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 jhe90 wrote:

Spoiler:

Shepard, Petra, baby post coming up soonish :-)

The feel train is not over

Baby sex, I shall decide, and maybe twins....

 War Kitten wrote:

Spoiler:

In the Grim Darkness of the Far Future, romance between a Marine and a Human somehow exists. I'm not complaining TS, it's a nice change of pace from reading and writing about battles. Next thing you know Lilliana will be trying to steal Sheppard from Petra

 Kharne the Befriender wrote:

Spoiler:

Next thing you know my Necrons will start to have "Feelings" and "Emotions", we could go as far as saying "Personalities"

 War Kitten wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:

Spoiler:

Shepard, Petra, baby post coming up soonish :-)

The feel train is not over

Baby sex, I shall decide, and maybe twins....

Spoiler:

Nah, make it quadruplets. Watch as Sheppard tries to deal with 4 babies at once

 chazz huggins wrote:

 War Kitten wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:

Spoiler:

Shepard, Petra, baby post coming up soonish :-)

The feel train is not over

Baby sex, I shall decide, and maybe twins....

Spoiler:

Nah, make it quadruplets. Watch as Sheppard tries to deal with 4 babies at once

Spoiler:

Oh god that sounds like the plot of a terrible comedy movie

This summer one commissar learns that dealing with a horde of blood thirsty orks is nowhere near as scarry as changing the diapers of four babbies. Because for this commissar there is only choir.

Rob Schneider is Commissar Sheppard in Commissars and Cradles

coming to a theater near you

Rated PG13

 chazz huggins wrote:

 War Kitten wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:

Spoiler:

Shepard, Petra, baby post coming up soonish :-)

The feel train is not over

Baby sex, I shall decide, and maybe twins....

Spoiler:

Nah, make it quadruplets. Watch as Sheppard tries to deal with 4 babies at once

Spoiler:

Oh god that sounds like the plot of a terrible comedy movie

This summer one commissar learns that dealing with a horde of blood thirsty orks is nowhere near as scarry as changing the diapers of four babbies. Because for this commissar there is only choir.

Rob Schneider is Commissar Sheppard in Commissars and Cradles

coming to a theater near you

Rated PG13

Commissar Jack Sheppard awoke once again in that bad place he knew. He looked up to that unforgettable sky. The blood red ocean that drowned the once blue skies of Gallor Prime. Sheppard looked around him and saw everything was still. He saw those who he called his soldiers and friends motionless locked in combat with the foul demons that corrupted this world. To his left he saw his former Major Stone being impaled by the sword of a blood thirstier. To his right he saw Captain Titus clashing blades with a beast of Nurgle. He walked along the battle field remembering the old faces that perished here. Everywhere there was death, blood stained the stone floors matching the sky above. He heard a voice echo through out the battle field “This is the price of your failure.”

Sheppard awoke violently from his slumber, his body drenched in cold sweat. It took him a second to realize he was still in his state quarters. At his side was his wife, the sight of her calmed him. Fortunately, he didn’t wake her. Sheppard laid back down into bed more at ease. He really hated that dream. The commissar let his heavy eyes seal and his head to sink into his pillow, he prayed to the Emperor not to wake there again, but he knew he would eventually, he always did.

 Tactical_Spam wrote:

Spoiler:

Smudge and I have decided to shift all OOC conversation to a new thread I made 2 minutes ago in this sub-forum. Please use that from now on for OOC chat

Raela waltzed into the FOB the New Order constructed a week earlier. She got quite a. few glances from guards who were slightly disturbed by her retinue. She assumed they were looking at Lu, who kept looking at them like they were snacks. She lead. her Xenos to a storage bay that was renovated into her personal Ops-department. She was reading over dataslates on the current situation when her Big-Mek, 'Ard Finker came up with one of his "Outta da Box" plans.

"Wat if we sends up a sparky rokkit ta da Bluies Kustom Force Field?" he asked, scratching at his chin and puffing his cigar.

"You mean the T'au... I sincerely doubt that that would work properly, Be'gel" the Battlesuit pilot, Da'noh or Enigma, replied, exiting his suit.

"Youze stop speakin' dat Bluie talk or I'mma krumpa ya, Git" 'Ard scoffed, taking a long drag. "Its da best plan eva'. Me orky brain says it is." He tapped his his jet black helmet.

"Your Be'gel is less developed than the moss growing on the trees. There is no way a missile could knock out a shield large enough to protect a planet."

"Dat's why we sends a sparky rokkit! Are ya ev'n listenin' ta me?"

"What is a 'sparky rokkit'?"

At this point, 'Ard Finker took off his helmet and rubbed his forehead. The stupidity of his Bluie comrade was irritating. "Its da rokkit dat makes da lights go out..."

Raela phased them out and returned to her dataslates. She could send Lu behind enemy lines to disable the infrastructure or send Jumper through a webway portal. She looked up when she felt a nip at her neck. She shot her hand up and it came back with blood. She turned and look at the Twins, who were giggling. One held a dagger at her side. Raela noticed a tiny drop of blood hit the floor. She stood up and took the two into the hallway.

"What have I told you about this kind of behaviour? There are reasons you can't act like your kind around the others," she said scoldingly. She wouldn't have to do this if the Twins actually obeyed what she said.

"We are hungry and we can't wait till 'Dinner' so we thought it would be ok to have a 'snack'," they whispered in unison. The twin with the knife licked the blood off the blade.

"No, you behave and you get 'Dinner.' 'Snacking' is off limits for reasons you should know by now. I made sure you didn't constantly need to 'snack'."

"We are sorry, Lady Raela. It will not happen again."

"Good..."

The Twins turned and headed to the door before Raela added, "If you two get to work on how to stop the Tau, I will give you a 'second helping' for 'Dinner' tonight." The Twins eyes lit up like Emperor's day lights and they quickly scurried into the room. Raela followed and walked up to Jumper, since he was the only other "sentient" creature in the room besides the Twins. Enigma and 'Ard Finker had disappeared somewhere.

"Where is the Ork and the Tau?" she asked, leaning over his shoulder to inspect his dataslate.

"Enigma reported that they created Electromagnetic rockets... and 'Ard Finker already fired them into the next Tau shield installation. Enigma estimates that it will be down for a week before the systems recover from the bombardment."

Raela could barely contain her excitement between being able to report to New Order Command that they can launch an offensive tomorrow and being able to give the Twins 'second helpings.' It was a great day for the Inquisitor.

Succubus Nelith was bored. She and a detachment from her Wych Cult of the Red Grief had been dispatched from Commoragh several months ago by Asdrubel Vect to "Make the lesser races bleed" in his own words, and that is what Nelith had done. But so far none of the planets that had been raided had provided much sport, each new foe falling to the speed of the Dark Kin before they could put up a halfway decent fight. Most of the survivors were proving to be rather pitiful slaves as well, with most of them perishing before the ashes of their planets had even become cold. What she wanted as a challenge, where she could prove her superiority to all, but by the looks of things she was bound to be disappointed again and again as her raids went along. The Succubus was jolted from her reverie when one of her Blood Brides, Mavon, ran into the room. "What is it?" snapped the Succubus, annoyed at the interruption. The Blood Bride wilted for a second under the furious glare of the Succubus, aware that other warriors had been killed by her for less "Mistress word has just come in from one of our informants." the Wych informed her Mistress "And?" Nelith replied coldly "And the informant claims that he has found a worthy target for our blades. He says that there is a system close by, called the Charadon System by the humans. He tells us that the whole system is embroiled in bitter warfare between several factions, that it is the perfect place to get the slaves that we want, and a perfect place to cause so much pain for the Imperium." Nelith considered this news for a bit, her expression unchaging. Better to let the Blood Bride sitr in her fear for a little bit before she let her relax. The Succubus rose slowly from her throne before walking over to her weapons rack and examining her collection, noting the gaps that she had left there, gaps to be filled with the weapons of the lesser races. After another few minutes she finally responded "Spin up our drives and take us there, if you are right and this 'Charadon System; is beneficial for us, you will be rewarded richly." And with that the Blood Bride knew she was dismissed as Nelith sat back down on her throne, and as Mavon ran to the helm to pass on Nelith's orders she couldn't help but feel a jolt of pleasure at the foes she knew would be present in the system. Yes indeed, this raid would be very beneficial for them.

For several months, the Brood grows larger. The initial breeding frenzy led by the Crescent Dawn's traders resulted in a significant number of rapidly maturing hybrids being birthed into the hab-city, jealously guarded by their hypnotised parents. But such a fledgling Cult's power was weak, and whilst blood relatives of the hybrids were easily brought under their sway, the rest of the populance was something to be avoided at all costs, lest the cult be unearthed. In such a situation, it was inevitable that some stumbled upon hideously deformed beings in darkened cellars, or drew too close to the Patriach's subterranean lair. The hybrids' preternatural strength and agility made short work of most of these interlopers, whilst empty-eyed parents clubbed others around the head with whatever came to hand.

But this was a waste of precious resources, and so the cult knew that it was His wish that those who discovered them be brought before him. They would be made to see the powerlessness of humanity - and that the future was here, in the cult, serving the Patriarch with every fibre of their being. Citizens began to go missing, more regularly than was usual in the relatively (by the Imperium's standards) peaceful hab-city. At the request of the city's tiny Arbites contingent, a few squads of Death Korps were dispatched, notionally to shore up security - but quashing unrest with merely their fearsome reputation was just as welcome.

After several weeks of routine patrol, Watchmaster Ferran of squad Septus was thoroughly hacked off with this assignment. This miserable city, shrouded in fungi spores that made it feel like you were breathing mire, was not something the men of Krieg were meant for. He had half a mind to formally request transfer - in all their patrols, hab-calls, and investigations, absolutely no leads as to who was behind this string of disappearances had turned up. It was probably just some moronic fungus farmers falling down chasms, his Vox-bearer, Jenkus, would swear whenever the topic came up.

But he was a Guardsman, first and foremost, and for all their complaining, he and his squad would do his duty - however inane. Sighing into his mask, he rapped sharply on the door of the next hab-block. After a pause, and no answer, he rapped again. Still no reply - but what was that? Tilting his head slightly, he thought he could hear movement inside. Rolling his eyes at these idiot farmers failing to even open a fething door, he signalled for his squad to kick down the flimsy prefab entryway.

Despite the amusingly over-the-top nature of a squad of Death Korps breaching a mushroom farmer's hab-block, years of drilling had his men entering with barely a sound. His sidearm raised, he followed them in - and immediately his blood began to pump. The room was pitch black, lit only by the glow of the fractured door. And the stench... it defied description - a foul reek of excrement, death, and.. something less easily described. His men, instantly on their guard, flicked muzzle lights on at his sign, and began to search the dwelling. Ferran followed a Private down a set of stairs and into an even darker storage room, stacked with crates and debris. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled - and faster than he could react, his squadmate had been bowled over by something hissing that leapt from at him from out of the darkness. Swivelling and dropping to one knee to stabilize his shots, Ferran opened fire, loosing a quick burst of bolt rounds, muzzle flashes illuminating limbs flailing wildly at the private. It was hard to count, but he could have sworn it had distinctly too many arms... With a screech, the creature leapt away, vanishing behind a wall of crates. The Watchmaster kept his guard up as his squad clattered fown the stairs towards them, before going to help the private up.

"You alright, son?" He asked, looking the man over as he hauled him to his feet. His clothes were somewhat shredded, but he seemed to have escaped without much lasting damage. The private managed a nod to the affirmative, but Ferran hardly noticed - his gaze drawn to a patch of red-black ichor leading behind the crates. Leaning carefully around, after tossing a plank around to test for movement, the creature that attacked them had vanished - into a gaping grille. It was times like these Ferran was glad of the mandatory gas mask he and his fellows wore - you could almost see the stench coming off the sewer tunnels.

Voxman Jenkus came up beside him. "The hell was that, Watch?"

Emotionless from behind his mask, Ferran loaded a new clip into his pistol. "Radio for backup, Jenkus. Looks like there was something to those rumours after all. We'll need squad Sextus and Octus to enter the sewers from different points in the city - flush these xenos scum out."

Jenkus wasted no time in relaying the captain's orders - then turned back to his superior. "Xenos, sir? You say that like you know what we're up against down there."

Under the mask, Ferran smiled. "Oh yes, Voxman. I've met their like before. Now get the men ready, we can't give them much longer to prepare for our arrival."

And with that, the Korps fell into a flurry of activity. readying weapons and adjusting gear. Jenkus felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned. "Oh, and one more thing," the Watchmaster said. "Tell them to bring flamers..."

The fledgling cult was no match for the well-equipped, battle hardened Death Korps once their presence was known. Promethium scoured the sewers, and though the Patriarch mobilised every hypnotised drone and hybrid to its defence, they all burned in the end. Soon the Korps breached its inner sanctum, and though it had not yet grown to the typical obese and immobile size, its bulk slowed the Patriarch down - enough so that only a handful of Korps fell to end the beast. Aflame, broken, and twitching as Watchman Ferran levelled his pistol to its skull, the Patriarch managed to send one last command to those children too far to reach the defence in time - flee.

The cult is crippled with the loss of its Patriarch, and revealed to the Crusade - but not eradicated. And as the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos know only too well, it takes but one genestealer to begin a cult anew...

=====In Voor'Han's Orbit=====
Kageros sat in his throne room aboard his flagship, the Arbalest of Extinction, and pondered his next move. It would have to be subtle, he had already provoked enough people, or had he?
He needed slaves in order to solidify his truce with Archarus, besides, slaves seemed to be almost like currency to some. He had an idea.

"Rak', launch a scout sortie to 'Station REP 43'."

"Yes my Lord... They have been sent."

"Good, bring me as many sla-"

He was cut off by a sudden pulse of energy. The ship lost all power and was drifting aimlessly through space. They must be under attack.

"Get the power restored immediately, bring the rest of the fleet to combat positions, we must not let them prevail!" He roared into the ship-wide communicator.

Rak'than replied from the Combat Information Center. "My Lord, there are no enemy vessels that the fleet can detect. The pulse's origin was from Voor'Han's core."

Kageros relaxed a little at this news. His reprieve swiftly ended once every screen on the ship flickered to life only to bear a single mark. It was a glyph long forgotten, a name forsaken by all.
The sight of the ankh actually caused the battle-hardened Phaeron to feel fear. Rak'than was on his way to the throne room when it happened. He opened he door and was immediately halted
at the glyphs sight as well. Kageros spoke in shaky words without turning.

"How did the scouting go? We will need those slaves and as many allies as we can muster."

"The pulse knocked out all logistics and command networks when the power went out, they were destroyed by the stations defenses before they could even retaliate."

"Then we must grow on our own for now, have the Rix'Lan Tau put all their efforts towards energy productions, we will need it."

"Is it him? Has he really returned?"

"Not yet, but I fear he might. I fear the Patriarch will find us. Then there will be nothing but the dark."

There was an eerie silence as the ships power was returned and all resumed as normal. "Zyfek, meet me in the Command Chamber immediately" Kageros ordered.

=====Command Chamber=====
The Lord Cryptek had arrived several minutes before his Phaeron and sifted through terminals to see the progress of various orders.
Kageros entered the chamber and stopped in the center of the room as if he had missed something. He backpedaled a few steps and
gazed at a single Warrior sitting at a terminal. Zyfek sat in confused silence for a couple minutes before asking.

"My Lord..."

Still gazing at the warrior with suspicion "Have this warrior bear the dynasty's ankh on his forehead, I wish to see if this is the same warrior from last time. If it is, I want to give him a personality."

Shaking his head in more confusion. "Yes my Lord, it will be done. Why was I summoned"

"I need you to make more Jackal Class Raiders. Craft these so they carry an abundance of ordinance."

"How long will you continue to pointlessly crash my ships into random things?"

"How long will you continue to make engines of war?

"Touche my Lord"

Looking at Zyfek, acting as if we insulted." And it's not pointless, it sends a message."

"And what message would that be my Lord?"

"You know... I don't really know...But we WILL need more ships, so off to your duties then."

 Swampmist wrote:

Spoiler:

Jusr popping in for a sec to say how muxh Im loving this campaign . Only about a tenth in, and still having fun, but is there any chance of a summary of events so-far so I can join in on the fun?

[spoiler]Post in the Chatroom not here please. It keeps walls of SPOILERS out.

 Swampmist wrote:

Spoiler:

Jusr popping in for a sec to say how muxh Im loving this campaign . Only about a tenth in, and still having fun, but is there any chance of a summary of events so-far so I can join in on the fun?

Connecting...
Connection Stable, Security 85%
To Crusade Command, from the Unyielding Flight,
Greetings Commander, this is Zachary Benkee, Chief Librarian and Acting Commander of the Dawn Striders Chapter.
I heard of your ongoing battle against the foes of our glorious imperium, and myself and my brothers have decided to come and support you in your quest. With us we bring
Myself, and my three brother librarians
Sullac, our Master of Sanctity, and our two other Chaplain Brothers,
Our twin Masters of the Forge and their retinue
Tactical Squads Ukami, Amura and Ogane
Tactical Combat Squad Emagi
Assault Squads Onaka and Atsumi
Assault Combat Squad Kawa
Devestator Squads Harve amd Nison
Sterngaurd Squad Hideo
Sterngaurd Combat Squad Iwata
Vanguard Squads Fulbust and Janeel
Vanguard Combat Squad Mystogen
Centurion Squad Scarl
Scout Squads Leeray, Manstrum, Filban, Jackson and Wyn.
Various transport vehicles
Two Whirlwind Artillery Tanks
One Predator Tank
Two strike cruisers
One Emperor-Class Battleship the Unending March
Flagship Unyielding Flight
Several Imperial Guard Regiments who will be arriving soon after us

Our only condition for involvment is that which we as every time: Any member of the Imperial Guard or PDF we fight beside who show valor in combat will be allowed to join the Dawn Guard if they so wish.

I will be arriving soon to discuss strategy, so until then May the Emperor Protect.

Excerpt from Inquisitor Kryptman's Lexicanum Tyrannicus

If there is one defining feature of the Tyranid genome, it is its relentless adaptability. From the generation of new monstrosities to serve some foul purpose in their forces, to subtle shifts in the biomorphs displayed by entire Hive Fleets. Yet it is all too easy to overlook the most dangerous adaptive capability of these xenos - the behavioural and the tactical. Though seemingly mindless, the nature of the Hive Mind allows instantaneous tactical adaptation and the development and execution of stratagems more swiftly than races bound to verbal communication can match. Though its telepathic communication is more limited, the phenomena commonly known as "Genestealer cults" can be considered a microcosm of Tyranid behaviour. Much could be gained from further study of their complex socio-militaristic structures.

Whilst the Death Korps were sweeping the rest of the sewer system, the few remaining hybrids and purestrains carried out their brood-father's final instruction. Skittering from pipes on the edge of the city, several stealers rapidly vanished into the darkness of the fungi-culture towers, bewildering the few wanderers still out this late. In several hab-blocks numerous.. unusual families quietly flew into frenzied activity. Mothers swept supplies into whatever packs and crates were at hand, whilst fathers did whatever they could to acquire passage to other cities for them and their families. Oh, and this crate too, if it isn't too much trouble. Be careful with it though... Why? Oh, contents are a bit fragile, that's all. Before a perimeter and purity checks could be set up, the city was clear of the genestealer menace.

But the rest of the planet was not so fortunate. Learning from the complacency of settling down with all resources in one central, heavily trafficked area, the remnants of the cult scattered across the globe. Tales abounded of strange gashes in perimeter fences, of watchmen vanishing into the night, and of disturbing shapes in the distance, lit by Echison's triplet moons. To prevent another brood-ending catastrophe, single families were seeded into individual towns and cities across a good portion of the planet. Spurred by the hybrid's unnatural desires, new micro-cults quickly took root under the noses of unsuspecting farmers - and even right beneath those of the regional govenment, in the area's most important Hive city. Instead of an unassailable fortress in the sewers, the cult would build an Arachnoid's web of immense proportions, stretching far across the mushroom-filled plains. It would take more than a lucky strike by a few squads of Korps to destroy the cult this time.

One lone purestrain crawled deeper and deeper into the caverns beneath the region, instinctively selecting the optimal place to commune with its children. By some chance, the creature, blackened and scarred from a close call with a jet of Promethium, had come across a caravan of traders on its journey across the planet. All were now either seeded with its genome, or under the creature's sway - and would serve to spread the new Patriarch's word far across this world... and perhaps even beyond it.

Sylus heard the obnoxious Priority Indicator sound on his Vox-bead that rested on the small, metal side table. He reached over and put the small device in his ear, disturbing the sleeping Annala in the process. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, rolling to her other side and pulling her thin blanket up to her neck to keep warm. Sylus listened to a brief status update from Ground Command before getting out of Annala's bed and putting his robe on. He 'gently' shook the tired priestess to attention and addressed her in a quiet voice.

"I am needed. I will return," his voice as soft as an Astartes could make it. Annala opened her eyes a crack and smiled.

"Is that a promise?"

"Yes. I will return," he repeated, lightly petting her head. He stood up and headed for the Armourium.

His mission should be nothing more than a Neophyte training exercise. Considering that the base they were attacking was bombarded by long-range, Electromagnetic missiles and the fact that Tau relied on machines, they should steamroll through and defenses the Tau could muster. Judge Dezmon, now elevated to the vaunted First company Judge panel, was to lead the assault from his Stormsword.

Sylus, having retrieved his armour and weapons, headed out to the vehicle depot to find Dezmon's Shadowsword, Spear of Kattifrakk. He questioned whether or not heavy armour would help them in this attack, but Dezmon wanted to be sure that no reinforcements could assist the powerless base. Sylus climbed into the back of the Shadowsword and met Dezmon as he briefed his crew. Sylus waited in the corner for Dezmon to finish. Once Dezmon was done, he quickly paced over to Sylus.

"How goes copulation with that priestess?" Dezmon asked, barely able to hold in his immaturity.

"I doubt that if I did so such a thing, you would find out about it," Sylus said dryly.

"I doubt that too; however, I replaced Fyragh's position after he went rogue and came into the inner circle between you, Grejer and the Chapter Master."

"Watcher told you something didn't he?"

"Yes. The Chapter Master told him to shadow you after Fyragh's fall just in case you were corrupted. He reported to me this morning after sending a telepathic message to the Chapter Master. He said the Chapter Master is not pleased with your behaviour and would like to withdraw you from the front immediately."

Sylus answered with a still silence.

"A gunship has been prepped to take you to orbit."

"I am not going, Dezmon. I participated in no acts you accuse me of; I only slept in that same bed with her because she wished that I did so."

"That is practically the same act, Sylus! You are not to have romantic relationships with humans!... Now.. Get on that gunship. The last thing we need is anyone else hearing about this."

Sylus glared at Dezmon right in the eyes before departing the Shadowsword. He headed to the far end on the depot to find a Storm Raven waiting for him. He slowly walked up the ramp and told the pilot he was ready.

We bring order to the chaos, so that other may see the truth, Sylus recited in his head. Only the truth could set him free.

*Dark Eldar*
Succubus Nelith smiled as she watched her warriors scream down onto the battlefield below, it had been almost too easy for the Red Grief to sneak onto the planet, informed of gaps in the sensor nets by informants on the ground. A great flotilla had been assembled, several Raiders backed up by squadrons of Reaver Jetbikes, supported by some Ravagers. All of the Raiders were filled with Nelith's Blood Brides, every single one of them a warrior of great renown, each one eager to be the first to spill the blood of the foe. And the blood of their foes would be spilt soon, oh yes, they would feel pain. Nelith shuddered in pleasure at the thought. As the Raiders angled themselves for their attack run Neltih looked once more over the Strikeforce, and nodded to herself as the Hekatrix leading each squad looked to her for the command to launch. Finally Nellith gave a slight nod, and the raid was on. The Tau barely had time to react before the Dark Eldar were amongst them, most of the warriors not even needing to disembark to strike at the foe, most of the Wyches were just content to take off limbs with their long bladed weapons before they zoomed away once more. Admirably, the Tau almost immediately reacted to the sudden incursion, with their defense walls turning to face the oncoming Dark Eldar, Nelith called a warning to her warriors, it was time for them to pull back, before they were embroiled in a running battle they could not afford. Nearly all of the Raiders made it safety, except for one which was struck a glancing blow by one of the defense weapons mounted on the Tau's defensive wall, and the Raider came crashing down with a screech of tortured metal. The Blood Bride Passengers nearly immediately hopped onto another nearby Raider, but not before a few of them were cut down by the vengeful Tau. As the raiding force pulled back into the darkness Nelith stroked her archite glaive thoughtfully, she had underestimated the capabilities of these Tau, she would not do so again. The next time she raided, her sisters would be better prepared, and with that the Dark Eldar melted back into the darkness.

*Eldar*
Farseer Lilliana stood on the bridge of the ship "Flame of Isha" as it approached the ambush site. After the first successful raid against the hated Iron Warriors Lilliana had been quick to order another strike. The Eldar needed to cause as much damage as they could to the Iron Warriors before they were able to organize a response. And so when Lilliana saw the lumbering munitions transport she was quick to order her ships to an intercept course. The appointed time was soon, and the captains of each vessel were eager to be the first to strike at the Mon'keigh vessel. Lilliana smiled to herself, they would not have to wait long, she could already sense the oncoming vessel, the space around it seeming to recoil at the foulness that seemed to follow the ugly vessel wherever it went. "Steady" Lilliana spoke into the minds of the officers and crew of each vessel "we must wait for the right moment to strike, or our chance will be lost." With a visible effort, the officers on the "Flame of Isha" calmed down, but she could still sense their enthusiasm, and their burning desire to avenge the atrocities that had been reported on the slave ship. Lilliana watched silently as the human vessel drew ever closer to the point in space that Lilliana knew would be the optimal spot to launch their ambush, and as the human vessel reached it, Lilliana smiled and relayed one simple word to the other captains. "Now" and she allowed herself a smile as the "Flame of Isha" fired all weapons upon the Iron Warriors vessel, as her sister ships opened up along with her. As she watched the weapons upon up, she could not help but compare them to the arrows of the Hunter God Kurnous, the comparison was an apt one she decided, just like the arrows of the Hunter God, the human ship seemed to shudder and shake as their critical systems were destroyed by the lethally accurate fire. But, something wasn't quite right, and as the ship's reactor went critical, Lilliana realized what it was. She ordered all of her vessels to raise their shields, but she was a second too late. The void shields were only partially online when the electro magnetic pulse washed over the Eldar vessels, and with a whine the radar and comm systems went dark. As the crew jogged back and forth calling out orders to each other Lilliana cursed the humans in her head. The Eldar would be forced to pull back now to initiate repairs to their comms and radar, for they would struggle to pinpoint their foes without them. And while they were initiating repairs several more human vessels would be able to reach the safety of the Iron Warriors bases. Lilliana mentally cursed the humans some more as she sent psychic signals to the other captains to pull back to the agreed rendevouz coordinates. The Iron Warriors hadn't seen the last of the Eldar's wrath...

*Space Marines*
Julius grimaced as the damage report came in from the ship's boson. The Battle Barge had been on a routine patrol when they had detected several more xenos vessels on a direct course for them, each one already spitting a volley of fire at the venerable vessel. There had been far too many xenos for the ship to take on alone, so it had been the decision of Julius and Captain Varg to not fight them alone, and to call for assistance from any other Imperial forces who were in the area. The Xenos had closed faster than anticpated though, and the Battle Barge had barely had time to raise it's shields and send out a signal for aid when the Xenos vessels had already been upon them, with many of the small vessels launching spore pods at the Battle Barge, and while most of them had been intercepted before they could impact, some of them had gotten through, disgorging many xenos horrors throughout the ship. And so the decision was made, and the "Honour" began to pull away at full speed in order to try and lure the xenos towards other Imperial forces, and while the ship's captain played his own dangerous game, the Ultramarines were hunting down and purging the genestealers that had managed to land on the ship. It had been a long, bloody process, and 5 more of his brothers had fallen, reducing the company to just 35 in size, plus the two attached squads from the 10th. Luckily for the Battle Barge a few advance vessels from the Dawn Striders had been passing by, as the main bulk of their fleet had been moving to rendevouz with Crusade Command. With the assistance of these new allies the xenos ships had all been purged, but the fact remained that more of his brothers had fallen. Julius sighed, his men could not keep up the fight much longer, not without reinforcements. But there was good news, reinforcements from Macragge were on the way. He just needed to wait 3 Terran days. It was going to be a long 3 days. He could tell.

Crusade Command, responding on open channels...
I, Lord General Kruger Zonand, welcome the two latest arrivals to the Crusade of Fury.

Tempestor Prime Gallus and his 85th Battalion, and Chief Librarian Benkee and the Dawn Striders. Your presence is a blessing for us. I would beg of you to move your fleets to our Western fronts and prepare for void combat. As you can see, we are in grave peril from an unknown Hybrid enemy. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Gallus, I need your men could deploy on Julla and assist in cartographing the local area to assist the New Order in their campaign. They took large casualties in the early stages, and will need to strike as efficiently as possible in the coming battles. However, be prepared to encounter scouting Tau troops on your expeditions.

Benkee, your men will be of huge benefit in fortifying Mall in the face of the Hybrid assault. Get in there, wipe out the native Death World creatures, and prepare to be reinforced to hold off the xenos threat.

Captain Julius, your Lord Calgar assures me that reinforcements from the 6th Company will reach you in approximately three Terran days. For now, continue to hold the line. Acting-Captain Aurelius has already asked me to give his congratulations on the recent victory you had, and his sorrow for the heavy losses both you, Lord Karak and Pavus suffered on Kagrenz.

Judge Sylus, of the New Order. Your presence has been requested back here, at Crusade Command. Please arrive as soon as it is possible.

That will be all.

Lord General Kruger Zonand out.

Transmission ceased.

Benkee turned on the vox, and spoke to those around him
"Brothers, we have our orders. We are to travel to Mall and wipe out the dangerous creatures that are there. Sullac and the Twins will be staying here with the flagship to rendevous with Command and to greet our allies when they appear. The rest of us are moving out. FORWARD, UNTO THE DAWN!"
With a cheer, the Unending March began it's journey to Mall, with hearts full of valor.

Message to Captain Julius, from Master of Sanctity Sullac
I would like to formally greet you on behalf of the Dawn Striders. I thank you for allowing our scouts, led by Iwata and his men, to gain valuable combat experience in battle with you. If I may be so bold, our numbers are currently too frw to hold Mall for very long, and the support of you and your fellows would certainly go a long way in helping us. Either way, we will not forget what you have done for us.
May the Emperor's Light guide you ever further.

**Contacting Crusade High Command**
**Contact established, encryption level: blue**

''Orders acknowledged, my lord, we'll move to Julla at once.''

**Message over**

''New Order, sir?'' asked Riley

''Mhmm haven't of them much, so I'll have the pleasure to make the introductions personally, you will lead the battalion while I link up with them, shouldn't be long, could be long.'' answered Gallus.

''What are your orders, then?''

''The zone we will operate in will be covered in forest, we'll have to rappel or jump from Valks, hell maybe even use the ''Flying Dumpsters'', furthermore we'll be dealing with Tau, make your Fist packs plenty of plasma guns and volley rifles, the recon teams will have grenader launchers, I want half of your Fist ready to drop from the ship, the other half is to be ready as soon as the first has exited the hangars. I'll leave the choice of who to send in first, but I want a hundred men, with six squads mapping the area.''

''Where will we operate, precisely? Behind the Tau line, obviously, but where in relation to our allies?''

''I want our men to be on the opposite of this New Order, we will leave them do frontal assaults or whatever is their prefered method of warfare, while we'll mop up survivors and ambush whatever reinforcements the Tau might attempt to send. If it turns out they need some extra pair of hands on their sides, I'll tell you and call down extra troops as we need them.''

''Seems clear to me, I'll pass on the orders'' said Riley, saluting Gallus with the symbol of the Aquila before leaving the room.

---------An hour later in the Swift Guardian ''pod'' bay---------

Riley was making the final troop inspection before they would be deployed, the men he picked were almost all native from forest worlds, hand picked for this for their abilities to navigate without issues through the densest forests. All clad in high quality carapace armor, with cameleoline inserts in the plates, making them extremely hard to detect in pretty much any condition. About two third of the Scions were packing hellguns, capable of punching through ceramite, the rest were mostly equipped with grenader launchers as per Gallus orders, but Riley decided to issue a few flamers to help clear the vegetation and allow Valkyries to land in the temporary base the Scions would man. Lastly there were three men packing hellshot rifles, massive weapons that fired autocannon-sized rounds with the precision of a sniper rifle.

''I've come to a decision, due to the rough terrain, you will first deploy in the dumpsters, clear seven landing pads, secure the FOB and then conduct recon missions, half of Riley's Fist will be ready to drop and support you should something horrible happens, as per the Tempestor Prime orders, they'll be fully geared, I estimate it will take less than eight minutes for the Valkyries to be loaded and above you.''

With that last line said, Riley waved the men away, sending them in the 85th relatively famous pods also called ''Flying Dumpsters''

These contraptions are pretty much nothing but boxes of heat proof materials kicked out of a ship at high speeds with a squad of Scions in them. The crates are lined with tiny charges set to explode at the height of 40 kilometers, the small explosions do not harm the passengers. The Scions inside then proceed to use grav-chutes to land accurately on their objectives. The crates have a much smaller profile than Valkyries and any other ships used by the Navy, which helps immensely when it comes to stealth. It was that kind of pods that the men would be entering today.

---------Meanwhile, in the skies of Julla---------

''This is Imperial Navy Valkyrie ''Sky Fury'' to any forces of the New Order, I carry with me Tempestor Prime Gallus Tauron and escort, we require permission to land, we were assigned to support your forces on this planet. the answer came shortly after.

''Got e'm sir, we'll be on the ground soon''.

---------A few minutes later, on the ground---------

The ramp of the Valkyrie hit the ground, revealing a base busy with activity, with Astartes and Auxiliaries manning the camp. Gallus frowned the second he saw the power armored form waiting for him a few meters, clearly showing who was in charge, at least in Gallus mind.

''This way, Tempestor'' said the Astartes

Gallus briefly though about correcting the man, but at this point he'd been called Tempestor more often than not, war does not wait for titles, after all and he nodded, waving his escort forward.

''Who will I be talking to?''

Archarus couldn't help but smile as his ship sailed through the stars, trying to catch a glimpse of any signs of the Eldar. He had been searching for hours, if not days. His time in the warp had distorted his sense of time, and his chronometer was not yet adjusted to real space.

Finally, on the verge of heading back to his fortress in defeat, a blip appeared on his radar.

"Target that craft. If that is an Eldar ship, I want you to get me to it, or I'll do it myself." Archarus did not need to explain what that entirely entailed for the pilot to sweat in fear and change their course to the craft.

++Remember Archarus, if anything goes wrong, you can link back to my location and we can pull out++ Vorhees' voice crackled through his vox.


"Nothing will go wrong. And there will be no reason to retreat." The Warsmith growled, before seeing if he could catch a glimpse of his prey before they put it to the torch.

The ship was as sleek as any the Eldar made, and the Chaos Lord instantly wanted to see it destroyed, and its wreckage the only testament to its existence.

Within the next minutes the ships traded blows, but Archarus had equipped his own for disabling enemy crafts, so that he could bring the fight to them. The firefight did not last long before the ship went silent. Archarus waited for it to show life again, but no signs came. At last he grew impatient and prepared for a boarding action.

As the final preparations were made for his teleportation were made, warning klaxons blared and the captain bleated out "Dread Lord! More xenos craft spotted! Too many to fight, we must retreat!"

Archarus fired a single round into the man's head, and growled "Only I give the command to retreat. Any who say otherwise will follow in this man's boots."

Archarus ignored the looks his men gave him, and moved to view this new attack. Indeed there were too many for him to hope to kill, but he wouldn't leave at the sight of danger. Instead, he would make the xenos pay for this attack.

Orders were made, and the ship made good on holding the fast moving Eldar at bay. Unfortunately, there were too many ships with better crews against them, and the ship was slowly being killed, and much of the crew was falling from explosions or from Archarus' attempts to maintain discipline.

As much as it insulted Archarus, he finally gave in and ordered the ship to flee. The men were quick to respond to his order, and finally had one moment to testify their Dread Lord's sanity.

Unfortunately for the wounded ship, the Eldar had other ideas. As it fired its warp drives and sped off back to the Mare Dracarian, the xenos fired one last volley of missiles into the belly of the cruiser.

The ship performed the jump, but without any help it was as good as dead. Soon, the engines weren't the only problem either.

Archarus heard a shriek, and turned to see some sort of beast tearing a man to shreds. Through the smoke that was filling the room, he could make out others like the monster. The Warsmith saw something on these creatures, and was filled with anger and disappointment.

Each one bore the Iron Warriors skull and hazard strips, and Archarus realized his own men, his own Legion, was being possessed before his own eyes.

One daemon saw the Warsmith, and howled before loping towards him on all fours. Archarus fired several rounds into the possessed marine, but still it came on. It swept one taloned claw at Archarus' head, but the Warsmith dodged the blow before hammering his thunder hammer into its ribs.

Even as its ribcage collapsed, the daemon swung its other hand into Archarus' side, and tore a hole through his terminator armor. The Warsmith roared in pain before slamming his hammer into the beast's throat, and staggered away from it as it collapsed on the ground and lie there twitching and gurgling.

"Prepare to void the air locks on section B. Overran, void the locks on my command". Archarus voxed out, and made his way to get away from the doomed section.

As he stumbled away, he felt a sudden weight on his back and almost lost his balance. Archarus felt the claws and teeth of another beast as it tried ripping his back to shreds. Before it could kill him, the Warsmith slammed the back of his head into its face, and felt the beast fall off. Archarus turned and lifted one leg over its face, and the boot came down repeatedly, vaporizing the daemon's skull.

Archarus struggled onwards, and reached the exit at long last. Once the doorway was sealed, he gave the command and heard the beasts howl one last time before they fell, one by one, as the change in pressure and lack of oxygen culled the daemons.

++Attention. Section B is void. Attention. Section B is void. The area is unsecure. All entry is not permitted.++

Archarus heard the warning klaxons go off, and limped off towards the Apothecarian he had on this miserable ship. The Eldar had caused him much strife today, but once he recovered, they would regret this. For now, Vorhees would form the beachhead for assault.

Lu jumped to one of the lower branches of the tree from the ground. He used his long, pincer claws to grab the next branch and hoist himself up. Below him, a Tidewall was repositioning to counter the current strategies of his masters. He waited for the Crisis suit scouts to move down the Tidewall line and begin work of repositioning. With no one around, he leapt down, snatched the two fire-warriors stationed on the gun emplacement with his pincers and leapt off, being very careful to smash their comm-links. He moved them several clicks away before dropping them into a pre-dug hole in the ground.

"How shut down shield dome?" Lu said, modulating his thought to speech device to vocalize into native Tau.

Both fire-warriors were fear stricken enough as is, but the addition of the Lictor speaking in Tau was equally unsettling. Neither spoke.

"Answer or I shall retrieve the information my own way," Lu was losing his short fused temper. He clicked the jaws behind his writhing mass of tentacles he called a face.

One fire-warrior pulled out his pulse pistol and aimed it at Lu, who turned to the side and took the round in the armour Raela had attached to him. He turned back and fired his flesh hooks, catching his assailant and pulling him out of the hole and rending his limbs from his body. He tossed the bloody torso aside and looked back down in the hole.

"Tell or I make your death last an eternity" he growled or meant to. The device on his chest didn't register emotion well. The fire-warrior put her hands up.

"I tell, I tell. Please do not kill me!" she cried, fear still playing a large role in her decision. Lu grabbed one of her arms and curled his free hand into a fist. He then knocked the Xeno unconscious with a swift blow to the back of the skull. He looked over at the dismembered fire-warrior on the ground.

Need information. Tau has information. Consume dead Tau before information expires, Lu thought before hopping over and consuming the brain of the dead fire-warrior.

Now if other one doesn't answer, I have information

Shepard was lieing back in the living room with a glass of amasac, still slightly stale from lack of use but the serf's had worked overtime to get it prepared for them and make it habitable, Petra was curled up in oversize arm chair reading a book Vargos had given her before departing, "a treatise on the art of the Sword" "Shepard, can you fetch me my dataslate, bedroom, left hand end table" Smiling in such a way she pretty much always got her way "sure, so glad the men don't know your tricks" "tricks, no, more you know how to follow orders" She joked flirtatiously. a Serf Knocked at the door whilst Shepard was in the bed room dropping off the results of a medical test, Not worth going all the way the medicare had sent one of the serfs to deliver it.. quickly scanning the document, Petra smiled, "Shepard, good news the test results came" "wait what test results, " walking back with the data slate, "oh yeah, you where odd that day, you sure you OK with everything going on? i mean that night?" Shepard steeled himself, have to face this at some point, "i had doubts, i was well, no one ends up in the schola from a happy family, events...... I had a talk with Iron Tooth, its ok, don't worry, im past that" Sitting down Next to Petra on the large sofa, Looking worried, but passing that by "Well they did genetic tests, just to make sure a few things and well, i kinda wanted to know, so well, Daughter, We are having a Baby girl"

Shepard breathed, a few times, "A girl. a Daughter?, She obviously got your DNA, i expect il be dodging swords by the time she can walk!" "oh don't worry, by the time she is dating, il make sure she can handle herself" Shepard relaxed, "oh im not worried if she is pretty and as skilled as her mother, im more worried for the dates!, While we are on happy news, I got a reply from Lord Karak, that job after the Crusade, They want me to take over the academy as headmaster, be a sizable pay rise too, and peaceful" "wait, your, you took it" Hugging him tightly, "So you did choose us, a end to running into the thickest dangers, not knowing if you will come home. Becoming a Father has changed you if you want to admit it or not" "I do, for a marriage started at the point of a boltgun on a thunder hawk fleeing Armageddon on Gallor Prime, we turned out well" Petra rested her head on his shoulder, "See, i was right, it only took the death of a entire world to prove it!, on Faust we could never have been together like this, The petty Officers, jealous knights, and the strict laws that divided us, Im almost happy to be separated from my Kin. at least now are free to be ourselves"

Lord General Zonand sat at his desk. His bandages felt coarse, despite the medicae personnel telling him that they were made of finest Dyltain silk-grox thread. He didn't feel it. He just wanted security. His one good eye would dart around the room erratically, seeking for shapes in the shadows.
His gaunt, pale face was illuminated in the light of a dataslate. The message held on it was from months ago, back when the Crusade had started. His new augmentic eye scanned the page over and over, whirring in it's socket whilst the other eye darted around the darkened chamber.

THIS COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN BROADCAST BY THE KOR'MYEN'KAUYON,
OF THE SA'CEA SEPT OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS T'AU EMPIRE.

Honourable Gue'la'o, Lord General Kruger Zonand.
I am known by Shas'O Shi'ur Mont'yr Sa'cea Vral Vash'Mal'Caor, by your tongue, Commander Voidspider. We come with good tidings.
We shall assist in your crusade to remove the Be'gel menace from this cluster you name the Charadon sector, with all my fleet and brethren beside me.
These worlds have languished too long in their uncultured savagery, and must be enlightened by the Greater Good.
In return for our much needed assistance, we demand half of all worlds released to be integrated into the T'au Empire, and for the colonies created to be subsequently immune to any and all attempts of recolonisation by your Gue'la. We also demand to be integrated directly into your Gue'la'chiagor, command structure, and share complete force amalgamation. A small gesture of your Iur'tae'mont, don't your think?
Together, the stars can shine for both of us, under the light of the Greater Good!

Failure to accept these generous offers, which my comrades advise me to, will result in the Kor'Myen'Kauyon and all it's Kir'qath'Ta'lissera becoming hostile immediately and scattering your forces into the abyss where you shall languish in your Mont'au ways.

Your choice, Gue'la'o. Unity, or immediate annihilation. Your choice.
We generously grant you two Rotaa (30 Terran hours) to inform your commanders and join us.


For the Greater Good!

At the time, things were going well.
Mogrok was still intact, the Deathwatch still present. The only bad thing the Crusade was facing were the Waaagh!s Grinbad and Skulkrusha, and the occasional Chaos raid.

Now, things were bleaker. Enemies conspired within and without to bring about the Crusade's end. Not two months ago, Gallor Prime was sucked into the Warp. Not two weeks ago, a team of assassins had nearly killed him. Now, not two days ago, a titanic swarm of Tyranid Hybrids had arrived in system, and their wrath was terrifying. The borders were being defended from probing tendrils by Captain Julius and his men, but their forces were running low. As was morale.

Zonand sighed. Would it have been better to embrace this lesser heresy, this lesser evil, for the greater good, be it Tau or Imperial? As he spoke, this Commander Voidspider was grinding his New Order forces down on Julla. He recalled his surprise and horror at the New Order's devastating losses in the initial drop onto the Tau Fortress World, 60% of the invading force wiped out by savage interceptor gunfire.
A Scion Battalion, the 85th, had been sent to support them, but Zonand feared for the fate of the men and women on that world. Whilst not as savage as Orks or Tyranids, nor as mysterious as Chaos or Eldar, the Tau were still alien, and very, very competent. 'A force to be reckoned with', he mused. 'A force that our enemies would have reckoned with.'
And if the same Tau was here, where was his massive battleship, the Kor'Myen'Kauyon?

He switched off the dataslate. 'Negotiations are out of the question now.' The Imperium never changed it's mind, and neither would Kruger Zonand.
He pulled a roughspun blanket over his still-clothed shoulders, and painfully drifted into fevered, restless sleep.

Succubus Nelith watched in satisfaction as the detachment of Wyches she had chosen to accompany her on this raid assembled before their Raiders and began to board. Lookouts stationed on the planet had noted the presence of a new force, humans clad in bulky carapace armor, not quite the mon'keigh's elite Space Marines, but something different. Something new. Nelith had decided to put this new force to the test, to see if they were foes who were worthy of her attention, and so plans had been drawn up, and the Red Grief had assembled it's forces for battle. Even now a select group of Wyches was preparing to open a webway portal very close by the human's hidden base, the better to strike quickly and get away. Just as she thought of this a blinding light appeared at the far end of the bay as the Webway portal kicked to life, and with a wide grin Neltih ordered the Raiders to move through, it was time for these humans to be put to the test.

The Red Grief came upon the Scions with the speed and fury of a lightning strike, one moment the sky was empty, the next it was full of poison shards and lances of dark light as the Dark Eldar vented their full fury upon the unsuspecting humans. For the first few seconds the humans were in utter disarray as they scrambled to respond to the sudden incursion, but they were too slow, far too slow, and they paid dearly for this as many of them fell convulsing to the ground, with their veins burning with the vilest poisons that could be concocted in Commoragh. Some of those Scions who were not killed were instead grabbed by Chain Snares that were swinging from each Raider, for the Red Grief could always use more fighers in their arenas, and these humans would do nicely. To their credit, a few seconds after the initial strike the humans began to organize a response, with hellgun and battle cannon fire downing a few Raiders whose pilots were too slow to see the humans rallying. Sensing the changing tide Nelith gave the order to pull back to the Webway. They had gotten the measure of these new humans, and now it was time to withdraw. Just as quickly as they had appeared, the Dark Eldar were gone, the only signs of their presence being the corpses of the Raiders who had been shot down. Despite the losses they had taken, the Dark Eldar were exuberant, these new foes were worthy of their blades, the first in a very long time, and in addition, they had gotten some new slaves out of the deal, as they turned to gaze upon the struggling Scions who were chained bodily to the hulls of the Raiders. "Yes" Nelith thought "these humans will do nicely" as she stroked the face of one of the struggling humans. IN a flash she had taken the human's blade from it's sheathe at his side, she strode off towards her private quarters carrying the human's blade to add to her trophy rack, it was the first of many trophies she hoped to take during this campaign.