INQUISITORIAL RECORDS FROM THE SPACE HULK: INDEFATIGABLE INCIDENT

“Eighty-Five” the words were as if spoken by a snake.
“Eighty-Five,” they came again this time from Montgomery’s left.
“Eighty-Five!” the voices hissed growing louder and now coming from all around the three scions.
“Hurry men they’re getting closer we have to get out of this place,” Montgomery said still leaning on a scion as his blindness left him useless on his own.
“Eighty-Five!” the voices demanded of him “Eighty-Five!” they said with what sounded like a twisted for of humour in their voices.
“Of course,” one of the scions said and put his helmet back on. The static almost deafened him but soon he found what he was after and set his vox to speaker mode. “Tertiusis that you?”
“Yes we were attacked but we set the charges,” Montgomery replied “Where are we?”
“Halfway to the docking bay sir,” a scion replied and the news bought great elation from Maxentius.
“If you can get to the main comms relay, Marius is there with Primus and they could make good use of any spare charges you have,”
“Understood on our way now,” Montgomery replied and the transmission ended.
“Um Corporal how do we get to the comms relay we have no map?” asked the scion that had dialed in the frequency.
“Read out the signs on the walls,” the Corporal said “we’re looking for Nullam Cosmos if my High Gothic holds up,”

The three scions went on towards the relay, they were still haunted by the hissing and the scraping but the words had ceased.
“Why were they telling us to go on that channel?” asked one of the scions.
“Maybe they heard say it?” replied the other “they probably want us all in one place to make it easier for them,”
Montgomery wasn’t content with this answer but said nothing, the pain in his eyes was getting worse. He could feel the acid eating into his face and burrowing it’s way towards his brain, if he could get to a medic they might be able to stablise him but he had to be quick.

Finnick and his pair of scions landed on the floor with a loud thud. The tow scions scanned for enemies but Finnick pressed on towards a nearby doorway. He knew what he was after. He saw that the beast had punched out of the passage way above and had gone into the next room which is why he had done the same. He would kill whatever it was with his power fist, if he could crush the skull of a normal genestealer why not also the skull of whatever this was.

He and his men cautiously advanced into the room. Finnick went first followed by the two scions. He hadn’t taken ten steps when out of nowhere a pack of genestealers was upon them. The two scions fired their hellguns but were soon out of ammunition, they drew their combat knives as Finnick threw aside his pistol.

One scion stuck his blade deep into a genestealer striking the foul xenos in between two plates of carapace. It’s corpse fell on him and pinned him to the ground where two more genestealers tore him limb from limb. The other scion tried to help but was speared through the back by a large tail-like whip.

Finnick easily swatted aside two genestealers with his power fist but was awestruck when he saw what had killed his last squad member. It was at least ten feet tall with a coiling tail. It used two of it’s many limb to pry free the dead scion and cast it aside like a plaything, a grotesque tongue emerged from it’s mouth. Even in the low light Finnick could see it was covered in barbs, the creature bombarded Finnick with waves of stench, like waves on a beach striking rock it slowly pushed him backwards and wore him down. The genestealers had now gone silent, not a hiss nor the sound of talons on metal echoed through the small room. Only the pulsing of the great beasts cranium made a noise, the ship didn’t creak or groan and not even the constant licking flames of the maelstrom were audible..

The great beast stood upright, it’s tail poised to strike like a scorpion but Finnick wouldn’t go down without a fight. He drew back his power fist determined to make this xenos filth pay for any attempt on his life. Suddenly tow claws grasped each of his limbs. A group of genestealers had crept up behind him and had taken him utterly by surprise. The great beast drew back what passed for lips in a grotesque smile showing innumerable rows of pointed teeth. It’s tail rose and fell in a magestic arc striking Finnick in the direct centre of his abdomen. The beast hoisted him into the air and held him there for a time as if to gloat. Finnick blacked out.

“Over here sir,” said one of Montgomery’s scions as they reached the communications array “he’s hurt bad sir,” the scion said motioning to the corporal who was now being carried into view. Marius nodded and the platoon medic went to treat the injured corporal. “You have the detonator?” Marius asked the scion and was met with a nod.

The detonator was primed on the communications array emergency door and the scions took cover anticipating the explosion. Marius sent a quick message to Maxentius through channel eighty-five but had to do it via the audio code since it to was now jammed. Marius hit the detonator and with a great rending of steel the mighty emergency door was opened like a ration tin. A great hissing started all around the scions and they could see vague shapes writhing and shifting in the darkness but no one had the ammunition to waste in attempting a shot.
“With me Pullo,” Marius said and the two men primed the handful of melta bombs the scions had left, within minutes the complex array was reduced to a pile of molten slag. Once the last bomb went off Maxentius came over the standard scion channel “Now brothers hurry,”.

At that moment the genestealers attacked. The scions expended what little ammunition they had left but couldn’t hold off the horde that was now approaching them. “Run. Back to the shuttle!” Marius roared over the din and his men obeyed without hesitation. All but one. Montgomery had a grenade him his hand and before anyone could stop him threw himself into a swarm genestealers. Unwilling to waste his sacrifice the scions ran back through the maze of corridors although this time the dark shadows didn’t simply lurk. What had previously been an unsettling blob was now a deadly menace. Sometimes one but more often three or four genestealers at a time would throw themselves on the scions. With Pullo and Vorenus once again in the vanguard the remnants of the platoon made their way through the gauntlet. Over half the men were killed on their way back to the docking bay. Three were killed when enemies burst from the ceiling, dragged off to an undoubtedly merciless fate. Several tripped on the debris strewn floor and were devoured by their pursuers.

Pullo and Vorenus didn’t falter once as they led the platoon. Dozens of the enemy fell before them, whether sliced by Pullo’s power sword or cut down early thanks to Vorenus’ pistol. The four remaining scions ran into the docking bay and were not pursued by the genestealers who instead spread around the bay to encircle them.

Pullo, Vorenus, Marius and the last remaining scion took up position around an unphased Maxentius who stood staring out to space. “Maxentius are you alright?” asked Marius. The vox operator snapped out of his trance and turned to face his Lieutenant and laughed.
“He’s here sir, the great one is here,”
“Who’s here Max?” asked the Lieutenant slowly edging towards the insane man.
“Sir the shuttle,” Pullo whispered and Marius saw that the shuttle had been shredded by genestealers and their only hope now was the small pleasure craft.
“The Chosen One,” Maxentius said and fell to his knees.