Waaargh! Hazug!

Chapta 19

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 Waaargh! Hazug!

Prologue

Chapta 1

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Chapta 21

Chapta 22

Chapta 23

Chapta 24

Chapta 25

Chapta 26

Chapta 27

Chapta 28

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Chapta 30

Chapta 31

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Hazug peered over the crest of the hill, suing the tau viewing device to observe the fortress wall without need of an easily visible light source.
”I see a few lads patrollin’ but none of ‘em where we needs to be.” He said in gothic so that the bulk of the troops accompanying him would understand, ”Stay down lads.” he then added in orkish for the benefit of the other Blood Axes and gretchin.

“Perhaps Sergeant Torris’ men and I should go first.” Jarr suggested.

“I ought to go with you as well.” Rell added and Hazug nodded.

“I’ll send Mayleth, Rhia, Salia and Sophie after ya.” He said switching back to gothic once more, “Den I’ll send over da grots to get workin’. I’ll follow with me lads after dat and den da marines can bring up da rear. Everyone get dat?” and there were brief nods from the human troops. Sophie looked at her sister and smiled.

“Wot’s ‘appenin’ master?” Ratish asked as Jarr, Rell and the stormtroopers took up positions near the top of the hill.

“Ready?” Jarr asked, looking around at the troops and when none offered any negative reply he simply added, “Go.” And they vaulted over the top of the hill and rushed down it towards the wall. As they ran the stormtroopers kept their weapons aimed at the top of the wall, alert for any signs of a passing sentry. The entire squad was equipped with night vision goggles that although inferior to the viewing device Hazug possessed still allowed them to make out figures moving along the wall.

They came to a sudden halt at the base of the wall surrounding a patch of recently disturbed ground and positioned themselves either side of it, still watching the walls above as well as the ground in either direction just in case the genestealer controlled orks were smart enough to send out patrols.

 “Right den,” Hazug said as he watched this, “Now far ya lot.” And he looked at Sophie and Salia.

Without waiting for any further orders Mayleth leapt over the top of the hill and was already halfway down it by the time Ratish reacted.
”Da pansy’s gone master! Why?” he exclaimed.

“Keep ya voice down.” Hazug warned him then he looked at Sophie again, “Okay ya better get goin’ an’ all. When I sends da grots after ya make sure dey digs in da right place and stops when da guards come past.”

“Okay let’s go.” Sophie said to Salia. Then she looked at Rhia, “You first.” She added sternly.

“Why?” Rhia asked.
”I don’t think she trusts you to be behind her with a gun.” Salia pointed out and Rhia’s face fell.

“Just get goin’.” Hazug hissed and he grabbed hold of Rhia and shoved her forwards.

As soon as she reached the top of the hill Salia and Sophie set off after her and Hazug noticed that Sophie was keeping her lasgun aimed at Rhia’s back. He grinned, “Good girl.” He muttered.
”Do you really trust her?” Claudius asked from beside Hazug.
”Wot? Rhia?” he replied.
”Yes. I’ve heard how she betrayed you before.”

“Yeah, but dis time she knows dat I know she did dat. Plus I don’t think dat she likes dese genestealers any more dan we do. If I aint gonna trust ‘er den maybe I ought not be trustin’ ya lads either. Ya didn’t come ‘ere to ‘elp me.”

“Indeed.” Claudius said, smiling even though his helmet concealed the expression from Hazug. Then he saw that the three human women had reached the wall,” Time to send the gretchin.” He added.

“Yeah.” Hazug replied and he turned to Ratish, “Okay ya’s up.” He said, “Take da rest of da grots down dare quietly and ‘ave ‘em, start diggin’. Salia and Sophie’ll tell ya if ya needs to stop. Goddit?”

Ratish frowned.

“Not need git stupid gits to tell Ratish wot to do.” He said.
”Ya does if ya can’t understand da humans on look out.” Hazug replied, “Now go. Da lot of ya.” And he waved to the other gretchin to move forwards.

There were just over twenty of the smaller cousin species of the orks accompanying the warband and approximately half of them clutched tools for digging with as they darted over the top of the hill. To all gretchin sneaking around quietly came naturally and they reached the wall without making a sound and instantly began to dig, those that had tools using them while those without instead clawed at the ground with their bare hands to pull larger chunks of dirt and rock free.

“I believe it is your turn now.” Claudius said to Hazug and in reply Hazug turned to the other Blood Axes.

“Okay lads, dis is it.” He told them, “Follow me and keep quiet.” Then he braced his custom rifle against his shoulder and ran over the top of the hill.

Without the tau viewing device to help him see in the dark Hazug had trouble making out those who had gone before individually, but he could still see enough to find the group in the dark. As he and his squad came to a sudden halt by the wall they joined the stormtroopers in watching for any signs of enemy activity and Hazug looked back up the hill.

He was just in time to see eight massive figures in mainly black powered armour come rushing over the top of the hill towards him. As Captain Claudius had assured him the marines were able to move both quickly and quietly over the open ground, but looking through the tau device again he saw that the weight of their armour had left prominent footprints in the ground where the others who had preceded them had managed to avoid this.

“’Ow ya doin’ with da diggin’?” Hazug asked, looking down at Ratish.

“Through master.” He replied.

“What already?” Sophie said in surprise when she heard this, “But you’ve only been digging for a few minutes.”

Ratish snarled.

“Ignore stupid git master.” He said, “Grots know ‘ow to dig. Dis is an easy job anyways. Da tunnel is covered over but it aint filled in. All us gretchin need to do is make ad ‘ole big enough for master and da beakies.”

“Well keep going then.” Hazug said as he turned his attention back to the top of the wall.

“Master.” Ratish said suddenly, tugging on Hazug’s vest and he looked down to see Ratish staring back up at him and smiling, “Look.” Ratish added and he pointed to where the gretchin were now all stood back from the hole they had opened up.

“Good.” Hazug said, “Now give us chance to get inside and den fill it in again. Ratish ya is comin’ with us.”

“Wot about dem master?” Ratish asked, pointing to the other gretchin.

“Dey aint got shooters.” Hazug replied, “Anyways, dis ‘ole can only be filled in again from out ‘ere. I don’t want anyone inside da fort knowin’ we is ‘ere until it’s too late. Now get in dare and find out which way we needs to go.”

Ratish nodded and then he jumped down into the hole he and the other gretchin had dug.

“Go on.” Hazug told Jarr, “Ya better get goin’ an’ all.”

The raiding force entered the mouth of the gretchin tunnel and waited while Ratish determined a suitable route into the heart of the camp. Though gretchin stood not much more than a metre tall they instinctively built their tunnels to accommodate the significantly larger orks. However, this did not include nobs and so both Hazug and the marines who stood almost two and a half metres tall in their armour found themselves having to stoop in the tunnel. Though it had been dark above ground that was nothing compared to being underground and without any light for their goggles to amplify, Rell’s stormtroopers activated small lights attached to their weapons to see by. Hazug was relieved at this since it meant he did not need to keep the tau viewing device held to his eye in order to be able to see as the gretchin left behind blocked the tunnel entrance once more.

“Master!” Ratish called out as he came running back down the tunnel.

“Wot?” Hazug asked, “’Ave ya found a way out?”

“Yes master. Ratish finds a way out right by all da wagons.”

“That could be useful.” Claudius said, “We need to disable those as well as the artillery.”

“Is dare no meks about near ‘em?” Hazug asked and Ratish shook his had furiously.

“Nah master. Ratish look real ‘ard. No one about.”

“Den let’s get goin’.” Hazug said, “Lead da way.”

Holding a burning torch up above his head, Ratish led the rest of the raiding force through the mazelike network of tunnels beneath the camp. To the rest of them the tunnels looked almost identical and they would have surely become lost without Ratish to guide them. But such tunnels were a natural environment to gretchin and Ratish had no difficulty in remembering the path he had taken through them. However, he did come to an unexpected halt when he heard movement coming from ahead.

“Master!” he hissed, ”We’s not alone down ‘ere.”

“I was afraid of dis.” Hazug said, “Okay everyone, lights out and no sound. We needs to do dis quietly.”

Ratish extinguished his torch by ramming the burning end into a nearby wall while the stormtroopers simply shut off their weapon mounted lights. Hazug wished he had told them to wait while he took out his viewing device and configured it to pick up the heat given off by bodies, but instead he found himself fumbling around in his belt for it and then for the correct setting so that he could see. When the device activated in its infrared mode Hazug found that he was looking at Rhia, Salia and Sophie. There was a gap between Rhia and the other two but at first he though nothing of this, knowing the distrust that Sophie held for Rhia. But then eh realised that before the lights had been extinguished Mayleth had positioned herself immediately behind Rhia to keep watch over her. Hurriedly Hazug looked around the tunnel, searching for her, but as far as he could tell she had simply vanished.
”Where is ya Mayleth?” he muttered to himself, unwilling to risk calling out to her. Then he spotted movement had he assumed that it was Mayleth. But when he turned the viewing device towards the source of the sound he instead saw half a dozen creatures come bounding around a corner in the tunnel ahead of the raiding party. Looking nothing like orks and possessing large bulbous heads and four arms, one pair of which ended in large claws Hazug guessed that these were the purestrain form of genestealer, ”Aw crap.” He said, “Lights on!”

The six genestealers gave out a hiss as the stormtroopers turned their lights back on and all of them turned simultaneously to face the raiding party and charged.

“No shootas.” Hazug ordered, aware that the sound of gunfire could easily carry through the tunnels and alert the rest of the camp to their presence, “Zappas and choppas only.”

The stormtroopers opened fire with their hellguns, only Jackson holding back with his heavier plasma gun while Salia and Sophie fired their lasguns and the tunnel was filled with pulses of laser fire. The drawback was that even the hellguns lacked the sheer stopping power necessary to bring down a genestealer easily and although one of them was struck enough times to kill it the rest were able to reach the raiding party in a matter of seconds. However, just as the first of them leapt at Torris and reached out to decapitate him Mayleth unexpectedly reappeared from a side passage. She somersaulted across the tunnel with a long curved dagger in each hand and seemingly effortlessly she sliced through the leg muscles of the genestealer as the exact moment it attempted to lunge for Torris and its jump was turned into a fall.

“Throne!” Torris exclaimed, before recovering his composure long enough to thrust the muzzle of his hellgun into the alien’s mouth and pull the trigger, bursting its skull wide open.

The next genestealer slipped past Mayleth while she was occupied by the previous one and it charged right into the midst of the stormtroopers, casually slicing open the throat of one despite the collar that was part of his armour and producing a sudden jet of blood that sprayed across the tunnel wall.

With a flick of his finger Hazug activated the blade of his warscythe and he grinned as he heard the now familiar sound of it coming to life before he thrust it straight at the alien and impaled it through the chest.

“Make room.” Claudius ordered as he and he marines pushed forwards past the stormtroopers to stand with Hazug. The heavily armoured warriors had slung their bolters and each had instead drawn a combat blade that to a normal human would have been considered a short sword. But to the enhanced physique of one of the Adeptus Astartes it was simply a large knife.

Claudius struck first; leaping forwards to counter the charge of a genestealer and making use of his helmet to head butt the creature, stunning it before he plunged his knife through one of its eyes.

Then came a bright flash of light as Jackson fired his plasma gun at a genestealer that had scaled the side of the tunnel wall and was attempting to crawl along the ceiling so that it could drop down into the midst of the raiding party. The blast of super heated matter struck the genestealer centrally, just as Jackson had intended and as the plasma bolt expanded within its chest cavity there was a spray of red midst and the smell of burning flesh caused by its insides being boiled away to nothing before its lifeless corpse dropped to the floor.

With a swipe of a hand the final genestealer pushed Cooper up against the tunnel wall, pinning him there. But before it could deliver a fatal blow it realised that it was now facing the entire raiding party alone and it came to the conclusion that withdrawal was the best option. But as the alien jumped back, tossing Cooper into the path of the two marines who attempted to strike while the genestealer still had him pinned to the wall it suddenly found its retreat blocked by Mayleth. The genestealer hissed and lunged, but Mayleth’s lightning fast reflexes kicked in and she leapt to one side, holding out her knife so that the genestealer’s own momentum allowed her to slice open one of its legs and causing it to collapse. Now unable to stand the genestealer let out an alien howl, thrashing about on the floor of the tunnel until Hazug stepped forwards and brought his warscythe down on its neck, decapitating it.

“So I take it dat dese are da genestealers demselves.” He said, looking down at both the severed head and the torso it had come from.

“They are.” Rell replied, “Eventually after enough generations have passed, more of them will be created.”

“No dey won’t.” Hazug said, “Cause we’re gonna kill ‘em all first. Now let’s get goin’. We can’t let stuff like dis slow us down.”
”Wait.” Rell said.
”Wot is it?” Hazug asked.

“The others will soon realise that these six are missing.” The inquisitor replied.

“This is true my master.” Mayleth added, “They share a single mind and the absence of these will become apparent to the rest of the hive.”
”Will they already know about us then?” Rhia asked nervously, using gothic so that the Imperial troops would understand her.

“No.” Rell said, “The range of their telepathic link is limited. But it will make their absence more noticeable when the others determine that they have remained apart from the rest.”

“So wot d’ya reckon we ought to do?” Hazug asked.

“The ceiling.” Claudius suggested, “We fake a collapse and make it look as if they were buried.”

Hazug nodded, gretchin tunnels were known for being structurally unsound and collapses were quite common. Aliens unused to this could easily become buried.

“Do it.” He said, “We’ll put dat burned out one on da bottom and pile da others on top. Den we’ll use choppas to bring down just enough of da ceiling to bury ‘em. But we needs to be quick about it.”

 

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