Chapter 481: Sabotage
Almost simultaneously with the arrival of the Eternal Seeker's orbital strike and the violent flickering of the external void shields, Elias Van Saar was located near the primary energy distribution node K-7 in the mid-level of Junktown's subterranean structure.
The piercing, highest-level orbital strike alarms and the violent tremors of the structure almost made his heart stop, but Ryo's cold directives and his own desire to survive drove him into action.
Utilizing his identity as a maintenance technician and his pre-planned route, he swiftly approached the K-7 node during the brief window of chaos among the personnel in the corridors caused by the sudden attack.
The guards outside the node room had been redeployed to more critical areas, leaving only the automated door controls. Elias swiped his still-valid access card to unlock the door and slipped inside.
The node room was filled with the low hum of energy conduits, and the massive polymer capacitor arrays flashed with a steady blue light.
He had no time to admire this sight representing the core of his House's power. He quickly retrieved the specialized energy jammer provided by Ryo from his toolbag, a palm-sized device with a sharp probe.
Following instructions, he viciously stabbed it into the seam of the main energy busbar's outer casing.
The tip of the jammer emitted high-frequency vibrations, penetrating the armor and making direct contact with the high-purity energy conduits inside.
Almost at the moment of contact, the device activated, releasing a pre-set energy pulse that simulated a severe overload malfunction.
The effect was immediate.
The readings on the K-7 node's control console instantly spiked into the red. The piercing, localized overload alarm rang out mournfully, even drowning out the sound of the explosions outside.
The lights inside the node room flickered madly, the main capacitor arrays sparked with dangerous electrical arcs, and a series of muffled explosions came from within the conduits—the sound of internal safety fuses blowing due to the simulated overload.
The indicator lights for several main circuits representing the energy supply to the eastern and northern defensive turrets instantly extinguished. The energy flow connecting the STC energy core to these external weapons was forcibly severed.
Having completed the sabotage, Elias did not linger for a second. He quickly yanked out the burnt remains of the jammer, stuffed it back into his toolbag, and turned to sprint out of the node room.
Less than thirty seconds after he left, a thick smoke smelling sharply of burning insulation billowed from the cracks of the node room door, triggering the sector's fire suppression systems and further exacerbating the chaos.
He did not return via his usual route. Instead, he immediately executed the backup plan instructed by Ryo, turning toward the narrow corridors leading to the abandoned maintenance levels at the bottom.
These passageways were like the blood vessels inside the ship's hull: narrow, gloomy, and filled with aging conduits and discarded equipment. Usually possessing only the absolute minimum of lighting, they were areas ignored by the vast majority of guards and residents.
The air was permeated with the pungent smell unique to old grease and metal oxidation.
Elias braced himself against the cold pipe walls, moving rapidly through the corridor barely wide enough for a single person. From time to time, he stepped on loose parts or coagulated oil stains, making faint sounds that seemed exceptionally clear in this dead silent environment.
Just as he squeezed into a vertical maintenance shaft marked "No Entry Except in Emergencies" and began climbing down using both hands and feet, rushed footsteps and shouts echoed from above.
"Node K-7 is completely down! The East and North sector turrets have lost power!"
"Find the saboteur! He couldn't have gotten far!"
"Lock down all exits on this level!"
The angry roars of the guards and the static of their communicators echoed through the pipes.
Elias immediately ceased all movement, pressing his entire body tightly against the freezing metal wall of the shaft, holding his breath.
He could feel his heart hammering madly in his chest, making his eardrums buzz.
The weakness brought on by radiation sickness was exacerbated by extreme tension and the recent intense physical exertion. A wave of dizziness washed over him, his lungs burning like fire. He desperately stifled the strong urge to cough with a grease-stained hand.
The beams of flashlights occasionally swept past the entrance above the maintenance shaft, illuminating the shaft walls in alternating flashes of light and dark.
Footsteps clattered back and forth in the upper corridor, sometimes near, sometimes far.
Elias remained perfectly still until the sounds of the search grew somewhat distant, only then continuing his climb downward.
The freezing touch of the shaft wall seeped through his thin hazmat suit, causing him to shiver.
Relying on his familiarity with the layout of the abandoned corridors, he quickly found and slipped into a compartment storing old filtration equipment.
A massive amount of discarded filter cartridges and metallic scrap was piled up here, and fine dust particles floated in the air.
He curled up in the shadows of the deepest corner, covering himself with a torn, oil-stained dust cloth, minimizing his energy signature and sound as much as possible.
He could clearly hear a guard squad running past the corridor outside the compartment, fragments of their conversation drifting in intermittently:
"...The inside of the node is burnt to a crisp, looks like an overload..."
"...Could it be a chain reaction triggered by the orbital strike?"
"...Uncertain, but the Elders ordered a thorough search of all suspicious areas..."
"...Do we have to check these rat holes down below too?"
"...No time! Prioritize securing the core access routes! The situation outside is much worse!"
The footsteps gradually faded away. Elias breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his tense muscles dared not fully relax.
He carefully adjusted his posture, trying to find a slightly more comfortable position in the cramped space piled high with discarded filter cartridges.
The pungent odor emitting from the chemical filters continuously irritated his already fragile respiratory tract. Waves of nausea struck him, accompanied by dizziness.
Forcing down the discomfort, he buried his face in the crook of his arm, filtering the air through his hazmat suit.
Time flowed slowly in the oppressive silence. Only the faint vibrations of distant explosions served as a reminder of the dramatic upheaval occurring in the outside world.
He pricked up his ears, carefully distinguishing every subtle sound: the dripping of condensation in the pipes, the slight creaking of metal structures due to temperature changes, and his own overly loud heartbeat. Every second felt like torment.
Hiding within this darkness, the reality of his betrayal became exceptionally clear.
He recalled his father's withered face before dying, recalled the apathetic gazes of those lofty House Elders, and recalled his own body slowly wasting away in the radiation day after day.
Resentment intertwined with the desire to survive, becoming his sole support at this moment.
However, deep in his heart, there remained an indescribable twinge of pain, for this was ultimately Junktown, the place where he was born and raised.
He subconsciously touched the jammer hidden in the lining of his hazmat suit.
This cold little device was not only proof of his mission but also the token of his fragile connection with that Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The cure and new life promised by Ryo seemed like unreachable phantoms, while the darkness and danger before his eyes were the true reality.
At this moment, he was merely a traitor hiding in the shadows of his House's steel shell, waiting for an unknown fate in the crevices between despair and hope.
The roar of the external orbital strike and the paralysis caused by the sabotaged internal energy nodes together formed the duet of Junktown's crumbling defensive system.
And Elias, this once-insignificant maintenance technician, was playing a role in this upheaval that, while ignominious, was of paramount importance.
(End of Chapter)