Legends of the Smoke Jaguars Chapter 212
With a careful hand Vitcos prized away the mortar of the pillar. It was a supremely delicate task, undoing the work of the last day. He used a micro-lathe to peel away layers of plaster, removing the hastily applied coverings with a steady hand. One slip could spell doom, but he persisted, as did his Kinsmen on other pillars. Finally the Transonic mine was revealed and he set aside his tool, taking up a wire-thin screwdriver as he began the Ritual of Disarmament.
His attention was laser-tight as he worked, whispering the words implanted by Hypno-indoctrination. The mine's spirit must not be offended, lest the trigger go off. If it did then the sequence could bring down this whole Sanctum upon their heads. Vitcos would have preferred to let the Metal-men attend this task, but they were not privy to the Smoke Jaguar's unique stands of Technis-lore, and so it fell to the Techwrights and Prowls to disarm the trap. So Vitcos applied his skills, finally sighing as a tiny light on the mine blinked its status as 'Anodyne'.
Vitcos' tension eased as he allowed his eyes to drift. Within the Sanctum the detritus of victory was assayed, the honoured dead tended by Storm Herald Genewrights and the foe removed for incineration. The Smoke Jaguars worked about the edges, leaving their cousins to their own rituals. The battle must have been hard fought and Vitcos marvelled at the melted nature of the stones, signs of deeds he barely comprehended.
At last the mine came free, leaving a crater to be filled in later and Vitcos stepped back , "The Feloniods claws are pulled!"
Ilquitio did likewise and said, "Our destined doom is delayed another day."
Sechura called over from the far side of the Sanctum, "Make light of danger for once, I tire of being the one who must smile!"
Vitcos nodded, "Let Sechura be our doomsmith, it suits you not."
"I speak as I see," Ilquitio lamented, "Hope is a poison most foul. You should tell that to the fools in white."
Vitcos glanced at the Storm Heralds, whose Apothecaries were kneeling over a lump of charred gristle. What they sought mystified Vitcos, surely all life had fled from that husk of meat. Arjax-lel had passed in glory, may his name be spoken for ten B'ak'tun, yet their labour continued. A lone flash of blue stood with them, a warrior bearing a burning axe. Last of his Prowlmates, by Smoke Jaguar tradition it fell to this Iagion to rebuild his Prowl and ensure the names of his Kinsmen would be honoured forevermore, but these Storm Heralds remained strange beings.
"Another!" Sechura cried as he prised a piece of bone from a wall.
"What seek you?" Vitcos sighed.
"Orkamemnon's skull," Sechura explained as he jiggled a pile of loose bone splinters and metal shaving in his palm.
"For what purpose?"
"To house in the Sepulchre Triumphant, for all to marvel at the worth of our hunt-kill."
"It was Arjax-lel's triumph and that will take you all day."
"Then I best tend to my quest with renewed vigour," Sechura grinned as he returned to his effort.
Vitcos rolled his eyes but new faces were entering the field. Side by side came Huacho and Lujan, Tachna and Charael. Twin leaders, and twin sages, none of them looking pleased. While Blazing Shadow had worked to disarm the trap they had spent the dawn securing the city beyond, fighting Orruk in a relentless grind of extermination. Thousands of Greenskins had died mysteriously when Orkamemnon ended, but many times more than that remained and their elimination had been as hard a fight as any.
"Is he going to live?" Lujan asked without preamble.
"The dawn shadows are yet too long to tell," Vitcos rejoined, "How goes the day?"
Huacho replied, "The heart-foe lies in their graves, the city resounds with songs of glad tidings."
"On this side of the river at least," Charael countered, "The eastern side is thrown into disarray."
Lujan nodded, "The death of the Warboss has thrown the Orks into bedlam. As is their way they immediately fell into infighting, to establish a new hierarchy. The east is a warzone, as Orks fight Orks, but the good news is their armada has broken orbit and flees before our wroth. Our relief fleet is twenty days away but our Battlebarge is much closer. We shall have orbital supremacy within hours. Then the Greenskins will suffer."
"Beware the Orruk scattering," Tachna warned, "If their spores find purchase in the soil this world will never be free of their taint."
"The Codex Astartes already anticipates such eventualities. My Companies will corral the city, keeping them contained. Any attempted breakout will learn what Magma bombs can do to an unshielded army. When the relief fleet arrives this city will be purged, not one Xenos will remain. A fine victory for the Golden Throne."
"And the people?" Tachna pressed.
"Acceptable losses, if needs be the general populace can be replaced by colonists from other worlds."
"Evil is in the hearts of all men," Vitcos muttered under his breath.
"What was that?!" Charael barked.
"Merely asking after General Vregust, I see him not."
Lujan took on a pained expression, "The General's position was overrun in the fighting. He was evacuated by his guards but saw the Orks up close. The experience has discombobulated him. Vregust does not respond to voice or touch, his mind elsewhere. The Commissars judge it not worth a bolt round to end him, they have removed him from command and placed him under extended medical confinement."
Vitcos was amused. The mortal had come to Coronam thinking it was a stepping stone to greater glory, instead it had been a millstone around his neck. The true face of war had broken his spirit. It spoke ill of Terra, that such wastrels could rise to power, but then the Smoke Jaguars had small care for the Serviles of the Golden Throne. They had ever been of low-quality, holding to the practice of inherited power, instead of merited. The ways of Copan were superior, they always had been.
The period of reflection came to a halt as a cry went up from the white-armoured figures. A great bustle was made a stretcher was brought forth and the lump of gristle lifted onto it. Drip-bags and IV lines festooned the body, and the blue figure hurried over with glad tidings. Vitcos could hardly believe it, but the impossible was made real once more.
"We have a pulse!" Iagion cried in joy.
"Ajax lives?!" Charael blinked in shock.
"If you can call it life," Lujan sighed.
"Better that he died," Charael agreed, "We would be freed of his endless obstructism."
"Low a thought Chaplain, but either way Ajax will never fight again."
"Surely not!" Iagion protested aghast.
"I am no Apothecary, but even I can tell those wounds are not recoverable. Ajax may be rebuilt with Augmetics but he will never meet the standards expected of a Space Marine. A dreary half-life as a training instructor awaits."
A stunned silence rang at the dire pronouncement but Tachna interjected, "Have you no Dreadnought shells?"
"Ajax, granted the laurels of dreadnought status?!" Charael scowled.
"It… is possible," Lujan mused.
"Has he not earned it?" Huacho asked.
"You don't know him as we do," Charael snapped, "His life is lived for intransigence, our arguments endless. Ajax as a dreadnought, we'd never see an end to the bickering."
"Is that fit cause to deny one so worthy of esteem?!" Vitcos snarled.
"What do you care?!" Charael growled.
Vitcos drew himself up, "Thrice the sons of Sedaxus have called for aid. Thrice did Ajax Arjax-Lel heed our cries. None so worthy have we met outside our Chapter. He shed his blood for us, and we must repay in kind. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood, so teaches the Testimony. Thus I propose a potlatch!"
"You cannot do this!" Tachna snapped.
"Huacho can, as Prowlmaster he can make our troth."
"Teotihuacan must vouch for this pact!"
"The Shade-lord will approve, this I know in my hearts," Huacho agreed.
"Tis folly!" Tachna growled.
"Then fools we be!" Vitcos barked.
Lujan cut in, "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Vitcos explained, "Arjax-lel has shown us the truth of the Storm Heralds, fierce and unrelenting, brash and bold. Your finery is strange to our eyes but underneath lies a spirit of murder most admirable. We count you Kinsmen of soul, if not of blood. A Potlash we propose, of succour and support."
Lujan's jaw fell, "Are you saying you want to be formal allies?!"
Huacho expanded, "Allies we are already, forged in blood and murder. Henceforth the Smoke Jaguars shall heed your call to the hunt. When the Storm Heralds' need is dire we shall be there, no matter the distance or the heart-foe. Our allies are few, and all the more treasured for it. When the hour is darkest we shall not fail to aid you."
Lujan could not hide his disdain, "This is a bond I do not ask for."
Huacho rebuffed that, "Tis not a thing to ask for, nor refuse. This is written in the stars. Born from esteem of Arjax-Lel we are your allies forevermore. Thus is it written, thus shall it be."
Charael scowled, "Wait… you keep calling him that. What does it mean?"
Vitcos explained, "In the tongue of Imperium Arjax-lel is one worthy of Kingship. One who acts with the highest virtues of honour."
Lujan frowned as he translated this in his head, "Honourable… Honourable Ajax?"
Vitcos conceded, "If that is how you speak, so mote it be."
Lujan did not look happy but quoted, "He who sheds his blood with me shall be my Battle-Brother eternal. It seems our bond is forged and I am not so great a fool as to turn away a willing ally. Formal accords shall come later, but I do pledge the Storm Herald's aid to you in turn. Have your Chapter Master contact me and we shall discuss a formal pact, and perhaps even some joint ventures we can collaborate upon."
"And of Ajax himself?" Iagion interrupted pointedly.
"To honour this alliance I shall order the Techmarines to ready our most advanced Dreadnought shell. Honourable Ajax will walk again, and fight."
"Wonderful," Charael groaned sarcastically.
Vitcos enjoyed his pain but declared, "Smoke Jaguars and Storm Heralds, trothed to stand as Kinsmen against all that a cruel universe may throw at us. May the Sun-Emperor witness a bond that shall withstand all the arrows of fickle fate, until the ending of time itself!"