《Kryp》Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

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Piranha thought Aurelius. A bloody Cappadorean piranha, that's what he reminds me of. Only the coloring is different.

The Martian ship hovered in a stationary orbit one hundred and ten kilometers above the surface of Deimos. The craft seemed to be tied by an invisible thread to an ordinary, unremarkable rock that concealed many meters of docking mechanism flaps. The ship seemed almost invisible in the inky sky, the presence of the spacecraft given away only by the flicker of clearance lights on the many-meter-long stingers of the outpost antennas, and the occasional plasma emissions from the correction engines.

Perhaps the star wanderer did resemble Brother Aurelius' disgusting predatory fish, who knows? A qualified judgment required a visit to the colony at the very edge of the Solar segment. But the propulsion marching block aft could, with some convention, be considered a tail; the technical deck below the bridge would pass for a lower jaw. The cargo and living quarters would then be the upper jaw, and the throat would be the command post, hidden behind a several-meter-thick plasteel glass. The triple heat radiators, beveled back against the bow of the ship, with a little imagination would pass for shaped gills. The upper and lower fins were considered protruding guns.

A predatory creature whose hunger is unquenchable, attacking everything that moves. Though, of course, it was a play on the imagination. From Adeptus Mechanicum's point of view, the useless, atavistic parasite that evolution had 'rewarded' the pure mind with. Above the satellite hovered a Justificator-class ship, type 'K2', of Martian build. Two hundred and seventy meters long, one thousand six hundred tons at rest. The likes of this ship are used in the cover fleets of Astra's Basilicon squadrons. Also in demand among Adeptus Arbitres units in asteroid colonies or autonomous settlements on non-atmospheric worlds.

Memory, long ago enhanced both in the Sanctum Sanctorum chambers and by the Adeptus Mechanicus implants, reminded Brother Aurelius in detail, exhaustively, of the typical armament of the ship. Gun decks along the upper and lower ribs of the main hull. Eight thirty-centimeter electromagnetic cannons (the list of standard ammunition includes low-yield nuclear shells) with a launching speed of thirty-two kilometers per second. There are two suppressor field emitters and four units of twelve-centimeter dual-fire autocannon to counter enemy landing craft and anti-missile defenses.

An ordinary ship, one of those that bind together the giant body of the Empire, stitching together the glittering pearls of settlements scattered across the vast expanse of the galaxy. But Aurelius did not like 'Justificators'; the sight of them invariably evoked memories. Unpleasant, painful, even after a century and a half.

Yes, a hundred and forty-three years ago, Aurelius saw exactly the same ship. Only that one had been hijacked by demon-worshipping techno-heretics who had set out to sacrilegiously lay their hands on Imperial property and destroy the inhabited station. Only a few were able to come to the rescue, including the newly founded order of spacemarines, whose warriors were skilled in many things but untrained in space combat. But the Emperor's chosen children did not hesitate. Nor did they wait for the Grey Knights' strike cruiser Ordo Malleus to respond to the call.

Destroying the Justificator in combat with the available forces was impossible, the only option left was boarding. The Order's Thunderhawks and the requisitioned Starhawk assigned to the PDF, were forty kilometers away from the enemy ship when the possessed heretic servitors fired. Every four seconds a pair of cannons ejected two nuclear charges. Every four seconds a twin nuclear burst meant the destruction of another ship of His faithful servants, but none retreated. The Heretics had to fire sixty salvos, expending precious projectiles, skillfully maneuvering under the control of a mind that was neither human nor machine-made.

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The last seven Starhawks had been shot by autocannons at practically point-blank range, six to nine kilometers. Not one made it to boarding. Some of the attackers escaped in lifeboats, intact bays, and suits, but very few.

From Navis Nobilite later came a report of the destruction of the rebel ship - from a safe distance, by the targeted fire of the 'Cobra'. It was especially noted that the rapid and clean elimination of the enemy was only possible because of the suicidal attack by the Space Marines.

'...Having taken the blow, your warriors left no weapon for the enemy to attack the station. Only through their sacrifice do three hundred thousand souls continue to serve the Golden Throne...'

After reading the message, looking into the face of the Grandmaster who had sent two-thirds of his men to their death, Aurelius was only by the grace of the Emperor to restrain himself from beheading him right on the bridge of the Grey Knights' strike cruiser. Even now the memory of that day disturbed his equilibrium, despite the clear awareness that his Captain Mentor had been quite right.

Aurelius sighed and turned his attention back to the screen. The annoying blue-yellow "Justificator" with marker PR-08E was holding steady over the formally non-existent docking points on Forge Deimos, not deviating from the perpendicular to the surface by more than half a meter. The same amazing precision with which one hundred and forty-three years ago...

With a familiar effort of will, the Grey Knight cast aside the sad memories of the painful past in the name of the cares of the future. The guest from Mars had arrived for a reason - his codes had been confirmed by the Inquisition, whose representatives were already waiting patiently on Titan. Three parties, three allies in the great service of Mankind, seldom gathered their representatives together. But now was precisely such a special occasion. A new, truly unique invention of the Mechanicus affected the interests of both the Inquisitors and the Order, capable of placing a new weapon in their hands to fight incalculable dangers. And therefore, according to the ancient treaty, it had to be approved by all three parties.

"Sidonius Gendarme, your authorization is confirmed, gate two. If active onboard weapons are detected below eighty kilometers, the ship will be destroyed without warning.

The sentinel auspex detected no nuclear munitions or typically depleted uranium rounds on board. And yet Aurelius' memory quietly but insistently kept whispering, "Type four munition. Titanium casing, crystalline stressed core of the 'built spiral' type. The projectile is characterized by an excellent penetration capability. After penetrating through the outer casing of the target, the core explodes, causing significant damage to weakly protected internal structures by flying projectiles..."

"Roger that," a voice devoid of even a hint of emotion answered. "Additional information. The onboard weapons are physically de-energized and no ammunition is on board. Beginning descent. Relative vertical speed to the 10-kilometer mark - three hundred and forty meters per second."

The Martian ship was safely secured by the maintenance slipways. The Mechanicus representative waited nonchalantly in front of the monolithic slab of the transport tunnel gate while the two techno marines carefully studied the readings of the 'Justificator's onboard cogitators as well as their own auspex. The gate could withstand a megaton blast, and the holy symbols embedded in its structure by molecular assembly would prevent even a vanishingly small shadow of Warp sprouts from entering the Forge's sancta sanctorum.

The Martians' mechanical willingness to follow security protocols was commendable in itself, but it would make the welcoming Grey Knights captain feel a little better if that willingness stemmed from a sincere belief in the Emperor-God rather than a blind adoration of his strange hypostasis, called Omnissia.

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"Something troubling you, Cantor?" Aurelius' companion, an unremarkable-looking man dressed in a simple gray cloak, was lost in the background of the armored giant. Only the insignia of Lord Inquisitor Ordo Malleus, dangling from his belt, indicated his status.

"I don't trust them," the captain said frankly and directly.

"You're biased."

"I believe that only those who believe in the Emperor with all their hearts are worthy of real trust. In the Emperor," the spacemarine repeated. "Not in his... dubious reflection."

"That's fair and reasonable," the inquisitor agreed, and he spoke quickly but clearly and so skillfully, without a hitch, as if he were reading from a sheet of scribbled text. "Though the followers of Mechanicus have been of great support to our cause, it would be folly to place our trust in those who have volunteered to limit the spread of His light upon their souls and worlds. But we must not forget the determination with which the children of God the Machine eradicate the slightest manifestation of the Ruinous Powers."

"And the outbreaks of techno-heresy do not diminish in number," the spacemarine mechanically ran his broad palm over the bald head with the protruding augmentation connectors. His fingers trembled for a moment, tracing a huge scar that stretched from the temple to the base of his skull like a flaming whip. "And these are just the one's rumors of which reach our ears..."

"As in the Ecclesiarchy," the inquisitor suddenly cut the captain short. "As among the orders of the Adeptus Astartes. As in the ranks of the Adeptus Astra Militarum. It is not for us to judge how effective the logis and mages are in shielding the Forges and the Knights' Worlds from the corrupting effects of the Warp. The Emperor's will was to rid the colonial empire of Mars of the oversight of the Inquisition!"

"I... I did not mean to question His will," Aurelius tried to express diplomatic modesty and already regretted that he had allowed himself inappropriate frankness."

"Of course. Hasty words are not heresy, but only a reminder of our imperfections. But spoken in the wrong place at the wrong time, they can plant the seed of heresy in unstable souls."

The Inquisitor's still smooth voice blossomed with a slight, barely perceptible note of warning.

"I will remember this truth and bring it to the brothers," the giant said quietly.

"Not the truth, just the maxima," the Lord Inquisitor's voice softened. - There is a spoken word..."

"And yet I don't fully understand what purpose He had in allowing such a... The existence of their strange faith."

"That's the right question."

The inquisitor was silent for a few minutes. The spacemarine waited patiently. Behind the gate continued the patient, unhurried examination, in fact, the strictest inspection of the ship and the Martian envoy.

"I wondered about it, too. For years, until I found an explanation that reconciled me with the fact under discussion. And understanding came to me in moments of reflection concerning the Age of Discord."

"Age of Discord," Aurelius asked a question in confusion.

"Yes. It was a difficult time when the Holy Synod was dissolved and the High Lords of Terra, shall we say, did not show unanimity in the face of the threat."

"A shadow of decay, a consequence of Heresy," the Knight cut off. "The wound the Archreaver inflicted on the Imperium was too deep."

"This is true. But Vandir's bloody reign was already the result of our mistakes."

"Didn't the Inquisition enthrone the insane Ecclesiarch? And what has Mars got to do with it?"

"Not directly erected, no. But after Drakan Vangorich killed all the High Lords of Terra, we shared the opinion that the power of the Church over the worlds of the Imperium is preferable to the clumsy bureaucracy of the Adminitum. Let decisions are made piously and immediately, as the moment and higher interests dictate, rather than drowning in mossy codes whose interpretation could take decades. Well, it is now clear that we were wrong. And our common mistake may well have ruined the Empire for good."

"Vandir was overthrown by the Sisters. Not Martians," the spacemarine stood his ground

"Yes, at that time Brides of the Emperor. But by whose instigation did they see the truth? Who led them to the very Throne to depose the usurper, tyrant, and madman?"

"Legio Custodes..." Aurelius frowned. "It's common knowledge."

"Captain General Custodes contacted the masters of the Orders and the Logis of Mars only after the skitarians and space marines had entered the Ecclesiarch's Palace," the inquisitor said.

"Through gaps breached by the orbital salvos of the Martian fleet. The fall of the Mad King was brought about by the combined power of Astartes and Mechanicus, uncontrolled by any other, and thus beyond the depths of the filth that plagued the Imperium. The filth of our own making, not of the Ruinous Powers!"

"I didn't know that," the Knight shook his head.

"The Emperor, in his infinite wisdom, likened Terra and Mars to a right hand and a left hand, equally ready to smite the enemies. An eye to the right and a left that is always watching. And if one eye go blind and one hand go dry, it will not destroy the body of the Empire, and the festering flesh will be excised."

The Lord Inquisitor sighed.

"Truly, His plan was wise in saving humanity from itself. And so we will carefully study the proposal of our guest, the gift of the God-Machine that he brought. Whether we reject it or accept it, who knows, but we will study it anyway."

Flashes of yellow lights announced that the guest had been judged safe enough to be allowed into the Inquisitor's part of Deimos.

"Some believe that the greatest secret of Adeptus Mechanicus is that they have long since lost sight of their own technology," the Inquisitor spoke thoughtfully. "That their Search for Knowledge is merely a collection of technical documents and schematics, while the essence and principles of machinery are brushed aside. That the management of machines, from the Divine Titans and master Forge cogitators to the hydraulic presses in the workshops of agro-worlds is merely an empty ritual, a hollowed-out sequence of actions..."

"And your opinion?" the captain inquired. More out of politeness.

"A way to move Deimos from Mars orbit to Titan was not known before Heresy, although developments were certainly underway. And while it seems logical to assume that this is only a legacy from the time of the Great Crusade..." The Inquisitor pondered for a moment, "I know for a fact that a way to move all of Mars beyond the solar system was proposed to Parliament millennia later."

"Moving... of Mars?"

The Inquisitor sighed.

"Mars keeps many secrets. And personally, it seems to me that the greatest of them is hidden in plain sight. That among the higher Magos there are enough of those who are not only brilliantly versed in ancient technology, but also capable of inventing new ones. That the reputation of conservatives, living only with proven recipes, is a mask, a camouflage for the world. And this begs another question - what are the Martians trying to hide behind a chorus of blindly repeating litanies of techno visionaries and a demonstrative search for techno heresy? This is what is truly intriguing."

The armored flaps parted, revealing a view of the demonstration area.

"And now we'll see how close I am to the truth... probably close."

The demonstration hall was an oval area a little over a hundred meters long, on one half of which three sealed sarcophagi were already in place. Not simple sarcophagi, very, very not so simple. The number of silver protective glyphs, holy seals, and scrolls of parchment that the skin of volunteer righteous men covered them would otherwise have suggested a den of true heretics. Under the high ceiling was a system of pipes, ready to flood the room with antiseptic, napalm, or acid at a moment's notice. Under the armored floor was a thermonuclear charge, as a last resort.

The audience, however, saw far more frightening things in this same hall than the three locked tombs. Now, through the reinforced (and, again, consecrated) portholes, the representatives of the Inquisition and the Knights were preparing to study the Martian proposal. Calmly, unhurriedly, without anger or prejudice.

The second half of the room was in charge of the Logis. Directed by his commands, the four-legged servitor was finishing arranging the heavy crates that contained the 'Geller drones,' as these devices were called according to the ship's manifest. At the very wall, behind Logis' back, five brothers, armed to the teeth, tested in the worst battles against the enemies of mankind, stood still in niches covered by individual Geller generators. Again, just in case something went wrong.

"When the servitor had finished, the magos turned to the porthole, made a ceremonial bow, and spoke. Sensitive microphones transmitted his words without the slightest distortion. Hovering cameras were broadcasting, recording the details of what was happening in great detail."

"The 'Glass Cat' project is a technological solution for the local forced separation of Materium and Immaterium in physical space."

Logis's speech, delivered through the auspex, seemed impassive, but the captain's experienced ears picked up notes of contentment. Or a skillful imitation of it. With those `irons' augmented up to their ears, you couldn't be sure of anything.

The creation of Geller's mobile transmitter carrier faced some technical difficulties, but all the problems were solved, and the result is acceptable. The task of the presented sample is the operational leveling of the impact of conventionally structured entities-fluctuations of the Immaterial, defined by the Inquisition as 'demons'.

The inquisitor pressed his lips together but remained silent.

"Request for the first demonstration by protocol," said the Martian.

The locks clicked loudly, the metal tinkled. The four 'petals' of the ancient sarcophagus parted, the protective glyphs crumbling with silver dust. Now only the ancient arcane shackles held the white-purple, spiky Spawn of Slaanesh inside. The creature squeaked, snapping its bones with its chews, showing an obvious desire to get its hands on the red-robed logis so close.

One of the four containers next to the Martian suddenly moved, as if it had been shaken by a powerful blow from inside. Just a moment later it was already unfolding into a relatively small four-legged automaton. A bundle of thin antennas shot out from the top of the hull, complex 'eyes' that looked like faceted spheres stretched out on flexible stalks. It took the machine a few more seconds to detect its adversary, to turn the hull toward the warp spawn, and then...

The acoustics worked perfectly, reducing the volume of the demonic creature's howl to acceptable levels, but a dozen layers of hallowed armored glass shuddered faintly. What the twisted humanoid parody spawned was no scream, it was an Empyrean howl that penetrated even through the Geller field that covered the site. Moments later, the shackles tumbled to the stone, as empty as the day they'd left the forge. The creature vanished without a trace.

"Impressive," said the inquisitor.

"A good servitor with a bolter or melt gun would do the same, only a few times cheaper," the Knight grumbled, covering the microphone with an armored glove.

"The uninitiated might think that the demon has been banished back to the Immaterium, and the effects of the emitter are similar to the methods of experienced psykers of the Ecclesiarchy, Navis Nobilite, the Inquisition, and so on," Magos said, as if he heard the caustic remark.

"However, such an approach was found to be counterproductive, as the exorcised entity, although it leaves our reality, keeps all the information, as well as the algorithms of behavior, fixed in the conditional analogs of neural networks. That is, each defeat is not final and only hardens the opponent. Sooner or later the entity returns, becoming more experienced, smarter, more dangerous. In addition, as was rightly noted above, the destruction of the material part of the demon may well be achieved by more traditional means. For example, by a sufficiently high density of fire of the standard Adeptus Astra Militarum weaponry."

So he heard it after all.

Aurelius moved his jaw but remained silent. The automaton, which had fired on the monster, did not move, only the antennae spikes occasionally flickered with short-lived whitish lightning.

"Here a completely different effect applies. The demon is not exposed to Immaterium at one time. In fact, it is squeezed out of real space in parts, with the diameter of each part not exceeding seven nanometers, which completely precludes its recovery in its original pseudo-structured form."

"You mean... It's like you're squeezing it through a blender, isn't it?" said the inquisitor.

"Yes. It is not the demon itself that returns to the Immaterium, but a set of raw substances, in which no structured processes, including informational ones, are possible. Also, the process takes some, albeit very short, time, and the volumes of the Immaterium are shifting chaotically relative to the real space, so the above-mentioned substance turns out to be smeared over a significant pseudo-volume of the Empyrean."

"In other words, now you can destroy demons... We can destroy demons."

"Technically it would be more correct to say "irreversibly modify their essence and structure". But in fact, yes, it is destruction."

"What is the zone of impact?" The Inquisitor knew that the station's cogitators not only transmit any word of the observers to the logis, but also reliably preserve them. Only the Emperor knows what the investigators might need, in the highly unlikely event that further demonstration goes wrong.

"This model has an impact zone that is a sphere nine and thirty-two hundredths of a meter in diameter, which forms at a distance of up to one kilometer. Depending on a set of conditions, such as the level of ionization of the atmosphere, the degree of wear of the emitters, and so on. Destroying larger demons may require the coordinated action of several automatons. I think it is best to discuss the details after the demonstration part is completed. Request for the second demonstration by protocol."

The second sarcophagus opened, revealing, like in a fairy tale, even more disgusting contents. The captain grimaced. He had personally supervised the operation when this twisted counterpart of the Imperial Knight-Questor had been captured. The immobilized - or rather, simply stripped of limbs - stump of the once glorious hero was now nothing but an unnatural combination of steel, ceramic, and flesh soaked in the unholy essence of black sorcery.

The second container obediently turned the automaton and repeated the actions of its now motionless counterpart. Except that this time in the mental scream of the 'target' the Grey Knight heard a note of... gratitude. Or at least a fading shadow of relief. Without a shadow of pretense, the Inquisitor and the Captain both cast an aquila. The once-righteous pilot's suffering soul, suffering for more than a century, had been freed from the bonds of the Ruinous Powers, though not granted a posthumous blessing in the light of the Emperor's mercy.

Steel, titanium, ceramite, and other material barriers are not an obstacle to the effects of the emitters," commented the Martian. - Neither are known psychic fields. Note - it has been established that the holoarmor of the Aeldari can present a noticeable resistance, leading to an incomplete exposure of the target. Thus, on the battlefield, the use of Geller emitters developed during the project can reduce the cost of destroying enemy combat equipment, defined by the Inquisition as 'possessed'. Including the cost of personnel. Requesting the third demonstration.

This time the demonhost was to be put to the test.

"Is that necessary?" Aurelius asked grimly, pointing to the motionless figure of a fellow who had taken up a position between the emitter and the target, next to the magos.

The possessed creature still retained enough resemblance to a human. The more monstrous the changes that desecrated the original form seemed. Compared to the host, the Grey Knight in armor and the logis, augmented into a living statue, seemed like paragons of humanity. The thick bars of the cylindrical cage, held up against the might of a Nob Orc, were visibly corroded, furrowed, and blistered as if they were aging a thousand times faster than they should have. The possessed creature gnawed at the metal, crumbling its teeth, and, worst of all, the sturdiest alloy began to yield to weak flesh. The chewed lips of the host mumbled menacing curses, which were dissipated by the narrowly focused noise generators.

"Highly desirable," said Martian strictly. "It should be noted that an important aspect of the use of Geller-emitters is their effect on living, highly organized sentient organisms that have a mental reflection in the Immaterium."

The holo-screen showing Brother Salazar's condition showed the moment the emitter struck, but ten seconds later the readings were back to normal. Unless now, judging by the battle gear, the knight was in need of rest, as if he hadn't finished his morning prayers just half an hour ago.

The demonhost's body twitched convulsively as if it had been hit by a weakened Voltaic blaster. Deprived of demonic energy support, it was, as you must expect, unlivable. Its organs, mutilated by the touch of the forbidden, were still trying to function, but it was obviously in death's agony.

"Bearers of the paria gene will not notice the effects of the radiation. Normal people, as well as Astartes without psionic activation, will experience some depression of mental activity on a physiological level, but even in the worst case will recover from normal sleep within a day or two. Astartes with psionic activation, civilian licensed Munistorum psykers may occasionally lose consciousness, but will fully recover within fifteen-hundredths of a standard year if they can be brought promptly to a medical unit similar to the standard Sisters Hospitaller field unit. The effects on astropaths and particularly strong psykers can be fatal if they are markedly mentally exhausted. Or it would have irreversible consequences on their abilities - in the direction of decreasing the level of mental potential. Nevertheless, the ability to fire practically without fear for the effect of 'friendly fire' is tentatively regarded as very useful."

The fourth automaton moved its articulated legs, joining its frozen brethren. But unlike the others, it had a heavy stabber on top.

"Unfortunately, the energy capacity of automatons does not allow them to activate their emitters more than once without recharging or replacing the batteries. Since the possibility of encountering not only demons and possessed objects, but also more traditional targets is always implied, Adeptus Mechanicus has developed standard weapon units to cover the so-called Geller Drones. They include flamethrower, stabber, and missile variants. Separately, it should be noted that although it takes eighteen hours to fully charge the helper drone battery pack, the design provides for rapid battery replacement in the field."

In the meantime, the servitor, kindly provided by the Deimos questors, was trying to install a replacement battery. On the fourth attempt, he succeeded.

"Replacements can be made after minimal instruction," the logis technodendrites quickly removed the four locking screws covered by the armor plates on the second drone and deftly snapped on the connectors as if the battery didn't weigh nearly two hundred kilograms. Trained personnel could effectively maintain the helper drones even on the battlefield.

"Fine," the inquisitor remained completely serious. "I suppose we should now hand over the documentation and test results to our magicians for verification and coordination."

"Field testing," the spacemarine muttered, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I've seen a lot of 'absolute weapons' that have done wonders in the ranges and the labs. But in practice, in the mud of field battles, in the slums of beehives, they proved worse than rusty scrap. Until I see what your... 'Cats' in the real business, to me they are nothing but expensive iron junk."

"Yes, I tend to agree," the inquisitor supported his colleague.

"Your expectations are fair and obvious," Magos was cooperative. "And we are ready to discuss the issue of full-fledged tests. Against the real enemy under combat conditions. Especially since the operation will require extensive preparations and deployment of auxiliary forces. In the first stage, to avoid obvious problems, Adeptus Mechanicus suggest limiting themselves to supporting the actions of the Ecclesiarchy and Munistorum forces. The Grey Knights' mental capacity will obviously make them more vulnerable when things go wrong."

"When?" The inquisitor raised an eyebrow.

"In any complex action, there is always a deviation from the original plan. Especially when it comes to the practical application under unpredictable conditions of such complex mechanisms," replied the Martian. "And we are prepared for that."

* * *

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