detect the taint of Chaos, anything to have an excuse to deal with this man he distrusted.
'Ragnar, once again, I want to offer my apologies for the earlier incident,' Cadmus said.
Ragnar nodded. 'Why did you want to see me?'
'I want us to understand one another, Ragnar. We seem to be very much alike, you and I. I've heard rumours that most of the Wolfblade receive their assignments due to some issue during their service as Space Wolves,' said Cadmus.
'How do you know about that?' asked Ragnar, surprised by the statement.
Cadmus nodded. 'I've studied the history of House Belisarius, and I understand a bit about how the Wolfblade are selected. Many great men do things that others don't understand. I have many such men with me. They serve in positions of authority here, helping ready the people of Hyades in case of attack.'
'Why did you need to bring your own men here? Why did they select you to lead them?' asked Ragnar.
'I lead these men because they know my skills. I've fought in many battles across the Imperium. The people of Hyades need protection from the wilderness of their own planet. They strive to change their world for the better. However, they do not have practical experience in dealing with the threats this galaxy has to offer. I do. They look inward, and I can see much more.'
Ragnar shook his head. This amount of talk was never to his liking, unless heavy amounts of Fen-risian ale and good stories were involved.
'Ragnar, I'm glad that you and your Wolfblade are here, and I want to make sure that you are ready to defend House Belisarius against all threats.'
'Commander, I'm ready'
'Good. I'm glad to have you. What you did today against the Hellhound was remarkable, and I'll have some of my best men ready to go with you into the jungle in the morning. One reason that I've held off investigating those ruins more fully is because I didn't see them as a threat. Ages ago, the Inquisition declared them safe.’
Ragnar said nothing, not really knowing what to say. An uneasy moment passed. He wanted to make sure that he didn't insult Cadmus with his tone or his words. Tell me what you know about the ruins. I discovered signs of activity there, and I know that a Chimera made its way there recently.’
'I'll find the reports and have them sent to Lady Gabriella as soon as I can. I'll let you get back to your duties, Wolfblade.’ said Cadmus.
'You can be sure of that.’ said Ragnar.
Far below, Ragnar could see one of the Hellhounds belching promethium into a section of jungle. It looked as if Commander Cadmus had his men working hard.
'Are you able to maintain the integrity of the kill zone?' asked Ragnar.
'We have it encircling about seventy per cent of the city at the moment. Of course, it changes, but luckily we have an unlimited amount of promethium. All of the gates are constantly monitored and reinforced in the areas where the jungle touches the wall. Are you
concerned about the reptos breaching the wall, Space Wolf?' asked Cadmus.
'No, but I do think the security of Lethe is important.’ said Ragnar.
'Good, on that we agree.'
Ragnar walked over to the rungs and began his descent down the wall. Ragnar still didn't like Cadmus, but he didn't know why. His instincts told him that something was wrong. The Chimera was waiting for him at the bottom of the wall. He climbed in, ready for the ride back to the palace complex.
Commander Cadmus watched Ragnar climb down the wall, admiring the power of the superhuman warrior. 'The Space Wolves will serve their purpose,' he whispered to himself, 'and wrongs will be made right.'
THREE
To Kill a Kill Team
High above the planet of Hyades dozens of transports, cargo barges and cruisers of various designs and sizes were going about their business, transporting supplies and promethium to and from the planet. The amount of activity within the orbital corridors above Hyades made it easy for a light cruiser to enter into high orbit without attracting any attention. Following the standard merchant flight path the cruiser slowly crossed the terminus into the night skies of the planet. To standard scans the ship's configuration was that of a light cruiser, no different from any other used by merchants to transport goods and cargo. However, the cargo on board this vessel was very different.
A solitary figure stood at the observation port watching as the transport slid into orbit around Hyades, his dark green power armour appearing black in the low
light. His clean-shaven, almost youthful face hid his years well, however his deep piercing blue eyes did not. They reflected centuries of wisdom in service to his Chapter and the Imperium.
Watching as the transport took its place within the controlled orbital lanes he could not help but be concerned. His purpose on Hyades was of such importance that every detail must be conducted with flawless precision. Recognising his concern over the flight path of the transport he smiled inwardly, realising that he had much greater concerns to occupy his mind than that of piloting the transport into a stationary orbit.
However, Captain Jeremiah Gieyus was not just a Dark Angel, he was a member of the Deathwing, the elite Dark Angels First Company. He had reached this level of authority by controlling every detail of his assignments. It was with meticulous care that he inspected every weapon and each grenade, and supervised the Techmarines as they prepared the armour that his battle-brothers wore.
Jeremiah crossed the corridor and entered a large cargo bay, at the centre of which stood a teleport chamber. Cables ran across the floor to this structure, connecting it to ship's power, sensor and internal computer terminals. Servitors, cybernetic caretakers, moved around the outside of the device, confirming that everything was properly anointed, and that all the proper chants had been evoked, preparing the telepor-tation chamber for activation. As Jeremiah watched these servants of the Machine-God perform their rituals he could not help but feel a sense of profound pride.
Within moments Jeremiah was joined by five of his fellow Dark Angels. He watched as they entered the chamber, taking their assigned positions inside. Thirteen pillars circled the interior of the chamber, each covered with inscriptions of faith and devotion to the Emperor. Servitors made final anointings to the interior systems, couplings, conduits and power emitters. Everything had to be in order to ensure that no harm would come to the Sons of the Lion this day.
Jeremiah joined the rest of the kill team within the chamber. The Dark Angels green armour appeared almost black in the low light, and their weapons were in hand and at the ready. Combat deployment was needed, even though Jeremiah had picked a secluded position for the insertion, making detection almost impossible. However, when dealing with an objective of this nature one could never be too careful. Jeremiah did not intend to lead his brothers into a trap.
Several weeks ago the Dark Angels had received intelligence that a member of the Fallen had been detected on Lethe, capital city of Hyades. The information was vague and limited on details. All they knew was that one of their ancient brothers was in a position of authority within the governor's inner circle.
Jeremiah and his kill team had been sent to reconnoitre the situation and, if possible, capture and detain the member of the Fallen until an interrogator-chaplain and reinforcements could be dispatched.
Only the Dark Angels' most senior officers and the Deathwing were aware of the terrible shame the Chapter carried. For ten thousand years they had hunted
down the Fallen, rooting them out wherever they hid and thrusting them into the cleansing light of the Emperor. So it would be with this new report of one of the Fallen being present on Hyades. He and his kill team would confirm his presence and then capture him, turning him over to the interrogator-chaplains. Then, if need be, reinforcements would descend and remove any additional Fallen and the contamination they may have left behind.
As the other members of the kill team were not aware of the existence of the Fallen, they had been told their mission was to locate and capture a heretic commander who had thrown in his lot with the Dark Powers.
Their preparations complete, Jeremiah finally signalled the Techmarine to begin the litanies of transport. Slowly the pillars began to glow until a searing white light filled the chamber.
There was a flash of light in the jungle as the Dark Angels kill team materialised on the surface. At night a flash of this nature would be visible several kilometres away, however Hyades's thick jungle canopy restricted the flash's visibility considerably.
Slowly, the kill team began to move, each member taking his position to secure the drop area, their dark green power armour virtually invisible against the night. Five of the Space Marines moved out from the teleport site enlarging the circle while one remained at its centre.
Releasing the auspex from its belt restraints, Elijah made several adjustments to the controls. Its screen
blinked in and out, revealing only quick glimpses of what it detected in the area. He studied what information it did reveal very closely to ensure that his report would be as accurate as possible.
'Brother-Captain, there is some kind of interference that is diminishing the auspex's effectiveness. However, I believe we have deployed approximately fifty metres off our original target point, which places us 1.5 kilometres from Lethe.’ Elijah pointed in the direction of the city.
'Understood,' Jeremiah responded. 'Also Elijah, we all share the same risk and fate this night, so normal protocols are not required. Please refer to me as Jeremiah.'
'Yes, Jeremiah,' Elijah responded.