The Killing Ground

  'Please furnish me with a concise answer when I ask a question, captain. I do so detest loquaciousness,' said Barbaden.

  Anger touched Uriel, but he felt Pasanius willing him to remain calm, and he fought down his rising temper. 'As you wish, governor.'

  'Excellent,' smiled Barbaden. 'Salinas is a simple world and I should like to keep it like that. I keep things simple because, as systems become complex, they have more chance of going wrong. You understand?'

  Believing Barbaden's question was rhetorical, Uriel said nothing.

  'Also, when I ask a question, captain, I expect an answer. I do not waste my breath asking questions to which I already know the answer.'

  'Yes,' hissed Uriel, 'I understand.'

  'Good,' continued Barbaden, apparently oblivious to Uriel's growing anger. 'Salinas is a world not without its problems, true, but none are of sufficient magnitude to trouble me unduly. However, when two warriors of the Astartes suddenly appear on my planet without so much as a breath of notice, it strikes me as a complexity that could dangerously destabilise the workings of my world.'

  'I assure you, Governor Barbaden, that is the last thing we wish to do,' said Uriel. 'All we want to do is return to Macragge.'

  Barbaden nodded. 'I see, and this would be your home world?'

  'Yes.'

  'As I mentioned earlier, Captain Ventris, I dislike complexities. They add random variables to life that I detest. In all things, predictable outcomes are those upon which we rely to facilitate our passage through life. Known facts and predictable elements are the bedrock upon which all things are built and if we upset that, well, chaos ensues.'

  'Of course, governor-' began Uriel.

  'I have not finished speaking,' snapped Barbaden. 'It strikes me that your presence here is just such a random variable and that it would be better if I were simply to be rid of you.'

  Barbaden snapped his fingers and the soldiers around the edges of the room suddenly lifted their rifles to their shoulders and aimed them at Uriel and Pasanius.

  Uriel couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing. Was this man simply going to gun them down? He quickly calculated the number and type of weapons pointed at him and the odds of their survival. Even the legendary physique of a Space Marine would not survive a well-aimed volley from these soldiers.

  'You arrive on my world, unannounced and without permission,' hissed Barbaden. 'You trespass upon forbidden ground and you expect me to treat you as honoured guests? What manner of fool do you take me for?'

  'Governor Barbaden,' said Uriel, 'I swear on the honour of my Chapter that we are servants of the Emperor. If you will allow me, I will explain how we came to be on your world.'

  'Explanations are excuses,' said Barbaden. 'I'll have the truth from you. Now.'

  Uriel saw anger in Barbaden's eyes, but saw that it travelled no further through his body.

  The governor's anger was perfectly controlled, icy and supported by his internal logic, which made it all the more dangerous, as it was not fettered by other emotions.

  With a gesture, Barbaden could destroy them without regret and Uriel found himself wondering at the irony of having survived everything the Eye of Terror could throw at them, only to be killed by a fellow servant of the Emperor.

  'Of course,' said Uriel, his voice hardening at this boorish treatment. 'I will tell you the truth of our arrival, and perhaps then we can come to some arrangement whereby we can leave.'

  'That remains to be seen,' said Barbaden, 'but I will consider it upon hearing your story.'

  Uriel nodded, unwilling to offer anything approaching thanks to Barbaden. 'I warn you that this is a fantastical tale, governor. Some of it you may find hard to believe, but I swear on my honour that it is all true.'

  Before Uriel could say more, there was a knock on the door and Barbaden said, 'Enter!'

  The door opened and Eversham re-entered the room, leading three others behind him.

  Two of the new arrivals were men, the other a woman. One man was tall and ruggedly handsome, his skin as dark as the heavy, black body armour he wore. Uriel decided he must be some sort of local law enforcement.

  The second man was grossly fat, to the point of obesity: a corpulent mass of flesh clad head to foot in lavishly ornamented robes of scarlet and silver. Uriel took him for a senior member of the Ecclesiarchy, a cardinal perhaps. The man mopped his glistening brow with a sodden handkerchief and Uriel could smell the rankness of his gushing pores.

  The third member of the new arrivals was a spare, tired-looking woman with pensive features and a nervous disposition. Uriel could smell her fear, even over the cardinal's odour.

  None of the three could hide their surprise at the sight of them.

  'Astartes,' breathed the obese man.

  'Ah, Daron, Shavo,' said Barbaden, 'so glad you could join us. We have guests, and they claim to have a most fantastical tale.'

  SEVEN

  INTRODUCTIONS WERE MADE perfunctorily: Daron Nisato, chief enforcer of the city of Barbadus; Shavo Togandis, Cardinal of Barbadus and Pontifex Maximus of Salinas; and lastly, Mesira Bardhyl, former sanctioned psyker of the Achaman Falcatas and private citizen. Uriel could not miss the contempt for all three written across Verena Kain's face.

  Leto Barbaden retrieved his snifter and sat back down. He occupied the room's only chair and everyone else was forced to stand as he reclined and crossed his legs.

  Barbaden waved the snifter towards Uriel and said, 'You may begin your tale, captain.'

  Uriel swallowed his anger and simply nodded.

  He began with the Fourth Company's mission to Tarsis Ultra and the battles against the tyranids, a race of extra-galactic predators who sought to devour all life on the world. Uriel's voice soared with pride as he told of the many battles fought before the walls of Erebus City and the courage of the Imperial Guard regiments tasked with its defence.

  As he described the desperate fighting to save Tarsis Ultra, Uriel could feel the vicarious pride that the soldiers of the Falcatas felt in the achievements of their brother Guardsmen.

  The Great Devourer's hordes were defeated on Tarsis Ultra, but the cost had been high.

  Many of Uriel's warriors had died, and the Masters of the Ultramarines had not looked favourably on his cavalier methods of command. No sooner had the survivors of the Fourth Company returned to Macragge than Uriel and Pasanius had been charged with breaking faith with the Codex Astartes, the mighty tome that guided the Ultramarines in all things and which had been penned by their Primarch in ages past.

  'What was the nature of your punishment?' asked Barbaden.

  'We were exiled from the Chapter,' replied Uriel.

  'To what purpose?'

  'Lord Tigurius, the chief librarian of the Ultramarines saw a vision of great evil and sent us on a mission to destroy it: a Death Oath.'

  'A Death Oath?' asked Barbaden. 'So, you were not expected to return?'

  'Few have ever returned from such quests,' agreed Uriel.

  'But you have completed your Death Oath?'

  'We have. We travelled to a world taken by the Ruinous Powers and fought our way into the fortress of an enemy warlord and saw his citadel torn down.'

  'And you did this all on your own?' asked Verena Kain.

  'No,' said Uriel, choosing his words carefully, 'not quite. We made allies of some of the planet's inhabitants. Together we were able to complete our mission and now seek only to return to our Chapter.'

  Barbaden appeared to consider Uriel's words and said, 'An intriguing tale, Captain Ventris, but it does not answer the question that has been vexing me ever since I was informed of your arrival. How did you get here?'

  'I am not sure of the exact mechanics of it, Governor Barbaden,' began Uriel, understanding that he would need to tell at least part of the truth. 'Much of what has happened to us in recent times is beyond my understanding, but we were transported within a craft that somehow travels between this world and the Empyrean. It brought us here and l
eft us in Khaturian. Where it is now or why it chose your world, I do not know.'

  Barbaden glanced over to Mesira Bardhyl, who gave a curt, nervous nod, and Uriel understood that the governor was using her as some form of psychic truth-seeker. He was grateful he had chosen not to lie to Barbaden, as he suspected that the governor would order his soldiers to open fire at the first hint of falsehood.

  'So here you are,' said Barbaden, 'two heroic Space Marines beginning their odyssey home. I admit, it has the whiff of the epic to it, Captain Ventris. What is it you require of me?'

  Uriel let out a soft sigh of relief. While it wasn't acceptance or an apology, it was at least a step in the right direction.

  'We ask for the chance to send an astropathic message to Macragge,' said Uriel, 'a message approved by you, obviously. We have completed our Death Oath and it is time for us to return home.'

  Barbaden drained the last of the tawny liquid in his glass and set it down next to him.

  'And if I agree to this request?'

  'Then we are at your disposal until such time as our battle-brothers can bring us home.'

  Though the offer was distasteful to Uriel, the idea of having two Space Marines at Barbaden's beck and call clearly appealed to the governor and he smiled. 'It is not often we can call upon the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes.'

  The governor snapped his fingers and the soldiers around the edge of the room gratefully lowered their weapons.

  'Yes, perhaps your presence here is just the thing we have been looking for in our recent troubles,' said Barbaden, 'troubles that Colonel Kain tells me you have experienced first hand.'

  'Indeed,' said Uriel, although he knew fine well that Barbaden would already know every detail of this morning's encounter with the Sons of Salinas.

  'I am sure your assistance was most welcome,' said Barbaden.

  'We needed no help,' said Verena Kain and Barbaden smiled at her interruption. 'Pascal Blaise is no great commander and his insurgents are amateurs.'

  'And yet he ambushed you and cost you several armoured fighting vehicles, Verena,' said Barbaden, 'vehicles we can scarce afford to lose.'

  Colonel Kain wisely kept her mouth shut as Barbaden continued. 'Yes, I think it might prove advantageous to be seen as having the support of the Adeptus Astartes. The people of this planet need to see that they are part of the Imperium and that to resist the appointed commander will not stand.'

  Barbaden stood and clasped his hands behind his back. 'I will set up a communion between you and my astropath and we shall see about getting you home. In the meantime, I insist you remain as my guests within the palace precincts. You will receive the very best hospitality, but for your own safety I shall have to ask that you do not venture beyond the palace walls without escort. As you have seen, the streets of Barbadus are not as safe as we might wish.'

  Although he was surprised by Barbaden's reversal, Uriel wasn't about to reject his offer to help simply because he didn't like the man. He nodded graciously and said, 'That is acceptable to us, governor.'

  'Of course,' said Barbaden, waving his arm around the room to encompass the others who had arrived before Uriel's tale had begun. 'Now that the matter is resolved, I have many other things to attend to, Captain Ventris, and I must speak with my senior advisors. Eversham here will find you suitable accommodation within the palace and I will send word when it is possible to transmit your message home.'

  'Thank you, Governor Barbaden,' said Uriel, although he could see that the man had already effectively dismissed them.

  Eversham appeared at Uriel's side and said, 'If you would follow me, please.'

  Uriel nodded, casting his eye around the room one last time.

  All through his tale telling, neither Togandis nor Nisato had said a single word and Uriel wondered why they had been summoned to hear it. Why had Barbaden gathered them here?

  It was something to think of later, for Eversham was waiting expectantly at his side.

  Uriel and Pasanius bowed to the Imperial Commander of Salinas and followed their escort from the room.

  'WELL?' ASKED BARBADEN, the mask of civility falling from his face once the two Space Marines had been led away. 'What did you make of that?'

  No one wanted to be the first to speak and Barbaden sighed. His reputation was such that no one dared to voice an opinion until they knew which way he was leaning. In no mood for games, he said, 'I believe there is more to Uriel Ventris and Pasanius Lysane than meets the eye, don't you?'

  Surprisingly, it was Shavo Togandis who spoke first.

  'They are Adeptus Astartes, my lord,' he said. 'What is it you suspect?'

  'I was asking you that, Shavo,' said Barbaden. 'I do not like it when my questions are rephrased and asked back to me.'

  'My apologies, governor,' said Togandis, clearly regretting his impetuous utterance. Barbaden paced among his subordinates, enunciating each word with deliberate clarity so that there could be no misunderstanding. His time in the administrative corps of the Achaman Falcatas, prior to his taking command, had taught him the value of clarity.

  'Captain Ventris claimed to have come from a world fallen to the Ruinous Powers. Well, cardinal, might it perhaps be perspicacious to have the quarters assigned to him secured with holy scriptures, wards and the like? I would imagine that there must be some litany you could read that would discern any taint.'

  'Ah, well, yes, I'm sure there would be some passage that would fit the bill,' said Togandis, 'perhaps in Sermons of Sebastian Thor or Benedictions and Blessings-'

  'I don't need the specifics,' snapped Barbaden. 'Just find a suitable passage and see it done. If they have brought some taint with them, I do not want it loose on my world.'

  Having dealt with Togandis, Barbaden turned his gaze on Daron Nisato, solid dependable Nisato. Barbaden could feel the man's dislike of him, but tolerated it, for he was good at what he did and had an honest soul.

  That was why he had been transferred out of the Screaming Eagles.

  Putting the thought from his mind, Barbaden asked, 'What of you, Daron? What did you make of Captain Ventris?'

  Nisato stood a little straighten 'I don't believe he was lying.'

  'No?' said Barbaden. 'Then your instincts are letting you down.'

  Nisato shook his head. 'I do not believe so, my lord. While I don't think Ventris was lying, there was definitely more that he wasn't telling you. He was vague about how they arrived on Salinas and what planet they'd just come from, and when a person is being vague, it's usually because they know that the specifics will hang them out to dry.'

  'So you think we should press them for details?'

  'That depends on whether you want to create a fuss,' said Nisato.

  'No,' agreed Barbaden, 'a fuss is something I should like to avoid, Daron. Very well, look into the ambush this morning, make some arrests, shake the tree and see what falls out. I want some heads on spikes by this evening. I don't care whose, you understand?'

  Nisato nodded and turned from him. As the enforcer left he whispered something to Shavo Togandis, but Barbaden could not hear what passed between them. The governor smiled. Poor old Nisato, always trying to tie up those loose ends, but never astute enough to realise that some loose ends didn't want or need to be tied up.

  With Nisato gone, Barbaden turned towards Mesira Bardhyl, noting the shabbiness of her appearance and the haggard look in her eyes. He tutted. The least the woman could have done was make herself a little more presentable before coming to the palace.

  Barbaden had seen the same look on the faces of many astropaths and wondered if such hangdog expressions of misery were common to psykers throughout the Imperium. He pushed the thought from his mind as irrelevant.

  'And you Mistress Bardhyl?' he asked. 'Can you shed any more light on what was said here today?'

  Mesira Bardhyl shook her head, keeping her eyes studiously fixed on a point of the floor between her feet. Barbaden reached out and lifted her chin until their eyes were locked together
.

  'When I ask a question, I expect an answer, Mesira,' said Barbaden. 'It would be such a shame if I was to suspect that your psychic ability had allowed a sliver of the warp to enter your pretty little head and I had to have Daron put a bolt round through it, wouldn't it?'

  Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and Barbaden's lip curled in distaste. Tears angered him, women's tears especially, and he leaned closer as she mumbled something inaudible.

  He slapped her hard across the face.

  'Speak up, Mesira,' said Barbaden. 'I thought you would have sense enough to know that your hysterics this morning had irritated me to the point where you would curb such theatrics in my presence.'

  'Yes, governor,' said Mesira. 'Sorry, governor.'

  'There you go,' said Barbaden, wiping tears from her hollow cheeks. 'Now that you are composed, can you tell me anything of value? And, please, spare me the hyperbole you were spouting earlier.'

  Mesira Bardhyl composed herself with visible effort, reaching up to rub her eyes and take a deep breath.

  'It's... It's hard to describe,' she said.

  'Please try,' he said, leaving her in no doubt that this was not a request.

  'Enforcer Nisato was right,' said Mesira. 'Captain Ventris wasn't lying, but nor was he telling you everything. He believes his truth, that much I can tell, and I sensed no taint to his words, but whatever he and his friend travelled on...'

  'What about it?' asked Barbaden.

  'I don't know what it was, but it was powerful, so very powerful,' said Mesira. 'It ripped its way through to this world and then tore a hole back through the gates of the Empyrean, and a lot of energy came through as it did so.'

  'What does that mean? In real terms?'

  'I don't know,' said Mesira, her entire body pulling in tight at this admission. 'I think that's why they appeared in the killing... in Khaturian.'

  'Explain.'

  Mesira looked up at the people around her, looking for support in their faces. Finding none, she pressed on, and Barbaden could see the resignation in her eyes as she spoke. 'We all know what happened at Khaturian, what we did... The scale of it... Things like that don't just get forgotten, in this world or any other. When a person dies, his... soul, for want of a better word, is released into the warp, and it usually dissipates into the maelstrom of energy there. Sometimes, though, when a person dies, their soul has enough rage, fear, anger or some other strong emotion to remain coherent in the warp, and that exerts its own attraction.'