[Ravenor 02] - Ravenor Returned by Dan Abnett

Author:Dan Abnett [Abnett, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction. warhammer 40000
ISBN: 9781844161850
Publisher: Games Workshop
Published: 2006-07-09T23:00:00+00:00

"I thought you'd done this before?" said Gatherer Lerally with a sneer. Like all the gatherers, he was a big man with heavily muscled arms and shoulders well displayed by his black singlet.

"I have," said Nayl. "But it was a different system in collect-distribute where I worked. We had to number the files on a docket before we put them in the cart."

"Well, that just wastes time." Lerally sighed. He pointed to the data-slate in Nayl's hand. "Your numbers come up there, file and destination, and you wait for the matching serials to flick up on the boards. Then you gather from the bench, swipe each file past your cart scanner, and it's all logged. See? Simple. I don't know how they did things at your old place, Tulliver."

Nayl shrugged. He had no idea how they'd done things at Bernod Tulliver's old place either. Bernod Tulliver had been stabbed to death in an undersink mugging the month before, and, courtesy of Carl, Nayl was just borrowing his credentials.

Right now, he was standing in the bowels of Administry Hall Three. It was hot, furnace-hot, thanks to the steam from the hydraulic hoists. Queues of brawny gatherers, each one with a cart, were assembled in front of the benches, watching the overhead hololiths. As numbers flickered up, gatherers moved forward to the benches to collect their cargoes from the robed coordinators. Behind the benches, the enormous cage-lifts brought up file cartons from the basement archives in clouds of vapour.

"I'll walk you through one," Lerally said. He was a gatherer supervisor, and wore the medal proudly.

"Thanks," said Nayl.

More numbers flashed up on the overhead boards.

"That's you," Lerally said.

Nayl pushed his cart forward. It had a twisted castor and it fought to go the other way. Nayl winced as the strain pulled at his damaged arm.

"What's the matter with your arm?" Lerally asked.

"Nothing. Fricking wonky wheel."

"Get used to it," Lerally said unhelpfully. "Once you've been here a while, you'll get a better cart. Perks of seniority."

"How long is 'a while'?"

Lerally shrugged. "Ten, maybe twelve years. Hurry up. You never keep the co-ordinators waiting."

Nayl slewed his cart up to the bench and showed the co-ordinator his slate. The robed man turned and hefted a bulging carton of papers from the cage-lifts.

"Now swipe them off," Lerally said.

Nayl took each file out of the carton and waved them in turn past the optical reader built into his cart. The dial kept blinking up "unknown".

"Trick's sake, Tulliver." Lerally exclaimed. He licked his thumb and rubbed the wet end vigorously across the glass lens of the reader. "Dust builds up. It's the static. Try it again."

Nayl swiped the files again, and the dial snapped up code numbers. Once his cart was full, Nayl slid the empty carton back to the co-ordinator, who slung it back onto the cage-lift.

"Okay," said Lerally. "Now you deliver. Check off the codes against your slate and use the department map. You'll soon find your way around."

Nayl nodded and swung his heavy cart towards the elevator bank.

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