An Imperial Guardmans Journal

Inter-galactic transport - Day 9 (2nd entry)

I was woken up by the Anya’s gentle tugging on my fatigues. I groaned as every muscle hurt in my body, and proceeded to rouse the others, including, through I was hesitant, Bryan. Checking my wrist-chronometer, I noticed that we had slept for only three hours, but I reckoned Anya was right in waking us since we had no time to waste. I drank the last few drops from my water canister and regretted for not taking any food from Marine HQ. Bryan had already eaten his ration and Daniel had been just as forgetful as I was. I looked behind me and was again surprised to find myself staring at a seamless metal wall - nothing hinted at the presence of a concealed access-port open only to the ‘ghostwalkers’. I wondered how many other imperial ships they had ‘taken residence’ in and why our encounter hadn’t met a bloody end. Perhaps they thought we were ethereal beings since we had passed their boobytraps unscathed? Or was it the strange device that had kept them from killing us? Perhaps they had sensed our mission and approved of our cause…

Either way, we took our things and carefully unsealed the door leading out of the chamber. Daniel peered out into the completely dark corridor with the help of a flashlight and give us the all-clear sign. We moved out, Anya following us after some time since she had to go tinkle. Me and Bryan had to convince Daniel first, that despite the Tyranid threat lurking behind every corner, a girl has to have some privacy. We then proceeded, following the directions issued by the holo-projector, along the corridor and then further to yet another set of hallways, which were, to our convenience, partially lit. We then took a right turn and just as the holo-projector stated, we found ourselves in a derelict canteen. Some of the tables had been upturned, but the rest were intact. Several dark doorways lead to adjacent chambers. I approached the counter and was pleased to find four of the seven mini-fridges operational. I gestured for the others to follow and noticed their pleased expressions seeing the food. I yanked the fridge doors open and grabbed the various snacks throwing some of them over to Daniel, Bryan and Anya. Tearing off the wrappers, I bit into the delicacy and munched my breakfast with a newfound joy.

We sat around one of the tables and while having breakfast, tossed some of the cool drinks into our backpacks for later. “The warpfield maintenance station isn’t far from here”, I said pointing to the holo-projector I had set on the table. “And judging by how quiet things are here, I think this sector of the ship is fairly fine.” “I don’t know.”, Daniel replied between mouthfuls of chocolate. “Things are too quiet in my opinion - we haven’t encountered a Tyranid since half a day. I wonder where they all are?” He then stood up. “I don’t like this place. We best get moving.” He had already shouldered his backpack and begun to walk toward the other end of the canteen as I went after him. “Daniel! Everything is fine; there’s no need for such haste!” I called after him. “He’s right.”, Bryan replied. “We’ve been through so much since two days, why won’t you grant us at least some rest?” Daniel turned around, his expression grim. “Because we have only one day left to kill every damn bug on this ship before reentry to normal space.”, he growled. “Unless of course, you have forgotten that in the course of this - field trip…” Bryan jumped over the table and pointed his Boltpistol at Daniel. “Don’t….insult…me.”, he roared. I stepped between them. “Enough. I know all of us are under lots of stress. But we’re only making things worse. I think we should all just calm down to…”
BANG
A dull explosion was heard in the distance, somewhere in the bowels of the ship and the vibration sent us all falling to the ground. “Shit.”, Bryan cursed and reached for his pistols. As he proceeded to stand up again, he found himself staring into the barrel of Daniel’s Hellgun. “We’re even.”, Daniel smirked and then left. Bryan scrambled to his feet, but then slipped and crashed into a table which had been put up to its side. He had slipped on hundreds of little bullet casings. “What the hell?” Hellgun at the ready, I kept walking backwards until my back touched the counter. Looking behind I was horrified to find the bloody remains of the barmaid. Bryan looked behind the tables that had been pushed over to the side and was shocked to see even more human corpses. “Holy shit. They’re here.”, he whispered. At that moment gunfire erupted from the corridors beyond the cafeteria’s exit. “Quickly! We must go!”, Bryan yelled. “WAIT!” Daniel screamed. “Where’s Anya?”
The girl had disappeared.
I looked around but she was nowhere to be seen. “Come on Daniel we have to go!” I yelled and beckoned for him to come. His face was contorted with indecision. At last he gave in, shouldered his Hellgun and followed me and Bryan. We ran through the deserted cafeteria and out into the next hallway. Thats when the Genestealers were upon us. Three…no five…and another one from the ceiling raced at us with relentless speed and primal aggression. “FIRE!”, I yelled and me and Daniel’s Hellguns shot beams of searing laser, cutting through the limbs of the first two assailants like butter. Dark liquid sprayed onto the floor and the creatures writhed in pain. Bryan’s Boltpistol and Pulsepistol finished off the beasts before they could reach us. But there wee three more monsters to go. I slammed a fresh power pack into my Hellgun and shot through the skull of the third Genestealer. Its head exploded in a grotesque display of flesh, bone splinters and blood. And Daniel shot, but missed the fourth one. Then they were upon us. We barely had time to grab our combat knives.

I still remember the speed and skill with which those razorsharp claws cut through my flak armor like paper and stripped me off my protection. A lunged at its face with my blade, but the Genestealer’s clenching jaws bit through it with ease. The alien intelligence behind those pitch black eyes noticed my fear. The Genestealer might have had the skill to impale me then and there, but in its sadism, it wanted to expose my soft, naked skin before landing the killing blow. Time seemed to have slowed down. My arms were pinned by its limbs and I had my back against the wall.With nothing anymore to protect me from its claws, the Genestealer exposed its set of needle-like teeth in a grin; saliva dripping on my skin. And then the grip of its claws on my arms tightened to near dismemberment as the Genestealer was shredded to bloody carnage by gunfire right before my eyes. Screaming, I tore the claws from my arms, blood spurting from the deep wounds they had caused. My armor was shredded, my fatigues torn, exposing my chest, which, as I noticed, was covered in sweat and the remains of the Genestealer. I scrambled to my feet and shook it off with disgust and was then surprised to see Brutus, dual Hellguns smoking. Valkyrie finished off the last Genestealer with a headshot from her Autopistol and then approached me. “Glad to see you two’ve make it!”, I breathed. “Wheres the rest of your team? Jack, James and John?” Brutus shook his head. “The captain was right.”, he said in his deep voice. “The direct route we took was full of Genestealers. These creatures are multiplying at an alarming rate. No matter how many we killed, two more replaced them. Thats how we lost Jack, James and John. Valkyrie and I thought you lot had been eaten by those bastards in the service conduits. Where that other chap of your team? Kosnik, I believe?”
“Killed In Action”, I replied warily. “Didn’t even have the chance to get to know him properly.” I was then surprised as Valkyrie came extremely close to me; to the point where I could feel her body up against mine. Then I noticed what she was doing: wrapping bandages around my bleeding chest. And she wrapped them so tightly I could barely breathe. “That’ll make sure you won’t kick the bucket in the middle of nowhere.”, she said and left to tend to Daniel and Bryan, who hadn’t suffered as much as I had, but were under shock nonetheless. Locked in close combat with a Genestealer isn’t very comfortable.

With Jack, James and John in the mercy of the Emperor, me and Daniel were the only surviving members of our Stormtrooper squad from Lyraen Minoris. And I did not know when the clock would stop ticking for us…

Inter-Galactic Transport: Day 9

With a splash I landed in a puddle of what I hope was merely dirty water, Hellgun at the ready. Ignoring the slimy substance dripping from my face, I gave the sign for the others that the way was clear. The service corridor had become more and more cluttered as we had made our way down to the warpfield maintenance station. Entire sections were now filled with broken machinery of which we could only guess the function, the railtrack was pulled clear off the floor in several places adding to our feeling of growing unease. One thing was certain though; with every step we were getting more and more boxed in, another ambush would be disastrous. In the hope of preventing this we were now advancing in slow pace one after another, ever vigilant.

Holo-projector tapped to my Hellgun, I had taken the lead. Though depicting this place as much smaller, the projector had at least sent us in the right direction and with still no bugs in sight we had regained some of our confidence. But confidence in itself is never enough to ward of the crippling effect of exhaustion, we had been walking, mostly running, for an entire day now. I felt my thoughts slowly drifting away, away to my sweet Claudette. The chaos of the last few days had kept me pre-occupied, but for some reason I could not get her off my mind. Emperor willing she would still be alive, I ho…….

With a silent clink of metal the device underneath my foot began to pulsate, in a heartbeat my concentration returned to me. The image of the sliced-in-half Genestealer fresh in my mind I gazed down slowly as my breathing accelerated. From beneath my heavy boot a dim flickering light penetrated the murky water we’d been threading through for hours now.

“Get a move on”, I heard Bryan whispering behind me. Not that I really listened, I was rather preoccupied with whatever it was I was standing on. Nothing had happened to me yet, so I figured I was dealing with a pressure sensitive trigger mechanism. “Don’t tell me there’s another one of those ghostwalkers out here”, Bryan said as he kneeled down next to me. “No. It’s another boobytrap.”, I replied pointing down as Bryan quickly took two steps back, his expression grim. Daniel who was following not far behind him with Anya, had also realized that something was happening as he pushed the girl into a small hiding place while he took up a position to cover our backs.

“Now what?” Bryan asked. “Well it isn’t triggered by biosigns of proximity….as you just demonstrated quite nicely”, I replied with a healthy dose of sarcasm in my voice. “Try and see if you can get by me without touching me, that way at least the rest of you’ll be able to make it out of this place.” With a nod he slowly crept past me and gestured Daniel to move up. Now caring Anya on his back he walked up to me, clearly exhausted by dragging around the girl through all this rubble. “Both of you move on, I have a bit of a situation here I need to sort out first”. Before I could further explain he looked down into the water where the dim, pulsating light could be detected. “What do you mean ‘move on’, we’re not leaving you behind!”, he stated while Anya nodded in agreeance, “We’ll fix this, just like everything until now!”
“Look we have no time to argue here, get past me and then we’ll figure this one out. Please just ge..”. Bryan interrupted me as he ordered Daniel and the girl to get to him and with much hesitation he did just that. All the while Anya’s eyes were locked to mine.

Turning to Bryan again I tossed my Hellgun and ammo belt with the remaining powerpacks in his direction as Daniel and Anya moved ahead, no point in wasting precious equipment. How ironic that all that cold, disciplined training was the only thing keeping us going. My legs were shaking from the tension.
“Give me the crystal device, it may be a way to deactivate this thing”, I said.
“Perhaps, yet this does not look like a very favorable situation my friend. There’s no guarantee it will work and I would never forgive myself if my trophy would be lost as well ” Bryan replied mockingly as he searched his right pocket for the device. A few seconds later he tossed it my way as he turned around to join Daniel and Anya. I barely managed to catch it without losing balance.

Holding the device with four fingers I moved it closer to the triggering mechanism I was standing on, the closer it came the more intense the light became until both of them produced a silent echoing sound. My face was covered with sweat as I realised these could possibly be the last seconds of my life.

A few clicks later the boobytrap stopped pulsating; falling to my knees I was finally able to breathe normally again. Until I saw another light to my left that was. Moving the ghostwalker’s device closer I realized it could detect any other traps. Crawling over the rumble to my right I rejoined the others, grabbing my weapon back from Bryan who seemed to find the entire situation rather amusing.

Using the crystal device we ventured onwards, fully realizing just how lucky we’d been as we encountered more and more boobytraps. One by one they lit up as we got closer to them, as if they were more hidden beacons than actual boobytraps. We eventually made our way to the next junction chamber which would lead us to the warpfield maintenance chamber, only to find it filled with half-broken machineries and segments which must have come from all over the ship. There were fragments of Imperial technology everywhere, all interwoven into Emperor knows what. Our sight was largely obscured due to the sheer quantity of clutter and the powercables that ran through the entire hallway. Rumbling through the clutter I found a dusty Autopistol, with a half-empty magazine. As any ammo would help, I made sure the safety lock was intact and then put it in my pocket.

Half an hour of climbing and dodging more deathtraps later, we made it to the other side of the hallway, only to find our way out blocked by a huge wall of scavenged metal. The pieces were somehow welded together to form a wall segment which was filled with runes, sigils and small gemstones. Upon closer examination with the crystal device the entire, what I believe to be a story, lit up our surroundings. Writing filled the entire wall, with gemstones pulsating with different colours and intensities it was a marvel to behold. Depictions of encounters with Xenos races, planets and who know what more were all chronicled on the wall, disturbingly though not a single segment included a clear depiction of our ‘ghostwalker’. Amon the Xenos encounters, I could make out the sleek and disturbingly graceful forms of the Eldar - an ancient,sentient dying race that sailed the voids with the remains of their once vast, inter-stellar Empire in the form of gigantic ships called “Craftworlds” - housing millions of their kin and self-sustainable for thousands of years. Though scattered throughout the scene, blurred forms could be found on the very edges, most of them appearing to be no more than accidental blemishes on a masterpiece. As if they were glaring into the lives of those other races, yet were condemned to live in the shadows themselves. Grabbing the device from my hand Bryan stepped up to the wall touching the gemstones in the hopes of finding some way past it as the rest of us took a break.

Impatiently bashing buttons and gemstones he missed the large powercable that was just rising from the murky water that seemed to be everywhere in this junkyard of a hallway. Landing headfirst in the water the rest of us could not avoid laughing as he got back up again soaking wet. “That’s right laugh, just don’t expect me to show you any sympathy any time soon!” he grunted in our direction as he tried to wipe of some of the filth that now covered most of his lower body. Grabbing his Hellgun, which Emperor be praised was water resistant, he plowed through the water to pick up the glowing crystal device that was sent flying. Then all of us saw it at the same time, the light of the device was reflecting of something which shouldn’t be there. “Ghostwalker”, Anya cried out as the creature turned around on its tracks and fled, Bryan and the rest of us following in pursuit as I hastily grabbed the creature’s device.

A few rubble piles later we turned the corner only to find a dead end, there was no way out as even the walls were bent, most likely caused by some ancient damage the vessel had suffered. Holding Anya’s arm in one hand and Hellgun in the other, Daniel whispered to us, “This thing has to be in here, can’t we just seal this off and get the Grox out of here? We don’t need another enemy!” “Are you insane”, Bryan responded. “You saw what the other one did to those Genestealers and if it hadn’t been for that girl we would have suffered the exact same fate!”

Firing a warning shot, Bryan advanced through the rubble of wire and machine, “We know you’re in here, there’s no point in hiding. Why not show yourself and at least die a worthy death?” Astonished he looked at me as I put my hand on his Hellgun, gently pointing it down as I nodded in disagreement. Crystal in hand I stepped forward towards the silent stumbling I could hear coming from the corner. And only with the greatest of concentration I could dissert a shape hiding in the darkness, though my attention seemed to be pushed away whenever I tried to look directly at its head. “We mean you no harm”, I softly said as I got closer and closer to the creature, it’s size no bigger than Anya it was clear that this must be an infant. I don’t know why I did this, but somewhere deep inside me, I knew that this creature could get us out of this labyrinth in time, and killing it wouldn’t make things better.

“That’s it”, Bryan shouted as he stepped past me ready to fire his weapon, “This abomination will not trick us any further!”. I had no choice but to stop him the rough way, stepping aside I grabbed his Hellgun with one hand while I planted the other firmly in his abdomen. Gasping for air he once more fell back landing into the murky water. Behind him Daniel seemed uncertain what to do as he aimed his Hellgun up. Bryan rose up out of the water, fury burning in his eyes as he drew his ornate knife ready to charge me.

But before he could do so Anya drew our attention as she shouted “Ghostwalkers”. Turning around we could see several shimmering shapes standing behind us, some of them even clinging on to the very walls, but all of them pointing their claw-like weapons in our direction. Expecting a quick death I closed my eyes as I silently uttered one final prayer to the immortal Emperor, and for once it seems that prayer was answered. Yet after a few seconds nothing happened, so I opened my eyes to see Bryan still kneeling down in the water, knife no longer in hand, but no calmer. Daniel had his Hellgun aimed at the creatures as he tried to hide Anya behind him. A single ‘ghostwalker’ stepped forward as it whispered forth what I imagine is a language, but I certainly could not decipher it. It quickly became apparent that it was not addressed at one of us, as the little one behind us jumped to the wall and raced to the protection of the leader who had kept its weapon firmly aimed at us the entire time.

Though I cannot be certain, I believe I witnessed both of them communicate about our situation for a scant few seconds before the leader turned its attention to us once more. Lowering its arm it produced another crystal device from its shimmering shape, another crystal mechanism was now laying in its opened claw. With the other hand it pointed at us, then the device and finally itself. Staring down to the device I was holding in my hand, I realized it wanted it back, presumably the crystal held some sort of significance to these creatures. Holding it out I must have accidentally been holding it with only four fingers, because it began to glow once more and the leader took a surprised step backwards as its own device did the exact same.

Taking a step forward, I addressed the creatures who still had their weapons locked on us, “Take it, we meant to disrespect in trespassing through this place. The death of your comrade was regrettable, yet his actions saved our lives”. Waiting for a reaction I was fully aware that this creature would most likely not be able to understand me and even if it did, informing it of the death of a comrade was an mistake that might cost us dearly.

As if in doubt the leader looked left and right to the other ‘ghostwalkers’ standing behind it, all of them nodding in agreement. Slowly and very weary it stepped forward, taking the device from my hand in a gentle manner I had not sought. Stepping past its comrades, it turned towards the writing-filled wall, holding both crystals it produced an eerie high sound. And as if from nowhere an access-port became visible, another order later its men slowly stepped back. Some out of sight, others merely climbing higher unto the walls. With another claw gesture it pointed towards the door and nodded in my direction. And for a second I could have sworn that I looked directly into its big, black eyes. Grabbing Bryan, who immediately pushed me off to walk by himself and Daniel, who was still shielding Anya with his body, we moved towards the doorway. Carrying both my own and Bryan’s Hellgun we moved forward and eventually through the hole in the wall, weary of both what might lie behind and what the ‘ghostwalkers’ would do once we’d gone through.

Walking backwards to avoid any new surprises, I was the last one to walk through the access-port. The last thing I saw before the entrance disappeared again was the creatures’ leader holding both crystals to its chest. And with a flash of light the access-port was gone, no door seams, no cabling, nothing. Turning around I fell to my knees from exhaustion, though not letting my guard down as I knew Bryan had a score to settle. Yet that would have to wait for later as I could see his exhausted body laying against the bulkhead; the ordeals of the last two days had completely drained him.

Grabbing me beneath my arms, Daniel dragged me to the other bulkhead as he placed his backpack behind me, “Well that was something you don’t see every day. Think it is best if we get some rest, and you really need to regain some strength my friend.” “We do seem to have a knack for running into these kinds of situations, don’t we?”, I replied. Grabbing the rest of the equipment together Daniel dropped down next to me, Anya still by his side. Fiddling with the holo-projector, he turned to me. “Well there is some good looks like we’re right on track. Few bulkheads and corridors and we’ll be at the warpfield maintenance station, brother-captain Voltaire would be proud…..if he’s still alive that is.”

“We can only hope so”, I responded before I fell asleep, my body and mind too exhausted to care about what might be out there.

Inter-Galactic Transport: Day 8 – 3rd Entry

Covering my mouth with a piece of cloth to prevent breathing in the putrid smell of his decaying form I was hunched over the body of our new assailant. Perhaps not the smartest thing to do giving the circumstances, but I cared not as this creature was fascinating. Slightly smaller than a human, yet humanoid in shape this thing had managed to remain completely invisible until it decided to reveal itself. But even when visible its true form remained a mystery, the entire body was covered in layers of clothing and filth. In fact the only parts of its physiology that could be seen with the bare eye were its large, almost black eyes, its small, razor-sharp teeth and the four fingers on its left arm.

But despite its primitive, ghastly appearance the creature, dubbed ghostwalker by Daniel, had some amazing technology and devices on its person. The source of its cloaking abilities still escape me, though his very cloths may very well be the source of this amazing skill. Its right arm however, was much more puzzling. While the rest of the body was covered by filth and was rapidly decaying, its lower right arm and hand because much more visible as the tissue liquefication revealed a type of cybernetic augmentation or replacement of the lower arm. Its claw like weapon seemed to directly link up to these enhancements and the twisted tubes that disappeared into the putrid mess that now formed its body.

Further investigation revealed another interesting find, kept in a surprisingly clean satchel we found a long, stretched device. What its purpose may be is anyone’s guess, but Bryan has taken a particular liking to it as his newest ‘trophy’. The device is inscribed with long series of rune like symbols, identical to those on the next hatchdoor. By accident we discovered that it responds by shimmering a soft blue light, when touched with only four digits on the blank side.

But enough of this, we have a mission and hopefully a chance to survive this mess. Turning to my right I could see that Daniel and Bryan were already attempting to open the final door into the ship’s original maintenance corridor. Just left of them sat the little girl, who after 15 minutes of comforting by Daniel had told us her name – Anya. And for what she had endured over the last three weeks she was holding it together better than the rest of us.

“This damn thing won’t open”, Bryan shouted as he kicked the servicehatchet to emphasize his point. “Be quite you idiot, there could be more of those things out there” Daniel replied. “If there would have been more we would be dead by now”, Bryan whispered ironically as he once more hit the control panel next in the centre of the hatch. Suddenly an idea struck him, searching through his pockets he eventually found the ghostwalker’s crystal device. Holding it with four fingers he moved it closer to the door, the device slowly emanating more and more light until the runes on the hatch one by one started to glow as well. With a violent click the double lock on the hatched released, sending a wave of old, dusty air in our direction. Hellguns ready Bryan and Daniel stepped into the corridor, we’d finally made it.

Holding Anya by the hand I followed them inside, the air was moist and smelled like a groxhound in midsummer on Inferius Prime. To the left and the right of us we could see three great corridors leading away into the darkness, if the schematics were right they went down the entire length of the ship, connecting up to nearly every vital system. Littered with debris, ancient tech and row upon row of powercables strung through the hallways as if a giant spider had made it its home. Still holding the crystal device Bryan took the lead down the center corridor, following the now de-activated transport rail towards the warpfield maintenance station.

As we ventured deeper and deeper into the ancient bowels of the ship we could not help but feeling watched. Most likely it was nothing more than our imagination, the ghostwalker would probably just be a lone stowaway. But what if he was not, what if the Tyranids are just one of two threats?

Inter-Galactic Transport: Day 8 – 2nd Entry

The few hours of rest hardly had any effect on us. Hunted, outnumbered and as good as lost, none of us really got any chance to rest, our gaze mostly locked on the adamantium armour door of the storage cell we were in. After two and a half hours I gave the order to move out once more, both Bryan and Daniel immediately responding. Bryan in front we proceeded in standard formation, knowing very well that our gruesome death could lay around every corner.

We eventually made it to a massive intersection with two corridors, one leading to the left and one to the right, each with hundreds of power cables, couplings, piping and other unknown pieces of machinery aligning their walls. Me and Daniel halted in our tracks after noticing Bryan who had been walking eight metres ahead of us had suddenly stopped. Looking from left to right he stood there for a few seconds that seemed like minutes, until he silently called us to him with a subtle hand gesture.

“We got a problem gents. This frigging map is as accurate as a grox hound on Helinian ale. There isn’t even supposed to be an intersection here, so what do we do?”, he said looking at me. “Oh just great, so now we’re officially lost as well”, Daniel replied. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“We’ll there’s no point in standing in the open here, we should keep moving”, I said to the both of them. “Lets try the right corridor and see if we can’t find another storage cell so we can orientate ourselves”. With eyebrow raised, Bryan responded, “And why right, why not left?”. Heavily irritated I mockingly said “Fine, you want to go left, then we’ll go left!”. The frustration and angst had begun to manifest themselves in each and everyone of us; the once determined feelings we had regarding the execution of our mission had given away to doubt and annoyance. And with that our journey through the mazelike bowels of the ship continued.

For what seemed an eternity we marched through semi-lit hallways and corridors, each the same as the last one, yet with time each one seemed to turn darker and more ominous. From time to time we heard lasfire in the distance, yet each time we reached its point of origin we found nothing more than spent powerpacks and dead crewmembers or guards. We were once more no longer alone and this time there was nowhere to run, hell we didn’t even know where we were.

“I got it, I know where we are!”, Bryan whispered at us. “Five more corridors and a quick track through the maintenance passageway and we should be at the ship’s original, ancient service conduit”. His arrogant smile whipped off his face almost immediately as more weapons’ firing echoed from around the next corner. Rushing to the corridor’s side we dove into cover as we saw three guardsmen and two crewmen rushing past the intersection, firing wildly behind them. A fourth one finally rushed by, walking backwards he was completely unaware of the rumble on the deck that sent him flying. It made little difference as his assailants were already on him. Before he had even fallen over completely a Genestealer landed on him, the force of the impact crushing the guardsman’s bones into the deckplating as two more Stealers joined in the bloody carnage.

Letting out a scream of hatred Bryan rushed past me, krak grenade in hand. My attempts to stop him failed completely as rage consumed him entirely, the blast of the grenade would alarm everybody and everything within half a mile, and importantly, to our exact location. He hurled the grenade directly into the middle of the three gathered Genestealers, who immediately responded by hissing in our direction. But before they could do anything the ensuing explosion sent them flying. One was instantly killed by the blast, its lower body a mangled pile of guts. The other two ended up almost on top of Bryan, both swirling with pain. Though they need not count on sympathy from Bryan who mercilessly took both out with his twin pistols.

While a scolding would have been very appropriate we couldn’t waste any time, for we could already hear screaming coming from the direction the other three guardsmen had fled. Rushing to the maintenance corridor mere hallways ahead of us we threw all caution to the wind, we were more considered with what we knew was coming for us then what might be awaiting us.

A few corners later we came to a heavily reinforced door - locked. Cursing and swearing, Bryan started bashing in codes on the touchpad of the security panel, while both me and Daniel took up defensive positions behind the scant cover we could find, aiming our Hellhuns into the darkness. The shouting and gunfire behind us was getting closer and closer, though new sounds were now present as well. Somebody was crying.

“Get that thing open Bryan!”, Daniel shouted as he slammed a fresh powerpack into his lasgun after noticing the previous one was depleted. Then the guardsmen came into view, the noise of their weapons could not mask the horror of what was following in their wake as the noise of razorsharp claws cutting into the deck plating echoed through the hallway.

“Got it!” came from behind us as the door into the maintenance corridor opened up with a great creaking noise. As the three of us went through it we could see the others being cut down as they desperately tried to reach the door. Then suddenly the source of the crying became apparent, one of the crewmen was carrying as small girl with him. “We have to help them!” Daniel shouted as he ran back in as the last lasfire died in just out of sight. Firing into the black and the sounds of scuttling we grabbed the man and the child .

As we rushed back through the doorway Bryan hit the emergency lock next to the door, quick thinking but not fast enough. As one Genestealer was cut in half by the sheer force of the closing door another one squeezed through cutting down the crewman in the process. Another strike ruptured the fuel hose of my flamer, forcing my to dump this deathtrap. Hitting the beast over the head with the fuel canister I sent it reeling back as Daniel fired at it pointblank again and again while tightly holding on to the weeping girl. “Hit the canister!”, I shouted as I threw the whole thing at the Genestealer. Two Hellgun shouts later a fireblast ensued, throwing us all backwards as the heatwave hit us head-on. Nothing was left of the beast but ooze and a few talon pieces.

Breathing heavily we looked at each other, amazed we’d all made it. While Daniel checked how the girl was doing and Bryan reloaded all his weapons, I took in the surroundings. The corridor we were in was massive, over six meters wide going up at least a dozen levels. And it was then that I realized just how big a mess we were in, all maintenance hatches and cooling vents of all those decks connected to this corridor. And those damn bugs were definitely smart enough to discover this as well. Shouting to the others I started to run to the other end of the corridor, knowing that somewhere halfway down this thing the access door to the ancient service corridor could be found, hopefully. The girl was now crying louder than ever, the sheer horror of what might await us completely overwhelming her. Daniel tried to comfort her while he was running, but in all reality all of us were mere seconds removed from loosing all of our courage as well. He then held her mouth shut with his palm in a desperate attempt to ensure the lingering of our own sanity.

Lagging behind us Daniel suddenly called us back, having found the access point. Still holding the now silent girl he frantically started to work the control panel as both Bryan and me tried to cover his back. Most likely with more luck than skill he managed to unlock it, but as the doors opened an excruciating sound echoed through the hallway. Its sharp, high pitched sound cutting deep into our minds. Looking around we quickly found the source of the noise and a quick pistol shot from Bryan solved the problem. Somebody had wired a bizarre looking bit of machinery directly into the power coupling on the left of the door. The device looked fragile at best, made out of dozens of small parts and bits. A close inspection by Bryan merely led to it falling apart completely.

But as expected we were rudely interrupted by the noise of metal being scratched and bent and we could see movement in the levels above us. Rushing through the door I told Daniel to take the girl and go first while me and Bryan would close the door. Jumping down from the fourth level above us the first Genestealer made it to us, our combined fire barely strong enough to bring it down. There was no way to shut the door, the circuit had been fried when the device was activated. We had no choice but to make a run for it and hope that we would find another way to slow them down inside.

The ancient service corridor was littered with rumbled and half shattered machines, but we could see another doorway roughly 20 metres in the distance. Daniel was already trying to open the damn thing as four more Genestealers rushed in behind us. The last one to entire the room landed on what must have been a booby trap, which activated a plasma powered shield that instantly fried the beast and prevented any more from coming in. I was certain we were done for, until suddenly a new element was thrown into the situation.

Coming from the shadows of the room a creature leapt forward, the air around it seemed to shimmer, obscuring its true form. The first shot of its clawlike weapon blew away the left leg of the Genestealer closest to me, my Hellgun finishing off the job. Flickering in the dim light it attacked the remaining two Genestealers with its weapon, now wielding it in a talonlike fashion. One was instantly struck down, the second was launched into the bulkheads. Getting back to its feet the Genestealer stalled, seemingly weakened by the attack, only to collapse a few seconds later. Gargling and spitting forth slime, it stopped moving.

With the Stealers dead, the creature turned its attention back to us, but before it could strike, a single lasgun round pierced its head. Looking back towards the source of the shot both me and Bryan looked with amazement at the little girl who was holding the still smoking weapon of Daniel who was still frantically ramming the control panel. Her face was grim, streams of dried tears running down her cheeks.

An inspection of this new enemy revealed little information, its entire body was covered in filthy cloths. It appeared very fragile as well, it was already deteriating at an extremely fast pace, preventing us from gaining any deep insights into what it was we were dealing with. So that is it, we’re stuck here - the three of us, this mysterious girl and hardly any ammo.
Daniel has suggested we take a short break before moving on. I’m surprised at the amount of detail I could remember of what happened during the last few hours as I pen this entry into my journal, while Bryan is smoking beside me; all of us still recovering from the recent events. The little girl refuses to speak to us, let alone even tell us her name. She’s sitting opposite me, legs drawn up and hugging her knees, her face hidden behind her long hair. I’m guessing she must be ten. At least we have made it past the Tyranid threat, but who knows what lies beyond this door filled with weird scribblings.

And what has happened to the other team and the other survivors?

Inter-Galactic Transport: Day 8

It was only after a few scant hours when those of us that were given the ‘honor’ of reaching the warpfield maintenance station were rudely awakened by our fellow survivors. Seems like they were eager enough to remind us of the importance of our mission…..though they themselves seemed far from interested in joining us. After grabbing a quick bite from the rather tasteless ration packs that some of the vicis were cooking up, we reported to Brother-Captain Voltaire.

A small group of stormtroopers had gathered in the Brother-Captain’s chambers, formerly the personal quarters of the Ship’s captain who had been killed early yesterday. It was a clean, simple room, with no more comforts than a bed bunk and two large closets with shelves. On them still laid the reminders of the man that had called this ship his home for nearly 2 solar years. After a few seconds another soldier entered the room, I immediately recognized it was Bryan. The Brother-Captain turned to the gathered men, apparently the eight of us there were all he had summoned.

Seemingly untouched by the lack of sleep the Brother-Captain spoke to us as he activated a small holo-projector. “Alright men, you already know what needs to be done here. The maintenance station must to be secured, the problem however is getting there in one piece.” After tapping a few small buttons the holo-projector sprung to life, forming a three-dimensional likeness of the Imperial Cruiser in a matter of seconds. “Four of you will take the direct route to the station”, he continued as the holographic image revealed more and more of the ship’s mazelike interior as it zoomed in on our current location.

“The other four”, he continued looking at me, “will gain access to the ship’s old service conduits which lead through the entire length of the vessel”. With arrogance always at the tip of his tongue Bryan interrupted: “Forgive me Brother-Captain, but what possible good can four men crawling through bug infested tubes do? And why only the eight of us, there are plenty of other soldiers here. We could easily storm the place.”

“Really now, so you would have us give up our only defendable position in favor of a head first charge into Emperor knows what”, snapped Voltaire who was clearly not amused by Bryan’s interruption and tone. “I’m sending you all to scout out two different routes to the maintenance station. Given that it is most near certain that contact was lost due to this Xenos infection the direct path is most likely compromised. The service conduits have only a few access points, with the main corridor being completely sealed. Save for a few old links to vital systems, systems like the warpfield station. Now make haste. According to the deceased navigator aboard our ship, the warp travel lasts only 10 days from Lyraen Minoris to the closest Imperial planet we’re heading to - Agricola IV. We only have two more days left to cleanse the Tyranid filth that’s aboard our ship or I cannot risk landing on Agricola IV due to the Genestealers alerting the Hivemind on the planet’s location. On the other hand, if the Genestealers destroy the warpfield maintenance systems, our ship’s Geller Field will fail and we’re all doomed. That being said, good luck.”

And with that we were sent out once more into the darkness of the ship’s hallways, all in the desperate hopes that one of us would reach the station. I bade farewell to Claudette, who I had found along with a couple of other women yesterday evening. We had only exchanged a couple of words; she is still in a deep state of shock. Alas, Emperor protect her.

Daniel, Bryan, some chap name Kosnik and myself would have to locate an old service access point and the link to the ship’s original maintenance corridor that laid within. Though Bryan was clearly not pleased with our assignment he had taken the lead, followed closely by Kosnik. Daniel was walking next to me, nervously glaring over his shoulder every few steps.

Between the four of us we had a healthy helping of ammunition, including five frag grenades and two small promethium tanks for my flamer. Beyond that we had scavenged every useful bit we could get our hands on before we left the relative safety of Marine HQ. After our last encounter with nothing less than a Malanthrope I definitely wanted to be prepared for every damn possible thing.

“Where do you figure he got that little trinket?”, Daniel asked grinning as he pointed towards the holo-projector Bryan was holding. “I really don’t get how we’re supposed to get through this in one piece, mate. Even if we make it past all the nasties, there’s no way we’ll be able to find that corridor. That map used a cruiser production blueprint and this botched up baby is certainly not fresh off the assembly line”. He softly tapped one of the hallway supports to demonstrate his point, the thing giving away a good inch. “See what I mean”.

“Keep up you two, we’ve got a good day’s walk ahead of us. We have to keep moving and I am not waiting for you” Bryan whispered back at us. Something that didn’t fall well with Daniel, which led to a quiet, but heated argument between the two of them. If I hadn’t been for a guest dropping in I’m certain things would have gotten nasty between the both of them.

We were interrupted by a scream, followed by high pitched squealing coming from round the next corner. Years of training kicked in as the four of us forgot our argument whiling taking tactical positions to cover our approach as well as our backs. Re-checking the tank I pulled out the low-tech flamer I had found earlier this morning. ‘Short controlled burst’ kept echoing through my head as I carefully turned the corner, Kosnik following closely behind me.

Though the lighting was dim I could clearly make out a shape a good 12 meters down the hallway, bent over what I suspected was a fresh corpse. As I slowly closed in, finger on the trigger, I could make out the distinctive shape of a Stealer. Its back turned towards me we kept sneaking closer and closer, mere seconds away from a healthy serving of toasted bug. But then the beast screamed out in pain as it was shot pointblank with a laspistol. Launching itself to the right side of the hallway the Stealer fled with frightening speed and it did so in our direction. Flamer bursting I shouted for Bryan and Daniel to get over here as Kosnik fired his lasgun again.

Daniel tripped over another body that was hidden in the shadows as he stormed into the hallway, while Bryan unleashed a firestorm of searing hot blue and red shots from his pulsepistol and boltpistol. How the three of us managed to miss this bugger so often still escapes me. The damn thing used its claws to dig into the walls and ceiling, smashing me to the floor while it attempted to escape through an air vent. Grabbing my flamer off the floor Kosnik ran after the beast as it ripped apart an air vent in the ceiling. Nothing is going to get away from an up close and personal encounter with my flamer, especially if it makes the job easy by scuttling into a tight place!

The smell of toasted bug still fresh in our noises we turned out attention back to the beast’s victim. “Perhaps we should give this one a pass”, Daniel whispered as we approached the body. Reaching the body Kosnik kicked away the Laspistol as the rest of us investigated the bleeding, hooded man on the floor. But it seems that no good deed goes unpunished.

As Daniel kneeled next to the heavily wounded man searching for his flashlight, ‘it’ revealed its true nature. The hood slipped back as it stirred, revealing a hideous mixture of Tyranid and human features. Lunging forward it completely caught us by surprise, clawing and biting it landed on Kosnik who desperately tried to kick himself free. More pulsepistol shots echoed through the hallway as Bryan intervened. The first shots kicking it free from Kosnik, the second and third finishing it off and the fourth and fifth were for good measure. Stepping up to its corpse he fired a final shot into the beast’s head and it burst open.

Heart still pounding I looked at Kosnik, or what was left of him. His armour was ridden with deep claw marks, most of them penetrating the plating completely. He was still coughing up blood through what mere seconds ago had been his mouth and throat. Daniel and I tried, but it was of no use, the wounds were to serious, the blood loss to great. With a grim face Bryanapproached the writhing bloddied figure and pulled the trigger of his boltpistol to end the suffering. Emperor bless his soul and sacrifice!

Turning to Daniel who was still hovering over this new assailant’s body I gave the order to gather up our supplies and move out. The calm with which I did it honestly frightens me to this moment. But then again we had no choice, we had to get to the maintenance station, we had to keep this ship protected from the even greater monstrosities that called the Void their home.

After another two hours of walking, two hours that felt like two years, we’ve come across a secured supplies cache. We need to rest, we need to stay sharp. Especially after the trap those bugs laid for use earlier today. It feels like they were merely toying with us, testing us. The two of them combined could have wiped out of small group if they would have ambushed me. To make matters worse if this creature was indeed as I suspected one of the Genestealer Cult members that were captured it would mean that the lot of them could be free. Roaming the same hallways we’re making our way through. What scared me most is that these Cult members possessed far higher intelligence than their pure-blooded kin and could thus get into the maintenance station and..no. NO. We have no time to lose.

Still we need to keep pushing forward, if the holo-projector is correct we should be able to reach the old maintenance access in roughly another two hours. However, there is no way of telling what will be in there. For all we know the Tyranids got in there as well, if that is the case we’ve really had it. And Emperor know what the other team must have run into by now, we were supposed to be following the safer route. Perhaps Bryan was right when he called this a foolhardy endeavour………

Inter-Galactic Transport:Day 7 (3rd entry)

We ran. We ran like we’d never run before. The Malanthrope’s apparent psychic synapse link had alerted abominations all across the ship - we could hear screams and screeches on the deck above and below us; the frenzied scuttling of claws on metal from parallel corridors with only inches of steel separating them from another. Dents appeared on either side of the corridor’s walls, as we passed by, breathing, panting. Lights went out on the ceiling ahead of us as the cables in the maintenance tracts above were severed by the presence of the aliens. Then the first one broke through the wall, but was caught in a tangle of cables that snapped and electrocuted the Tyranid as it reached for me with its mandibles. Daniel and I continued to run, gasping. As we ran we undid the safety latches on our guns, slammed fresh clips into them and checked the temperatures of the las beam. “How far?”, I yelled. “Two corridors right till we reach the stairs that take us to the deck above. From there on, it’s just a few paces.”, Daniel gasped. We turned round the corner and skidded to a halt.

Blood was splattered on the walls, the floor, everywhere. In front of us with its back turned, a Genestealer was busy devouring the gory remains of one of the ship’s crew. Blood was still spraying from the severed head. “Oh GOD!” Daniel screamed and fired into the Genestealer’s back. But it leapt upward, dug its claws into the ceiling and then leapt backwards and onto Daniel with a screech that nearly split my ear. I shook so violently, that I fired, but hit the wall instead. Daniel was screaming at the top of his voice now. He lay on the ground, keeping the creature’s snapping jaw away from him with bloody arms. Time slowed. It seemed to take an eternity for me as I turned and targeted the foul Tyranid’s bloated head. Then I pressed the trigger; the searing hot laser beam shot and the Genestealer’s head exploded, spraying black gore everywhere. I heaved the heavy, lifeless carcass aside and helped Daniel onto his feet. He was shaking, leaning against the wall as he looked bemused at his bloodied hands.
“That thing nearly killed me.”, he gasped, amazement written in his eyes. “After all we’ve been through, I didn’t know it would be this easy for them.”
He picked up his Hellgun and slung it across his shoulder.
“Daniel are you alright?”, I asked, recovering from the shocking encounter myself.
He nodded, looking elsewhere. “We best - we best get going”, he said and we set off, dazed at how close we had escaped.

We took the dark stairs and put our nightscopes on, the world turning into a green tint as we searched for aliens. Thankfully, there were none and we ascended with relief. After reaching the upper deck, we hurried along the corridors until we reached it - Marine HQ. The place where the survivors would be. The door was sealed shut and above it, an automatic Assaultcannon locked on us, but then did nothing as the sensors noticed we were human. The door hissed open and we were greeted by the muzzles of five Hellguns. The marines relaxed as they recognized us. “Thought we were the only ones.”, a marine said as he lowered his firearm. “Welcome to the last sanctuary of sanity in this godforsaken vessel.” They parted, and we saw that we were in a giant hall full of activity. The walls were lined with crates of stashed weapons, food and ammo. Large crates bearing drinks and medicinal supplies were next to the walls, pushed there to make space. The floor was full of people sitting, lying, wrapped in blankets. They were talking, crying, sleeping or having food as soldiers walked by, many of them bearing the dark stain of dried blood on their armor and fatigues.

Doors leading to an adjacent room hissed open and Brother Captain Voltaire walked out, immersed in conversation with a Grey Knight Terminator. The other was missing. He looked at us in surprise.
“Status report!”
“Sir! Third platoon wiped out. I’m the last survivor.”, Daniel breathed.
“I found him in the Library. We were ambushed there by Tyranid assailants. Genestealers, sir.”, I stated. “The have multiplied at an alarming rate. The ship’s full of them. We made for the bridge to find you, but it was deserted and there we came across a Malanthope…
“…one of the big ‘uns, sir.”, Daniel tried to explain, wiping sweat off his forehead.
“We escaped and headed this way.”, I finished.
“What happened to your squad, marine?”, Brother Captain Voltaire asked me. I shook my head. “I don’t know sir. Last time I saw them was in the Infirmary. I headed off to the librarium alone.” Brother Captain Voltaire’s features hardened at this accidental confession and I instantly knew I shouldn’t have said that.
“Deserting assigned patrol duties is an offence, marine.”, Voltaire growled and I avoided his piercing blue eyes. “But under these circumstances…” he waved us away and sighed loudly.
“Wait.”, Voltaire said, turning around. “Perhaps you should know this: Our situation is dire. What you might not know is that we had..um..captured…some beings from Lyraen before we left. Thats was the main reason why were had been sent there. The few numbers we had brought along with us wouldn’t have been any help to the Planetary Defense Forces in the first place.”
Daniel and I stood rooted, listening to every word the captain said.
“We had to capture the few members of a Genestealer Cult who had alerted the Hivemind of Lyraen Minories’ Location and deliver them to the Inquisition so that they could research and make use of this “technology” these mutated human-tyranids used to alert the Hive Mind and perhaps use it to divert the Hivemind’s attention away from potential targets of Imperial space in the future. And we did succeed, yes. We captured several of those bastards. You might have seen tall, hooded figures under tight security as we boarded this ship. As we tried to bring them to a quarantine zone, they escaped. I don’t know how they did it, but them and that lone Genestealer combined managed to create this rapidly growing Genestealer pest on our ship. Perhaps the Genestealer Cult abhumans mated with individuals from isolated civilian quarters, I don’t know. But now, the ship’s captain is dead and the bridge is derelict. What’s worse is that we’ve lost communication with the warpfield maintenance station since two hours. If the aliens destroy the electric systems that not only keep the ship’s light on, but the Geller Field intact, then this field will fail and we’ll be lost as daemons spill in from the empyrean surrounding us. There’s no way we can abort warp travel since the bridge’s systems have been destroyed. We’re stuck on autopilot.” He came closer to us, leaning on his nemesis force weapon.
“Within the next few hours I’ll be sending most of the soldiers here on a last mission: locate and secure the warpfield maintenance station. Or we’ll all be dead. I would be glad if you two could join them. It would be an honor for me to see my Stormtroopers do this duty in the Emperor’s name. For now, you’re dismissed.”
We saluted and turned to go, still processing what we had heard.
We had hours left before we would head back to hell. Until then, I wanted to spend time with Claudette. Even if it would be the last time I would see her.

Inter-Galactic Transport:Day 7 (2nd entry)

We spent the rest of the day sneaking along narrow corridors. We knew they were lurking along the main hallways, expecting us to take the “safe” routes where there was plentiful light. They knew we feared the darkness. But thats exactly where we went, using Daniel’s Map. That is, after Daniel and I had emptied the bottle of Tallarn Desert Vintage.

M40. 769, to be exact.

The last thing the aliens would expect us was to find our way through the semi-darkness. Daniel and me had slowed our paces and took deviations along the narrow maintenance tracts that honeycombed the ship, to reach the bridge without having to use the main hallways. The suffocating semi-darkness and our own rasping breaths brought us on the verge of insanity, but we kept still, often muttering prayers to the immortal Emperor as we heard the faint scuttle of claws on metal in the distance. Our hearts were hammering so loud, our ears almost popped. I don’t know for how long we walked along those narrow passages - days, months?, but we finally reached the Bridge, moments before claustrophobia consumed us.

Or what was left of it. The maintenance corridor’s doors leading to the Control Room hissed open and we entered the semi-dark Bridge, rifles at the ready. Our boots clacked on the metal floor, resonating in the vicinity that was otherwise bustling with activity. But now, it was dead silent. And empty. And dark - we couldn’t see a thing. The dense air was filled with a sweet, familiar stench. Sensors noted our movement and the lights snapped on. I wish they hadn’t.

I screamed. Daniel gasped, then turned sideways and threw up. The sweet stench was that of rotting flesh. This was not the gore that we had seen on countless battlefields, no, this was far worse and far more…alien. Dismembered corpses were strewn across the two decks that made up the Cruiser’s Bridge, blood dripping from the decks above and forming dark pools on the floor we stood on. Officers and servitors alike lay sprawled on the floor, their guns lying next to them, smashed or melted. Skulls had been split in two, spilling brains out. Faces had been caved in, and limbs squished or hacked apart and thrown meters away, trails of blood tracing back to their owners.

But the true horror was located in the center of this carnage. It was sulking atop a vast reclamation pool that had formed on the deck, a bubbly twisted mass that dissolved corpses and kept their DNA, which would later be absorbed by the Tyranids. The creature was huge, partially hidden in shadows as it feasted upon the morbid flesh in a gruesome manner with its long, feeding tendrils, the squelching sound highly disturbing. It resembled nothing I had ever seen on Lyraen Minoris, but on the Data-slate we had received about the Tyranids before entering Lyraen Minoris, the creature was depicted and referred to as a Malanthrope.

The giant beast, which had seamlessly melted with the shadows now turned around and regarded us maliciously with its glowing red eyes, its giant feeding tentacles, partially covered in blood, twisting with anxiety.

I lip quavered. “Dan- Daniel…RUN!! AAAH!”" I screamed, turning around to see him already vanishing behind the small closing doors of the maintenance tract. He wouldn’t….no. I stumbled awkwardly towards the closing doors, time had slowed down…everything was so slow…I tripped over and fell on a headless corpse, unable to get up, my legs caught in entrails. I struggled in the gore like a trapped animal, like a sheep moments from getting its throat slit. My vision blurred and I looked up to see the double doors close shut.

Darkness. I was the only living soul in this chamber of death. And the Devourer was but metres away from me. All my life I had been fearing death. Whether on the battlefield or of diseases and old age. But now, aboard an alien infested spaceship drifting serenely through an ocean of pure madness, death had finally arrived. And it wasn’t so bad. I was in another realm altogether.

I was sitting on a grav-train. People around me were minding their own business. Reading, listening to music, peering out of the window. It was an overcast day on Lyraen Minoris. Rain was pouring down from the grey heavens as our inter-city grav-train spead through the flatlands, the raindrops running down diagonally on the windows. I was sixteen years old. I looked across the compartment and met the beautiful dark eyes of this girl…about my age. But I looked away, turning red. She was so beautiful. I let my eyes wander again. This time, she wasn’t looking at me. Her expression was calm as she gazed out of the windows. Claudette. The first time I ever saw her.

Nothingness opened around me and I was sucked into the abyss, screaming, then found myself sitting on a bench. Claudette next to me. She was smiling, she was talking. I couldn’t make out the words. My hand was pricking. I looked down to see a thorny rose held in my hand and I involuntarily mouthed the words: “For you Claudette. It has been three weeks since we first saw each other. Please accept this.” She gently took the rose, blushing; my hand bleeding where the thorns had pricked. Her smile faded.

“Oh! You have hurt yourself! Come here.”, she said. “Let me stop the bleeding.” Once again I found myself falling through blackness, and this time, as my senses came back, I was in a room, slightly out of breath. It was a small, but comfy room. I was sitting on a soft bed, wrapped in blankets. And the warmth beside me was Claudette, unclothed, her arm around my neck.

“I’m afraid to tell my family.”, she whispered. “They don’t want me to marry someone they haven’t chosen for me. Especially my dad. If he knew…”

“You must!”, I heard myself say. “Claudette please. They will understand. You know how much I love you and how I will care for you. Please give me a chance! I will talk to your father.”

She fought with tears. “When he gets to know that you want to join the army, he’ll never let you marry me! You must keep it a secret. For both of our sakes.” The room was swept away like a gust of wind and I found myself next to my mother’s deathbed during Lyraen’s Tyranid invasion. She was clutching the golden “I” emblazoned on my armor, her lips saying something I couldn’t hear.

And then everything faded into darkness. My life had soared past me. But I was not ready to go. Not yet.

I clutched the golden “I” that appreared before me again, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. The “I” grew into a tremendous size and I had to leap ontop of it to avoid falling into the depths below. The darkness around me lifted to reveal a vast scenery unfolding around me. A gigantic battle. Giant banners fluttering in the wind, Gothic Battleships towering above in the sky. Legions upon Legion of Astartes marching in perfect order, chanting, raising their fists in the air as far as my eyes could see. I found myself standing atop a cliff. The “I” had vanished. A deep voice rumbled next to me.

“Son,”

I turned around to see a giant figure towering over me, clad in Golden Armor decorated in infinite detail, glowing brighter than the sun. And my eyes met those of a beautiful face surrounded by black flowing hair, crowned with golden laurels.

“The battle is not yet over. Return and fight for those you love.”

I struggled for words, tears flowing down my cheeks. “My Em–dear G–Go–”

My mother wanted me to live. Claudette needed me now more than ever. The scenery around me dimmed to a faint glow and I snapped my eyes open, struggling to my feet in the dark chamber, the doors in front of me bursting open as Daniel kicked them apart, his Lasgun blazing over my head.

“Get inside! NOW!!!”, he roared. I could feel the Behemoth reaching for me, just inches away. I ran like I had never run before, past Daniel, and along the narrow passage way, never looking back. Daniel was running behind me, having turned around the moment I passed him. The monster crushed half the passageway in a mad attempt to chase us, burying itself in the shower of razorsharp debris that followed from the Bridge’s ceiling. We ran. From Death itself. We made for the civilian quarters - hoping to locate the last human resistance there.

The battle was not yet over.

Inter-Galactic Transport:Day 7

This was a nightmare. A true nightmare. We were so close! So close to the bridge! According to the map, we only needed about an hour or two of walk… and then they came. Perhaps the smell of the food attracted them, because they struck right when Daniel was heating our food for the evening. Though for them, food probably means us. Anyway it’s lucky that we hadn’t put our weapons away for eating.

Two of them came right at us, and Daniel was witted enough to throw the gas heater on the first one. It wouldn’t have done much damage if the beast hadn’t tried to cut it in mid-air before before being hit - the thing exploded and tore off half of it’s face. I killed the next one first before it had time to leap, having picked up my hellgun as quickly as I could. We hadn’t time to rejoice - the whole coridor now seemed to echo with sounds of scuttling and hatches being smashed. We judged it safer to run.

An hour later, we judged the situation calm enough to eat some of our rations, cold now that we haven’t got any way to heat them. Our hellguns are too valuable in the current situation to be used ot heat food. Problem was, where were we? We had run rather randomly, going away from the closest sounds, but the result was - and still is- that we only have a faint idea of where we are now. Somehow, I have the thought that the beasts have just toyed with us and led us to where they wanted us to be. Else, why haven’t they attacked yet? They are certainly numerous enough to kill us in flash, why aren’t they doing it? I can’t think of any other answer that the journey is long, and they want to play.

I didn’t tell any of this to Daniel, but I think he has had the same idea. We have resumed our walk, but this time we are not alone anymore. Constant footsteps remind us that we are not alone, and probably watched. From time to tim, we cross a corpse, brutally dismembered or with it’s guts spreading on whole portions of the corridor. We try not to think about them.  Honour the dead, but first of all, pray the Emperor that you’re still alive. That’s what is important. The dead shouldn’t be a burden for the living.

There have been no other attacks since the meal, but we dare not stop. If they wanted to terrify us, they made it. But if they wanted to crush our fighting spirit, they have failed. Daniel and I are resolute to do our best to get out fo there alive, and by the Emperor, we will do it.

Inter-Galactic Transport: Day6 (2nd entry)

Breakfast was horrible. Our guts wrenched with fear,  we struggled to swallow the dry clumps of food, trying not to think about what might be prowling the decks above us. We spent the morning walking along the derelict corridors that stretched tens of kilometers into the distance, sparks flying from defect lamps here and there along the way, showering the metal floor with an unnatural light. The hum of the ship’s warp drives was omni-present. I could hear only our footsteps. Only ours. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. As if we were alone on this godforsaken vessel drifting through the realm of endless insanity, the metal shutters over the ship’s ten thousand windows being the only thing keeping us from seeing the madness outside.

As the long hours passed by, we started to talk. First quietly - almost a hushed, nervous whisper; but then more steadily and in increasing volume, as we noticed that we were indeed alone. Talking made us feel safe. It gave us the strength to continue walking, rifles in hand. We talked about life, death, the Emperor and the Imperium; about old legends such as the Horus Heresy, the vile alien races and heretics that were plaguing the Imperium from the outside as well as the inside and general politics ranging from the election of the oncoming M42’s planetary governors to Terra’s influence over the other Segmentums. Our mood then became lighter and we talked about more contemporary matter such as the latest gossip, about guns, tanks, sex, women and alcohol. Daniel’s mood was slightly darkened at the mention of his wife. He said that she had been gifted with a special ability: she could read other people’s minds. Thats how she was the only person who could understand and cure him from a severe mental trauma he had been suffering after the death of both of his parents at the hands of an Underhive gang when he was but fifteen.

“She was more than just my girl, you know.”, he said, smiling. “Ximena was…almost ethereal. She knew me better than I knew myself and I felt being the luckiest man in the galaxy to have her as my wife…a person who loved and cared for me. Not just the usual ’significant other’, as some would say.” But then his smile faded.

“But then one day, there was a knock at the door.”, he continued, his eyes lost in thought as we walked. “I opened. My wife was doing her hair as these…ornately clad, tall men entered our home. One of them looked like a Commisar. You know - with a bionic eye and everything.  The other two men said they were from the Ordo Hereticus. A lump formed at my throat when I heard this and I could barely stand. I asked myself - what did these high ranking officials want in our home?” He stopped talking and fell silent. I didn’t dare urge him to go on.

“Thats was when they took her.”, Daniel whispered, blinking rapidly. “They took my Ximena away.” I could hear him struggling to hold back tears. “I joined the local PDF forces in the hope of ending my life soon without having to commit suicide. But fate has it that I survive unto this day. You are one of the reasons I still live.”, he said and this made me feel quite uneasy. “I see in you much of myself - your love for Claudette and your willingness to sacrifice everything to protect her reminds of my once nigh ethereal relationship to my lost love. And I admire your selflessness in this matter.”

After a while he spoke again. “Ironic, isn’t it? Now I’m a member of the Inquisition - the very Organization I loathed ever since that fateful day. But now I keep telling myself that I serve the Ordo Malleus - NOT the bastards from the Ordo Hereticus.” Never since I had met Daniel had I thought that he had such an eventful past. Even now, I knew that I had seen only a glimpse of his true character, hidden behind the otherwise introvert, slightly naive, friendly attitude of Daniel. His past must have caused him terrible wounds I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

We then talked about the events on Lyraen Minoris and the Tyranid threat in Segmentums Ultima and Tempestus. Which made me aware of the rumor that the last known Hive fleet - Leviathan - had been diverted to Ork space from its initial course to reaching Holy Terra. Now the trouble was the very reason, that had convinced the officers to divert the fleet and solve the problem - the amount of Orks that inhabited that region of space. We had thought that by diverting the Hive Fleet towards Ork space, we would kill two birds with one stone.

But the very problem was, that the more Orks the Tyranids killed, the more Ork DNA they would absorb, and thus, the stronger they would get until a point where the Orks wouldn’t be a threat to them anymore. And once the trillions of Orks there aren’t a threat to a Hive Fleet - one can only imagine the magnitude of devastation the “veteran” remnants of Hive Fleet Leviathan would cause if they reached Human space again. But the mere thought of that is heresy. Which left Daniel and me pondering from which Hive Fleet these Tyranids aboard our ship could be. Which Hive Fleet attacked Lyraen Minoris? A splinter of the known Fleets or - Emperor preserve - not another one?

___

According to my wrist chronometer, evening is approaching and so is the Bridge.  Luckily we didn’t have any encounters on our way. Still, I don’t have a good feeling about this. So close to the Bridge, the corridors should be full of people - technicians, navigators, servitors, officers and the like. But everything is dead quiet. Emperor be with us.

Inter-Galactic Transport: Day 6

A quiet night, for once. That’s good, because starting tomorrow we won’t be able to sleep as much as we want. We’ll move out in a couple of hours, for now, we’re taking a final rest. Daniel is praying for his soul and mine, in case we fail. He’s right to do it now, I doubt we will have the leisure to do it later. Perhaps I ought to it too… But then again, I have carefully checked all our ammunitions and I have said all prayers on our weapons, so they won’t fail us in time of crisis. I have also made a complete check of what we had.

Rations: enough for five days, perhaps more, but we will need to eat regularly so our guard is never down, so I took the lowest estimation. We also have one flame heater with enough gas to last for one week: more than enough.

Ammunition: between Daniel and I, we have eleven standard Hellgun chargers. It’s lucky they are designed to be rechargable by almost any energy source, something which doesn’t lack aboard this ship. Autogun rounds: six chargers. Grenades: two. Two combat knives.

I can’t supress a small shaking fo fear. We have almost minimal equipment, and according to the dataslate Daniel had the time to snatch from the Librarium, it’ll take about a day to get to the bridge. We’ll avoid going near populated zones, and the use of elevators. They sure are fast, but we’re too much of a target inside. What if one of these beasts cuts the steel cables of the cabin while we’re inside? Certain death. We’re not taking the risk.

Daniel and I have studied the map for a long time, and we’ve established a good number of possible routes, to which we will be able to add all the old conducts that aren’t listed on it. Ah, Daniel is waking up. I’ll have to go split the material evenly between his backpack and mine, and after that we’ll be on our way. We must have hope. Even though the bridge is less than a day away, we both know this is an ideal estimation. It’ll most probably take us about two days to get there - but let’s hope everything goes as planned. To the bridge.