The Descendants of Colony Fleets sent to a distant galaxy millennia ago have returned to warn humanity of an impending threat. Upon their return however the fleet discovers that their once great civilization has long since fallen from grace. It doesn't take long for the people of the Returned Fleet to discover that in the Grim Darkness of the 41st millennium there is only war.
Determined to save humanity and return the galaxy to the heights seen in its "Dark Age of Technology" the Fleet sends out spies to hundreds of worlds in an attempt to Change the Imperium of Man for the better. Each spy selected for their mission has been trained in the ways of the Imperium by former Space Marine Brother Lavidean Atar of the Ultramarines chapter.
Now it is up to each spy in turn to somehow survive on the often violent and desolate worlds of Man in the 41st Millennium.
Warhammer 40,000
The Dark Age Fleet: Infiltration of Hive World Torin Serat II
Log of Lieutenant Nils Korpil
Pre-insertion briefing indicates that the target planet of Torin Serat Two is a 'civilized' world of the Imperium of Man. Efforts appear to have begun over the past several hundred years to build up the largest cities into Hives. Two Hives are complete with a third under construction. The planetary biosphere has not yet been destroyed by industry, meaning the atmosphere is still breathable. This should make travel on foot easier.
Day 1: Infiltration pod landing complete. Artificial meteor used for atmospheric insertion impacted 2.1 km south of Pod's landing site. Pod sensors detected a small team of vehicles investigating the impact site, Speeders, Valkyrie or Vulture gunships seem most likely.
Day 2: Vehicle team has not expanded their investigation from the impact site. The Pod is secure and I am now setting out for the nearest population center to the north.
Day 5: The nearest small city appears recently deserted, obviously some time after our scans of the planet's surface. A road leading out of the city to the West - North West appears to have seen the heaviest use recently. I am setting out in pursuit.
Day 6: Late in the day I have caught up with a large column of refugees. They are fleeing toward a distant more heavily fortified city, though I do not believe it to be one of the Hives. The people do not speak to each other, most seem weary and worn. Only a few slow ground vehicles are present and they are filled with the young or those unable to walk. There are many things here I do not understand even with the preparations of Brother Atar.
Day 7: Refugee Column has come under attack by Feral Orks. Imperial Guard units are arriving but only in small numbers. I am signing off to run.
Day 8: I estimate that half of the refugees are dead and the rest have scattered. I believe the vehicles escaped, at the cost of leaving many behind. Some of us attempted to stay with the road for a time after escaping the fighting. Into the afternoon Heavy Artillery to the North West began shelling all of the roads in the area. Those left now make their way cross-country. Provided I survive until the city it should be easy for me to blend in as a local refugee.
Day 9: One of my data slates have been destroyed by shrapnel from the shelling. I have reconstructed the log of my previous days on planet as best as I could. The ground has become a cratered wasteland, complicated by the increasingly hilly terrain. By the end of the day it has become difficult if not impossible to locate any of the other refugees. I am uncertain if it is just the terrain making spotting them more difficult.
Day 10: Progress slowed by rains.
Day 11: I have stumbled upon a squad of dead Imperial Guardsmen. Some have been hacked apart, others shot and one appears to have drowned in the deepening mud between the hills. Their dog tags have been collected and deep boot prints cover the surrounding area. After appropriating a lasrifle I am now moving on.
Day 12: Progress still slow due to Mud. Using the lasrifle I killed a lone Grot this morning. I realised today that I have stopped taking note of the Artillery fire, though it remains constant. No sign of any other humans today.
Day 13: Spotted Guardsmen riding aboard Chimera APC's briefly before they disappeared among the hills. I am... beginning to grow weary of this existence, trudging through the mud for days on end with no visible destination. I see now why man took to the stars to escape this hellish groundside environment.
Day 14: I have walked straight into a battlefield. Imperial Guard and Orks fight each other, both in great numbers. APC's, tanks and hundreds if not several thousand human infantry are here. They must have been fighting for some time already because hundreds of bodies litter the floor of the valley I have entered.
A group of Guardsmen lead by a Commissar are charging a nearby hill that Orks with Bolt weapons are camped atop. The Commissar has reached the top... A Nob with a power claw was waiting for him it looks like. It's just cut the man in two. The Guardsmen are panicking.
I see no other officers in the area. Moving to assist. Signing off.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like nearly all of my Dark Age Fleet writings, this was written hastily for posting on /tg/ and I have little intention of expanding upon what gets posted. If you don't know what /tg/ is, don't ask you're not old enough. )