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

silence.

"I see why you want to save her now," Castella said eventually. "She's pretty, seems nice too. I like how she stood up for you."

I didn't answer, just frowned.

"Speaking of which, I hope you are aware that I don't need you to stand up for me, right?"

I stopped and turned to her, "I'm sorry," I stammered. "I didn't mean to..."

She grinned. "Don't worry; I'm kidding! I thought it was sweet! Thank you, Attelus Kaltos."

I grinned back nervously. "It's the very least I could do. After all, you've done for me, Castella Lethe."

She pouted and shrugged. "Anyway, it's a start, I guess. You've still got a crap ton left to do before we finally break even."

We started to walk again.

"What will it take for me to make it up to you, Castella?" I said.

She smiled. "How about you helping stop the Exterminatus before it even starts. That'd do it."

I nodded; sounds about right.

 

We walked through the lines of cogitators toward Vex's office. I could see much to my relief the Stormtroopers that the poor, deceased Olinthre had ordered to guard Vex was still there. Still ever stoic and disciplined. I couldn't do that, it'd bore the bloody hell out of me, and my mind would wander, making me less attentive. That was yet another reason why I'd make a frigging terrible soldier. Despite what Garrakson and before him, Estella, claimed.

As we approached, I glanced around the cavernous room again, seeing the serfs were still at their cogitators, working attentively away. None sparing even Castella a glance, and I couldn't help but wonder, were they all bloody eunuchs? Did they have no soul? No humanity?

I shook my head; I just couldn't comprehend it. I might be a ruthless killer, struggling to cling onto the last vestiges of my sanity, but I'd much rather be that than anyone of them.

We reached the box office entrance as one of the Stormtroopers raised his hand, making us stop and activated his vox link, saying.

"Attelus is here, but he has another with him named..."

"Castella Lethe," said Castella.

The Stormtrooper nodded and repeated her name into his vox; a second or two later, he looked at me.

"Sergeant Garrakson asks if she can be trusted."

I smiled and said, "more than many, more than myself."

The Stormtrooper nodded, repeated my sentence and, after a few seconds, wordlessly waved us through.

The others parted to let us through, their potential emotions hidden behind their helms, but this close, I could tell by their subtle body language they were bored and annoyed.

So they were human, after all, more than the seemingly mindless automatons sitting at their cogitators anyway. That horrid, constant crashing of working cogitators must've been wearing on their nerves. Hell, it was hard enough for me to bear, and I've only been in the room for a few minutes.

The poor bastards have stood around here for hours.

We finally entered the large, stark white box office finding Garrakson and Torris standing around while Vex sat, lazily typing at one of the many cogitators inside.

"You're late," growled Garrakson. "I hope you're aware we're about to move into another battle, right? Olinthre is ordering almost the entire contingent to move; we don't have the time to wait around for you..."

"I know," I interrupted, raising my hands in compliance. "And I'm sorry, we had to make a detour on our way here. An important one."

"More important than this?" said Garrakson.

I said nothing, just clenched my jaw.

"Well, it better have been bloody damn important," said Garrakson. "Anyway, what did you want to tell us, kid?"

I sighed, glanced at Castella, took the last Lho from its ceramic container, and pulled out my lighter but stopped as Vex suddenly shouted.

"No smoking! The smoke could damage the circuit boards!"

I frowned, fixed the kid with a withering glare, but still did as told.

"I see you've smoked through most of that pack already," said Torris.

I shrugged. "Gave out a few to my friends just before, but I am responsible for smoking the good majority."

Torris' already large eyes widened in mock disbelief. "Attelus Kaltos for once, actually sharing out his precious Lhos. Never thought I'd ever lived to see the day!"

I sniggered and shook my head.

"Desperate times," I said.

Castella's sudden, snorting laughter made me blanch and turn to her.

"I like this man; he's funny!" she exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and slipped my hands into their pockets; she was back on her crazy side now.

Frigging great.

"Enough mucking about!" snapped Garrakson. "Attelus get your latest girlfriend in line; we haven't the damned time! And you too, Torris!"
Garrakson turned back to me, his eyes hard. "Why did you call us here?"

"Alright, alright," I sighed and glanced around the room, wondering where to start before it finally hit me.

"Jeurat, I was honest with you. I think it's about time you're honest with me."

Garrakson's brow furrowed in bemusement, and he folded his arms. "What the hell are you on about?"

"Do you have access to Taryst's quarters?" I asked.

"What? No," he said.

"Really? Are you sure?" I said.

"No!" he bellowed. "I don't know what you're on about."

I smiled knowingly. "I know now of the relationship you and Taryst once shared, that you were both close."

Garrakson gaped and gave Torris a glance. "How did you learn that?"

I shook my head. "It's just one of the many, many truths I've learnt today. Now answer me, Jeurat. Now, do you have access to Taryst's quarters or not?"

"How many times must I tell you!" he snarled. "I don't! Now tell me how you found out about that!"

I blanched, despite myself, pretty sure he was telling the truth now. I'd asked because I still thought he might have gone back to Taryst's grotto to investigate the bunker. But it seemed that suspicion had been wrong.

It certainly wasn't the first time I'd been wrong, and I was pretty sure it wasn't the last.

+He does,+ came Karmen's voice suddenly through my thoughts which made me flinch in fright. +His retina is capable of opening the lock.+

I opened my mouth to reply, but she quickly shushed me.

+Only you can hear me now; I do not want you suddenly talking to yourself and making everyone suspicious. Jeurat still has access, but he doesn't remember it because Taryst had me erase that from his memory.+

Typical, I thought.

+I suggested that Taryst just change the password, but he refused. He wanted to keep Garrakson as it.+

Or he could've just lied and said he changed it, I thought, then I felt a pang of sympathy for poor Garrakson. The person he loved had ruthlessly ordered his mind psychically manipulated so that he could keep a damn password. Taryst, could you have been any more of a bastard?

"Attelus!" snarled Garrakson, knocking me from my reverie. "Answer me now!"

I sighed. "Jeurat, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry about what?" he demanded.

"You do have access to the bunker," I said. "You just don't remember it."

"What?"

"Taryst, he had your memory of it erased," I said.

Suddenly Garrakson's eyes widened, and he straightened with a gasp. As I assumed, Karmen brought back the memory as she'd done in the top of the tower a few hours ago.

"Jeu? You okay?" asked Torris.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay," said Garrakson. "I remember now; I just can't believe he'd do that to me."

I frowned and dropped my gaze to the floor.

"This world may be ending," I said. "Sooner or later, it might be destroyed by exterminatus; that bunker might be our only way of survival."

"Exterminatus?" said Torris. 'How?"

"It's hard to explain," I said. "I don't have the time to explain it all, but..."

I hesitated, sucking air through my clenched teeth.

"It's not just that down there," said Garrakson. "There's also a ship we can use."

"A ship?" asked Vex.

"Yeah," said Garrakson. "A well maintained and fast system ship, we could use to escape."

He looked at me, his eyes watering. "Attelus, please tell me, I need to know. Taryst is dead, isn't he?"

All I could manage was a half-hearted nod.

Garrakson sighed. "I'd thought so. I'd known so. Now I won't ask the how or the why, but tell me this, did you kill him?"

I met his gaze. "No, I swear on my life. I swear I didn't kill Taryst."

Garrakson didn't say anything for a long time; he just studied me intently.

Finally, he straightened. "No, you didn't; I didn't think you did."

I sighed. "I'm sorry."

Garrakson shrugged and sighed. "I knew it was going to happen sooner or later; there's nothing to be sorry about, kid. I just wished you'd told me sooner."

"I just thought..."

"Yeah, I'm sure you thought a lot of things, kid," he interrupted but sounded more sad than angry. "It's alright. I'd have probably done the same if I was you. Thanks for telling me, at least."

I couldn't help but sigh with relief, pleasantly surprised that Garrakson was letting me off so lightly.

"I hate to ask this," said Torris. "But how long have you known?"

"Just today," I said, swallowing back the guilt.

Torris nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I also have to ask. What's wrong with Olinthre?"

My eyes widened despite myself; it was only a split second before I controlled myself.

"I wouldn't know," I said, glancing at Castella to see how she'd reacted. She met my eyes but showed me nothing.

Torris smiled and shook his head, beginning to pace the room.

Garrakson shook his head as well and groaned. "You wouldn't know how long Taryst has been dead for?"

I clenched my jaw. "No."

"And still you lie, Attelus," Torris said. "Olinthre isn't himself, Taryst isn't himself, what the hell is going on?"

I froze in fright as it suddenly hit me; I was backed into a corner. Especially because Garrakson now knew he had access and the password.

I sighed and slid my hands into the pockets of my flak jacket. I had no choice; I had to tell them. I had to tell them everything.

So I did; I told them everything. Well, almost everything.

 

Chapter 20

 It was a rushed, abridged version of what I'd seen and done over the day; everyone stared at me with abstract awe and disbelief, even Castella, who I suspected to know a lot of it, already looked taken aback.

I told of how I was kidnapped by Edracian and his Venenum temple agent, of my fight with Elandria and her tragic death at the hands of fake Taryst. Then of my horrific beating at the hands of the Mimic, It's defeat and my findings of Olinthre's and Taryst's bodies. The pict I took of the dead Interrogator and my meeting with Karmen after she'd regain consciousness. The later meeting with Glaitis, then our talk with Wesley all over less than ten minutes. Never was I interrupted; everyone just stood in silence and let me talk. Karmen's voice would filter through my thoughts every so often, suggesting that I shouldn't say this or that, but each time, I ignored her.

The only things I neglected to tell was of Faleaseen's influence over me and how I'd almost turned into a daemon in Brutis Bone's hideout. Otherwise, I didn't hold back. Once I'd done it took everyone a few minutes to process it all.

"I had no idea," stammered Castella; she was the first to speak. "By the God-Emperor, I had no idea."

I looked at her, suspicious, wondering exactly how much I'd told that she'd 'no idea' of, but refrained from asking.

"So your master is responsible for everything?" said