RolePlay onLine

The Sanguinala Massacre (Only War Oneshot)

In the claustrophobic warrens of the outer Hive, a cluster of orphans sat in loosely concentric rings around an old woman in a wooden rocking chair, her eyes stern but her smile soft and warm.  Each child held in their lap a bowl of stub rounds and an autogun magazine, which they loaded and then stacked beside themselves one-by-one as the old nun hummed the melody of various hymns.  Suddenly, a distant steam whistle piped an echoing high note, which prompted a nod from the old woman.

"Alright, children!" she called, clapping her hands as the whistle faded.  "Thank you for working so hard on your Sanguinala offerings.  Tomorrow is a big day, so we need you to be up bright and early.   Straight to bed, or Krumpus will come for you!"

The children began to pass in their labors and deposited them on a table in the corner.  As they did, one little boy came over curiously and tugged on the old woman's skirt.  As she leaned in, he asked in a shy voice...

"Sister Maisel, what's Sanguinala? "

Maisel smiled, and ruffled his unkempt mop of hair.  "Why, Sanguinala is a celebration of sacrifice.   It is a day in which we honor the Emperor's son, who gave his life to protect his father, and in turn honor the Emperor who protects each of us.  We send a parade of offerings to the Skyreach Pole on the north side of the city, and deliver them to the good men and women of the Imperium who sacrifice their lives to protect other worlds less fortunate than ours.  It is an important day to remind us of why each tithe and quota must be met, and what it is for."

The boy's eyes brightened with the story,  but as another question crossed his mind he grew timid once more.   "T-then what is a Krumpus?"

The Sister frowned slowly, her warmth instantly snuffed out.  Her fingers clenched on the fabric of her habit, and where before her eyes were squinted now they were wide and flickering towards the ventilation ducts running through the chamber which pumped warm air through the Hive; in particular, a large grate in the corner at ground level which faced out along one wall .

"Krumpus is a monster dressed in red, a sneaking fiend who watches our city from the shadows and kidnaps foolish little children who don't follow the rules to eat them.  His minions spend all year building diabolical machines, and every Sanguinala they descend on our city to try and steal our presents, laughing all the way."

The little boy swallowed audibly, his little knees trembling with fright.  Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over.  Seeing this, the old woman released her clenched jaw and feigned another smile.

"Don't worry, little one.  As long as you believe in the spirit of the Emperor, and the sacrifices of the brave souls watching over us, everything will be just fine.  Now, off to bed with you!  Shoo, shoo!"

She patted him on the back, and he ran off stifling his sniffles.  Seeing him away, the old woman's smile settled into a somber scowl before she stood up, a mechanical whirring sound issuing from the cybernetic legs under her dress.

Heavy metal clanged with each step as she hobbled over to the table, picking up a plate of sweetened nutrient discs and setting them on a crate near the vent.  Returning to the table for a well-kept autogun and three of the magazines sitting atop it, she pushed her rocking chair into the darkest corner of the room and sat back down.  Deft hands loaded the weapon in a practiced motion as the retired Battle Sister watched over her kill-zone, listening intently for the gibbering of Gretchin.  Laying the weapon across her lap, she rocked back and forth while softly humming the Chant of Vigilance.