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Waaargh! Hazug! Chapta 19 | |
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Waaargh! Hazug! Chapta 19 |
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. “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. “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. “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. “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. 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. 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.” “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.” “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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