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

with a truth, a truth all of you need to hear."

Hearing this made me hiss through clenched teeth, I wanted to say something, stop him, but the link was one way.

"I come to you with a few truths; the first and foremost is this, the employer of many of you, the Rogue Trader named Taryst, is dead."

I looked at Jelket and Roldar with wide watery eyes. I could only imagine the reactions of the many mercs hearing this and hoped Brutis wouldn't mention my organisation's involvement in Taryst's murder.

"Those that were, directly and indirectly, involved in Taryst's death have been brought to justice; they are dead, along with him," said on Brutis. "As well, the rumour of Major Olinthre's demise is true."

Brutis sighed. "I have also received news that Colonel Barhurst is dead also. Only a few days ago, this news would've brought me joy, but then we were enemies. We are unlikely allies, allied because we have a greater enemy, an enemy that manipulated us into this war. This enemy, as many of you have already guessed, was Inquisitor Nonin Edracian; he is responsible for the deaths of billions of innocent, Imperial citizens. For decades he has manipulated the Imperium against itself, just as he has manipulated us. In storming this fortress, in defeating him and his army, you have done the Emperor's work. You have performed a great service that will allow your souls to one day to be at the Emperor's side. That I promise you."

"I, as an Inquisitor of the Holy Ordos, take command; it doesn't matter if you are a Magistratum Marshal or a Mercenary once under Taryst, you now answer to me; this isn't over, I'm afraid. Soon ships of the Imperial Navy will emerge from the warp, and they will attempt to destroy Omnartus and the billions of people living on its surface on fire. Exterminatus has been ordered on this world, and it is up to us, along with the Planetary Defence Force to stop it."

"I am afraid, though, that I must take my leave of Omnartus, my mission here is complete and as a good friend of mine had suggested, this knowledge I must take to the Calixian Conclave so to prevent Edracian and his allies causing any more destruction."

That I knew to be a lie, or at least I hoped it to be, we really couldn't trust the Ordos anymore; who knew how many within it were allied with, or even under Etuarq's influence? Even so, I felt Brutis had made the right decision.

"As my first order to you, I order this building to be evacuated then destroyed," said Brutis. "My second is also my last; once that is completed, captain Helma will be in charge of Taryst's forces; she has proven herself an excellent commander; you will follow her like she was Olinthre, hell, like she was Taryst himself. You must co-operate fight together like you have just now or else all will be lost. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause, and I wondered what the others listening were doing during that time.

"Thank you!" said Brutis at whatever response was given, and I guessed it was positive, somehow. "Now go! Do the Emperor's work!"

Then the connection was cut.

For a second or so, we sat in grim silence; it was only interrupted by the beep of Arlathan's vox link, making Arlathan and me flinch in fright.

"Detective Karkin here," he said, and I watched as he listened to whatever was said down the line, then his already remarkably pale face whitened even worse.

"Yeah, got you," he stammered and cut the link.

"What's wrong?" I asked, although I already had a good idea.

He just treated me with a wide-eyed fearful look, then immediately tuned his vox.

"Inquisitor?" he said. "I'm sorry, but we've got to talk...now. Can you meet us outside the western exit ASAP? I just got a call from my boss; the Astropaths have detected the enemy fleet; it is in the warp and scheduled to enter the system in about an hour."

There was a pause before Arlathan answered. "Yes, thank you, sir. Will meet you soon."

"Shit!" snapped Roldar.

"'Shit,' doesn't even begin to describe it," I sighed.

"No," said Arlathan, his voice in soft contemplation as he stroked his stubbly chin with a thumb. "No, it doesn't."

 

 

We didn't have to wait long, only about fifteen minutes before Brutis Bones arrived; he was now out of his Power Armour, and while he was still large, he was distinctly smaller without it. He wore a black body glove, and his wounds thickly bandaged. He somehow managed to carry his bolter with as much ease when he was armoured, though.

Accompanying him was captain Helma; she was a plain-featured, grim-looking woman in her late thirties whose blonde hair was cropped short. She wore aged but well-maintained Stormtrooper carapace and carried a hellgun. Like me, she had a large, ugly scar on the left cheek, but unlike me, she didn't hide it beneath long hair.

Also with him were Selg, Verenth, Darrance and Hayden and, much to my surprise, a still sullen Torris.

"Alright," said Brutis as he approached us, straight to business as usual. "I thought we'd have more time."

Arlathan shook his head and licked his dry lips; he'd been silently pondering the whole time we'd waited. "I'm afraid not, Inquisitor," said Arlathan. "It was only a small rift in the warp; that was why it wasn't sensed hours ago. According to the head Astropath, a rift that small would be made by only five or six ships..."

Arlathan trailed off in his sentence as he, along with the rest of us, saw the look of horror cross Brutis' face.

"Only five or six ships?" said Helma, her voice deep, commanding and gravely. "You only need that amount for an Exterminatus?"

"Yes," said Brutis. "Damn it! Why didn't Wesley tell me?"

"Why didn't Jeksen tell you what, boss?" said Verenth.

"Why didn't he tell us that Torathe had so much pull!" Brutis snarled. "I was hoping he'd bring Inquisitorial ships and an Imperial navy escort! Not this. Anything but this."

"Anything but what, Inquisitor?" said Helma, her jaw clenching in impatience.

My eyes widened with the dawning realisation, and I quickly understood Brutis' apprehension and just when I thought it couldn't get any frigging worse.

"Space Marines," I said. "Inquisitor Torathe has brought frigging Space Marines."

Brutis nodded with watery eyes, and he pointed at me. "You better pray to the God-Emperor, detective, that it's just a Rogue Trader group or pilgrims or anything else, or this will change everything. Everything."

Then I swore I heard Arlathan mutter softly under his breath, "I'm not gonna waste my breath."

 

Chapter 28

We stood silent for a few minutes, trying to process this new revelation; it was Arlathan who broke the silence.

"My boss has notified the Planetary governor and the PDF," he said. "The thirteen warships in orbit are prepped and ready for the invasion, as well as the two orbital stations. They calculate they'll be in orbit in another hour."

My face lit up slightly; Omnartus was the capital world of the system. A massive hub for bureaucracy and a significant exporter of minerals for the Calixis sector, it was no surprise it'd be so well defended; it made it seem we stood a bit of a chance after Arlathan had listed it.

"Not enough," growled Brutis, quickly crushing my hope. "It's not even fething close to enough."

"Should I inform the Planetary governor that we might be up against the Astartes?" said Arlathan.

Brutis sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Does Taryst have any ships in orbit?" he asked Helma.

"Yes, just one," she said, still somehow sounding as calm as calm can be. "A trade frigate up in orbit about to leave to take minerals to the Lathes."

"Do you have many surface to void ships?" asked Brutis.

"Three," said Helma, and she furrowed her brow. "Are you proposing we evacuate? I have over two thousand men, a thousand of which are here. That frigate will only carry one thousand at most."

"My ship is still in the system," said Brutis. "After you and your forces ambushed me, it's been hiding in the blind spot near the local star ever since. That will carry another thousand."

"We have a ship, too," said Hayden. "It's small, though we could only take a bit over five hundred."

"Even so," said Helma. "Those three surface to void ships can only take two dozen men at a time; there's no way we can evacuate even a third before the enemy are knocking at our door."

"Damn it! I wish we could've heard the message that Etuarq had sent!" said Brutis, and he gave Hayden and Selg a look. "Really? All of them?"

"Yes, all of them," said Hayden. "It took me a while to bypass the lock into the rest of the tenth floor, and there we found all of Edracian's command staff, dead. Including his astropaths, a venenum temple assassin and their cogitator banks were destroyed. I figure all of it happened only about half an hour before Attelus, Castella, and Darrance confronted him."

I frowned, and my attention fell to my feet at his mention of Castella.

"Anyone who knew too much," I sighed. "Which was almost us as well."

"It could still be us," corrected Darrance, and he looked at Brutis. "So, are you sure it's Space Marines?"

Brutis gave him a severe look. "Of course, I'm not sure, but only Space Marines could take out the PDF defences in orbit with so smaller fleet. I wish that Wesley still lived; maybe he could've negotiated Torathe to stand down. Torathe is also fething Ordo Malleus, so they could be frigging Grey Knights."

"Grey...Knights?" said Helma, her brow furrowed in bemusement.

"I'm sorry," said Brutis. "But if I told you any more, I'd have to kill you."

Helma sniggered, but her laughter drained away when she saw Brutis' grim face quickly indicated it wasn't a joke.

My eyes narrowed. "Even still, you should tell us what these Grey Knights are, Inquisitor, if we're to potentially fight them. Know your enemy and all that."

His attention snapped at me, his face an abrupt mask of rage. I didn't flinch; I met his look and let him know what I thought with a furrowed brow and clenched jaw.

His anger was gone as quickly as it'd come, and he looked away. "I'll tell you only if it's confirmed it's them," he said.

"Could they seriously be even worse than Space Marines?" said Roldar.

"Yes," said Brutis. "Yes, they can, and yes, they are."

My heart sank, as did everyone else's, indicated by their looks of dismay; hell, even Helma looked scared for a second or so.

"Captain Helma," said Brutis, taking the initiative as usual. "I think it's best if you rescind that order to blow up the mansion and evacuate your men back to Taryst's tower immediately."

"Yeah! Got you!" she said, activated her vox link and began barking orders into it.

"Attelus and the rest of you get back there as well," said Brutis. "I suggest you get your Magistratum Marshalls there as well, detective Karkin."

"Why?" Arlathan asked.

Brutis sighed. "I know I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I have a feeling that the Space Marines will send a strike force as soon as they hit orbit, one to take out what they think is the root of the issue."

"Taryst!" I gasped, and instantly my thoughts