Corax- Lord of Shadows by Guy Haley

Author:Guy Haley [Haley, Guy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780308654
Published: 2019-01-08T15:47:36+00:00

Twelve

problems of mercy

‘It’s down here,’ said the surgeon general. ‘I think it’s best you see for yourself.’ He led Caius and Milontius on down the stairs leading from the hangars to the warehouse.

The stairway emerged onto a companionway bolted to the wall high over the warehouse floor. A massive piston at full extension held up the cargo lifter, which currently formed a part of the floor of the loading dock above. The Therions had done their best to clear space, but the warehouse had been full, and the civilians were crammed into a small square in the middle walled in by cargo containers.

Fuggy heat hit a moist slap of sweat about Caius’ face. Thousands of Carinaeans crammed the warehouse. Caius was pleased with the way his men were handling the situation. The armed presence was unobtrusive, and they were being as helpful to the local population as they could be. But it was crammed and swamp-hot in there, and the people were understandably in dismay. A lesser man than Caius might have scorned them all. To his thinking, he had no right to. They had not declined compliance; that was their leaders’ fault. It would be a mistake to damn them for the decisions of their rulers. There was not always the luxury of making that distinction. Caius had seen thousands of innocents killed to realise the higher goal of unification, but where he had a chance to preserve life, he did.

He was allowed a moment’s calm.

‘Looks like everything is all right here,’ said Milontius.

‘Don’t say things like that, Milontius.’

‘Sir?’

‘Have you ever heard of tempting fate?’

‘I’m sorry, sir.’

Caius half expected something to immediately go wrong. The universe had an evil sense of humour. But the situation remained as it was. Groups of sorrowing people sat quietly together. Babies cried. Individuals in uniforms and luxurious clothes were singled out and led to the line of desks manned by Therions situated in front of the giant-toothed main cargo gate for questioning.

‘It’s hot in here,’ Caius said. ‘And stuffy.’

‘We’ve the same problem down here as we do in the hangar. That’s why I brought you down here.’ The surgeon general pointed to the large, inverted trumpets hanging down into the room at one side. Currents of refreshed air should have been blowing from them. They were quiet. ‘The air system’s offline all through our section. The mix is breathable for now, but it is going to be a problem,’ said the surgeon general. He checked the display on his arm-mounted diagnostic unit. ‘The carbon dioxide levels are rising.’

‘And it is the same in the other two warehouses?’ asked Caius. The heat was making him light-headed.

‘The ventilation systems for all of this level are offline,’ said the surgeon general. ‘It is as bad in the other two as it is in here, and it will soon affect the hangar. How long until we can move them back to their hab-zones?’

‘Not for some time,’ said Caius. ‘I have had no word from the primarch. The fighting continues in the sector these people are from.

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