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Just to give a heads up, I am looking to mash Deadzone and Sedition Wars with 40k so look at this as an "alternate grim dark universe" so it is not cannon, it is not to get rage over, just relax and enjoy a hopefully well crafted mash-up as I attempt to weave a tale of this odd yet qausi familiar setting.

Location......Planet Ophidia 3
Investigation of loss of contact
Inspector General's office..........Mission: Seek any and all information as to what went on to the reasons for the planet loss of contact and rumors from cleared refugees of an outbreak of unknown origin.
Landing Inspection team and a platoon of soldiers in carapace and quarantine gear.

The ship landed, and guards were placed to watch over it, as one never knows what happens with such missions if there may be someone to try and hijack a lift off the rock they find themselves trapped on. Inspector Loganis Verchanya decided to start with "Their Mechanicus shop, they may have data or other information encoded there, and any oddities will be recorded, we can also send a team to the main hospital for medical documentation." "If this is indeed a outbreak, but I see no corpses laying about." he added.

The Platoon had ten man teams accompany each of the teams, Lieutenant Gerhardt Veidt looked around, his occular scan goggles allowed him to look deeply at things. The multi-spectral eye pieces of the mask worked wonders in most operations. "Well, no sign of living or dead, not sure I like the looks of this! Sooner we leave the better." he offered.

In the Mecanicus laboratories, they found that they still could access the logs, their tech adept would have to access the encoder to make it into the files. As he set about his task, they discovered an unusual object, unusual because it glimmered with energy and was a metallic object that was at once a blackish shine but with glowing symbols, each symbol a different colored glow about it. That and the fact it spun, suspended under it's own power, just sitting, glowing and spinning slowly, as if it dared people to touch it. The Inspector then saw the sign scrawled on a plaque at the base table where the object floated. It read : DO NOT TOUCH! EVER!

The Inspector frowned, "Not a pleasant discovery now was it?" but he wondered how this object some mere 50cm by 35cm and curled could impact an entire population?

"Sir, I have the files and logs up at last!" the tech said out loud.

"Good let's take a look and find out what they found" He replied

Data Log of Arch Magos Belial, Day one: "We found the "artifact in a dig, out in the great fields of slag in the North Western zone in grid 1-A2-B/Z-7", (A map was presented ) "The object was found in an ancient chamber, origins of a race never cataloged before, likely long dead before any of the known races were out and about the stars." It did pretty much sit there on a plinth (another image offered, it was sitting on a display holder,) It was when we had it back at the lab, and one of our brethren gave it a jolt of power cable that it started to float and spin." He added in his log " Our other people were curious, so a servitor went to investigate under programming to do so, but he object did not do anything." we decided that we would attempt other experiments later, and for now to just set it and let it alone."


Other Logs were very mundane, until they got to a new entry which involved the object itself.

Data Log of Arch Magos Belial, Day six: My team and I have seen that as this device is of unknown origin, that it may respond to other stimuli such as when the jolt of electricity made it start floating and spinning." "We have decided to use xenos prisoners to attempt to see what happens when they approach it or touch it." We did have a human prisoner approach it as he would have his sentence commuted for doing our bidding, he agreed." The Arch Magos added to his Log. New situation, we had the man stop as soon as he got close and the device came out with a new feature, odd symbols, almost art work like, appeared, each with it's own colored glow, so now we saw the object glowing in many colors, and floating and turning slowly, a tantalizing thing."

"However, as the situation has changed, and we now are seeing changes, we will use the xenos subjects an the prisoner has been released from becoming a servitor to serving as a house staff for the Governor." Belial said. the log ended.

The inspector looked at his staff, "Seems that they were mostly curious about that strange object, but I see no connection yet as to that thing and the missing millions."

"Play another log." he demanded.

Data Log of Arch Magos Belial, Day seven

"We used an OrK mercenary, he tends to deal with small issues for a fee of looting the "issues" he approached the object, then put his green hands all over it, nothing happened,m the object did nothing but hover, spin and glow it's mutli-colored symbols."

Next we tried a Tau captive, they had made a raid and his vehicle had been shot down, filthy raider that he is, he went to the device, and actually studied it" (video shows the tau looking at the object quizzically, "Humans, I am unsure what the blue symbol does, but it looks like a being ascending to me, rising on streams of energy" he touched that symbol, and in a blinding flash was gone, no smoke, no ashes, just gone. "Well, that is one less xenos to contend with, it appears the fool got disintegrated"

The video showed a Marauding Eldar, dark armor, piercings and tattoos all, a sneer locked onto his face. he was the next subject, he looked at the object and the sneer left his face. "What is this? Mon-Keigh! is this some sort of joke? a child's toy?"" he said "I refuse to bother with this charade!" and he was escorted from the room, a sound muffled, a gun shot.

Next was a more well dressed and urbane looking Eldar. "So, that is the object of your desire and curiosity Mon-Keigh." he studied it, Hmm different symbols, depictions of things. Open the right lock, for they seem like locks, and the reward it unlocks is yours to be had it seems."
Arch Magos' voice: "Can you unlock it? can you reveal what the Tau touched? is that a toy? a trap? a gift? what?"

"So many impatient questions Mon-Keigh, I shall meditate on it first" and he folded his legs, closed his eyes and in minutes his eyes snapped open, sweat beading along his fore head. "Mon-Keigh, I suggest that you forget that you ever saw that thing and place it where you found it, it is not for you to play with."

He too was dragged off, but no gun shots "We plan on sending him back to the craft world in exchange of some prisoners" The Arch Magos said. Our next test subject was another prisoner, human, a rebel.

Video shows next a male prisoner "Just check that floaty thing out and I am free?"

"Yes rebel scum, free from here." the Arch Magos said.

The man reached out to the object, he touched the symbol indicated an infinity loop or so it resembled one. The object pulsed and hummed, he was covered in a cloud which dissipated quickly. He screamed out, and collapsed, "We must hold him for observation, but in a medical environment that can handle him if he has a seizure or other problem." The Arch Magos said.

The video shows the man taken away by men in haz mat suits and he is encapsulated in a isolation tube. The video shows what the men did not see, an arch of energy, a nimbus sparked around the object. they walked the tube out of the lab.

"We will consult with the central hospital as the subjects' condition and see what his lab work results are"

The next subject met a similar fate, this cloud was more reddish tinged, and he too was whisked away from the lab to the hospital.

"A most unusual turn of events around our artifact, I will make my next log entry as soon as we hear from the hospital."

The investigation team contacted the hospital team and found they were sifting through the hospital. "Check their quarrantine section." he ordered them.

Maybe, just maybe this object did have something to do with the disappearances

The team at the hospital eventually found the record logs all recorded, one of the sub team also made a most unsettling discovery. "You say team C found the Morgue emptied? a few torn up bodies left to rot in the hallways wearing security and medical staff garb? " the investigator responded to this news. "Upload the data files now, once they load we can go from there to see what happened." the sub-investigator replied "Yes sir!" So young for such missions, but it was what they had on hand when the governor on Laputia 7 ordered them to look into the matter when the smaller out colony of their s went dark.

"Another Magos addendum" he said as he played the file

Belial file addendum Alpha-1/zed-3: "We were pondering what all of this with the artifact could mean when we received a most unexpected and not welcome visitor, along with his hulking bodyguards standing with large shields and glowing blades, a local we have dealt with before, his world having traded resources in return for some of his races artifacts, of which this object was not of their making", The greenish hue of the metal contrasted with the purple of their robes and markings. The very tall leader of the Necron delegation had a voice modulation that sounded disinterested, bored, and haughty all at once, "I see that you primitives discovered one of the gift giver's presents, they gave it a long time ago to us, this sphere we are on was once part of my dynasty, but that was when we were flesh not metal. we do know the objects hand out a number of gifts to those deemed worthy by the parameters of the Gift Givers, we never learned their names, but we knew they disturbed our own enemies and we hoped we had a new ally" he droned on, "Now, the ones the objects deem unworthy or less worthy, we are not sure ourselves, can be given any number of "Upgrades" that the object makers saw fit to include, how it works we also never learned, we new that we had to isolate and contain this world as the ones who touched it received a mutating gift that altered them, we heard their screams as we did only what we could, isolate and destroy this world with orbital bombardments, it only gives out three presents at a time, then it goes off, or maybe, if taken off world that next planet is given a chance to get the gifts of the object, again we are unsure, I do however see that you did play with it, and three giftings have taken place." it said as it looked at the mystery object. "We will leave you now as we will let you enjoy the gifts that you have received, whatever you were deemed worthy for receiving." and with that, the Necron Lord and his bodyguards vanished.

"Now what to make of all of that, the rambling of an entity driven half mad from his long time of existence in that metal body? or was he being in his mind friendly and warning us of something?" Belials' voice asked. "Meanwhile we will be finding out the doctor reports from the quarantine section of the Hospital, I am hoping we did indeed get a gift of something beneficial like immortality, increased intellects, or other useful thing for Humanity to use against such xenos as that metallic upstart."

++Addendum ended+++

"Now, that was very strange!" one of the assistant investigators said aloud. "Necrons bearing missives like that, what is the galaxy coming to?"

The data had uploaded and the machine spirit of the console alerted him with a beep. "Ah, now for the reports of the blood samples and medical examinations!" the investigator said. He hit play

"Biologis Artemis Fyke reporting, my field of expertise is in blood infections, I must say that both subjects are showing aggressive infections of what appear to be living nanites, yes, that is correct, these nanites show signs of both mechanical and biological components." He looked as if he were trying to break some bad news to whoever it was he was making the report for. "Subject A was infected with the more biological based version, subject B with the more mechanical variant, his is increasing more rapidly, both infections seem to be able to be spreadable by blood spray, bites and scratches, if you have an open cut, I suspect the infection will take root in said cut scratch or bite. Be aware not to let anyone infected break your skin."

"Biologis Maximo Bandar reporting, as the blood specialist has pointed out, the infections or whatever they have is spreading fast through their blood." he also looked disturbed by his findings. Subject A has had new spinal vertebrae grown, muscle density and mass has increased, his flesh is growing spikes, he is sedated for now with more Morphia than would be normal, his pain is intense, and he has become incoherent as a result, we are also noting new bone plates with what appears to be a metallic component in it all over his body, we are keeping him under observation," He then shows the other subject. "However, where subject A is seemingly becoming a possible super soldier of some sort, this subject, Subject B is growing metal based tendrils, and plates, organs are becoming power and other forms of partial mechanical components, I have to admit this is new for the records!" he looked stunned as the second subject on video was more active, tendrils touched and seemingly absorbed metal furnishings of the room. "We need to somehow sedate him and remove further parts from his grasp. Both subjects are now twice their mass in size and the changes are bizarre and frightening to observe, I sure hope the Arch Magos knows what he is doing."

Another video came on, klaxons shrill in the background. "This is Doctor Mendri reporting, the infection subjects have broken out of quarantine and attacking patients, security and medical staff! they tore their doors right off their hinges! we are unable to hold them, we need the help of skitaari and guardsmen personnel here fast! Help us!" he is pulled violently off camera, his screams and cries also inter-mingled with growls and snarls.

The team watching this all were looking ashen faced by the videos, and how fast things seemed to get out of hand here. "All teams, be on alert, it seems we have some form of xenos threat, you see anything not human, fire immediately or retreat." he released the comms stud.

"Now we need to see what else the arch magos discovered and then leave this place." he said. There was no telling if these infected, like most diseased beings were prone to do had died off lonely and pathetically, or if that information was right, merely changed into some other sick xenos form of existence, he decided to finish watching the information right there, and then leave and also bombard from orbit as the Necrons, the filthy machines they were, had done to their own people aeons ago. But he had to know before he left.

Back at the hospital, one of the troopers going through the hospital was feeling like a break, a breather as it were, and he, trooper herghast decided to undo his helmet to get some "fresh air" as it were. Sure, the others were searching, one was guarding the assistant investigator as she uploaded datafiles from here to the investigator at the scientific labs where the creepy dark metal thing floated and spun. But down here, the hospital was heavy sweat work searching an finding what? nothing! he took a sip from the small pouch he pulled out, hydration and electrolytics with some fruit flavor to it, he was looking around, but there didn't seem much of anything here, sure a few corpses here and there, but what fight zone didn't have those? He felt something touch the back of his neck as he had been leaning against a information desk at the nurse station, he dropped the pouch as he spun around, he swatted at what he thought was a local pest, but his hand felt something more substantial, what he saw at that desk was shocking!

standing there, with what appeared to be mechadendrites of a mechanicus or other cyber enhanced being was what looked more shambling corpse, rotted or ripped flesh over over sized Muscles which were exposed in spots, or metal plates in other areas of torn skin. Tattered nurse staff pants still clung to the cadaverous cyborg thing. But what also caught his attention was the glow from it's eyes, one was red as the eye had a extension, like the tentacle of metal with red lenses in it, the others glowed a eery green. but worse, it had touched him! the filth had dared touch him!, he raised his rifle and fired into the face of the creature that once might have been human. "Damn you! die! die! die! he shouted as he emptied the magazine into the filthy scum, others of the team came skidding around the corners to see why a weapon was being fired so. Sgt. Crimmins asked, "Are you okay Herghast and what the hell is with you and the helmet off when we are under orders for sealed?" then she looked over the counter, seeing the corpse laying there, squirming mechandendrite like appendages, she dropped an incendiary grenade on the horrid thing. "Get Herghast to the doc and have him checked out! " she shouted, "team will now do a door to door and sweep this level."

She clicked her comms "Sirs, Herghast has made contact, and it wasn't pretty, seems the corpse was still active after he unloaded on it, based on the clothing, it used to be hospital staff, awaiting orders, prepping to do a level sweep before we leave."

The Investigator thought a moment. "Negative on the sweep sergeant, get him checked out, and then evacuate the hospital, we have plenty enough now to look over, repeat, pull back to the labs".

Could it be? he thought as he left the team and assistant to vacate the hospital and meet him back at the labs. Could it be that instead of dying away, these infected hosts stayed active and kept changing? What had they landed into?

He ordered "All units on alert, apparently there are still active inhabitants, treat them as hostiles"

He inserted another log, he had to know more before he left .

"Arch Magos Belial Log day 10: The militia has had a hard time dealing with this infection, the mechanical variety melds flesh to metal and makes the subjects insane, then an alien intellect takes over, the biological component seems to use simpler merging of flesh to metal, drives the subjects to insanity as well, and then leaves a merge between alien intellect with the human one, leaving a powerful and yet intelligent maniac capable of ripping doors open as well pull others apart with equal ease." he looked as if he was himself unsettled now.

"I have pondered the Xenos' words, the Necron Lord who visited us, If this is indeed a gift I certainly wish the damned artifact would take it all back, but apparently this is something we are stuck with." he paused. "It appears that witnesses report that the two portions cause significant mutations and blasphemic alterations of the sacred forms of man and machinery. the howls of the beasts waft through the city as they hunt un-infected down, even corpses touched by the mechanical strain re-animate and become cyber-mutants of the infection, the once healthy now twisted and shambling, or running, scratches, bites, or cuts from any of their weapons, or a injection from the tendrils will do it, transformation occurs in mere ho0urs not days as a normal disease would incubate over time. the "gifts" we got, seem to have damned us, I wonder what happened to that Tau?"

The investigator decided to take the rest of the logs with him, to study as they traveled away from this cursed planet. "We need to leave, but first we need to investigate what happened to Herghast, can;t let him infect others if he has this "gift"."

As they were soon to find out, there were many things to deal with on this world.

While the team at the hospital was making it's way back to the lab as a rendezvous point, the other team sent to scout the city came across still alive survivors who told them of the things that shambled, slithered, ran jumped and shot at them. I t appeared to the survivors that whatever had taken hold of the planet was infecting and also morphing the local vermin population, rats, animals, pets, native insects and other life also became twisted by the changes the infection spread, some merely flesh and bone plates, others glowing diode eyes, and metallic pincers. "You can't save anyone infected, once we see a bite, or a scratch, we leave them to their fate." the leading survivor said. "We want out of here, we want to leave now."

The assistant investigator with this team replied, "Look, we all are going to be quarantined and screened to make sure we don't also have this infection, or whatever it is."

"That's okay as long as we get away from those, those, things!" he answered back, all were armed with whatever weapons and ammunition they could find from stores, dead soldiers, whatever the weapons were laying around.

"We best get moving and link up with the rest of our team, have the evac landers grab us before anything happens."

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As the hospital team was on their way, leaving the ruins of the hospital rather than do a full cleanse, Harghast was slowing down, sweat was pouring down his face, his neck, his neck where that thing had touched him itched and burned he was having trouble seeing clearly. Meanwhile a whisper was growing in his mind as he walked with the others. *Soon it will be good, you will be family*

The team was at the halfway point when they heard noises, not just the shuffle of the bio-mechanoid infected, but howls and screams, shouts of pain and anger and the report of weapons. They looked about with their visors, soon several tall spiky skinned people appeared, their faces twisted in pain, yet they still moved and swept the area, a lone person bolted from a soon to be uncovered spot seeking shelter, the infected soldiers opened fire, the bullets not landing squarely, but one nicked the person. they dropped out of sight. The squad leader looked at the assistant investigator, she shook her head no, "We need to return and get Harghast help."

Harghast then dropped his rifle, the clatter covered by the reports of the mutates rifles. he stood up, half his face looking metallic, plated, wires, his eye glowed, "Brothers! More over here!" he waved as he stood up.

"Crap!"shouted the squad leader, 'Pattern defense Bravo, now!" she shouted as she shot Harghast in the head, his body breaking down into a cloud of incandescent mist. the grenade launcher belched several fragmentation rounds at the rifle wielding infectoids.

"This is red team, we have hostile contact! One man is down, repeat, one man down, and we have hostiles!" The assistant investigator grabbed the dropped rifle and took up a safe position.

The lead investigator answered over the comms "Do not stay pinned down, head to the labs now Green team and purple will also help until the recovery craft return. Move it now!"

They followed orders and started running, firing in the general direction of the infected. they were joined now, both versions, biological and bio-mech all coming, some were bigger, a nightmare gathering of spiked and plated monsters, cable and light infused ones with weapons glowing out of shoulders or chests. bullets, plasma like blobs, spikes, spore balls, all fired back at the soldiers as they ran like mad to get to safety.

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The sound of weapons fire wafted across the city, the other team now also had to move fast, as well as their survivor charges as more hordes of infected howled, and chased them, weapons fire also hounded the combined soldier/survivor group.

they dropped proximity fused grenades which soon went off when the enemy got near them, gravity smasher grenades pulped whatever was caught in the detonations, frags shredding and crippling the enemy.

They had to get to the safety zone.

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The lead investigator had the suppression team set up a perimeter so that the others would have a safe zone, and also the landers could also be safe as they picked up the team. He played the log entry from Belial

His image was looking different, changes to this flesh and mechanics taking place. "Security breaches, most of us are now infected by the mechanoid strain, I can feel the changes already, the desire to let it all go and be one of the family, cough, cough!" he gathered himself. "If anyone is looking at this, I do hope that it is from the safety of a orbital cruiser, no signs of the infection upon you." he breathed. "For once the gift from the artifact takes hold, you will not be safe to leave, any survivors MUST be screened scans, tissue samples, this is insidious,,,,,Oh yes, so nice to be part of the family......My mind is going. If you are viewing this on the ground, I have also sent a coded transmission to try and stop this, Hopefully the purge will take place soon and this world will once more be scoured clean." he drops off the monitor, then a thing takes his place. "You too shall be of the family!" and it wanders away.

He comms with a note of urgency. "Teams red and green, make haste we do not have much time!"

If only he knew how little it actually was, he might have urged them more, or left them to their fates.

The sergeant remembered a fact, "There was a delegate with bodyguards sent here to discuss this system joining the Union. If they were here when this hit, they could be fighting or......." she used her scans, amongst the attacking techno-things were large ones, all with a big gun with a green sickly glow to them, their heads armored, a mouth where the belly would be, their torn and stretched uniform pants confirmed one thought. "That ends any searches, those are the envoys bodyguards, sub mission is an abort, I repeat search and rescue for the envoy is aborted, they have been compromised! now enemy units."

This mission was not how she imagined it, simple drop, search and rescue, and evacuate from a plague dead world, this,,,,,this was a total horror show! shambling techno things, with flailing mechadendrites full of their mutagen contagion dripping from them. The big guys fired their weapons and bolts of green plasma, no worse! they were globs of nano-infectors! "Full hermeti-seals NOW!!!" she barked as the globs sailed slowly over to their cover areas, clods of the things floating up from the sticky puddles. splashes had the stuff clinging to their armor. Red team was not having a good day.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Green team was seeing the hordes as well, the tecno things shambling and the spike shouldered troops of the bio-things, their guns sending infectious bullets at them and the armed civvies. Sgt. Bristol could see the uniforms those men wore. Ophidia-3 PDF olives. these were once brave and proud soldiers before this plague got hold and mutated them to howling, raging monsters, and they still knew how to use their weapons. More creatures were showing. Large techno brutes with chest cannons, those fired globs of green nanite blasts, civvies with no masks covered their faces as best they could, but those would be most likely to become infected by that method.

He had heard the announcement regarding the envoy and the bodyguards, shame about that, shame about this world, and bad times for all not infected.

Suddenly one of the civvies went jerking as something speared him, then he went off to the shadows, his screams were soon cut short, a flashing, lithe form darted between shadows, and leapt up high to the roofs of the habs before he could squeeze a shot off at the thing, but the metallic glimmer and mobility told him enough, a nasty techno-mutie! Over debris and barricades he could see his ad-hoc force needed to move to the landing platform of the Tech-adept labs

"Okay people! we need to get to the labs and get on transports, we got no time for this playing with the locals!"


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The suppressor squad spotted the combined shapes of large techno and bio mutants in their visor scans. Large yet nimble ones leaping over barricades as if they were some odd plated chimpanzees well twice man sized, others were once men, but twisted, cables flailing, others with muscles and spikes mis-shping their once proud human forms into twisted caricatures of their former selves., another huge beast, more machine than flesh armed with long ranged weapons , and towering over all, a huge dark metal armored, and sore fleshed reddish faced monster, it had a old arbite wagon in it's way as it moved closer, with but one hand or claw it slammed the vehicle on it's side into a wall, easily a swipe that could move a five ton armored truck would pulp a person if it slapped them! In fact the one feature of both types of infection was that darkly glinting metallic armor plating more machine like on the tecno-strain, rough and organic in the bio-strains.

The Investigator checked for more intel. "Arbiter log of officer Jerell thrombisher, I can't feel bad enough! we tried to hold the city in lockdown, but the things, they knew how to operate machinery and blasted their way out on the trams, some loaded their pals into the air flitters and took off from here to the other cities! Emperor only knows how fast they will spread and take off to the other cities past those, but if this city is ant indication, this planet is done in just a month at the rate this spread once it got out of the hospitals." Amendment: Just heard that some took off in space craft, they have spread from the planet! they need to be watched for! no telling if the rest of the system is in danger, or any nearby systems. This spread so fast!"

And there it was, a plague of monsters and now it was no longer contained.

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One of the leaders of a squad of infecteds was in a cross-hairs. The owner of this weapon said calmly, clinically, coldly, "I have the shot." the silencer built into the weapon belied the power of the rifle. The scope, the rifle the user all high tech and integrated as his helmet lenses also linked to the rifle, he was seeing as if he were the rifle itself. The Dragunov-Rheinmetal DR-65 did not even recoil, special suppressors took the kick out so the weapon would be very accurate. It was, he watched his work fulfilled as the shot pulped the enemy squad leader's glowing green eye, and the back of the head exploded, splashing bone, brain and blood over the rest of the squad behind him. "Squad command ability neutralized, moving to next zone." and with that, the camouflage cloak he wore over his metallic blue armor kept changing with the background as it warped light around him to blur and conceal his image. Elsewhere the fights between the infecteds and the embattled Valoran Elites were watched by the rest of the Ice Sanction team. While the bodyguards were infecteds and mutated, they were locked onto the location of the still alive and based on the bio-readings of the tracker bug he wore, still normal. They were to recover that person and any intel and leave, the ship with the Inspector general waited for their call for return above them. The ship bore the cyclonic torpedoes needed to cleanse this world of it's infection and then also seal and recover and lock away the artifact.

IF they could.

Red team was moving, taking cover and shooting down any of the enemy things that got close, then they got up and would drop more grenades, which were running out. The Sgt counted, herself, a rifleman, the melta and the grenadier were still alive, Harghast was a memory now, they could mourn his loss to the infection once they were safe, screened, decontaminated and able to relax back on board the ship. For now she was simply trying to get the four of them safely back to the landing zone so they could evacuate. As they rounded a corner almost to the are of the labs and landing zone, she saw that they were blocked off, a mass of the things with their backs to them, moving their way to the labs!

"Frak it! we can't seem to get a decent break since this went south!" she said. "Get ready to try and break through, we can use the melta to make a hole."

From above and slightly behind them a rocket lanced it's way through the air towards the masses of enemy things, it impacted with a loud explosion, followed by a small mushroom cloud, the things were turning to see who or what had sent such a powerful attack at them when another lone figure, all clad in blue and silver steel whirled amongst them, a glowing blade from his wrist describing arcs while his pistol barked or was clubbing his foes. She watched awestruck as did the rest of the Elites as they had never seen anything like this. the ground shook near her when a huge figure clad in a much larger version of the armor and a cloak, his gun held like a pistol, but easily half her size and his other hand a similar glowing blade, his voice when it came was cold, icy, devoid of emotions. "My men have helped clear the way, I will help the one fighting the things, I advise that you get to your landing pad immediately."

And with heavy thuds of his armored feet he was also in the swirling melee, his blade slicing their foes in pieces, the large gun clubbing and shooting.

She then collected herself, "You heard the man! we beat it through the hole they are making and get our asses to the landing pad! NOW!" And with that, Red team ran right through the gap that the sword wielders were maintaining for them to run through. they set to open fire and help when the two left the fray on back mounted jets, the missile launcher had fired another well timed missile into the closing ranks, another blast destroying more of the horde, the melta hissed and more evaporated as the grenadier fired more gravity distortion and fragmentation grenades. "I'm down to Krak only sergeant!" she said as the last grenades left the launcher. "Those will have to do till we are off this rock!" with that, they ran as the horde were trapped by the gravity distortion in the thin street

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Green team and the civilians were also having a bad day as the horde had them cornered, one avenue to the landing pads was choked off, the infected being sprayed by the suppression squad, and the way they came blocked by more of the foul things making their way to them. The sergeant assessed his team, one wounded, the melta had been torn apart by some of the leaping howling ragers, the civvies were down to a smaller handful and it looked like they were not gonna make it.

From the front the horde was being torn up by the suppression team, but they were still coming from the side way street way, suddenly, he saw that they were losing ground, another force was slamming them down, another team was tearing them up from another angle! the civvies and his team were keeping a watch on their backs when they were also sending shots and grenades to suppress the horde following them.

From a rooftop, a pair of cases clattered on the roadway between his party and the horde, they opened up and the surprise was a pair of sentry weapons, behind these dropped a figure in the steel/blue a rifle slung, his body adorned with packs and containers, he knelt with his hand holding a monitor, the remote guns barked and tore into the horde as he set off other guns they had not seen on their way here, and also some charges apparently as explosions ripped through the throngs of what were once the people of this city.

He looked back, the other batch of infected were mostly down, and a team of the blue-steel clad warriors with their rifles blazing away with another larger gun, tore the filthy mutates apart. The way was clear, and the leader, wearing a wrist mounted sword and pistol, waved them to move on. "Let's go green squad, we have a way cleared!."

As they were passing the armored giants, as they were quite tall compared to him, a full head or so taller, the leader of the new arrivals shot one of the civilians in the head. "What? why?" he asked the armored giant, his reply was simple "Infected." It was like a machine had uttered the words, he got a chill down his spine and decided it was best to get all he could to safety.

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The suppression, or purple team, was amazed at how many they were having to fire at, and the huge being, the one with the raging power, it was taking almost every weapon to stop it! shot after shot, it kept coming. the rifles of the team could deal with the approach from red team. Both heavy weapons were needed for the beast, and the rifles they could spare. then, the thing stopped dead in it's tracks, it fell over and slammed the ground like a tree felled in the woods back home, a smoking crater in it's armored back, hollowed out by the melta of the green team and they rushed forwards, accompanied by civilians and some PDFsurvivors.

The rest of the suppression team saw the remnants of red team coming, four of them, when a sudden movement caught the one rifle trooper as the armored bulk of a hideous creature showed up, crashing through a hab wall. It forced most of red team back, and it had a huge fanged maw where a chest should be. It grabbed the hapless rifle woman and swallowed he whole! and then it scrambled back under cover while it was fired upon, the red team ran faster to get to the safety of the suppression team zone

"What the hell was that?" the red team sgt asked, the question more rhetorical than expecting responses. One of the purple team did say "I got no clue, but it sure as hell was the ugliest thing I have seen so far"

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The imagery from the teams was observed by the investigator, it seemed the infection mutated to many forms that served a variety of combat roles, specialists and generalist troops, all of which were once, yet no longer human beings. The lander arrived, and the teams made their way to the craft, it's heavy guns and defense turrets provided fire power to keep the pad from being over run. they were all aboard and the craft taking off to climb to safety when it was rocked by an explosive impact., damaged, it still climbed through the sky. "It seems they have other weapons to access"

The pilot chimed in. "Please put on breathing gear, we have a breach that may cause decompression."
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The investigator teams were off planet, good. the other teams had rescued the diplomat, and placed him in a sealed stasis container to be dealt with as he may be infected. The other teams gathered the artifact in another stasis container, other teams were still fighting. "Objectives attained, all units to teleport."

With that, none of the blue-steel clad giants were on the planet Ophidia-3, the infected looked about a bit confused as to the sudden disappearance of their prey, then their vision was obscured as the world went white around them.

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As the lander was docking, any looking out of the viewports of the lander or the ship could see the telltale giant atmospheric mushroom cloud and shockwaves covering the world below for what the Inspector General had ordered.

Once they were all cleared, checked, and scanned, their equipment given a cleansing including an electromagnetic sweep to clear off any of the nano-infectors, The team inspection leader met with the Inspector General, he saw the man was big! dauntingly tall in gold armor with a purple and white cloak, he was speaking to another hulking armored figure in blue metal also wearing a similar cloak; Like so many who attained rank with the office of the Inspector Generals. The blue clad one looked in his direction, the passionless green glow lenses of the face plate regarding him as a predator would potential prey, it made him uneasy, he was also aware of the odd sensation of the Ice Sanction Captain passing him, the sense that there was something very amiss about the being who left the chamber. He stood next to the imposing figure of I.G. Romanov, "Look at that lost world Patris, the promise of Ophidia-3 was much, now all lost." he sounded dissappointed, and unexpected emotion from such a man as the I.G. "The Pelucida system is now to be screened and quarantined before we dare let them into the Union, the infection must be found, and eradicated before it spreads to other worlds from here, of course there may be escapees headed away from the Khadrovian Union Patris." he understood what the man was saying. He responded, "Sire, if they did indeed escape, then what can we do for those worlds?" Romanov merely indicated the image of the world burning to death below.

"Uhm,, what will be done with the artifact sire?" The device still fascinated him, if they could get the right "gift" who knew what leaps mankind might make? "I have it being dealt with Patris" was his reply

"But who is overseeing the project of dealing with the object? it needs to be studied, understood, it has potential for also helping us make a new leap!" he said to the gold clad man. "I have assigned top men to deal with it Patris."

"B-but who sire?" he asked

Romanov turned his head, looking down at Patris, a scowl on his face as a school teacher may give a particularly slow learning student not getting the lesson. "Top men" was all he said and the Inspector General strode out of the chamber to let Patris think on that and the cleansing of the world Ophidia-3 below.

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In a sealed and guarded stasis hold of the Inspector General ship, the stasis box of the artifact was being placed amidst many similarly designed stasis boxes, serial numbers painted on them the only key as to what lay in each box. the workers filed out of the room as the guards shut and sealed the warded doors of the chamber as it's own stasis field activated within.

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Aboard a small jump capable system ship, the crew and passengers had been made to have more passengers come aboard. Now all aboard were different variants and stages of the dual infections, the large commanding figure of the early stage rage aspect looked at the mostly mechanoid top stage of the techno infection, it responded in the nano-wifi signal "Not to worry, our counterparts are in different ships, the ones headed to the main planet are the calculated distraction, we and others are heading out amongst the other worlds, away from the more dangerous Union so we may have a chance." it seemed amused "The one investigating the data files of the arch magos human was too pre-occupied to notice that we were investigating him and his people, the Khadrovian Union one day may be on our list, but for now, we are too few in numbers to fight them, instead we will spread our family amongst other worlds and take them over and spread!" And with that, the "Family" was headed to a pre-selected, unsuspecting, and ill prepared system to infect.

I do hope folks enjoyed this little alternate tale. I meant it to be a short story, so I am hoping the pace fit along with the use of my personal mini collections for inspiration.