Крип / Kryp: Отряд_2.9

Chapter 9

Camrad_RIP 15.11.21 в 21:40

That's how Olga missed the Vigil. There were no particular consequences. Only the Priest read prayers with her in two voices for almost an hour, and Bertha forced her to undress and examined every inch of Olga's body. In other circumstances, this would have looked insulting, but both the counselor and the shepherd looked concerned, and they approached the matter with absolute seriousness. But eventually, things calmed down.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:03

As the late dawn flooded the tundra and the warehouse complex with dim light, the train set off again, ringing the snow-covered landscape with siren cries and the hymn 'Rejoice in worship'. Nothing happened for a couple of hours. The only noteworthy events were the picturesque grimaces of Flagellant Sinner, who was visibly suffering after his vigil. Olga even plucked up courage by offering to help the sufferer. She did not count on consent, but Sinner suddenly nodded with gratitude, and Driver brought a jar of smelly ointment. Kryp looked at it all obliquely, but no one asked him.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:12

Rubbing the white grease into Sinner's bruised back, Olga looked curiously around his compartment. The atmosphere here, like that of the other detachments, was strictly Spartan, with plenty of religious symbolism. It gave the impression that every square inch of it was devoted to the worship of a cult. Small engravings, figurines, aquiles, collected, it seemed, on a hundred planets, so different was their style. Sacred texts are printed on single sheets and simply torn from books. Where there was empty space, there were again the aquiles, but they were hand-drawn, inaccurately but painstakingly, with the traces of numerous erasures and corrections.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:15

From the intermediate level came the Madman's loud prayers. He seemed to have been screaming all night and had lost his voice, so the words combined into an indistinct stream, with 'Emperor' and 'Evil' breaking through like stones in a stormy river. No one interrupted the poor man, and that was most distressing as if everyone in the carriage sincerely believed that the indecipherable grumbling was really helping.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:19

Having finished the procedure, Olga covered the sick man with a towel similar to a bath towel. The decrepit fabric was hidden under a lot of awkwardly and crookedly embroidered words. Something like 'Empirator vin' and so on. Returning to her room, the girl reflected and took note - no one was chasing the squad away for another drill and chores. In other circumstances, the whole squad would have long ago been jumping on the icy wind-blown roof and scrubbing the tank for the thousandth time. But now every squadron member was left to their own devices.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:35

The rings creaked and the tarp pulled aside.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:36

"Don't close," the Holy Man sternly pointed out. "Open all the curtains! And so until morning."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:36

Olga shrugged her shoulders perplexedly. At the same time, she glanced askance at Kryptman's place. Fidus furnished the compartment about the same as she did. That is, almost nothing, in the style of beggarly laconicism. The only thing that somehow diversified the meager furnishings was a portrait in a beautiful metal frame, either a black and white photograph or a good stylization of a photograph. It showed Fidus, only obviously older, with his military 'hedgehog' haircut, and the edges of his lips curled down in a grouchy and discontented manner. Probably his father. Or an older brother.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:39

The servitor sat silently on a shelf, next to a large box of riveted strips of metal. It must have held the parts and other gear necessary to maintain a living machine. Hidden in the flesh were mechanisms that buzzed and clicked quietly and generally contrasted with the stillness of the living machine. Kryp shaved the mechanical dead man's head with the utmost care, and then, armed with a rag and a spray bottle like deodorant, began carefully cleaning and polishing the contacts that went straight into the grayish-yellow skin. Servitor was left without his monstrous shotgun. Bertha had taken it away and locked it in the armory - anything more dangerous than a knife on board was strictly forbidden.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:43

Olga was tempted to ask if there was any semblance of intelligence left in the metal stuffed head, but after some deliberation, the girl changed her mind. The hell with it. Instead of asking, she unscrewed the thumbscrews of the locks and looked out the window again.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:44

The clouds seemed very low, surprisingly heavy, it seemed - stand on the roof of the 'Radial' and you could touch it with outstretched fingers. It was strange that the flagpole with the Squad's banner did not scratch the sky. On the left hand, there was a view of the ocean, unremarkable except for its scale. Otherwise, the Arctic is the Arctic, everything is dull and cold, encased in a solid ice shell. Olga already knew that the surface of the ocean is hardly used, but underwater farms are well developed. As a result, despite the eternal winter and stunted agriculture, the Ice Port was self-sufficient in food, processing algae biomass into dozens of types of food concentrates.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:45

To the right was a vast expanse of identical squat buildings, as if they had been buried deep, with only the roofs protruding above the frozen ground. Pillars of thick smoke rose from long chimneys, revealing strenuous underground activity. In the distance, near the horizon line, there was a dark strip of what looked like dense construction, probably a city, maybe a huge factory.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:46

The train rolled leisurely past a large building that resembled a traffic guard's booth, only many times larger. On the second floor, there was a tram-like carriage, and behind the windows, you could see some kind of movement, as if the carriage were an observation booth. And behind the booth was a factory complex, but strange-looking, like some gray concrete boxes after the war. The windows scintillated with broken glass, a dark brick chimney sticking out like the stump of a broken pencil. Outside were thrown bridges, scaffolding, and metal ladders that looked temporary and unreliable as hell. Figures of workers scurried about like ants, seemingly clearing and repairing things.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:51

The outside light changed, the dim afternoon light-filled with pinkish-burgundy hues as if the clouds themselves glowed grimly and menacingly. Olga blinked and rubbed her eyes, but the illusion did not disappear. The world around her seemed like a photograph, taken through a pink filter. The train began to climb up, climbing a high embankment. Here 'Radial' passed a continuous series of low hills, and Olga could not refrain from a silent exclamation of surprise.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:53

Everything the girl had seen before at the 'Beacon'. It seemed well-maintained. Not too friendly, but quite settled. And now the armored train was rolling amidst an area of immense destruction. It was as if the whole coast had been massively bombed. There was nothing left here above human height, and it seemed that some force was stubbornly trying to turn the landscape inside out, burying the high and vice versa. The already low trees were jutting out in broken stumps, and numerous buildings had only foundations left among the piles of rubble and debris. Farms, towers, power trunks, and all the metal elements had become jagged, twisted sculptures of a mad installer. The eye clung to a few flying machines that were lying around as if they had fallen to the ground in mid-flight and were rusted through.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:58

'Radial' was moving in a wide arc, giving a good opportunity to see everything in detail. The only thing that looked relatively new and intact here was a large bridge, running on high pylons parallel to the railroad track. It looked like a temporary, erected structure and crossed a wide barrier that looked like the dried-up bed of a deep river. Looking closely and correlating the giant 'scour' with the destruction, Olga realized that it was not a riverbed. It was as if something gigantic had crawled out of the ocean and moved inland through the coastal development, accompanied by a brutal bombardment.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 09:59

"Who did that...?" She asked quietly.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:01

"This, my child, is the work of the Evil," said a deep, familiar voice behind me, clearly marking 'Evil' with a capital letter.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:02

"Six months ago, when the Squad was downsized by almost half."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:02

The Priest pushed back the tarpaulin barrier and, anticipating Olga, explained:

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:03

"It is true, in such places and at such times one cannot be alone, unattended. But pastoral communion requires solitude when the troubled soul is calmed by coming face to face with the light of truth"

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:04

The bulky man sat on a creaking shelf and opened a bible, which was a brief extract of the social and political structure of the Imperium mixed with excerpts from various saints. A very convenient tool for enlightenment, all the knowledge at one's fingertips.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:05

"Let's pray."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:05

It certainly didn't sound like a suggestion. With her head bowed and her thumbs crossed, Olga diligently repeated after the monk the words of the prayer on duty. She already understood the meaning, but her knowledge of Gothic did not allow her to pronounce it fluently yet.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:10

"So, let's go on," the Priest said as thay finished.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:11

"Yeah," Olga agreed as if she had a choice. She sat down, straightening her back and folding her hands respectfully in her lap.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:12

"Have you thought well about our last lesson?" the shepherd sternly questioned.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:12

"Yes," said the girl in a disciplined manner.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:15

"Great. Then a question."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:15

The Priest was quiet, still looking sternly and attentively at Olga.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:15

"What is the weirdest thing about the Imperium? The most wrong?"

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:17

"The Imperium is the abode of humanity!" the girl said at once and without a stammer. "A well-appointed house, guarded by gatekeepers with a number of..."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:17

She lost her way and, embarrassed, began to count by curling her fingers.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:24

The Emperor and His Light, that is, the soul and guiding beacon of humanity. Ecclesiarchy, the heart of humanity. Arbiters, the bone of humanity. The Inquisition, the conscience of humanity. The Guard, the smashing hand.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:24

"Slashing hand." The Priest, in whose eyes there were sparks of benevolent irony, hinted.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:26

"Yes, yes, the slashing hand... and shield. The Munistorum, the mind of humanity. Together they form a harmonious, perfect body. There."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:27

Olga looked at the Priest in triumph. He nodded, paying tribute to his student's memory.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:27

"That's right," he said, squinting a little, like a well-fed but attentive cat. "That's the way it is. But... So, what's the weirdest, the wrongest thing about the Imperium?

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:28

"So it's perfect," the girl glanced suspiciously at the shepherd.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:28

"The Imperium is perfect, as an extension of the Emperor, of course," Shepherd agreed. "But it exists in the senses and understanding of a multitude of people. Because if there were no people, there would be no Imperium, right?"

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:29

"Uh... Yes," the student agreed cautiously.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:29

She was not afraid. In several very helpful lectures-sermons, she had already understood that the Priest was not going to throw her into the atomic furnace for a wrong answer. The servant of the Ecclesiarchy was quite genuinely concerned about the new novice's soul and faith, and he was doing what no one else in the world had bothered to do. Telling her how the gigantic empire of a million planets was organized, who the local god was, and so on. But the girl tried not to forget that she was dealing with religion, and she could get burned for it. Probably.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:34

"You're human, aren't you?" The Priest looked sternly at Olga. She nodded quickly.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:34

"And you have your own opinion about the Imperium.!

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:35

Olga looked longingly at the Priest's collar. She felt like a schoolgirl with an unlearned lesson when she could not dodge it and had to answer something.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:36

"Don't try to guess what I want to hear. Tell me what you think."

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:36

"Well... so... you know," the girl mumbled.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:37

"Yes?" the minister of the cult encouraged her.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:38

"It's... wrong," she just whispered the last word.

Camrad_RIP 16.11.21 в 10:38