Legends of the dark ange.., p.50
Legends Of The Dark Angels, page 50
A mechanically generated voice grated from the comm speakers.
‘I am here, brother. My experience is yours to share.’
‘Thank you, brother. Soon we will need not just your wisdom, but your strength and determination.’ Belial stood up and leaned on the edge of the large display plate, looking at each of his council in turn. ‘We face a tipping point in this war, brothers. We have held the orks at bay as best we can, but it may not be enough. It is still at least seven days before the rest of the Chapter will reach orbit. The orks have control of two power stations once more and will resume their previous level of reinforcement. Though we have bloodied our foes severely these last eight days and nights, we have no such reserves to draw upon. Casualties amongst the 3rd Company and other Astartes units under my command are at thirty-two per cent. The Piscina defence force reports nearly seventy per cent casualties, mostly in Kadillus Harbour.’
Belial stepped back and folded his arms across his broad chest.
‘We do not know exactly how quickly the orks can rebuild their strength for sure, or how soon they will attack, but we can be sure that the longer they wait, the greater will be the blow that lands upon us.’
‘Are all forces engaged, brother?’ Venerari asked through the chamber’s speakers. ‘Have we any other forces left to commit?’
‘There are Free Militia troops and tanks en route to Kadillus Harbour from other parts of the island,’ replied the company master. ‘We might have airlifted them to the city earlier, but the enemy’s possession of the defence laser rendered that impossible. Similarly, Ghazghkull’s occupation of the docks makes any transportation by sea equally difficult. Therefore these forces are travelling overland and will be expected in two days’ time.’
‘It is your hope that these forces will bolster the defence before the orks attack.’ Charon’s words were a statement not a question. ‘It is unwise to rely upon elements that are not directly under your control.’
‘And I do not intend to, brother,’ said Belial, sitting down again. ‘If we simply wait for the orks to build up their strength, we cannot stop them. They could grow in numbers for five days and have the far greater strength, sweeping away any forces we have in a day, before the Chapter reaches us.’
‘Perhaps the orks will attack early,’ suggested Uriel. ‘Excited by their success at Barrak Gorge they might continue their attack.’
‘Possible, but unlikely,’ said Venerari. ‘We know that Ghazghkull has demonstrated remarkable strategic acumen for an ork in the past, and his actions thus far have not demonstrated proof that he has lost that. This other warlord has also shown a certain amount of cunning.’
‘Indeed,’ said Belial. ‘It is to my shame that I underestimated the threat of the orks, and perhaps by doing so I have allowed them an advantage that we cannot now reverse.’
‘From what Naaman described, none of us could have imagined how the orks were reaching the planet,’ said Uriel. ‘You acted in accordance with the best teachings and doctrine of the Chapter. What we have faced is quite unprecedented. Not only have two ork warlords allied themselves to attack this world – which is in itself a strangely inconsequential target – but they have also mastered an advanced technology on a scale never before encountered in the ten thousand years of the Chapter. I am sure that Grand Master Azrael will not judge your actions harshly.’
Belial turned to Sergeant Validus.
‘Have the Ravenwing any fresher intelligence to offer this discussion?’ asked the captain.
‘No, brother, not at the moment,’ Validus replied with a shake of the head. ‘I have but three land speeders and a single bike squad left for reconnaissance, to cover several hundred square kilometres, and without orbital augury data. If you were to tell me where to look for the orks, we will do so, but we cannot patrol the wilderness endlessly or with any certainty.’
The company master chewed on the knuckle of his thumb as he considered this. His eyes darted to Uriel as the Chaplain sat forwards, hands on the wide table.
‘You could lead another Terminator strike at the East Barrens site,’ declared the Chaplain. ‘It is not a permanent solution, but it would delay ork reinforcements again and generate time for us to better prepare our defences.’
‘Or mount an offensive to retake Barrak Gorge,’ added Validus.
Belial shook his head.
‘The last attack was only possible due to Naaman’s planting of the homing beacon. It has been destroyed.’ He looked at Validus. ‘Unless the Ravenwing are capable of planting a new homing signal transmitter?’
Validus shrugged.
‘It is worth investigation, brothers,’ said the 2nd Company sergeant. ‘Sergeant Naaman succeeded through stealth; perhaps we will meet with similar success with speed.’
‘It is a delaying tactic and nothing more, brothers,’ said Venerari. ‘It is not without merit but it is not a lasting solution to the situation that we face. It may succeed again, but I do not believe that the orks will be tricked a third time. We would still require a more permanent resolution if we are to resist their attacks until the rest of the Chapter arrives.’
‘If it is even possible a second time,’ said Hephaestus. ‘It is likely the enemy have further fortified their base since the last attack. I rate the chances of a Ravenwing strike to be slim considering the likely level of opposition.’
The Space Marines sat in silence for some time, amidst an air of frustration. It was galling to Belial that he had been wrong-footed by two savages. He wracked his brains to find some other strategy that would turn the tide back against the greenskins.
‘May I make a suggestion, brother-captain?’ Hephaestus broke the thoughtful silence.
‘That is why I brought you here, brother,’ Belial replied with some irritation. ‘Speak your mind.’
‘While it seems problematic to prevent the ork reinforcements from arriving, there is another alternative,’ said the Techmarine. The holo-display whirled and zoomed in on the East Barrens geothermal station. ‘We have a single point of entry to target. Now that we have the precise energy signature from Sergeant Naaman, we have been able to locate the teleporter beam on the long-range scanning arrays. It has not moved from its previous site. It is a logical conclusion from the evidence so far examined that the orks’ arrival point on-world is fixed, for some reason we do not yet understand.’
‘We don’t know where the orks are that are here already, but we can be sure where any new arrivals will be coming from.’ Belial smiled at the realisation.
‘An orbital strike,’ suggested Uriel.
‘Negative,’ said Hephaestus. ‘Proximity to the power plant still presents a threat to the entire geothermal network.’
‘Thunderhawk strike,’ said Venerari. ‘A gunship can deploy from orbit, attack the reinforcements and then return to the battle-barge to resupply and re-arm.’
Belial’s fingers tapped an agitated beat on the desktop.
‘We have only one gunship remaining,’ said the commander. ‘If we lose it, we have only civilian aircraft left to us.’
‘That is where the Ravenwing will help,’ said Validus. ‘I can have a squadron of land speeders in the area within three hours. They can report on the enemy’s defences and any changes since we lost touch with Naaman.’
‘Very well,’ said Belial, standing up. The others stood with him. ‘We will prepare for a succession of aerial strikes. Sergeant Validus will coordinate the reconnaissance and provide on-ground observation for the attack. Brother Hephaestus, prepare the remaining gunship for a heavy-bombardment role. Brother Uriel, draw up a list of surviving battle-brothers with specialist gunnery training who can crew the Thunderhawk with Hephaestus. I will organise for them to be extracted from their current duties.’
The Space Marines nodded their assent. As Validus, Hephaestus and Uriel left, Charon stayed behind.
‘You have something to add, brother?’ Belial asked the Librarian.
Charon sat down again and nodded.
‘I detected an emanation from my brothers in the Librarium shortly before I arrived at the council.’ The psyker fixed Belial with a penetrating stare. ‘It is a message from Grand Master Azrael. I thought it better that I pass it to you in private.’
‘Very well,’ said Belial. He gestured for the Librarian to continue.
Straightening in his chair, Charon laid his hands flat on the glassy surface of the display table. Motes of energy danced along the wires of his psychic hood. The Librarian’s eyes darkened, the veins standing out in stark contrast to the whites, flickering with blue. With a shuddering gasp, the Librarian arched his neck and his eyes rolled back, showing nothing but a tracery of coruscating energy.
The psyker’s face changed. The features did not alter, but the Librarian’s muscles twitched and took on a different cant, approximating another’s face: Azrael, Grand Master of the Dark Angels. The jaw was set firmly, lips thin, cheeks drawn in. When Charon spoke, it was with the voice of the Chapter’s commander, his mouth twisting in imitation of Azrael’s mannerisms.
‘Master Belial. I do not have to press upon you the importance of the situation on Piscina. Know that it is my will that this world is denied to the orks, at any cost. I have faith in you and your company, and you should know that deliverance from these foul beasts is almost at hand. The Techmarines believe they have identified an area of space that is the source of the teleportation beam bringing reinforcements to the planet. It is my belief that at least one ork-occupied hulk is in the system, and carries forces that will test the strength of the entire Chapter. The orks must not be allowed to gain a significant hold on Piscina. If your best efforts and greatest sacrifices are not sufficient to contain the alien menace, it is imperative that the orks be denied a landing in true strength. I trust that you will take any measures to ensure this.’
Azrael-Charon’s face turned away for a moment and then returned its unearthly gaze to Belial.
‘You will receive confirmation of these orders by standard communication before my arrival. Praise the Lion.’
Shuddering again, Charon let out an explosive breath and slumped forwards. Opening his eyes, he looked at Belial with his normal face.
‘I take it from your expression that you comprehend the intent of the Grand Master’s command,’ said the Librarian.
‘I do, brother,’ Belial replied with a nod. ‘It is better that Kadillus is destroyed than fall into the hands of our enemies.’
‘Very well, brother,’ Charon said. He stood up and bowed his head in deference. ‘I will leave you to make the necessary preparations for that event, and the means by which we might avoid it.’
Belial’s eyes followed Charon’s back as the psyker left through the heavy door. A blinking light on the comm panel attracted his attention.
‘You heard that, Revered Venerari,’ said the company master.
‘I did, brother.’
‘Why is it that he felt it necessary to remind me of my duty?’
‘Do not take it as an admonishment. Lord Azrael wishes you to know that you have his full support for whatever actions you take.’
‘We will not fail. We are Astartes.’
‘The Lion is with us, brother. In his name we will triumph.’
The light winked out and Belial was left with the comms-tech. The youth, his face impassive, turned to the captain.
‘Do you have any further orders, master?’
Belial thought for a moment, fingers stroking his chin.
‘Send for the gunnery captains. They have preparations to make.’
Half a dozen serfs bustled around the terminals of the operations chamber, moving from one console to the next as they calibrated the comms arrays and updated the scanner data for the digimap. Belial stood immobile amongst the activity; now clad in his dark green armour, power sword at his waist, an ivory-coloured robe hanging to his knees, red Deathwing icon embroidered upon the left side of its chest. Charon and Uriel were with him, sitting patiently at the display slate.
Through the murmurings of the serfs Belial could hear the reports from the ongoing fighting in Kadillus Harbour. The company commander listened subconsciously to the fragments of information being related by the Space Marines and Piscinan officers around the docks and power plant, content that nothing had significantly changed. He had issued orders for the Emperor’s forces to hold their positions and continue to contain Ghazghkull’s army so that he could devote his full attention to the upcoming Ravenwing mission.
Now and then he delivered a short series of orders into the comm-piece hung on the collar of his armour: directing squads to areas that were weak, or replacing fatigued troops with fresher forces. He did this without effort or reference to the digimap, his conscious thoughts contemplating the situation at the East Barrens plant.
Validus’s voice cut through the others from the main speaker.
‘Five kilometres from target.’
‘Filter all other transmissions,’ said Belial as he sat down in the command throne.
He shared a glance with Charon and Uriel. All three turned their attention to the holo-display. A flickering rune denoting the land speeder squadron moved across the representation of Kadillus east of Koth Ridge.
‘Activating long-range augur. Ravenwing-Two, increase separation to one hundred metres. Sequenced upload of scan data commencing.’
The hololith strobed for a few seconds, the rendered topography of Kadillus warping as the stream of data was integrated into the display. When the image had settled Belial could see several clusters of fresh runes dotting the hillside ahead of the land speeder squadron.
Timing was the key. The Ravenwing squadron had three tasks to complete: locate the enemy forces around the landing site, provide on-ground targeting links for the Thunderhawk attack, and engage the air-defence weapons that had shot down the company’s other gunship.
‘Belial to Hephaestus. Launch gunship and begin atmospheric descent.’
‘Confirm, brother-captain,’ replied the Techmarine. ‘Launching in five seconds. Attack route established. Weapons armed.’
‘Scanner returns increasing in density.’ Belial could sense the tension in Validus’s voice. ‘Identification problematic. Whatever the orks have done to the power station, it is causing havoc with the augur. Ork vehicles present, category unknown. Visual confirmation required.’
‘Gunship launched, brother-captain,’ said Hephaestus. ‘Decreasing orbital velocity to six kilometres per second. Gravitic grip deployed. Atmospheric breach in three minutes. Time at target will be eighteen minutes.’
Two metres above the digital surface of Piscina, a small icon representing Hephaestus’s Thunderhawk appeared. It hovered in the air, far too distant for its speed to be scaled down to the display. Belial touched the comm activation rune on the panel set into the tablet in front of him.
‘This is Belial to Validus. Gunship is on its way. Update on scanner and comms interference from the ork modifications. Do not engage enemy.’
The commander tapped a finger on the display slate while he waited for his message to relay down to the surface and the Ravenwing sergeant’s reply to return to the battle-barge.
‘Was it wise to launch the gunship before target confirmation, brother?’ said Uriel. ‘There will be little opportunity to abort the mission if there are no–’
Validus’s voice cut through before the Chaplain could finish. Belial held up his hand, silencing Uriel.
‘Interference is resonating from volcanic deposits,’ said Validus. ‘We will have a clearer signal once we clear the ridge. Orders, brother-captain?’
Belial checked the chronometer.
‘We have fifteen minutes until last-chance abort of mission, brother. Enemy must not be alerted to your presence. Cross the ridge in six minutes and provide report. Engage enemy defences in thirteen minutes. Confirm.’ The company commander looked through the translucent hololith at Uriel. ‘If we wait for confirmation, the delay from launch to attack is too long and would allow the orks to respond to the presence of the Ravenwing. Pre-arranged, absolute abort signal is “Angel’s fall” and every member of the squadron is authorised to issue it. Hephaestus will re-direct to Northport the moment that code is issued, without compromise.’
Excitement was growing inside Belial. Though he was not directly involved, he could feel the familiar rush of battle building up. Calling on decades of training and experience, he kept himself calm and held back the urge for action. It was Belial’s patience that had first made him suitable for command, and he needed every ounce of that same patience during this critical mission.
He barely heard Validus’s confirmation message as he considered the possible outcomes and options that would unfold over the next fifteen minutes. Like an actor rehearsing his lines, Belial ran through different scenarios and his responses: what he would do if the ork numbers proved too few to be worthy of attack; his orders to Hephaestus if contact with the Ravenwing was lost; targeting priorities if there was sufficient enemy presence to warrant the completion of the mission; the threat threshold of enemy defences he considered too much of a risk to the Thunderhawk if Validus deferred the abort option to his commander.
All of this and much more Belial considered and analysed and streamlined so that he would be ready whatever happened. Detached from the action, the stimulants coursing through the captain’s system bombarded the neurons firing in his brain rather than flooding his limbs with physical power. Each and every consideration was crisp and precise, analysed in detail and memorised for future recall. Every thought opened up a sequence of possible consequences, which brought on further thoughts. A cascade of decisions, probable outcomes and subsequent decisions filled Belial’s mind.
