INQUISITORIAL RECORDS FROM THE SPACE HULK: INDEFATIGABLE INCIDENT

Finnick came to in unimaginable pain. The serrated tail of the beast had latched onto him, it was speared through his body and small barbs kept him in place. He tried to move but found it was useless he’d been injected with a neurotoxin that made all but the slightest moves possible.

Then came a blinding light and the door to the docking bay opened.

***

Marius stood transfixed by the hulking behemoth. It stood ten feet tall and had a pulsating cranium. Even more grotesque than the vile xenos itself was it’s tail. It was poised to strike like a scorpion but it’s prey had already been caught. Corporal Finnick was impaled on the monster’s tail, he twitched and the scions could see that he was still alive.

“Master,” said Maxentius who was now kneeling in reverence to the behemoth.
The genestealers no long hung back and now advanced slowly behind their Patriarch.
“Get to the ship now,” Marius said and the scions slowly backed towards the pleasure craft but and enraged Maxentius lept to his feat hellgun in hand.
“I can’t let you leave sir,” he said and for the first time Marius got a good look at his face. It was subtle, soft cheeks and pale blue eyes matched his blond hair well and with no real chin to speak of Maxentius looked like a perfectly normal man but no Marius was looking deeper and he was horrified. It was only slight but it was enough. On Maxentius’ forehead there were three minuscule ridges. Noticing his gaze Maxentius moved his left hand to his forehead and lovingly stroked the tiny ridges.
“The Great Master thanks you for your assistance, the jammer was preventing him from calling the great fleet and we couldn’t penetrate the doors, but now they will come and we will join out brothers in the Hive,” Maxentius said edging backwards towards the pleasure craft as the noose was slowly tightened around the scions.

Finnick couldn’t hear what the men were saying but Maxentius’ rifle told him all he needed to know. “Sir,” he wheezed but no one heard him.
“Sir. Sir. Sir,” he just kept saying the words. It was excruciating but soon it was loud enough that Marius turned towards him. The great beast pitched violently when it walked. Finnick was violently jolted backwards then forwards, the pace was quickening ever so slightly and the pitching was getting worse and worse.

Finnick felt his light fading and mustered all his remaining energy for one final act. He disengaged the clasp on his power fist and held it for all it was worth. As the Patriarch lurched forward Finnick threw his arm with the beast and let go of Capitis sending it sliding across the floor, coming to a stop at the feet of Lieutenant Marius.

***

Now the genestealers pounced. Marius stooped to take up Capitis while Vorenus used his last few shots to kill Maxentius. Pullo cut down a genestealer who ran ahead of the pack as the final scion took up the traitors rifle and covered his squad mates.

The Patriarch was bold and vain. It had spent centuries skulking about in the dark tormented by these soft skinned vermin and now it was going to enjoy killing them. Marius took up Capitis in his right hand and charged the monster. The scion covered him putting down two enemies who rushed to intercept the brave Lieutenant. Vorenus dragged Pullo into the pleasure craft and motioned for the scion to join them. As he stepped onto the running board his neck twisted violently to the left nearly beheading him, the Patriarch smiled in his abominable fashion with an arm outstretched then turned to meet the Lieutenant.

With a hasty message Marius bid his comrades farewell. “Go now, they must be warned. For the Emperor!” he shouted as he lept toward the great Tyranid. The Patriarch was fast but it’s spiteful psychic killing of the last scion had taken him out of the fight for a split second. That was all Marius needed. He was in the air, Capitis outstretched and gliding towards the cranium of the xenos. Seeing it’s impending doom the creature bought it’s mighty tail down in a scything motion but with Finnick still impaled it was too slow. Capitis made contact with the creatures skull shattering bone and carapace alike even as the tail arced downwards slicing the Lieutenant in half. Marius felt nothing but the crushing of carapace and heard nothing but the death throes of the beast. The two landed in a heap on the floor, man was indistinguishable from xenos as the genestealers flew into a rage and hacked at the corpses of scions strewn about the docking bay.

The pleasure craft arrived at the Citadel landing pad and the two men were quickly bought before a meeting of the Regimental officers. Pullo was the first man to speak, Vorenus made no objection but instead stood silently at attention. Both men were still in their armour and covered in xenos blood that clung like stalactites from their armour and congealed in the joints.

“Sergeant’s Pullo and Vorenus reporting sir,” Pullo said with a salute.
The Colonel said nothing but nodded for Pullo to continue.
“Data recovery was a failure,”
The officers in the crowd said nothing.
“Engine neutralisation was a success,”
Now the officers cheered loudly and several moved to sake the sergeant’s hands but the death gaze of Colonel Harlson.
“Tyranids were observed aboard the Space Hulk, their leader was killed by Lieutenant Marius. We are the survivors,”
The silence persisted for a good while before it was broken by a Major from the 2^nd Battalion.
“Emperor Protect us,” he whispered under his breath which earned him a look from Colonel Harlson.
“One more thing sir,” Vorenus said stepping forward to stand beside Pullo.
“Go on Sergeant,”
“The beast was calling something, I fear that the ship was just a beacon and our troubles are far from over,”
“Thank you sergeant dismissed,”