The Dolgath Legacy: Part 19: Cut-off in sector twelve

The command center of the Mars class battle cruiser, The Subjugator, was controlled chaos.  Servitors and ratings scurried about briskly intent on their individual tasks. Junior officers and adjutants strutted to-and-fro relaying tactical data. Line officers lorded over their stations issuing orders critical to their functions, and at the center of it all was the glowing sphere of the command nexus where the senior officers contemplated the vast, swirling central holographic display.  Three stood out from that group, two massive Adeptus Astartes commanders, one in gleaming white and gold and the other in green and brass.  Between them stood a towering yet fragile figure that seemed to sway in the winds of battle like a young willow tree.  From his unobtrusive vantage in a shadowed alcove on the seventh tier, Ian Dolgath sat reading from an ancient book.  From there he could observe the activity of most of the command center while staying within earshot of the critical developments around the nexus.  It was all quite exciting for most, yet war held little allure for him.  To Ian Dolgath, the objective was the only thing that mattered.

The book he was reading strangely paralleled his feelings at that moment.  It was a highly proscribed volume named, The Third Chronicles, attributed to a forgotten remembrancer who recorded his experiences with The Thousand Sons chapter of space marines before and during the Horus Heresy.  Most of the work was clogged with irrelevant minutia, yet hidden within it were some true gems: direct quotes from the Primarch Magnus The Red.  Dolgath found Magnus a fascinating figure; by all accounts a heretical daemon worshipper, yet strangely Magnus avowed his loyalty to the Emperor right up to the end.  His quotes were invariably filled with profound insights into the fundamental nature of war, cutting through all the accolades of victory and glory and illuminating the brutal truth of it.

Magnus spoke of how the tides of war moved in predictable ways; if you were experienced enough to have learned them.  Despite his feigned disinterest, Dolgath did not fail to notice the distinctive tide of defeat as it washed through the command center.  The change of mood was palpable, but the results of the battle were clearly written on the faces of the two Space Marine commanders as they marched heavily out of the chamber.  This defeat was just the latest in a string of victories for the xenos.  The reigniting of the Octaloron campaign began as a few minor skirmishes that quickly blazed-up into a full-blown insurgency.  The xenos had adapted to the successful tactics Nelthas had deployed previously, and were now dominating every engagement.

The battle was over, never-the-less; the command center remained a beehive of activity as retreat operations where implemented and strategic assessments were conducted.   Nelthas remained, a dark, brooding, immobile figure staring silently and inscrutably at the tactical display.  She had not yet learned to accept defeat well, despite loosing the last four of her battles.  Although he dreaded it, Dolgath knew he would need to intervene at some point and take her to her quarters for sustenance and rest.  Unfortunately, as he stood, the foppish messenger-boy, Inquisitor Welch, chose that moment to enter the command center.  He marched forward with a squad of Ordo Malleus storm troopers in dress uniform and reached the nexus before Dolgath could navigate the lift.  By the time he exited the lift and hurried toward the nexus he could hear Welch speaking to Nelthas.

“By order of Segmentum Ordos command, you are here-by relieved” Welch began to say.

“Silence!”  Dolgath roared from the back of the chamber.

Welch spun around at his words, and the storm troopers turned their heads back in almost comical unison.  Dolgath pointed at him.

“Come with me, we need to have some words in private” Dolgath growled.

“Let him speak” Nelthas said as she glided rapidly forward.

Welch rotated his head back and stared like a penitent caught in a searchlight.  He glanced back and forth at the towering form of Nelthas and the smoldering glare of Dolgath wondering which intimidated him more.

“Speak!” Nelthas spat.

“By order of Segmentum Ordos command, I have been ordered to take command of this campaign” he sputtered.

Dolgath almost began to laugh, but when he saw Nelthas rear back like a serpent ready to strike, he held his words.

“A general retreat has been ordered” Welch said.  “All deployed units must retreat to sector five for evacuation.”

“I still have units cut-off in sector twelve” Nelthas said emphatically.

“My orders are clear, if they are not at sector five at the appointed hour, they will be left behind,” Welch said with growing confidence.

“Unacceptable!”  Nelthas raged.  “They are Adeptus Astartes, I will not leave them,” Nelthas exclaimed as she turned and glided away out of the chamber.

“Inquisitor!” Welch took a few steps in earnest to follow her, but she quickly vanished.  He turned back to find the dark eyes of Dolgath glaring at him.

“If she is lost, it is you who shall pay”  Dolgath pointed a grim finger at Welch before turning away.