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’There is next to nothing to cleanse!’ snapped Boreas, exasperated by this unlikely turn of events ’Make all speed to the central craft, sweep aside any resistance and press through’
’Affirmative, Brother-Chaplain,’ Damas replied ’Thu­miel, Zaul, lead the way’
As they advanced, Boreas saw just how accurate Thu at all in the corridors they ran through, or the charey ferrocrete There were no stains, no litter, no furnishings or anything else to indicate that this place had been lived in Only the dilobes over­head betrayed the fact that the area they were passing through was even wired in to the enerators Sporadic bolter fire from ahead occasionally broke the quiet, and as he continued, Boreas passed the odd vac­uu down the side passages they passed, Boreas realised that many were barely finished: the whole base looked as if it had been flung together in a short space of tirey walls turned to tar­nished metal that Boreas realised they had passed into the body of the landing craft at the centre of the web of corridors and roos andto exahten as he realised that they were poor ireat els Poorly rendered black fig­ures striding through gaudy yellow fla of Aris
’This is a athered in a circular cha paint, the peeled picture a clu the Dark Angels pri­hts A figure of pure white was holding out his hand to the half-feral ure as Luther, elic saviour
’This borders on the worst kind of desecration,’ Zaul rasped, raising his bolter and firing into the mural Splin­ters ofhis bone-coloured armour in a fine layer of speckled colours ’Such barbarity cannot be tolerated!’
’The Fallen did not paint these,’ Boreas said, gazing up at the scarred scene above Like the first, it was not sim­ply crude in its technique, but in coue reses they ih not artists, could replicate the great chapel more accurately These were crafted by those who have never seen the originals They were painted by the Lutherites’ servants, based on descriptions and their mas­ters’around to face Boreas, s from the muzzle of his bolter
’As worship,’ snarled Boreas ’They idolise the Fallen, they have been corrupted by them and noorship not only them, but the twisted ideals they represent’
’We should not tarry here,’ Damas interrupted ’You said to proceed to the control centre’
’It should be that way,’ Hephaestus said, pointing ahead and to the left ’There should be a direct route froes, just turn left e reach a main corridor’
’Proceed withthe scattered concentrations of life signals the auspex has detected ’The Lutherites could still be here’
With one last glance at the heretical paintings, Zaul set off, Thumiel close behind him
About a hundred metres further in, they caht direc­tions One was obviously the route to the landing craft’s control centre, its walls daubed with allthe feats of the Fallen The arlimpses of movement inside
Thu up the muzzle of the flamer Two quick strides took hiulfing the inside of the control roo of the flaure flailed into view Dahis carcass back into the room
’We need a prisoner for information!’ Boreas yelled as the rest of the squad launched themselves forward, weapons ready ’Take one alive’
As he burst into the chah and narrow, filled with banks of scorched, dead consoles, pools of burning flamer fuel scattered across the floors and walls Charred and s bodies were scattered across the floor, crouched behind panels and chairs where the traitors had tried to take cover Several still writhed around on the ground, howling in agony or their faces wracked with noiseless screaun shells and bullets s into Thumiel, the first who had entered Zaul returned fire fro apart display panels, gouging through banks of dials and readouts and ripping through the bodies of three of the Fallen’s servants
There were two others alive, and Boreas quickly took thes Like the others, they were dressed in drab environment suits, their eyes wild behind the tinted visors of their face ain, but before his finger closed on the trigger, Nestor had pulled out his co the weapon to turasp
Boreas bolstered his pistol and strode towards theainst a work­station topped with a cracked and sparking corabbed the nearest by the pipe of his breather and dragged hiround The other started inching away until Boreas stood on his injured leg, pulverising the bone and rip­ping a muffled scream from the man
’External address Where are they?’ dee of his helm a hand’s breadth from theto the left and right, but there was no avenue of escape, only five eful Space Marines
’Answerhis words to a deafening bellow that caused the rip ’What is your nalanced down at the other survivor, who shook his head veheround gasped through his breather ’Remember our oaths!’
Boreas put the man down and pushed hi him there with one hand, he turned to the other rebel He reached down and grabbed the man’s shattered ankle and lifted him up like a child
’Your friend will die quickly,’ Boreas said, swinging his arainst the botto the corpse aside, the Interrogator-Chaplain placed his hand around the throat of the lone survivor, crushing the air pipe of the breathing mask ’You will die slowly’
’Es Escobar Venez!’ the traitor shrieked He fought lath of the Space Marine’s grip for several seconds before giving up and flopping backwards again
’I aels Chapter,’ Boreas told him ’I have the skill to cause a Space Marine to writhe in agony and tell me his deepest secrets, his darkest fears It will take ’
’I don’t want to die,’ Venez said
’It is too late for that,’ Boreas told him ’All that remains to be determined nohether you die slowly and painfully, or you tellI want to know and your torment will be ended quickly’
’If I talk, it will be quick?’ the traitor asked Boreas nod­ded once
Tears began to gather in Venez’s faceup in the eye plates He looked at Boreas, and then at the others, and then back at Boreas With a sob, he gave a shallow nod Boreas released hi back, he saw Damas and Thumiel at the door, ready for attack Zaul stood close by, intent on the pris­oner, his bolter aimed at the man’s midriff Hephaestus and Nestor stood a little further away