Chapter 168: Tactical Intelligence Support
Kian Voss dragged two heavy ammunition crates over to his new terminal to serve as a makeshift command throne. He cracked his knuckles and began tapping at the runic keyboard, exploring the functions of his Intelligence Center.
After half an hour of digging through the wetware's sub-directories, he had a handle on the "Meta."
The Intelligence Support function operated on a "Data-In, Logic-Out" loop. You provided raw information—encrypted data-slates, stolen cogitator-disks, or even just real-time observations (tags). The three-brain logic-core would then perform a cross-referenced analysis of Hive layouts and Munitorum records to output a tactical summary.
Kian was currently obsessed with the "Nurgle Expansion." He had seen the "Meat-Metal Fusion" in the Spire—a classic symptom of a Warp-infection moving from Stage 1 (Biological Plague) into Stage 2 (Reality Distortion).
In Stage 2, the Poxwalkers grew stronger, and the environment itself became a predator. You'd get "Flesh-Lumps" that could shoot bone-shrapnel and "Plague-Flies" the size of fists that could liquefy a man in seconds. If it hit Stage 3, the planet was effectively a lost cause—a Rift would open, and Nurgle's daemons would step through to turn the world into a "Garden."
"This is my backyard," Kian muttered. "If the Grandfather moves in, my rent goes up to 'Eternal Suffering.' Not on my watch."
He began entering data-tags into the terminal:
[Input 1: Upper Spire — High Infection. Flesh-Steel Fusion detected. Poxwalker density: Critical.]
[Input 2: Mid/Lower Hive — Civil Unrest. Rioting. No physical mutation detected.]
The Cogitator Engine hummed, the brains in the iron tank pulsing as they processed the logic. Ten minutes later, a string of High Gothic text scrolled across the green screen:
[COGITATOR ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
Finding: The disparity in infection levels between the Spire and the Lower Tiers is statistically anomalous.
Context: Hive Tenebris operates on two independent Hydro-Distribution Networks. System Alpha serves the Spire and Spire-Tips. System Beta serves the Mid and Underhive.
Hypothesis: System Alpha has been compromised at the primary filtration hub. A 'Desecration Ritual' has likely turned the Spire's water supply into a delivery vector for the Warp-virus.
Status: The Lower Hive is currently experiencing 'Residual Psychic Pollution' (Mental unrest/Riots), but remains biologically pure. For now.
Kian rubbed his chin. The water. Of course.
In a Hive, the taps were the only thing everyone touched. If you poisoned the Spire's reservoir, you turned every noble into a zombie overnight. The only reason his brewery and the Sump were safe was because the water systems were physically separate.
"I need to kill the rot at the roots," Kian decided. "But I can't storm the Spire's main reservoir with twenty drunks and a broken tank."
He needed allies with a higher "Holy Damage" stat.
Kian prepped a kit of stimms and surgical supplies, donned his armor, and took the private lift back up to the Mid-Hive. He hopped into his Survey Crawler and roared through the industrial district toward the Cathedral of the Blessed Martyr.
The streets of the Mid-Hive were a mess. He saw groups of laborers smashing windows and lighting fires—people were using the "Blackout" as an excuse for a bit of "Zero-Yuan Procurement." Kian's trigger finger twitched; he wanted to join the looting, but he forced himself to stay on task.
He reached the Cathedral and braked hard. The grand plaza was a charnel house.
Bodies were piled in neat, gruesome rows—thousands of them. It seemed the rioters and the "infected" had tried to storm the Church during the initial chaos. They had made a fatal mistake.
The Ministorum priests weren't just men of the cloth; they were warriors of the Creed. Kian saw deacons in blood-stained robes, wielding massive two-handed power-swords and iron-bound holy books that they used as bludgeons. They were performing "Last Rites" on the rioters with the same enthusiasm a butcher shows to a side of grox.
Kian stepped out of his crawler. A group of priests noticed him and raised their "Door-sized" greatswords, their eyes full of fanatical fire.
"Halt, traveler!" one roared, his biceps bulging under his habit. "The sanctuary is closed to the un-sanctified!"
Kian didn't reach for his gun. He simply lifted the Spirit-Linked Mark of Sanctity hanging around his neck.
The priests saw the ancient relic. They sensed the "Emperor's Benediction" aura radiating from Kian (who had been snacking on Holy Pancakes all morning). Their aggression evaporated instantly. They lowered their blades and offered a stiff, respectful bow.
"Praise the Throne. Forgive us, Brother. The heretics have been... persistent today."
Kian nodded. "I need to see the Canon-Preceptor. I have high-priority intel on the source of the rot."
Minutes later, Kian was ushered into the inner nave.
The Canon-Preceptor had undergone a "Gothic Transformation." He was no longer the frail old man in silk robes. He was encased in a suit of ornate gold-etched Plate Armor, draped in a tattered red cloak. A dozen Purity Seals were pinned to his chest. In one hand, he held a heavy brass staff topped with a glowing, metal Bible; in the other, a master-crafted Las-pistol.
He looked like a Hero Unit from a high-tier DLC.
"Warrior of the Light," the Canon said, his voice booming with a newfound power. "I am told you bring news of the Shadow."
"The Spire is a loss, Lord Canon," Kian reported. "Flesh and steel are fusing. The 'Laughing Ones' are evolving. If we don't act now, the Hive becomes a Nurgle-garden."
The Canon's face twisted with fury. He slammed his staff into the marble floor, the impact cracking the stone.
"FOUL ABOMINATION!! I shall cast them out! I shall march into the heights and drown their laughter in the blood of the faithful!!"
Kian winced. "Lord Canon, with all due respect... the PDF精銳团 (Elite 9th Regiment) already tried the 'Direct Charge' method. They were turned into mulch in four hours. A frontal assault with a bunch of chanting civilians is just delivering lunch to the zombies."
The Canon paused, the fire in his eyes cooling slightly. "What do you propose, Sergeant?"
"The source isn't the streets. It's the Alpha Reservoir," Kian explained, drawing on his terminal's data. "They poisoned the water. If we can reach the filtration hub and perform a Grand Purgation Ritual on the central vats, we can cut the virus off at the source. Without the 'nectar' flowing through the pipes, the Pox-horde will wither. Then the PDF can move in and finish the cleanup."
The Canon considered this, nodding slowly. "A surgical strike into the heart of the rot... Yes. I have the relics of Purgation in the vault. If you can provide the escort, I will lead the ritual myself. The Emperor's light shall burn the poison from the well!"
[DING! MISSION TRIGGERED]
Mission: The Purgation of System Alpha
Objective: Escort the Canon-Preceptor to the Spire Reservoir and defend the Ritual Site.
Reward: Canon-Preceptor Reputation [Crown-Tier] | Unlocked Requisition: [Blessed Incendiaries & Holy Bullets].
"Get your relics ready, Lord Canon," Kian said, checking the charge on his Lasgun.
"I'll bring the tank. You bring the God-Emperor. Let's go fix the plumbing."
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