TH-144: <<Detonation good. Prime arterial corridor closed. That should slow them down.>>
GA-739: Theophon, how long until they bypass the wreckage?
TH-144: <<Best guess - one hundred to one hundred and fifty seconds, commander.>>
GA-739: Arcad, are you at the bridge atmosphere control?
AR-502: <<We have heavy resistance, commander... we... Brother... We are...>>
GA-739: Arcad?
TH-144: <<This is Theophon, chokepoint two reached and holding.>>
GA-739: Arcad, what is your strength and status?
AR-502: <<Commander, we...>> ///TRANSMISSION TERMINATED.///
TH-144: <<They are on us. By Dorn, there are too many of them! We cannot hold this position!>>
GA-739: Arcad, what is your strength and objective status?
TH-144: <<Commander, this is Theophon. Chokepoint will be overrun in thirty seconds.>>
GA-739: Arcad?
TH-144: <<He is gone, Gammus! What are your orders?>>
GA-739: Arcad!
TH-144: <<We are losing this, brother! There is no other choice. If we do this, then it must be now.>>
///RECORDING CLARITY CONFIRMED. PROCEEDING.///
///ACCESSING FULL RECORDS DESIGNATED “EAGLE’S TALON”.///
///AUTHORISATION ACCEPTED.///
///RETRIEVING INITIAL FILE COMMAND NOTATION…///
///FILE ACCESSED.///
///PRAISE BE TO THE MACHINE. PRAISE BE TO THE SEEKER OF SECRETS.///
One hundred and ninety-seven days, ten hours, seventeen minutes and thirty-one seconds from the first strike of the Battle of Tallarn, the macro-transporter Eagle’s Talon impacted onto the surface of the planet. The effect on immediate ground operations on the southern continent was profound, and has been recorded extensively elsewhere. However, the incident’s role in the course of the wider engagement is difficult to judge, the Battle of Tallarn still a recent event in the ongoing civil war.
At the time, the fall of the Eagle’s Talon was thought to be the result of action by an element – or elements – from the loyalist Imperial Army warships within the Tallarn System, or a catastrophic failure of the ship’s own protocols.
Both of these presumptions are false.
The vox file attached to this record consists of signals captured from a VII Legion strike force onboard the Eagle’s Talon prior to its atmospheric re-entry. Signal capture was accidental, and the result of passive operations in place throughout Perturabo’s forces. This record, like the means by which it was obtained, remains unknown to all outside of our Legion.
The strength of the Imperial Fists strike force is estimated to have been three squads, designated as Gammus, Theophon, and Arcad. All three squads were of recon configuration, with light armaments only. Infiltration onto the vessel is believed to have been by gunship and micro hull-breach. Mission command was embedded within the strike force as part of Squad Gammus.
///ACCESSING EAGLE’S TALON INCIDENT, VOX FRAGMENT (I).///
///RECORD PROCEEDS. PRAISE THE MACHINE.///
TH-144: <<Squad Theophon at waypoint one. Zero resistance, no signs of detection.>>
GA-739: Confirmed, Theophon.
TH-144: <<Proceeding to arterial corridor beta.>>
GA-739: Theophon, hold position.
TH-144: <<We are exposed here, commander. The plans were not accurate. There are four spurs off this junction, and the marked gantries have been removed. There are cutting- torch marks on the walls and floor. We have no cover, and this ship is waking up to drop a lot of armour onto the surface. If anything comes through, we will be compromised.>>
GA-739: Understood, Theophon. The order stands. Hold your position.
AR-502: <<This is Arcad. Conveyor shaft breached. Grav-chutes active. We are ready to ascend.>>
GA-739: Ascend, Arcad. Hold at the second waypoint.
AR-502: <<For Dorn, and the Emperor. Squad Arcad at waypoint two. High levels of crew and servitor activity. Zero resistance, no signs of detection.>>
GA-739: Confirmed, Arcad. Theophon, you may proceed.
TH-144: <<By your word, commander.>>
AR-502: <<This ship is vast.>>
GA-739: You should have familiarised yourself with the layout, Arcad. I hope you will not be surprised by other details.
AR-502: <<“Awe is the gift of the eye and the ear, not the mind or the cold numeral.”>>
GA-739: Heh, I suppose I can hardly dispute the words of the primarch. This ship is in the top displacement class for a vessel of its type, but it is not unique.
AR-502: <<It is impressive though. Even to the likes of you, commander.>>
GA-739: The likes of me, Arcad?
TH-144: <<I think Sergeant Arcad is meaning to respectfully use this tactical communication channel to imply that you are... long in the tooth, commander.>>
GA-739: I do not take compliments from my subordinates, Arcad. Even if our units have a reputation to maintain.
TH-144: <<Squad Theophon entering arterial corridor beta now. It is in use, commander. Floor vibrations. There is a tracked unit moving nearby, but out of visual.>>
GA-739: Closing or moving away?
TH-144: <<Moving away. Vibration is reducing.>>
GA-739: Can you reach the hatch to the power conduit?
TH-144: <<Yes. If we move now.>>
GA-739: Proceed, Theophon.
TH-144: <<Do we need to do this? We can discard this objective and advance on the primary->>
GA-739: Proceed to the power conduit and set the charges, Theophon.
TH-144: <<Aye, commander. Squad Theophon proceeding to secondary objective gamma.>>
GA-739: Confirmed, Theophon. Arcad, hold your position. One step at a time, brothers.
AR-502: <<By your word, commander.>>
///RECORD ACCESS PROCEEDING.///
The Imperial Fists’ infiltration onto the Eagle’s Talon occurred simultaneously with a major but unnamed engagement in the centre of Tallarn’s southern continent. This engagement was dominated by Titan and Knight-class war machines and, at the time, it was the largest since loyalist reinforcements had arrived in-system. Given the weight and power of the forces involved, it was possible that if either side achieved a decisive victory then they might be able to derive an overall tactical advantage, and then claim victory on Tallarn as a whole.
The Eagle’s Talon was the largest of a number of transports positioning to drop forces onto the southern continent. Had it succeeded, it could well have tipped the battle in favour of the traitor forces.
///ACCESSING EAGLE’S TALON INCIDENT, VOX FRAGMENT (II).///
///RECORD PROCEEDS. THE MACHINE DREAMS. THE MACHINE KNOWS ALL.///
TH-144: ///VOX ENCRYPTION ACTIVATED./// <<Squad Theophon at port-side power conduit, designated secondary objective gamma. Zero resistance, no signs of detection.>>
GA-739: You are using a direct link, Theophon. Is there a problem with your vox equipment?
TH-144: <<The vox is clear, brother.>>
GA-739: Then proceed to complete the objective, and return to the approved mission frequencies.
TH-144: <<I wanted to speak without Arcad hearing...>>
GA-739: The time for that has passed, Theophon. You have made your misgivings known. I have heard and understood your concerns, and deemed them of less weight than the needs of this operation. Proceed with the secondary objective. That is my will.
TH-144: <<If the primary mission fails... will you do it? You will detonate the charges?>>
GA-739: If this ship completes a full tactical deployment onto the surface, the battle below will be lost.
TH-144: <<And if that battle is lost?>>
GA-739: Theophon, this is not the time.
TH-144: <<If it is lost, then what will happen? Will the war
for Tallarn end? Will the Imperium be lost? Or will everything simply continue as it was before?>>
GA-739: Victory is made by every detail, every battle great and small. Never forget that, brother. No fight is insignificant, and we cannot know what deeds the fate of all might rest upon. All we can do is fight, when we can, with everything we have.
TH-144: <<And if we detonate a charge on this power conduit it will cut the ship’s engines and push it into the planet’s grasp. It will hit the surface. The immediate blast will flatten everything across half the southern continent. What of our allies down there? What of the battles they fight? Fire from the sky does not care who it burns.>>
GA-739: Most forces loyal to the Emperor are already in shelters beneath the surface.
TH-144: <<One crack, just one, and the poisoned air of Tallarn will get in, and then... And then there will be a shelter for nothing but corpses.>>
GA-739: There are always prices to be paid in war, brother.
TH-144: <<I know, Gammus. I remember. Phall is far away, but I have not forgotten what survival costs. But it is for us to bear that cost, not mortals. This is our war, a legionary war. Our kind began it, and we should pay the price for our own victories.>>
GA-739: It is not what I intend, brother. If the primary objective is met, then none of this will be necessary.
TH-144: <<And if that fails?>>
GA-739: Then this ship falls.
TH-144: <<And those below?>>
GA-739: No one lives on Tallarn, brother. Only the dead who have yet to go to their graves. Place the charges as planned, Theophon, detonation vox-keyed to my control.
TH-144: <<By your word, commander.>>
///RECORD ACCESS PROCEEDING.///
The taking of a large spacecraft is not a simple task. The number of troops involved to successfully control or purge a population of thousands – even tens of thousands – of human crew are similar to those needed to conquer a conurbated city. Combined with the issues of fighting in a confined and profoundly hostile environment, boarding missions are well named in the Imperial military doctrine as zone mortalis. The ground of death.
The most common method of taking a ship is the targeting of either the primary or secondary bridge. Without effective command elements, even a warship is just a lump of metal drifting in the void. Because of this vulnerability, command points are the most heavily defended locations on a ship. To take or destroy a bridge by boarding action is normally a matter of slow attrition by specially equipped troops, or a lightning fast strike by an elite force with overwhelming strength.
To try and take a ship by infiltration is… unusual. The actions of the Imperial Fists on the Eagle’s Talon indicate a lack of suitable forces, but also a degree of imagination that we have not previously credited to the sons of Dorn.
As in all things, assumption is the seed of ruin.
///ACCESSING EAGLE’S TALON INCIDENT, VOX FRAGMENT (III).///
///RECORD PROCEEDS. THE MACHINE IS ALL. ALL IS THE MACHINE.///
AR-502: <<Commander Gammus, this is Arcad.>>
GA-739: What is your situation, brother?
AR-502: <<We have a problem. We are moving through the rear spinal levels, but the plans were not accurate, commander. The layout is totally different. We have had to divert, and the only option was to use the vents in the upper crew decks. We are right on top of the enemy.>>
GA-739: What is the enemy strength?
AR-502: <<Uncertain, but substantial, and they are at battle readiness. They may be human, but a lot of them are naval armsmen, plus there are hundreds of mustering tank crew. We came close to compromise three times. We are holding position in a cavity above the companionway marked as six-seven-gamma-two on the original plans. As far as I can tell.>>
GA-739: There is... a sub-arterial passage leading to the primary target, not... ten metres from your current location. Can you shuttle your squad across the passage to it?
AR-502: <<Enemy activity is constant. They move without pattern, and the longest gap has been six seconds.>>
GA-739: Can you work your way back and take a different route?
AR-502: <<We can’t go back. A crew muster moved into the last location we came through, and... And there is another problem.>>
GA-739: Tell me.
AR-502: <<There is a Mechanicum presence in this area, at least cohort strength. Thallaxii and Myrmidon troops, and Legio Cybernetica maniples. They are on full alert, sensors primed.>>
GA-739: Your suggestion, sergeant? Speak plainly.
AR-502: <<First we need a diversion, commander. Something to get their attention, but not jeopardise the mission. Something that could just be a severe accident.>>
TH-144: <<We could blow the hoist on the main port conveyor. Drop it down fifty decks. Potentially a lot of damage, but they should not realise it was deliberate for at least fifty to seventy minutes.>>
GA-739: My squad can reach the conveyor shaft from our current location. Go on, Arcad. What is the next step?
AR-502: <<Even with the diversion, we are going to need to eliminate two of the crew before we can proceed.>>
GA-739: That is a substantial risk. Why?
AR-502: <<Because there are armsmen posted within five metres of the vent we would have to drop through.>>
AR-502: <<Yes. Sniper shot for the first, through the grate. We drop through at the same time. Take the second, pick up both corpses, take them with us.>>
TH-144: <<The guards’ absence will be noted, even if the kills are clean.>>
AR-502: <<Correct. I estimate that we will have no more than seven minutes until their absence is discovered.>>
GA-739: You will have to reach the primary objective inside that time, and destroy it. You can do that?
AR-502: <<Yes.>>
GA-739: Very well, Arcad. We will proceed as you suggest.
AR-502: <<Thank you, commander. You honour me.>>
///RECORD ACCESS PROCEEDING.///
The preoccupation with honour amongst many of the Legions is a factor which can only be seen as a weakness in the current climate. In the time of the Great Crusade, it had merit in bonding warriors together to a single purpose, and maintaining the ideals for which the Crusade was supposedly being waged. Now it can be seen only as a flaw in those that still carry it and, more importantly, an advantage ripe for greater exploitation.
What function does honour serve, other than to create hesitation when there should be swift action, and to create doubt when there should be none?
The following is a pointed illustration of this flaw.
///ACCESSING EAGLE’S TALON INCIDENT, VOX FRAGMENT (IV).///
///RECORD PROCEEDS. THE MACHINE SEES ALL. EVERY DEED IS ILLUMINATED IN THE EYE OF THE MACHINE.///
TH-144: ///VOX ENCRYPTION ACTIVATED./// <<You are worried, brother. I could hear it in your silence after Arcad spoke of honour.>>
GA-739: We are in the middle of a mission, and you think this is the best use of a personal vox-channel?
TH-144: <<I am your brother in blood and bond, Gammus. Need I list the battlefields that we shared to earn the right to question if my commander harbours unspoken doubts? I do not think I need request that right. It is mine already.>>
GA-739: Yes. Perhaps it is.
TH-144: <<You need not doubt Arcad, brother. He is young, that is all.>>
GA-739: He is not. No one remains young in this war.
TH-144: <<He never knew the Great Crusade. He is one of the first of us who have only ever known war with ourselves. In time all Space Marines will be like Arcad. That he still thinks of honour in such times should give you hope.>>
GA-739: There is no honour in what we are doing. Only necessity.
TH-144: <<I know some amongst the Legion who would say that our kind have no plac
e claiming honour. Shadow-dwellers and assassins, some call us.>>
GA-739: We fight our battles in silence, not dishonour. If the primarch believed otherwise then the recon squads would never have been adopted.
TH-144: <<You seem to make an argument against your own worries, brother.>>
GA-739: We are old, my friend, and we were old when we went into the shadows to make war...
TH-144: <<But Arcad is no aspirant, brother. He was blooded at Phall. I have seen few better as a squad leader, even among those with decades more experience.>>
GA-739: But from that battle he came to us - to a war against our enemies, fought without ever looking them in the eye. This should not be the cradle in which the young learn to fight. It should be where the old come to die. Where we come to die.
TH-144: <<A more melancholy way of seeing ourselves, I cannot imagine.>>
GA-739: The chances of success are slim, brother. The chances of survival even lower. If we die here, who will carry our names back to the Temple of Oaths? Will there even be a Legion to remember us? And if there is, what type of warriors will they be?
TH-144: <<I cannot help wondering, brother, if it is not Arcad’s honour that worries you, but your own.>>
///RECORD ACCESS PROCEEDING.///
We can deduce that the VII Legion operation on board the Eagle’s Talon had as its focus one of the crucial command and control systems of the ship, most likely the communications trunk that linked the bridge to the stations which enacted its orders. If the communications on a ship of such size can be cut, then it leaves the whole vessel frozen in action – the bridge unable to give commands, and the crew and systems without commands to enact. In a living creature we might liken it to severing the nerves connecting brain and body, leaving both alive but paralysed, the mind locked within its skull.
Such a plan requires a high degree of precision and nerve, but these qualities have never been in doubt when it comes to the Imperial Fists. There is, though, the self-evident truth that the more precise and delicate an operation, the more it is prone to error.
And once disrupted, the chances of mission collapse expand at an ever-accelerating rate. As we know well, the boundary between disaster and triumph is a razor-cut line.