This is a short story to try and challenge myself with the lore of Genestealers. It will be quite unusual but I'm willing to make it. This is about Genestealers escaping the clutches of the Imperium with something that may endanger the entire sector. The planets, sector, Hive Fleets are all custom made and not actually real. The first handful of paragraphs will be a small documentary to explain the main background of the story before getting into the action.
A few small paragraphs and a profile on one of the genestealer subjects :)
In the North-East of the galaxy near the Eye of Terror lies sector Onailus. This area belongs to the Imperium. Planet Helen lies in the heart of Onailus, a Hive World which has been practically an Idol of the sector, having a long and successful history against a massive Ork Waaaagh! who invaded the sector centuries ago, the Waaaagh! ended at Helen, where the Warboss was assassinated, scattering the orks across the sector to fight among themselves, where they were easily picked out from the Imperial Navy. Helen has also been famous to have survived many invasions during the Horus Heresy. But not Helen fights its greatest challenge yet.
The Hive Mind set for Sub-Sector Onailus. From the edge of the galaxy did Hive Fleet Cerberus pour into the galaxy, feasting among planets in grasp? This Hive Fleet arrived a century after the fall of Behemoth. It set an example of the Tyranids tactics by separating into three massive tendrils. Cerberus flooded itself deep into the
Sub-Sector. The three tendrils devoured its way half-way through Onailus. The centre sunk its tendril upon Helen itself. In huge fear of loosing such a great Hive World, nearby start-systems reinforced the world, many ended up becoming attacked and devoured themselves due to the lack of defences they had left. A massive battle commenced between man and tyranid. Guardsmen were swarmed by many gaunts, lasgun fire and fleshborer beetles spat around the battlefield as massive tanks and carnifex battled upon each other towards complete death. Battle became from skirmish to entire apocalypse. Titans and Baneblades began to be pulled in as Bio-Titans were spawned into the battlefield.
The Governor's fears grew as the Tyranids managed to wipe out the largest of Hera's continents. Distress signals were sent upon worlds light years away. One signal found a Forge World called Typhor; the planet lay outside news range from the Sub-Sector. Adeptus Mechanicals took unusual interest upon this world. They sent signals on request for reinforcements towards nearby star-systems, those who responded were sent directly towards the Hive World.
When this large fleet finally arrived month's later, the Hive World was almost on its knee's. Having lost three major continents and perhaps almost 68% of the populace to the Tyranids, the fleet did not hesitate to attack the massive Tyranid fleet. Unrepentantly flanked, the Tyranid fleet turned to engage this new threat. After a massive battle between the two fleets the Imperium stoop victorious having perfectly aimed the vulnerable parts of the fleet, although the casualties were large. The fleet landed on the world and began a great purge on all those that held the Tyranid race together. Millions of light years away, the two remaining tendrils battle a Eldar Craftworld and Waaaagh! Tuffeye. The Ork Waaagh! Was completely wiped out along with the tendril which splintered. The Eldar Craftworld triumphed by miracle. Hive Fleet Cerberus was no more.
Even though Helen survived, the populace didn't. By the end of the battle, the population of the planet decreased another 15% due to disease and of those surviving Tyranids. Other worlds that sent reinforcements to Helen were either wiped out by the Tyranids or had taken horrid casualties and lacked of defence. The sector itself was vulnerable to enemies. Rumours began to spread that the Eldar, having lost more then half of what the craftworld supported, began a vengeful purge upon any Tyranid splinter fleets that escaped the ork Waaaagh!, the Imperium or the Eldar itself. But only one seemed to have escaped, it was chased from a large eldar fleet, and ended up trapped in a warp storm planet along with few unlucky Eldar ships that tried to pursue them. It and the Eldar's fate were unknown for 50 years.
One thing that caught the Adeptus Mechanicans eye was that the planet was badly purged of those Tyranids that survived, now hiding in dark corners, in burrows, hibernating to wait for their siblings return. The populace began to fall because of those who were unlucky enough to stumble upon their realm. Adeptus Mechanicans took this as an advantage against the Tyranids, that could help destroy entire Hive Ships. Under the command of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Guardsmen were sent to the Tyranids, and began to purge every brood they sighted under the Governors nose. However, this was no ordinary extermination. Every single Tyranid that stood alive upon its dead siblings, they captured it, no matter what species as long as it had no communication with the Hive Mind. Lictors, Gaunts, Ravaners, even Carnifex's were captured. But upon this, capturing a creature that only wants to kill isn't all that easy without huge casualties. Eventually, the Adeptus Mechanicans had an entire lab of Tyranid specimens, safely contained in a underground base, where the Governor would never find them, for if they were discovered with these Tyranids upon the Imperium, they would be prosecuted for heresy, having kept xenos alive.
Upon these labs, they formed a drug, this drug would be injected on Tyranid subjects, first tested upon gaunts and eventually build up to Carnifex's. The drug hopefully try and kill the Tyranids from the inside, mutating them rapidly that they themselves could not survive as the mutation would kill them, evolving them into things that would make it impossible for survival of a living creature. If a drug ever was to work, they could update it, ammunition could be put upon it, and even Space Fleets could probably be able to be armed with these. With such weapons, they could kill Tyranids that are almost impossible to kill with a simple lasgun. With this drug, a simple ship could kill a Hive Ship with one fire no more difficult then a bolter on a single gaunt.
The drug is tested on lesser organisms, and then if it worked into killing them, they would move up into larger creatures. If the drug did not work on any Tyranid organism, they would get back to work and form another one, and start the process again. As these drugs continued to advance, more Tyranids would die, and eventually they had to head out and capture new subjects. These experiments continued for another 70 years, even through such time, the Mechanicans were ever vigilant to find the correct drug. Who knows, if the drug could be more then successful, it could probably kill any Tyranid with any immunity, the Tyranids could probably never manage to advance upon this galaxy again if the drug was to be more then successful, the Mechanicans could be saints. Least they discover worst.
The experiments had finally had a true test on its hands. 20 years ago, the warp storm that concealed the splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Cerberus had faded away, from out of the now stripped clean planet came something that perhaps shocked many, the splinter fleet emerged larger then it was, how exactly it survived the warp storm is completely unknown. The splinter fleet began to snatch many biomass filled worlds before the imperium could react. Eventually, it gained the right to be called a Hive Fleet. From the death of Cerberus, Hive Fleet Anubis was born. The Hive Fleet was so unstoppable, the Eldar craftworld, still shattered by the last attack, was swallowed whole into its tendrils. It was perhaps the first Hive Fleet ever to be witnessed of rebirth. Adeptus Mechanicans began to work more hard on the drug. Things began to improve but however, the governor had begun a purge on Tyranid life on the planet. In desperation, the Mechanicans made attempt to capture and contain every Tyranid organism they could find; soon genestealers were found and captured, up to eleven subjects contained in a independent containment facility. From the governor's worst fears, Hive Fleet Anubis was heading straight towards Helen.
The genestealers were contained in a facility, far from any of organisms, contained from a far Hive. In attempt to avoid any 'unexpected tricks' they tried to avoid the genestealer subjects from any contact of the more mindless organisms. For even without the guide of the Hive Mind, genestealers still remain with cunning independence of their own. These organisms were worryingly tricky to contain. Whilst other organisms of the Tyranids would have nothing but a mindless lust to kill and feed without the Hive Minds will, the genestealers held a powerful intellect which makes them attack different areas of what contains them, learning new tactics to escape or exploiting weaknesses. This was one reason they couldn't contain the organisms at earlier years, as the struggle to contain them would perhaps give the attention to the governor of Hera, much was that could happen if they escaped.
The genestealers were later contained separately, as soon did the scientists find out that the xenos began using some kind of unexpected teamwork, a behaviour never seen from relationships of genestealers from separate broods. It was soon did the Adepts find that one drug had successfully passed into mutating and destroying every single organism of each Tyranid species contained in the Hive known as Laritus. The last subjects were the genestealers. If the drug managed to kill the organisms, then perhaps a mere belief would spread across the imperium like a true miracle that the Emperor had granted. It was not without hesitation that the drug was immediately delivered to the genestealer contained area. The facility itself was on the other side of Hera, underground of a vast jungle continent, this jungle covered upon half the world itself, and such biomass the Tyranids of Anubis could not resist to pass the chance. Upon the delivery of the drug, it was injected into every genestealer, in high faith it will work and kill every genestealer, without costing any more lives to eliminate the rest. But to the horror, the genestealers changed indeed, but to something more complex and unexpected. The drug is meant to mutate and misshapen its host's body into something impossible to support the host to live. The genestealers however, are an impossibly highly mutatable organism. And already rely of mutation to survive.
The genestealers body had been able to fight this drug, and eventually defeat it, weaving into something rather then killing it, but instead increasing the genestealers deadliness, some gained thicker carapaces whilst others could grow extra limbs. All mutated independently, each gaining different abilities, and to the Adepts greatest fears, they sent in troops to kill every one of them. But to the Adeptus greatest ever fears, the genestealers had escaped.
Horrified by the news, the Adepts panicked, they sent search parties into the jungles, sealed off any transport from the facility to any other area in the planet. These were no ordinary genestealers, gifted with the mutation, and that they belonged to different broods with entirely different DNA, each organism had it's own independent abilities, making them adapt towards any problems, and if unleashed into the populace, only havoc and despair would reign upon Hera.
It was perhaps weeks later when the Adepts practically lost all hope of finding the Tyranid brood. The Governor himself, had been hit by rumours of the Mechanicans experimenting on Tyranid organisms, and became curious on what the Adepts were indeed scheming. If he had heard of the genestealers or had been confirmed of the experiments, then the Adepts would be all executed for heresy.
The Mechanicans fate was finally sealed. Before their own search parties could, the Genestealer brood had attacked a small imperial guard drill camp, killing and slaughtering almost everyone inside before feeling away back into the Jungles. Finally the Governor had added up the facts, in his rage, he had all the Adepts that were involved in the experiments executed. Those who weren't were imprisoned until the aftermath of Hive Fleet Anubis invasion. The governor himself took over the search for the creatures, he got all military under his command to be sent into the Jungles on search and destroy missions to kill every evidence of the genestealers. It was only on seeing the aftermath of those unlucky troops who found the brood, did he truly realise the real threat of these creatures.
