Longshot by Rob Young

Author:Rob Young
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Black Library
Published: 2023-07-03T12:10:56+00:00

16

Less than an hour later, Darya had assembled her squad in one of the corners of the manufactorum where the last remaining conveyor belts had been piled. The wall behind them was plastered with the same thin posters that had been affixed to every standing wall behind the Cadian lines, but here they were obscured with soot and plascrete dust.

Her team were all in the same uniforms they had worn for the past week, stained with sweat, grime and dust, their faces tired beneath their grease-paint camouflage.

‘Counter-sniping,’ Ullaeus said from where he was sitting atop a motor unit. He blew on his steaming mess tin, which contained his second serving of hot rations since he’d returned.

‘Feels like more of the same to me,’ Arfit said. He was lying on the rubber belt of a conveyor with an arm over his eyes, in a position that couldn’t have been comfortable.

‘Less reactive, more proactive,’ Darya said between mouthfuls of hot, thin stew. Rehydrated vegetables and freeze-dried meat never tasted better than after a few days on cold protein blocks and ration sachets.

‘It’ll be good to go back on the offensive,’ Yanna said. She chewed tentatively; the scar on her face wasn’t fully healed yet, the skin still raw and puckered from where the medicae had sewn it back together. Her facial tattoos no longer lined up, but the Episcan seemed almost happy to have earned such a prominent scar, especially one that was so similar to Darya’s.

Bellis said nothing; he looked like he was actually asleep, his empty mess tin in his lap as he sat slumped against the base of Ullaeus’ motor unit.

She’d briefed her team as soon as they’d had a chance to grab some hot food and some chem-treated water, filling them in on what she could from her meeting with Captain Kohl and Commissar Tsutso. She’d left off that one of the dead had been killed by his own men, and Captain Kohl’s inference that General Matliss’ death had been anything but natural.

They had been as excited as Darya at the prospect of the incoming push, even if it was just a feint to ease the way of other elements of the 217th. It was progress, a sense of building momentum that served to stoke their morale better than any sermon or propaganda vid.

‘I’m just happy we’re finally pushing on the assembly plant,’ Arfit said, and Darya had to agree. The monolithic building was one of the largest in Iron Hill, and all attempts to breach its walls had been unsuccessful so far.

‘So long as our target isn’t hiding inside,’ Darya said.

‘Could be we’ve got the sniper already,’ Ullaeus suggested, scraping his spoon noisily on the inside of his mess tin to collect every last morsel of food. ‘We got that one this morning, the one who took out Sergeant Rast.’

‘Could be you’re going to scratch through the bottom of that tin if you’re not careful, Iago,’ Bellis said without opening his eyes. Arfit snorted with laughter.

‘Enough,’ Darya warned as Ullaeus drew back his arm to throw his spoon at Bellis.

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