V2 Chapter 103: The Marshal Rides to the Front
"Marshal! The Oligarchy Gate has been broken!"
Chief of Staff Macaroth's voice carried an excitement that had been absent for some time.
Inside the command post, several staff officers raised their heads almost simultaneously. On the enormous tactical projection, the defensive marker representing the Oligarchy Gate was shifting colour rapidly. The critical node that had been covered in red defensive symbols now showed a clear breach.
The entire command post went briefly silent.
The expedition's command had projected at least ten days before the Oligarchy Gate could be forced. Now, on the fifth day of Operation Hellstorm, the Imperial forces had broken open the fortress barrier standing before the Oligarchy Zone.
Slaydo straightened and then broke into a laugh.
"Is this Duvette's doing?"
Macaroth shook his head.
"Not him, Marshal." He said. "It was the 8th Hyrkan Regiment. According to the report, they used the old industrial drainage system under Commissar Ibram Gaunt's direct supervision to destroy the left support locking tower and cause the gate to lose synchronisation and collapse. Commissar Duvette had dispatched a Black Shield support element to them beforehand, which opened the breakthrough window."
A flicker of surprise crossed Slaydo's face.
"The 8th Hyrkan?"
"Yes."
Slaydo appeared to think of something. He was quiet for a moment, then gave a nod.
"Record that commissar's name."
Macaroth passed the instruction immediately to the records officer at his side.
Slaydo did not stay on the subject. He turned back to the tactical projection and his gaze moved quickly over the route beyond the Oligarchy Gate, the Plutocrat Tower, and the High Palace district further in.
"Order all forward and reserve elements to press up." Slaydo said. "The Iron Hammer and the four armoured division lead groups enter the breach immediately. The three Mordian Iron Guard regiments stabilise the industrial avenue. The 8th Hyrkan reorganises in place and continues forward."
He raised a hand and pointed at the Plutocrat Tower.
"I want that tower down before dawn tomorrow."
The staff officers recorded and transmitted the orders quickly. In the vox channels, the markers representing various units began to move. The breach in the enemy position before the Oligarchy Gate was being expanded by Imperial forces.
Slaydo stood before the projection and was quiet for a moment.
Then he began pacing across the command post. Macaroth watched him, and an unwelcome feeling began to form in him.
It was confirmed when Slaydo stopped abruptly and put his palm flat on the table.
"When the Plutocrat Tower falls, I will personally lead eight elite regiments into the High Palace."
Macaroth's expression changed.
"Marshal!"
Slaydo paid no attention to it.
"Nadzybar is inside." Slaydo said. "This battle has come this far. I will not sit in the rear and wait for someone to bring his head to me."
Macaroth stepped forward immediately.
"Your life is bound to the entire crusade." His voice was more urgent than usual. "You are responsible for directing the entire Balhaut offensive, and for the future of the entire Sabbat Crusade. The High Palace has not been fully exposed. The enemy's personal guard, their reserves, and the Warp-contaminated areas inside have not been confirmed. An advance this dangerous should be left to the field commanders."
He paused, then continued: "And Duvette, the Silver Guard, and the White Scars are all on the battlefield. They will fight their way to the High Palace."
Slaydo looked at Macaroth, and something like amusement appeared on his face.
"You have served with me this long, and you still think arguments like that will change my mind?"
Macaroth said nothing.
Slaydo drew the power sword at his hip and ran a hand along Liberatus's edge. The blade reflected cold light back at the walls of the command post, the kind of light that had preceded a great many deaths.
"I am getting old." Slaydo said. "But my will has not aged."
He raised the blade, his gaze finding the High Palace marker in the tactical projection's depth.
"And this blade is still sharp enough to take Nadzybar's head."
Macaroth opened his mouth and then closed it.
Slaydo continued. "Balhaut is not an ordinary battle. Nadzybar is the greatest enemy this crusade currently faces. His death must be something the entire Sabbat Worlds knows about. I will be present in person. I will see this end with my own eyes."
Looking at the spirit on the Marshal's face, Macaroth finally exhaled.
He knew he could not stop Slaydo.
Slaydo sheathed Liberatus and laughed as he put a hand on Macaroth's shoulder.
"Do not look at me like that. I will be fine."
Macaroth frowned.
Slaydo's laugh grew louder.
"You said it yourself just now, did you not? Duvette and two Astartes Chapters are on the battlefield. Our victory is no longer in any doubt."
He drew the laughter back and became the Warmaster again.
"Macaroth. You take command of the central command hub and coordinate the other front lines. After the Plutocrat Tower falls, I will take eight elite regiments as the decisive blade and push into the High Palace. Until then, the entire battlefield cannot be allowed to become disordered."
Macaroth lowered his head.
"Yes, Marshal."
Slaydo watched his Chief of Staff turn and walk away, and produced a quiet sound. Then he turned toward the other side of the command post and began his preparations for going to the surface.
Duvette stood on high ground on the flank.
The Oligarchy Gate was faintly visible in the distance through the dust haze. The sound of that collapse and the tremors it produced had been clearly felt even at the flank high ground where they were standing.
On the strategic map, the red defensive marker at the Oligarchy Gate was rapidly dissolving.
"They did it."
Duvette said it with a smile.
Chapter Master Vegum walked over from beside him. Behind Vegum, the wreckage of the last two Bane Engines lay where they had fallen.
Vegum did not respond immediately.
He still did not accept Duvette's earlier decision, and a single shared engagement would not rewrite everything he thought about mortals. But after fighting alongside the Krieg combat group and the 112th, he could no longer place these soldiers in the same category as ordinary Astra Militarum.
He had never encountered mortals who could hold a line in front of Astartes and handle those enormous war machines in close-range fighting on their behalf.
Evan's voice came through Duvette's vox channel.
"Commissar. High-priority notification from the Warmaster's office. After the Plutocrat Tower falls, Marshal Slaydo will personally lead eight elite regiments into the High Palace district. Chief of Staff Macaroth is assuming command of the central command hub."
The smile on Duvette's face slowly receded.
"Understood."
He closed the channel and said quietly: "The Marshal is going to the front line."
Vegum responded for the first time.
"What?"
"You did not receive the notification?" Duvette glanced at him. "The communications interference in this area may not have been fully cleared."
Vegum was quiet for a moment, then said: "A crusade Warmaster personally entering the High Palace carries extreme risk."
"He knows the risk." Duvette gave a slight wave of his hand and turned toward his force. "But he is going regardless."
In the distance, Krieg soldiers were dealing with the aftermath of the battlefield. The 112th assault companies were reforming. The Eisenmark armoured battalion's crews were checking damaged tracks and turrets. The Silver Guard were gathering the bodies of their fallen brothers, preparing to push forward.
Duvette looked at all of it and his voice settled into something level.
"We need to move faster. The Oligarchy Gate is open. The Plutocrat Tower will be the next objective soon. When that tower falls, the road to the High Palace will be fully exposed."
He paused and looked back toward the core city district still masked by smoke in the distance.
"Nadzybar's High Palace. I intend to be at that feast."
Vegum followed behind him and said nothing more.
Duvette's gaze swept across the changing markers on his strategic map.
Gaunt had opened the Oligarchy Gate.
Slaydo was about to walk toward the battlefield that waited for him in history.
From here, he could not afford to fall behind by another step.
Slaydo's life. He had to preserve it.
Nadzybar's head. He had to take it himself.