A myriad series of vox reports filled the ears of Adjutant Hayth Davere as he sat upon a steel stool and was hunched next to a stationary command terminal, his hands operated the various knobs, dials and buttons which allowed him to tune into the many different frequencies, his worked involved coordinating the various elements of their army by letting them all know of the Lord Generals orders. He was glad that his skills as a communications officer made him valuable enough to be put as far away from the front lines as possible for he did not have to step outside the relatively comfortable command bunker that was the base's Regimental Command which had cool air flowing through the ventilation system. He most certainly enjoyed as well that he did not have to often go out to the sweltering heat of the Kaderen Rainforest nor did he have to suffer the bites of the countless blood-sucking, disease carrying swarms of insects which inhabited the region for the little pests did not take too well to the cold.
For nearly an entire terran month now, the 64th to the 68th Astra Militarum Regiments of the Herkoran Baronial Legion had been bogged down fighting both xenos and traitors for control of Murnath Secundus. The cowardly aliens which they fought had not the courage to face the righteous force of Imperium in direct combat while the heretics obliged them like a rampaging horde of greenskins. The traitor forces which they battled were vile, bloated and diseased things which spread pestilence and decay wherever they went to both those they fought and even to the surrounding terrain itself, their movements, tactics and way of warfare was understandable commanders of the Guard forces for despite their madness, they were still for the most part, human but the xenos on the other hand had proven to be a far more difficult matter to counter.
While the Commissariat was of course strictly insistent that Imperial Guard were winning in this campaign and that their enemies were on the run, Hayth Davere knew far too well army group's current situation and it was far from comforting. The supply lines between their main base of operations in the region and the other sectors were gravely threatened by squadrons of stealthy xeno raiders that regularly ambushed and destroyed many convoys carrying the necessary goods as well as reinforcements desperately needed to continue the fight. Morale among the troops stationed along the front-lines were starting to drop and the Commissars had begun requisitioning for modified Penal Legion bomb collars to help "motivate" the troops.
In the worst case scenario which he would care to think of, they would have to call the Navy and retreat and if that happened Hayth was glad to know that he would be among the first to be off this miserable planet. Continuing with his assigned duty, he found an alarm rune which immediately caught his attention and he quickly investigated. Opening up the vox channel, he found that it was an encrypted message from the Imperial Navy forces in orbit and it was something important by the look of it.
Quickly pressing a key on the console's terminal, he was greeted by a voiced message which spoke with the emotionless, monotone droning of a Servitor which stated that a xeno ship had been boarded and an escape pod possibly containing a high ranking enemy leader had been launched, its landing point was estimated to be near one of the sectors that was being contested between their own forces and those of the traitors. The Adjutant then verbally confirmed that he received the message and after closing the vox channel, he sent the communiqué to the Lord General's office which was swiftly acknowledged. An order immediately then came from the Lord General himself, commanding that the elite units of the Baronial Legions be deployed in capturing or eliminating this alien leader.
Obeying the Lord General's commands, the Adjutant transmitted mobilization orders to the barracks of the Death Hands. Hayth Davere could not help but grin at the world of trouble which this alien would find itself in and he hoped that it would rue the day that its pathetic kind had dared to face the might of the Imperium.
Crouched upon the thick branch of a tree, Autarch Aranith observed the passing the Mon'keigh supply convoy below him as it made its way through a crudely cleared path, their black hulls stood a sharp contrast to the greenery around them as dust and smoke filled the air. The icy blue eye lenses of his helmet highlighted the crudely primitive, tracked vehicles, displaying identifications of classifications and analyzing the threat levels of each one. Maintaining his stillness amidst the foliage, his body was shrouded by the use of holo-field as he waited for his prey and after a moment, he was rewarded for his patience with visual confirmation.
Within the center of the convoy was an open topped vehicle, of the Salamander classification and upon its cupola he saw his true target, a Mon'keigh officer wearing the peaked hat of their so called, Commissars. The human stood imperiously at the back of the vehicle, the lower half of his face was covered by breathing mask while the upper was left partially exposed beneath the hat and next to him were two other human soldiers. Golden pins, medals and other bright, flashy ornaments decorated the Commissar's uniform, making him greatly stand out among the rest of the Mon'keigh, the human need to make their leaders so distinguishable among the rabble made them only easier to find for the skilled hunter.
Clad in a suit of silvered Heavy Aspect Armor which incorporated the holo-field technologies of the newly rediscovered Shadow Spectre Temple, he was also armed with a vambrace-mounted shuriken catapult on his left arm, a bandolier of various grenades across his chest and a helmet which was constructed with the same psychosonic amplifiers of the Banshee Temple along with the distinctive mane but one dyed snow white. Upon the back of Aranith was a Warp Spider Jump Generator that sported a pair of twin-linked death spinners attached to it and with a mental command, it began to softly hum. Perhaps the most important piece of his panoply was an ancient power axe which required both of his hands to properly wield and upon the head of the weapon was a soulstone that gave it a dreadful, soul-rending power like the Direswords of the Avenger Exarchs.
A rage that was not his own began to fill his heart as images, memories to be more specific flashed through his thoughts, of great battles had never participated in, of the torrents of blood he had not spilled and horrors slain at the edge of a gleaming axe. Steeling his mind against the sudden psychic intrusion, he was able harness the anger and the flood of memories and experiences that filled his psyche by turning it into a weapon in its own right. It was a mere moment in reality, barely even a millisecond, but to him it felt like an eternity and when it passed he gained a focus far greater than that of the War Mask as the spirit within the soulstone imparted its strength and wisdom with him.
In the next moment, Aranith disappeared into the Warp, his mind more than ready to meet its horrors, the dread gaze of She Who Thirsts was certainly elsewhere for another Dark God had cast his virulent gaze upon this world and as soon as he disappeared from the material universe, he re-entered in a flash of light. Suddenly appearing behind the human officer, he immediately lifted up his shuriken catapult and unleashed a fusillade of rounds at the back of his foe's head, shredding it into a slurry of gore, bone and meat. His twin-linked Death-spinners opened fire as well, unleashing streams of razor-sharp monofilament that slaughtered the two other unsuspecting Mon'keigh on the cupola and before the other humans in the convoy could react, he had reached for one of his grenades and he activated the device which he dropped upon the deck.
Entering the Warp once more, he left behind a primed haywire grenade which detonated upon his re-entry in an explosion of electromagnetic energy that crippled the vehicle which was no longer his concern. Aranith had then materialized within the troop compartment of an Imperial Chimera, some of the humans gasped in surprised at his sudden appearance but before even one of the soldiers could lift a weapon, the Autarch gave out a deafeningly loud roar that was amplified by his helmet. A dozen bodies immediately collapsed in paroxysms of pain to the psychic roar, blood poured from their ears and Aranith mercilessly opened fire upon the fallen.
Slaughtering the Mon'keigh without remorse, he fired both shuriken and monofilament weaponry at the prone forms in controlled bursts as his hungering axe cleaved apart flesh and bone. When the last of the human soldiers were dead, Aranith brought out another haywire grenade which he primed and dropped before teleporting outside where he appeared on the side of the make-shift path. Fire, smoke, blood and screams surrounded him as many humans were mercilessly being cut down by volleys of accurate weapons fire, the convoy had entered the kill-zone laid out by Autarch.
Concealed behind illusions woven by the Warlocks, several squadrons of silver and crimson armored Eldar Guardians sworn to his House, accompanied by Grav-Platforms and Holo-fielded War Walkers armed with heavy weapons were pouring such firepower that it would be best described as overkill. The Warp screamed as singularity vortexes fired from Distort Cannons dragged vehicles and soldiers into hell-rifts and mighty bolts of Brightlance destroyed the other transports. Shuriken Cannons and Scatter Lasers targeted the lightly armored infantry as plasma missiles found their marks among those clumped too closely together.
The human infantry that had survived the initial barrage were blindly firing at the foliage, their senses were dulled and confused by the power of their warlocks and many were blasted into oblivion by destructive bolts of warp-lightning. One particular group of human soldiers that caught his eye suddenly began exploding in showers of gore which horrified the survivors causing many to retreat, not that they were able to go far of course before they too were cut down by the murderous barrage. Another flawless ambush he thought with a satisfaction that was not his own and he felt the subtle goading of the spirit stone within his axe to go kill as many as he personally could.
Focusing his will upon the spirit that inhabited the weapon, he was able to somewhat calm its bloodlust enough at least until the last of the humans were dead. When the guns of the Eldar became silent, Aranith cast his thoughts towards the Guardians, demanding a status update for the wellbeing of each member.
+No casualties my lord+ responded a feminine voice in his mind. +The Warlocks sense no living Mon'keigh+
+Destroy the remains of this pack and regroup at the nearest Webway Gate+ ordered Aranith and his Guardians obeyed by firing the Distort Cannons at the wreckages. The ruined hulls of the vehicles, along with many bodies were dragged into the Warp while the Autarch teleported safely away from the blast radii. When he reappeared, he was greeted by the sight of nine Guardians and a Warlock dressed in the silver and red liveries of his House dutifully awaiting him, leading them was a heavily armored warrior maiden whose head was bowed in respect.
+Another successful attack my lord+ dutifully reported the warrior maiden through thought casting. +Five of our Guardians have sustained minor injuries but nothing beyond the healing arts of our Warlocks+.
'You have all done well' commended Aranith towards his troops, this time over a mundane communications frequency which their helmets were all synchronized to. 'Before the cycle is over we will surely have more humans to slay.'
'And we will always follow you, my lord' loyally responded his Warden Eternal, Ehlenien Sunmane.
As befitting one of her position Ehlenien wore not a common suit of Mesh Armor but a set of Heavy Aspect Armor that had been styled in the manner of the Dark Reapers which also incorporated Shadow Spectre holo-field technologies and upon her back was the lion banner of House Alatanrieth. Her helmet sported the distinct sensor vanes of the Reaper temple's rangefinders as well as a flailing gilded mane of hair like that of the Howling Banshees. In the hands of the Warden Eternal, she wielded a sinister Shrieker Cannon which had been a given as a gift to Aranith's House from the Harlequins, in honor of his father, the weapon itself had been modified to bear not the typical scythe bladed bayonet but that of a powered axe-blade.
They waited for the Distort Cannons to recharge their power cells and once the heavy weapons were ready, the Eldar opened more warp-rifts which would destroy the remains. The Housesworn Guardians then traveled readied themselves to leave and they departed in near silence, save for the hums of the anti-gravitic engines of the weapons platforms or the heavy steps of the War Walkers, their senses remained alert for any more foes while the minds of the Warlocks were also focused upon the same task. The jungles which the warhost of Craftworld Valseris now did battle against both the Mon'Keigh of the Imperium and those who served the Dark Gods was dense with foliage and their movements were somewhat slowed by the terrain. Eventually after regrouping with the rest of his Housesworn Guardian they arrived at the nearest Webway Gate which had been rendered invisible by its shroud generators and they entered its shimmering portal.
Once within the twisting paths of the webway they swiftly traveled to one of the exits which led towards the main base of the warhost. Situated close to the edge of a cliff upon the sloping crags of a mountain, it offered a rather impressive view as it overlooks almost endless sea of trees. The Eldar base was typical of its kind with a Webway Assembly used as a headquarters, many portals for the transportation Aspect Warriors or vehicles from the Craftworld itself, Support Platforms which guarded the perimeters and several more Webway Gates which made the camp itself completely invisible to the crude eyes of the enemy and at the very heart of the base was a great shining pillar, the Soul Shrine where the host's Council of Prophets (or Seers as other Craftworlds would put it) gathered and directed the course of battle within the other regions of this world.
Ordering the Guardians of his House to take a brief respite before resupplying, the citizen warriors obeyed while the Autarch himself headed towards the Soul Shrine with axe resting upon his right shoulder to be appraised of the situation. Around the base, he saw Aspect Warriors of various shrines recuperating from their own battles while Guardians from the other Houses did likewise. Aside from the fighters within the camp, there were also bands of Bonesingers performing maintenance or repairs on vehicles, their psychically charged songs mended the wraithbone hulls of vehicles or equipment and the use of the their psychic talents left the Autarch with a sense of resentment and longing.
There was a time once when the Autarch had yearned to follow the Prophet's Path, a dream influenced by tales told by his father and the close friends he associated with. In his youth, he had yearned to hone and master the psychic potential which all Eldar possessed and for a time it seemed that he would yet events did not happen the way he would have expected and his hopes of following such a path had been dashed when his father had passed and as the sole heir to his House, he was needed to become its lord. By law aboard Valseris, an Eldar who followed either the Path of the Warrior or the Seer must renounce all political ties and put their loyalties first to their Craftworld as a whole and only once that individual was read to leave that Path were they allowed to reclaim whatever titles or positions they once held.
Shaking his head and reminding himself of his duties, Aranith proceeded towards the gathering of Prophets. As he drew closer to the Soul Shrine, the Autarch felt a strong, elemental charge in the Warp as the mystics filled it with the power of ritual which was used to coordinate the warhost. Within the center of a ring next to the Soul Shrine, a trio Farseers and a dozen and a half Warlocks sitting cross-legged upon cushioned anti-gravity chairs, each of the Prophets glowed brightly with a psychic light as runes floated around their bodies, and their minds were all linked in deep telepathic communication.
+Honored Prophets+ telepathically greeted Aranith. +I am sure you are now aware of the destruction of the Mon'keigh supply convoy and now I ask where else my forces are needed? +
+As of now Autarch Alatanrieth, the Guardians sworn to you may rest+ responded more than a dozen voices at once in his mind. +But your personal attention is required for a matter of utmost importance that has come to our attention, one which we have foreseen. +
+And what might this matter be? + questioned Aranith with curiosity.
+A ship belonging to our "allies" has been boarded by the Mon'keigh+ replied the unified mental voices of the Prophets. +An escape pod containing one of their leaders will make landfall near the borders of the opposing human forces. Rescue this being and it shall go a long in way in strengthening the bonds of our pact. +
+It shall be done, noble prophets+ responded Aranith with a respectful bow and one of the seated Warlocks whose face was concealed behind an antlered helmet gently broke the mental link with the other Prophets and he willed the animus of the grav-chair to hover towards the Autarch. When the psyker came to a halt in front of Aranith, the Autarch began to feel the presence of the Warlock within his mind and he was shown a portion of their vision.
Aranith found himself or more precisely, his quarry running through the jungles. The trees around him dead and rotting, the ground was a fetid mulch of decayed vegetation filled with disgusting grubs that fed upon the carrion. Gunfire sounded in the distance as he ran with movements that seemed rather slow and clumsy to him.
The vision then shifted and Aranith saw many scenes of blood and violence. He saw robed human followers of the Dark Gods and even the black clad Imperial Guardsmen be cut down by swift moving blades which moved with a skill that impressed even himself, limbs and heads were severed in showers of gore as bullets and laser bolts seemed to not even harm him. In the vision, he saw the lush fecundity of the jungle give way to further rot and corruption as the vegetation began to take on more unwholesome, sickly shapes.
When the Warlock finished sharing the piece of the vision, Aranith knew everything he needed to. Giving a nod to the Warlock, the psyker silently returned to other Prophets and the Autarch turned away before summoning his Warden Eternal over the comms frequency to attend to him. It was not long before Aranith was reunited with the warrior maiden near a trio of Aspect Portals and he shared with her he had learned.
'The Council of Prophets are wise to have chosen you for this task, my lord' respectfully spoke Ehlenien whose voice held with it a note of reverence. 'Your father's legacy is shining example to us all and your ability to live up to it speaks greatly of your own strength.'
'There are times it feels that it is not I who they truly seek' quietly confessed Aranith.
'No warrior of Valseris in living memory has achieved the degree of glory which your father had accomplished my lord' replied Ehlenien as the eye lenses of her helmet became locked upon his own and the Autarch felt a warm sense of empathy as well as pride from her. 'I know it has not been easy to follow in his steps but I am certain that he is proud of you.'
'It was never his approval that I had sought' Aranith wearily said. 'I tire of the way which the Prophets and the other Princes look at me, that I am merely his replacement.'
'Because they know nothing of who you truly are my lord' spoke Ehlenien whose right hand briefly reached out to him but the warrior maiden immediately halted herself and instead she gave a respectful bow, in accords to their stations. 'I may not have traveled the Prophet's Path, but I know in my heart that in time, you will build your own legacy and that your name will be remembered in the songs of our people.'
A slight smile creased upon the face of the Autarch, one that was hidden behind his helmet. Having known his Warden Eternal since they were children, she knew him far better than most Eldar aboard Valseris ever did. Aranith was genuinely grateful to have the loyalty of such a faithful warrior whose family had served his own for generations.
The Autarch did not reply to her words and all he did was to emphatically return to her his feeling of gratitude to which the Warden Eternal merely gave him a slight nod before heading off towards the camp. Nothing else was needed to be said between them as the two went about preparing for the coming hunt, they would need to account for both speed and firepower of which were the greatest strengths of a Craftworld's warhost. Thankfully within the main camp of the Valserian forces, there was plenty of both to be found.
A sweet, melodious song filled the ears of Ehlenien Sunmane as she listened to the psychic choir composed by a trio of Bonesingers as they worked upon the chassis of a parked Vyper Jetbike. Painted in the colors of silver and red, the vehicle underwent a ritualized series of arming as the group of psyker-smiths made their final adjustments. Pioneered by their kin aboard Craftworld Saim-Hann, the Vyper was larger than the standard jetbike, it sported better armor and was equipped with a prow mounted shuriken cannon and on its rear was a missile launcher that could fire either anti-infantry Plasma Missiles or the tank killing Starshot Missiles.
Along with its deadly arsenal, this particular Vyper which belonged to House Alatanrieth was also extensively equipped with other vehicular systems. To helpmitigate the relatively fragile armor of the jetbike, the vehicle was equipped with a defensive holo-field which would distort the image of the Vyper, thus making it harder to hit and it had a Ghostwalker Matrix to assist with navigation. Spirit Stones had also been incorporated into it, allowing the vehicle to act upon its own accord if need be or if the crew were to be disabled and Vectored Engines had been installed upon the rear to make it more maneuverable.
Giving the Bonesingers time to complete their task, Ehlenien patiently waited for them to finish and as soon as they were done, the psyker-smiths signaled for her to come forth. Slowly striding towards the still grounded skimmer vehicle, she carried her Shrieker Cannon in her hands which had been freshly loaded with a full clip of bio-toxin coated rounds and attached to her belt were several grenades both plasma and haywire. As she came closer to the vehicle, the hatch which protected the cockpit opened up, ready to receive her and Ehlenien climbed aboard where she activated its Spirit Stone animus and she gave it a simple command to head towards the Autarch.
The anti-grav engines hummed to life as soon as the commands were given and the warrior maiden moved towards the back of the vehicle where the missile launcher was placed. Taking a seat upon the gun turret while securing her Shrieker by its side, Ehlenien then placed her hands upon the targeting console and her mind interfaced with the vehicle's weapon systems. Having followed the path of a warrior multiple time and traveling upon it once as a Dark Reaper, Ehlenien easily linked her consciousness with that of the missile launcher, thus allowing it to become an extension of her own body.
The Vyper then lifted off and it hovered over the rocky ground, towards her waiting master who stood by the same webway gate which they had used to arrive at the camp. Through the pan-spectral targeters of the missile launcher, Ehlenien saw the bright souls of her fellow Eldar and brighter still, the restless spirit which resided within her master's axe. The Autarch had divested himself of the bulky Warp Spider Jump Generator which often was equipped with a twin-linked Death Spinner and upon his back was his mighty power axe, upon his arms was Force Shield on the left and a bracer mounter shuriken pistol on the right while upon his hips were a matching pair of chainaxes which had been commissioned by the previous lord of House Alatanrieth.
When the vehicle came to a halt near her master, the Vyper's guiding animus caused the grav-craft to gently lower itself to the ground and it opened up the hatch again. Her master then boarded the Vyper where he climbed into the cockpit and his mind interfaced with that of the vehicle which caused their own thoughts to become one.
+Shall we depart? + mentally questioned her master through the Vyper itself.
+By your will, my lord+ replied Ehlenien and once more the grav-craft rose up and took off towards the nearest Webway Gate.
As they traveled again through the Webway, the mind of one of the Prophets became linked to the animus of the Vyper and through it the minds of both Ehlenien and her lord, filling their thoughts with images and coordinates which they would need to take. Like before, their journey was swift and unhindered until they reached their intended destination which led them back into real space and when they emerged, they found themselves back in the tropical jungles. Speeding forward into the woods, the Autarch's piloting skills were more than enough to gracefully evade the sea of trees that stood in their way.
Unlike the Imperial held regions where they had conducted their earlier ambush or the areas where the Eldar had claimed domain, this region which was close to the territory held by the Great Enemy carried with it a faint sense of decay and entropy. It was a subtle, sickly feeling at the edge of their psychic senses but one that would only grow stronger the further they went and to the untrained eyes of most beings, the jungle would seem hardly any different. The animus of the Vyper then received a psychic message from the Prophets which updated its navigation systems to adjust the course which they would take.
Despite being no stranger to the ways which the Prophets tended to manipulate the lesser races, Ehlenien found this "alliance" to be rather unusual to say the least. There had been many times in the past when Craftworld Valseris had cause to ally with alien forces, the Mon'keigh Imperium being the most prominent example which she had personally both fought alongside with and against on numerous occasions such as now. What made this particular campaign odd were the lengths which the Prophets would go through to make this confederation, however temporary, work.
Remaining on alert for any possible dangers, the animus of the Vyper alerted the two of them to a nearby enemy presence. In Ehlenien's mind she saw the crude, lumbering tracked vehicles of the Mon-keigh bulldozing over green foliage as the machines fouled the air with debris and the fumes of burnt chemical fuel. These vehicles she noted were not the typical box-shaped transports which the humans called Chimeras but rather, some all together new type of vehicle which she had never seen before.
+These humans are also after our quarry+ mentally announced the Autarch who diverted a portion of the Vyper's power to activate its protective holo-field and in a heartbeat; the vehicle's outline became a blur. +Take aim and give their Emperor our regards+
+As you command, my lord+ eagerly replied Ehlenien as she immediately turned the gun turret to face westward and through the muzzle of the missile launcher, she spotted her targets. There were eight vehicles traveling in a column pattern, just like the supply convoy from earlier, the human tendency to travel in such predictable formations would be their undoing as she locked on to the lead transport, the crew of which were unaware of the Vyper Jetbike. Several colored targeting rings appeared around each transport, white ones designated the vehicles she would later destroy and the single red circle was the one that would die first.
The mass of trees between the Vyper and the transports would have made making even a single shot at high speed difficult but warrior maiden was patient as she timed it and used the pan-spectral sights of her weapon to acquire the right firing solution. When the moment finally came, she fired the weapon which caused one of the chamber pods within the missile launcher to launch a single starshot missile that flew towards her intended target. In the next heartbeat, the lead transport was struck and it blossomed with a violent explosion of smoke, fire and bits of metal as the vehicle behind it crashed into the wreckage.
Utter chaos broke out as the Mon'keigh began blindly firing into the jungle, lashing out like a blind, wounded beast. Trees exploded in showers of splinters as leaves and dirt were strewn about as if in a hurricane and then they were gone as the Vyper sped away. Destroying this group of humans was not their objective and all they needed was to slow them.
+A marvelous shot+ praised the Autarch as he continued to pilot the Jetbike, the sound of Imperial weapons fire could still be heard but it was growing more distant. +Hopefully, it should buy us some more time+.
Ehlenien silently sent an emphatic feeling of acknowledgment to her master, they proceeded ahead and after perhaps a dozen or so minutes of traversing through the jungles, they were able to find a trace what they sought. The thick mass of vegetation gave way to a thin strip of desolation as a many trees has been left utterly ruined as if smashed aside by the stride of a titan, the ground itself bore a dark scar of ruined earth where the escape pod had landed. Following the deep furrow of churned earth, the Autarch slowed the Vyper's advance enough so that when they reached the end of the trail, it gently came to a halt.
From her seated position, Ehlenien could see the remains of the escape pod, an egg-shaped capsule of bone white and bright red, half of it was buried beneath the ground and the parts that were exposed to the air emanated a shimmering haze of heat from its entry through the planet's atmosphere. Judging by the size, it looked to be capable of carrying only a single individual and nothing more. The Vyper then began to lower itself to the ground and the cockpit opened up to allow the Autarch to disembark.
Deciding that she should keep watch, Ehlenien remained on the seat of the gun turret with hands upon the controls that connected to the missile launcher. With the pan-spectral targeters of the missile launcher, there was little that escaped her notice and with the animus of the Vyper still active, she was also able to maintain a close eye on her lord who was now carefully inspecting the pod and the ground around it.
+Clearly there was only a single occupant+ mentally announced the Autarch after taking a few minutes to study the ground around crashed pod. +The passenger was lightly wounded, there is thin trail of blood and is travelling on foot, we will have to proceed ahead on foot as well+.
+Understood my lord+ responded Ehlenien who got up from the gun turret and she stepped off of the Vyper's back while reclaiming her Shrieker Cannon. The warrior maiden then headed towards the cockpit where she leaned over and activated the auto-piloting systems which caused the engines to hum again. With its Holo-field and the Spirit Stones active, the Vyper would follow the two of them from a safe distance and if need be, use its Shuriken Cannons take lend them fire support as they continued onwards.
As the Vyper lifted off again and its outline became blurred by the Holo-field, Ehlenien then moved to rejoin her master with both hands upon the grips of her weapon, its powered axe bladed bayonet glowed with energy. Her lord's gaze then turned towards her and the Autarch gave a slight nod before he too was shrouded by his armor's holo-field and the warrior maiden activated her own. Like the shadowy Aspect Warriors of the Scorpion temple, the Warden Eternal and her lord became hidden from any untrained and they followed the trail of their quarry.
Further listening to the various vox reports, Hayth Davere became singularly focused on the status of the Death Hand squadron. One of the Taurox transports that had been carrying the elite troops had taken a direct hit by a missile and the vehicle out of action. There were a few fatalities and several injuries from the occupants of the transport but the rest of the squads remained unbroken.
After being updated with the situation report, the Adjutant sent orders for the other squads to continue with the mission while evac would be sent for those who had been in the destroyed Taurox. As he continued to monitor the progress of the Death Hands, he requested for another update on the location of the crash site. Powerful long range scanning equipment within the Regimental Command was activated and soon the Adjutant saw on his terminal an updated holo-map display of the area around the crash site.
The escape pod was still in the last spot where it crashed but what he quickly noticed was an enemy vehicle of obviously xeno design. He then noted as well two moving individual that were heading off towards the edge of the makeshift clearing and out of scanner range. Before the aliens escaped, he was able to take a quick capture of the two xenos and after adjusting the instruments of his terminal, he was shown a holo-image that caused his jaw to drop.
Ever since the first days of this campaign, Hayth Davere had heard many reports from his fellow guardsmen and had even seen the few pic-captures of a cunning and powerful alien leader whose attacks had done much to cripple the advance of the Astra Militarum forces. The raids of this alien warlord alone had had condemned hundreds of soldiers to die from starvation or disease, his attacks had left many officers dead and even the armored companies of the Herkoran Baronial Legions had suffered greatly. All their attempts in trying to kill this one xeno had only left more guardsmen in the grave yet there was still one option thing which they had not tried yet and were reserving in case of an emergency.
Immediately sending the holo-image to the Lord General's office, Hayth Davere soon saw on his command terminal the authorization of Protocol: Mortis. An instinctive shiver of fear went up the Adjutant's spine as he sent out a general warning to all guardsmen within the base as a stasis pod beneath the HQ began its deactivation sequence. Despite the well earned reputation of ruthlessness and brutality that the Herkoran Baronial Legion prided itself of, there were of course far more dreadful powers which the greater Imperium possessed and one which the Baron of Herkoran could afford to requisition with his influence.
Within a secure underground chamber that bore the sigil of the Officio Assasinorium, a casket of adamantium and ceramite opened with a hiss of escaping air, the eyes of its sole occupant fluttered beneath twin lenses of shining red. A deadly cocktail of combat drugs were injected into the flesh of the occupant as details of its mission were downloaded into its brain via cybernetic implants at the base of the skull. Beneath a leering, skull-faced mask, a being that had once been a man but now nothing more than a killing machine that served only the will of the Immortal God Emperor awakened and the only thing which he felt was the overwhelming desire to kill.