Catechism Of Hate (9 page)

'If you had consulted me, that would have been my appraisal, Brother-Chaplain. The site itself is of no value other than its location. Abandoning it brings no dishonour if by doing so we continue to fight effectively. Now it is too late.'

'I do not understand your reticence, sergeant.' Cassius noticed that Dacia had not looked at him yet during their exchange. The Chaplain laid a hand on the sergeant's shoulder pad, and applied enough pressure to make the Space Marine turn. 'Be forthcoming in your reservations.'

'Our enemy knows what we know, brother,' said Dacia, his voice barely a whisper. Cassius could see nothing of the Space Marine's expression, but his voice was earnest. 'They will have us trapped here soon enough and will exterminate us at their leisure.'

Cassius frowned inside his helm.

'To hear you speak so, one would think we are already overwhelmed.'

'I have been thinking about the riddle their latest attack poses. What is to be gained by their attempt at subterfuge? It is quite obvious that our defence is not hampered by the fall of night. Why then, would they come at us with dregs, sending their forces forward in broods small enough to be easily despatched? They have tested us with a full assault and not found us wanting; there is no logic, no matter how alien, that suggests this desultory effort will be successful.'

The Chaplain pondered what the sergeant said, his frown deepening further, though now with consternation rather than anger.

'The enemy are keeping us occupied,' said Cassius, and Dacia nodded. 'Why have you only now brought this to my attention?'

'The answer has only just occurred to me also, Brother-Chaplain. As you were on your way here, I thought it better to speak to you in person rather than broadcast the fact over the vox-net.'

Turning away, Cassius took a few paces, his boots thumping loudly on the boards of the rooftop. He did not waste time chastising himself for his oversight, but focused immediately on a resolution. Before any was forthcoming, Dacia spoke again.

'There is also another reason for the piecemeal assault, brother,' said the sergeant, glancing back to the west. A blossom of fire spread across the farmlands, its glow shining over the desolated fields. 'It is a waste of the Titans' firepower to strike down only a dozen foes with each shot.'

'They expend our resources with their lives,' said Cassius, following the statement to its conclusion. 'While the princeps waste missiles and gatler rounds on termagants, tyranid warriors and carnifexes wait for their supplies to be exhausted.'

Cassius's first instinct was to order the Titans to cease firing, in order to conserve their ammunition. He ignored the impulse, because if the Titans curtailed their attacks, it would fall to the Ultramarines to take up the fight and their supplies would be depleted instead.

'It is a confounding situation, sergeant,' Cassius confessed, reaching no firm conclusion. 'At best, the Titans grant us more time, holding the mass attack at bay. While they still fire, the waiting horde is kept at arm's reach.'

'Yet every passing minute sees it more likely that our Imperial Guard allies to the north and south will be overrun, brother. We will be attacked on three fronts, and we will not be able to hold Cordus Via. Should we begin to withdraw, I would stake my honour that the tyranids will know it and come at us hard, harrying us all of the way back to Attan Terminus.'

'We will not be so easily trapped!' snarled Cassius, his anger directed at himself for being too stubborn to foresee this outcome. 'Extend the cordon by five hundred metres and have the Rhinos and Razorbacks brought to the access ramp. I must speak with General Arka.'

Cassius strode away without waiting for Dacia's reply or the inevitable questions the Chaplain's orders prompted. He opened up a vox link to the command headquarters and as Cassius reached street level Colonel Taulin answered the communications request. The officer sounded tired, his voice a husky whisper.

'Yes, revered Chaplain, how can we help you?'

'I need to speak with the general now, Colonel Taulin,' said Cassius. He crossed under the Gradient and in the background heard Dacia issuing orders over the tactical frequency. 'It is imperative that I speak to Arka personally.'

'The general is not at headquarters at the moment, Chaplain. He is doing his rounds at the defence line. Is it urgent?'

'Of course it is urgent, colonel! Twelve Ultramarines have died in defence of this world so far, and unless I can speak to General Arka, their sacrifice and those to come will be in vain.'

'I understand. I will try to reach the general for you, Chaplain.'

The vox buzzed for some time as Cassius returned to his shrine room and began packing away his relics. Touching them brought a sense of purpose and peace to the Chaplain's troubled thoughts, reminding him that the Ultramarines had faced countless perils and still they had endured for ten millennia. To be connected with that history, to be part of the legend of Macragge, was comforting. In turn, he picked up each relic and spoke words of devotion to his Chapter and primarch, and then he wrapped each in soft cloth and placed them in their metal containers, lining up the boxes against one wall.

Arka had still not contacted him by the time he had finished, so Cassius switched vox channels to check on Dacia's progress.

'All transports are mobile, brother. I have arranged a collapsing cordon, devastators first, tactical squads second and the assault squad last, to fall back on the Rhinos and Razorbacks. If you would inform the Titans of our withdrawal, they will be able to cover us from the west. There is no sign of enemy to the east, if we are swift we will reach Attan Terminus without encountering any foe.'

'You misunderstand my intent, brother-sergeant. Make ready to head westwards.'

'Westwards, Brother-Chaplain? That is towards the enemy landing sites.' As a Space Marine, Dacia could not feel fear but his voice betrayed confusion and consternation.

'I am aware of that, as you know, sergeant. We will not be withdrawing from Cordus Via. We will be attacking.'

THE TWO WARLORD Titans had moved back towards Cordus Via, overlooking the highway with their immense guns and rocket launchers. True to their oaths of obedience, the Ultramarines did not question their Chaplain's command, but made an orderly withdrawal to their transports. A drizzling rain had started around midnight, droplets of water rattling from the hulls of the transports, reflected in the light of the Titan lamps. It pattered on Cassius's armour as he left his sanctuary to join his warriors at the accessway.

As Cassius's force readied to embark on the Rhinos and Razorbacks, Apothecary Valion appeared, accompanied by Sergeant Acheon.

'Brother-Chaplain, may I speak with you?' asked the Apothecary. Receiving a nod in reply, he continued. 'There are twelve wounded in my infirmary, brother. Though they cannot fight on here, if given proper attention they will make a full recovery and return to the Chapter whole.'

'You may take one Rhino, brother,' said Cassius, anticipating Valion's request.

'Brother-Chaplain, a Thunderhawk would be more suited,' said Acheon, who had obviously been brought along to lend weight to Valion's appeal. 'The road between here and Attan Terminus may be in enemy possession. Brother Caphon is fit enough to pilot if necessary, and a lift to orbit would not require any able-bodied brethren to provide protection.'

'You also misunderstand my personal intent, brother,' added Valion. 'The brethren have been stabilised and I can induce their sus-an membranes to keep them secure until they reach Fidelis. I will be accompanying the attack, brother. I am sure you will need me.'

Considering his options, Cassius concluded that the Apothecary and sergeant were correct. The Thunderhawks were one hour from changing their rotation and it would be no further burden for the wounded to be taken directly to the strike cruiser on board the gunship returning for re-armament.

'Very well,' he said. A thought occurred to him as he reviewed what Valion had told him. 'There are nineteen casualties under your care, Apothecary.'

'I will administer the Emperor's final mercy on three of the others, brother. If we are to leave, they will not survive being moved.'

'The last four want to stay here,' said Acheon. 'Each of them has suffered serious injuries and they will no longer be suitable for combat duties with the Chapter. They request that they surrender their armour for return to the Chapter and they will defend Cordus Via for as long as possible. Of those that have fallen already, we will conduct their bodies back to the Fidelis along with the living so that they are not consumed by the foe.'

Taken aback by this, Cassius had to consider hard his options. The warriors he left behind would be slain, without question.

His counterattack had already cost the lives of seven more Space Marines before it had begun. Yet such was the fate of a Space Marine, and Cassius hardened his heart to the decision. The tyranids had to be stopped, no matter the cost.

'Their names will be entered upon the roll of honour and their sacrifice spoken of to the Chapter. I will speak to them myself before we depart and will conduct the rites of the fallen upon those who will not survive to see us leave.'

'Thank you, brother,' said Valion. Acheon nodded his own appreciation and Cassius felt a moment of strange pride in his brothers, and not for the first time. He was being thanked for allowing them to lay down their lives in the defence of the Emperor's realm. Only the Adeptus Astartes could truly understand what an honour that entailed.

No sooner had Cassius finished dealing with Acheon and Valion when the vox-link chimed in his ear.

'Taulin tells me you have something urgent to say, Chaplain,' said General Arka. 'Is everything all right there? I have to tell you, Matis Via has been abandoned. Sentinel sweeps indicate the tyranids have already reached the waystation there. Nexus Via is surrounded and will hold for no more than two more hours. I cannot give you any longer than that. If you plan to withdraw t—'

'We will not be withdrawing, General Arka.' Cassius manipulated his vox controls, bouncing his conversation with the general onto the Ultramarines tactical channel so that all of his warriors could hear what was said. 'It is my intent to strike back at the tyranids. Our initial assessment appears to be in error. The tyranids have far greater numbers than we expected from a single planetfall, and thus I am forced to conclude that amongst the creatures that made it to the surface is a norn queen - a breeder. This is not a battle that will be won by attrition, even by the Imperial Guard.'

'I would argue that point, Chaplain,' said Arka. 'We have a highly defensible position, massed tanks and artillery and tens of thousands of men. Plains Fall will hold for a generation if necessary.'

'We do not have the luxury of time, general. The other hive ships in the system are still active and it is possible that further tyranid ships will be brought to the system to reinforce the attack. I am sending the Victorix and Dominatus Rex back to Plains Fall to assist in the final defence.'

'A sane man would come with them,' said Arka. 'You cannot hope to destroy this horde by yourselves.'

'A sane man would retreat, it is true,' said Cassius, and these were the words he wanted his warriors to hear. 'Yet a sane man would not gladly march to battle, nor wake up every day of his life hoping that day will see him plunged into combat with a nightmare foe. Yet that is the truth of the Space Marines. We are not men, and you cannot judge us by the standards of men.

'The tyranids will grow stronger the longer we delay. I am sure of it. Once they have a grip on this world, you might fight for a generation, for ten generations, and never be free of the taint. This incursion is in its earliest stages, but I have seen planets where continents have been consumed and oceans drained dry by this many-headed beast. We have seen rocks scoured of all life by the tyranids, with not even bacteria or atmosphere left. Styxia is doomed to a slow, inexorable death if we cannot halt this attack in its infancy, and that is what I plan to do.'

'I still do not see how you can hope to achieve any meaningful objective,' said Arka. 'I am the first to laud the power of the Ultramarines, even when few in number, but the foe you face is of an order of magnitude higher than anything I would expect you to overcome.'

'And that is why I need you to promise support, general,' said Cassius. 'As a soldier of the Imperial Guard, you swore oaths to serve the Emperor. As commander of this force, you pledged alliance with the Ultramarines.'

'Have I given you reason to doubt my resolve now, Chaplain?' said Arka, sounding hurt by the notion. 'Have I not offered you support since the moment you arrived?'

'I need more than support, general, I need your faith; your faith in the Emperor, your faith in the Ultramarines, and your faith in me as the embodiment of both. We cannot hope to puncture this horde and survive on our own, but if your forces attack in support of our advance, we shall destroy the source of this threat and survive to tell of it.'

'You want me to abandon the defence of Plains Fall?' There was a long pause. 'You ask too much, Chaplain. You remind me of my oaths, but I must remind you that I also swore to protect the three million people sheltering behind my guns.'

'They are dead if we do not act,' Cassius told the general. 'It is better to strike now while the Fidelis has the upper hand in orbit than allow the tyranids free rein on the surface. If I show you it can be done, will you attack?'

'I will,' said Arka, the words slightly catching in his throat even as he made the promise. 'How will you do that?'

'All tyranid swarms are controlled by a hive tyrant,' Cassius said. 'They are the focus for the psychic connection that drives the creatures onwards. The Mechanicus refer to them as synapses; nodes of intelligence alongside the warriors and other larger creatures that instil the need of the hive mind into lesser beasts. We will slay the hive tyrant controlling the swarm on Styxia. The tyranids will be in disarray, for a while at least. If the Ultramarines can kill the hive tyrant, will the Imperial Guard leave their positions and attack?'