Крип / Kryp: Отряд_3.14

Chapter 14

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 11:54

Three days before X day...

* * *

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:10

'Kowalski' proved to be an extremely fast ship. Leaving Immaterium forty-three point and eighty-one hundredths of a standard hour later than the main convoy, the heavy transport cruiser, however, arrived first in high orbit 140101-55524-R54024-52928P10.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:12

"Nice ship, captain," Doturov said in a low voice of praise. "However, according to the maneuver decision, 'Kowalski' has yet to correct the gravity maneuver at the planet's smaller satellite."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:13

"According to the official tactical sheet, our four plasma engines develop an acceleration of 3.35 g. However, in a test near Uranus, I passed the Jupiter with 3.92 g afterburner, two-hundredths of a second faster than the 'Secutor' light cruiser that accompanied us."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:15

As requested, a recording appeared on the main holo-screen, judging by the metadata, made by the Imperial Fleet's 'Sekutor' itself. The auspices nonchalantly recorded the 'Kowalski,' lowering her bow relative to her acceleration vector and lifting her stern like an Eldar 'Sigil'. Trembling with every rivet and fluttering about thirty meters against the aft deck, she went farther and farther away until she was lost in the Milky Way.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:41

"Your capabilities definitely inspire the crew and glorify Omnissiah not by word, but by deed."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:44

"Our cruiser is the best ship to have come off the slipway of the Ring in the past five centuries. We are all proud to serve on it, and we praise Omnissiah and Mars tirelessly for this honor."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:46

In many aspects, Doturov agreed with the Voidmancer. However... Imperial Fleet data regarding 'Kowalski' for some reason was missing in the data bank of the current operation Lexik Arcanus. In the part about the cruiser's testing, the only audiovisual files were present. A recording of the protocols. On it, the tech-priest Captain Vallièr, flashing a necklace of red lenses, told Navis Nobilite representative Alejandro Dodson that the test of the Kowalski had not even shown half its capabilities. Moreover, the captain boasted humanly that had the fast destroyers escorted 'Kowalski' the transport cruiser would have shown what she was really capable of, outrunning 'Hunter' or even 'Cobra'. But since it was common knowledge that their propulsion groups provided acceleration over 7 g, the Logis of Parliament labeled the captain's statement as blatant bragging and atavistic tribute to 'meat' origins.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:49

However, judging by the remarks in the tactical form and the condescension of Vallier, the Logises was no less proud of the transport cruiser's marvelous machines - visible embodiments of the Gifts of Omnissia.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:51

In the metadata of the Doturov files immediately appeared a code flag marker, which would have required the computing power of an entire hive city to decipher.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:52

/Active ed0c3fa - suspicious./

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:52

"Incomplete selectively entered data. The information is corrected to demonstrate Vallier's incompetence. How could something like this happen?' Monitor Malevolis was supremely intrigued, the good news is that the internal dialogue between him and Doturov could not even be recorded, much less intercepted. "Data compromised in the Ring's data banks is considered impossible."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:54

"Apparently, the records were distorted during the tests, before the cruiser returned to Mars. But we'll find out, for sure."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:54

"Not an easy task."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:57

"Omnissiah is the Truth, and all information is a particle and reflection of Him. Information can be distorted, but it cannot be destroyed. Even single bits, collected at random, retain information about the source of origin. This means that parliament, one way or another, will gather comprehensive data on the asset that made the substitution."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:58

"Techno-heretic? Sabotage?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:58

"Unlikely. It is more likely that the asset belongs to Temple of Vanos."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 12:58

"In that case..."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:03

"At this point, we will not waste resources on processing an identified incident. We will lose the necessary accuracy of the cognitive models if we consider, among other things, the possible costs of countering unlikely actions of the Officio Assassinorum. This task will be prioritized at the end of the current operation."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:04

Perseus Theta refrained from a further argument, not because he was suppressed by the authority of the superior logis, but because Doturov was right.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:04

/I'll think about this [cruiser test mishap/causes/consequences] tomorrow,/ Doturov noted in his private log.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:05

"I should check the readiness for the landing of Adeptus Mechanicus forces, required on 140101-55524-R54024-52928P10 Voidmancer-Captain Valler," he reported upon completion of this operation.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:19

"Are you leaving 'Kowalski' already?" the captain asked.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:20

"Unfortunately for the Ain Legion, no. There is an authorization from Fabricator-General Magnos Omicron to place twelve 'Dogs of War' of the Legion under my command."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:22

The captain's optical sensors gleamed coldly in the shifting light of the holograms.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:23

"Magos Militar Divisio will be furious," said Valier as a matter of fact.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:50

"More than that," Doturov agreed.
____

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:50

"No," Magos Militar Fromm was adamant.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:53

The other four senior officers of the legion remained silent.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 13:56

"Under the circumstances, the Fabricator-General and the Mars Parliament made a timely and justified decision," Malevolis reported. "Your unwillingness to accept it is regrettable."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:03

"I cannot allow the Militaris Ain Division to lose a third of its reconnaissance vehicles at a time. The Legion is heading for Sabbat Worlds, where it will operate independently and without regular support from the Forge. That is, any damage of any kind will prove critical and put the titan out of action for a long time. Actions in the highly urbanized industrial areas of the suburban Dworkin hive zone are themselves extremely difficult. The effectiveness of orbital surveillance is below acceptable limits and without reconnaissance vehicles adequate control of tactical units is impossible."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:21

"Fabricator-General Magnos Omicron does not share such fears."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:22

"The Fabricator-General is not in command of my Militar Division!" Fromm barked. "He supplies it and nothing more! I can't take orders like that as anything other than a betrayal. Or worse, a mistake."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:24

"When I left Mars to carry out my tasks," said Monitor Malevolis after a lingering pause, "I was annoyed. The Fabricator General, I thought, was just taking up my time. And not only from me but also from himself. And the wasted time is an irrational waste of a scarce resource. Information that is not processed. Orders that are not given. Tasks that are not completed. After all, any Mechanicus will unquestioningly carry out the Omnissiah's instructions, isn't that obvious? I will now be forced to apologize to the Fabricator General for my faulty judgment."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:44

"You don't share my belief, Logis." Fromm continued to stand his ground. "Do you find my choice of epithets too harsh?'

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:46

"I'm afraid, Magos Militar, you have a somewhat distorted view of the situation. Your legion has been in battle too long, and isolation affects the flow of information and the adequacy of assessment. Need I remind you, a senior officer of the Collegium Titanic, that the interests, trials, and tribulations of a single Militar Division are infinitesimal in the real threat of supply cuts to hundreds of besieged planets in the Sabbat Worlds?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:48

"When was the last time you were in combat, Logis?" Fromm answered question after question.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:48

"What does this have to do with you not obeying Mars' orders?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:50

"The very direct. Please, Logis, answer me."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:51

"I suppose you are well aware that I am a member of the Lexicon Arcanus of the Parliament. We don't usually get directly involved in combat."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 14:59

"I am Magos Militar Divisio of the Legion of the Collegium Titanica Ain," the war machine lord listed with dignity. "It's been three hundred years. Perhaps I am not the best at the logistics part. I may not have studied the latest advances in global strategy well. But I am well versed in the nature of war, the doctrines of warfare, and the delicate relationship between the actions of the Venator and Myrmidon manipuli that determine the legion's effectiveness. Your order deprives me of three full-fledged Venato manipuli This is unacceptable!"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:00

"Re-staff the Legion. Disband two Ferrox Manipuli, reduce four Venator units by one machine."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:01

"Have you ever heard of the combat coherence of manipuli, Logis? I quote: 'Isolation distorts perception". Isolation means seclusion, detachment from the outside world, and you are partly right. But - and this is the most important thing - you have to keep in mind that there are several worlds, each subject to its own laws and conditions."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:05

"Explain."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:05

"Mars and the cares of Parliament are one world. The convoys of the St. Evisser Path, the battlefields of the Sabbat Worlds are another world, quite unlike Mars. In essence, you are completely isolated from the universe where the Legion of Ain exists. We are not adapted to operate effectively in the conditions that your order creates. This is an objective fact."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:07

"Adeptus Mechanicus can and does adapt to any conditions. Humanity has had to adapt throughout our history to survive. And we, though the best part of the race, leading the others to future greatness, are still only a part."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:09

"It takes time! A great deal of time. With the cost of our equipment, the goodness of the spirits of the machines, and the importance on the battlefield, the cost of making a mistake and losing every titan is absolutely unacceptable! Combat cohesion of groups can take years, decades, a process impossible to squeeze into the six months remaining before landing on Dvorkin. Neither the mind of the crews nor the Spirits of the Godlike Titans Machines can withstand it!"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:09

"You grievously underestimate the flexibility and incredible strength of the Mechanicus armies. They can certainly withstand such tests with honor. Millennia of victorious campaigns against hordes of all kinds of opponents is a testament to that."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:14

"As an occasional decision in the face of overwhelming influences, yes, perhaps. But I do not consider your whim to be the factor for which the rules and foundations consecrated over the centuries must be broken. The answer has been given, Monitor Malevolis, and that answer is no."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.21 в 15:15