The Conclave

++StormHawk Rogal's Might++
++Deathwatch Task Force Demos En-route to Georme System++
++System in grips of Tyranid Infestation++

Demos had read the orders several times stripped of his armour his wounds hand been tended during his battle meditation in preparation for the coming mission, a mission so soon after their last that none of the marines had truly had time to unwind and rededicate themselves to this mission.

He sighed as he stood his joints creaking from the long stint in the same pose and he stretched as he headed from the sanctum, none had dared bother him during their three day transit to Georme, none had come to check on his condition or the mission, his orders had been that clear.

Striding from the chamber he pulled about his shoulders a long bark blue robe of his chapter fastening it armour his form he sent one of the ships serfs to summon the rest to the armoury like always he would conduct his briefing there.

Striding in he went to the tacticum uploading the mission briefing he watched as each of his task force entered giving each one of them a greeting be it a simple nod of the head or their name uttered, Kurtis was the last to arrive making his apologies he was carrying a long blade his torso soaked with blood, when questioned further Kurtis revealed that he had been in a training session against combat servitors to better hone his skills, Demos nodded his approval as they all took their designated seats and looked in his direction.

"Ok, first up good work on Scarre thanks to our actions the Inquisition will be able to take the fight to the tau and cleanse that system of their filth, Inquisitors Hexx and Borurke convey their thanks."

He let the praise sink in for a moment then continued as a fresh world appeared a sphere of grey blemished by lighter shades of greys and off whites.

"Georme, desert world, Imperial records state that it is home to nine point four billion citizens of the Imperium, current population is zero, seven days ago the world was subject to Exterminatus by Virus Bomb after an unsuccesful defence by the planets PDF forces against a Tyranid incursion."

"If the world was subject to Exterminatus what are we needed for?"

"Good question Peleus, it appears from orbital observation that the virus bomb designed to wipe out all organic life on the world hasn't worked as planned, the Tyranid forces still remain active, the smaller drone caste of the species eventually perished four days after contact. Imperial intelligence require us to make planet fall and secure specimens for study so the Tech Adepts can develop a new virus to eliminate this threat. I need no say this but if the Hive Ships arrive and absorb these Tyranids into them then this resistance to our virus bombs will spread."

He flicked up a orbital capture of the world showing a hive structure ruined by battle strange clusters of growth surrounded the city.

"This is point one primary infestation, Tyranid central if you will our touch down will be here five hundred klicks west of the hive, one of the Imperial extraction bases for the populace, from where we are to strike out and capture and return samples of the synapse creatures for study by the Imperial forces in orbit, sounds simple enough, save for the environment the virus is still in the heights of activity any prolonged exposure to the air will result in death even to us despite our certain advantages over mere humans.

That being said we are better equipped to do this than any other, as such I want us all carrying additional sealant in case of any incidents.

Now the truly tricky part, Imperial Command want these samples alive, as such our orders stand that live fire be used only as a last resort, web and tranq rounds are being issued to us as standard, and several web cannons have been secured for our use they await us on world, also combat weapons are to be use only as a last resort Hexx has supplied bludgeoning weapons to replace those who will loose out. Imperial command needs at least one of each synapse, that's a total of four known but they also want samples of the Guard type, Lictors, Raveners and Carnifexes so that makes 8 samples we need to capture plus any other type that may still be alive. Once sedated and secured we affix teleport homers so the guard remain safe from the planets enviroment.

One more thing, Imperial estimations give us thrity six hours before our suits are compromised so remember to check our suits status regularly and to keep an eye on one another in case of any areas effected that we cannot see out selves."

He looked round the room at the faces then continued.

"For this mission we have been equipped with a Crusader Land Raider and three standard and one Damocles  Rhinos, Bikes are also open four our use and I am informed we have five with us, A trio of Predator Destructors will remain stationary at our base of operations to act as a defensive point in support of the Damocles, our tanks are the only safe place for us the filtration systems built within are capable of cleaning the air making it safe for us to breath, if one of us becomes injured we withdraw to the safety of the tanks for treatment."

He fell silent opening the briefing to questions.

"Unwise to give Tyranids ideas, Commander," Rant grunted from Demos' left, shaking his head in disapproval. "Should execute idiot that authorised virus bombs."

"You're really not afraid to speak your mind, Sergeant," Demos sighed. "An open mind is a fortress with its gates unbarred and unguarded."

Rant shrugged. "Assume Tyranids assimilated life-eater. So, assimilated fire-gas too, and no easy combustion of atmosphere. Fighting own most powerful weapon, and Command wants webbers and tranquilisers?"

"I admit I baulked at the orders myself, at first, but--"

"No kill shots, Commander, no survival. Can isolate scout organisms but hive beasts well-protected by entire swarm. Suicidal in itself, but with only webbers? Warn us against life-eater, but tyranids kill us first."

"As far as Intel suggests from orbital sweeps and altitude flights only the larger of the beasts have survived the virus bombing suggesting that they possess some evolutionary step their small swarms do not, something that we do not wish to pass onto the rest of the swarm."

He sighed again.

"While I agree Virus bombing the world might not have been the right course, Georme is a world rich in resources that are critical to the Imperial Guards activities in this sector, it was hoped that once the virus had died out the world could be repopulated with the original refugees, fire-gas was deemed too damaging to the world."

He strode out into the centre of the room.

"I want you know that I am not happy with this at all, to limit us in our duty is to put us in great danger, but we are the Emperor's finest and it falls to us to take this task in our stead and carry it out to the fullest of our ability, that we die our duty undone is our greatest shame, but we are deathwatch and we do not fail.

I understand some of your reservations but rest assured should there be risk of life I will authorise live fire without hesitation. I would not dream of entering a war zone without live ammunition but we are expected to use minimum force before resorting to violence." 

Hunrik raised his hand to get Demos' attention. He was still under strict instructions not to talk while his now scar-tissue covered throat was still healing, so had been communicating solely in the Index Astartes hand signals, which were taught by most chapters. As a system more intended for battle it was cumbersome for casual conversation, however Hunrik had spent most of the three days meditating and tending to his badly damaged armour.

"Brother Hunrik?" Demos nodded to him to indicate he had his attention.

Hunrik Land Speeder Tempest on board. Can be fitted with Webcannon. Snare-net missiles too if available when arrive. Close air support hold advantage?

The veteran clasped his hands behind his back to indicate he was finished.

Artos stood. "You want to catch a lictor and a broodlord, Captain?" he asked.

"That is correct, brother," replied Demos.
Artos froze. Everyone there could see tension building in his frame.

Finally, he relaxed.

"Very well," he said. "Imperial Command is filled with idiots. I should have known."

He turned to face his assembled brothers. "I do not want to see any of you killed. So I will give you a special training session before we deploy. If that is alright with you captain?"

"Very well," said Demos. "But make it quick."

"Thank you. Rant, you've faced these monsters before. Will you help me tell them what to do? I know how to deal with lictors, genestealers and raveners, but you know how to fight the larger beasts."

Martell smiles bleakly at Artos.  "Well, brother, if we must catch a Lictor alive you will have ample opportunity to demonstrate your stealth."

He turns to Demos, the smile fading.  "Captain, I appreciate that these creatures must be taken alive, but it seems to me that trying to use web and tranq weaponry on the larger beasts may... not have been adequately thought through by the Imperial Commanders.  Given the resilience of the larger warriors, raveners and especially carnifexes, might it not be more prudent to simply disable them by blowing off their limbs?  A carnifex can easily plough through a battle tank, so I cannot see webbers doing more than slow it slightly.  And, like brother Rant says, far from using minimal force we will likely need as much firepower as against the Tau to cut down all the swarm organisms that protect our targets.  Do you have authority to alter the prosecution of this mission as you judge most likely to succeed, or must we carry out these orders as they have been delivered to you?"

He rubbed his brow as he turned to regard Martell,

"It seems some of you have missed something in the briefing I have already mentioned twice that the smaller organisms have succumbed to the virus, were that not the case I would be using full force to carry out this mission with more than just ourselves."

He keyed in some data into the tacticum, a holo projection illuminated before them.

The scene shown before them was the ground before the main gate to Hive Primus before the gate was a host of Tyranid creatures of all shapes and designations, they moved feeding on the matter around them.

"This is the Hive Primus one hour post evacuation, the Tyranid host has yet to begin it's process of devouring the world, the Imperial commanders are about the launch the exterminates Virus Bomb."

He started the vid capture, the Tyranid host swept across the screen like a tidal forces swarms of gaunts, and genestealers washing around the massive forms of Warriors, Tyrants and Carnifexes. A series of flashes whited out the pict recording for a few seconds signalling the detonations of the Atmospheric bombs which drew the attention of some of the largest Tyranids but went more or less unnoticed by the host as it swept into the Hive, it paused.

"I'm going to speed this up, to show you the effects of the virus."

The recording continued at three times speed, the hours ticked past every ten seconds at thrity seconds the first signs of the virus could be seen the Tyranids as a whole became sluggish moving slowly despite the speed of the recordings playback, the recording went on for another minute at forty seconds the entire host appeared to have expired the field before the camera was littered with the dead thousands upon thousands of them lay unmoving a further twenty seconds later saw the largest of the creatures picking themselves up and sluggishly moving off some fought amongst one another. Demos stopped the vid feed.

"As you can see for some reason the larger creatures appear to have been affected by the virus but have recovered, that is what Imperial command want answered. Watch this I need you to understand just how dangerous this virus is."

He pulled up a new vid capture this one was of a lab, a teragaunt was held within a plasglass containment cell, it thrashed and crashed against the surface trying to escape following some basic instinct to feed and kill, a gas was released after a few minutes the frantic attempt to escape subsided and the gaunt became docile slapping weakly against the glass wall, the surface of it's skin started to come away in bloody chunks exposing raw bloody flesh beneath, after twenty minutes the gaunt collapsed its breathing strained and weak a few minutes later it's chest collapsed in on it's self and blood oozed from it's mouth as it expired after that the skull collapsed and eventually the body wasted away.

"With a direct exposure the effects are increased ten fold, but the effects are the same when the virus is dilute in an atmosphere. The larger tyranids only showed signs of first state infection clearly they possess some evolutionary advantage in their immune system that the lesser swarms do not, command needs to isolate this trait and remove its effectiveness."

He turned of the tacticum and turned to Hunrik.

"Close field air support is a fine idea brother, replace your heavy bolter with the web cannon I'd rather keep the assault cannon active if possible. Select a gunner to accompany you."

He strode to his allotted place in the armoury taking a seat.

"Once we set foot on the Georme the mission is ours, I am in command, my decision is final should I chose it the mission parameters will change, but understand this until we get a clear understanding of the situation and for as long as we are able to do our mission as requested of us by Imperial Command and the Ordo Xenos we will carry our those orders."

"Kah'Brosh will aid in taking down these vermin, well, it worked when I fought Behemoth, but these creatures may be more resistant, either way, we won't know until I'm close enough. I heard the Ultramarines fought with the Mechanicum to capture Synapse creatures although it could have been just a story. They used stasis grenades so they say, each one a world's ransom but, get in close, and you've captured yourself a bug. Quick, clean, easy.

"Failing that perhaps a more simplistic approach might be better. Harpoons. Brother Rant must have the expertise to construct such a primitive device, we could use the tempest. Cripple any long range weapon symbiotes first and then fire harpoons attached with heavy chain into the creatures limbs, slow it down, tire it out, eventually it will have to stop and then we can capture the thing at our leisure."

"That is a good idea, Rant post briefing head down to the hangar and speak with Brother Cabel regarding fashioning us some form of harpoon to use against the Tyranids, also see if he can come up with a use for all the caballing he has lying around down there."

He looked around

"Anything else anyone can think of?"

'How long untill we get there?' Asked Peleus, 'and what support elements will we have at our disposal?'Anxious to fight the Xenos again.

Demos' smile was dead there was no emotion behind it as he spoke.

"Fifteen hours, and none."

He looked around the gathered brothers and continued

"Taskforce G'Huk is operational in the southern hemisphere carrying out the same operation as us at Hive Secondus, other than that there will be no other humans on the world, any support we can expect in rapid orbital or aerial bombarddment."

He stood and paced down the length of the armoury

"Fifteen hours brothers, should any of you wish to voice your conrcens with me privatly I will be in the starboard hangar calibrating my bike."

He strode from the armoury and headed down to the hangar as he's said he located his bike a bone white customised vehicle, he checked the twin mounted bolters carefully removing them he checked the feeds of the weapons before putting them to one side, his fingers worked through the bike checking every aspect f the workings within before he returned to the bolters beside the bike all the while had sat a adeptus machanicus lock box, he turned his attention to this opening it he drew the magazines from the bike and started to load the ammunition contained within into them, the rounds were unlike standard bolt rounds the tips were hardened glass vials filled with a pearl coloured liquid, he knew that within was the web fluid that they'd be using against the tyranids he knelt looking at one of these vials wondering himself if this truely would be enough, he resigned himself to test the theory behind the round putting five to one side for other use he continued to load the magazines of his bike.

Artos stood. 

"Any who wish me to teach them how to protect themselves against genestealers, lictors and raveners should meet me back here in two hours. Rant, do you wish to teach them how to deal with the larger assault organisms? I can teach them if you are unwilling, but I believe you will have a greater depth of experience to draw upon."

Rant nodded, standing.

"Is simple matter. Can create holo slides in time. Easier to discuss than vanguard beasts. Will attend your discussion myself, then present own sub-briefing."

With a salute, Rant turned and left.

Artos sat cross-legged on the star map in the center of his cell. To teach his brothers, he would have to remember that which part of him had actively tried to forget.

He called forth his memories.

The hive sewers, lit only by their special issue optics and the pilot-light on his squads flamer. Shadows lurking around every corner.

The attack had happened without warning. One of his brothers, Varnst, had been pulled into the air. They had all seen the writhing tendrils and dead, soulless eyes.

Part of Artos quailed at these memories, but he grinned nonetheless.

He could still fight them. 

Satisfied with his bike he returned to the armory and dressed for battle, slowly and carefully he slid each piece of his prized armor on checking each part carefully, for this mission he'd chosen not to equip his powerfist and instead took up his power sword hanging it from his waist a pair of bolt pistols followed and finally a bolter, checking his armor one last time he sat in his bay and quietly watched Artos and Rant give their tutorial.

Twelve hours later he stood with the brothers of his task force as the Stormhawk made it's final decent, thirty minuets and counting, he looked down the line of them as they prepared, a vox link from the bridge crackled to life.

"Captain, a message is coming through for you."

"Origin?"

"Captain G'Huk, the feed is vid."

"Put it up on the hangar display."

The main display came to life and he gathered the marines around him framed in the screen was a marine surrounded by deathwatch their helms in place G'Huk stood in the center his face exposed skin as dark as onyx and eyes burning red.

"Captain Demos, an honor to serve alongside you again."

"You've risen in the ranks G'Huk last time we met you were but a brother marine fresh from the scout companies of your Chapter."

G'Huk laughed the serious look on his face never changing.

"What say we make some sport out of this, I propose a wager."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Who ever finishes first has pick of the other task forces weapons, I know you have some unique equipment on your Stormhawk."

"Likewise."

"I've pledged to have this task done in twenty four hours, what about you?"

"I set no time limit other than the one imposed on us."

Again he laughed.

"I see, do we have an accord?"

"We do."

The pair nodded to one another.

"Good hunting Demos."

"It's what my chapter does best."

The link went dead, he turned to look at the stunned marines behind him.

"I have no intention of losing this wager, G'Huk is as rash as he always has been..."

He was interrupted as the inner atmosphere warning alarm signaled.

"Besides we have one advantage he does not, Hunrik?"

Hunrik nodded and left the group within moments he was in his landspeeder and ready.

"Helms on, Hunrik carry out a sweep report on locals of our target tyranid monsters and report back, the rest of you in position for immediate deployment."

He strode over to his bike sliding his helm on when it had locked he looked around to check everyone else was sealed and sent the signal to open the hangar bays, Hunrik shot from the descending ship in a trail of fire before the hangar was sealed again, he checked his internal clock.

++Mission Time 00:00++

"Lets hunt boys, once we hit the ground Rant, Kurtis, Martell set to equipping the webber cannons the the rhinos' Peleus, Simion, Laran with me, we perform a perimeter sweep before Hunrik gives us our bearings, Korvin and the rest equip with the webbers and prepare to follow in the crusader."

 

Artos sat in the passenger bay of the Crusader, his eyes closed as he fought against the constant distraction.

"I hear them," he said.

"What?" answered Kraven.

"In my mind. The voices. The feral snarls, the hisses, the predatory howls. They hunger."

Artos opened his eyes, and looked at Kraven and the others.

"This will be the hardest fight you have ever known. None of us will escape unscathed. The leader-beasts have awoken from their sleep.

"They are waiting for us."

++Mission time 00:15++

Demos sat upon his idling bike surveying they landscape before him, the world was arid and a storm had recently passed despite the seals of his armour protecting him from the outside world he could feel the freshness of the storms passing, the land was also littered with the death xenos filth, beside his foot a genesteelers carcass lay the exoskeleton structure of it's bones reduced to little more than packed dust, a gentle tap from his armoured boot ended the sneering face as it crumbled away before it.

To his left Peleus and Simon sat a kilometer away Laran a few hundred feet to his right, he activated his vox link.

"Hunrik, have you located any targets?"

There was a pause before Hunrik's voice echoed back to him.

"Affirmative, I just passed a group of warriors, they were alert enough to fire upon me as I made my pass but their aim was off, I'm making another pass to break the group up with fire."

"Understood, what is your location."

"Five clicks north west of the landing zone."

"Confirmed, all units prepare to mobilise, Rant have you made the necessary modifications to the rhinos?"

"Affirmed."   

"All units converge one klick from the target area, we'll do this as one."

He gunned the engine of his bike revving the engine a few times he he turned it on the spot as Laran joined him.

"We swing wide collect Peleus and Simon and sweep round."

"Understood Captain."

They gunned their engines and set of left towards the north.

+Mission Time 00:30+

He pulled up the bikes in a line one klick from the target zone using the enhanced visuals of his helm he zoomed the distance and observed the targets.

"A dozen, hunrik we need that whittled down."

"Understood captain, coming in for a pass now."

The four of them watched as the tempest whipped in coming low across the terrain it opened fire with the assault cannon kicking up dirt and dust cutting through the herd of tyranid warriors, the warriors turned their long barrelled guns to the sky and followed the landspeeder spitting fire in it's wake, one of the monsters was reduced to pulp as it failed to move from the path of deadly fire.

"They are slow, seems the chemical soup in the air has affected their reaction times, this we can use."

"I concur captain, I've made three passes now, and their fire hasn't even posed a threat."

The crusader pulled up behind them.

"Good, marines fall out, Rant get behind the assault cannon guns, you're the best shot in the task force I'll need your eyes for this, Hunrik make another pass try and separate one from the group, we'll move in an capture it, Rant cross your fire with Hunrik's make a wall the others can't cross."

He dismounted and drew his bolter moving off down the landscape like a hunter.

"Ready."

Rant panned the Crusader's assault cannons in their cupola, sighting the pack of warrior beasts angling deathspitters and venom cannon at Hunrik's speeding Tempest. The enemy fire was slow and poorly aimed, with each volley falling wide. Thanks to the Crusader's auspex array, Rant could track the bioweapon shots individually as they arced upwards and sailed past where Hunrik had been seconds before.

One of the warrior specimens on the right-hand edge of the cluster slowly began to notice the massive Land Raider bearing down on it, and was first to swing its deathspitter around. It fired an instant too soon and the bioweapon's corrosive payload splattered messily in the dust, spraying the Land Raider's adamantium flank with acid that succeeded only in stripping the paintwork.

"Rant to Hunrik. Warrior beast, distracted. Capture?" Rant queried.

"I see it, brother," voxed Hunrik. "Open fire on the main brood in three, two..."

Rant gripped the assault cannons' triggers in both hands and made a last-minute adjustment to his aim.

"...one, and fire!"

Rant pulled the triggers, noting a slight resistance in the mechanism, and the cannon barrels began to rotate before vomiting a stream of high-velocity shells into the warrior brood. The foremost warrior beast was vapourised instantly as the assault cannons' heavy shells tore it to shreds, and as Hunrik added his own firepower, Rant continued to pelt the tyranids with unrelenting fire, killing another warrior as they whirled around to engage the new threat. One brought its long-barrelled venom cannon around an instant before Hunrik took it apart, snapping it in two around its wasp-waisted midsection.

Within seconds, the warrior beast on the far right was separated from its fellows, and Hunrik rolled, raking the ground between it and its brood with assault cannon shells. Gunfire screamed upwards at his Tempest, some of it dangerously close for comfort, and Rant suddenly let go of the triggers as something started probing his mind.

"Get out!" he snarled, his entire body tensing for a single grim second as something forgotten in the back of his memory rumbled in its sleep.

"Brother Rant, is something the matter?" Hunrik asked, and Rant snapped back to reality, realising that his assault cannons were angled upwards, at where Hunrik must have been before he'd released the triggers.

He'd come dangerously close to killing his own battle-brother.

"Negative," Rant grunted as he brought the guns back down and continued harassing the warrior brood. Many had changed targets, their deathspitter weapons firing ineffectively at the Crusader's ebon hull, but an especially sluggish, or stubborn, pair were still trying to down Hunrik's Tempest. Between them, Rant and Hunrik took them apart in a volley of shells.

Within the back of Rant's mind, though, there was something wrong.

The wounds of Morel's Reach had never healed, and were opening once again in the presence of the hive mind.

He prayed that he would never subject his brothers to the horrors that still tormented him.

In the back of the Crusader, Artos felt the surge of power as the warrior attempted to influence Rant. His mind, made receptive to such things after his first time fighting tyranids, sensed the warriors die, one by one, until only one was left.

It was desperate, and attempted to distract them with the power of the hive mind.

To block out the screeching in his head, Artos began whispering to himself.

"Though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for His will guides me. Though the alien and impure surround me I will not falter, for His arm strengthens me. Though all the hordes of hell thirst for my soul, it is they who will flee, for His power glorifies me. He has sanctified me, made me clean and forged me in war's furnace. With Him in my heart, and my brothers beside me, I will not fail."

Laran had observed the behaviour of his brothers, Rant and Artos, and saw, even through the mental defences they had erected, that they were deeply disturbed by the Tyranids. Now they actually had the beasts in sight he had expected he might feel something himself. His memories of the bio-monstrosities he had faught during the progress of Hive Fleet Behemoth were like mirror shards twirling through his mind; at times stark and clear and at others dull and twisted. In any case he felt nothing. True, he did revile the creatures for their sheer alienness but there was no personal hatred as with his fellow Deathwatch.

If truth be told it troubled him. The waking visions he had of the dark figure, the words it proclaimed, that provoked passionate emotions and many times he had caught himself staring into the middle distance, arguing with imaginary oppoents or even battling enemies. His thoughts often crept back to such violent, omnipotent fantasies. Whilst he was a Prophet, who faught in the name of holy Hatred, practically worshipped by his chapter as an aspect of the Emperor these delusions of carnage were simply not right.

The roar of bike engines was distant and he could hear the far off calls of the Deathwatch, the snarls of the Tyranids, the hiss of their weapons but he was surrounded by a sea of quietude, this devastated world felt peaceful as if it were sleeping and its calm breaths were washing over him. He watched his brothers and for an instant he saw himself as a child, running with his blood brotehr while their father watched patiently from a distance enjoying the sight of his sons. The whole scene felt so familiar and at the same time so remote as if somehow he was recalling someone elses memories. And then it was gone, the feelings gone, the face of his-, he could not recall, a man he felt sure. Never mind. He could not just sit hear well his brotehrs clashed with the Tyranids, risking their lives on this fools errand.

He gunned the engine and raced towards the stumbling brood. It was said that the Prophets were made from the Seed of the Great Khan and in that moment Laran believed it such was the thrill he had from racing across the open ground. He circled around at a distance using only sonic blasts from the amplifier in the muzzle of his helmet, distracting the lumbering Tyranids while his brotehrs drew in with more suitable armaments, the Speeder whoosing low over his head as it came in for another pass.

+Mission Time 00:40+

He moved like a shadow, he'd closed with the isolated warrior so close that had his suit not been sealed he could have smelled the beast's rich sickly smell, levelling his bolter he took aim and waited, Hunrik did another pass as he fired Demos squeezed the trigger sending a spray of the web rounds at the lone warrior using the heavy fire from Hunrik's assault cannon to mask his own shots. The rounds exploded over the warriors body like the old marker rounds used to designate prey on his home world, where the rounds impacted the resin hardened like steel, he fired again as Rant opened fire the rounds tearing up the ground near by.

"Check your fire Rant, that's twice you've come close to one of us now."

The Warrior was struggling now, letting out a strange warbled screeching cry that was alerting it's brethren to it's plight. Demos watched as the warriors surged and growled standing from his cover he drew his bolt pistol in his off hand.

"Live fire authorized kill the brood but leave the target alive."

He fired into the closest while he also continue to fire the web rounds at the target warrior, continuing to tangle it up, Pelesus roared in on his bike bolters firing into the target while he expertly fired a bolt pistol as he made a pass, the target Warrior collapsed unable to move thrashing as it struggled to break free, from the opposite side the sonic bursts from Laran had become more vicious tearing into the rest of the warriors, the Front of the Crusader opened and the rest stormed forward eager for kills, he moved from his cover ignoring the warriors as the other dealt death and moved to the felled warrior, it snapped at him with it's maw so he shot it in the face with a web round before kicking it sharply in the face, he fixed the homing beacon he carried to the web resin and signalled the fleet above, stepping back he averted his eyes and the teleport aura burned, and turned his attention back to the rest of the hoard watching as his task force went about their business.

Artos ran forward, picking a target as he went.

There. A warrior, with a number of holes in its thorax and a mangled secondary arm showing its encounter with the Crusader's assault cannons.

The beast hissed as he closed with it, drawing his knife.

Artos leaped forwards, rolling under the warrior's sweeping talons. He dived between its legs with his knife raised, severing the exposed tendons of its right leg.

The tyranid screamed as it was forced into a kneeling position. Its tail swept around with enough force to knock Artos to the ground. He swiftly moved to one side as the warrior's talons embedded themselves in the ground, right where he had been moments before.

Artos scrambled backwards, then kicked up at the beast's face, fracturing its lower jaw and removing a few of its teeth. The warrior suddenly slumped, landing on top of him and almost crushing him with its weight.

He couldn't move, and he could feel the tyranid's talons slamming against his armour. It was only a matter of time before the beast skewered him.

Thinking quickly, Artos sliced his knife into the warrior's left eye. It reared, screeching, and he jumped up. Reversing his grip on the blade, he ducked low, cutting through the exposed joints on the warrior's primary limbs. His knife became wedged in the beast's exoskeleton.

Undaunted, Artos slammed his palm into the side of the warrior's head. As it tipped forward, he jumped on its back and wrapped his arm around its neck. He pulled tighter, and tighter; until finally the tyranid's neck shattered.

Artos pulled his knife out of the corpse and ran towards the other tyranids.   

+Mission Time 00:41+

Demos stood and watched Artos his method of attack was sloppy, almost clumsy, insisting on fighting a warrior with only a knife even an injured one such as the one he'd just killed, it reeked of recklessness and he frowned at the young pups foolishness.

When this was over he resolved to spend time with Artos training him with a sword, the pup showed skill with a blade he should use a true instrument of war not a toy like he was now.

He turned his attention away from the battle as the pair of assault cannons cleaved through the Tyranid mass checking the load of his bolter, three quarters full, his frown deepened Rant had been right the web rounds were not as effective as he would have liked but they would be enough en mass for the smaller prey they were to hunt, but the biggest targets would need more than just web rounds.

His helm display lip up.

+Secure feed+

He activated it.

"Demos, word is the first capture of the day is yours, I congratulate you."

"Thank you G'Huk, how goes your own hunt?"

"We almost had a Broodlord but we lost it in the waste lines of the hive."

"How are you finding the web rounds?"

"I'm not convinced of their usefulness, the web cannons though I am more pleased with."

"I've yet to see they usefulness also."

"In the name of sportsmanship I just ordered an orbital sweep they should be covering your location in twenty minutes I've ordered the results forwarded to your command rhino."

"Thank you G'Huk."

"Well it would not be sporting to have an advantage over you."

"I'll not mention the Tempest I have at my disposal then."

"You have a Tempest?"

"Brother Hunrik's personal possessions, a relic of his lost chapter I believe."

"You lucky dog."

"Good hunting old friend."

The line went dead and he turned his attention back to the battle as it entered it's end phase he nodded in satisfaction and turned from it heading back to his bike.

"All units, finish up and regroup we await the results of an orbital survey Brother G'Huk had ordered."

+Mission Time 00:57+

Demos watched from the seat of his bike as the final killings took place, he revved the engine turning the bike round he looked over his shoulder barking orders.

"Finish up we have more work to do."

He keyed his vox and spoke as he pulled the bike away.

"Peleus you're in command, bring the task force back to the drop site."

He gunned the engine turning it back towards the drop site pulling away he fired the engine pushing the machine hard, he'd always loved the sensation of speed and often wondered if they gene seed had come from the White Scars the knowledge had been lost to their chapter, he covered the distance quickly pulling up in the compound looking up as a sonic boom echoed overhead, dismounting he climbed into the command rhino waiting for the hatch to lock shut he pulled his helm free and sat before the command terminal.

The uplink connected as he was preparing the terminal and he watched the read out data he scanned the map overviews and a smile crossed his face as he picked up several pockets, the closest just beyond Hunrik's sweeps the largest closer to the hive, he devised his plan.

two teams one led by himself the other led by Peleus, he'd take Artos, Rant, Laran and Simon, Peleus would command Hunrik, Martell, Corvin and Kraven. Peleus would head to the closest target engage the Tyranids there, he zoomed the red image and frowned, Peleus would need a rhino and the Land Raider the group were carnifexes he sent the command instructions to one of the waiting Rhino's sending it to the target. He sent his instructions to Peleus then to the rest of the force once Peleus had confirmed them.

He changed views to his own target zone seeing nothing on the visual link, he switched views to a thermal reading and spotted his targets, Ravenors, sitting back in the chair he summoned those of his team to him at the drop site.

Peleus sent an acknoledgement to Demos then took a look at the group that his team were to capture ad where each of his team were. He gave a moments pause before deciding on the approapriate cause  of action.
"Brother Hunrik please engage the targets on the southern flank of the enemy group in 4 runs and then give support where necessary. Focus on the hard targets. If we can incapasitate the carnifexs before we get to close it will save time. Brothers martell and Kraven please engage the north flank with the land raider. captain you're with me we will move in after brother Hunrik has completed his atttck runs and capture one of the beasts. Naturally we shall dispose of the others"
After he received affermatives from his brothers saying they were in position to go he radioed Hunrik,
'Go'
The Tempest howled over head 4 times spraying the Emporers wrath each time. When withdrew for the last time Peleus ingaged his jump pack as he signelled for Corvin to move forward. He was pleased to see that the land raider had killed 1 of the creatures on the Northern flank and the remaing one was being swiftly dispatched by bolt shell and Assault cannon round.
He returned his attention his targets and made a note to get Hunrik a talon of his finest aechean wine when they got back to the Xenos Bane.
Out of the 2 Carnifex in the southern half 1 on the floor its limbs flailing the other was aiming its damaged bioweapon at where Hunriks  tempest was 3 seconds earlier. He aimed his bolter at the remaining creature as he ordered the rhino to capture the downed beast.

As he swooped down on the last one he fired bolt after bolt into the back of its skull. He saw the explosions as his and corvins bolts struck home.  As his altometer told him that he was 15 meters from the ground he went into a dive with his claws staight ahead of him. The crackling claws hit the point where his shells had weakend the beasts carapace and ripped straight though peircing its brain. for good measure he shot the rest of his magasine into the fleshy thing on the back of the creatures neck. It crumpled. Between getting its face blown of by Corvins bolts and having its brains destroyed it gave up it's tenous grasp on concoiusness.
"good shooting Captain, Brothers report?"
He was gratified to hear that the carnifex were alll dead apart from the one in the Rhino which was alive but under control. He gave Demos a quick sitrep as his team reorged in the centre of the group of dead Xenos

Demos paused

"Confirmed attach the teleport homer and send the beast to the fleet."

He looked over the landscape before him, nothing just dust and small outcrops of foliage the dust looked disturbed from some recent activity, he turned to the others.

"We need a distraction, to lure them up to the surface."

Artos looked at him even behind the Helm he could see the nervous look on the younger marines face.

"I'll do it, just be ready with the webbers."

He passed Artos his bolter loaded with web rounds and drew his powersword.

"Simon circle round to that outcrop over there, Laran that one there Rant there."

He used the sword to point at three outcrops setting up four points of attack so that all angles could be covered by at least two of them so when the Ravenors attacked he'd stand a better chance of fending them off.

"Artos remain here, the rest of you move."

Following his orders they moved into position leaving himself and Artos standing together, he drew his bone knife reversing it in his grip he strode down the slope into the well the dust had been disturbed the texture of the dust changed as he stepped from one to another this dust was loose like sand he sank into it half way up his shins, striding out he activated the power field of the sword and walked to the centre turning slowly as something moved underfoot.

"Be ready."

The ground behind him exploded upwards in a shower of dust and harder stone as one of the tyranids leapt from the ground, he heard gun fire his enhanced senses telling him the shots were coming from Rant, he'd reacted instantly the first reeled from him as another exploded from the ground leaping directly at him, his blade flashed out blocking the two scything claws coming at him, his bone dagger flashed cutting a long thin line across it's abdomen the Ravenor slashed at him again and this time his sword connected with the arm behind the deadly bioweapon severing it from the arm to spin harmlessly over his shoulder the tyranid dived away digging its self into the dust and scurrying away, he turned blade slashing out leaving a red trail it sent a head tumbling through the air. One dropped beside him web fluid hardening across it's body even as it tried to dig into the dust, he dropped his weapon grabbing the tail he hauled on it shouting out.

"Simon get down here and help me!"

He pulled struggling against the strength of the thing, Simon was at his side pulling on the tail the dragged it back out.

"To the harder ground pull it, Rant go live cover us Artos keep hitting it with web rounds."

"Deactivate audio-senses Brothers!"

Laran did not give them long to react and he was in front of the squirming Tyranid, jaws almost as big as his torso slavering inches away. As it opened its mouth to snap at him, Laran grabbed an upper and lower canine, one cutting deep into the palm of his hand, right through his gauntlet as if it were paper. He grunted in pain but kept his grip, his other hand more secure at the base of the lower canine. Before the Ravenor could take his head off he leant around and blasted a scream of sonic force strait down its ear. The shimmering sound wave passed over his comrades and he did not know if they had had time to react to his warning.

The Ravenor screached in pain and bucked, hitting Laran square in the chest with its plough shaped head. It felt like hed been shot with an anvil and he was sent flying backwards. As the Tyranid had reared up it had lost traction on the ground and his two fellow Deathwatch practically ran with the thing several metres almost slipping on to their backsides. Web rounds splattered over its withered forearmsand another gob of the rapidly hardening web caught it over one side of the face.

Still struggling like a bull grox in must the Ravenor was desperately trying  to break free, but near deafened and being plastererd with web rounds it was having a hard time of it. Laran let out a snort of laughter as he picked himself up and ran back to aide his Brothers. After all the constant warfare, wrestling with Tyranids almost seemed like a holiday and in any case he was determined to enjoy this mission as such for as long as he could.

The beast reeling and crippled he tore the teleport homer from Simon's belt and drove it into a weeping wound in it's torso a moment later the beast had vanished leaving them standing. Demos laughed his voice echoing in the emptiness as he collected up his sword.

"Dammed be if my brothers back on Haemos will not enjoy the tale of wrestling with Ravenors on this forsaken rock."

He clapped Laran and Simon on the shoulders as the climbed back up to join the other two he clapped Artos on the shoulder.

"Fine work lad."

As Rant joined them he clapped him on both shoulders.

"Good shooting brother, you truly are a fine shot."

He grouped them together and gestured towards the towering ruins of the city.

"Do you feel up to more of a hunt?"

"Just say the word Brother and I will be right beside you, I only wish these Tyranids were not weakened, it would be good to test my strength against them in an even contest."

Laran looked towards the jagged spires of the distant hive and imagined the horrors the fated inhabitants must have seen. Something primitive within him hungered for such knowledge, to devour the brains of the fallen to know their memories, to share in their strength. Every Prophet knew comfort in the fact that some part of him would live on forever in those marines that came after him, not just through his Gene-Seed but his very thoughts. It was customary for neophytes to consume a portion of the prgenitor's brain matter to preserve his memories and to learn from his experience. A Prophet never truly died and it irked Laran to think that not only had this world and its people been obliterated but they might suffer the duel death of being erased from memory. A Prophet was his memories and to lose them was inconceivable.

Laran strained forward, like a dog eager to be released and he let loose with a howl that rustled and squawked with interference as the sonic amplifier in the muzzle of his helmet struggled to articulate his feelings into a killing sound. He snapped his head round, the eyes of his helmet narrowing to tiny points of ableful orange light. "Come my Brothers, let us resume the hunt for I hunger for Tyranid flesh!"

He watched Laran's display oddly disturbed by it, his chapter ha been formed to fight off the threat posed by the flawless host and this display reminded him of their noise marines, his concerns were pushed aside as a secure feed linked to his helm, before answering it he spoke to the squad.

"Rant, Artos, Laran scout ahead secure an entry point, I have a need for a lictor or brood lord."

He looked to Simon not forgetting him.

"Secure the vehicles, move the rhino closer to the hive but this will be a foot slog from here."

The squad nodded in agreement and headed off to their allotted tasks once he was alone he spoke into the vox

"I am alone, speak."

Laran looked back briefly and could tell by the Captain's stance that he was receiving communications. His stance was alert for danger but passive, and the slightest tilt of his head was a sunconscious act of listening. He wondered who the Captain was talking to.

Several hundred metres away now Laran saw his fellow Deathwatch as distant shapes but they vanished from his sight. For the first time in a long while he felt truly alone and for just a moment he allowed himself to relax. He wanted to remove his helmet to close his eyes and lean his head back and take a deep breath without his rebreather filering the air. It wasn't that a helmet dulled the senses, far from it, but it seemed to Laran that some subtle flavour was lost, a hint of the world around him that only his own senses could register. It could not be done under the circumstances.

A Lictor was a hunter of hunters and a master of deception, able to lure in prey which believed they were stalking it. The trick then was to not to thin like a predator but to think like prey to be aware of the environment in the way prey would be, looking for routes of escape, to maintain the highest level of visibility. To expose one's self in the manner of prey was the only way to hunt a Lictor. A Lictor relied on a hunter acting like a hunter, trying to remain concealed, quiet, calm.

Laran, hopped up a few tumbled down pillars, the last remnants of some ancient wall that were purple and green with chemical erosion. They were pockmarked and pitted but the stone was still strong after tens of thousands of years exposed to the heavy industry of the hive. Climbing swiftly he topped the wall and stood in full view and crunched along the top with little concern. The foot of the hive dug into the silty ash and sand like gigantic tree roots but in areas it pooled in, tell-tale signs of a pitfall, perhaps and entrance into a pipe or vent that might allow the Deathwatch access to the hive. He reported his findings and moved on and two hundred metres to his right, ten degrees from his position there was a flicker of movement. Laran smiled, the hunt was on.

"It will attack from behind," Artos said calmly.

"What?" asked Rant.

"The lictor. One is stalking us."

"I concur, brother," said Laran. "I have spotted movement."

"Where?" asked Artos.

"Off to the right. It's closing in."

"Then there are two. There are signs behind and to the left. I suggest we spread out. Five meters between each of us. Rant, notify Captain Demos that we have located the next target."

Rant nodded. They spread out. From the shadows, the lictors watched. 

He contemplated simply sending a vox signal to the commander, even something as simple as a location marker, but there was a better and far more efficient way to convey what mattered.

"External address," Rant subvocalised, at the same time making sure his vox was active. Something was itching at the base of his brain but he ignored it.

A rune flicked on at the top of his helmet display, informing him that his armour's external vox-casters were active.

This was a huge gambit but it was by far the most efficient course of action. If the Lictors came to them, then the kill-team could bypass the chore of actually looking for them; however, if this went wrong, Rant might kill his brothers.

He took the chance.

"Commander," he stated, the noise passing not only through the vox but out into the open, drawing a startled glare from Artos as something shifted in the gloom.

"What is it?" Demos asked, but Rant didn't answer. Deactivating his external address with a thought, Rant raised his bolter at the very instant that one of the Lictors burst out from behind the kill-team, leaping down from a stout pillar and pouncing at the source of the unexpected noise. Taking aim, Rant pulled the trigger and fired, catching the Lictor in the flank and sending it reeling. A strangled chittering screech escaped it as it backed away slightly, turning to cover its injury, its eyes locking with Rant's.

The thing was hideous. Slanted yellow eyes stared out from an alien face festooned with long, worm-like feeder tendrils, hanging loosely from a kite-shaped maw that may as well have been equipped with a beak, or bone-cracking jaws. Its lower pair of arms were vaguely humanoid, the fingers tipped with razor-sharp claws for rending flesh and ascending sheer surfaces, while its upper arms were equipped with enormous scything talons, each as long as the beast itself was tall, and lined with sharp spikes at regular intervals to help it traverse uneven terrain such as the gutted hive. A thick tail trailed behind it, tipped with a venomous stinger, and it squatted on sturdy double-jointed legs that could propel it forward at a frightening speed.

In an instant the Lictor had recovered, and it pounced again. Rant wasted no time and blasted at its left razor claw, severing it at the elbow and causing it to falter in mid-air. It fell just shy of Rant as he took two steps backwards. Black ichor drooled from the stump of its arm, but Rant's surprise tactic had only worked once and it was now wary. A scything talon stabbed out, glancing Rant's pauldron, but although it caused no lasting damage, the force of the blow was enough to knock Rant back and send him reeling. Instinctively Rant pulled the trigger on his bolter one-handed, but he missed completely, the bolter shell streaking up into the darkness.

And then it was on top of him, bowling him over with the force of its charge. Rant dropped his bolter and fell down against the hard floor of the hive. The Lictor embedded its scything talons in the floor as its one good razor claw pinned him down, clamping firmly around his abdomen.

"Brother Rant, report!" Demos shouted in his ear, clearly alarmed by the sound of fighting. Laran and Artos were already busy with the other Lictor, but Rant was on his own, pinned, and in danger.

"Lictor presence. Containing now," Rant answered calmly even as the Lictor's feeder tendrills lashed out at his helmet, filling his entire field of vision with the Lictor's disgusting maw.

The kill-team had to capture a Lictor, so he couldn't risk killing it, but at the same time it would kill him first if he didn't react soon. And although his arms were free, his bolter was some distance away so he couldn't simply shoot it.

Grasping its feeder tendrils firmly in his right hand, Rant activated his electoo inductor and sent a powerful electric charge coursing through the most vulnerable part of the Lictor's anatomy. It shrieked and its claws tightened by reflex, threatening to breach his armour and expose him to the life-eater in the air, but a second later it relented, trying to get away from Rant, but he refused to let go and with a wet tearing noise Rant fell away from the Lictor, a cluster of feeder tendrils in his grasp, still twitching weakly as gore dribbled from the Lictor's ravaged maw.

Tossing the feeder tendrils aside and sweeping up his bolter, Rant took aim at the Lictor, sluggish now after the electrical attack. Pulling the trigger twice more, he claimed one of the beast's gigantic scything talons and blasted a chunk of meat out of its right leg. It fell heavily, screeching weakly, and helpless as it was, Rant wasted no time in destroying the Lictor's other arms and crippling its remaining leg.

"Target crippled," Rant voxed, "awaiting recovery."

"Rant! Duck!" yelled Artos, as the second lictor hurtled out of the shadows. Rant rolled under the creature's slashing talons.

Artos ran forward, bulldozing into the lictor's side. His weight knocked it badly off balance. Laran crashed into the beast's other side, howling his fury. The lictor's tail flicked up, the large barb aiming for the weak elbow joint in Artos' armour. He knocked it aside, then grabbed it and pulled it out, taking the bulging venom-sac on the end of the lictor's tail with it.

Rant stood up and began firing his bolter, aiming carefully so as not to hit his brothers. The lictor fell to the ground, its skull destroyed by the explosive rounds.

"Well," said Artos, wiping ichor from his shoulder pauldron,"that was easier than I remembered."

"Really?" asked Laran.

"Yes. Fighting these horrors in power armour is far easier than in scout armour."

Artos knelt down to examine the remains of the creature. He hissed with disgust, then rose. He walked over to check on the lictor Rant had disabled, crushing the remnants of the dead lictor's skull under his armoured foot as he went.

Demos strode from the ruins powersword steaming with dark blood he sheathed it slowly as he tossed the teleport homer to Rant.

"You bagged it Brother."

He knelt by the dead one looking over the creature carefully he rolled it over placing his bolter to one side he probed his fingers into the creatures torso pulling it apart in wet clumps, while Rant fixed the homer and sent the crippled creature on it's way. Artos moved up behind him looking over his shoulder as Demos continued to mutilate the corpse not in anger but methodically dissecting the beast with his armoured hands. He paused finally pulling a fleshy organ from the torso holding it in his hands he stood and spoke.

"Confirmed, I found one in a Lictor."

He dropped the organ to the ground and gestured to it.

"This is what's keeping them alive an as yet encountered organ, it seems to work in a similar way to our Oolitic Kidney. Command wants us to continue our mission to confirm this but from the creatures we've captured so far it seems likely that this is the key."

He stood on the organ crushing it.

"All units rendezvous at the Hive gates, twenty minutes."

He stooped collected his bolter and turned looking at the hive ruins.

"There is a broodlord in there, aerial observations confirmed it and worse." 

++Mission Time 12:58++
The rest of the task force returned to his position even Hunrik had landed his land speeder and stood amongst them his swift vehicle unsuited to the next phase of their operation, standing at the gates of the vast hive their task looked immense, the ruins were still crumbling where the Tyranids had attacked their bio weapons eating away at the masonry only to be killed off by the virus bomb, yet their damage had been done they'd served to weaken the structures of the buildings closest to the gates.

"Auspexes  up front, everyone on live ammunition."

He stepped forward looking up into the hive as the darkness of night was closing in.

"Switch to low light and internal vox only. I don't want any surprises creeping up on us."

His vision changed with an impulse from him and he looked around again the world brought into sharp relief despite the green tint to the world he strode off leading the way. They moved through the Hive checking the rubble and remains passing the detritus that could only have been the massed numbers of decomposing gaunt genomes, something large was moving around the hive, the sounds of buildings collapsing and the angry screeching calls echoing through, even Demos himself was unnerved by the sound the intensity of it and the fury implied behind it but he pushed on regardless should the encounter the beast they would take it down like any other.

Artos snapped to his right and the task force turned as one, brought into sharp relief was the hulking shape of a massive genestealer it's eyes narrowed at them from it's high position over looking them.

"Abomination."

Hissed the young marine as his finger tightened on his trigger.

"Hold your fire Artos, let's see if it's seen us, Martel, Simon move to the left, Pelesus, Artos right ghost our movements as the rest of us move up the centre."

He set off leading the way at a quick stride his eyes constantly on the crouching stealer lord, noting as it slid from it's observing position vanishing behind a crumbled hab block.

"Be alert, Hunrik, Rant break ranks and widen the sweep stay ahead of the flanking units."

He watched as the two marines moved wider opening the formation more, it put them all at greater risk but it would also provide an obvious target, that they were Deathwatch selected above all others to carry out this task meant they could accept the risk.

"Keep your eye sharp for signs of a lair."

He reached the Broodlords first position a few steps before his brothers and paused looking at the dusty ground.

"Hold position, Artos, Rant attend me."

He stood looking at the ground around him; it was littered in markings and tracks, tracks which any capable
hunter could follow but there were other interesting markings as the other two joined him he closed the vox link to all but them.

"You have both hunted broodlords in the past correct?"

Both affirmed by giving curt nods of their heads

"Notice anything about these tracks?"

They both looked over his shoulder at the markings he gestured too, a set of tracks a sharply detailed hoof the other a long line of ground up dust as deep as the other, Rant spoke first.

"Big."

"And injured."

Artos finished, Demos nodded as he looked round at them both.

"Follow the tracks see where it went."

Artos and Rant followed the tracks, Artos crouching low to the ground while Rant covered him.

"More tracks intersect here, brother," said Artos.

"New?" asked Rant.

"Most of these are a few days old, but look; here, and here," Artos said, his finger jabbing towards clear, distinct prints, "These are fresh. The broodlord has around three genestealers accompanying it, all uninjured. We will have to be more careful from here on."

Still following the tracks, they moved deeper into the ruins.

Demos followed with the rest of the force moving deeper into the ruins he gathered them all in close following on from Rant and Artos' lead as they moved deeper into the long dead city, for three hours they stalked the dust strewn streets pausing to check their bearings before moving on.

"I do not like this, it is becoming more apparent that some of the smaller species survive the virus bombing."

Demos nodded to Pelesus as the Pack leader moved to his side, he'd also noted the slowly increasing number of tracks heading in the direction they were heading.

"Any suggestions?"

The force halted at the question Rant spoke.

"Sheltered, stealers smarter than rest."

"So we're looking for a nest, when we find it extermination is the priority we only capture the lord if we are able to."

He gestured for the force to move on heading for a great rend in a service duct for the city's primary power plant.

Inside the tunnel was cold the thermometer in his suit told him that the temperature had dropped to near freezing as cold air blasted past them as they pushed on unheeded by the wind, a short distance on a second rend opened into a catacomb of service ducts, he ducked down between Rant and Artos and groaned.

"Like a dammed space hulk."

He nodded and the two pushed on slipping through the gap they moved off into the darkness, Demos followed taking the centre as they moved down the sides of the narrowing service tunnel.

"I want a clear sweep, make sure nothing is behind us."

He received a double click of confirmation.

The tunnel eventually became narrower and narrower, and soon the Deathwatch found themselves moving more slowly, struggling with the uncomfortably close walls. Evidently, the tunnel had been designed for humans to move in single file, maybe double file at a stretch; it had not been built with Space Marines in mind, and Rant was moving almost sideways to avoid scraping his pauldrons against the tunnel walls. The last thing the kill-team needed was for an unwanted disturbance to alert an entire brood to their presence, especially given the lack of space.

To Rant, it seemed like the perfect place for a genestealer ambush. They could easily tear open a wall or the ceiling, or rip out a chunk of the floor, to attack from anywhere and take the kill-team entirely by surprise.


It happened not long after the kill-team had passed another tunnel, branching off to the left of their own.

"Brothers," Artos cautioned softly from the front. "That tunnel we passed. It's beginning to worry me."

"Why?" Rant asked simply, already convinced that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Listen."

The Deathwatch paused, and Rant became aware of a rhythmic clattering noise behind him, the noise of claws upon the metal wall of the tunnels. The noise was distant, and carried along mostly as faint echoes, but it was unmistakably the sound of genestealers moving somewhere in the network of tunnels.

"Contact," Rant concluded. "Too soon."

"Brother Rant, I want you to double back and check that tunnel," Demos ordered. "Inform me immediately if there are any breaches or openings, or any signs of genestealer presence. Double back as soon as we are out of auspex range, I don't want to leave you behind."

Clicking his acknowledgement, Rant doubled back carefully and cautiously, approaching the tunnel opening almost at a crawl, his bolter ready as he sprang out silently and took aim down the tunnel, holding his stance for several tense seconds until Rant concluded that he was safe to proceed.

Throwing one last cautious glance at both the entry tunnel and in Demos' direction, Rant edged down the new tunnel, his gaze constantly flitting between the walls, the ceiling, and the darkness straight ahead as his auto senses compensated for the total absence of natural light. Nothing sprang out at him, nothing indicating that genestealers had been anywhere near here.

Eventually, after an indeterminable length of time passing through the tunnel, Rant noted that the two blips on his auspex representing Demos and Artos were on the bottom right edge of the screen, about to disappear.

"Nothing, Commander," Rant reported. "Preparing to double back. Over."

"Understood, brother," Demos answered. "Brother Artos and I have had a similar lack of success so far. Genestealers are an elusive breed. We need to --"

Rant ignored Demos' last remark as a new blip appeared on his auspex screen, right at the top of the display. Something was coming directly at him.

Something inhumanly fast.

"Contact," Rant uttered forcefully. Whether or not he'd cut Demos off, he didn't know.

Something itched in the base of his brain and Rant's thoughts were suddenly filling up with innumerable gaping maws, opening wide to devour everything in sight. He closed his eyes, focusing instead on symbols of piety and devotion, evoking the symbol of the Opus Machina in his mind's eye, but the techniques he had used to still his mind before his memories took over were no longer working and Rant seized up, his every thought dissolving into terror mixed with towering rage.

The screech of tearing metal snapped Rant out of his reverie and he looked up at the source of the noise, bringing his bolter up a split-second too late.

Staring down at Rant like a god above an insect, its yellow eyes aglow with pure contempt, was a genestealer broodlord, hunched above the tunnel opening and glaring at the black-armoured Deathwatch veteran beneath it. Its vaguely humanoid face contrived to contort into a scowl as its mouth opened, inhaling the chill air with an angry hissing snarl. With a great heave it tore away more of the ceiling, before leaping over the hole to straddle it with all six limbs, leaning down in the same split-second to come face-to-face with Rant.

In that split-second, the memories of Morel's Reach unbound themselves and flooded back into Rant's unprepared mind in an unstoppable surge. The faces of every man and woman that ever died in the fighting at Morel's Reach filled his field of vision, and their screams deafened him as they died over and over again at the hands of Leviathan. He saw tanks and even giant Titans die, destroyed without remorse or hesitation by the unrelenting tyranid swarm. Giant creatures the size of buildings grappled with the iron gods that once guarded the Cult Mechanicus' forges, and tore out their nuclear hearts in a stunning display of brutality.

The Dominatrix entered his memories, a walking colossus of flesh and chitin standing tall and ominous, looming over the entire battlefield and radiating terror all around it. Even the largest of its attendant entourage were as nothing in its presence, and it was Kill-Team Zajdel's duty to eliminate it. Ten men against a veritable demigod, the terror of the tyranid hive mind incarnate upon the battlefield.

Two of them succeeded.

Some died even on the approach, crushed by ravening hive beasts of all shapes and sizes. Others, shot down on the ascent up the monstrosity's flank. Still more were destroyed by the symbiote creature atop the colossus' back, itself the other half of the gargantuan entity it rode, neither creature comprising the Dominatrix alone without the other to complete and complement it.

A brace of demolition charges had practically decapitated the behemoth on the spot, but while the beast perished, the psychic symbiote had given Rant and Zajdel something of a parting gift out of spite: in its death throes, the Dominatrix had lodged a splinter of the hive mind's power within their souls, and in the souls of every human being fighting on Morel's Reach.

And in its death, it raped their minds, from the most valiant hero down to the lowliest trooper, joining them all together, all one with each other as it led them all in a crescendo of psychic agony with its last dying breath.

And Rant screamed.

"Daemon! Die! Die! Die! Die!" he bellowed, firing two shots into the broodlord's shoulder and taking a faltering step backwards, his entire body quivering with rage. The broodlord screeched and recoiled, and Rant fired after it, but his shots flew wide and the broodlord raced away from the breach and into safety.

Struggling to control his own body as he shook with unrestrained fury, Rant stamped down and held a firm stance as the broodlord burst back into the tunnel, through the wall to his left, lunging as he raised his bolter and pulled the trigger.

---

When they found Rant, the Iron Hand was standing alone, staring at his bolter as he calmly reloaded it. Bolter shell casings were scattered all over the floor, and there were two breaches in the tunnel wall from where something vast had forced entry from outside. Black blood stained the walls and floor, but of the creature that shed it, there was no sign.

"Brother?" Demos ventured. Rant responded immediately, his head snapping up to stare at first Demos, then Artos behind him. He muttered something inaudible, a cross between a growl and a sharp breath filtering through the vox.

Bringing his bolter around almost too fast to see, Rant took two powerful steps forward, raising his bolter to shoulder level as he took aim at the two Deathwatch.

"Die," he repeated. "Die!"

He pulled the trigger.

Demos turned striking Artos to the ground as the bolter fired the rounds impacted against his armour and warning lights flashed in his helm warning him of the damage, his armour was artifice armour second only to that of terminator armour and the first blows from the bolter caused little more that shallow craters as the denser material his armour comprised of took the full force, the attack though did stagger him and he stepped back onto Artos chest plate holding him in place.

Despite the sudden attack and the force of the bolt shells impacting against his armour he returned fire two quick shots which forced Rant to check his fire, giving him the opportunity he needed discarding his gun entirely he bull rushed his fellow marine tackling him to the ground a back hand sending Rant's bolter from his grip even as Rant brought his electoo inductor round striking Demos' chest plate, the impact was like a lightning strike and electrical discharge danced over his armour sending alerts throughout his helm as his environmental seal around the fist failed.

Demos gasped he could feel the virus eating away at his skin even through the gap Rant had torn and growled in fury, he stood dragging Rant with him and hurling him of his shoulder in a feat of strength few marines could master rant crashed to the decking the noise loud and deafening in the stillness, rolling to his feet he went for his bolt pistol drawing and taking aim in a heart beat which was too long a time as the tunnel was illuminated by the blue arc of Demos' powersword.

The blade cut through the bolt pistol with ease cooking off the rounds within forcing Rant to come at him again with the electoo inductor, Demos side stepped his free hand snaking round driving his Bone dagger through Rant's bionic wrist and impaling his arm against the tunnel wall, the Done was a hardened razors edge a fang from one of the most dangerous predators of Haemos, the Basilisks of Haemos could make  land raider armour  look like paper when they attacked and the fangs were common weapons for his brothers many would replace their chainsword blades with the teeth from younger Basilisks, punching the blade through a bionic gave it little resistance.

His hammer like blow to Rant's helm snapped his neck to one side as Artos stood holding his other arm, Demos staggered back searching his belt.

"What has taken him?"

"I don't know, he is possessed of a murderous intent."

He found what he was looking for pulling the sealant from his belt he applied it to the breach sighing a breath of relief as his suit registered the seal and set about working on the most damaged areas of his armour the rest of the Deathwatch had arrived in time to see Demos pinning Rant to the wall of the tunnel.

"Secure those breaches, charges and live fire."

He stepped up to Rant forcing his head back against the wall.

"Iron Hand! Brother Sergeant Matej Rant, are you still in there! or has the battle lust taken you?"

"Iron Hand! Brother Sergeant Matej Rant, are you still in there! or has the battle lust taken you?"

Laran smiled and nodded to himself. It pleased him to think that his fellow Deathwatch had been consumed with battle rage, to a Prophet of Hatred such an act was like becoming the Emperor's Wrath fully and completely, divesting oneself of the extraneous human elements and becoming wrath in every way, even if that meant turning on your own brothers. What Rant was experiencing was holy communion in its purest form.

Other Chapters did not often see such displays in such an enlightened way. Laran moved past the other Deathwatch, taking a position next to one of the rents, Kah'Brosh held ready. He had fought along many other Chapters and he had seen some like the Blood Angels see what they termed amongst themselves the Black Rage, as a deadly curse. Laran could only imagine what it must be like to see through the eyes of a Primarch, feel his emotions, his actions as if they were your own, linked so intimately across the gulf of ten tousand years and legend. To feel as a god felt, how could anyone call that a curse?

"Movement!"

Artos would have to hurry.
"Let me help him," he said to Demos. "I know how."

"Very well," replied Demos. "But if you can't, I will have to deal with him."

Nodding, Artos stepped up to Rant. Placing a hand on either side of Rant's helmet, he spoke. "Rant, it is Artos, your brother."

There was no response. Artos let Rant's head fall, then chanced upon an idea. He had learned many tricks during the invasion of Schindelgheist by the tyranids, and this was one. He moved his lips and tongue into position, then exhaled softly. The sound that issued from his mouth was an almost perfect imitation of a genestealer's clicking hiss. Rant's head snapped up.

"Daemon," he said.

"No," replied Artos. "It is Artos. Remember me. We are in the Deathwatch together. We cleanse worlds of the foul alien."

"Die," said Rant.

"I will not. If you cannot remember me, then remember this: Once, long ago, our Father, the God-Emperor of Mankind, strode the stars. He shined in His glory and power as He cleansed humanity of taint. He created us, his Space Marines, to watch over and protect the Imperium He created. He is within you, and me, and all our brothers. You are His son, and His hold on you goes deeper than whatever grips you now, be it fear, rage or madness.

"I was once like you are now, Rant. I could not remember my brothers, I tried to kill them. I- I succeeded, twice. But I found a way to overcome my rage. Deep within me was a memory. I lived through that memory. I saw Him, Rant. I saw our Emperor! I saw His Son, Sanguinius, who I am descended from by the virtue of my Chapter. You have these memories too, Rant. Remember Him. Remember His Son, Ferrus Mannus, who you became like when you joined our brotherhood.

"They are your last hope, Rant. If you cannot remember them . . . then there is nothing but the darkness for you."

Artos stepped back. If he had been a normal man, no doubt he would have sunk to his knees and wept. He had not lied. From the knowledge gained by his Chapter, if Rant could not overcome this madness with faith, he could not overcome it at all.

Rant breathed heavily, his head once again lowered. He gasped out a single word.

"Brother."
 

Demos clapped Artos on the shoulder

"Good work Artos, you would make a fine Chaplain."

He stooped and collected the discarded weapons tearing Rant's magazine from his bolter.

"Watch him, any signs of regression shoot him I'd rather grant him the Emperors rest than put any more of us at risk."

He passed Rant's empty weapon to Artos

"Take his spare ammunition, he is to be unarmed until we need him."

He strode away taking a few steps to join the others as they secured the tunnel, he staggered his arm snaking out to support him, the virus was still eating away at his side where Rant had breached his armour, despite his superhuman body he was struggling to fight the effects off sweat had started to bead all over his body as his organic counter measures battled against the invasion of the virus, blood welled in his mouth from the effects and he wished he could open the grills in his helm and spit it from his mouth, pushing himself too his feet he strode on.

"We have their scent now, Move out and exterminate them all."

Artos noticed when Demos staggered. No doubt the breach Rant had made in his armour had allowed an incursion of the virus. As long as the Brother-Captain remained in control of himself, all was well.

If, however, he began to further succumb to the virus's effects, he would doubtless be the first to die, picked off by a sudden attack.

Artos strained all his senses to their limits as they advanced, drawing on the lessons he had learned more than a decade earlier. He had almost lost Rant.

He would not come so close to losing Demos.

Laran moved cautiously over an area covered in rough gravel and scree. Huge flaked of rust covered the metal floor and smaller flakes, like orange snow drifted from above. Everywhere was black, and oily darkness that seemed to devour the light but up above them was a dull grey illumination that hung in the air amid the scores of gently swinging chains that must have been hundreds of metres long although Emperor knew what their purpose was.

Crouching low at the base of a pillar Laran pulled his head into his neck, peering through the viewer of his helmet which moved to his unconscious command to look up. The Broodlord was rocking on its feet, squatted on top of the column, hugging its knees with its rearmost arms. It was looking over Laran, back towards the rest of the squad and he was unsure if it was aware of his presence.

Keeping his eyes locked onto the grotesque thing he slowly moved his arm round so that he could transfer Kah'Brosh to his other hand. The moment seemed to stretch out, the monstrous genestealer rocking back and forth ever so slightly, its breath coming in low wheezes. Laran felt the weight of his weapon drop down into his left hand and he carefully angled the barrel up toward the beast. He would still need his other hand, awkwardly twisted at this low angle, in order to use the weapon. With a burst of movement he stood up and sent a squirming rod or sonic power thumping into the Broodlord.

Plascrete exploded from the pillar and the genestealer dropped to the ground with a crunch and then the thing was leaping at him, sinuous body flexing like a fish out of water. It was easily half again his size and it knocked him flat to the ground but Laran screeched into its slavering face. It reared back, one eye burst and dripping ichor from atonal assault. He thrust the palm of hand into its chest and threw the creature from him, hitting it again with another shoutand then, on his knees, used Kah'Brosh to hit the thing with a bellowing gale of sound and the Broodlord flexed and spasmed under the attack, curling into a fetal ball as the wall of sound crushed its body.

Discarding his weapon in a fit of bloodlust Laran dived upon the quivvering alien, gauntlets out before him clutching for the Broodlord's throat. A clawed hand gouged deep into his pauldron but he ignored it, squeezing tight with a hiss of hatred for this fowl xenos abomination. Weakened, wounded and disoriented the massive strength of the Broodlord was already severly diminished, it was the only reason Laran, in his mad rage was able to succeed in his insane attack. The Broodlord's remaining eye rolled back in its skull and its eyelid fluttered before the giant thing flopped still, unconscious. Laran panted hard from the exertion but stayed his hand, perhaps they could capture the thing, if not he was more than happy to finish it off.

Demos stalked forward like a lord of war unafraid he looked upon the broodlord in Laran's hands the rest of the squad formed up round him as they took in the sight.

"Finish it."

He turned from the scene to look at the others as a loud audible snap signalled the demise of the Tyranid beast.

"Something is amiss here, would you not agree Brother Artos?"

Artos nodded looking to Rant slightly, the gesture would have been unnoticeable but under the solid gaze of Demos Artos knew that the Captain had seen it.

"There are too many tracks for a small group of survivors, I make a few dozen."

"More."

Rant interjected.

They all turned as a hissing roar washed through the ruined manufactorium towards them, the sound of hundreds of creatures roaring in anger.

"They know their lord is dead."

"And we do not have the ammunition to step the tide."

Demos nodded at Pelesus' assessment of their armaments.

"Prep for immediate extraction."

He looked to the gathered brothers

"Corvin your swords will be of little use, I trust you to set us the teleport beacon, the rest of you switch you live ammunition and form a firing line on me."

He unslung his bolter tearing the magazine from it and replacing it with a fresh one as Corvin gathered the last teleport homers to set up a beacon behind them, the line formed up on him a solid wall of Astartes each one armed with their weapons ready, he turned to Rant who stood in the line unarmed but ready to stand with his brothers his hand offered him a fresh magazine.

"Can you be trusted?"

Beneath his helmet, Rant grinned sadly and allowed himself a strained chuckle.

"Unknown."

"Now is probably not the time for uncertainty, brother," Laran observed from behind him.

"Then, no."

"Get behind us, brother," Demos ordered. "If nothing else then assist Captain Corvin with the teleport beacon."

"Negative."

Demos faltered and turned to face Rant.

"That was an order, Sergeant Rant, not a request," Demos stated flatly.

"Genestealers, psychic organisms. Enough of them form psychic beacon, put me at risk again, ergo, put kill-team at risk," countered Rant. "Cannot risk sabotaging beacon."

"Then stay close to me," Demos commanded, "and should the madness take you once more, I shall administer the Emperor's Peace myself to save your soul and ours."

A sudden crash roughly a hundred metres away, in front of them, drew Demos' attention and on cue, he and Artos raised their weapons, Laran readying Kah'Brosh an instant later.

"Brother Corvin, hurry," Demos urged. "They're coming."

"For the Emperor," Corvin responded, nodding as he got to work.

Another loud crash echoed in the tunnels, this time much closer, and Rant watched as first one genestealer, then another, punched a hole in the ceiling and fell through into the tunnel, bounding along on all six limbs.

"Open fire!"

Bolters roared in Rant's ears, the harsh booms punctuated by the loud screams of Kah'Brosh off to his left. The foremost genestealer barely stood a chance, converted into a black mist, itself blown away by a sonic blast from Kah'Brosh that ruptured the second alien's brain.

"Stagger your shots, do not allow them a window while you reload," advised Artos, pausing for two seconds before lining up another shot and taking a genestealer in the back as it forced its way through the breach in the ceiling.

A noise from above met Rant's ears, barely audible over Kah'Brosh, and he looked up just in time to see another genestealer opening a hole right above Demos, the genestealer's slavering maw opening wide as its limbs coiled, ready to pounce.

"Captain!" Rant shouted, barging Demos aside and knocking him into Peleus as the genestealer dropped. Instead of Demos, it landed on Rant and punched its claws into his pauldrons, standing on Rant's knees as its head lunged forwards to bite Rant's face.

And then it stopped for just a split-second, the aliens' brood telepathy strengthened in numbers and focused through this genestealer, staring into Rant's eyes. For that single, terrible split-second Rant saw his own death in the genestealer's eyes, a death that should have come twelve years ago, a death alongside his brothers.

His hands flew up on instinct and as his bionic fist crossed his vision to clamp around the genestealer's throat, he felt the hive mind reaching out again for the still-bleeding wound on Rant's soul; yet in that same moment he saw the hand of Ferrus Manus himself reaching out, superimposed over his own, choking the life out of the genestealer and the hive mind with it.

"Die, alien!" Rant roared, crushing the genestealer's throat and throwing it down to the tunnel floor before stamping on its skull. "Die!"

"He's regressed," Artos observed, trepidation in his voice as Rant took a step towards the oncoming horde, now growing more numerous.

"In the name of the Emperor, I command you to face me!" Rant shouted, his helmet vox apparently switching to external address of its own accord. "Face me, and die! Die for the Emperor! For the Emperor!"

Before Demos could reach out to restrain him Rant leapt into the horde and crashed into a genestealer, landing heavily on his side and squashing its thorax beneath him. Rising in a violent motion and barging into another alien, Rant lifted another genestealer off the ground and hurled it into its fellows with near-hysterical strength, before turning to wrench the arm from yet another as it lunged to impale him.

"For the Emperor!"

"Keep firing," ordered Demos.

"What?" queried Artos. "And risk hitting our own brother?"

"Then check your aim. Brother Rant has regressed and I would sooner grant him a quick death now than hold back and imperil our own lives in the face of the horde."

Lunging, Rant caught a genestealer by the face and carried it into the wall, smashing its skull, before lifting another bodily and hurling it out of the hole in the ceiling with yet another cry of "For the Emperor!". It collided with another two and fell away from the tunnel, dragging its fellows with it in a tangle of limbs.

The next genestealer scored a hit before Rant could kill it; his reflexes kicked in and a poorly aimed punch batted the genestealer away, but the damage had already been done and even before the sluggish life-eater virus in the air could get to work, the genestealers, scenting Rant's spilled blood, redoubled their efforts and converged on him in a surging rush of claws and teeth, fortunately concealing him from the view of his comrades.

Rant was dead before he could even keel over.

Artos snarled in frustration and rage. There was not a chance of Rant surviving the wave of genestealers that had just poured over him. Artos had failed. He had lost Rant despite everything he had done to keep him alive. At least he had died a warrior's death.

Artos fought against the urge to enter the mass of genestealers, to rip, to tear, to shed blood. The blood-lust of his Chapter was normally quiescent, except in battle. Artos knew it was important that he kept his place, kept firing. He shifted his stance slightly, grounding himself. The genestealers were dying in droves, but they were coming closer with every second. If they reached them, Artos would show them what a vengeful space marine could do.

The images of his brothers from the Scout company, now long dead, hovered wraith-like at the edges of his vision. They held out their hands to him, reminding him of other oaths he had sworn, when he was blind with the rage and pain of losing them. They were joined by a new figure now.

Rant, a solemn look on his face, was staring at him. He opened his mouth and spoke. "Brother," he whispered.

The last of the genestealers were mere meters away now. Artos flung his bolter to the ground, screaming. He ran to meet them. Rant and his brothers dissolved into mist.

Artos heard Demos shouting. He ignored him. There were only a dozen of the beasts left. Even as he ran forward, bolter fire killed another four. The genestealers saw Artos hurtling towards them like a juggernaut. They hissed.

Fist met claw.

Demos roared as the life indicator in his helm went black for Rant, his roar increased as Artos leapt forward and he felt the rage build up within him, unlike many of his cousin chapters the Blood Templar's were able to direct their rage he could feel it now the desire to rend flesh and taste blood with Artos amongst the genestealers he growled his orders little more than a feral beast within his armour

"Fall back to the beacon, Corvin I have need of your swords."

Corvin looked up from his work and nodded the twin blades in his hands as he spoke.

"They are yours Demos."

His bolter tumbled from his grip his own sword in his hand the bone dagger of his home world in the other.

"I will not leave Rant to this world, Pelesus Corvin with me. For the Emperor!"

He launched forward blade singing through the air cutting through a Genestealer sending the separated parts spinning through the air he stepped up behind Artos his blade cleaving one of the foul beats in two before a backhand of his dagger made it into four, Artos turned on his his fist lashing our and Demos caught it in a lock for a brief moment the pair of them locked eyes then Demos span away as another threat presented its self  his sword leaving a bright trail which ended another two genestealers, he stopped turning back to Artos and offered his powersword to Artos.

"Use it well."

His act snapped Artos from his Berserker rage and as he released the grip and threw himself at the next genestealer the weight of his armour and his speed dragging it to the ground Artos took the weapon feeling the weight of the honour placed upon him, the weapon was master crafted a relic weapon inscribed with the words of Sanguinius which caused his to pause before using the weapon. when Demos came up he did so with the beasts thorax in his free hand.

"For Rant! For the Emperor!"

The others joined his cry as they slaughtered Corvin moving like a dancer weaving in through the throng of genestealers his twin swords leaving a trail of death followed by Pelesus his claws slashing and killing with a primal efficiency, his eyes landed on the black shape in the throngs of the Genestealers and he pointed to it.

"Artos, our brother lies ahead."

He stepped forward Artos at his side and drove into the genestealers once more his fists smashing aside the tyranids as Artos clove them, reaching to fallen body of Rant he stooped and gripped his armour Artos following him they dragged him dagger and sword slashing at the genestealers as Corvin and Pelesus swept in to give them relief, Bolter fire rang around them as the others stepped in to assist as the pulled Rant back to the beacon, Laran stepped forward having taken the task of setting the beacon from Corvin.

"All is set Captain."

"Then get us out of here."

With a blinding flash of cold blue the task force vanished as the genestealers washed over the beacon.

They rematerialised on a hangar deck of one of the Imperial ships dropping to one knee Demos growled.

"Sheltron." 

The marines formed up in a circle round Demos, Artos and Rant, as he stood again he stepped beyond the wall of black to look upon the startled imperial guard.

"Order a planetary bombardment on our last location immediately."

A senior officer stepped forward his face flustered at the sudden appearance of the marines.

"What of your mission?"

"Our mission is over, the hive is infested with genestealers, on my authority as a Deathwatch captain you will open fire immediately or face my wrath."

Demos pulled his helm from his head tossing it to one side, his eyes burned red which caused the officer to back away in fear.

"Order the weapons batteries to set target and fire."

"Render the site a crater of molten slag."

"Do as the Astartes orders."

He sighed as he reached up to his vox link.

"G'Huk, the mission is over extract your marines we are to render this world lifeless properly this time."

An acknowledgement came but he ignored it returning to his own marines he stepped into the circle of them and knelt by Rant's body.

"Rogal's Might prepare for collection lock onto my locator beacon."

Artos knelt by his fallen brother the sword still held in his hands.

"Corvin, Pelesus help me and Artos carry him."

He nodded at Artos and the four of them picked him from the ground bearing him on their shoulders the task force marched from the hangar.