Untouchable

3: The 116th, part 2

They travel on foot for two days, cross frozen fields, shelter in craters, shiver through the nights. On the third day she wakes to a thin layer of snow, grey skies, but no wind. Small mercies. After a few hours they reach a dead forest, shattered into dark splinters by air raid, familiar ichor lies splattered among the charred wood. They find a single arm, indicating that humans were here too, that perhaps all daemons were not eliminated before they moved in to burn the remains.

They slow down a little, take in the scene, search for threats, find none. She kneels down to take a closer look, smells the ichor, ensures that nothing twitches at her presence. More of Nurgle's creatures, she observes. The stench is still noticeable, though it has been at least a week or two since they were eliminated. With excessive force, she notes with some approval. Remembers the insufficient ammo supply, moderates her opinion of the execution somewhat.

When she looks up she catches Eade looking at her, though he quickly looks away, clears his throat.

"Used to be a pretty big gathering here," he tells her, turning back to her, pretending as if nothing is wrong. She wasn't focused on her movement, probably unnerved him, should try harder. "We barely made it out of these woods alive last time. Most of the daemons that are left stay below ground in the mines, but sometimes we get pockets of them crawling out."

She nods, acts as if this is new information.

"We spent the first months mostly dodging them while escorting civilians for extraction," Roth tells her, sounds proud. Doesn't seem to realize that odds are those civilians have been purged quite thoroughly, just in case.

"Helping people is good work," Holly says, smiles and nods as if approving, gets to her feet again. Pretends that she is unconcerned while her mind races.

Eden 39. Minor mining colony, certainly no paradise. Suffers a daemon infestation, reasonably local though, not the whole planet, just around the area used for mining. The useful part, the part where people actually live. The mines also provide plenty of difficult underground terrain for the enemy to shelter in. Four regiments with a commissar each deployed, some air support, may or may not have known the nature of the problem before they arrived. Significant losses among the psykers. Only a single request for one untouchable.

It doesn't add up.

A test by the inquisitor? But why? He trusts her to retrieve heretical artifacts on her own. She has never been tempted, never disobeyed. Over a decade of loyal service and now a test? No. The idea is ridiculous.

She watches Roth walk with a little skip in her step ahead of her. Naïve and believing that she has done the right thing. Yes. Maybe. Holly runs the numbers through her head as they weave their way through cracked trunks.

If she remembers the commissar's complaints right, they landed on Eden 39 six, seven months ago. Civilian extraction must have started more or less at once. The journey here took her a bit more than a month. She has been here about as long. Add some time for inevitable administrational fuck ups. That would mean that it took two, maybe even three months before she was requested.

Of course, such a request can be expected to attract attention. It did attract attention, whether or not the commissar is aware of whose. Naturally, no one wants the Inquisition to turn their gaze upon their operation, no matter how squeaky clean they run it. They are notorious for the draconian measures they resort to. It is evident that this situation would lead to a distressing number of human casualties. Did command think they could genuinely save the civilians? Only filed the request that would attract the attention of the people they needed once the civilians were off the planet?