"As I have said our mission pertains only to the Magos. The faith of this planetoid lies in the hands of others."
Solar takes a moment, dropping to one knee and removing his helm, in an attempt to show compassion.
"I understand that there are those you care about here, and hope is slim for them but the God Emperor has gifted you with a new mission. One which the faith of the entire sector relies on. As a member of the commiserate you must rally your men to this new challenge."
Solar replaces his helmet before finishing
"Do him well and the Emperor will see fit to spare the lives of you and your men to fight for him another day."
"Now on the matter of transport for you and your men. What can you tell me"
Understood my Lord, we are here to serve. We were initially inserted about 18 kilometers to the west and advanced during the early morning gloom. We maneuvered through the facility clearing around the shuttle. Our mission was to provide the civilians that were left on the front line time to escape to the main hive cluster. We attempted to make contact with the local security garrison, however they were either slain or had abandoned their posts. Cowards...
The Commissar spits the last word from his mouth with utter disgust. He glares down at the deserted barracks, a most savage thought passing through his mind.
As we entered the complex, that is when the beasts began their first assault. From what the scout said there appeared to be a chassis for a Sentinel, but the Xenos have mangled it beyond repair.
Again the Commissar turns and spits before continuing We are at your disposal Lord, ready to do our part for Him. Looking around you there is the small assembled mass of Troopers left. You count roughly twenty or so men and three burly guardsmen carrying their heavy weapon, tripod, and ammo. They look from the young Commissar to you expectantly for orders.
"Have your men split into teams and search this area for anything of use or anything that may help us locate or communicate with the the Magos."
Solar turns to his brother of the Iron Hands
"Brother Techmarine, might you be so good as to see to the repairs of the land hauler. Assuming they are minor enough it will allow our allies to travel with us without slowing us down"
Switching off the external coms, Solar contacts their transport thunderhawk, if he can
"This is Brother Solar, we have found approximately 25 survivors of the Imperial Guard. There may be more civilians, what is our capacity to evacuate them?"
The Commissar turns and barks the orders to his men, with each squad's sergeant taking charge the men move out on the double.
At first static fills the net, occasionally breaking in an attempt to let a transmission through. Suddenly a booming voice dominates the Comms. This is Brother-Commander Pellas of the Thunder's Word, I read you Vindicta. You need to increase the speed of your search. As if on cue, battle alarms and servitors' voice fill the comms link from combat status reports. Vindicta, you need to move now! Spores will breaking the atmosphere! Do what you can for the faithful, but they are the least of your concerns. Finish the mission! Brother Pellas immediately cuts the transmission.
"I suggest the Guardsmen find a strong defensive position. Once we complete our mission we will rejoin them for extraction. They cannot help us on our current task, but neither should brave servants of the Emperor be abandoned."
Screams pierce the silence and light flashes amidst the gloom of the dying day. The sharp crack of las fire echoes from the storage containers east of the of the barracks. As the gun fire dies down, the remnants of a team of guardsmen limp back toward the main body of troops. One of the troops say that the commotion came from an ambush set by the previous scatter Hormagaunt horde.
Brother Calculus's knowledge proves true. The Son of the Gorgon begins to fix the Land Crawler. The task only takes a short time, the final task would be to put the remaining tire back on.
The heavy weapons team approaches Brother Solar. Sir, we've been looking around the terrain around this area, and we think that hill top over yonder with the bunk atop would be a decent extraction point. With your permission, we'd like to set up there with a small attachment.
Calculus nods his silent thanks to the Salamander before activating his servo-arm.
"We need to find this Magos and get done with our objective, should we really be slowing ourselves down with these guardsmen?"
"Our honor is what separates us from the traitor legons, brother. But you are correct we should make haste"
Sir, we've been looking around the terrain around this area, and we think that hill top over yonder with the bunk atop would be a decent extraction point. With your permission, we'd like to set up there with a small attachment.
"As you wish. Be advised, there is a tunnel dug into the bunker, you will need to secure it. We will randevu with you there. Take the landhauller, it will speed your journey"
Between Brother Calculus' strength, his servo-arm, and N'keln's assistance the tire slides back into position on the Land Hauler. Minor level maintenance and a quick turn of tools fixes the hauler back to working order. The remaining members of the Imperial Guard company load the cargo hold and set up security positions along its edges.We will hold the high ground as long as you need Lords, may the Emperor smile upon your mission. Without waiting for an answer, the Commissar jumps aboard and rolls out.
"Let us follow their lead brothers"
Brother Lanius steps back forward, a tube of armour cement patching up whatever gashes had appeared in his armor for the mauling the horde had delivered to him.
"We should lead. They should hide." He offered, looking at the determined, but ragged remnants of the Guard. Some of his own kind in the Raven Guard would have congratulated him on taking advantage of their firefight to deliver the killing blow, but Lanius wasn't certain his own intervention had been too helpful.
"Time critical. Recommend Raziel and myself check flanks while rest enter location two. Need suitable extraction point too."
"Unless there are objections I suggest we double time it to the gatehouse en route to central control"
Raziel nodded. "It makes sense that a Magos would head for Central Control. Let's move out."
Calculus brandishes the auspex in the direction of the station
You look to the north taking in an area of rough but open ground. The terrain seems to level of considerably. Two parallel hundred metre-long ferrocrete loading platforms surmount rough sidings of piled earth and compacted rock either side of raised industrial mag-rail, running east to west. Emergency lighting flickers in a squat station-post at the far end of the opposite platform. The auspex pings to life. It begins to send out scanning waves, tracking the area and terrain around you. As you direct its focus toward the Mag-train Siding, life signs flicker in and out of the waves. There is however one life form unmoving, hidden away from all others.
Calculus transmits a burst of vox in the direction of the lifeforms detected by the auspex. He uses Techna-Lingua, a language particular to the adherents of Mars. The message says: We are friends. We are here to help.
with that i will just send out the message in gothic.
At the burst of Imperial speech, the isolated life signs suddenly shifts to the nearest wall and begins to move frantically within the small room.
"Detecting one life form."
"Distance? Perhaps we can have the assault marines retrieve this individual while we cover them from here. Thoughts brothers?"
Raziel nodded. "I shall go and see if it is the Magos," he said. He turned and made his best speed towards the building.
Still silent, his grim visage hidden beneath the hood of his Robe of Secrets, Brother-Librarian Cadmus of the Dark Angels chapter, clutched his ornate force staff in his gauntleted hands, trying to focus his mind, still trying to regain his composure. In the aftermath of the drop pod landing, Cadmus had suffered a concussion and a resulting minor disorientation for a brief period of time, while the presence of the Great Devourer in such proximity interfered strangely with his psychic sensitivity.
Considering their current predicament, Cadmus opened his mind to the currents of the Immaterium, as he mentally swept the area, trying to ascertain if there was any psychic signature in the area, or if there was any point closeby where a shadow could be sensed, reasoning that such an occurence could perhaps coincide with the tyranids unique characteristic to cast such a shadow upon the tides of the warp.
Brother Solar will go into overwatch in the direction of the blip, preparing a semi-auto shot if any nids approach.
He will also attempt to contact the guardsmen.
"Commissar Sander, we have detected a possible civilian in the train station. Requesting you give us overwatch while we extract the unfortunate. Please fire on any hostiles approaching our position."
Aye, Lord, we shall. Be advised that we cannot see into the platform itself. Once you have entered the building our fires will be masked.
Following the Blood Angel, Lanius activates his own jet pack, but takes up position on top of the station, hoping to descend down on any who would obstruct his comrade's advanced.
Aye, Lord, we shall. Be advised that we cannot see into the platform itself. Once you have entered the building our fires will be masked.
"Very well. Keep me informed of anything moving"
Both Marines land with a simultaneous thud, the Raven roosting in the rafters and the Sanguine on the ground prepared for combat. Through your auto senses and modified hearing you pick up that skittering of claws across the hardened floor of the station.
Opening his vox-channel to the kill-team's frequency, Cadmus relayed to the rest of the team the results of his psychic scan in the vicinity, informing them about the presence of the entity that he managed to glimpse, in the area ahead of them.
"I do not think this is our Magos. Best be sure, though," he said, and had his chainsword and bolt pistol ready as he entered the station.
Raziel proceeded to the Northern door.