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Chapter 10: Tonight, we dine in hell
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Part 5
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Victory Bay
Kronus
We ended up at the Martian facility where our tech-cultists were busy thinking inappropriate thoughts at the Necron Pylon. Steaming sanctified lubrication oil covered it from the tip to the wide foundation. There was enough incense in the air to make it hard to see. It was even harder to breathe without a respirator.
I narrowed my eyes at the now gleaming Pylon and prayed to Him on Holly Terra. This had to simply be proper sanctified oil I saw and not other Tech-Priest supplied fluids.
"That's a bit much." Anteas concluded. At least he had no trouble breathing – the benefits of Space Marine biology.
"How did you survive long enough to leave your homeworld, I'll never know." Our Necron tagalong stated flatly.
"Legend has it that we had proper scientists back in the day." I felt compelled to explain. "We didn't need to pray and trice sanctify everything to avoid Chaos corruption."
"It's the Aeldari fault then." The Necron nodded wisely.
"When in doubt, it's a safe bet to blame them." Anteas agreed.
Honestly, it was a surprise we haven't tried to kill each other yet. Or that no one tried to ventilate our brains out of fear that we were Heretics. Then again, let's not tempt fate, I thought.
"Right now, the Eldar aren't our primary concern." I pointed out. Nevertheless, being right next to the Pylon might make the heretics and traitors' job a bit harder so it was a win-win situation. A rare thing indeed. "Our plan to deal with the Chaos incursion is still viable, I hope?" I asked the Necron.
The Immortal nodded. "With you alive, Inquisitor, my Lord believes the Human forces on Kronus will uphold their part of the bargain. The operation will proceed as scheduled."
"That's good." I could really use some good news after the latest debacle. "With that settled, any suggestions on how we don't end killing each other if we survive the coming battle?" I might as well try a bit of positive thinking and see where it might get me.
Unsurprisingly, everyone in ear-shot stared at me as if I suddenly grew up a second head or some other mutated appendage.
"I know it might be hard to process, Inquisitor, but we might try not shooting at each other? That might be a good starting point?" The Necron stated in a tone that might have held the tiniest bit of exasperation.
"If it was only so easy…" I chuckled. The murder machines had a sense of humor, who knew?
"Why not?" The Immortal inquired.
Blistering streams of binary came from the resident Martians. They waved mechadendrites in agitation and I'm sure it was a pure coincidence that they pointed a lot of sharp instruments our way.
"It's a very long story, and I'm sure that at least some parts of it make sense." I nodded at the towering Immortal and blithely turned my back to it. "Now, you, my Martian friends." I smiled at the Tech-Priests. "Please convince me that those rumors I heard were baseless speculation. It couldn't be true that many among your ranks refuse to study and figure out how to replicate the technological wonders our allies of convenience provided, right?"
This time, the angry beeping and whining were deafening. All kinds of weird weapons joined the various implements on display and the agitation I could see among the Martians was something else. That wasn't surprising. From what little I could gather lately, Magos Scipio-Ro-11 was among the competent and forward-thinking faction of the Martians. That, in turn, meant he had like-minded Tech-Priests attending the Pylon and other Necron-sourced toys.
Thus, this particular crowd was anything but happy at the very idea of someone or something infringing upon their newfound treasure trove. Wise or not, I kept on edging them.
"It couldn't be that some Tech-Priests are ready to destroy everything within this chamber and dismantle anyone who thought studying it was a good idea." By now, my smile was a thin, wintry thing that held no trace of amusement. "Because, if that was the case, I would be forced to discharge my duties as an Inquisitor and it would be regrettable. It would be for the best if this… doctrinal dispute is resolved as an internal Mechanicus manner."
At this point, Scipio-Ro-11 raced into the chamber, whistling like a speeding train. I looked at the Magos, and whatever he saw on my face gave him pause.
"Is that right, Magos? Can I rely on you and your peers to resolve your doctrinal dispute by the end of the day? You know what we're about to face. We can't afford internal disruptions."
For the next few minutes, a never-ending chorus of Binary surrounded us. I stoically watched the exchange, wondering if I just made a terrible mistake.
Mechadendrites shook like branches picked up by a hurricane. The piercing beeping became physically painful, and with every passing moment, the Martians pulled out more and more weapons from under their robes. There were even a couple of Tarantula turrets that run up one wall, before attaching themselves to the ceiling.
And just like that, the screaming match in Binary ceased, leaving behind just the familiar rumble of machinery.
"Lord Inquisitor Veil, you're making a good point." Scipio-Ro-11 straightened up his robes with bionic fingers. "We will have words with our more conservative compatriots."
"I'm glad to hear you say this, Magos. May the Omnissiah bless your efforts."
He studied me for a few moments before nodding and turning around.
"Follow me, brethren! In the name of the Omnissiah!" He declared aloud and followed in Binary.
All but a handful of Martians left brandishing all kinds of weaponry. The Tarantula turrets detached themselves from the ceiling, spun in the air to land on their stubby feet, and followed suit.
"Inquisitor, I hope you know what you're doing," Anteas whispered behind my back.
"Me too," I muttered back.
A loud clang echoed above me. I turned around and saw the priceless sight of a face-palming Necron Immortal.
"How in the name of the Silent King did your kind became the dominant species of this era?!"
"By the grace and sacrifice of people much better than any of us," I answered honestly. "And by the sacrifice of the God-Emperor himself."
I saw Anteas nod in approval, while the Necron muttered something in an unfamiliar language.
"Enough of this. Let's go see what new disaster we might yet prevent."
We just managed to leave the building when the Immortal froze for a moment.
"There is a single Aeldari Grav Tank heading our way. It's carrying one of their Rangers on top… and he is holding a white flag?" The Necron looked down at me.
"Our drones just picked a transmission in the clear from the Aeldari. They want to talk."
"It's a trap. Has to be." Anteas decided.
"We concur." The Immortal agreed.
"Fucking Eldar!"
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Part 6
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outskirts of Victory Bay
Kronus
Rohan looked morosely at the crude Mon-Keigh, no human, sore excuse for architecture, and wanted to scream in frustration. Call them humans! He had to remind himself again. His kind's usual superior attitude, no matter how justified, or well earned it might be, wouldn't serve him well today. He saw first hand the fruits of that sort of thinking. Even now, those fools who failed to consider the debacle might have been primary their fault. No matter how much he pondered Taldeer's choices, he came to the same conclusion. They were born of unthinking arrogance and blind following of the visions his little sister saw in the Sea of Souls. Even he knew that such divination while useful were never to be taken at face value.
Unfortunately, that was a lesson often lost upon the Farseers. It didn't help that most of the time their visions did pan out. It was just that when they didn't…
Smoothly, the Grav Tank Rohan drove up a hill, and he could finally see the human settlement in the distance. It was ugly, crude, and dirty – like almost all human settlements he had the misfortune to visit in person. There were no comforting gentle curves, no wraithbone pillars resonating with energy… and the Psychic presence of the humans, it simply grated. He could swear there was an aura of hatred and single-mindedness permeating the whole region. Or perhaps he was projecting his own opinion on the average… human he had seen.
As expected, there was a greeting party on a trampled field outside of the city. A couple of the red boxy tanks preferred by the Space Marines, several primitive scout walkers, and a couple of dozen dug in heavy weapon teams formed an honor guard for the delegation waiting for him.
Rohan focused his attention on the small group of humans waiting to meet him. One of their armored giants towered above the rest holding a power hammer. A dangerous foe in close range, one the Ranger would never engage in close quarters if he had a choice. Next, it was one of the human political officers needed to keep the rabble making the bulk of their forces in line. Under most circumstances, the Commissar would be a priority target to take out, which usually had devastating consequences for the morale of the humans nearby.
Finally, a step ahead of the others stood an Inquisitor. From what Rohan could gather, it was that human's fault that the Biel-Tan contingent failed spectacularly. He didn't bother hiding a sneer at that thought. Even now, those fools failed to consider the debacle might have been primary their fault. Of course. not! It was the despicable Mon-Keigh to blame! To make their failure complete, many of the survivors swore an eternal vendetta against the humans they held responsible for what happened. It was pathetic really, and almost physically painful to see how far his people had fallen.
Well, not precisely his people because he did have the good sense to leave Biel-Tan behind when the opportunity presented itself.
The Grav Tank gently came to a stop a respectful distance from the humans and Rohan nimbly jumped from his perch next to the main cannon. He landed lightly on his feet and walked towards the people waiting for him projecting confidence.
"That's far enough, Eldar." The Space Marine barked.
Rohan halted and gave a closer look to the trio. He couldn't sense them with his Psychic gift, which granted wasn't particularly strong. There was a ravenous void where those three stood, almost like a black-hole hungrily devouring the Sea of Souls itself.
What did the humans or the Necrons for that manner do this time? Was this even more than a disaster than he knew?
At that point, a tiny human figure poked its head from behind the knees of the giant in red and stared at him with huge curious eyes. It was all Rohan could do not to recoil at the sight of the human child. Laying his eyes on her provoked a profound sense of revulsion and not a little fear.
"Humans, what did you do?!" The Ranger hissed, all his hasty plans for the meeting forgotten.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" The Inquisitor rudely demanded.
Rohan shook himself at those words. He was an experience, Aeldari Ranger! Whatever that child-like abomination was, its presence was no excuse for such a lapse in judgment or manners for that matter!
"I'm Ranger Rohan, representing Craftworld Ulthwé." He declared proudly. It wasn't like the humans didn't know his allegiance! Both his armor and the tank proudly wore the emblem of their chosen home.
"Inquisitor Veil, Ordo Xenos. It's most certainly not a pleasure to make you acquaintance. What mischief are you up to, Eldar?" The relatively short rude human introduced himself.
"I'm here to offer an apology on behalf of Farseer Eldrad, Craftworld Ulthwé's Farseer Council, and every sane Eldar in the galaxy." Rohan bit out. His words didn't come out as smoothly as they should have. However, the presence of the little abomination had him on edge. Rohan nearly ground his teeth to dust in order not to do something particularly foolish.
"We should believe you why exactly?" The human had the gall to sound amused. He even cracked a smile that stretched his fresh facial scars in a grotesque parody.
Rohan opened his mouth to snap at the Mon-Keigh, then closed it with a snap thankfully muffled by his helmet. This was actually a good question, especially because of Biel-Tan's recent mishandling of the local situation.
"I'm ready to pledge the Ulthwé forces I brought with me for the battle against the Primordial Annihilator. I also have intelligence about one of its objectives on this world – a powerful demon is imprisoned below the desert no too far from here." Rohan struggled to speak with the gravitas required of an Aeldari of his station. He was representing his people not only in front of the humans but the Necrons who undoubtedly observed and waited for an excuse to pounce at them.
"A demon. Of course, there is going to be a demon here…" The Inquisitor grumbled.
The human didn't sound surprised, mind you, merely resigned. How curious.
"Besides those pouring through that Warp gate?" The giant added.
"Or those the Heretics are busy summoning." The Commissar spoke for the first time too.
"Yes. Besides those." The Inquisitor's dry voice made Rohan look at the humans more closely.
Unsurprisingly, the Space Marine was a towering armored statue that betrayed nothing even with an abomination hiding behind him. The Commissar did a good job of not glancing nervously at the little human-shaped monster. However, his unease at the situation was clear to see. The Inquisitor, on the other hand? It was obvious that the only things the human was wary of were Rohan, the Grav Tank, and potential treachery from the Aeldari. He showed no visible sign that the little abomination affected him at all. Yet, according to the Biel-Tan survivors, he was a Psyker.
Rohan clamped down on the burning desire to demand an explanation from the humans. What have they done to themselves?!
"We will hear more about this demon." The Inquisitor's words shifted back Rohan's attention to the task at hand. "If you're willing to pledge forces for the battle with the Heretics, they'll have to lead the way. None of us will trust Eldar at our backs, especially after they used their so-called Tau allies as little more than cannon fodder."
Rohan grit his teeth even harder. This wasn't the time and place to declare every single Aeldari life was beyond precious and more valuable than hordes of lesser beings. Even hinting he agreed with that accepted fact wouldn't go down well with the humans, he knew that much.
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