Marsh Silas IIS: Squad Stories

Chapter 7

"Knight-Lieutenant, I understand your emotions are high right now and you would like to correct this slight, but I ask you to calm down," Major Rosenfeld counseled. Marsh Silas, standing on the other side of the dormant hololithic projector, felt his grip tighten on the metallic edge. He glanced at Hyram who, with an expectant expression, urged him to mind his temper. So Marsh took a breath before looking up, knowing a scowl towards his commanding officer would spell further trouble.

"Sir, our findings are very unsettling. The convoy we ambushed had in-depth plans, maps, copies of communiques from Interior Guard and Shock Trooper regiments we have been working with, and supply rosters. Captain Hyram, Major Haight, and Warrant Officer Romilly agree with me that the traitors occupying the safehouse where they were being held belong to the same outfit as the ones we ambushed."

"I personally worked with your regimental logisticians to correlate the recovered materials with the manifests Bloody Platoon found," Haight said. "Everything we found at the facility was on the manifest."

"Based on this evidence, we can firmly state there's a concentrated enemy effort on Cadia Secundus," Hyram said. "It also confirms there is someone within our ranks acquiring and feeding them information. If they're seeking supplies and taking intelligence officers captive, we can assume they are trying to prepare for a larger operation."

"You seem quite assured this is the case, Knight-Captain," Rosenfeld said.

"Sir, if I were conducting asymmetric warfare on an entrenched, well-armed, and larger foe on their own turf, this is how I would wage my campaign," Hyram answered resolutely. "Seize supplies, take prisoners, interrogate them for information, and launch ambushes to bleed the enemy of numbers. This is classic Militarum strategy."

A snort from the other side of the projector caught everyone's attention. Major Bristol paced with his arms folded across his chest, chuckled and shook his head. He ambled slowly towards Marsh and Hyram. When he finished snickering, he stood right in the latter's face.

"That's how you'd do it, eh?" he started. "Well, if you're so convinced we've got a rat in the house, you could very well be the one leaking all this intelligence."

Marsh's violet eyes lit up. He slammed his fist against the edge of the projector.

"Look here, sir! I—"

"Police that, Knight-Lieutenant!" Rosenfeld snapped. But the company commander pointed an accusatory finger at Bristol. "I won't allow you to propagate such derogatory drivel against my executive officer. Captain Hyram has proven his faith and loyalty many times over. His record will not be called into question, am I understood?"

"Relax, Cadians," Bristol said, holding up his hands. "It was merely a jest."

"Mind your jests, Jakal," Marsh seethed quietly. "You're far from your pack." But Bristol only grinned at Marsh Silas and leaned towards him.

"You ever fought a Jakal? I guarantee it's a fight you won't forget, for it will be your last one," Bristol confidently whispered back. "So, why don't you fall back for now?"

"Gentlemen, if we can allow cooler heads to prevail," Major Haight said, stepping in between the two. The stout Navy officer put an arm around Marsh Silas and pulled him away while Bristol returned to his side of the roundtable projector.

Marsh fixed the collar of his tunic and nodded at Haight, who backed off. He gauged the chamber. Servo-skulls recording the session drifted over their heads. Scribes, menials, and other Adeptus Administratum staff busied themselves with cogitators, Vox-casters, Augur-Arrays, and other terminals which lined the room. A huge, two-dimensional map of Cadia Secundus, one of the three primary landmasses on the planet, remained fixed on a screen. Machines whirred and beeped, fingers pounded on keyboards, and morale statements boomed over the intercom.