Dawn Of War II

by Chris Roberson

  'It's about the disposition of the tactical squads,' Aramus said, as Tarkus came to stand beside him, looking out at the forward viewports.

  Tarkus nodded, his expression all but unreadable.

  Perhaps due to the fact that Third Squad saw little enemy action on Calderis, tasked with scouring Argus Township for candidates, they had sustained virtually no injuries, and had not lost a single battle-brother. Their numbers already depleted by the undertaking on Zalamis, however, there were still only seven Space Marines in the squad. The other tactical squad, alternatively, First Squad, had suffered only light casualties on Zalamis, but had lost three of their number - including their squad leader Sergeant Merrik - in the undertaking on Calderis, and now were operating almost at half-strength, only six Blood Ravens in all.

  'I'm transferring you to First Squad,' Aramus continued, 'effective immediately, and naming you squad leader.'

  Tarkus blinked, his unflappable expression breaking for the briefest moment. 'Sir?'

  'You're the most likely candidate, sergeant. And it's no secret that it's high time you had a command of your own.'

  After a brief pause, Tarkus replied. 'Chapter protocols are quite explicit in this matter, Sergeant Aramus. In the event that a squad leader falls in combat, command of the squad should either devolve to the squad second in command, or else the next available junior squad leader should be promoted to take his place. By all rights you should take First Squad - assuming Brother Nord isn't capable of doing so - and I should take temporary command of Third.'

  Aramus shook his head. 'With the loss not only of their leader, but also of his second, Brother Xiao, First Squad is in desperate need of restructuring. I'll have enough to occupy my attention ramping up to the responsibilities of Commander at Sail, and while Battle-Brother Nord did a commendable job as acting squad leader after Merrik's loss, I don't think he's yet ready for a command of his own.'

  Tarkus narrowed his eyes. 'Very well,' he finally replied. 'Until we return to Scientia Est Potentia and a more permanent placement can be assigned, I will take command of First Squad. But I'd like it noted that I made reference to Chapter protocols, and advised against this move.'

  'So noted,' Aramus answered with a smile. 'Now, Sergeant Tarkus, one squad leader to another, I would very much like your input on the plans for our coming actions.'

  LIBRARIAN SEJS NIVEN sat in his darkened quarters, meditating.

  Having finally convinced Apothecary Gordian that he was, despite all evidence to the contrary, fully restored from his period of prolonged suspended animation, on their return to the Armageddon Niven had sought solitude, and a quiet space in which to gather his thoughts. He had performed the cleansing rituals, strengthening himself against the warping influence of the Ruinous Powers, and now reflected on the events of the preceding months. In a short while, he would need to respond to the new Commander at Sail's summons to the command deck, but in the meantime, he worked to get his thoughts in order.

  Since he had been an initiate of the Blood Ravens, more than a century before, and had been selected for induction into the Blood Ravens Librarium, Niven had worked tirelessly to develop the strength of will required by any psykers who sought to serve as Space Marine Librarians. Perhaps more than in any other Chapter, the Librarians of the Blood Ravens were ceaselessly called upon to combat the tainting effects of the warp, or the beguiling allure of the xenos. In his long lifetime of service, Niven had never shrunk from his duties, and never once failed to meet the challenge. And each time he had been examined by his superiors - whether by Codicers and Epistolaries as a junior servant of the Librarium, or by the Chief Librarian himself once he had ascended in the ranks - he had been found completely free from taint himself, and perfectly able to serve.

  And yet, ever since sustaining critical injuries in the undertaking on Kronus, Niven had felt somewhat troubled, ill at ease. And from the moment he set foot upon the desert world of Calderis, in fact since the moment that he and Captain Thule's company first emerged from the empyrean into the normal space of the Aurelia sub-sector, Niven had felt his thoughts shadowed by some unknown malevolence that he could not identify. The unease, and the sense of some power lurking just beyond the edge of his psyker's perception, only redoubled once he was revived from his extended state of suspended animation.

  Now, with the discovery that a tyranid warrior had been loose in Argus Township, Niven wondered whether that was all that he had been sensing, or whether there was more. Had a single offspring of the Great Devourer been enough to raise his mental alarms? Or had perhaps the fact that the warrior had been dispatched so quickly - though at the cost of the captain's severe injuries - only belied the fact that there was some other presence that yet stalked the corridors of Niven's mind?

  The Librarian's meditations were interrupted by the arrival of Lexicanium Konan, the ship's astropath. The young servant of the Librarium was dressed in simple robes, hands tucked into the sleeves, his eyes downcast while approaching his superior.

  'Master?' Konan said, inching his way into the Librarian's quarters. 'Have you a moment?'

  It was a mark of the strength of the Blood Ravens Librarium, and of the prowess of the Librarians it produced, that a mere Lexicanium could serve on a Space Marine strike cruiser as her astropath. In other Chapters, Niven knew, only Librarians who had advanced to the rank of Epistolary were able to master the ability to project their minds across warp space itself, a feat that no normal psyker could endure without first undergoing the tortuous ritual of Soul Binding. Niven often wondered if the Blood Ravens had such powerful Librarians because they recruited such naturally gifted psykers, or if they recruited such gifted psykers because they had powerful Librarians. Or, in fact, if it even mattered at all.

  'Yes, Konan,' Niven answered the Lexicanium. 'What troubles your thoughts?'

  'I have been attempting to make contact with the astropaths of the Blood Ravens fleet, Master, both those onboard the Scientia Est Potentia and those on other ships, and so far have experienced difficulty. It is as if…'

  Konan paused, searching for words.

  'Yes, Lexicanium? It is as if…?'

  'It is as if there is some interference, something that occludes my ability to peer across the vast distances of the empyrean.'

  Niven narrowed his eyes, studying Konan's features. 'Tell me, Lexicanium. What do your senses tell you about this… interference? And please, spare no details…'

  ARAMUS STOOD FACING the gathered squad leaders - Sergeants Tarkus, Thaddeus, Avitus, and Cyrus - Librarian Niven, and Chaplain Palmarius. And despite some grumbles and sidelong glances, Aramus had also invited Admiral Laren Forbes to join their debriefing. Standing ramrod straight in her navy uniform, the auburn hair falling carelessly to her collar the only exception to her otherwise flawless military precision, the admiral had arrived onboard from her flagship the Sword of Hadrian shortly before the appointed hour for the gathering, and Aramus had deemed it the most efficient use of time to include her in their discussions. Tarkus and Avitus raised the objection that any discussions of Blood Ravens leadership matters, and in particular the state of health of their company captain, were not fit for disclosure to outside parties; but Thaddeus appeared to agree with Aramus that time was of the essence, and that if Forbes could get the input that she needed for her after-action report right away, allowing the Armageddon to be more quickly on its way, so much the better. Cyrus, for his part, did not seem to have an opinion on the matter one way or the other. Not that it would have mattered, in the final analysis, if he did, no more than the objections of Tarkus and Avitus mattered in the long run. Sergeant Aramus was the Commander at Sail, and onboard the Armageddon his word was law.

  'And so,' Aramus was concluding, 'taking into consideration Apothecary Gordian's need for a pure sample of tyranid biotoxin, I have requested that the Lord Principal prepare to depart for Typhon Primaris at the first available opportunity.'

  Aramus had outlined to the others the state of C
aptain Thule's health, having already recounted the details of their encounter with the tyranid warrior in the Argus Township warehouse, and the evidence that suggested that the tyranid had been brought in larval form from the neighbouring system of Typhon Primaris.

  'I have requested that Lexicanium Konan send word to the Scientia Est Potentia of our plans,' Aramus said, 'along with the details of our undertaking on Calderis and the disposition of Captain Thule's recruitment efforts.'

  'However,' Librarian Niven said, raising a hand, 'the Lexicanium has reported to me' - he paused meaningfully, emphasizing the fact that while Lexicanium Konan acted as astropath for the Armageddon, and was therefore beneath the Commander at Sail's chain of command, as a servant of the Blood Ravens' Librarium he was subject to Librarian Niven's personal authority -'that he has experienced some difficulty making astropathic contact out of the Aurelia sub-sector. It remains to be discovered whether the attempted communication will, or will not, reach the fortress-monastery as intended.'

  'If I may,' Admiral Forbes put forward, 'I can task the astropaths onboard the Sword of Hadrian to relay your message through Imperial Navy astropathic channels, as well. Perhaps they'll have better luck.'

  Librarian Niven regarded the admiral through narrowed eyes, as though turning his gaze upon a civilian was almost painful. 'I'm sure that won't be necessary.'

  'The offer is appreciated, admiral,' Aramus replied. 'I'll have Lexicanium Konan put the message through to your astropaths before we depart.'

  The Librarian turned his gaze upon Sergeant Aramus, his expression no less pained, but then inclined his head in an acknowledging nod. Like the others, he knew that no Blood Raven should ever question a command in front of someone from outside the Chapter.

  'Techmarine Martellus reports that the ship is ready to depart,' Aramus went on, 'so as soon as we have word from the Navis dome that they have our course through the immaterium plotted, we will be on our way. Now, any questions?'

  Thaddeus lifted a hand. 'We go to Typhon Primaris in search of tyranids. Are we expecting an isolated outbreak, as we found on Calderis, or a full-blown infestation?'

  'Sergeant,' Admiral Forbes broke in, 'if I may?' She addressed her answer to Thaddeus, but clearly was speaking to them all. 'It is our understanding from intelligence received from the office of Governor Vandis on Meridian that there have been unconfirmed reports of xenos activity on Calderis, but to my knowledge they have yet to be substantiated or investigated.'

  'So there's your answer, Thaddeus,' Aramus said. 'In short, we don't know.'

  'If it is a full-blown infestation,' Tarkus put in, 'it may well prove more than a handful of Blood Ravens and a single strike cruiser can handle.'

  'On that point,' Admiral Forbes piped up, her tone almost cheerful, 'might a Dauntless-class light cruiser might be of some assistance?'

  Aramus raised a brow. 'Admiral?'

  'The rest of Battlegroup Aurelia will transport the Calderis refugees to Meridian, as per the governor's orders, but I'm placing the Sword of Hadrian at your disposal as support for your operation.' She paused, and grinned ruefully, 'Gentlemen, I'm sure that noble Astartes have no need to concern themselves with such matters, but speaking as an officer in the Imperial Navy who has spent nearly two years seconded as adjutant to a sub-sector governor who has no more pressing business for three Dauntless-class light cruisers than to send us on trifling errands like ferrying his distant relatives and most generous donors out of harm's way, I am bored. And the thought of an action with the promise of actual action to it is an all but irresistible one.'

  Aramus allowed himself a grin, a rare display of emotion before a non-Astartes. 'Then your offer is accepted, Admiral Forbes.' He turned to regard the others. 'And if there are no further questions or concerns, you can consider yourselves dismissed.'

  CHAPTER NINE

  AFTER LITTLE MORE than a day of travelling through the immaterium, the Armageddon shuddered through the transition from warp to normal space, and the verdant globe of Typhon Primaris hung before them like an emerald against the black velvet of night. Shortly after the strike cruiser emerged into real space, they received confirmation that Admiral Forbes's flagship the Sword of Hadrian had followed, and together the two craft crawled at sublight speeds towards their destination.

  As the green globe grew steadily larger in the forward viewports, the Chapter serfs and servitors controlling all aspects of the strike cruiser's final approach, Sergeant Aramus conferred on the command dais with Sergeants Tarkus and Thaddeus.

  'When last I was here,' Tarkus said, tapping one of the three half-century service studs affixed to his forehead, 'I had yet to earn this third stud.'

  'A recruiting mission?' Aramus asked. 'Or some other undertaking?'

  Tarkus quirked a fractional smile at the Commander at Sail. 'If an Astartes ever came to Typhon Primaris for any reason other than the search for aspirants, I'll eat my power armour.'

  'I may have to contact the Librarium Sanatorium and see what secrets about this world their records hold,' Thaddeus grinned, referring to the unparalleled archives kept secure on board the First Company's battle-barge, the Omnis Arcanum. 'I should very much like to see you eat your way through your ceramite, Tarkus.'

  Aramus ignored the jibe, and replied, 'I understand that once he had completed the Blood Trials on Calderis, his next port of call was to be Typhon Primaris, where he would search for still more recruits.'

  It was true that Typhon Primaris was rarely visited. In fact, Aramus would not have been surprised to discover that the majority of ships that had appeared in the skies above the jungle world in past centuries had been those of the Blood Ravens, who visited it as a recruiting world, just as they did the other Aurelian worlds, Calderis and Meridian. But like Calderis, there was no outpost-monastery on Typhon Primaris; unlike Meridian's, where Aramus and Thaddeus had been brought after their Blood Trials two decades before. There wasn't a sufficiently large population on Typhon to justify a permanent presence for the Chapter, and so instead periodic visits, once a generation or so, were deemed more than sufficient for the Blood Ravens' purposes.

  'What is the terrain?' Aramus asked Tarkus, turning his attentions to their impending planetfall. 'What conditions may we expect to find on the surface?'

  'Jungles,' Tarkus replied simply. 'Lowland swamps, creeping vines, high humidity and soaring temperatures. All of the insects and animals are poisonous, to one degree or another, and even the plants bite.'

  'Charming,' Thaddeus said, glancing ruefully at the forward viewport.

  'And if there are tyranids abroad?' Aramus added.

  Tarkus narrowed his gaze. 'Then I expect matters will become even more charming - he glanced pointedly at Thaddeus - 'if by ''charming'' you mean dangerous, deadly, and dark.'

  'THUNDERHAWKS,' CRACKLED THE voice of Techmarine Martellus over the gunship's vox-channel. 'You are cleared for departure.'

  Once again, as in the skies above Calderis, Techmarine Martellus had been left in command of the Armageddon. And once again, Martellus had merely expressed annoyance at being pulled away from his consuming passion, the careful maintenance and constant cleaning of the Dreadnought assembly stored below decks. Until it was animated by the introduction of a Blood Raven trapped at the point between life and death, the assembly was merely a lifeless shell, but nevertheless it represented to a servant of the Adeptus Mechanicus like Martellus the apotheosis of the union between man and machine, a liturgy of praise to the Omnissiah in riveted adamantium.

  Apothecary Gordian, too, had opted to remain on board, in order that he might better be able to monitor the condition of Captain Thule. Chaplain Palmarius had suggested that he stay on board to continue the examination of the aspirants from Calderis, but Sergeant Aramus had pointed out that the low numbers of candidates culled from the desert world might be offset if they were to return from Typhon Primaris with additional aspirants. So Palmarius joined Librarian Niven, and together they would examine and evaluate t
he young men of the jungles just as they previously had those of the deserts. The principal objective of the operation, as Sergeant Aramus had outlined the mission, was to locate a tyranid life form and retrieve a sample of pure biotoxin, but a secondary objective was the recruitment of as many potential candidates as could be found.

  Chapter protocols called for Blood Trials, of course, but it was unlikely that time would permit a full search for candidates and a properly conducted series of Trials, and so it was decided that perhaps, in this rare instance, protocols might be temporarily set aside. Chaplain Palmarius had already begun drafting plans to hold ad hoc Blood Trials in the sparring hall of the Armageddon, pitting the aspirants against one another on the sparring floor, and then allowing only the winners to progress as initiates. There were those who questioned whether it was appropriate that aspirants should fight, bleed, and possibly even die in the same space in which the Blood Ravens honed their skills and strengthened their arms, but the Chaplain was the authority in these matters, and Sergeant Aramus was willing to defer to Palmarius's judgement.

  'Ready for lift-off, sir,' called Scout Jutan from the pilot's controls. Sergeant Cyrus had trained all of his Scout squad in the operation of Thunderhawks, and in order to free as many of the full battle-brothers as possible for the impending search through the jungles, Sergeant Aramus had tapped the Scouts to act as the flight crews for the trio of Thunderhawks in this impromptu undertaking. Jutan and Muren acted as pilot and co-pilot for Thunderhawk One, Scouts Xenakis and Tubach were the flight crew for Thunderhawk Two, and Scout Watral was pilot for Thunderhawk Three, with Sergeant Cyrus himself acting as co-pilot.

  Aramus realized that the Scout was waiting for some response.

  'Acknowledged,' he said, with a wave of his hand. 'Launch away.'

  Manoeuvring only using the retro exhaust nozzles, Jutan eased the gunship through the launch bay doors. Once they were in open vacuum he toggled the rocket boosters for full burn, angling for insertion.