V3 Chapter 8: The Hunting Ground of Slaanesh's Champion Lucius
Tarentus capital. Upper terrace of the governor's palace.
The warped Champion of Slaanesh raised his head and looked at the sky. Landing craft and drop pods were falling through the cloud layer, their engine trails crossing above the city, and in the distance came the continuous sound of defensive positions being broken open.
Lucius smiled.
"I said they would come."
He turned to look at the followers behind him, still howling and venting themselves on everything in reach.
"Prey that believes itself the hunter. Quite pitiful."
Several Noise Marines produced sharp laughter.
More corrupted Tarentus nobles and militia followed behind them. They wore torn banners and blood across their bodies. Whatever clarity their eyes had once held was gone, replaced entirely with fervour, trailing after what they perceived as perfect angels of the Emperor.
Lucius did not watch the sky any further.
He led his followers back from the terrace and deeper into the governor's palace. The halls there had already been reshaped into his stage, and more sound was waiting for its audience to arrive.
On orbit, aboard the Resolute's command bridge, Duvette still stood before the hololithic projections.
He was past the point in any campaign where going down personally at the opening was the right call.
More than fifty thousand warriors were pushing forward on different fronts. He needed to hold the rhythm of the entire battle, and to identify the precise moment to activate his skills so that the main force could simply roll through any node that proved resistant.
What he had not expected was that this battle did not even need his active skills yet.
The local PDF and civilian militia had no business being in the same engagement as elite Astra Militarum, let alone Astartes. On the hololithic strategic map, the red markers representing enemy positions were disappearing rapidly under the Imperial advance.
In less than a day, the outer rebel forces had begun to break and flee.
The three assault vectors into the capital had all successfully entered the planet's largest city.
Every front was pushing toward the city centre.
Rebel resistance was disorganised, and many strongpoints collapsed quickly after contact.
Duvette watched the harsh red marker sitting on the governor's palace position. If this city was hiding a Chaos nexus, the governor's palace was the obvious candidate.
At that moment, an incoming frontline communication cut through his thinking.
Anderson's voice came through the channel, carrying a faint note of something running into an obstacle.
"My lord, we have a problem here."
Duvette turned toward the relevant projection.
The street grid Anderson occupied was expanded on display. It was a central plaza. The surrounding buildings had been cleared by fire, and both Salamanders unit markers and Second Assault Regiment identification signals were showing in the same location.
"Report."
Anderson said it steadily. "Every civilian we have encountered on the approach is showing red. The resistance remnants are the same."
Duvette's eyes sharpened.
"Mental state?"
"Appears stable," Anderson said. "They know who they are. They know to ask us for help. The problem is the Salamanders want to pull them back."
Duvette did not respond immediately.
Anderson continued. "I disagree. If those people cause problems behind the line, the evacuation points, the medicae stations, the ammunition supply areas: all of it is at risk. Captain Harath Shen is insisting on getting them out. We have already reached an impasse."
The bridge went quiet.
Evan looked at Duvette.
Duvette studied the projection for a moment.
If this were standard Chaos corruption, he would issue an isolation order without hesitation. The problem here was that the civilians presented normally and the resistance fighters were still identifying themselves as loyal.
The Salamanders would not accept a summary solution.
Duvette reached his decision.
"Evan, take over bridge coordination."
Evan saluted immediately.
"Yes, my lord."
Duvette turned and walked toward the bridge exit.
"I am going down to look at this myself."
He had taken only a few steps when two figures were already waiting at the doorway.
Yvraine and Sylandri were wearing the long robes of Inquisitorial attached personnel, hoods pulled low. Sylandri raised her head to look at Duvette, and there was an unusual seriousness in her eyes.
"We are coming down as well."
Duvette stopped and looked at her.
Sylandri said: "I have sensed the gaze of the Hungry Lady."
She looked toward the Tarentus tactical projection.
"This place is not as straightforward as it appears."
Duvette looked at her for a moment, then at Yvraine.
An Aeldari standing her ground in the presence of Slaanesh and not retreating—he had not encountered that before.
"Agreed," Duvette said, with a quiet exhale. He did not block them. "But do not let the Ultramarines or the Salamanders see your faces."
"Or the complications will not come only from Chaos."
Sylandri gave a nod.
"I am well aware."
Yvraine said nothing. She simply pulled her hood lower.
Shortly afterward, Duvette boarded a landing craft with a Storm Trooper squad and two Salamanders. The two Aeldari accompanied them under the cover of Inquisitorial attached advisors, their external identities pre-authorised by Werner.
The battle in the Tarentus capital was still ongoing.
As the landing craft passed through the low-altitude smoke, Duvette looked out through the viewport at the hexagonal city below. Multiple sections of the outer wall had already been breached. Firefights were still in progress between districts. The main thoroughfares were covered in wreckage.
Urban combat was always complicated.
Even with Eye of Judgement active throughout the 112th, each block still had to be cleared in turn. Many buildings still held survivors. Many of those survivors were showing red.
One wrong call meant hitting the wrong target.
The landing craft put down in a district under Mordian Iron Guard control.
Duvette stepped out of the ramp and saw the towers on the far section of the city wall at first glance.
The hexagonal outer wall carried six towers, positioned in six directions, part of the city's planned design. The Mordian Iron Guard was currently clearing enemy forces from two of those towers.
Both towers were also showing red.
Compared to the governor's palace direction, however, the intensity there was considerably weaker.
The rebel forces still inside the city were continuing to fall back toward the centre.
Duvette looked toward the governor's palace.
On his System strategic map, a dense concentration of large red markers was clustered there.
Whatever was waiting at the governor's palace was considerably stronger than what had been encountered elsewhere.
Duvette opened the Ultramarines tactical channel immediately.
"Captain Ideaus. Chief Librarian Tigurius."
The channel connected after a brief delay.
Ideaus responded. "Go ahead."
"The governor's palace almost certainly contains Chaos Astartes," Duvette said. "My soldiers have identified relevant indicators. Advance with caution."
Tigurius did not respond immediately.
After a moment, his voice came through.
"I also sense something waiting there."
Duvette gave a nod.
"Once I have handled matters here, I will move to link up with you."
He cut the channel and moved toward the central plaza where the Salamanders were located.
The plaza and its surrounding area were under the joint control of the Second Assault Regiment and the Salamanders. The buildings nearby were still burning. The Mordian Iron Guard had established a temporary line, and several medicae soldiers were tending to casualties at the plaza's edge.
Duvette entered the plaza and immediately saw the crowd.
A large number of civilians and resistance fighters had gathered behind the Salamanders: the elderly, children, and local resistance soldiers in damaged uniforms. Their faces showed terror and despair, and at the sight of Imperial forces, something resembling hope had appeared in their eyes alongside it.
But in Duvette's sight, every single one of them was lit with red.
At the centre of the plaza, Harath Shen and Anderson were in open disagreement.
The Salamanders Fourth Company commander's broad frame stood in front of the civilians, his voice low but carrying no intention of giving ground.
Anderson was holding his thunder hammer, his force-feedback power armour still showing marks from the fighting. When he saw Duvette, he stopped the exchange immediately and rendered a salute.
Then he stepped back and positioned himself behind Duvette.
That one movement said everything about where he stood.
He followed his commanding officer.
Harath Shen also turned to look at Duvette.
"Commissar Duvette."
"Captain Harath Shen."
Duvette returned the acknowledgement.
Harath Shen gestured toward the civilians and resistance fighters behind him.
"They need to be evacuated."
His voice was steady.
"There is still fighting here. If they remain in this plaza, they will die."
Duvette looked at the gathered people. They appeared entirely normal, which was precisely what made this difficult.
Duvette was quiet for a moment. "They are very likely contaminated."
Harath Shen met his gaze. "But they can still speak. They still know how to pray to the Emperor."
"I know," Duvette said, without raising his voice. "But my assessment does not give false readings."
Harath Shen did not give ground. "The Salamanders cannot leave Imperial citizens in the middle of a warzone."
Duvette looked at the civilians.
A visible difficulty crossed his face: the first time this chapter had put something genuinely hard in front of him.
Eye of Judgement did not produce red without cause.
But these people were not out of control. He did not yet know what was keeping them stable, or how long that stability would hold.
Sending them into the rear echelon and having the contamination manifest there would carry a very high cost.
Duvette said at last: "I can redirect a large Mordian Iron Guard contingent here."
Harath Shen said nothing.
Duvette continued. "Establish a temporary refugee compound centred on this plaza. Food, water, medicae support, and a guard detail."
"But they cannot leave here." He looked at Harath Shen. "With Chaos contamination at this level of severity, I cannot confirm whether these people have already been compromised. A single failure of containment could produce consequences far beyond this plaza."
Harath Shen went silent.
The civilians behind the Salamanders had heard the exchange. Fear crossed many of their faces. They did not know exactly what was happening: only that the Imperial forces did not seem to intend to take them out immediately.
Anderson said nothing.
After a moment, Harath Shen spoke.
"I accept this compromise."
Duvette gave a nod.
"The Mordian Iron Guard will be here within five minutes."
Harath Shen said: "The Salamanders will leave some of our warriors to assist with the watch."
"Agreed."
Duvette looked at Anderson.
"Assign people to stay and help establish the perimeter. No one leaves the plaza without orders. No one makes unsanctioned contact with outside units."
Anderson responded at once.
"Yes, Commissar."
The situation here had barely been brought under control when the Ultramarines channel suddenly erupted with combat sounds.
The channel carried the sound of boltgun fire, and above it the sharp, light laughter of an enemy enjoying every moment of it.
Then Ideaus's voice broke through.
"Traitor Astartes!"
Duvette looked toward the governor's palace, then raised a hand and drew both Entropy's Song and his power sword.
"Anderson, bring your people and follow."
He looked at Harath Shen. "This position is yours."
Harath Shen did not object.
Duvette turned with the Storm Trooper squad and moved toward the governor's palace.
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