Chapter War by Ben Counter

Author:Ben Counter [Counter, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-11-05T16:00:00+00:00

THE LOWER DECKS of the Cerulean Claw were a celebration of the fallen Howling Griffons. The greatest heroes were remembered in places like the Manse of Furioso, but the lower-ranked battle-brothers who had died performing some heroic deed were commemorated in the Remembrance Decks. Memorials to dozens of Howling Griffons stood, crowned with statues of them in the full heraldry of their armour, standing guard over one another in marble or polished granite. They stood in halls remembering the dead of a particular campaign, or of an era in the Howling Griffons' history, and each one was like a weight pinning the past down upon the Chapter.

Inquisitor Thaddeus moved through one of those places now, and it was like a quiet, imposing forest of stone with statues of Space Marines watching him on every side.

Thaddeus had scouted out the layout of the Cerulean Claw early on in the voyage, because he knew that he might one day have to steal through it, unseen and probably hunted, looking for a way to escape. He knew that the ship had a secondary shuttle bay and that the complex circuitry in his Inquisitorial seal would probably open it and let him take a shuttle down to Vanqualis. He was an inquisitor, and the best of his kind planned for when everything went wrong.

Thaddeus crept past a statue of a Howling Griffon carrying twin chainblades, the statue's face turned mournfully towards the floor.

At the far side of the hall he saw an archway with a blast door leading to the shuttle deck. A few more moments and Thaddeus would be off the Cerulean Claw.

'Inquisitor,' said a deep, commanding voice from behind Thaddeus. Thaddeus span around and saw a Space Marine across the tomb chamber. The gold and crimson of his armour marked him out from the forest of stone Space Marines around him. Thaddeus scanned the Space Marine rapidly - he recognised the heraldry and ostentatious oath-texts of Mercaeno's command squad, veterans who acted as his hands and eyes among the Chapter.

'Eyes everywhere,' said Thaddeus. 'Damn Astartes, I swear sometimes you can see through walls.'

'Inquisitor Thaddeus,' said the Howling Griffon, 'Chief Librarian Mercaeno has ordered you confined to your quarters.'

'Does he now? And what's his excuse?'

'He does not trust you.'

Thaddeus smiled bitterly. 'The Lord Librarian is honest, at least. Which one are you?'

'Brother Rhelnon,' replied the Howling Griffon. 'Lord Mercaeno sent my battle-brothers and I to find you, inquisitor. You are being deliberately elusive. I think Mercaeno was right to suspect you.'

Thaddeus moved carefully, keeping the plinth of the closest memorial between him and Rhelnon. 'I bear the authority of the Immortal Emperor of Mankind,' he said, 'and the Adeptus Astartes are subject to that authority whether they like it or not. Worlds could die at my command, Brother Rhelnon. The mighty could be dragged away in chains.'

'None of us dispute the Inquisitorial mandate. But here, you are just a man, and you are alone. Power does not stem from the Inquisitorial seal you carry with you.

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