Legends of the Smoke Jaguars Chapter 73
Next go for the hands. It was written in the Testimony that hands are the medium by which one interacts with the universe, the means to forge abstract concepts into reality. For an individual this means grasping a tool or a weapon, for an army it is the employment of ordnance and missiles, for a culture it is the means of production. Removal of the hands leaves one's prey impotent, their will frustrated, their dreams reduced to ash. Take your enemy's hands and the battle is all but won, thus it is written, thus shall it be.
The plastek barrier snapped to kindling as Spectre of Woe drove straight through. The impact threw Aapo back against the hatch ring, bruising his spine. Takana didn't care, gunning the engines to make the tracks spin ever faster. Smoke poured from their one remaining exhaust as the overworked engines strained but Spectre of Woe did not flag nor fail. Battered, broken and shorn of heraldry as it was the stalwart steed refused to succumb to its wounds, truly the Rhino STC was a marvel of ruggedness and reliability.
The road came to an abrupt end, joining a broad loading dock. Under muted spotlights Megatankers stood in rows, their enormous bowsers brimming with volatile chemicals. Beyond the Vapour Mill rose to the heavens, its mighty flumes punching into the midnight clouds above. Dimly lit pumping stations and refineries at their bases rumbled with constant industry, but the intrusion of the Smoke Jaguars was drawing attention. Small figures in rubber coats and fixed rebreathers hefted lascarbines, PDF troopers sent to watch against Orruk incursions. They formed a skirmish line against the intruder, but they were not ready for what came barrelling out of the night.
"Slaughter and sprint!" Takana hollered. Aapo squeezed the trigger paddles and the Storm Bolter unleashed its fury, sending mass reactives hurtling towards the befuddled troopers. Before they even knew what was attacking them men began to die, exploding shells bursting bodies in grotesque displays of gore. Aapo swung the roaring twin-barrels about, arms juddering with every discharge, gunning down men before they could respond.
Spectre of Woe blew past, heading straight for the pumping stations. Aapo didn't waste time with the stragglers, fixing his eyes on the exposed gantries ahead, packed with panicking workers in heavy rubber overalls. Storm Bolter rounds tore into them, sweeping bodies from the high gantries in droves. Dismembered body parts rained from on high, amongst whole men blown from their perches and sent tumbling to certain death. A stray bolt round clipped a liquid-ammonia pipe, spraying its contents everywhere. A dozen men died screaming as concentrated ammonia doused them head to toe, burning through protective garments in seconds to peel skin away in blistered strips.
Takana veered left, taking them between two distillery hubs. Aapo was confronted by a plethora of targets and called, "The fruit is ripe for picking!"
"Do not be greedy, the Magpyr is hungry!" Hanphu called in mirth.
The top hatch whirred open and Hanphu rose, bracing his feet on a firing step. K'oy clung to his shoulder but the Multi-las purred louder. A second to charge and then his weapon opened fire, hammering the right flank with torrents of las. The repetitive snap-hiss formed a sharp counterpoint to the deep song of Aapo's gun, undertones of engine growl adding to a cacophony of violence. Terrible was the concerto they made, a sound to unman the bravest of souls.
Aapo saw a gaggle of men fighting to flee through a ground-floor door, he cut them all down before the first man reached safety. A long room with glowing windows and the smell of bubbling broth flashed past, Aapo fired through the thin wall, punching holes in the flimsy barrier to allow mass reactives to detonate within. A figure trying to flee up a narrow ladder, a short burst blasted the frame from the wall sending the screaming man toppling like a felled tree.
Spectre of Woe was carnage incarnate, ploughing through the Vapour Mill without pause. Aapo gunned down everything he could see, Hanphu's multi-las reaped a greater tally still, even K'oy pitched in, throwing nuts and bolts at random shadows as it cackled wickedly. Flames grew in their wake, spilling gases mixing with combustible vapours, causing ever-greater explosions as the damage spread. Nothing could stop the Smoke Jaguars, until the PDF found them.
Aapo saw a bright flash ahead and was thrown backwards as the glacis plate took a glancing hit. He rocked forward, peering ahead and spied a trio of Lascannon teams setting up in their path. A yelling officer woman screamed orders at three teams of gunners, exhorting them to trim their aim and fire again. One team had landed a lucky shot, but the other two wouldn't miss again Spectre of Woe was tough but a concentrated barrage of Lascannons was not something it could survive.
Aapo swung his Storm Bolter about but was jarred badly as the Rhino accelerated. Tracks blurred as smoke gushed from their lone exhaust, sending them headlong into danger. To their credit the troopers did not flee, they stuck to their guns, adjusting their aim with unbreakable courage. Brave men and women, foes of true quality, Aapo was honoured to test himself against them, but Takana had other ideas.
Spectre of Woe's headlights blazed full beam, brilliant flares of light stabbing into the night. With their eyes adjusted for the eternal gloom of Xilbalba the troopers were struck most cruelly, their eyes set ablaze with pain. They threw up their hands to shield their eyes, even the officer covering her face with an elbow. Moments later Spectre of Woe's dozer blade rammed into the crowd, crushing cannons and spearing their bodies through the hearts. Aapo's boots left the step as the tracks crunched over the remains, grinding metal and bone under its weight. A brief wail, cut short by their passage, and then they were past.
"The servitor has the rudder," Takana declared.
"Hunt well Dark Fury," Aapo urged.
"Be merciless," Takana hissed.
"No prey escapes the Smoke Jaguar's fangs," Aapo avowed.
Takana's head rose in the rear hatch and his wings spread wide. A burst of jet exhaust and he shot upwards, leaving the pair to continue their slaughter. Takana disappeared amongst the high gantries, lightning claws blazing, chasing an elusive prize. Spectre of Woe was under servitor guidance now, less than ideal but the Machine Spirit could enact a basic sweep-and-destroy pattern. All Aapo had to do was shoot, and he did so with gusto.
They wove among pumps and pipes, sending bolt and las into everything they saw. Workers fell in droves; delicate mechanisms blew apart and fires began to spread out of control. Aapo saw bulbous container vessels cracking, spilling toxic chemicals far and wide. Explosions erupted on the far side of the Vapour Mill, in quarters they had yet to visit. Aapo realised the damage was becoming a chain reaction, growing exponentially, impossible to stop, in minutes this place would be a charnel house. Still they drove on, shooting wildly, allowing none to escape their vengeance. Servants of the Bronze Beast, unwitting though they may be, deserved no mercy and the few shots that returned pattered harmlessly off thick armour. It felt good, it felt righteous, Aapo revelled in the work of his hands, delighting in the destruction he caused.
Another circuit of the Vapour Mill and Takana voxed, "The egg is in the eagles' claws!"
Aapo called out, "We make for the exit!"
"First bring the Sun-Emperor's judgement upon this house," Takana commanded.
"The sun sets on all men," Aapo hissed with relish.
Their winding path had taken them back to the loading dock, where the Megatankers waited. Aapo pulled himself from the hatch and braced to leap clear. Spectre of Woe had slowed as it circled the perimeter, waiting for the command to drive off. Aapo crouched then jumped from the moving Rhino, hitting the ground and rolling over his shoulder. He came up sprinting, racing for the nearest vehicle. His back felt hot, raw heat rising from the inferno, the world backlit by the conflagration the Smoke Jaguars had started. Destruction was spreading, but they required obliteration.
Aapo saw a lost trooper milling near the wheel of a Megatanker, separated from her platoon. The woman saw him coming and raised her lascarbine but Aapo's bolt pistol was in hand and his aim was keen, blowing her back into a wheel thrice her height. A moment later the round detonated, painting the wheel arterial red.
Aapo raced past and grabbed a hanging ladder, as he holstered his pistol. He boosted himself up and began climbing, hastening to the driver's cab above. It was a surprisingly long climb, the Megatanker was a towering behemoth of a machine. Still, he soon reached the door and pulled it open, slipping into the driver's seat. A large wheel, a series of levers and knobs and a big red start button. Blessed be the STC, Aapo grinned as he hit the ignition with his palm.
The engine roared as the Megatanker awoke and Aapo slipped it into first gear. The massive machine was slow to move, fully laden with hydrogen gas as it was. Aapo leaned on the wheel and pulled the machine about, steering back towards the burning Vapour Mill. He floored the accelerator, then decided time had run out. The open door awaited, and a worryingly long drop. They weren't moving fast but from this height it was enough to break his ankle. Aapo hesitated but to stay was to die, so he embraced the danger and leapt.
A moment of freefall and then he hit the unforgiving ground, stumbling onto his belly. His face hit the hard surface and tore his cheek but he ignored it, up and running already. Spectre of Woe was circling the perimeter, moving at a walking pace as Hanphu gunned down anyone who dared show their face. Aapo raced to the Rhino and jumped high, pulling himself hand over hand to mount the machine.
"K'oy missed you!" Hanphu laughed.
"K'oy can eat my dung!" Aapo spat as he crested the roof.
A flurry of wings above saw Takana crashing onto the roof, rocking the Rhino as he called, "I have it!"
Aapo eyed the bulbous cannister under the Dark Fury's arm and asked, "Will that do be enough?"
"Doubts are for Serviles," Takana spat, "Be far from this place!"
"The wind will blink in shock at our haste," Hanphu promised as he ducked back down.
Moments later Spectre of Woe took off, racing from the Vapour Mill at top speed. Into the night they sped, driving into the wastes where none could find them. Aapo looked back as they fled, watching the destruction mounting. Explosions tore the refinery apart, flames rising from the inferno in brief flurries of terrible majesty. Then the Megatanker drove headlong into the carnage and the hydrogen gas in its tank exploded.
The blastwave struck Aapo like a punch to the jaw, throwing him back into the open bay with his face rendered numb. He scrabbled back to his feet and beheld a fireball consuming men, metal and stone. Secondary detonations swept the Vapour Mill, leaving not one soul alive and as he watched the soaring flumes collapsed, tumbling into the inferno like collapsing hab-blocks. Raw heat singed his eyebrows even at this distance, the violence of it pounding his ears and wonder at the destruction made his jaw hang low. Aapo stood dumbfounded as Spectre of Woe made for the horizon, leaving nothing but flaming ruin in its wake. Let Methuselah beware, for the Smoke Jaguars would soon gift him such a fate.