V2 Chapter 96: Mercy and Compassion Will Not Cost Me Victory
When Duvette's combat group reached the outer edge of the reservoir dam, the first interdiction force had already been cleared.
The Krieg soldiers were advancing along the broken transport platforms. The 112th assault companies had split into several teams and begun checking the entry points into the dam structure. In the distance, artillery fire continued without pause. The fighting in the Silver Guard Chapter's direction was growing more intense.
Duvette stood on a section of fractured industrial gantry and looked down at the strategic map.
Per the original plan, they were to clear the dam's external threats in the shortest possible time and then push through the lower-level passages inside it to reach the Silver Guard's flank directly. The Bane Engines ahead were steadily occupying their positions. There was not much time.
At that moment, anomalous markers appeared on the strategic map.
Duvette's attention stopped.
Several areas inside the reservoir dam were showing structural hazard warnings in red. The markers were concentrated around the main flood-discharge section, the lower pump stations, and several maintenance corridors. Red lines spread through the projection like a trace of the dam's internal skeleton.
What caught his attention more was what appeared in the dam's lower maintenance level: a mass of grey neutral markers.
Those markers showed no Chaos contamination and no hostile identification. They were packed together in density, filling the entire lower maintenance zone.
Duvette had not yet finished processing what he was seeing when Stroud came back from the forward entry point.
The bald officer's force-feedback armour was covered in mud and blood. The hotshot lasgun was still radiating residual heat. He did not waste time on approach.
"Commissar. Two reports."
Duvette looked at him.
"Say it."
"First: there is a Blood Pact engineering team inside the dam. They are placing demolition charges at the main flood-discharge structure and the lower pump stations." Stroud raised a hand and pointed to the map.
Duvette narrowed his eyes. He understood the enemy's plan immediately.
Behind the high ground to the dam's left, a large volume of lake water and industrial effluent was being held back by the dam structure. If the key flood-discharge sections were detonated, the water would follow the old industrial drainage channels straight down toward the Mud Lake perimeter landing zone.
The Imperium's beacon stakes were there. The steel-plate roads the engineers had laid were there. The ammunition carriers, medical vehicles, artillery prime movers, and transport landing and departure points for the follow-on force were all there.
The Blood Pact did not need to destroy the landing force. They only needed to throw the Mud Lake perimeter landing zone into chaos, wash out the roads, trap the heavy vehicles in the mud, and prevent the follow-on units from advancing on schedule.
If that happened, the timetable for the push toward the Oligarchy Gate would be torn apart.
"Second report." Stroud's voice dropped slightly. "There are large numbers of slave-workers inside the dam."
"I only looked at one maintenance section, but a rough estimate from what I saw runs into the tens of thousands." Stroud said. "There are more pump stations, pipe corridors, and lower cage areas further in. Taking everything together, hundreds of thousands is not an unreasonable figure."
A brief quiet settled around them.
Stroud continued. "There is one more thing. The dam's primary reactor stack failed a long time ago. The backup power is only keeping a few lights and the alarm system running. The sluice gates, pump stations, pressure valves, and waste discharge lines are essentially all being maintained by hand."
Duvette looked at the dense grey markers on the map. Something moved briefly at the corner of his mouth.
This entire dam was running entirely on human labour.
Remarkable. Chaos technology at its finest.
The thought lasted less than a second.
The next instant, he understood the choice in front of him.
If they pressed forward immediately, they could still catch the opportunity. The Bane Engines had not all reached their positions. The Silver Guard Chapter was still advancing. Duvette only needed to push through the reservoir dam and he could reach the flank within his skill duration window.
But the demolitions inside the dam could not be left alone.
Approached purely as a military problem, the fastest solution was obvious.
Colonel Holst provided it without being asked.
"Commissar. I recommend contacting the orbital fleet immediately." The Krieg colonel's voice through his gas mask was level. "Request macro-cannon fire to collapse the main dam's left-side flood-discharge section. Use the weight of stone and reinforced structure to seal the water channel. Alternatively, request a lance salvo to vaporise the primary flood-discharge area outright."
Adjutant Evan looked up. The colour had left his face.
Holst continued without registering this. "This resolves the dam threat in the shortest possible time."
Duvette did not answer immediately.
Before he had known how many people were inside, he would have considered that option. In war, what mattered most was often not elegance but speed. Using orbital fire to resolve the dam would allow them to continue forward.
But the grey markers on the strategic map were in front of him.
Elias spoke immediately, pressing down visible anger in his voice.
"We can go inside and clear the enemy ourselves and remove the charges." The Cadian officer said. "There is no reason to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of innocent people."
Holst looked at him.
"The time we have gained should not be spent here. An opportunity like this does not wait."
Kleist spoke then.
"I can take the Eisenmark armoured battalion ahead to support the Silver Guard Chapter now." He kept his eyes on the map. "If you are going to spend time inside the dam, I can at least get some armoured fire to the front line."
Stroud said: "I am with Elias."
Holst turned his head.
Stroud gave a slight shrug.
"Sacrifice is necessary. I understand that." He said. "But trading hundreds of thousands of lives for an hour's window is not a favourable exchange. That is not a credible stake at any table."
Holst did not argue.
He looked back at Duvette.
"Commissar. I trust you to make the correct decision." His voice through the gas mask remained measured. "In the previous engagements, I have observed that your capabilities carry a time limit. Mercy and compassion are unnecessary in war. They are a burden."
He paused.
"We should abandon this position and advance at full speed. Let the fleet's macro-cannons and lances resolve the crisis."
Commissar Rein, standing to one side, exhaled quietly and shook his head.
He said nothing.
Everyone was looking at Duvette.
He was the only one with the authority to decide.
Abandon the hundreds of thousands, advance at full speed, and take the best window available to support the Silver Guard. Or abandon the time and the opportunity they had fought to gain, work through the dam, remove the charges, and free the people trapped inside.
Duvette looked down at his skill timer.
Time was still running.
Ahead, the Bane Engine markers were sharpening into clarity. The Silver Guard Chapter's green indicators had already begun intertwining with enemy red markers. Further ahead, the fire interdiction forming around the Oligarchy Gate was taking shape.
There was no time.
Duvette said quietly: "But they are not corrupted."
Rein looked up.
"What?"
Duvette did not answer Rein.
He raised his head and looked at Colonel Holst, at the face hidden behind the gas mask.
"Colonel. Mercy and compassion will not cost me victory. Only weakness treats them as a burden."
Holst did not move.
Duvette continued. "Our strength is sufficient to save them. That is also our purpose: for every loyal citizen of the Imperium."
Holst appeared to have something further to say.
Duvette did not give him the opening.
"Kleist."
"Here."
"Take the 112th Eisenmark armoured battalion and move immediately to the Silver Guard Chapter's flank." Duvette said. "Do not engage the enemy directly. Your task is to get armoured fire to where they need it."
"Understood." Kleist answered immediately.
Duvette turned to Holst.
"The Krieg artillery regiments establish fire positions at the designated point and provide support fire for the forward elements. Half the engineers remain to assist with demolitions clearance inside the dam. The other half continue road maintenance."
Holst gave a nod.
"Order confirmed."
"Vox operator, use the open channel to notify the Silver Guard Chapter." Duvette said. "Tell them our main force will arrive at their flank somewhat later than planned. The Eisenmark armoured battalion will reach them first. The artillery will establish a support line as quickly as possible."
Evan turned immediately to relay the orders.
Duvette looked at Stroud.
"Take the assault companies into the dam immediately and remove the charges. I will transmit the exact locations to you."
Stroud allowed himself a brief smile.
"I like this kind of work."
Duvette looked at Elias and Anderson.
"The remaining forces, once the dam is confirmed secure, enter the lower maintenance level immediately, clear the enemy, and free all slave-workers who show no red indicators."
His gaze dropped back to the strategic map.
The grey markers were still packed dense across the dam's lower section.
The orders went out quickly.
The Eisenmark armoured battalion turned and drove on their tracks through the mud toward the Silver Guard's direction. The Krieg artillery regiments entered their designated positions and began deploying their towed heavy guns. The 112th assault companies split into teams and followed Stroud toward the dam's internal entry points.
Colonel Holst did not raise any further objection.
He rendered a salute to Duvette and turned to carry out the orders.
Commissar Rein looked at Duvette, appeared to consider saying something, and finally gave a single nod.
"I will include this decision in my report."
Duvette allowed a short sound of amusement.
"Make it read well."
Rein shook his head.
"I will do my best."
Duvette looked back at the reservoir dam.
The structure sat across the mud lake's edge like an old wound. It held the lake water, the industrial effluent, the enemy's demolition plan, and hundreds of thousands of human beings who had not yet been taken by Chaos.
He knew what he had given up.
He also knew the fighting ahead would be harder because of this choice.
He did not regret it.
"What we should bring is liberation." Duvette said quietly. "Not sacrifice."
The others had already moved off to carry out their orders.
It was at that moment that Duvette became aware of something.
A warmth reached him from the direction of his hip.
He looked down at the dragon-skull staff hanging at his side.
Entropy's Song was still silent. Its exterior still looked like nothing more than an old iron rod. But this time, Duvette felt clearly that something had changed.
He opened the System panel.
In the equipment section, a new icon had appeared.
[Entropy's Song]
[Classification: Legendary. Unique.]
[Description: One of the Nine Relics, forged personally by the Primarch Vulkan. It does not respond to killing and victory alone. Only one who is willing to use their strength to protect the weak can hear its remaining echo.]
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