# Golithia chapters 1-4



## DAvo001 (Jun 30, 2008)

yay, ive finished a new chapter and just thought i would compile it all in one area

read and comment please :biggrin:


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## DAvo001 (Jun 30, 2008)

Chapter 1
“Contact”
a cool breeze swept through the cracks in the windows and masonry and the pale moonlight cast dancing shadows across the otherwise pitch-black room. The whole scene seemed desolate and lifeless. It was eerie enough to even unnerve Sergeant Hawthorw of the 104th Cadian Guard Corps. He surveyed the third floor refectory with a mix of disgust and wonder at what could have done this and how it could have been allowed to happen. The refectory was in the same state as the rest of the city. Dirty, with great slabs of brickwork missing, in complete electronic blackout and most importantly, devoid of life. Hawthorw’s seven-man team filed in behind him, each man a grizzled veteran of frontline warfare and tooled up to the nines with the best the imperium could offer. Full body flex-steel armour with internal life sign monitors, camouflaged in complete black, and the feared hellguns. Each man was there because they had proven themselves above their peers in physical, mental and tactical ability. 

“Room clear” chirped the radio in Hawthorw’s full-face helmet. Each man had a full body Hazmat suit integrated into their suit because in the short month it had taken the 12th Special Recon Corps to reach Golithia the planet’s atmosphere had morphed to become clogged with poisonous spores, which made unprotected travel on the surface impossible and created a dark purple mist that restricted clear sight to under a hundred meters. Also the planets 12 million inhabitants where gone and all vegetation on the planet was scoured clean or transformed into multicoloured sludge. Each city was as the last, most buildings being damaged in some form and deserted.
“Move up” commanded Hawthorw, pointing at the room’s far door. Karskins Morgan and Stylus advanced cautiously on the far side of the room, taking position ether side of the solid metal door with Fye providing cover. Morgan slowly tried the worn rusted handle but it gave way in his armoured glove. 

“Hey, I think this is a freezer” said Stylus, breaking the silence.
“ An just my luck the handle breaks, after a month on military rations I could use some good shit to eat man” muttered Morgan 
“ Just like you to think of food in a place like this, this place makes me sick” sighed Fye “ but you’d probably eat the spores if you were able”
“You stuck up piece of shi...”
“Can it, both of you” intercepted Hawthorw “ no one eats until we’re back shipside. Stylus pick the lock” Stylus turned away to the door with a smart salute.
The decoder’s LCD screen cast an eyrie green light over the otherwise pitch-black room causing Rios to shift uncomfortably by the door. The keypad bleeped as the door opened with a hiss of decompression. The Kasrkin moved into the room with the efficiency and precision born of months of brutal and demanding training.
This room was different, the floor clean, the walls whole, and the air initially clear but soon became contaminated with spores. The squad had already split into two teams and were slowly sweeping the room, isle by isle. 
“Sarge” it was Rios “I think you’ll wana see this” 
“On my way”



Rios’ team had discovered a tiger sized animal. Frozen by the sub-zero vacuum of the freezer it had been perfectly preserved and trapped. It lay, coloured pale-blue on the ground where it had collapsed. Four muscular, skinny limbs producing from the animal’s body, the back two ending in hooves but, disturbingly, the front two narrowed off in to single blade like claws.
It’s head had two thin slits for eyes and a mouth full of jagged protruding teeth. The whole of it’s back and its scalp was covered in overlapping plate armour, which to Rios resembled the Terra indigenous armadillo’s.
“This is sum freaky shit man,” exclaimed Morgan “I an’t never seen nothing like this, what do you think sir?”
“I think commands going to want to see this. Rios, is it alive?”
“Don’t think so sir, the vacuum should have suffocated it “ said Rios who was kneeling next to the creature.
“Ok, you’ve five to get it ready for transport.”
“Sir, just need to fix a harness for it ”
“Good, Fye get on the vox and inform command of wha…”
The sergeant was cut short by a soul-sapping screech from the awakening creature and a split-second later it lunged at Rios, with eyes wide with hunger. 

Its front claws sheared straight through the Flex-steel body plate and sank into Rios’ abdomen and then pushed up snapping wildly and Rios’ face, spittle flecking his visor. But Rios, through the pain, swung the butt of his rifle and slammed it into the creature’s face with enough force to break a man’s neck. Despite this the creature forced Rios to the floor and reared up for the kill. A shot rang out and tore a chunk of the monsters jaw off but it took 3 more rounds in the head from Hawthorw’s Hell Pistol to kill the beast. A final dieing scream escaped the alien and resonated out into the silence of the night only to be echoed by an equally blood curling scream somewhere out in the darkness.
Rios was in a bad way. The claws had sliced straight though his gut and out his back and although the suit’s life support has stemmed the bleeding the crimson pool he lay in said enough, he was dead thirty seconds after his killer. The single replying scream was growing in to a chorus of rage and hunger.
“Shit” cursed Hawthorw “Fye get on that damned vox, tell command we need immediate extraction. Squad, on me and stay close.”
The sergeant broke into a jog out of the refectory, his six-man team behind him.

That single echo grew and evolved until it was an orchestra of anger and death swirling around them, threatening to engulf the city. Hawthorw urged his weary team on thought the supposedly deserted city to the Evac Site, the top of an office block roof. The Kasrkin ran through the ruined streets firing from the hip at shadows and ghosts in the spore mist. Terror griped their hearts and minds causing irrational thoughts and actions. Morgan fired into a mailbox as it loomed ominously in the mist for fear that it was monster intent on slaughter and devouring. 
Suddenly a foot long spine of pure white bone flew out of the spore mist skewering Morgan through his thigh, sending crashing to the concrete pavement. Morgan cried in agony for help as blood spurted from the grievous leg wound. But his weakened cries went unheard under the deafening roar of the hoard and his squad disappeared into the Spores.
“Shit man, aww shit” cried Morgan in pain. 
Shouldering his gun he pulled himself along the cracked, uneven pavement in the direction his squad disappeared.
“I am not being left behind. No chance in, what the...?”
A great silhouette arose out of the mist with a roar that cut through Morgan and filled him with dread. The creature swept into view through the spores with a second roar, it stood a towering seven foot tall and heavily built on its hind two legs. One front limb was a hollow tube while the other a great bladed talon. Covered extensively in the same armour as the first creature and dark slits in the armour for eyeholes.
One again it opened its great fanged maw and roared in triumph at Morgan.
Originally frozen by fear he regained enough of himself to ready his rifle, unloading his cell into the monster with no discernable effect. He pulled another cell from his belt and looked up only to stare into the monsters tube arm.
He knew nothing else as the tube puffed smoke, sending a second spine through his visor.




The men finally entered the derelict office block, scanning the lobby for life. 
“Where’s Morgan” said Fye with a start.
“What?”
“Morgan, he’s gone”
“When did you see him last?” questioned Hawthorw
“Outside, on the way here, he was right behind me”
Hawthorw considered taking the squad back into the streets but in that dark place at the back of his mind he new that Morgan was already dead.
“Damn. Ok, troopers spread out and find the stairs”
“What! We can’t just leave Morgan!” cried Fye
“For all we know there could be hundreds if not thousands of those things and I will not lead my squad to their deaths. Morgan is dead and we do not go back for corpses so suck it up and obey orders.”
“Sir” sighed Fye, barely audible.

The Squad advanced slowly up the emergency stairwell until they came to a collapse in the concrete stairs.
“Sir, we’re on the seventeenth floor, schematics show a second stair well on the other side of the building” said Stylus “it should take us up to the roof”
“Good, which way?” asked Hawthorw 
“Errmm, that way.” He said, pointing down a corridor.
Hawthorw set off down the route which stylus indicated, followed immediately by his team. But all the while watched by unseen eyes. 
The team moved into an open room with scattered desks through out it. Papers, pens, mugs of old coffee, all left as they were before the spores. 
The sound of faint steps stopped them all in their tracks
“What was that” whispered stylus
“Just keep moving” replied Hawthorw in a low voice
Hawthorw turned just in time to see a Kasrkin lifted of his feet by an invisible force; the man appeared to float with his arms pinned to his sides. He thrashed about and cried for help as Hawthorw finally noticed a wavy out line behind the struggling soldier. Suddenly the Kasrkin’s cries turned to screams as his stomach split outwards, spilling out his intestines, then the wavy lines started to condense and a bladed claw appeared through the limp Kasrkin's stomach. The partially invisible monster tossed the body aside and charged the squad, screeching violently and swinging its great bladed limb. Muzzle flashes lit the dark office and lasbolts danced off the creatures armour with little effect. The creature scythed its blade through the air severing another man at the torso. Hawthorw dived and rolled under the blade as it came his way and the creature, discovering its prey was still alive turned on him and chased him to the crumbling wall of the room. It swung its arm in a downward arc but Hawthorw once again dodged the blade, throwing himself between the monsters hind legs. The monster roared as it wrenched its embedded limb out of the floor. 
“ Hey Beastie!” cried Fye. Pointing his shoulder rocket launcher at the monster “chew on this asshole!” 
The tube kicked back and the projectile flew out hitting the creature square in the chest, the explosion propelled it through the wall and out into midair. The creature’s screech faded into the darkness as Hawthorw crawled out of the rubble of the collapsed wall.
“Nice shot” Laughed Stylus 
“The bitch certainly didn’t like that.” agreed Hawthorw “Fye, time?”
“ETA five minuets sir”
“Then I think we should get our asses to the roof” 
“Agreed” replied Stylus 

The surviving Kasrkin followed the second stairwell up to the roof, using their rifles to blow the hinges of the jammed door. The distinct sound of Valkyrie vector engines penetrated the roars around them, the flares of the twin thrusters incinerating the spores around them and lighting up the gloom. The Valkyrie stopped, hovering half a foot from the roof as the transport compartment ramp slammed down onto the concrete, revealing a Regulation Guardsman beckoning them to the doorway 
“Hurry up, the thermals are showing all sorts of shit around this area” He yelled
Hawthorw and his remaining Kasrkin ran up the access ramp as it slammed shut behind them. The whine of the ship’s engines exploded into a roar as the pilot gunned the thrusters to escape the spore thick atmosphere. The regular sighed as the pilot gave a thumbs up from the cockpit and turned to Hawthorw.
“Sir, where’s the rest of your squad?” He asked, eyeing Fye and Stylus.
“Classified”
“Sir?”
“Pilot?” relied Hawthorw
“Admiral Becker wants to debrief you when you get ship side”
It was Hawthorw’s turn to sigh; it was going to be a long night.


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## DAvo001 (Jun 30, 2008)

CHAPTER 2 
“ A Behemoth Of The Stars”

Crimson light played across the starboard side of the “Emperor’s vindiction”, illuminating the flagship against the black of space. The arcane lance batteries emitted clouds of dark smoke into the vacuum. 
The emperor class battleship finally grew silent after 3 days of constant bombardment, enormous expanses of land and cityscape had been ruthlessly torn apart under the extreme salvoes. The vindications strategos had predicted a 70 percent kill ratio on the aliens and light casualties on the trapped imperial forces on the planet. But the strategos had not counted on the intense heat of the lance strikes, the super heated rounds set fire to the spore clogged atmosphere adding to the destructive forces exerted on the planet and incinerating anything on the surface. But now the ship hung silently, a behemoth of the stars, among the lesser ships of the fleet.

The oak furnished boardroom was a commodity earned through years of outstanding service in the emperor’s name. The walls were decorated with paintings of battle won and planets saved, deeds of valour and courage. The desk was grand with the front carved to the liking of the imperial Aquila.
“ I want that sergeant hawks here 10 minuets ago” commanded the short burly man behind the desk
“Hawthorw sir” interjected his aid
“What?”
“It’s sergeant Hawthorw, you said Hawks sir”
“Emperor damn it!” he spat each syllable at the aid, “I’ve lost almost a dozen full companies of guardsmen and dozens of Karskin, I don’t give a warped rattling what his name is. Get him in here now!” 
The aid scurried away, leaving Lord marshal Cordax to his thoughts.


Hawthorw looked out at the glowing red planet, golithia burned as he watched from his quarters on the Vindiction. A whirling firestorm raged across the planet and anything, human or alien, unable to find cover was incinerated in its wake. His mind ran back across the last several days, along with Stylus and Fye he had been questioned relentlessly by the company’s interrogator commissar until only a few hours ago. The commissar had wanted to know everything, from the sudden attack on Rios and Morgan’s disappearance to the camouflaged beast in the office building.
The way they moved, standard weapon effectiveness, the weapons and armour the aliens used, everything.
Over two dozen Karskin teams had been deployed to the surface but only three men had returned. Twelve companies of Cadian Guardsmen had been landed along side half a dozen armoured companies, Hawthorw had yet to discover their fate.
A smart rap on his quarter’s door brought him sharply back to the present.
“Sergeant?”
The door swung open to reveal an orderly, well kept and presented to match his voice.
“Ah, sergeant glad I found you” He started “ the Lord Marshal requests your presence”
“Does he now” Hawthorw sighed, “ well, I better not keep him waiting then”
“Indeed not, come come”.



“Lord Marshal, sir?” the orderly asked with a knock on the polished oak doors of the boardroom.
“Enter”
“Sir, sergeant Hawthorw as requested sir” Announced the orderly
“Hawthorw? its Hawks isn’t it?” 
“Its Hawthorw sir” Hawthorw interrupted
“Very well then. Thank you Johnathan, you can go” 
“Thank you sir” said Johnathan with a salute before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

“Ok, I’m going to be flat out straight with you sergeant” said Cordax, his face growing grim “I’ve lost far too many men and vehicles. Those damned strategos assured me light friendly casualties from our bombardment and then the atmosphere goes and catches fire” he said with anger, as if the planet itself was against him.
“I’ve lost contact with three of the five surviving groups on the planet” 
“And the other two, sir?” asked Hawthorw
“That is precisely why I called you here lieutenant”
“I’m a sergeant sir” 
“No your not, I’m putting you in command of R platoon, The Ravens. I need you to drop in to support the 13th Armour on the outskirts of the planet’s capital, then move into the city and secure the main government complex and the spaceport so we can land reinforcements. The 13th still has a dozen or so vehicles left and the remnants of D platoon so you should have the punch to get the job done”. 
“ Drop…sir?” Hawthorw hesitated
“You have your drop wings, lieutenant?”
“Yes sir”
“Well you’d better get a move on” he said with a grin “you drop in one hour, briefing is in ten. Johnathan will bring you your lieutenant’s Bar”
“Yes sir, thank you sir”
“Dismissed” said Cordax with a salute
Hawthorw saluted the Lord Marshal in return before turning and leaving thought the oak doors.



The Briefing had been short, but worryingly included all of the known data on the aliens. It had felt strange to be in the company of the men in that room, after a career in special force he was used to six or seven men in a room not the fifty man strong platoon. The only good news was that Stylus and Fye had both been promoted to sergeant and assigned to Raven platoon under his command. They had both rushed over to him as he had entered to room.
“ So, lieutenant, how does it feel?” asked Fye
“What feel?”
“You know. Platoon leader, fifty men at your command, what’s it feel like”
“Same as always” answered Hawthorw “you two ready for the drop?”
“Can’t wait”
“Yes sir!”
“Good, go suit up and I’ll meet you in the launch bay”
“Sir” 
Hawthorw turned back to the orbital images of the planet; the fires had subsided enough for the image to be captured and a ground force to be deployed. He focused on the plotted route to the government building where the armour would split from them to move on to the spaceport. The operation ought to be easy, he thought, too bad it never was.


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## DAvo001 (Jun 30, 2008)

Chapter 3 
“The Drop”

The six flaming shapes roared through the planet's atmosphere, the searing heat being held at bay by the valkyries thermite plating. The ships re-entered with a supersonic boom, the paint work of the Raven insignia marred with scorch marks. The Valkyrie transports would be carrying all the platoon’s men and equipment into the planet’s atmosphere. The equipment boxes had specially modified gravchutes attached to them set to deploy at a predetermined altitude. Hawthorw turned to look as the Valkyrie bay door lowered and the hiss of pressure stabilisation filled the compartment.
Hawthorw stood walked to the door and turned to address the men behind him.
“Listen up guardsmen” he yelled above the roar of the wind and engines “ we are approaching drop altitude, stand and check the equipment of the man in front of you”
“ Sixty seconds!” yelled the pilot’s voice over the intercom 
“Move up to the doorway!” yelled Hawthorw 
Instantly the ten men in his Valkyrie turned and moved to the door, they all wore Type 5 pressure helmets, first used by the drop troops of Elysia.
Hawthorw turned his face to the door and looked out into the vast nothing beyond the ramp, he had always hated drops since his training with the elite Karskin.
“ten seconds” came the pilots voice again
He turned back to his men “move to the door!, stylus you’re up” he said to first squad’s new sergeant. Stylus nodded in acknowledgement. 
The bay’s droplight turned green.
“Go, move up, go, move up, go”, Hawthorw directed each of his new command out of the ship. Watching the last man disappear, Hawthorw whispered a prayer to the emperor for safety as he had preceding every drop, before he leaped out of the bay door into the skies. 

Hawthorw gazed out at the land before him; his first real look after the spores and flames, the devastation was horrific. What were once forests had devolved into shapeless masses of sludge, no grassland was to be seen just stone and mountain. The only improvement was that the fire storm had used the spores as fuel, allowing unprotected deployment on the planet.
As he soared down at two hundred mph, Hawthorw suddenly grasped the magnitude of what he saw, these creatures, these monsters had extinguished all other life on Golithia in one month. Everything, animal and plant was dead. 
The lieutenant’s helmet displayed Altimeter started beeping to indicate the approaching deployment height. Hawthorw activated his Gravchute, feeling its effect as he rapidly slowed in his descent. As he hit the ground Hawthorw bent his knees and rolled backwards to disperse the impact’s force. Stylus walked over to Hawthorw.
“Still hate them?” Stylus asked
“Still hate them. How is the squad?”
“ Almost one hundred percent, just Carth. He landed funny and I think his finger is broken but that’s all.”
“Heard from the other squads?”
“Squads two, four and five have made contact. No news from three”
“But that’s Fye’s squad”
“I know. We need to find him.”
“We will, just hang in ther...”
Hawthorw was interrupted by the squad’s vox operator 
“Sir, we’ve got contact with third squad, but I’ve no idea what the hell is going on” he said with a worried look. Hawthorw ran over to the vox and took the mouth piece
“This is Raven Leader, Raven 3 please response over.”
“Thank emperor, it's bloody good to hear your voice sir” yelled Fye over the crack of gunfire
“Sit rep now” 
“ We drop about 5 minuets ago and landed by one of those sludge forests. Then those things just charge out of it, it’s the same alien that got Rios” yelled Fye
“Can you make it to the 13ths position?” 
“ No can do sir, we’re being pushed back inside a cave, we might be able to funnel them and hold them off”
“Stay put we’ll be there soon, just hold on, that’s an order”
“Yes s.s.i….”
The vox broke off into static. Hawthorw looked blankly at the vox for several seconds.
“Sir” Stylus prompted, “What are our orders sir”
Fye was a long-time friend and a great soldier but to go after him would be moving away from the mission objective and make him liable for court-martial.
“Sergeant, give me half your shooters, I’ll go after Fye. You take the rest and link up with the other squads” said Hawthorw suddenly”
“You’re in charge Stylus, wait two hours at the 13th’s position if we’re not there by then just proceed with the mission.” 
“Sir. Ok listen up first squad” stylus selected four men from his squad “ you’re going with the Lieutenant, the rest of you get it together we move in two”
Stylus turned to look at Hawthorw “ Don’t be long sir, we need you here”
“I won’t, see you in two hours sergeant”
X X X 
The command Bridge of the Emperor’s Vindiction was always a foreboding place; there was no lighting besides the illumination of hundreds of information screens lining the different walls. Dozens of servitors and naval officers manned these screens, receiving and inserting massive amounts of information. From the admirals command seat Lord Marshal Cordax watched all the proceedings. Admiral Becker had been dismissed due to his involvement in the original landing operation. 
“Lord Marshal sir” 
Cordax turned to see Johnathan standing at attention 
“ At ease boy, what is it?” 
“Thank you sir” replied Johnathan, slackening his posture “ there is a situation that you should know about, in the sanctum”
He had waited a moment before telling him this last bit of information so the Lord Marshal would grasp the meaning of his message because this time, situation meant problem and a problem in the sanctum was very bad
Cordax’s face lost some colour as he asked “ what kind of situation?” Knowing the answer would not be good.
“ I think it best if you come and see for yourself Sir” urged the young officer

The Vindiction’s sanctum was a stone walled shrine used to house the ships complement of psykers when they were not in use. The Vindiction held a large number of psykers; a number close to four hundred lived in the ship’s massive sanctum. As Cordax walked down the corridor he could tell something was wrong, the sanctum’s armed guard had tripled so that twelve high-ranking Grenadiers now stood guard at the door. As Cordax approached the Guards stood to attention and opened the door. Four of the Grenadiers moved into the room at stationed the selves at the walls.



Cordax was almost knocked off his feet by the stench in the room, the stone slab floor was awash with blood, and the bodies of the psykers lay sprawled everywhere with gashes, cuts and Lasholes all over their bodies
“What happened here?” asked Cordax, horrified at what he saw
One of the guards stepped forward, at attention
“ Sir, it was thirty minuets ago. The guard detail at the door heard screaming and yelling from in the sanctum, so they when inside to help and the psykers where going crazy, well crazier. They were clawing at each other, biting, scratching, attacking each other with anything they could lay their hands on” 
“What caused this, this madness?”
“I have no idea sir, but as soon as the guards entered the room they were set on by the whole sanctum. Two of my men were killed and another is in a critical state, they just kept running at my men who had to open fire on them to survive.”
“Are there any left alive?” asked Cordax, Hopefully but fearfully 
“ I have twenty men searching the catacombs now, if there are any left we’ll find them”
“Good. How could this happen to all of them, there were over four hundred.”
“Sir?”
“Yes”
A second Guard stepped forward, his eyes gaunt
“Sir, I was the fourth man on that guard detail. They didn’t all attack us, some just dropped dead with blood coming from their nose and ears. Others were in corners screaming to themselves about a Great Devourer”
“A Great Devourer” mused Cordax “ are you sure?”
“Very sir”
“Johnathan get to the bridge and use the short range vox to communicate with the nearest ship” ordered Cordax, reaching a decision
“ And tell them what exactly, sir”
“ Tell them to use their Astropaths to contact the Inquisition by any means possible, I want them to run a reference on Great Devourers.”
“I’ll get right on it sir”
“And clean this place up, for emperor’s sake!”
X X X 
The mouth of the cave was littered by half dozen small, limp, tiger-like bodies.
Hawthorw raised his hand and spread his fingers, indicating for the Guardsmen to fan out but the men simply looked at him. Damn, he though, a karskin would have known instantly. 
“Fan out” he whispered
The four guardsmen moved to a five-meter spread around the cave entrance. Hawthorw moved around to angle a view down the cave but all beyond the entrance was hidden in shadow
“Lieutenant, I found one.” Yelled a near by guardsman “Well the bits they didn’t like” 
Emperor damn, these rookies didn’t know shit. Hawthorw started to realise the quality of the men he had lead up to this point, they knew when to be stealthy and when to go loud and sneaking up on a cave possibly full of hostile aliens was not the time to go loud.
“Soldier, if you don’t stay quiet I will personally silence you” growled Hawthorw as he crept over. “Now quietly, what did you say?”
“I found this” the guardsman whispered as he lifted a dead alien and rolled it over. Underneath the dead xeno was a second corpse, barely recognisable as human. 
“The leaper here must have been half way through snack time when it was shot” said the Guardsman callously, gesturing to the alien.
“It has a name now?” 
“What, o right, leaper was something the other guys thought up and it kinda just stuck” replied the Guardsman, shrugging his shoulders “they leap at ya so they’re leapers, it fits”
“Whatever, just grab the tags” whispered Hawthorn as he turned away

“Sir” replied the soldier and then as he picked up the tags “hmm, Private Dominic Greaves, nice watch. Don’t mind if I have it do you”
Hawthorw beckoned his men over to the mouth of the cave, he pointed to two of the men.
“I need you two to stay here, guard the cave until we come out. Don’t let anything in, you got it?”
The men nodded in understanding
“So, that leaves you two, you’re with me. Get your torches out and stay right behind me” instructed Hawthorw as he turned to the remaining soldiers.
“Sir, I sort of don’t have my torch” muttered one of the guardsmen timidly 
“What?”
“It got smashed in the drop, doesn’t work sir”
“Stick close to this guy” Hawthorw replied jerking his thumb in the direction of the other man
“Sir”
Hawthorw switched on the torch attached to the barrel of his Hellgun, illuminating ten meters into the cave and started forward.
The two men on guard outside the cave watched as the darkness engulfed the three soldiers.


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## DAvo001 (Jun 30, 2008)

Chapter 4 
"Shadow”

Hawthorw's world had been confined to two small beams of light projecting from the torches held by him and his accompanying guardsmen. Darkness and shadows threatened monsters beyond the light. Every sound was magnified and echoed all around the men, the sound of water droplets hitting the ground was like gunshots to Hawthorw's ears.
"hey nice watch Shawn" whispered the Guardsman without a torch. "Where’d you get it?"
"Picked it up off a friend" replied Shawn, the hint of laughter in his voice.
Silence returned at Hawthorw’s glance.
After a few hundred meters of winding tunnels the cave walls finally expanded into the entrance of a large cavern. Hawthorw stared as his torch tried to reach the opposing wall of the cavern but failing to do so. Leaving his Hellgun to hang by its strap the lieutenant slowly searched the pouches of his BDU, trying to control his movements to cut down noise, finally retrieving the long red stick from his gear. As the bottom of the flare connected with the cave wall, fierce red light poured from the opposite end, illuminating the cavern entrance. 
Without warning bursts of red light streaked out from the far end of the cavern, blasting chunks of rock from Hawthorw’s surroundings. Instinctively he threw himself flat to the ground bringing his rifle sight up to his right eye.
“Cease fire, hold your fire damn it!” roared a familiar voice over the gunfire “friendlies, friendlies!”
Several identical red lights sprung up revealing a small group of figures on a elevated mound at the far cavern wall.
As if in response to the light, the tunnel behind Hawthorw rang with savage roars; growing with intensity as the distance closed with the guardsmen.
“go, move it” yelled Hawthorw rising from the floor in to a sprint and point at the mound, “get to that position”
The three men were only half way across the cavern when 3rd squad opened fire over their heads, the crack of lasguns mixed with the roar of heavy bolter shells. A cry caused Hawthorw to stop and turn on the spot. Shawn was grappling on the floor with a foul xenon. The alien was different that the previously encountered leapers with six limbs attached to a exoskeleton, the frontal four each ending in a three talon claw. where the mouth should have been was covered with tentacles, and the back of the head was bulged out  with a small plate of bone covered down between the creature’s eyes. The tentacles seem to have a life of their own, stretching and straining to reach Shawn’s face. It’s middle claws were already tearing away at the Guardsman’s chest as he fought to keep it way from his face. Hawthorw raised his sights firing off a round that ricocheted off the alien’s exoskeleton. It looked up instinctively searching for its attacker allowing Hawthorw to place a round in it’s unprotected face, ripping a chunk of the creature’s jaw off. It reeled back, crying out in anger. Taking advantage of the shift in weight, Shawn threw the xeno off his chest and started crawling up the mound on his hands and knees. 
Hawthorw continued to fire as the beast scrambled to its feet, tearing chunks out of its head and arms, until it finally keeled over dead. But without warning 3 leapers rushed out of the shadows diving on Shawn’s back, stabbing and dragging him screaming into the darkness. A fourth leaper charged out of the darkness, locking its eyes on Hawthorw. A crack rang out, louder than the others, as the xeno was blown off its feet.
“go , I’ve got you covered sir” called the same voice as before. 
It was Hawthorw’s turn to scramble up the mound amongst the high calibre cracks and roars of anger. As the neared the top he felt someone grip his shoulder and pull him over the makeshift embankment 3rd squad had erected as cover. The lieutenant spun as he rose to his feet, resting the barrel of his rifle on the embankment. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Fye holding a sniper rifle in the corner of his eye. Seeing his friend alive gave him a brief grin before the chaos of battle shut all other things from his mind.

X X X

Captain Stockholm sat brooding in his quarters as the message reached him. After what had happened he could do nothing else. He has lost good men in the riot that had erupted from the psyker’s quarters. He still could not believe the ferocity they had attacked with or what they had forced him to do to end it. They had tried to conceal it from the lower ranks but it was only time until rumour spread through out the men
With out psykers, his ship had no long ranged navigation or communication, he was blind and deaf to the rest of the Segmentum Solar
“Captain” 
The man looked up to see a private in the doorway
“what is it?” he sighed irritably 
“The lord marshal has made contact, sir”
“what” the captain’s mood dramatically darkening
“On the vox, sir. They are requesting that you reply personally”
“What was the message” replied Stockholm, still running through ways to inform Cordax about his problem
“They need you to send a message through our psykers, sir” the private, aware of the rapidly disappearing colour in his captain’s face 

X X X

“what the blazes do you mean, no psykers!” Cordax roared at his subordinate
News had slowly filtered through the rest of the fleet; the same had happened on every ship. Every psyker in the Golithia system had attacked the crew of their ships with savage fury and were killed in the retaliation. Without them guided warp travel and inter-system communication were impossible .
The lord marshal looked down at the report he had been given and still could not believe it, shaking his head as he rose wearily from his desk. His thoughts drifted to the mission he had assigned the 13th armour. It was now vital that those men got the job done. If they fleet was to be stranded here they would need to make landfall to accommodate the thousands of men on his ships and to hopefully gather any remaining supplies from the cities. He turned and walked past the private, dismissing him as he went. Maybe the command bridge would have more information.


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## DAvo001 (Jun 30, 2008)

if you read it plz comment. even if it is as trivial as 'yer thats pretty good' or ' its not very good' any ideas are also welcome.


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## Ste (Aug 28, 2008)

lookin good


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## teh1337llama (May 16, 2009)

I like it! Keep it up, can't wait to read more!


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