Serrati Stellas Chapter 4

"I'm not sure I can do this," Toran said aloud. The words hung in the small ante-chamber, filling them with his uncertainty. It sounded odd to say that out loud but it was true, he couldn't lie about this, not with everything on the line. Furion looked at him with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Do what?"

Toran looked at his oldest friend, the larger Brother crammed into the alcove with him. Furion had always been a sage counsellor to Toran, pushing him to improve himself which was why the Sergeant had asked to speak to him alone. Furion was wise and understanding, the only one Toran could talk to without undermining his position as a Squad Sergeant. Toran drew in a breath and said, "I have to go in there and order the squad about, lay down our plans of battle and tell them what to do."

Furion looked amused as he said, "You didn't have any problem doing that on the bridge, your manoeuvre was brilliant and you showed utter confidence in carry it out."

Toran sighed, "That was different, in the heat of the moment it was so obvious, the path was clear and direct. But this, I wasn't expecting this."

Furion shook his head and said, "It's exactly the same, you are simply not accustomed to being the leader."

Toran lowered his eyes and said, "I must sound stupid, a Space Marine getting a case of nerves. I've faced Xenos and rebels and Traitor Marines with complete confidence and certainty of action, but I was always following someone else's plan. It wasn't my responsibility if things went wrong."

Furion nodded in understanding and said, "You doubt your ability, but you must rise above such things. Bombs and knives and bullets hold no fear for any of us, but fear of failure, that runs deeper. Yet you cannot allow it to hold you back, you must face this fear as you have any other. Treat this a challenge, no different to those you overcame as an aspirant and you shall ascend in ways you never thought possible."

Toran glanced out the door and said, "But some of our new Brothers have twice my experience, how can I tell them what to do?"

Furion explained, "Don't try."

"Excuse me?" Toran queried in confusion.

Furion explained, "The greatest skill of any leader is to listen. You have a wealth of experience and keen minds in there, do not try to quash their insight: use it. Lay out the problem and let them develop a strategy, you might find they surprise you."

Toran frowned as he said, "There won't be time for that in combat."

Furion agreed, "No, then you must be decisive but right now you have the time to strategize. This is a strategy session, a place for Theoreticals to be proposed, tested for weakness and improved. You have weapons you are not using and assets laying in the dust, do not hesitate to use them."

Toran nodded and asked, "Any other advice?"

Furion thought about it then said, "A bit of theatre never hurts, now come on, they are waiting."

With that the pair left the ante-chamber and strode into the Chapel. It wasn't the largest one on the ship, that was reserved for the full Company, but it was sufficient for their purposes. The Chapel had an altar and smoking braziers on the walls, with marble columns running down both sides. There were no pews, Space Marines had no use for sitting about so instead the floor had inscriptions from the sacred litanies. A cyber-cherub flitted about overhead, dragging a smoking censer in its chubby hands and the far wall was a stained glass window. It was lit from behind by lumen orbs and in its glass panels was a rendition of Charael, the Storm Herald's first High Chaplain and Visionary, receiving his first prophetic revelation from the Divine Emperor.

Standing in a loose group were the rest of IXth squad, all waiting for their briefing. Toran eyed them as he entered and assessed their qualities. Novak was talking with Persion, the squad's communication specialist. He was an old friend, one with rather a casual attitude to vox protocols that made him both a remarkable signal cracker and constant annoyance to the Chaplains responsible for discipline. He and Novak had struck up an odd friendship, seemingly delighting in poking each other and trading quips.

The others Toran barely knew, there was Brother Rickard, as straight and narrow as any Astartes could hope to be and with an absolute, dogged adherent to the Codex Astartes. There was Jediah, a worryingly bloodthirsty Marine with a fervent enjoyment of killing that disturbed Toran. Then there was Ophelian, an older Marine who seemed to think he knew everything, his snide attitude could be a problem if not addressed. Lastly there was Daite, a strange Marine indeed for he was blessed, or better described as afflicted with prophetic visions. The Storm Herald's gene-seed hid a flaw, a tendency to experience flashes of intuition and deductive reasoning that bordered on prescient. Nobody understood it, it wasn't psychic in nature, but the Apothecaries sometimes muttered about a defective Catalapsean Node. In any case only one or two Brothers in a generation suffered the flaw and those so blessed were considered to be receiving messages from the Emperor himself.

Across from them all was Chaplain Wrethan, looking stern as he surveyed the scene. Yet he seemed content to hold back and let Toran assume the role of leader. Toran felt all eyes turn to him but he kept his face still as he marched to the front of the Chapel and declared, "Brothers, it is good to see you again. You all know what has occurred during the battle with the Orks so let skip the review and move straight on to what we shall do about the Greenskins."

Ophelian spoke up then to say, "Are you suggesting one squad should attack an Ork Kroozer unsupported?

Rickard added his voice to protest, "Sergeant, this action is not supported by the Codex Astartes. The Primarch decreed such a course of action demands no less than a full Company."

Toran had anticipated such a response and replied, "Many know that part of the Codex and we do not have a Company at our backs, we are only nine, so we must consider the less well known teachings."

"I do not follow," replied Rickard sounding confused.

Toran stated, "Codex Volume XIV, Chapter IV, Verse XXVII…"

Rickard replied from memory, "Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows: the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing."

"Exactly," Toran declared, "When we passed by the Kroozer we were able to take detailed Auspex sweeps of the interior, we know their ship inside and out. See for yourselves."

At that a Hololithic image sprang into life, a detailed schematic of the Kroozer. Everybody peered at it, examining the structure and analysing the weak points. Transhuman minds were built for threat deconstruction and it mere took moments for them to assess the target. Ophelian noted, "The bridge and Enginarium are too heavily defended for a single squad to take."

Rickard concurred, "The magazines are distressingly well armoured, we can't set off a chain reaction with the munitions."

Jediah spoke up then to say, "We could try killing them all."

"No," Novak demurred, "The odds are too steep, even we can't beat a foe that outnumbers us ten thousand to one."

Suddenly Wrethan interjected, "Do not be so limited in your thinking, remember your teachings, every enemy has a weak point. Find it and give us your Theoreticals."

Eyes returned to the Hololith and then Novak exclaimed, "There! Look at the primary power Conduit, the entire drive sections' energy supply is running through one junction."

Toran was surprised that it was Novak who saw it, despite his loose tongue the youth was not as stupid as he pretended to be. The Sergeant was glad his kin had spotted the same thing he had and he declared, "Yes it is. Recklessly exposed, dangerously unstable and very, very Ork; rupture that and the entire ship will be left adrift."

Furion rubbed his chin and said, "That will cripple them but not kill them."

Toran nodded and pointed to a large cylinder on the dorsal spine, "This here is an isolated manoeuvring thruster."

Ophelian mused, "If we could trigger a burn for two minutes the Kroozer will be pushed into a decaying orbit. Without power they won't be able to abort re-entry."

Toran was heartened that his squad shared his plan and he realised that by working through the problem as a team they had come together as a unit. Their confidence in the plan would be far greater than had he simply laid it out as an order. He made a note to remember that in future as he declared, "We can make a stealth approach in a single Thunderhawk and board without being noticed. This will require two Combat Squads: Furion, Ophelian, Novak and Rickard will come with me to attack the conduit, Persion, Jediah and Daite will go with Chaplain Wrethan to secure the thruster. Wrethan's team will hit first then the instant the Kroozer is committed to its course we blow the conduit and leave the Xeno scum to die in re-entry."

Heads nodded all around as the plan crystallised and Furion said, "Lead on Sergeant, we're with you."

Toran lifted his head high and declared, "Then let us waste no time Brothers, there are Orks out there that need killing!"