then true resistance came. Fighting through the crowd came a knot of brutes in thicker attire, uniform marks on their clothes declaring them soldier-breed. They carried projectile weapons, primitive things but more dangerous to an Exo-cuirass than the human customary las, despite their savagery they had learned something.

Shatter-whips extended as Chuqik tensed to pounce but before he could strike Newak leapt past. The soldier-breed lifted their guns but too slow, for the Psybrid was upon them. Into the fray Newak surged, blister-spine sweeping about with glittering trails of light. Organic in nature and grown in the same manner as an Exo-cuirass, it was a long shaft wielded in two hands and Newak was a master of its use. One end was topped by a spiked mace, that unleashed paralysing toxins with every touch, each sweep leaving beasts flopping on the floor as agonising cramps tore through their muscles. The other end bore a vicious blade, crackling with psionic potential. Nothing could withstand the infinitely sharp edge, not armour or flesh or oxygen molecules and the air shimmered as atoms ionised in its wake. Newak tore through the humans with ease, leaving only ruin and even Chuqik had to admit begrudging respect for the impressive display of skill and speed.

In moments Mewak had laid waste his foes but from the other direction another force advanced. Chuqik saw they were about to be caught in a pincer but reacted smoothly, directing the slaves to fire first. Mindless hands gripped blister-rifles tight and let fly, shooting black thorns into the closing foe. Humans screamed as their flesh was violated and down they went, mewling pathetically.

Chuqik didn't hesitate to seize the moment, dashing forward with shatter-whips extending. Three sweeps of his arms saw humans bisected in twain like a buzzsaw had ripped through them. The sight undid many and they turned to flee, but one stood firm. A strange creature in black robes, carrying many trinkets and bronze rings upon her arms. An odd empathic echo surrounded this one, unfocussed hopes and idle dreams clinging to her aura but they were diffuse and fleeting. Chuqik was given no reason to pause and plunged his fingers into the chest, punching through ribs into the lungs. The human froze, blood pouring down her chin, then the eyes rolled back and she died.

With the beast's death the last defiance broke and the survivors fled for their lives, but they did not get far. Chuqik felt a great rush sweep through him and heard the Song return in force. The wards were being broken open, letting the harmony within the warren. The human's pace slowed, then they halted, coming to stand still as the Song took them. Their feeble trinkets and effigies availed them not, such gewgaws useless against the raw power of the Psybrids. Solider-beasts went limp, hiding animals emerging from cover and the fleeing survivors went still. Young and old, healthy and infirm, even females with babes in arms became still, their minds crushed and souls emptied of all save the compulsion to obey.

Newak strutted over and crowed, "They belong to us!"

"Only this section," Chuqik cautioned, "We need to break each part open to take the whole warren."

"Easy enough," Newak sniffed, "But I suppose it proves the Leashes work. The Choir for Science has its uses I suppose."

"You can pay homage later," Chuqik snapped, "We have work to do. We press downwards and let the rest of our army inside, then hollow out this warren for all its worth. Then we do the same to the rest, one by one until the hunting ground is wrung dry. This is only the beginning, we shall continue until everything is ours and then we shall have everything we need."