– Present –
– Vheabos VI -
Idira's point of view -
Idira has made her way up to the command bridge. The holo-table flickered with activity, the red robes busy anointing the maintenance machines nearby.
She spotted Vidgis from a distance. The tall voidborn was standing behind the main cogitator administering vox-comms. In front of her, dozens of augurs were scrying at data, deciphering slates, and exchanging whispers between themselves as they monitored the life of the ship and its voice.
Vigdis's eyes grew warmer when she grew near. " Lady Tlass. It is good to see you here."
Idira hadn't been quite as present on the main bridge ever since her incident. She couldn't stand being there when she perfectly knew that half of the Rogue Trader's entourage had actively advised her to kill her. The mere presence of Argenta had become too nerve-wracking for her. She came up there whenever the Sister wasn't around - and she avoided the Interrogator like the plague.
Idira crossed her arms and tilted her head towards the cogitator and the reports. " How are things going on Vheabos VI ?" she asked.
Around Vidgis, multiple channels of comms were bustling with life. Idira wondered how the voidborn managed to recognize every one of them and understand them all at once.
" Not good", replied Vidgis. " Listen to that." She brought up a comm and switched the channel. Idira recognized the voices of Lieutenant Irnessa on the line, one of the wardens that got to accompany the Rogue Trader planet-side. She knew the Lieutenant was very proud of this affectation ; she wondered if Elena was even able to notice the difference in her wardens.
" …that's really fucked-up shit, Master Helmsman", the warden was saying.
" She's doing her report to Ravor and the Chief Medic", explained Vidgis. Idira bowed her head to listen to the conversation.
" Identifying corpse number eight. Tag pings back as prisoner number X0356.9. Multiple micro-cuts. Cause of death : intoxication. Finger bones have broken. Identifying corpse number nine. Tag pings back as prisoner number X0676.9. Important discoloration scheme. Cause of death : asphyxiation. Victim looks like he tried to scratch something out of his throat."
The medic on the warden team planet-side continued her litany, as the Chief Medic on the flagship noted how her report.
From behind Idira's back, Yrliet's voice, in a drawled Low Gothic, interrupted their listening session : " Those methods are usual amongst the Hecateria, a Wych Cult from the depths of Commoragh."
Idira nearly jumped at the xeno's sudden appearance in her back and Vigdis recoiled in surprise as well. The slender Aeldari was standing right behind their back, her green eyes frowned - and no one had noticed her before. From what crane and nook of the ship had she come from ? Unabashedly, and very informally, Yrliet turned to Vidgis :
" You have the power over the speaking machines of the mon-keigh on this ship. Please put me in line with the wanderer of stars. I wish to warn her against the dangers of this kind."
Vidgis frowned, tensing. She didn't like to be ordered around by a xenos. The officer casted an hesitating look at Idira - while Elena and Abelard were away, Idira was after all the oldest member of the retinue on board, and the crew knew her.
" Do it", said Idira. She, for one, had no qualm about the presence of Yrliet on board. At least the xenos hadn't advocated for her death, which made for a breath of fresh air in Idira's point of view.
Vidgis switched the channel and typed in the priority code, which would send her comm straight to Elena's vox. " Lord Captain," she began. " Yrliet Lanevaeyss wishes to address you."
Elena's voice came back tense. " Not a really good time. What is it, Yrliet ?"
" Please tread carefully. I fear you stand in the presence of a dangerous Wych cult heading from the black city of Commorragh. Their footsteps make no sound, and their blades strike faster than lightning - do not fall prey to them. "
Idira thought she heard Heinrix's dispassionate voice in the background, commenting upon Yrliet's message. Elena's voice came back. " I'll keep that in mind. Something's happening down there."
Yrliet didn't look very happy. " What is going on ?" she asked.
Abelard's snarling voice echoed in the background. " I will drown you in your own screams, filthy xeno !"
Idira raised an approving eyebrow at that. The Seneschal sure had been delivering sassy punch lines lately. The vox died out and they were in the dark. Vigdis called out to the wardens on the outside :
" Lieutenant, what's the situation down there ?"
" Still piling up corpses, Vox-Master. Rogue Trader has been clear that we should keep guard of the shuttle. No enemy in sight. No other shuttle or exit. Should they try to take the shuttle, they'll have to come through us first."
The three of them waited, listening in to the various reports of the ship, though the xenos presence made Vigdis uncomfortable.
That was when the voices hit again.
Idira sensed them crawling into her head, her mind. Her head jerked back uncontrollably as seeping words of horror and threat dripped inside her mind from the Immaterium. Her mind drifted off as the ghosts of her life lingered in, dozens of voices speaking at once :
' …death comes in many form, but none as frightening as the hand of the traitor….' the litany sounded ecclesiastical, scolding ;
' - there shall be a storm and its herald will cast down your leader to dust -' a maniacal cackle - her first voice, her oldest one " - preset spirals spitting you out ';
' let me come out and play, my precious Idira you know you cannot let go of me ' Theodora's voice, even after disposing of the demon that took her form, still haunted her ;
' the heart of the web lies on the maiden world '
' she most definitely will kill you '
' they're all liars '
' they say you only need one to get away to trigger the storm '
' you're never gonna make it '
' the von Valancius line carries damnation in its veins and we shall rejoice for it '
And it went on and on and one, dozens of them, whispering or screaming, calling to her attention. Idira shivered and whined, trying to make sense of what seemed most urgent.
" Idira, are you all right ?" asked Vigdis, concerned. Yrliet had stepped back and was eyeing her suspiciously.
" There's something…there's something off with this." Idira shivered. " The Lord Captain…I fear she is in great danger. Those xenos…they are led by something oh so wicked. It is coming to tear her apart. "
Vigdis looked concerned. Idira snatched her own vox on her belt, reaching for Elena. She felt the urge to see if the Rogue Trader was all right.
" Lord Captain, this is me. Are you okay ?"
For a few seconds, there was no response. Idira was ready to follow through on Abelard's line as her vox crackled with static, and Elena's clear and cold voice came through :
" I am a little busy right now. Can this wait ?"
There were noises of gunfights and battles in the background. Idira recognized the sound of Argenta's bolter in the distance and her crazed laugh. It made her feel sick.
" There is one you need to take down above all else, else you will fall", said Idira, feeling the voices overwhelm her mind and her voice changed, " one that weaves the path that shall cast you down and brings grave danger to your protectorate."
Her voice was drowned out in a sound of gun fire - Elena's new rifle. Idira remembered the Rogue Trader looking so happy when they found out the ancient, automatic rifle in some old crate on a derelict station. Sounds of fabric on the ground. Idira feared for a second that Elena would chase her fears away, and would ignore her, like everyone else.
But her voice came back, calm on the line, unfazed by the battle she was part of : " Fine. Give me a description. They all look the same to me."
" I don't know who it is ! I just know…it has something to do with a… storm maybe ? "
" Not helpful, Idira, and no storm in sight "replied Elena with a hint of annoyance. She hissed as the vox died down on the sound of closing, exotic gunfires.
Idira bent her head down, blocking it between her knees. " I really don't like these xenos at all", she whined. " They scared me."
" They should", confirmed Yrliet in a whisper, casting her a strange, hesitating look.
They waited there for the next hour, until the wardens gave the signal that the Lord Captain was heading back on the ship. For some reason, Yrliet stuck around them all the while - Idira wasn't sure why exactly, but apparently the xenos found their company palatable enough to bear standing nearby. To be honest, the crew wasn't exactly welcoming to her.
As the Rogue Trader's return was announced, the bridge jolted with adrenaline as suddenly crew members and officers all found something to do that would put them in a good light when the Rogue Trader swooped by. Elena didn't even notice them, Idira knew that, and so she found it a bit risible - but it had always been like that. Whenever Theodora used to drop by the bridge, the officers did pretty much the same.
Elena appeared at the far end of the bridge, as the elevators' door opened. Her entrance was unmissable because everyone straightened up suddenly and there was a sense of gravity and attention encompassing the bridge. Her face was marred with blood and her braid disheveled, but she kept an air of unfazed dignity as she headed towards them, the officers taking care of saluting her stiffly as she stormed by.
Abelard was by her side, as well as the rest of her companions. It had been some time now since Idira had last been planet-side with Elena ; it was easy to see that Elena preferred the presence of Heinrix, and didn't wish for an unsanctioned psyker to tag along. Idira felt a pang of jealousy as she glanced at the Interrogator treading behind Elena. She missed the time when Theodora needed her, bringing her along at every mission. What was her purpose now that everyone deemed her unstable and unreliable ?
" Site is clear", said Elena as she arrived, sitting down on the von Valancius throne. Idira remembered the first time the heiress had taken this place - with an air of authority but also distance and uncomfort. Now it looked natural for her. " Helmsman, make the arrangement for warp translation. We'll be departing shortly. Vox-Master, get a report to Dargonus as soon as possible. " Elena's black eyes swept over them and found Idira's. " Sadly, some of the xenos had managed to get away. Has any shuttles been spotted ?"
" None", replied Vigdis.
" Hmm." Elena didn't seem happy with that. Idira held her gaze, feeling the shivers again. They reached the same conclusion : whatever threat Idira had tried to warn her about, it had eluded them, through means of transportation unknown.
" I have a feeling we'll hear from them again soon enough", Elena said, dismissing the topic - though the way she tapped her fingernails against the arm of the throne hinted at her pensiveness.
" Elantach." Yrliet stepped towards her, ignoring with superb the look that Abelard casted her.
" You xenos should really learn proper manners", he groaned. Yrliet ignored him.
" Yes ?"
" Next time you meet my dark cousins, please take me along with you. They are devious and dangerous - it would be better for me to accompany you."
" So that you could contribute to stabbing us in the back ?" asked Heinrix sarcastically, eyeing the Aeldari with cold calculation. Abelard, for once, nodded approvingly at that.
Yrliet hissed back at him in a swift gesture. " You are one to talk, mon-keigh, when you bear the marks of She-who-Thirsts upon your soul. You think of your presumed knowledge too highly, whereas your feeble mind cannot comprehend those of my kind. If you wish to be prepared against your enemies - take me with you", finished Yrliet, turning back to Elena.
That put a brief smile over Idira's face. She enjoyed the flash of anger in the Interrogator's eyes at the accusation. It was not everyday that someone dared to talk to an agent of the Inquisition like that. If only for this reason, Idira was definitely team-Yrliet.
Elena stopped the ongoing argument with a commanding gesture : " Enough. Yrliet, you shall come with us next time."
Heinrix said nothing, saluting stiffly before sailing away. Soon after that, the remaining companions ushered in their business, leaving Elena alone with Idira and Vigdis.
Looking weary, Elena gestured for Idira to come closer. Idira reflected that her sleepwalking sessions had been multiplying lately.
" Is there anything you can say to precise your warning, Idira ? I must say it remains unclear to me."
" N-no, Lord Captain", admitted Idira. " The voices…don't share literal details to me. I hope it will become clearer before it is too late." Idira fidgeted nervously. " I am really worried, Elena", she said, letting go of the formal tone. " I never had such a bad feeling about something concerning your safety before", she stressed, insisting.
Elena's dark eyes lost some of their authoritative luster, flashing a trace of weariness. Idira saw her reaching for her chest with her left hand - a gesture she'd seen her do a few times since she got wounded on Rykad Minoris there.
" You may be right," murmured Elena, her expression growing distant. " I guess we'll have to wait on Achilleas' next report to know more."
Idira didn't need to know Elena well to see the distaste in her expression as she said that.
" What shall we do ? We're not going to stay idle while Scalander works out the next whereabouts of the attack", said Idira. In her experience, Rogue Trader didn't like getting bored. Theodora was always at her edgiest when she was stopped from doing whatever reckless explorations she wished to do. She had a feeling Elena was cut out of the same fabric.
" We'll chart unknown warp routes and go boldly where no one has gone before, of course. What else ?" replied Elena with a wry smile.
And that was exactly how they found the derelict station hidden in the nearby system.
The station they were currently exploring was eerily empty at first sight. Its labyrinthic corridors and narrow cursives were made after ancient designs of the Imperium. The station must have laid dormant for a century or so before the Rogue Trader and her retinue discovered it.
Behind them, the airlock squeaked as it sealed itself shut, cutting them off from the shuttle.
" I know I am going to state the obvious, but something is off here", said Abelard. " Hanuman, can you do anything with that ?"
Pasqal observed the airlock for a time. " The machine spirit controlling this airlock is too simple and gullible to be tricked. It must be executing a higher priority order."
" Fantastic", mumbled Abelard, drawing his chainsword. " Let's find out who is giving the order then."
They explored a new set of empty rooms. A layer of dust covered the meager possessions that were left of the people that had lived here.
" Materials suggest the presence of a scientific mission. The machine spirits used to receive numerous prayers and maintenance hymns. Lack of any corpses or bodily traces is concerning", had commented Pasqal after examining an empty dormitory.
As they entered yet another empty room and started rummaging around for anything of interest, Jae committed the grave mistake of trying to lighten up the air.
" This reminds me of a joke", she said, her voice lingering in the ambient air. Though all was silent and empty, it seemed as if the emptiness was actively listening to them. " Have you ever heard the one about a Tech-Priest, an agent of the Inquisition -"
" Most Holy Inquisition", corrected Heinrix under his breath.
" -a Sister of Battle and a Kasballicah agent entering into a bar ?"
No one said anything for a few seconds, Pasqal pointedly hacking through a cogitator noisily, before Argenta kindly took pity on Jae. " No ?" she said.
" Well, -", started Jae, but she was interrupted by Abelard.
" - There's someone in here", said the Seneschal.
They stood to attention and gathered next to him, eyeing into a new room. Indeed, there was a man sitting inside of it. The rags on the man were tattered and visibly old, though the man himself looked to be middle-age. He sat in front of a large cogitator with various vid-screens - but most of them had broken down and only emitted a static white noise. The skin and muscles of the man were wrong in all kinds of ways - his auxiliary muscles looked too relaxed, making his jaw hang low on his face, as if it was gonna fall out by the minute ; and his eyebrows were protuberant, as if he had a tumor lodged into his skull.
" Filthy mutant," commented Abelard, reaching for his chainsword.
Elena breached into the room as the mutant turned to face them with an eerie smile. She fidgeted a bit, her eyelids and pupils fluttering in jerky movements.
" Who are you ?" she asked.
" In the light of distant stars our Emperor-Progenitor wanders wearily. With thoughts and visions of us, He sends us particles of light. Let us therefore nourish him with the light of our souls, with our prayers, with our faiths."
Argenta frowned. " The faithful worship the Emperor under many names. And yet…I do not like this prayer."
" Really ?" commented Heinrix, acid dripping in his voice as he drew his sword.
Elena looked at the mutant and recoiled suddenly, bumping into Argenta. " What are you, wretched creature ?" she hissed, putting a hand to her temples in pain.
The mutant smiled at them. " Welcome to the abode of the Nourishers."
Struck by the same sudden headache as Elena, Heinrix gestured for them to draw their weapons. They all did, and Argenta faithfully shot at the mutant. In a swift movement, it dodged the fire.
" May the grace of the Progenitor be upon you !"
" I don't know what this progenitor is, but I don't like the sound of that", mumbled Jae, this time aiming at the head of the mutant with her aeldari sniper rifle, which exploded like an overgrown melon.
The mutant's headless body slumped down on the ground as the sound of distant, echoing claws striking on bars and bulkheads reached them. Elena scanned the crammed vox-cabin, calculating their odds at survival, and decided they had none if they lingered here.
" Countless foes and a cumbersome position. O Emperor, I thank thee for giving us another chance to taste the sweetness of battle !" said Argenta in a bright tone.
" At least one of us is happy", mumbled Jae, reloading nervously.
Elena leapt forward, using the vox-machine to reach out for her crew - but Vidgis's voice came back with static, her message unclear. The only word she could make out of it was "airlock."
" As a representative of the Inquisition, I inform you that retreating in these circumstances will not be judged as a lack of faith", urged Heinrix.
Elena nodded. " Let's go. I have the lay-out of the station on my mind." She swiftly dashed to the exit as they fell in line.
They were now running up the dark cursives. Behind them, they heard the scratching sounds of claws against the walls. Elena did not dare look back over the looming form of bones and nightmares that were now hunting them down.
The station had gone dark as soon as the monster had revealed itself in a choir of mental screeches, indicative of a hivemind. The monsters knew how to manipulate the spirit machines and, as Elena led them from memory down the labyrinthic path they had taken on their way from the flagship, the doors sealed themselves - shutting them off from the exit. The creature behind them was close now.
Elena scanned her surroundings quickly, but Argenta was quicker still. Pivoting on her feet, she aimed at the nearest wall, and ordered in her clear voice : " On the ground !"
They all fell to the ground as the rounds of bolter ammunition tore down steadily at the walls, piercing its facades.
The dust and the debris saturated their vision. As they got up, the creature was almost on them - and, judging from the nearby screeches, it wasn't alone.
The bolter had pierced through the wall and breached holes into it ; the cutout was not enough to make a passage for them.
" Someone needs to tear that piece of steel off !" groaned Argenta, reloading her gun purposefully.
Heinrix stepped towards the wall and, as the air grew colder around him, tightened his grip against the cutout and steadily yanked at the pieces of steel. No human would have had the strength to tear apart the facade - yet he bent the steel easily and made a way for them.
" Hypothesis : this creature is psychically bonded to its brethren and is emitting signals to its flock to converge on us. As long as one of those wretched mutants can see us in its line of sight, it would be able to give our position away and coordinate a strategy", said Pasqal all the while.
Elena and Argenta both took shots at the incoming creature, making it recoil a bit. In the darkness, it seemed to snigger at them - a throaty, high-pitched cackle.
Heinrix ushered them all into the passage they just tore from the wall. As they ended up in a new cursive they had not set foot in before, Elena turned back and, focusing, called to the energy of the Immaterium to form a wall of flames behind them. The creature that tried to follow them through screeched as the fire engulfed it and stepped back. They could hear the sound of running and claws not only in the parallel cursive, but also above their heads and under their feet. The downside was that they now got intoxicated by the fumes and had to push forward, coughing their way through.
" How many are they ?" wondered Argenta.
" I don't plan to find out. Just make a run for it !" said Abelard, eyeing at the Rogue Trader nervously.
They soared in the darkness, lighting their way up with their flashlights. The unknown cursive seemed to sink into the dark, drawing them away from the main entrance and the airlock they needed to reach.
All the while, Abelard led the way, running with unusually sure steps though it was dark all around. He clicked on his vox obsessively : " Flagship, do you copy ? Vox-Master, do you copy ?"
The soft voice of Vigdis only came through amongst static and pollution noises " — we—-Ladyship — you?-"
" Damnit. Comms are completely jammed ! Haneuman, can you do anything for that ?" pestered Abelard.
Pasqal hummed. " I shall beg the machine spirits we encountered on our way to relay our message."
" Fantastic", mumbled Abelard, apparently unconvinced.
The cursive was now bending to the left and still leading them down and away from the exit. The smell of toxic detergent grew harder.
" Technical cursive", commented Elena, studying the logos on the wall as they ran through. " Gonna be a dead-end. Probably a waste unit if I'm to believe the smell. "
" Then we should try to open one of these doors on our right ", said Jae.
" We can't", replied Elena steadily.
" Why ?"
Suddenly, a huge claw, about the size of half a man, pierced through the wall. In a swift movement, Elena pulled back at Abelard who was leading the way - avoiding him contact with the claw. Both the Seneschal and Elena stumbled backwards, Argenta steadying them, and they had to slow down in order not to rush into the horrid, twisted bone-like figure trying to make its way through. A sort of yellow fluid was splashed on the ground from a kind of sting. Had Abelard kept running, he would have been struck by that disgusting thing.
" Do not, under any circumstances, let that sting touch you", said Heinrix with authority. His calmness turned into tension as he looked at the content of the fluid and his grip loosened around his sword to switch for his pistol. " I highly recommend avoiding any melee contact with these creatures, First Officer. If that touches you, you're as good as lost. "
" Great. It's only getting better and better", replied Abelard, glancing at Elena. On a nod from her, he switched weapons as well.
" I guess I have my answer", mumbled Jae, shooting at the claw. Her Aeldari rifle was especially efficient against the defenses of the beast - the claw recoiled, but something jumped heavily against the wall and the steel squeaked pitifully. Behind them, they heard something heavy fall on the ground.
" Master van Calox", said Jae with an excessively honeyed voice, " you seem to know the nature of these beasts. What distance do they need to be to release that splashy-thing that really we should avoid at all cost unto us ?"
" I can't say for certain, but…maybe three meters away", he hazarded in response.
They eyed the shape getting back on its talons in the dark. Yup. It was three meters away.
" Then we run", said Elena. Her eerie calmness and composure contrasted against the rush of adrenaline they all felt. They dashed to the left quickly.
" But where ?" objected Argenta, shooting bravely at the creature pursuing them as she ran. " You said we were running into a dead-end ! These things are obviously trapping us there !"
Another fateful squeaking -something ceded in front of them.
" The Sister is right", concorded Pasqal. " They are pushing us away from the exit."
" You know what ? Leave the exit plan to me. You focus on running and staying away from these", replied Elena with a hint of annoyance.
As she straightened with a glint of cunning in her eyes, oddly calm in the face of incoming death, Heinrix cut in abruptly :
" No. Elena, don't. You felt their minds in the Immaterium. You cannot focus correctly in this psychic mess."
Elena raised her chin at the Interrogator and pressed her lips with determination. Abelard eyed the both of them as Elena slowed down. He didn't like the feeling that sometimes van Calox was reading the Rogue Trader's mind better than himself.
" Maybe you cannot, but I sure can. Watch me. Seneschal, you're in charge. "
" Damnit, Elena, you always have the worst timing ", cursed Heinrix, leaping towards the Rogue Trader as she suddenly grew eerily still and slump to the floor like a lifeless puppet. Without missing a beat and barely slowing down, Heinrix caught her before she reached the ground and swayed her unconscious body over his shoulder unceremoniously.
Abelard nearly shrieked at such indignity, but the situation didn't allow for much formality right now. Still, the way van Calox had just picked up the Rogue Trader grated on his nerves - that was his job to do.
" Give the Rogue Trader to me ", said Abelard, pacing down. It was his duty to protect the heir of the dynasty.
" No", replied Heinrix, in a flat tone that clearly stated that there would be no discussion about it and that he didn't trust Abelard with that task.
Abelard narrowed his eyes and glared at the Interrogator. It was hard, glaring at someone in the dark while running away from monsters, but Abelard was very good at glaring. The sound of gunfire covered his voice.
" Young man, I don't believe I asked for your opinion. Let me retrieve the Rogue Trader", he ordered.
" I am more suited than you to watch over her. Focus on leading the way", replied van Calox as if stating a fact. That sent Abelard's blood reeling - but then, he noticed the way van Calox's grip tightened around the Rogue Trader's slump body in a protective gesture. A sense of understanding dawned on him.
" I…see ", he replied, eyeing van Calox anew. He allowed himself a brief, mocking smile. He couldn't tell for certain, but he bet the psyker had picked on his understanding and they glared at each other for another second. Well, that was something he certainly hadn't expected. He made a mental note to have a word with the Rogue Trader about the risks involved with such…fraternization.
" Are you two done bickering yet ?" pressed Jae, eyeing at the way the two men were seizing up each other. " Seneschal, you're in charge ; what should we do ?"
Abelard looked desperately around, dismissing the topic of his wounded authority for now. From both sides of the cursive, those looming things were coming at them. They had no choice but to plunge deeper into the lower levels at their back.
" Move ahead", he ordered. " Sister, watch our backs."
They dashed deeper into the dark, as Argenta kept the monsters at bay with her bolter. If anything, it didn't look like they were really hurting them - mostly the creatures seemed to enjoy the chase.
Now they had another problem. Pasqal was getting behind, unable to move as fast as them. Damn Tech-Priests, thought Abelard.
" Haneuman, get a move on !" he barked.
" This unit is at maximum capacity", replied Pasqal reproachfully.
" Your maximum is clearly not enough !"
Pasqal did try to go faster, but there was just so much you could do when you weighed half a ton. By trying to stay together, they were now falling behind and Abelard didn't fancy their chances against the spitting creatures that even Heinrix seemed to fear.
" I'll take care of this", mumbled Jae. Gracefully, the smuggler slowed down to put herself by the Tech-Priest's side - a most surprising association.
" I haven't had the time to tell you the end of my joke, dearest Tech-Priest of mine", chirped in Jae in a cheery voice.
Pasqal casted her a disgusted look. " Now is not the time for your doomed to fail attempts at - " Swift as a snake, Jae took advantage of Pasqal's brief distraction and injected his face with a syringe containing something that looked like stim stimulant.
" Do not touch me, filthy defier ! You are messing with the holiness of the mechanisms ! " protested the Magos.
" Just move it !" hissed Jae in a commanding tone. Whatever Jae had unkindly injected him with, at least it seemed to be working as Pasqal began speeding up more or less willingly.
Abelard was not even going to ask what was happening. There was too much craziness going on for an old faithful Seneschal to focus on. This kind of thing would have never happened with Mort. Taking the lead, he descended the cursive until a flight of ladders led them down a tank. He didn't want to know what the tank had been used for ; it reeked of bleach and chemistry, and his boots paddled in some sort of ancient muck. He looked up with his flashlight : up above an industrial ladder, there seemed to be a sealed door. This time, the walls looked thick.
He heard a cracking noise as something behind him started closing off. He turned to see that Pasqal was connected to an old cogitator ; there was an old, thick and sealed door, similar to the one above, that he had ordered to close.
" Keep the things at bay !" ordered the Seneschal.
Though the sheer sizes of their adversaries made them hard to miss, the complete darkness they were lurking in made them difficult to pinpoint in the cursive. Jae and Argenta both covered for them, Argenta choosing to burst as much fire as possible, while Jae was trying to be precise. Finally, the door closed off before the beats could go through and they heard their assaillants run into the walls, then relent. Silence, at last.
" Finally", whispered Jae, wiping the sweat off her forebrow.
" The containment area has been activated," commented Pasqal, " but unfortunately it does trigger the sanitization sequence. We should be safe for the next five minutes. Survival diagnosis is down 80 % after that."
" Sanitization sequence ?" repeated Argenta, frowning.
" Disintegration of toxic waste through vaporized steam containing chemical agents known for their acid propriety."
Heinrix laughed bitterly for a second before stopping himself dead : " Esteemed Magos, please tell me you can get the upper door open."
" Not with this ancient and weary machine."
Jae pestered : " Did you just lock us here to melt ourselves to death ?" She threw her arms in the air in frustration.
" Negative. I have a plan", replied Pasqal steadily, ignoring her mockery.
" We'll sure be glad to hear about it, Haneuman", groaned Abelard. He was eyeing the little holes on the side of the tank that were just now wheezing slightly.
" Sister Argenta, the plan is you", said Pasqal.
" A-ha", replied Argenta, with obviously no idea what the Magos was talking about. He went on : " Start using melta-charges to blow open the door. I calculated that five of them will be needed for this kind of containment tank."
Abelard whistled between his teeth. " That's…a lot of melta-charges."
" I can help with covering us", said Heinrix.
Argenta was already leaping at the ladder, climbing it up deftly. " All right, Pasqal, I'm listening", she said as she unpacked one of her explosive charges. Listening to the Tech-Priest's instructions, Argenta arranged the explosives. All the while, those in the tank tried their best at blocking or bending the pipes that were now burning hot with incoming toxic vapors.
" On my three…" Swiftly, Argenta leapt back down and they took cover, huddling together on what looked like the safest part of the tank, as the explosion tore down at the door and sent flaming debris above their heads. In a swift rush of eerie cold, some sort of flickering, psychic shield covered their heads and deviated the debris and the flames away from them.
Being the most agile of the band, Argenta got back up in an instant and started covering for their exit. Heinrix, still carrying Elena as easily as if she weighed nothing, followed soon and Abelard was last.
They found themselves in another set of cursive. The screeches were maybe a little farther away than before, but they knew the chase was still on.
Abelard jammed his vox to reach for the wardens, to no avail.
" Where do we go ?" asked Argenta, her voice getting tense.
Abelard had no clue. He was completely lost in the configuration and could not for the life of him take a guess in the right direction. And his life was indeed in the balance.
" Considering the layout of any typical station this dated…" started Heinrix, thinking out loud as he calculated the best itinerary.
But Pasqal cut him off : " The configuration is clear. The exit is more probably on our right."
" Then right it is", said Abelard.
They scurried in the estranged cursive, still under black-out. They were now in some sort of canteen. Multiple doors littered the way - surely, they were heading somewhere, but at each crossroad, they may be passing by the way to the exit.
Something moved on the ceiling. They dodged out of the way just as a creature leapt down from the ceiling, blocking their path.
" Dammit. We must be heading in the right direction, if they keep obstructing us !" yelled Jae.
" It doesn't matter if we can't get around them !"
Abelard clenched his jaws. He aimed at the head of the beast - and missed. He wasn't that good with a pistol. The thing was too close now - he switched back to his sword and parried off an incoming blow.
" If not around them, then through them !" he said. They couldn't run forever. " As soon as you get a chance - run for it !" he added bravely.
" I will not abandon you, Seneschal !" That was Argenta. Fuming with fury, the Sister held her bolter tight and shot steadily at the creature, which bounced in the room to avoid her.
It tried to sting at Pasqal, much to his dismay - but the sting encountered an invisible force field, repulsing it, and the strange toxin splattered over the unseen shield. Heinrix maintained the forcefield as the creature tried to slash more at them, in vain.
Screeches again. Abelard turned his head towards them - they came from the cursive leading out of the canteen, towards the exit. His flashlight caught the creatures and he regretted it deeply.
There were dozens of them. He couldn't even see the end of the cursive anymore. His hands, for a moment, faltered. " The Throne preserves us", he murmured.
They would not make it through. Their prospect was…bleak.
That was just as well then that Elena decided to wake up from her psychic absence. Whimpering a little, she wiggled out of Heinrix's arms, who gently let her down and steadied her staggering balance.
" Shereen, light of my stars, flower of the void ", said Jae in a stressed-out tone as soon as caught sight of the Rogue Trader coming back to consciousness, " please tell me you've got a plan to pull us out of this trap."
Elena took a second to scan her new environment. She barely seemed surprised or deranged by it.
" Ah, I see we're at this part of the sequence", she commented. " Now where's the potato poster ?"
Heinrix sighed. " Diviners", he mumbled under his breath, and started flashing his light over the walls.
" What potato poster ? What are you talking about, shereen ?"
Ignoring her retinue's annoyance at her quirk and the arrival of their outnumbering enemies, Elena made a few steps back, scanning the walls with her flashlight until she caught sight of an old poster featuring an Imperial citizen cooking potatoes with a zealous smile over his face and an aquila in the background.
" No question. Follow me ! We're three seconds too late already for this iteration", ordered Elena.
What was there to answer about something like that ? Diviners were by essence prone to gibberish, but usually that spot was taken by Idira. Accepting that they had no idea what their leader was talking about but that she seemed to know what she was doing, they dashed after her as she opened up a door nearby the poster, apparently leading to a kitchen (indeed full of rotten potatoes.) From there, Elena purposefully and without slowing down ran to her left to swing open another door leading to yet another cursive.
They followed her as she gained up speed in the cursive. From their right, the beasts kept chasing them. But their chaotic pattern seemed to have put them out of their ambushing position and now they had to actively trail after them instead of waiting for them to fall in their layout plans.
" Don't waste time shooting at them", said Elena behind her shoulders as she skidded through a bend in the cursive. " We have to catch up on our three seconds, else we are all better off dead anyway ! "
That wasn't really the motivational speech Abelard was waiting for, but it was impactful enough for them to keep up the pace. Obeying to Elena, despite the fact that holding guns felt much better than running in the dark unarmed, they put down their weapons to focus on speed. It was a hard thing to do because the creatures were definitely closing in on them. But maybe the Rogue Trader was right : the millisecond they would take to shoot at them could prove to be too late already.
" Two seconds late", hurled Elena, trying to speed up. " Move, move !"
Now Pasqal and Jae were breathing heavily, having difficulty at keeping up the rapid pace ; but they pushed on stubbornly, with the steady support of Abelard and Argenta pulling up at their arms to push them faster, and Heinrix using his biomancer abilities to reinforce them.
" One second. Just…have faith and leap for it !"
In a gesture that could appear completely nonsensical, the Rogue Trader pivoted suddenly on her left and threw herself with all her strength down the next cursive. Because they had no idea what else to do, they blindly did the same and followed through, hoping that whatever was going on would prove to save them.
The cursive did lead them back to the airlock. By jumping blindly into the room, they somehow managed to skid quite risibly through half of it - just as a creature emerged where they used to stand, spitting at them. They barely avoided the blow as they lost balance on landing in the middle of the room. The call was so close that it almost seemed a miracle that they had managed to push through. One second more and they would have bumped into the creature head on and defenseless. They quickly staggered back on their feet, collectively choosing to ignore the embarrassing jumping to focus on the situation at hand.
A gunfight had been ongoing there - and the creatures had been fended off to the back of the room, hissing with fury as wardens of the von Valancius ship, led by Vidgis and Idira, were shooting at them. As they arrived, Idira pivoted towards them, her face calm and steady - and huge, crackling arcs of electricity jolted from her rising hands towards an upcoming creature that had leant over Elena.
It was a perfect timing : a second before or after, and either Elena would have been ambushed by the beast, or jolted to death by the arc. Without missing a beat and with an utter sense of trust and faith in her allies, Elena ran through the psychic electrical jolts and rushed towards the door. They followed soon after, covered by the wardens, and they all huddled behind the airlock's door as Vigdis quickly closed it.
" Our hearts rejoice to see you are well and alive, Lord Captain !" said Vidgis, welcoming them back as they ran towards the shuttle. " We have gotten your messages, Seneschal - and, with the timely advice of Idira, we managed to reach you just in time."
They all entered into the shuttle just as the door gave way to a wave of beasts. The two wardens trailing behind were quickly snatched away by them, and they all decided to abandon them to certain death.
" Good work, Vox-Master", congratulated Abelard. "Now someone get the shuttle up !"
The bay closed as Jae launched herself towards the command and abruptly detached the shuttle from the wharf.
They looked down upon the station, looking oddly calm in the void, and up to the flagship hovering over it. Their rapid heart beats slowly calmed down as blessed silence and peace surrounded them.
" Tell Ravor he can use the station as target-practive for the new laser beam", said Elena after a while, leaning against the shuttle with a sigh of relief.
" Acknowledged, Lord Captain."