“Status report!” Yuhl barked to no one in particular.
The same it was two minutes ago, the technician thought dryly. He spun around in his chair to face Yuhl.
“Working
on it, sir, but there's little we can do. Damn fog pretty much ruins
any hope at bringing advanced imagining online. I can revert to the
basic cameras if you want. Thermal is a no go, I'm afraid.”
“Whatever
it takes, just give me eyes on the main gate.”
With
a quick nod the man swiveled back to his console and continued
working.
Yuhl
was uneasy. The fog screwing with the systems was nothing new, but it
had rarely been to this extent. Yuhl's command chamber was the brain
of the fortress and its cameras his eyes. He didn't like flying
blind. Without the optic scopes they were completely reliant on
routine sound offs from the front gate.
“Mister
Stamper, double the guards both inside and out of the gate. I want
the men at the front calling in every ten — no five minutes.
Immediately.”
The
huge guard at Yuhl's side nodded, the only noise marking his
departure was the hiss-clank
of
the steel door shutting behind him. Stamper didn't talk much and he
asked questions even less. For Yuhl that made a perfect chief of
security.A true professional, that one, Yuhl mused.
Not like the majority of his men, who cared only about the next pay stub dangling in front of them. Although most of the facility’s security force were ex-guardsmen, few retained the discipline or sobriety of their military days. And although Malkor was technically under the protection of the local subsector’s military, there had been no men to spare defending the outpost with the Third Greenskin War in full swing. Since his reassignment from his home planet’s defense force to Malkor, Yuhl had pushed relentlessly to reign his men in. There was improvement, to be sure, but security standards were still fairly lax. Routine inspections by Imperial officers were always nerve wracking for Yuhl, but nothing like the unscheduled inspection he was being subjected to.
It didn’t help he was being inspected by him. Yuhl shuddered at the thought.
“Do I unnerve you so, Commandant?”
Snapping from his thoughts, Yuhl turned to face the newcomer, rod-straight and rigid.
“Pardons, sir, I did not hear your approach,” he responded stiffly.
The man laughed as he strode into view, illuminated by the dull glow of the headquarter’s many flickering screens. He was of modest height and build, wearing a simple black trench coat over a grey vest and trousers. A plain, freshly shaven face was topped by salt and pepper hair that jutted out into a widow’s peak. His only noteworthy feature was his grey, calculating eyes.
For all his simplicity and humility Yuhl could not forget who he was….or what he was.
“Subtlety is just one of my many talents,” the man said softly.
“You have many surprises it would seem, sir.”
He laughed again, but his eyes shared none of the mirth.
“So how fares the facility, Commandant Yuhl?”
The young man hesitated before responding. Each word had to be carefully chosen when dealing with the likes of this one.
“Nothing out of the ordinary sir, some problems with the exterior imaging….it’s the fog you see. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.”
“‘Nothing out of the ordinary?’ Your man Stamper almost ran me down in the hallway. Seems like quite the hurry for nothing.”
“I’ve doubled the detail at the gate and am personally receiving their updates, I assure you it is merely a precaution,” Yuhl tried to sound confident.
“Is it not during the calm that we must be most wary of the storm?”
He let the sentence hang for a long moment before walking away from Yuhl. With a wave of his hand, Yuhl marched over to him and out of earshot of his men.
“As you say, it is probably nothing... Should it be something, though, the details have been seen to, I trust?”
“Of course sir, the men have been thoroughly drilled and briefed on the matter. When the time comes, they will handle it professionally and to your...specifications,” Yuhl trailed off.
“I hope so, Commandant, any damages would be most upsetting. Remember these are violent, traitorous criminals. They will show your men no mercy and will not be easily stopped, nor reasoned with.”
“I have every faith in my men, sir,” Yuhl responded with a hint of annoyance. “But I still have not seen the records on these criminals. How will I know who they are, what they are capable of, or even what crimes they are charged with? Indeed how do I even know if they are guilty or innocent?”
“My order has an old saying, Yuhl, perhaps you have heard it.”
Yuhl forced himself to stare directly into the man’s eyes.
“Innocence proves nothing.”
***
Not like the majority of his men, who cared only about the next pay stub dangling in front of them. Although most of the facility’s security force were ex-guardsmen, few retained the discipline or sobriety of their military days. And although Malkor was technically under the protection of the local subsector’s military, there had been no men to spare defending the outpost with the Third Greenskin War in full swing. Since his reassignment from his home planet’s defense force to Malkor, Yuhl had pushed relentlessly to reign his men in. There was improvement, to be sure, but security standards were still fairly lax. Routine inspections by Imperial officers were always nerve wracking for Yuhl, but nothing like the unscheduled inspection he was being subjected to.
It didn’t help he was being inspected by him. Yuhl shuddered at the thought.
“Do I unnerve you so, Commandant?”
Snapping from his thoughts, Yuhl turned to face the newcomer, rod-straight and rigid.
“Pardons, sir, I did not hear your approach,” he responded stiffly.
The man laughed as he strode into view, illuminated by the dull glow of the headquarter’s many flickering screens. He was of modest height and build, wearing a simple black trench coat over a grey vest and trousers. A plain, freshly shaven face was topped by salt and pepper hair that jutted out into a widow’s peak. His only noteworthy feature was his grey, calculating eyes.
For all his simplicity and humility Yuhl could not forget who he was….or what he was.
“Subtlety is just one of my many talents,” the man said softly.
“You have many surprises it would seem, sir.”
He laughed again, but his eyes shared none of the mirth.
“So how fares the facility, Commandant Yuhl?”
The young man hesitated before responding. Each word had to be carefully chosen when dealing with the likes of this one.
“Nothing out of the ordinary sir, some problems with the exterior imaging….it’s the fog you see. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.”
“‘Nothing out of the ordinary?’ Your man Stamper almost ran me down in the hallway. Seems like quite the hurry for nothing.”
“I’ve doubled the detail at the gate and am personally receiving their updates, I assure you it is merely a precaution,” Yuhl tried to sound confident.
“Is it not during the calm that we must be most wary of the storm?”
He let the sentence hang for a long moment before walking away from Yuhl. With a wave of his hand, Yuhl marched over to him and out of earshot of his men.
“As you say, it is probably nothing... Should it be something, though, the details have been seen to, I trust?”
“Of course sir, the men have been thoroughly drilled and briefed on the matter. When the time comes, they will handle it professionally and to your...specifications,” Yuhl trailed off.
“I hope so, Commandant, any damages would be most upsetting. Remember these are violent, traitorous criminals. They will show your men no mercy and will not be easily stopped, nor reasoned with.”
“I have every faith in my men, sir,” Yuhl responded with a hint of annoyance. “But I still have not seen the records on these criminals. How will I know who they are, what they are capable of, or even what crimes they are charged with? Indeed how do I even know if they are guilty or innocent?”
“My order has an old saying, Yuhl, perhaps you have heard it.”
Yuhl forced himself to stare directly into the man’s eyes.
“Innocence proves nothing.”
***
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