V2 Chapter 128: The First Sparks of Civil War
The moment the fleet translated out of the Warp, the light of realspace fell across the Resolute's augury arrays once more.
Admiral Villent barely waited for the auspex to complete its full calibration before issuing his orders. The entire fleet adjusted heading and drove toward the target planet at maximum speed.
Menazoid Epsilon.
The planet hung quietly at the centre of the star chart, its surface a cracked grey-brown. Beneath sparse cloud cover lay barren rock, dry lowlands, and dark upland masses. In the distance, the auspex resolved the outlines of old fortresses and shrine ruins held by cultist forces.
"Target planet remains under Chaos cult armed control." A bridge officer reported. "Orbital defences are light. Multiple heat source readings on the surface."
Duvette looked at the hololithic star chart. His expression did not shift much.
"No orbital bombardment. Prepare for landing."
The order went out and the communications officers began routing it immediately. The 112th Combined Battle Group's four attached combat regiments, Tanith's three regiments, the Krieg assault detachment, the remaining infantry regiments, and supporting armoured units began entering the deployment sequence.
This time, Duvette intended to go to the surface himself.
He was not going to mention the Men of Iron STC in any open order. Every formal document listed the objective as clearing Chaos cult forces, establishing secure landing zones, and controlling the primary access points leading to the underground ruins.
But he knew what he was actually looking for.
The vanguard reached the surface quickly.
Landing craft touched down across the dry wastes, and Imperial soldiers and armoured vehicles poured from the hatches under the influence of Duvette's skills. The Chaos traitors had already established fire positions among the rock formations, and las-fire and solid rounds began coming in against the Imperial forces almost immediately.
The 112th Combat Group did not slow down.
They deployed under suppressive fire, armoured vehicles pushing forward while infantry established firing lines along the scree slopes. Contact reports and officer commands ran continuously across the ground vox channels, and several landing zones were stabilised in short order.
Duvette was about to leave the bridge and head to the landing bay when the augury system at the system's edge sounded an alert.
"Warp surge!"
"Fleet translating into realspace."
"Identification signal: Imperial fleet."
Villent looked up, and his expression darkened quickly.
Moments later, General Delavere's fleet appeared at the system's edge.
The other side had clearly not anticipated that Duvette had arrived at Menazoid Epsilon ahead of them. An urgent communication request came through to the Resolute's bridge almost immediately.
Duvette stopped walking and looked at the communications screen.
Villent turned as well.
"Accept it?" The communications officer asked.
Duvette made a cold sound.
"Accept it."
The hololithic screen flickered several times and Delavere's heavyset figure appeared at the centre of the bridge projection. He wore a decorated general's uniform, his face dark with suppressed fury.
"Duvette Erdmann." Delavere's voice cut over the low sounds of the bridge the moment he spoke. "You have violated Warmaster Slaydo's orders. The Menazoid Epsilon theatre has been assigned to Fifth Army Corps. Your action constitutes defiance of a direct military command."
He stepped forward, thick hands pressing down on the command lectern in front of him.
"Cease all ground operations immediately. Withdraw to orbit and await reassignment. Otherwise, I will personally see you before a court martial."
Duvette and Villent exchanged a look.
Then Duvette shrugged.
"My forces are already engaged with Chaos cult armed elements on the surface. Halting operations would result in the loss of the landing zones and allow enemy forces to regroup."
He looked at Delavere's image in the hololithic projection, his voice even.
"I decline to withdraw."
Silence on the other end for a moment.
Then a cold, deep voice came through from the far side of the channel.
"Major General-Commissar. You are obstructing an Inquisitorial sealed operation."
Delavere's hololithic image shifted aside. A man with a long, narrow face and unsettlingly proportioned features appeared at the centre of the projection. His face looked as though some combination of surgery and implant work had drawn the skin tight against the bone. His eyes were cold in a way that was unpleasant to look at directly.
Inquisitor Heldane.
He looked at Duvette, his voice carrying a particular weight behind it.
"Further advance will be treated as refusal to cooperate with an active heresy investigation."
Duvette looked at him without any change in expression.
"Inquisitor Heldane. Allow me to remind you of something."
He took half a step forward.
"What I am executing is not a private military action. I hold not only Lord Inquisitor Heinz Werner's warzone coordination authorisation, but also Lord Inquisitor Juno Karol's special investigation authorisation covering the Menazoid Epsilon direction."
Heldane's eyes shifted slightly.
Duvette continued. "Neither authorisation has been revoked. At this moment, even the Warmaster himself does not have the standing to order me to halt an active counter-heresy operation in progress."
The bridge went quiet.
Villent glanced at Duvette, his expression growing worse.
Duvette did not stop.
"Naturally, if you insist on assuming control here in the Inquisition's name, then please state your warrant number, your sealed target designation, your investigation classification, and your grounds for ordering my withdrawal publicly."
He looked at Heldane's image in the projection, his voice remaining level.
"I will transmit the record simultaneously to Lord Inquisitor Werner and Lord Inquisitor Karol."
He paused.
"You may continue."
When the words landed, the far side fell into a long silence.
Heldane's long face showed little in the way of emotion, but something had changed in his eyes. Delavere stood to the side, his expression growing darker with every passing second.
After a long pause, Delavere spoke again.
"Duvette Erdmann. If you persist in defying the Warmaster's orders, in unilaterally seizing a theatre objective, and in deliberately obstructing Fifth Army Corps' lawful assumption of command, then do not expect me to refrain from authorising an intercept action."
Villent's expression shifted sharply. He opened his mouth.
"General Delavere, this matter can still be—"
"Be my guest."
Duvette cut the channel.
The hololithic screen went dark.
The next instant, Villent spun around, grabbed Duvette by the front of his coat, and hauled him forward.
Every person on the bridge stopped moving for a moment.
Two Salamanders stepped forward immediately, moving to separate them. Duvette raised a hand and signalled them to stay back.
Villent stared at him, voice dropped to barely above a whisper at Duvette's ear.
"Do you have any idea what this leads to?"
Duvette did not pull away.
Villent said it through clenched teeth. "This is rebellion."
Duvette looked at the Admiral in front of him, then let out a quiet breath.
"We are already past the point of no return."
His voice was not loud.
"Win or die, Villent. Don't you understand? Only victors get to write what happened."
Villent's grip tightened. His expression went through several changes.
Duvette continued. "And you know I have already notified an Archmagos of the Adeptus Mechanicus with considerable authority, and the entire Carpé family fleet. As long as we hold until they arrive, Heldane cannot keep this buried behind an Inquisitorial seal."
Villent was silent for a long time.
At last, he released Duvette's coat.
Duvette looked down at the creases left in his chest, and smoothed them out with one hand.
"How many warships do they have?"
Villent turned to the tactical officer beside him.
The officer brought up Delavere's fleet identification data immediately. A cluster of Imperial vessel markers spread across the hololithic star chart.
Villent studied it briefly, then said: "Based on the public registry, they have one Lunar-class cruiser, three light cruisers, and sixteen escort warships. The remainder are primarily transport vessels."
"Troop strength?"
"Gantine nobility soldiery, Fifth Army Corps direct assault regiment, the Vitrian Third Dragoons, and Heldane's Inquisitorial strike team. Specific numbers still being confirmed, but the transport scale is significant."
Duvette looked at the vessel markers and raised an eyebrow.
"And they would actually move against us directly?"
Villent said flatly: "They are not here for an orbital engagement. They want to put boots on the ground."
He paused, then continued. "And Delavere is gambling that we won't open fire on an Imperial fleet first. He'll use the Warmaster's orders and Inquisitorial authority to press down on us, then force his ground forces through to the ruins."
Duvette looked at the star chart and did not speak immediately.
Then he gave his orders.
"Tell the ground forces to accelerate their advance. Priority objective: secure the entrance points leading to the underground ruins. All ships are to lock on to Delavere's fleet. No one opens fire first."
Villent turned to look at him.
Duvette added: "If they fire on our landing craft or ground forces, record it, then return fire."
Villent gave a nod and turned to issue the orders.
As the bridge returned to its work, Vakur finally spoke.
"Duvette Erdmann."
Duvette looked at him.
The Salamander's red lenses were fixed on his face.
"Why are you doing this?"
Vakur's voice was low, and carried an unmistakable weight of warning.
"If you have betrayed the Imperium, the Salamanders will reclaim Entropy's Song and put down the rebellion."
The air on the bridge settled into silence again.
Duvette looked at the Salamander warrior for a moment, then let out a slow breath.
At this point, there was no sense in continuing to keep it buried.
At least where the Salamanders were concerned, he needed to give them a reason heavy enough to matter.
"Entropy's Song has resonated with something in these ruins." Duvette said. "According to Lord Inquisitor Karol's intelligence, there is very likely a complete artefact of the Dark Age of Technology beneath the surface."
Vakur said nothing.
Duvette continued. "Heldane and Delavere have come here for the same reason. They intend to take possession of the object. I am not going to let them."
His voice dropped slightly.
"If that thing reaches their hands, the crusade is finished."
Vakur looked at him in silence.
Duvette met his lenses directly.
"Will you trust me, or them?"
The Salamander was still for a long time.
On the bridge, the only sounds were the officers passing orders in lowered voices and the faint hum of the cogitator arrays running in the background.
At last, Vakur spoke.
"I must notify the Captain."
Duvette gave a nod.
"That is the right call."
He looked at Vakur, his voice level.
"Whatever judgement the Salamanders reach, I will respect your decision."
Vakur said nothing more. He turned and moved to the side of the bridge, opening a channel to his Captain on the Chapter frequency.
Duvette looked back at the star chart.
Delavere's fleet was deploying. The transport vessels were already shifting formation. The augury was picking up the heat signatures of large numbers of landing craft and heavy drop-carriers coming online.
They were preparing a forced insertion.
Above Menazoid Epsilon, the gun batteries of Imperial fleets had begun to lock on to one another.
Duvette looked at that barren rock world, and pressed his fingers lightly against the edge of the command lectern.
"Accelerate the landing." He said. "We have to find the entrance first."
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