Thomas Barran
"Bloodclaw"
LORD-COMMISSAR OF THE 1ST FRONTIER-GUARDS DIVISION
REGIMENTAL CHAMPION (RET.)
TENURED MENTOR OF THE IMPERIAL COLLEGIO
TAGS
Mercy
SIX-BELOW
I
LOCATION CLASSIFIED,
SEGMENTUM ULTIMA (AGE OF SILENCE)
'Last chance to back out, Tom.'
'From whom, huh? If they're rough, they're exactly what we need.'
'Yeah, I know that, but whats the guarantee you won't lose your cool and cut the right ones down?'
'From whom, huh? If they're rough, they're exactly what we need.'
'Yeah, I know that, but whats the guarantee you won't lose your cool and cut the right ones down?'
Hive cities, on every level, (or as far as Bloodclaw always viewed them-) contained everything the Imperium needed, and there were still many littered throughout the Galaxy, loyal to the Throne, in some capacity or other, and all within carrying a potential that still terrified the foes of the realm. Even standing as a testament to enduring bravery, as this specific Hiveworld was but a Galactic stone's throw away from Ork-held territories, and more than their fair few had attempted to mount offensives since the Age of Silence began, all taken into consideration when Barran first embarked on his latest initiative. From the benefits of rogue-trader connections, to the insights provided by gangers long-survived in the trade, Lord Thomas was seeking it all for utilisation; acutely, and perpetually aware of Exiles Division's need for a strong intelligence network, it could no longer be ignored, not with ambitious superiors finally eyeing up the boundaries of Segmentum Solar.
'Relax, Danny.... You can rest assured we won't be drinking on the job this time. Besides, I don't trust the swill they'd serve us here, do you?'
'Ha! Fair point.... If this were to become a city of the faithless dead, the alcohol would be missed least of all.'
'Putting it mildly, though I doubt the locals are drinking it for the taste - just a hunch.'
Sharing a good chuckle between them then, both Macragge-born elements were unable to ignore the absurdity of their presence on the surface, seemingly incapable of avoiding the tropes that separated their ilk from the usual, common castes of the Imperium, though this could not be avoided by men born to bloodlines of great soldiering repute. That specific officer-tier status which all but assured their presence among the realm's lower classes, the very hammer to the insulation that their ranks often provided to others of equivalent seniority, but against their innate urges to scowl at the filth, such behaviours were proving quite easy to stifle. Much to the duo's great surprise, as they knew that, unlike other officers in their position, they retained violence of their own to back their bluster all the way, and enough to take such tensions to the hilt, and then some.
'In any case - who made top-priority on your list here?'
'All I could ascertain about her identity was, well.... Its what I guess to be a codename - she goes by,"Mercy", round these parts.'
'Got the file handy?'
'Of course.... Wrist up, please.'
A slow whirring tone followed, then the confirmation bleep, to which Thomas quickly opened the digital contents in response, practically snatching at the air above the green light so he could see what had made his old friend so curious. It was no small thing to end up as top-priority recruitment potential on the Adjutant's list, doubly true that it was a woman considered by the High Lords to be of less-than-honourable repute, but just as Thomas had specified beforehand, this was exactly the sort of mind he needed to keep every vicious head bowed in acquiescence. The forward march to reunification, strife-fraught though it would be, would certainly be a glory of untold extreme; but to succeed, and to surprise the entire Galaxy, the most ironclad of in-house accords, in turn, would be required to hold firm beyond the proverbial finish line.
'Lets see here.... Ganger, likely a ringleader, perhaps even a kingpin in her organisation, if some of these accounts are to be believed - signifying toughness in a man's world, something of a foundation to build upon.... Lower-levels base, meaning she's proven herself to some of the Hive's wildest and meanest.... "Six-Below".... Not bad, woman. Not bad at all.'
LATER THAT DAY
'Eeeesh! Toasty down here, is it not?'
'Ha! Good job we left our coats back on the Nomad, hm?'
'True.... We had best roll up our sleeves, top two buttons undone.'
It could not be helped in the depths of Six-Below, as it was a sort of heat to which neither surface-dweller had acclimated, making their dry-burn familiarity seem quite redundant here, as it seemed there wasn't a single bomb in the Imperium that could cut through such mind-dulling humidity. Barran had expected something of the sort to occur, though not quite to this extent, making it feel as though there could never be any means of preparing to overcome it physically; only inundation, only constant life in it's midst could make a difference, yet still, it could only conjure despairs of how much worse it could get on the basement floors beneath the Gangers' level. Not that this was the only concern in these moments, not with eyes following their movements from every shadowy corner, watching on from every surreptitious alcove, studying the outsiders for anything that could be interpreted as weakness.
Not that they would find any, as it seemed that not even a numbers advantage could shake these lofty new arrivals.
'Oh, look here! We have some fancy-shmancy sky-kissers, gracing us with a visit.... What you starin' at, piggie boy?'
'I'm currently eyeing up - a victim.'
'Ohohoho, really?'
'That is, if you want to be a victim.... I'm just saying I'd be happy to oblige.'
Kissing teeth with disdain by then, the local loudmouths were clearly expecting a response of contrastingly acquiescent nature, but as soon as they had gotten close enough to look into Bloodclaw's glaring eyes, they would soon see why the man had felt comfortable enough to speak with such bombast Six-Below. One eventually piped up, growling,'Leave that one be, Denno.... This sky-kisser deals in death. Jus' ask 'im what he wants, man.', sending the surprise to sender, though certainly in a way that impressed the Lord-Commissar in contrast. Thomas would have wanted to speak further with the smartest of the bunch, but when Barran looked toward the source of the voice, he noted that three or four in that direction were already walking away, likely sensing no opportunity in a pig with muscular fortitude.
Or at least, as far as Bloodclaw could tell, the population Six-Below were vast enough to suggest any wild number of reasons for leaving the nobles be.
'So, then?'
'Good.... Now you're thinking properly.... Now, where is the one who answers to,"Mercy"?'
'Who-oh, wait.... Maaaaaate-'
From the hubbub of grumbling locals, the loudest thing of all would be the silence that followed, telling more with that than their bluster ever could; whoever's codename that Thomas had just uttered, strange though it seemed at the time, was clearly one that many warned against uttering so openly. More reason there to believe this Mercy was a force to be reckoned with, and for all the dangers into which Barran was delving deeper, it only continued to score well for this individual, and before any recruiting analysis was endeavoured. All that remained to endeavour was the interview, but for all the time the duo spent analysing all the denizens living Six-Below, the fewer questions Thomas knew they'd have for this individual by the time they were standing face-to-face.
'Phwoar! I shoulda known the requests would be as mad as the man 'imself! Did you catch that one, boys?'
'The piggie has a fethin' death-wish, Denno! Get away from 'im!'
'Feth off, Corliss! All we need t'do is send the karker in the right direction, 's not like we're standing with him neither-'
'It don't matter now, lads. Our visitors won't need to walk any further.', another voice called out, coincidentally from the same direction where the small number of locals had previously walked off. Only then did Barran realise why they were so quick to leave, as it was becoming increasingly likely that they had gone to warn Mercy about the surface-dwellers, though Thomas was never petty enough to fault layers of insulation for maintaining the structure of their respective networks. It wasn't until the crowd began to disperse when the surface-dwelling duo finally able to see who the new faces were, all but confirmed when the same voice announced,'For the one they seek is already here.', revealed to be the second-tallest of Mercy's gun-toting bodyguards.
'Good, now let the meeting commence.'
