Крип / Kryp: Отряд_3.17

Chapter 17

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 19:50

"He's alive," Essen Pale thought for a moment and clarified just in case. "They are alive."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 19:50

"Yes," agreed Schmettau. "But, to tell you the truth, that's the second thing I'm worried about right now. Or even third..."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 19:51

Such thinking aloud had become habitual for an inquisitor many years ago. To speak out a question, to deconstruct and dissect a problem or a difficult subject. Moreover, being sure that what was said would never, under any circumstances, escape to the side, not even a half-word.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 19:52

"I had planned to celebrate the end of Kryptman's life... But the Emperor," Shmettau raised his index finger meaningfully. "The Emperor."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 19:53

Pale, as usual, stood at attention with his hands at his seams. Now that the inquisitor had removed his wig, the patchwork of scars covering his perfectly bald head became visible. Essen listened intently, knowing precisely his primary duty - to be a mute witness to the great man's great thoughts. To make pertinent remarks from time to time. And, in exceptional cases, to act as an opponent.
(1)

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:05

Kalkroit sat up, literally sprawled out in a chair perfectly suited to the anatomy of an old and sick man. He exhaled heavily, relaxing. It was not often that he could find time to rest his worn, but still native spine in peace, without unnecessary haste. And to think a little about a curious mishap.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:06

The white tones of the small cabin were peaceful, the porthole overhead offered a view of the immensity of the universe and helped broaden the inner horizons.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:07

"So what do we see..." The inquisitor continued to reason, both for himself and for the patient Essen. The apprentice listened patiently, understanding that the question was purely rhetorical.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:08

"We see a planet without a name, but with the nickname Ice Port. Or the Beacon."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:08

Schmettau raised a second finger.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:09

"The dying sun, the only planet. Cold. Nothing useful. However..."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:10

Third finger.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:11

"The system is a navigational center of sectoral magnitude. Beacons, as well as astropathic towers, are placed on artificial satellites and asteroids. But the control center and all the accompanying structures are planetary. So this squalor is more populated than it justifiably deserves. And...

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:18

Schmettau paused for what looked like a theatrical pause, but was not. The inquisitor was just thinking.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:21

"And we see the clearest example of duality. One could even say the dialectical opposite. Why the beacon? Because here, due to the well-known events, the Materium's substance has thinned. Is it a good thing? Undoubtedly. Navigators, Imperial Tarot operators, and astropaths will cling to the Ice Port with their hands, teeth, and other parts of their bodies that suddenly grow occasionally. But is there a downside?"

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:23

Schmettau looked at Essen, who correctly interpreted the patron's gaze and said:

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:24

"Yes, it is."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:24

"Exactly!" Kalkroit raised another finger. "Where Materium diminishes, increases accordingly... the other side. This means there's a lot of hostile forces, and the local services are working very hard. They've even tried to recruit me, and they're sure to try again. The cultists, the hosts, the rituals, the experiments of self-taught sorcerers... All are two or three or five times more frequent than the standard manifestations for planets of this class and level of population. But that's the price you have to pay for transport connectivity. Especially now, when the Sabbath grinder is just gaining momentum. Everything seems to be as it should be."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:28

The Inquisitor pressed a lever, and with a quiet whirring sound the chair turned into a couch. Now Kalkroit was almost lying there, staring up at the transparent ceiling.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:30

"What do you think, my friend, is troubling me?" The inquisitor inquired, enjoying some peace for his worn backbone.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:34

If he wished, Schmettau could have replaced the spine long ago, either partially or entirely. As time passed, however, Kalkroit shrugged off the euphoria afforded by highly advanced medicine. Yes, it is possible to live long, it is possible to recover from such wounds as were fatal to the primitive people of antiquity. But by virtue of the same dialectic, when you acquire something, you inevitably give something in return. And already not young inquisitor began to appreciate humanity, expressed in quite real kilograms of living flesh. Too many prostheses, too much alien matter in his body... So much so that at times the Inquisitor wondered if he would ever cross the line that separates humans and 'cogs'.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:36

"I think it's a haphazard fluctuation in the manifestations of the Immaterium," Essen allowed himself to speculate.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:36

"Exactly, exactly," Schmettau nodded in time with the words. "Everything in the world develops in a sine wave, with ups and downs. But when we see an anomalous pattern..."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:37

The Inquisitor looked in the direction of the only table piled with printouts and individual picts. All of them displayed intricate graphs of varying degrees of detail. All of them repeated in various variations the same picture - a jagged line like a curved saw, then a sharp drop with a flat plateau and an equally sharp rise, much higher than the previous peak.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:38

Everything in the world has a cause. If you know the cause, you know the consequence. If you understand the consequences, you will prevent trouble," Schmettau freely quoted the 'admonition of the young inquisitor'. - And, I must say, I have a certain uneasiness...

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:41

The Pale made the appropriate expression of concern, coupled with the utmost attention.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:42

"... Because I see an anomaly that does not fit the statistics. First, a stable period of typical chaotic presence with ups and downs," Schmettau marked the movement with his palm, as if he were smoothing out invisible small waves. - Then the climax, when the Squad lost two-thirds of its manpower so that there is now one squad per radial, and even less on the second category lines. The crap crawls out of the ocean, which ended up being disembodied, mobilizing almost half the planet, as well as the Fleet's forces. And then total silence. A drop-in activity to zero. In fact, remission."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:44

Shmettau sharply held up the fingers of his left hand with a closed 'plank,' as if he had cut invisible threads.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:44

"And now a new burst beyond statistical projections. How could it be?"

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:49

"The first option is obvious," Essen had studied his commander well, so he knew exactly when to push Schmettau's thinking in the right direction. "This is part of an even longer cycle that goes beyond observable and reliable statistics."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:49

"And it's obvious, really!" agreed the inquisitor, staring out the window. "It makes sense. First a very long, well, by human standards, of course, a long band of ordinary disturbances, then a flash, and then a depletion reaction. Then now we are likely to see a long band of fading oscillations. And the beginning of a new cycle."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:51

He sighed.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:51

"It's a pity that there is little, too little, reliable data... And in their absence, once bitten, twice shy."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:51

The inquisitor was eloquently silent, again giving his student and assistant the opportunity to speak.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:54

"The second option," Essen said. "The unexpected factor."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:58

"Which one?"

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 20:59

Essen spread his hands faintly, showing his empty palms.

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 21:05

"I don't know."

Camrad_RIP 24.11.21 в 21:06

"Exactly," said the inquisitor thoughtfully. "As the ancients used to say, 'Ignoramus et ignorabimus,' that is, 'we do not know and will not know'... But we, like the guards of a besieged house, can only afford the luxury of not knowing, and that's only temporary."

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:11

Schmettau folded the chair back into its traditional position. He slapped his broad palms on the soft leather of the armrests, beating out a simple rhythm.

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:12

"And I don't like it," the inquisitor said into the white space. "I don't like it at all. The last time I saw something like this, there was a bloody pact on three sides. I don't think it's the same here, of course..."

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:13

Schmettau dragged himself out of the comfortable embrace of his favorite chair. The waist immediately responded with a prick of insistent pain. The Inquisitor mentally showed the weak flesh a fuck, recalling where the compensatory belt had gone.

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:16

"It seems to me that the Ordos forces in the Beacon system are quite professional and numerous," Essen suggested. "There's no point in doing their work for them.:

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:17

"Your problem, my friend," muttered Schmettau, rubbing his kidney area. - Lack of fantasy. And a narrow imagination. Why should we care about any of that?"

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:18

The apprentice could hardly suppress a smile. It was very amusing to see the great and terrible Schmettau grunting and massaging his sore back in an old man's way.

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:37

"Maybe it doesn't. Maybe none of this means anything," Kalkroit elaborated. - Or maybe it's the other way around. The latter is evidenced by the disturbing movement of the Martians. The pot-heads are up to something, and their activity coincides so well with this... ...fluctuation... How bizarrely and strangely intertwined. The Beacon problem, Kryptman, the Martians. That girl, finally, for whom our conscientious hero has gone for the noose."

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:38

"Sounds like the actions of a lovesick man," Essen allowed himself to surmise.

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:59

"Oh, don't be silly," said the master. "Fidus had only one love, and we know her name. No. It was his conscience that drove him here. It was a sense of indebtedness. And whatever feelings I had for him, you must admit it was a worthy deed. A very decent thing to do. Though infinitely stupid."

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 05:59

Essen pursed his lips, making a grimace of disagreement and even a slight confrontation. But he remained silent.

Camrad_RIP 25.11.21 в 06:00