Крип / Kryp: Отряд_4.25

Part 5

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 20:20

A bit of kindness

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 20:20

Chapter 25

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 20:20

"Two hundred and fifteen kilometers per hour," commented Schmettau. "It seems that for this steam monster, the resistance of the medium has been abolished."

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 20:43

The Inquisitor had swapped his sybaritic robe and slippers for a blue wool tracksuit with white stripes on the sides, and special shoes that Olga would call sneakers. From the outside, Schmettau looked more like an elderly but vivacious athlete who, despite a solid tummy, was still trying to hold on to some kind of shape. A retired middle-aged administrator balances his love of meat with sports, and he will run for another ten years from the inevitable heart attack. In practice, however, it was the form in which Kalkroit preferred to pack in a battle suit.

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 20:44

"When I see such things, I come dangerously close to the idea that the Machine God is an independent deity, and not a hypostasis of the Emperor," honestly confessed the inquisitor. "Of course, I think about it briefly and with the obligatory penance to atone for heretical thoughts. But still..."

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 21:20

Pale bowed his head in silence, admitting a certain rightness in the master's words. The image from the satellite was jittery, the channel density was insufficient for a normal broadcast, and the darkness of the night was also interfering. Essen experimented with contrast, removed the color, and then cranked the resolution almost to the minimum, as a result, the converging transports seemed poorly docked rectangles. But even so, it was clear that the monstrous hauler at the head of the 'Radial' had gone far beyond what was possible for an ordinary machine. In the thermal spectrum, the steam locomotive glowed like a transparent glass toy with a crimson bulb inside. Over the years Kalkroyt had dealt with all sorts of machinery, so he knew that the old tractor was long overdue to drive straight into the Omnissiah Palace.

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 21:23

"They have a chance," the inquisitor suggested. "I think they might get through first. Barely, but they might."

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 21:23

The pursuer plowed the snow-covered steppe, like an ironclad with a battering ram. Snow fountains flew around, leaving a visible trail on either side of the low railroad embankment. The tracks were converging at an acute angle, and the automatic hand had already moved the rails.

Camrad_RIP 01.12.21 в 21:35

"Yes, there's a chance. But it's going to be in meters," the archivist said, looking at the screen. "And I don't see how that helps them. A clash is inevitable anyway."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:23

"Soon they'll be out of sight," added Pale, frowning. "And we can't reassign another satellite quickly, we don't have the authority."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:24

"Well, then, we don't have much time left," decided Schmettau philosophically, then turned to the archivist. "What news?"

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:27

Moving with a sedate slowness - influenced more by numerous injuries than by senile infirmity - Kalkroit's longtime secretary laid out over a large map an equally large sheet of transparent and flexible plastic. The map depicted the industrial region and 'City-22,' the epicenter of a hemispheric disaster. A major transportation hub as well as a concentration of local culture with two museums, a real theater and, of course, temples. The pen of the archivist had already made three-color marks on the transparent sheet, and evaluating the scribbles of the assistant, the inquisitors grimaced as if they bit one lemon from both sides at once. The sight did not inspire optimism.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:30

"I thought it would be better," thought Schmettau aloud. "Heads would fly. A lot of heads. To miss such a breakthrough... Either the local Inquisition has decayed to the point of complete incapacity, or..."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:31

Kalkroit cast a brief glance at his companion, as if to invite him to show his keenness of thought and to finish the assumption. Pale got it right, and did not let him down, giving it away at once with his usual reasonableness:

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:32

"A heretic of sectoral scale has worked here. Rather, a group of well-trained and experienced specialists, skilled in high-level sorcery practices. I would assume that there is at least one renegade among them who knows how to bypass the complex security net. Otherwise, even very clever sorcerers wouldn't be able to fool everyone, both the arbiters and our brethren, so cleverly."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:33

"Hmm... Yes, I think you're right," agreed Schmettau. "And I seem to recall that the old senile Wimpfen warned of something similar... I'll have to reread that memorandum of his."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:34

Kalkroit chewed his lips, trying to remember, the archivist prompted:

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:37

"The quarterly bulletin 'On Possible Threats', a general mailing on the system, was given to you along with other materials on the Beacon according to the regulations of the status of the present but not officially included in the Inquisitor's investigations."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:38

"The bulletin will be delivered," Essen promised. "Wimpfen had warned of the possible presence of a 'roving' group of Slaaneshites who organized specific sorcery practices on the client's sacrificial material. Sort of like high-level mercenaries, working for a fraction of the energy released in the course of the sacrifice. They are so effective that they provided a certain guarantee for their work."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:40

That Wimpfen suggested a connection between the mythical 'mercenaries' and the irretrievably destroyed cursed 'Alpha' Legion of Renegades, Essen kept silent. That was the main reason why the memorandum was sent 'under the table'.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:42

"Even so?" Schmettau was genuinely surprised. "I can see why no one took the warning seriously. These freelance companies are settled in hives or very dense systems, on such sparsely populated planets, it is difficult for them to hide. But the gravity of the mistake doesn't make it any easier. Okay, let's take a look at the new rundown. So..."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:44

The inquisitor ran his thick finger along the red dotted line, which was accompanied by frequent symbols in the form of little bombs.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:44

"I see the bogeyman crawling from the coast right toward the city."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 04:45

"There is no way to stop it," commented Palet. "Not enough force, everyone within ten kilometers of the epicenter has lost their human form in the literal sense. A fifty-kilometer radius is almost guaranteed insanity, the only exceptions being the small groups gathered around the conductors of the true faith. Garrisons, police detachments, congregations in temples, and so on. The 200-kilometer line."..

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:14

'I see," Shmettau interrupted, glancing at the pad of operational markers. "So there's not much power and even less organization, and what the Inquisitors and Arbitrators can manage is a drop in the sea. But the potheads have shown themselves to be fighters, I see..."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:15

"Ordinary mechanicus are just as exposed as ordinary humans," Essen explained. "But the Martian detachments that have arrived are, in fact, the only organized force in the region. They even tried to set up some sort of evacuation until a row of hosts appeared in the center of the city."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:17

"Not at a good time the planetary leadership decided to disband this... squad," said Schmettau.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:18

"From what we've seen of the 'Sixty-four', that's not a fact," Pale said. "Obviously, the purificators are just as vulnerable as the others."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:18

"But someone commands the Twelfth," muttered Schmettau. "And I don't believe Fidus is a conductor of the true faith. Well, all right. By all signs, the city will be blown to smithereens by an oceanic alien. Orbit's silent?"

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:20

"Rather confused," replied the archivist. "Their protocols are not designed for this scale of sabotage, and the available forces are insufficient. They're sending out requests, preparing landing parties, but I'd say for another five or six hours the orbital forces are useless."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:25

"Of course," said the Inquisitor sardonically. "And then they'll turn panic-stricken to the Fleet and start carpet-bombing to bury evidence of personal incompetence under the rubble. Everything as usual."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 05:27

Essen and the archivist looked at each other, silently and synchronously shrugged their shoulders, as if that were the harsh truth of life, there was nothing to be done.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 06:52

"What about the impact in general? - Shmettau continued grumpily. "Have you determined the nature and the origin?"

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 06:52

"As our surveillance and radio interception service shows," the archivist spoke tediously, monotonously, like a real servitor. "The nature of the hostile influence is not constant, it is a combination of alternating attacks with a well-defined amplitude. It seems to me the most accurate term for what is going on is 'pulsation'. Take a look at the rhythm."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 06:54

The archivist handed a long scroll to Schmettau with all due deference. The sheet looked very much like the charts the inquisitors had evaluated before, but with only one line, like a cardiograph tape. Essen, taking advantage of his height, peered over the patron's shoulder.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 06:59

"Periodicity..." Kalkroit muttered, scribbling symbols on the timeline with his fingernail. "Clearly marked peaks, where people went mad en masse, then remission. At first it was about twenty minutes between peaks, now it's down to three or four... A very strange rhythm. Strange... and familiar. I feel as if I had seen it before, but had long ago and firmly forgotten it. Essen, does anything come to mind for you?"

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 07:19

Pale silently twisted his scarred head.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 07:20

The inquisitor walked around the table for a while, massaging his lower back. The archivist patiently waited for instructions, while Essen, judging by the deep wrinkles on his forehead, was engaged in vigorous mental activity, apparently trying to remember the nature of fluctuations after Schmettau. The Inquisitor's sneakers creaked faintly on the new soles, and the video broadcasting equipment hummed softly. On the screen, the two radial armored trains were approaching inexorably, but Kalkroit forgot about the chase, lost in thought.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 11:02

"Once again the captain requests permission to go higher," Essen reported as he put two fingers to his earlobe. "We're in too low an orbit, the influence is affecting the servitors and the spirit of the propulsion system. The crew is feeling some mental confusion. One had to be isolated."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 11:05

"Then we won't be able to monitor the situation adequately," Kalkroit grumbled irritably. "And so we pick up the crumbs. As for confusion, he who is unable to keep his soul in service is unnecessary."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 11:07

Essen wanted to say something, mechanically stroking the scars on his head, but refrained.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 11:07

"No, I refuse," decided the inquisitor. "We'll stay here as long as possible. I need uninterrupted connections to the satellite network. And photocontrol, as far as possible."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 11:09

"As you wish," Essen bowed his head, thus demonstrating his disagreement with his patron. He usually said 'as you command,' but this time he was showing unobtrusively that he considered his master's wish to be a personal whim, not a matter of the moment.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:30

"Exactly. This is my..."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:31

Kalkroit froze in place with his mouth open, then snapped his lower jaw like a real ork.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:32

"Now," he commanded the archivist curtly. "Call our medic... No, you'd better find a reference book. Not the encyclopedia, but the yellow one, with the title, I think, 'Emergency Medical Care of All Kinds for First Wave Colonists' or something like that. And you..." that was addressed to Essen. "Bring my diary. Notebook number," the Inquisitor hesitated for a moment, remembering. "Eighty-nine. It has a torn corner, and the cover is stained with blood, you can't tell the difference."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:50

"With your blood?" Essen managed to combine the question with a military U-turn and the first step toward the Schmettau library.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:51

"No," the inquisitor grinned wryly. "Fidus's wife. The mother of his son."

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:51

Pale took another step, and then the leisurely but thorough thoughts in his head came together like cogs turning together - a possible group of experienced sorcerers, a specific rhythm, a medical guide for colonists, the blood of Kryptman Sr.'s wife.

Camrad_RIP 02.12.21 в 13:54