The first book in the cycle is Traitor General. Its interesting in the sense that it does not feature the full regiment, but rather select characters, who are dropped behind enemy lines for a specific mission (Spec ops guerilla kill team action, basically.) to stop a high-ranking traitor who is allying with Chaos with the informaiton locked in his head. What is truly notable about the novel, however, is the setting. THe planet is one conquered by Chaos, and it gives the Ghosts the firsthand look at the civilization they are fighting against in terms of more than just the soldiers they fight. WE see bits of their economy, law, their psychology, their method of governing, etc. More than that, though, we're presented with the dangers of Chaos taint and how each Ghost is forced to deal with it on this important mission, as well as how they interact with the local insurrectionist elements.. the strain the mission and the enviroment puts them under becomes a major point of tension throughout the book, although this also transitions later on into a unifying element, as we find in the next book.
Its also the start of my 'smaller' updates, in that I'll only cover this one in two. This is part one, and I'll provide the other half at some later date.
age 15
Excubitors. Some sort of Chaos garrison troops/enforcers, I think. Yet more 2 metre tall men.The three excubitors surrounded him. Each was two metres tall and clad in heavy buckled boots and long coats of grey scale armour. They aimed their ornate las-locks at him.
Page 18
Guessing it detects weapons, eavesdropping gear/communications, etc.Hands grabbed him and hustled him forward. The paddle of an auspex buzzed as it was passed up and down his body.
“Clean!” someone said.
Page 35
Guard intel. The interesting thing is here that it seems the Guard (or at least their intel elements, or is that munitorum intel?) has made signficant efforst to contact (and possibly establish/support) insurrectionist elements on Chaos-held worlds. One presumes that Chaos does likewise.“I think perhaps the understandably tortuous lines of communication between the Gereon resistance cells and Guard Intelligence have been even less adequate than we’d hoped.
PAge 37
We learn a bit about the Sabbat Worlds arm of Chaos and its occupation methods and techniques. Surprisingly its not quite as brutal/arbitrary as we might expect from Chaos - or maybe its that they aren't quite as bizarrely over the top GRIMDARK crap. I mean as we learn they want resources, they want to indoctrinate the population, and they want power.. but thats not really that much different from normal humanity, and while they are plenty brutal (especially to those who don't kowtow to the Chaos way or cling to Imperial ideals) they aren't as rbitrarily brutal as you might expect. Its more akin to the 'horus Hersy' era depiction of Chaos really.. they're not quite as arbitrary or insane, at least on some level, and the differences between the two sides are alot more blurred than either the Imperials or Chaos might wish. Indeed, one imght consider this entire book a 'learning experience' for many Imperial/Chaos characters, in the same sense the Eisenhorn and Ravenor novels had 'discovery' in their Imperial/chaos interactions, whether it was Eisenhorn and Pontius Glaw, Ravenor and Moloch.. or whatever.“You come here with this crap? Some half-arsed stealth mission that you can’t breathe a word of? Screw you! We’ve suffered! We’ve died! Millions have died! Do you know what those bastards have done to us?”
“Yes,” said Gaunt quietly.
“I don’t bloody think so! The invasion? The slaughter? The extermination camps? The things they buried in our flesh to keep us tame? The foul propaganda they blast from the speakers every hour of the day and night? The few of us left who can think straight, the bloody few of us, risking our lives every day to keep the resistance alive! A raid here, a bombing there, comrades massacred, dragged off for interrogation or worse! What kept us going, do you suppose? What the hell kept us going?”
“The thought of liberation.”
“The thought of liberation! Yes, sir! Yes screw-you sir! Every day! Every day for six hundred and four days! Six hundred and bloody five now! Days of Pain! We have a calendar! A bloody calendar! Six hundred and five days of pain and death and torment—”
..
“Do you know what the bloody ordinals make me do? I am consented to work in the Iconoclave! Do you know what that means?”
“No,” said Gaunt.
“It means I am allowed to go to what was the town hall for twelve hours every day and use a sledgehammer to break up any symbols of the Imperium that the bastards drag in! Statues… plaques… standards… insignia… I have to pound them to scrap and rubble! And they allow me to do this! They permit me! It’s seen as a special honour for those of us consented to do it! A perk! A trustee’s luxury! Because it’s that or file into the maws of the meat foundries and, you know, somehow I’d rather splinter a statue of Saint Kiodrus into chippings than be dragged off there!”
Another interesting bit is how the Ghosts (dedicated Imperials) must deal with people they know who are tainted. They look and sound loyal, but they've bene under the influence of Chaos for years, and the relations between the two is an ongoing plot for this book and beyond.
An interesting consequence of this passage is the whole theme of 'Chaos' corruption and the taint. Gaunt and his crew not only face it, but they must deal with people who have lived with it for years now, and how it may have changed them. Indeed, there is a certain amount of distrust amongst the infiltrators and the native insurgents because of that - the Ghosts distrusting anyone with the taint (especially ones like Rawne.) whilst the insurgents here are defensive because of what they've been forced to do, to accept, in order to survive.
It's interesting also because the way the Ghosts must react to this, and what might be asked of them to achieve their mission, alongisde interacting with/tolerating with people who may be tainted. A test of sorts, we might conclude.
Page 38
100 wolrds in the Sabbat Worlds region again. Gaunt is really in a tough position here. He wants to help but he also has to achieve his goal, even at the cost of sacrificing the world and the rebellion on it.“Very likely. But it’s true. If my team fails here, we’re talking about the possible failure of the entire Sabbat Crusade. One hundred inhabited systems, Landerson. Would you like them all to end up like Gereon?”
Page 43
Fetch hounds. Chaos tracking animals. Its mentioned they can track blood, human pheremones, the imagos (used as tracking devices on Chaos worlds) and similar. Its also mentioned they could easily smell the Ghost infiltration team because they are 'too clean'.They were big. Some kind of semi-feral mastiff breed sired in the holds of the archenemy fleet. A dozen of them, each one so thickly muscled it weighed more than an adult human male.
Page 45
lasfire not stopped by foliage. Bolts also ignite and/or vapourize (the water content, probably) of the foliage.Lasfire streamed out between the trees, shredding the low foliage.
..
He started to fire, but the air was suddenly thick with smoke wash and water vapour from the burst foliage.
Page 45
Larkin headsplodes Excubitor. Considering they're height and augmetics, probably more impressive than normal human head.Another sniper round took the head off one of the excubitors manning the lamps.
Page 46
Brostin, a flame trooper. SEems to have become the Bragg-analogue for this story lol. Monopod support for the weapon. Uses AP rounds.The big, rough-looking man calmly advanced with his massive autocannon cradled like a baby in his arms. He dropped the long telescope monopod to brace and then let rip, feeding ammo on a belt from one of two heavy hoppers strung to his hips.
..
The steady flow of armour-piercing rounds had ruptured the deep-set fuel tank.
Page 46
RApid fire (full auto) las bolts blow out at least one chest. Whether a single barrage (lasgun) or mutliple we dont know, or how many shots for that matter (probbly not more than a second or two of sustained fire.) It makes sense though for a barrage, if multiple lasshots can blow off limbs or make big holes in heads (or blow apay part or most of a head) then multiple shots hitting in close proximity could probably do this. If we figure roughly a 20x20 cm area and 400 j per sq cm thats 160 kj. Double/triple digit kj for the 'burst' is likely.Lasrifles on rapid, but devastatingly precise. Some of the excubitors tried to turn and were smacked off their feet. Landerson saw a chest explode, scale-mail pieces flung out. A las-lock was hit as it fired and blew up in a crescent of torched energy.
Page 47
Halftrack blown apart by tube charge.The second halftrack tried to turn and reverse. A tube-charge spun in from Rawne — a long, precise throw — and blew it apart.
Page 56
Ethnologue. Used by the Archenemy forces in the Sabbat Worlds region to learn about the enemy." Can she at least tell me what an ethnologue is?”
“It is my duty to learn in all detail about the life and culture of the enemy,”
Page 57-58
This is a.. very interesting creature. In many ways it reminds one of the teleporter creatures that Tyranid starships had (at leats in older fluff) as well as warp portals/gates and the Eldar webway in how it works. The ability to not only move large quantities of anything, but to move anything at all, without a starship in a point-to-point manner like that is a considerable advantage, at least once the connections are established (The Necrons and Eldar again enjoy similar advantages.)“Nine worlds in the Anarch’s domain lack water sources. They are parched, thirsty. Today, here, we conduct a ceremony that will access Gereon’s resources to aid them. The process has already been done at four sites on the planet already."
..
“Eight billion cubic metres of fresh water, replenished on a three-day cycle. Do you know what a jehgenesh is?”
..
“Don’t be misled by its current size. It’s dormant and infolded. Released into the water, it will grow. Essentially, it’s a huge maw. On one end, flooding in, this water source. The jehgenesh is a warp beast. The water that pours into its mouth will be ejected through the holy warp onto another world. The arid basins of Anchisus Bone, for example.”
The pheguth gazed at the cylinder in his hands. “This is how you plunder?”
“It is one way amongst many.”
“But this is why so many worlds we find have been drained?”
The Plenipotentiary nodded. “The drinkers swallow water, also fuel oil, promethium, certain gas reserves. Why would we conquer worlds if we didn’t actually use them? I mean, literally, use them?”
This is also another oen of those interesting compare/contrast bits between Imperials and Chaos. WE've known countless example sof the Imperials stripping worlds of resources and abandoning them, and it seems Chaos, in their own fashion, may do likewise. Although, at least as far as the Sabbat Worlds region goes, Chaos seems to be consierably more exploitative (and gleefully so) of the two.
The creature can apparently transfer 8 trillion kg (or 8 billion tons) of water in around 3 days. Assuming between 10-20 LY thats an average transit time of 1200c, although it means to transmit the hwole thing - sa far as we know the actual transit is much faster at any given time. What's more they can do this with any sort of liquid or gas medium, including oil and promethium and gasses, so it can siphon off and transmit other resources quite easily. It also suggests promethium is distinct from fuel oil (as it is from diesel) but is either liquid or gaseous.
They also have other ways to 'plunder.'
Page 62
Self heating, Guard issue ration soup packs.Nearby, Beltayn, Varl and Larkin were huddled up, drinking soup through the straws of self-heating ration packs.
Page 64
This novel, and this passage, begins what I figure is the major turning point in Rawne's personality and his reliationship with Gaunt. Obviously the two have come a long way since the first few novels, and Rawne's hate and desire to kill Gaunt has dulled over time. Now that Corbec is dead, Rawne is Gaunt's second, and that will, I believe, do much to dull the antagonism between the two (or at least Rawne's. Gaunt really doesn't hate the guy, he just distrusts him.) The Gereon mission will bond Gaunt and Rawne (and indeed the others) in ways that will echo later in the series (much the same way Corbec, Dorden, Daur, Milo, Bragg, and others had bonded in the Saint arc from Hagia to Herodor in the last arc.) Bonds of fellowship and that play a big role in this series - the Ghosts to Gaunt (and vice versa), Tanith to their leaders (or Verghasites to theirs) and to each other, the larger unity of the Imperial Guard, (or lack thereof), and the specific bonds I already mentioned. Oh and the Blood pact.Major Elim Rawne had become Gaunt’s number two following the death of Colm Corbec. Rawne was darkly handsome and murderous. There had been times, especially in the early days, when Rawne might have sheathed his silver Tanith warknife in Gaunt’s back the first chance he got. Some among the Tanith — a precious few, these days, and getting fewer all the time — still blamed Gaunt for abandoning their homeworld to its fate. Rawne was their ringleader. Hate had fuelled him, driven him on.
But they had served together now for the best part of nine years. A kind of mutual respect had grown between the major and the colonel-commissar. Gaunt no longer expected a knife in the back. But he still didn’t turn his back on Rawne, nevertheless.
Page 64
The 'ague' defined and its origins. Given the size and diversity of the Imperium, its not a huge shock that it would be a non-serous issue. We've seen i previous novels that the part of Curth and Dorden's job was to watch for and immunize/treat such symptoms, or prevent them if possible. 1st edition had something called 'immune' which offered 100 days of broad-spectrum protection against virus and illness and even biological warfare. We might figure that 'concept' has been carried forward from 1st in some manner into the Guard, in order to preserve their health and viability as a fighting force. The Ghosts novels seem to imply that much, at least.The ague was a broad and non-specific term for all kinds of infections and maladies suffered by personnel transferred from one world to another. A body might acclimatise to one planet’s germ-pool, its pollens, its bacteria, and then ship out on a troop transport and plunge into quite another bio-culture. These changes required adjustment, and often triggered colds, fevers, allergies, or simply the lags and fatigues brought on by warp-space transfer. Gereon was going to make them all sick. That was a given. Potentially, they might all get very ill indeed, given the noxious touch of Chaos that had stained this world. It was Curth’s primary job to monitor their health, treat any maladies, keep them fit enough to see out the mission. Treating wounds and injuries they might sustain was entirely secondary to this vital work.
Page 66
Some sort of parasite really, it can be detected by certain means (glyfs) and soldiers/excubitors can 'read' the glyf to learn about the restrictions or permissions on the populace (whether they are allowed to go out only in the day, or at night, or if they can do both.) as well as other information (locale, etc.)"The implants, you mean? Yes, they have. They call them imagos. It’s the archenemy’s way of tagging the populace.”
Page 72
Oddly, the ghosts all seem to have laspistols as standard now, which is quite different from what we learned in Guns of Tanith. One might imagine that the problems in that little conflict taught them a lesson in having a backup weapon that wasn't reliant on a specific battery type.Ordinarily, the Tanith Ghosts carried mk III lasrifles, finished with solid nalwood stocks and sleeves, with a standard laspistol and silver warknife as back-up.
Page 73
Evidently there are differences between Tanith and Verghast lasweapons than just the difference in stock material, or that may just rflect the adaptations made for this mission, I'm ont entirely sure given the context (the Verghastites were insurgents after all) but it could go either way.They’d swapped their rifles for hand-modified versions of the so-called “Gak” issue weapon: wire-stocked mk III’s supplied to the Verghastites in the regiment. The wire stocks made the weapons lighter, and could be folded back to make them significantly shorter. The special modifications had also shortened the muzzle length, strengthened the barrel, and increased the capacity of the energy clip. These were insurgence weapons, tooled for commando work, with the power and range of a standard lasrifle but about a third less overall length.
In any event it shows the fundamental versatility of the lasgun and how it can be customized depending on how you plug and play it. Here, they make a more compact version of a lasgun that has the same range and power but a larger capacity. Whether the clip capacity is extended because it stores more energy, or they made it more efficient at inflicting damage 'per shot' than a standard lasgun, I dont know. Possibly the latter, given the strengthened barrel. I suspect the barrel may also play ar ole in the range (although its possible its a bullpup design as well, that would make sense to reduce muzzle length whilst retaining power, and we know bullpups are a common commando variant.)
Apparently lasgun stock has a huge influence on the weapon's weight as well. I have to wonder what the design tradeoffs were to reduce weight and size, yet retain performance and have a bigger ammo capacity. Cost maybe. Lifespan MAY be another tradeoff (recall that strengthened barrels in long las wear out faster seemingly, although they deal with more powerful shots.) although it can't be too much of one as they have to expect the weapons to last as long as the ammo (heck - last the duration of the mission at LEAST, which is at least a month, since you can recharge the powerpacks.)
Page 73
I'm not sure whether this means lasweapons in general are more powerful than autoweapon equivalents, or if its just compared to this silenced, compact version. It could be argued either way, but it was hinted at in Honour Guard that lasweapons are worse than autoweapons...the laspistols had also been ditched in favour of compact autopistols. These pistols lacked the stopping power of a lasweapon, but a lasweapon was hard to keep muffled and it was impossible to keep flash suppressed. Each autopistol had a fat drum silencer screwed to the muzzle.
Page 74
One of the ongoing themes of this story (and arc) is the concept of Chaos and chaos corruption in general, on this planet and in general. Storywise, it sets up a sort of deadline and creates pressure on the Ghosts to complete their mission lest they are corrupted, but there's also a certain risk involved even if they do before then. That risk of course being the Imperium's paranoid approach to chaos in general - even if the Ghosts survive and return, they may be deemed corrupted and beyond salvation even by limited exposure. The Imperium does not really fool around when it comes to Chaos, and the fluff has had many examples of whole regiments (or planets - recall first Armageddon) being purged simply on suspicion of taint. The Mordant 13th form Tactica Imperialis is a more specific example.He’d read his Ravenor, his Czevak, his Blandishments of Hand. He’d read a double-dozen treatises from the Inquisitorial ordos as recommended by the Commissariat. Chaos always tainted. Fact. It infected. It stained. Even into the most sturdy and centred, it seeped osmotically and corrupted. That was an ever-present danger on the battlefield. But here… here on what was by any measure a Chaos world… how long would it take?
Before departure, Gaunt had spoken to Tactician Biota, a man he trusted. Biota had reckoned — in consultation with the Ordo Malleus — that Gaunt’s men had about a month.
After that, no matter what they felt or thought about themselves, they would most likely be corrupted beyond salvation.
In a more practical term, it could be that the fact Tainting is not instantaneous or guaranteed may explain why some forces/regiments are purged and others aren't. THere could be Inquisitorial rules/guidelines, rules of thumbs, or such that come into play here.
Page 94
Another learning experience of the Ghosts when it comes to Chaos.A mixture of excubitors and battle-troops formed the vanguard. Many of them held aloft spiked, racemose standards and filthy banners on long poles. The bulk of the procession was citizenry, shackled in long, trudging lines, singing and clapping.
These were proselytes. It saddened Gaunt to see so many. Every day, more and more members of the cowed populace elected to convert to the wretched faiths of the enemy. Some saw it, perhaps, as their only chance to survive. Others regarded it as a way of securing a better life, with greater liberties and consents. For the most part, Gaunt thought darkly, they converted because Chaos had swallowed their bewildered souls.
Ordinals led the parade towards the temple. Landerson had told Gaunt that “ordinals” was a blanket term for the senior administrators of the enemy power. Some were priests, others scholars, bureaucrats, financiers, merchants. They wore elaborately coloured robes and headdresses, and their be-ringed fingers hefted ornate staves and ceremonial maces. Some were female, some male, others indeterminate, and many displayed horrifying mutation traits. Gaunt couldn’t tell — didn’t want to tell — what the variations in dress and decoration denoted. They were all enemies. But they intrigued him nevertheless. In his career, he had faced the warriors and the devotees of the Ruinous Powers in many guises, but this was the first time he had properly laid eyes on the dignitaries and officials who ordered their culture and society. These were the fiends who followed the smouldering wake of battle and established rule and control over the territories conquered by their warrior hosts.
I should note that much like with the Imperium, there is likely to be little (even less probably) standardization amongst Chaos. This is actually, by Chaos terms, pretty mild, as we've seen more insane socities evolve in Ben Counter novels (as an example. But Chaos is ever variable, but I think this reflects a level of Chaos that isn't quite 'batshit insane' at all levels like a DAemon World can get, but rather the level of 'sane' Chaos infestaiton like you got with the Horus Heresy... where the corruption and infiltration by the Ruinous Powers was deeper, and hidden behind a more respectable mask. Abnett seems to make a point of treating the Sabbat Worlds Archenemy like they aren't too dissimilar from us in some respects... except for the differences that do exist, which are pretty extreme. We see more of this in Blood Pact.
Page 114
A kilometre away from the rest of their force. That gives a rough range on comm beads for this mission. A much shorter range than presented in Straight Silver OR His Last command, for example.“We’re close,” she said. “The road’s beyond those trees, and the agri-plex is down that way, about a kilometre.”
Mkoll nodded. That agreed with his own mental map, which was seldom wrong.
..
“We should have range now,” Gaunt said. He adjusted his micro-bead.
Page 118
An indication of LArkin's marksmanship with pistols. Also the Chaos Trooper armour (Sek's troops) is easily resistant to small-calibre bullets (at least autopistol bullets, and most especially silenced ammo.)Using the silenced autopistol was no fun, but at least it was a challenge. It wasn’t just a matter of hitting the targets. They were armoured and would easily shrug off a small cal round, especially one underpowered by a silencer. The art was to aim really well and hit them where they were soft. Visor. Throat. The armpit gap between chest plating and shoulder guard.
Page 118
Backpack field-voxes can be set to jamming modes, although it probably blocks their own comms to do so.The vox was dead. Like it was being jammed. How was that even possible?
On the straw-littered floor of the shed in front of him, the sirdar saw an Imperial field-vox set, infantry issue. It was powered up and active, the dials set to a white noise broadcast that would wipe vox contact, at least anything in the locality of the farm.
Page 124
Allergic reactions/rashes to presence on a Chaos world. Its an interesting thing to note, as it suggests Chaos infestation/taint can have a certain.. biological vector to it I guess.. and requires the human body to adapt to it (or develop an immunity) like adapting to different gravities, or climates, or altitudes.And everyone’s got this.” She pulled back her cuff. Her pale forearm was dotted with a prickle pattern like angry heat rash. “Allergic reaction. I was wondering if it was the spores in those damn silos.”
Gaunt shook his head. He yanked down his own collar and showed her a comparable rash along the base of his neck and collarbone. “We’ve all got it. It’s an allergic reaction, all right. To this world, lb the taint here. Major Cirk says it afflicted everyone on Gereon in the first few weeks after the invasion. When it fades… that’s when I’ll worry. Because that’s when we’re acclimatised.”
“When we’ve become tainted?” she asked.
Page 128
Gaur's ascension to Archon and the Blood pact in detail. Much of this we know from previous Ghosts novels, in bits and pieces. They're based on the Guard, they borrow/steal their gear (or copy it in their own manufacture) and learn their skills and techniques. This makes them unique amongst Chaos forces (at least in this region) and a greater than usual threat to the Guard. Mind you, its not the first time we've run across Chaos Forces who are like the Guard.What Urlock Gaur brought to the table was a refined, trained and disciplined military force. All the other magisters commanded vast legions of zealot cultists and insane worshippers. Hideous forces, but utterly without focus, and vulnerable to the rigid drive of the Imperial Guard.
Urlock Gaur’s host was known as the Blood Pact. They were sworn to him, utterly loyal, their bodies ritually scarred by the serrated edges of Gaur’s own armour. They had discipline, armour, tactical ability and great combat skill. They were, in fact, an army, not a host.
The pheguth had never encountered the Blood Pact in action, but he knew of them from intelligence reports. They were mankind’s worst fear, a force of the Ruinous Powers guided and orchestrated on military models. They could meet with and defeat the Imperial Guard on its own terms, out-fighting them.
For the simple reason that the Blood Pact was modelled directly on the structure of the Imperial Guard.
They borrowed their weapons and armour, they stole their uniforms, they seduced Guardsmen into their ranks and made them traitors, stealing their skills. They were a force the Imperium must reckon with, and they had secured Gaur the rank of Archon.
Throne take them, they might even have the skill to drive Macaroth’s Crusade back out of these stars.
Again this is us learning more about the enemy in this series, its politics and motivations, and its goals. They want territory, they want to convert people to their way of thinking, they want resources. And they have ambition. Sek, one of the magisters (and the one mentioned in this novel) has Ambition to topple Gaur and sets out to create his own Blood Pact analogue, the Sons of Sek. That process is part of this book.
PAge 145-146
Chaos Space MArine with armaments and senses. HE has some sort of eye/lense autosense/infrared/trgeting thingy (meaning he doesn't wear a helmet) a shoulder mounted autocannon mount, and carries a bolt pistol.Uexkull latched his autocannon against his shoulder plate and connected the servo feeds.
..
Augmetic sensors embedded in his collar-plate and the side of his cranium automatically selected low light scoping. Nictating filters slid over his eyes. The world resolved into a ruddy blur, the crimson wash of cold areas graduating to the palest pink tells of heat sources.
Page 146
Our CSM dude again, both weapons.His cannon slammed into life, licking out a sizzling flash, the recoil smacking it back against the locking harness in his upper body armour. Something made of meat and bone atomised. Another heat spot, right ahead, moved against the cold-streaming fuzz of the rainwater drizzling in through the roof
PAge 163
VErghasite lasgun fired one handed, and possess considerable recoil (for some reason) when fired one handed.Lasrifle cradled in one meaty arm, Brostin had cut them down, the lho-stick pressed to his mouth with the finger and thumb of his other hand.
...
Brostin leant into the recoil and fired another burst, one-handed, that sent two more archenemy troopers over onto the road.
Page 163
Mkvenner's lasweapon. Implies lasweapon 'auto' might actually be more of a burst fire mode.He kept it on single-shot. He seldom wasted ammo on blurts of auto.
Page 169-170
Gaunt mentions again that a big part of a Commissars' duty is to inspire/uplift, to push positive propoganda, and to generally psychologically manipulate others to acheive his goals.Throughout Gaunt’s career, the ability to turn out an inspirational phrase had served him well. A key part of any commissar’s job was to inspire and uplift, to make a man forget the privations he suffered or the horrors he faced. He was good at it. Right now, with some distaste, he realised he was playing on that skill, saying what Landerson needed to hear.
..
So he did what commissars had been doing since the inauguration of the Officio Commissariat. He put a positive spin on things. He inspired and kindled trust.
Page 171
Dangers of foraging on Chaos worlds. It seems that ingesting can accelerate chaos tainting. In some ways its almost like a disease in that regard. This also likely means that the very air is tainted and corrupting them with every breath (the Glyfs mentioned later would reinforce this idea.)Gaunt nodded. There had been no way they’d have been able to bring enough rations for the entire mission. Foraging was a necessary evil, and he’d been putting it off. Once they started eating the native resources, it would likely accelerate the effect of Chaos in their systems.
Page 174
Again this shows that Chaos is not always just a mindless ravening mob of murderers, sensation addicts, manipualtors, or whatever. Like with the Blood Pact, they can learn, they can adapt. They can become like their enemies. This book (and those arcs) is really about the blurring of those lines and absolutes so often held to in the Imperium, thoes absolutes that often dictate absolute (read excessive) responses, even though things often ar emuch more complicated. The Imperium (and the 40K galaxy as a whole) often reflect an attempt to impose absolutes on something that is not absolute. The Imperium feels it is important for unity and order and survival, and to some extent this is true, but not always, and it often leads to as many problesm as it solves (not that the Imperium realizes this.)For all its might, for all its frightening power, the archenemy of mankind understood virtually nothing about the day-to-day workings of the Imperium.
The ethnologue was, in his opinion, the archenemy’s most formidable weapon. The forces of the Ruinous Powers might lay waste to worlds, conquer planets, and burn fleets out of the void, but they did not even begin to understand the mechanisms of their sworn enemy.
Cluwge was an instrument in that subtle war. She asked the questions that were unanswerable during the heat of combat. She asked about the little details, the small particulars of Imperial life. The hosts of the Archon might crush the warriors of the Imperium, might drive them to rout, but Cluwge’s understanding offered them true mastery. Defeating the enemy was one thing. Comprehending the workings of its society so that it might be controlled and suppressed — that was quite another.
Idresha Cluwge was a tool of domination. What she learned informed the higher powers and armed them for rule.
It also reinforces the earlier idea that Chaos and the Imperium can be quite similar, even though its obvious that neither side really knows or understands the other (or in the Imperium's case, wants to, as they consider that dangerous... which it is to a point. CF Eisenhorn.) But the Chaos factions in the Ghosts novels are just as interested in conquest - of people and planets, in the acquisition of resources and expansion of power. They aren't just out to kill, murder and plunder. They have structure (of a sort) and a goal, and they learn. And that makes them truly dangerous, as they can learn to be just as good of conquerors as the Imperium.
As I noted before this is very much an echo of the 'Horus Heresy' version of Chaos, which is both subtle, intelligent, and complex compared to the usual howling mob of frenzied cultists or pirates or RAvening evil Space Marines you get. The Archenemy in the Sabbat Worlds is out to wage war not just of bullets and blades and cannon and starships, but of heart and mind, of psychology. Indeed, we saw much of this in the previous novels, where psychology and symbolism playd a big role in the larger 'military' decisions, such as Sabbat Martyr (symbols matter, especially where the Warp is concerned.)
Page 177
Laspistol shot to the ear. Fuses flesh, but oesnt cauterize.Blood was soaking his left shoulder and the front of his tunic. Hi’s blood. He raised his hand and gently prodded the fused mess of his left ear. His fingertips came away bloody.
Page 181
good question. I suspect, though, it's no ta mutually exclusive thing. Chaos as I noted is not stupid in this series, they learn, and they are interested in both the physical and mental/psychological aspects of winning. So sending a complex, multi-tiered message would be in line with that - on the surface it makes conquest easier, but it also reinforces the 'new order' and position of things (EG you're nothing in the greater scheme.)“Those people look like mourners,” Gaunt said.
“That’s right, sir,” Plower replied. “The archenemy understands that certain allowances must be made to placate a conquered population and keep it in check. They permit the consented to visit the boneyards, provided they do not break any laws governing religious worship. Of course, no one knows who exactly is interred in any given pit, but it helps some people to be able to pay their respects at a graveside.”
Gaunt closed his eyes briefly. Once again, the abominable foe had surprised him. It was almost an act of humanity to allow public mourning at the mass burials. Or was it merely another way of reminding the people of Gereon how little their lives were worth?
Gaunt's reflection of the enemy's humanity is interesting both for his own evolving perception of Chaos (and the breaking of preconceptions) but it also reflects that fundamental naivete, since he doesnt think about it as a Commissar (EG A manipulator.) I expect Hark would grasp it, because this is a fundamental point that agian shows the Imperium and Chaos may not be that different at times (the Imperium certainly employs various methods to oppress and strateify its society, especailyl reinforcing that underclass. Gaunt's optimism clearly keeps him from seeing that.)
PAge 187
This gets back to an idea I mentioned earlier - thta the very atmosphere of the planet could be tainted. This basically confirms it. The warp, chaos, permeates every facet of the world - air, ground, water... everything. And that taint takes many and varies forms, and the glyf is the tangible symbol of the air being tainted (possesesd perhaps.) But its not just a symbol, it serves a functional role as a and detection/alarm system, as described. They can also fuck with minds - mesmerize, manipulate, inspire fear or paralysis. This is one of several ways (the others being stuff like wirewolves) showing that while Chaos and the Imperium may have similarities, they are also fundamentally different in many ways as well.“It’s an expression of the warp,” Plower said. “That’s what I was told. The archenemy has branded our world in every way, even the atmosphere. A glyf is the way Chaos makes its mark on the very air. A glyf is a thought, a concept an idea… an utterance of the Ruinous Powers somehow conjured into solid form. Some say they’re sentient. I don’t believe that. Glyfs are Chaos runes, sigils, symbols, whatever you want to call them. The ordinals summon them into being and release them to watch over the populace. They drift, they patrol, they lurk…”
“Great,” cut in Curth sourly. “But what do they do? ”
Plower looked at her. “I suppose you could describe them as tripwires. Sensors. Alarms. They react to human activity. I’ve no idea how. Certainly, they respond to imagos. If they detect anything unconsented, they… they react. They summon.”
Page 189
las-lock bolt puts an implied hole through a human torso, with significant 'knockdown'. Again we could apply this to either a 'pain laser' style effect, or it may be the effect (for example) of explosive vaporization creating a recoil effect. He's knocked 3 metres in a subjective matter of seconds, Assuming 1500 m/s 'exhaust' and 40 kg*m/s (half m/s velocity implied) 27 grams of flesh vaporized and 30 kj of KE. If we figure 100-150 kg*m/s (a little over a meter or two per second maybe, depending on mass) at same exhaust you get between 67-100 grams vaporized, and a KE between 75-113 kj. Vaping 27 grams is ~61 kj. vaporizing 67 grams is 151 kj, and vaping 100 grams is 225-250 kj at leat.He felt a hot pain in his belly, as if a white-hot skewer had been rammed through it. Then he felt his feet leave the ground. He was flying…
Flying backwards. Impact recoil snapped through his body like a whip-crack. For one long, silent moment, Acreson saw glittering drops of blood drift lazily up into the air before him.
His own blood.
Acreson hit the ground hard in a concussive blur of pain and sudden real-time. The las-lock bolt had blown clean through his belly and thrown him three metres backwards. Down the narrow street, summoned by the glyf, a pack of excubitors was running forward, weapons raised.
By contrast putting a single hole through the torso alone with bleeding (1-2 cm diameter) shoudl be a mere 5-10 kj or thereabouts, and that permits some ovepenetration. In any event one should note that las-locks by FFG stats are single shot and more powerful than lasweapons (modified lasguns really with a less efficient power cell), but this novel may imply otherwise (referring to them as 'light muskets' for example elsewhere.)
Page 190
laslock fire again. IT suggests it blows apart at least the back of the wound (which is conisstent with how lasfire works elsehwere in the ghosts novels, a bit like a fragmenting or tumbling round.) At least single digit kj for the shin/calf thing, although it could imply it blew off a significant portion of the leg depending on how one defines shin and the extent of the calf blasted too. And the angle of penetration.. A las-lock bolt took off Lefivre’s right earlobe and another dug a searing gouge through his left shoulder.
..
A passing bolt lased off his left shin and burst the meat of his calf.
The other injuries could be easily single digit kj.
Page 190
Further clarifcation of the torso injury that blew a guy 3 metres backwards from a laslock bolt. His interior is not badly burnt, and his organs don't seem to be significantly ruptured, although the hole is big enough his entrais (intestines?) are spilling out and his stomach is 'exploded'. Depending on how one defines that, it might be a small intestine or the large intestine, we might get a hole larger than a few cm.. 5-10 cm perhaps? That would mean more energy (double digit kj at least to blow through torso) and more blood and could provide the kickback described I suppose, although I'm not rulilng out PEP like effects and there is the favct (As I noted) no organs seem to be obviously pulped (intestines are seemingly intact at least.) which could suggest that even if the hole is larger, its not massively larger. Still even at 4-5 cm we might expect a good 20-40 kj per shot, depending on depth and degree of penetration.The man’s hands, belly and lap were soaked with blood. Ghastly black and purple spools of entrail were pushing out of Acreson’s exploded stomach.
Page 190
Las-locks described as 'light muskets'Several more excubitors toppled and died. The rest were driven back, trying to reload their slow, single-shot light muskets.
Page 193-194
Wirewolves. They seem to be some sort of chaos construct, some sort of intelligence or warp entity summed into/bound to inanimate structures. They remind me quite a bit of the Brass Thief from Ravenor, or any number of Chaos constructs (daemons bound to swords, vehicles, etc.) Thousand Sons marines spiritually bound to their armour, Eldar Wraithguard/Wraithlords, and so on and so forth.On the stark gibbet, the ball lightning frothed and bubbled, brighter than any sun. Warp-light shone out of it. The lightning mass sputtered and then began to drip down from the cross-beam like lava, like molten, white-hot rock, pouring down into the hollow metal puppets, filling them with light.
The wired puppets twitched as they filled. Metal segments ground against each other. Wires hummed like charged cables. The air temperature in Wheathead plunged. Frost powdered the roof tiles and the muddy streets became stiff with ice.
The wirewolves woke.
The glyf had summoned them. Arcane practices had made the space above the gibbet thin so that the immaterium could finger its way through the aether when the correct command came. Now the crude metal puppets, engineered to contain the energies of the warp and coalesce them, vibrated into life.
There were two of them. They took the form of men simply because the puppets had been fashioned to bottle them in that shape. Jerking spastically from their wires, they looked like ancient knights in full plate armour, illuminated from within by the brightest lanterns ever lit. The suspending wires shivered and sang, taut with power.
The puppet hosts had not been fashioned well. Just crude metal shoes, shin-guards, thigh plates, hauberks. Hungry radiance speared out through the gaps and chinks of joints and seams. The arm sections jerked. Light speared out through the helmet eyeslits as bright as a Land Raider’s stablights.
The arms of the puppets were unfinished. Shoulder plates, metal sections for upper and lower arms. They had no gloves or hands. The supporting wires suspended loose bouquets of razor-sharp steel blades from the forearm cuffs that tinkled together as the rising wind stirred them. Intending, controlled by governing magicks scratched into the armour, the baleful light sprouted from the wrists and made long, crackling claw shapes of solid light into which those blades became embedded like fingernails.
It is also mentioned that they are often 'dormant' as when active thy expend a great deal of energy and cannot be active for long periods of time (which is consistent with many forms of daemonic or chaotic summoning - its time in realspace is limited without a constant connection to the warp) and when dormant (eG not possessing the mannequins) they are drawn back into the warp.
Page 198
Wirewolve claws seem to carry enough warp energy to cremate (or seemingly cremate) human bodies.. or at least the fleshy bits. Hundreds of megajoules at least.It sliced around with its savage claws. Acreson’s head flopped sideways, his neck almost severed. The claws bit deep and lightning seethed. A violet glow suffused the body of the cell fighter. In a second, Acreson was reduced to a skeleton, coated in blue-white ash, his exposed bones smoking.
..
But the second one had slithered up at Lefivre’s right hand. It didn’t strike. It reached out with its claws and the smoking blades sank into Lefivre’s shoulder.
He shuddered. His mouth opened in pain. A violet aura lit up around his body.
Then his flesh evaporated in a drizzle of blue dust and his blackened, cooked bones clattered onto the pathway.
Page 201
It could very well be said this sums up what the Ghosts represent in this book, contrasted with the 'rampant individualism/self worship' as represented by Chaos in this novel (which is itself an irony, because the Chaos forces in this book are trying to make a force LIKE the Imperial Guard.) One of the older 'novel' themes in stuff like Eye of Terror or Pawns of Chaos or the Inquisition War was that the Imperium and humanity represented a bastion of order and unity contrasted with the individualism and freedom/entropy of Chaos, and in this way we see that personified in the Ghosts. Positive, binding forces like love, loyalty, brotherhood and even discipline all come together to make them stronger together than they are separate, which in a way is very symbolic of the way Abnett portrays the Guard in the Crusade fighting against chaos. Not that its absolute this way, since there are plenty of selfish fucks in the Guard (another key part of this novel) and there are some pretty noble and likable chaos characters (as we learn) who are also capable of self sacrifice and discipline (more the tragedy.) But there is very much that 'order vs chaos' thing present in this book (and indeed the series) and much of that stems from Gaunt's ability to unify, inspire, and lead.Once in a lifetime, an officer came along who was worth following. Call it love, call it respect, call it duty, it was something about the man that made you want to push yourself, right to the limit even in the face of horror. Ballerat had been that sort of man, Throne rest him. And Gaunt was that kind too. Landerson had seen the look in the faces of Varl and Curth, Beltayn and Larkin. That was all he had needed to know.
Page 203
Mkvenner (briefly) is able to match and fend off a Wirewolf, again pointing to his 'more than human' capabilities, seemingly.He watched in quiet wonder as a lone man, armed only with an exhausted rifle, fought hand to hand with a daemon from the warp, blocking, striking, sweeping, stabbing. Mkvenner’s movements were like some violent ballet. He was matching the thing’s every blow, every slice, fending it off, driving it back, avoiding every lethal hook it swung at him with sheer agility and grace.
Page 205-206
Break the vessel containing the Wirewolf, and giving it form, and it will dissipate back into the warp as its energy is released. Not unlike breaking a container holding any sort of material. Heck its the same principle as getting rid of a daemon - destroy the host and it disappears. Incidentally before figuring this out, the Wirewolves stood up to multiple sustained lasbursts, Larkin's long las, and Brostin's autocannon (save for an arm blown off by the last when it severed the wires)Gaunt had seen what the cannon shots had done to the arm of one of them. Already, the wirewolf seemed to be moving more sluggishly, its inner light dimmer. Gaunt remembered Landerson saying, back in Ineuron Town, that the things used up their power quickly.
..
The taut wires snapped. Its containment armour now entirely broken open, the wirewolf released its channelled energy.
Page 209
In less technical sounding terms, they basically use holy water and magic stuff (well probably magic stuff from the compounds) to negate the effects of Chaos on a human body. Also quite good at banishing the daemonic it seems, as Curth uses it to destroy a wirewolf.The inhibitor solution contained a number of compounds manufactured by the Departmento Medicae to counteract the effects of warp-contact on the human metabolism. The fluid they were suspended in was blessed water from the Balneary Shrine of Herodor.
PAge 220-221
This is part of a larger scene, but basically the 'pheguth' was the target of an assasination attempt, and Desolane (his protector) was threatened removal for allowing it to happen unless he was mutilated (or killed) as punishment. It shows, in a twisted, messed up way, that even Chaos is capable of loyalty and affection (which isn't a great shock really, as they're all emotions of some kind or another) albeit in a way that is alien and even abhorrent to our way of thinking. And that's totally consistnet - think of Nurgle in his 'Papa Nurgle' guys.. he's a bit sadistic but still loving and supportive of his 'children' - whom he inflicts pain on. We get a bit of that here, really.“The other life-wards available for assignment. They would not… treat you as well as I do. They would make your life harder. Don’t let them. I have grown to like you, pheguth. I would hate to see you… discomforted.”
..
“I can’t. The truth is, I have grown to like you too. You look after me, Desolane. You understand me. I couldn’t begin to hurt you.”
“But… please, pheguth…?”
“If it’s so important to you, take off your own digit. I couldn’t possibly do something that coarse.”
Page 227
Implied weight of CSM. We dont know the unit, but given the implicaiton is of metric units before, we could probably say kilograms.“Subject one, Lord Uexkull, masses five hundred and thirty-three—”
