Secret War: Warhammer 40,000 by Ben Agar (reading eggs books TXT) 📖

wouldn't trust you as far as I can throw you, but I imagine that you could just erase our memories of all this before we can even blink."

Karmen Kons' face turned hard, a very familiar expression. "What makes you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Torris as he stroked his thick chin with his finger and thumb. "You erased our memories of you implanting the psychic blocks, and after what you did to Vex," he shrugged. "It seems to be a pretty good assumption. So..."

"So...?" growled Karmen.

"So, we'll cooperate," said Torris lightly.

Karmen's hard expression disappeared in a heartbeat. "What? Really?" She said bemused, and the Xenos and I exchanged surprised glances.

"Yep, really, because if you could do all that, what's stopping you from erasing all of my memories?" said Torris.

Again Karmen's expression darkened. "Well, I was hoping not to have to resort to such idle threats."

"Idle? Idle?" echoed Torris mockingly. "I'd hardly call that an 'idle' threat. I really can't think of a much worse fate than losing all my memories, losing who I am and what I am; you could have just said that in the first place, but no, you just had to skirt around it. Typical woman."

Around the soldiers shuffled nervously at Torris' perceived impudence.

Karmen only smiled. "I can assure you, Marcel Torris, I am anything but 'typical.'"

"And also incredibly humble as well, I see," said Torris. "Alright! So you're in charge, then so what do we do with these two?"

I would have smiled at Torris' unintentional rhyming but was too busy looking over my shoulder at Karmen.

That was it; this was the perfect time for her to betray me if she wanted to. Estella Erith, I knew, wouldn't even consider it, but this wasn't Estella; this was Karmen Kons, who was more than a little bit unhinged. Who I knew very little of, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened to Estella over the past six years that changed her so much. How had she left the Velrosian Planetary Defense Force, how she had received her training?

I had placed a lot of trust in her; now, it was the time to see if she would pull through.

She met my gaze and smiled.

"They are to live," she said and much to my relief.

Now it was Torris' turn to be caught on the back foot. "What? Really?"

"Yes, really," said Karmen. "They can still prove to be useful, and Olinthre has been in our organisation for many years; up until now, he has been loyal and dependable; because of that, Taryst believes he deserves a second chance."

Torris scratched his head and met the Olinthre-thing's gaze. "That sounds...fair enough; it's good to hear that Taryst is taking that into account."

"You seem upset, Torris," said Karmen, tilting her head slightly in feigned interest. "Are you upset by that?"

"No!" cried Torris quickly. "No! I'm glad! If anyone deserves such consideration, it's the major! Just surprised, that's all. What about Attelus? Why's he off the hook?"

Karmen shrugged. "Taryst feels that killing Glaitis' prized Apprentice without her permission would not be wise; we all know the trouble she went to revive him after the Twilight Bar incident; we still need her as an ally."

Torris grimaced and glared witheringly at me. "I guess that makes sense, although Attelus getting off without any sort of consequence just doesn't sit well."

"Well, we'll just tell Glaitis of what he's done after this is all said and done," said Karmen. "She can deal out a fitting punishment for the boy."

I couldn't help clench my jaw at Karmen, calling me 'boy.'

Torris' expression softened suddenly. "Alright, I hope it isn't too harsh for you, Attelus, and as long as Taryst stays in his quarters, he'll be safe, but..."

"But...?"

"But I'd like to know and, Attelus here especially, do you know why Taryst chose to kill Elandria?"

"Honestly...I do not know," said Karmen. "Maybe he wanted to avenge the deaths of his bodyguards; he never told me, nor was I here when he did it, I was still downstairs."

Torris' jaw jutted slightly, and his attention fell back to me and the mimic. "You two, up."

Slowly we obeyed. Me, especially as my entire body, ached with the effort.

He turned to one of the Stormtroopers, "and they can have their weapons back."

The soldier nodded and went to collect the weapons.

"And I'd like to have that print out as well, Torris," said Karmen. "And the Write of Trade too, of course."

"Yes, yes, of course," said the ex-arbitrator impatiently.

The Stormtrooper came to me and handed back my sword, pistol and boot, while Torris walked by to give Estella the write and printout.

"Alright, Attelus, Olinthre, just because of this, don't believe you're off the frigging hook," said Torris as he turned back to us. "You're to stay with us; I'm keeping my eye on you."

I nodded as I slipped my sword back onto my belt and knelt to put on my shoe. My plan had gone awry; I had forgotten entirely about that damned printout, which was, with hindsight, a huge factor in all of this. We had only pulled through because of Karmen's excellent acting and improvising. I needed to remember this and to learn from it. Never again will I mess up so spectacularly in my planning.

But at least now I know I can trust Karmen to an extent; she had an excellent opportunity to kill me and the mimic right there and then. She could think that I know too much, and in essence, I do; I know that she is Estella Erith, daughter of the long-dead lord Isaac Erith of the province Tasilin in Velrosia. I suspected she couldn't erase this knowledge ever again due to the psychic block placed in my mind.

"Alright, leader," said Torris sarcastically, knocking me from my train of thought. "What is it that you command?"

Karmen briefly looked over everyone in the room before finally saying, "we have someone who we need to see."

"Who?" asked Torris.

Karmen smiled. "Oh, no one of consequence."

 

Chapter 14

 It was early evening for Omnartus, but in this part of the hive, it may as well have been midnight, with the thick, black pollution blocking out any light emitted from the planet's two hapless moons. It was raining as we walked to Glaitis' building. The remaining eight soldiers and Torris escorted me, the Olinthre-thing, and Karmen Kons while Karmen led the way, chatting amicably with Torris the entire time.

I pushed my long, wet hair off my face and, for a second, seriously considered getting a haircut. I needed to talk with Karmen but was never allowed the opportunity. I suspected that Garrakson had left to talk to Vex about the printout.

Now I found myself inadvertently praising Olinthre for his foresight at leaving his men with Vex, but for a reason, the good major would never have thought. I could only hope they had followed Olinthre's orders and not let Garrakson in, or if they didn't know that, it wouldn't escalate into a violent confrontation. In all honesty, I felt it would. Jeurat Garrakson was furious; not much was stopping him from allowing his rage to override his judgement and to kill the Stormtroopers guarding Vex; that or they may have just let the well-respected veteran right through.

I didn't like the amount of 'hoping' in that last sentence and that Karmen Kons had seemingly just utterly forgotten about it; perhaps she had an ace up her sleeve or something again. I could only hope she did.

I took another drag of my Lho stick and looked sidelong at the Olinthre-thing; It seemed just as impassive as always.

I sighed out smoke while we walked out of the alleyway and into the plaza outside of Glaitis tower. Karmen stopped and turned back to me, addressing me for the first time since our elevator ride; she said, "well, I'm going to assume this 'No One of Consequence' is being held on the fifth floor, am I right, Attelus?"

I nodded slowly, fixing her with an intense stare. "Yes, he is."

Torris turned to me too. "Any idea who or what will be guarding him?"

I shrugged, "I know that there are two permanent guards posted at his door. Otherwise, I'm not sure. last time I was there, five hours ago or so, both senior colleagues Hayden Tresch and Darrance were there; whether they're there now is anyone's guess."

"Who are they?" asked Torris with a grimace indicating he already had an idea of what my answer was and that he knew he wouldn't like it.

And he wasn't. "Hayden Tresch is a sniper, the best I've ever seen, and like you, Torris an ex-arbiter. He's also big, with a lot of strength and weight. While Darrance he's small, like me, and a master swordsman, but unlike me, he has a very liberal view on the use of combat drugs and, on top of that, wields a powerweapon, so all your armour. Is void." I shook my head. "By themselves, they are both extremely dangerous, but together, they have at least a centuries worth of experience between them; if either one is there, and you go in hostile, expect a hell of a lot of casualties, but if they're both there..."

I let it hang and looked over everyone; Karmen was scowling at me, Torris too, while the Olinthre-thing had the slightest of smiles, "then you really should've brought more men," I sighed.

"Yes," growled Torris glaring at me under a hooded brow. "What do you suggest we do then? Send you in to talk to Glaitis? Do you think that would work?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think it would, but if you send in both Olinthre and me..."

"Wait!" interrupted Torris. "Why you and Olinthre? Why not just you?"

"Because it would lend precedence to the whole, 'we now know you've been holding a senior member of Brutis Bone's organisation without our knowledge or consent' claim if I have with me a high ranking..."

Karmen said, "But-!"

"And well known!" I interrupted through clenched teeth. "Member of Taryst's organisation to back it up, also I'm sure that Glaitis wouldn't appreciate me bringing a psyker so near her without her express consent."

Karmen glared at me angrily, she feared I would try to kill Glaitis, and I couldn't blame her in all honesty.

I met her eyes; I swear Estella, I won't break my promise to you, I thought.

If she could read that, she gave no sign; she still stared at me.

Torris frowned deeply and glanced from me to her and back, then sighed. "Well! Seems like a plan to me," he said. "I can't help wondering why we didn't make it the first plan in the first place, but...I'm sure you have your reasons."

He looked to Karmen. "You're the boss, so it's you who decides, so which one? Sending the kid and the major in to negotiate or go in guns blazing and maybe, getting slaughtered to death."

Torris grinned nervously. "I know which I like more."

"Alright," Karmen finally conceding it with an animal-like growl.

I smiled and nodded to Karmen, whose teeth grated in barely contained anger.

"Let's go," I said to the Olinthre-thing, beckoning it forward, and we walked on, side by side toward the tower.

"You know," It said once we were out of their earshot. "You are just getting better and better at manipulating people."

I shrugged. "Well, I