1_For_The_Emperor

by Sandy Mitchel

  'Kelp, Velade/ I ordered. 'Watch the cross corridors. They're trying to flank us!' Both troopers waved an acknowledgement, and began scanning the dark openings around us. I was suddenly uncomfortably aware of just how many there were to keep track of. Trebek and Holenbi kept their hellguns aimed at the entrance the enemy were firing from, sending an occasional las-bolt back in the vague hope of keeping their heads down.

  'I have a shot,' Sorel said, his voice as emotionless as ever, and pulled the trigger. This one was undoubtedly effective, resulting in a screech of pain from deep in the tunnels that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

  'What the hell was that?' Velade asked, her face ashen. I was equally shocked, I have to admit, but for a very different reason; even despite the echoes and the gunfire, I'd recognised it.

  That was a kroot!' I said, in stunned amazement. Now it was Amberley's turn to look taken aback.

  'Are you sure?' she asked. I nodded.

  'I've spoken to one.' I expected her to query it, but instead she stood.

  'Cease fire!' she yelled, with more volume than I would have thought her capable of. Although, come to think of it, her voice wasn't as loud as all that. It

  was the authority behind it which made it cut through the noise, and the troopers responded at once, even though every instinct they possessed probably told them to keep fighting. Of course, our assailants were under no such inhibition, and the volume of fire continued to pour into our makeshift barricades with undiminished vigour. Despite having made herself the most obvious target in the vicinity, however, Amberley seemed quite unperturbed. (At the time, I wasn't sure whether I was more impressed with her coolness or amazed at her recklessness, although, as I was to find out later, she had less reason to fear the plasma bolts than the rest of us. She could still have been hurt or killed, though, don't get me wrong - they're a tough-minded breed, inquisitors, make no mistake.)

  She shouted again, her voice magnified by some amplivox device she produced from inside the robe, but this time, to my amazement, it was the hissing speech of the tau that came from her lips. l

  I clearly wasn't the only one to be astonished by this, as the incoming fire ceased immediately. After a

  1 To understand an enemy, you have to understand how they think; and language, according to the magos of the Ordo Diologus, shapes perception. Accordingly, many inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos take the time to learn the languages of the species they expect to encounter in the course of their duties. Without wishing to appear immodest, I can claim reasonable fluency in the most common forms of the tau and eldar tongues, and communicate quite effectively in orkish (which is not that impressive an accomplishment, to be honest, as this particular 'language' consists largely of gestures and blows to the head.)

  tense pause, she was answered in the same tongue, and gestured to me.

  'Stand down and show yourselves/ she said. 'They want to talk.'

  'Or shoot us more easily/ Kelp said, keeping his hellgun aimed.

  They can do that anyway/ I said. I gestured to the corpses surrounding us as I stood, flinching involuntarily from the anticipation of a plasma round impacting on my chest. Nothing happened, of course, and if I'd seriously expected it to I would have stayed huddled behind my nice, cosy pipes, and to the warp with the Inquisition. 'These heretics were pinned down in exactly the same position as us, and they tried to make a fight of it/

  'Can't argue with that/ Sorel stood, holding his sniper rifle by the barrel, arm outstretched from his body, making it obvious that he wasn't going to use it. One by one, the others revealed themselves, stepping out from behind whatever concealment they'd been able to find. Kelp was the last to move, complying at last with ill grace.

  'Stay where you are/ Amberley moved forward, taking up a station in the middle of the largest open space she could find, and reactivated her luminator. She'd been visible before, of course, silhouetted in the flickering firelight, but now, if the xenos intended treachery, she might just as well be holding up a sign saying, 'Shoot me, I'm here!' Once again, I found myself marvelling at her courage, and having to remind myself that this attractive young woman was

  actually an inquisitor with far more resources at her command than I could begin to imagine.

  'Something's moving,' Sorel said. Thanks to his sharpshooter training, he'd kept his eye on the tau position ever since he'd first spotted them, even despite the order to disengage. As I strained my eyes through the murk, and the drifting smoke which was beginning to make them itch and to catch at my chest, I could see vaguely humanoid figures begin to take form.

  At first, there were only the tau, their distinctive fatigues and hardshell body armour dulled with black and grey camouflage patterns ideally suited to blending into the shadows of this dusty labyrinth. Their faces were obscured by visored helmets - ocular lenses where the features should have been -which gave them a blank, robotic look. That brought back uncomfortable memories,1 and I shuddered involuntarily. Usually, even xenos have expressions you can read, but those impassive visages gave nothing away about either their mood or their intentions.

  Behind them padded a trio of kroot, three faces I would have been quite happy to have had obscured. As they entered the cavern, one of them sniffed the air, its head turning in my direction, then to my distinct unease, walked directly towards me.

  Amberley continued to hiss and aspirate at the tau, one of whom had stepped out at the head of the half-dozen troopers. I conjectured, rightly, as it later turned out, that this was the leader of the group. I

  1 Presumably of his past encounters with the necrons.

  knew nothing of the language, of course, but I'd heard enough of it spoken to realise that things weren't going well.

  'Inquisitor?' I asked, raising my voice slightly and trying to sound calm as the kroot padded closer, 'is there a problem?'

  They seem reluctant to trust us/ Amberley said shortly, and returned to the negotiations.

  'Anything I can do to help?' I persisted. The kroot was almost on top of me now, and I couldn't help noticing the combat blades attached to its peculiar long-barrelled weapon were stained with blood. A vivid mental picture of the eviscerated woman we'd discovered, and how those wounds had been caused, rose up in my mind.

  'None of them speak Gothic/ Amberley snapped, not needing to add, 'so shut up and let me get on with it/ because her tone did it for her.

  'Then how were they expecting to interrogate any prisoners?' Velade asked, before reaching the obvious conclusion, and trailing off with a sudden 'Oh!' of realisation.

  That would be my function, should the situation require it/ the kroot said, in the familiar combination of clicks and whistles I'd heard before. 'I'm pleased to find you in good health, Commissar Cain.'

  Well, you're probably thinking I'm pretty dense not to have recognised Gorok straight away, but you should bear all the circumstances in mind. It was dark, we'd just been in the middle of a firefight, and why in the galaxy should I have expected him to be

  there in the first place? Besides, unless you're very close to them, kroot look remarkably alike. At least with orks you've got the scars to help tell them apart, in the unlikely event that you'd ever have to.

  His use of my name had an immediate, and somewhat gratifying, effect on the tau, whose heads snapped round to stare at me. Then the leader turned back to Amberley, and asked something. Gorok made the peculiar clicking laughter-equivalent I'd heard before.

  The shas'ui is asking if it is really you/ he translated with evident amusement. I gathered that 'shas'ui' was some sort of rank, roughly equivalent to a sergeant or officer, and he meant the tau in charge.

  'I was the last time I looked/ I said. Gorok clicked again, and translated the remark into tau, which he seemed to have mastered as thoroughly as Gothic. (I found it curious that so feral a creature should appear to be so educated, and questioned him about it later. He claimed to have learned both during his career as a mercenary in order to facilitate negotiations with hi
s employers. Needless to say, I found the notion that he'd served alongside imperial troops somewhat hard to believe.1)

  1 Difficult, but not impossible. Although kroot mercenaries are generally associated with the tau, and their homeworld appears to be a tau fiefdom, there have been sufficient reports of kroot fighting alongside other races to raise the possibility that they may not be quite so faithful servants as their patrons appear to believe. It's not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility that this particular one found employment on a backwater human world somewhere, or, more likely, had been part of a temporary alliance with Imperial forces against a mutual foe.

  Amberley said something, apparently confirming my identity, and the shas'ui looked in our direction. His next words were clearly addressed to me. I bowed formally to him.

  'At your service/ I said.

  'He states that your service to the greater good is remembered with gratitude/ Gorok translated helpfully 'El'sorath remains in good health/

  'Pleased to hear it/ I said, tactfully refraining from hoping out loud that El'hassai wasn't. Amberley seized on the opening, and began speaking rapidly again. After a few more exchanges, the tau fire-team, or 'shas'la'1 as they called themselves, withdrew to confer together in muttered undertones. Quite pointless really, as only Amberley had a clue what they were saying and she'd already heard it, but it was an oddly human gesture which I found vaguely reassuring.

  That was a lucky break/ she said. They weren't inclined to believe me at first. But apparently they think they can trust you/

  Well, more fool them, I thought, but of course I had more sense than to say it out loud. I just nodded judiciously.

  That's all well and good/ I said. 'But can we trust them?' Amberley nodded slowly.

  1 Generally rendered into Gothic as 'pathfinders,' these are reconnaissance specialists roughly equivalent to Imperial Guard storm-troopers or the forward observers normally attached to an artillery battery. Cain would no doubt have had some pertinent observations on the topic had he been able to speak to them.

  That's a good question/ she said. 'But right now I don't think we've got the option.'

  'Begging your pardon, miss/ Jurgen coughed deferentially to attract her attention. 'But did they happen to mention what they're doing down here?'

  'The same as us/ Amberley said. 'Following a lead/ My paranoia started twitching at that one, you can be sure.

  'What kind of a lead?' I asked. But it was Gorok who answered.

  The intelligence reports provided by Governor Grice, as he agreed after the assassination of Ambassador Shui'sassai, made mention of a violent pro-Imperial group meeting in these tunnels. It was felt that further investigation was merited/

  'Did they indeed?' Amberley looked thoughtful, and in a way which boded ill for the governor.

  'I take it that this is the first you've heard of it/ I said. She nodded.

  'You take it correctly. But it's not entirely out of the question that such a group exists/ Her eyes went back to the dead woman with the xenoist braid, and clouded thoughtfully.

  'I don't understand/ Jurgen said, frowning with the effort of concentration. 'If the governor knew about something like that, why tell the tau and not the Inquisition?'

  'Because the tau could eliminate them for him without having to admit to his own weakness in allowing such a group to get established/1 suggested. Amberley nodded.

  'Or to consolidate his position with the xenos if he really was planning to hand the planet over to them/ She shrugged. 'Doesn't really matter. Incompetence or treachery, he's dead meat now whatever his motives/ The casual way she said it dripped ice water down my spine.

  While we were talking, the tau had concluded their own deliberations, and came over to join us, the other two kroot in tow. The shas'ui said something, and Gorok translated it.

  'Your proposal is acceptable/ he said. 'It would appear to serve the greater good/

  What proposal?' Kelp asked, an edge in his voice. Amberley stared at him for a moment until he subsided.

  'It appears our objectives are the same/ she said. 'So we're joining forces. At least until we know what we're up against down here/

  'Makes sense/ I agreed. 'I'd rather have those plasma guns on our side than shooting at us/ Now I came to look at one close up they were surprisingly compact, no larger than a lasgun, but the amount of firepower they could put out wasn't to be sniffed at.

  Team up with the bluies?' Kelp was outraged. You can't be serious! That's… That's blasphemy!'

  That's what the inquisitor wants. Live with it/ Tre-bek exchanged glares with him for a moment, until Amberley intervened.

  Thank you, Bella. As you so helpfully point out, my decisions are not requests/ She raised her voice a little, so all the troopers could hear. 'We're moving

  out. Anyone who objects is welcome to stay behind. Of course, the commissar will have to execute them before we leave to maintain operational security/ She smiled at me. 'I think it's very motivating for people to feel they have a choice, don't you?'

  'Absolutely/1 said, wondering just how many more ways she'd find to surprise me before the day was over.

  So we formed up, the tau leading, which was fine by me - let them soak up any fire from the ambushers I was sure would be lurking in the dark ahead of us - then our motley group of troopers. Jurgen took the whole business as phlegmatically as he did everything else, but I could see Kelp wasn't the only one with reservations about our new alliance. Warp only knows, I had my share too, but then I'm paranoid about everything (which in my job is the only prudent state of mind.) Velade and Holenbi kept a wary eye on the xenos, particularly the kroot, which really spooked them. Hidden under their armour, and their faces concealed by helmets, the tau might almost have passed for human if it hadn't been for the finger missing from each hand, but the kroot just looked like bad luck waiting for someone to happen to. Trebek professed to be entirely comfortable with the inquisitor's decision, but I suspected that was more to bait Kelp than from any sense of conviction. Only Sorel seemed completely at ease.

  1 turned to Kelp as we began to file out of the chamber.

  'Coming?' I asked, my hand resting lightly on the butt of my laspistol. After a moment he fell in with the others, his eyes burning, but I've been glared at by experts, so I just returned the favour and waited for him to blink.

  To my surprise, Gorok joined me at the rear of the column, but then I don't suppose there would have been much point in the interpreter being out of earshot of the monoglots. His companions were at the front, loping along next to the shas'ui, and as I watched their easy gait something struck me.

  'I can't see a wound/ I said. 'Which kroot did Sorel shoot?'

  'Kakkut/ he said, 'of the Dorapt clan. A fine tracker. Died quickly/ He seemed remarkably matter-of-fact about it. 'Your marksman is commendably skilled/

  Sorel, overhearing, looked quietly pleased at the compliment.

  We proceeded onwards and downwards in an uneasy silence, weapons at the ready, although truth to tell, I suspect both parties would have been just as happy to use them on each other than on the mysterious enemy we still seemed no closer to identifying. We were making better time now, though, the tau appearing to have some way of seeing in the dark. They certainly had no visible luminators, so I assumed the lenses on the front of their helmets enabled them to see in some way I couldn't quite comprehend. The kroot had no need of visual aids of any kind, slinking through the dark

  as though they were born to it. Maybe they were, who knows.

  A muffled whisper from the lead tau brought everyone else to a halt - or to be more accurate, the tau stopped, and the rest of us ran into the back of them.

  'What is it?' I asked. Amberley listened for a moment.

  'Turn off your luminators/ she ordered. I complied, but not without some misgivings. I didn't trust our own troopers where I could see them, let alone in the dark, and as for the xenos… But she was an inquisitor after all, and I assumed she knew what she was doing
.

  I'd closed my eyes before dousing the light, so I knew they'd adjust quickly when I opened them again, but even so, the few moments it took were unnerving. I waited in the shrouding darkness, listening to the rapid beat of my heart, and tried to distinguish the other sounds around me: the scrape of boot soles against the floor, the muffled clinking of weapons and equipment, and the susurrus of a dozen pairs of lungs. The air felt warm and thick against my face, and I remember being obscurely grateful for Jurgen's distinctive odour, which was no more pleasant than usual but at least felt reassuringly familiar.

  Gradually, I began to distinguish shapes in the gloom around me, and became aware of a faint background glow in the distance ahead of us.

  'Lights,' Jurgen whispered. 'Someone's down here.' One of the tau said something in an urgent undertone.

  There are sentries,' Amberley translated quietly. The kroot will deal with them.'

  'But how can they see?' Velade asked, confusion obvious even in the undertone.

  'We don't have to/ Gorok assured her, and a swirl of displaced air at my elbow told me he was gone. With my eyes now adjusted to the darkness, I could see three faint shadows against the faint light in the distance, and abruptly, they vanished.

  A moment later there were a few muffled cries abruptly cut off, the sounds of a scuffle, and the unmistakable crack of snapping bone. Then the silence descended again, to be broken by a muffled whisper from the tau sergeant.

  All clear/ Amberley assured us, and we scurried forward towards the light, which now seemed cosy and welcoming despite the potential threat it represented. It wasn't all that bright really, just the first in a chain of low-powered glowglobes embedded in the ceiling with long stretches of shadow between them, but after the darkness it seemed positively effulgent.