++Biometric scans complete, Homo Sapiens identified++

++Begin data dump to personal cogitator++

?.?.M? Emperor's Paradise. 2 kilometers from insertion point. Smurf Team Element Alpha.

It was over by the time that the rear guard caught up with the Captain and his half of the team. The horde that was attacking the Guardsmen were dead and dismembered, their innards covering a grinning Captain Havelock, Father, Max and Skjarl. The Inquisitor jumped off the back of Rex and ignored the questioning look that Havelock's tilted helmet indicated.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" cried Skjarl in his post battle release, and the grin slowly faded away, his face now looking a more dowry scowl with the arrival of a second Dark Angel.

"...woah..." breathed one of the few remaining troopers, "that...was the most amazing thing I've ever seen..."

"If you want to see more, you should answer my questions, trooper," Marcus said with absolute authority, striding over with the Sister right behind him, helmet clasped to her hip and heavy flamer pointed at them.

"What the hell is that?" a soldier asked and pointed to the Sister's weapon. The sister scoffed.

"What, this? It's a heavy flamer, of course. The Emperor doesn't let you boys play with the big guns?" she smirked. "It's cause He saves it for those who can handle the big guns."

"Emperor? Who's that" Thol's eyes grew wide (for a fraction of a second) with realization of what the trooper just asked, and the response necessary. Another test.

"The Emperor is everything that Mankind should strive to be. He gave his humanity to be interred upon the Golden Throne, thus protecting us from the minions of the Warp, and their terrible gods. "

"...who?" the soldiers looked unbelieving still. As if it weren't enough. OH THE HERESY! Thol's desire to execute the heretical humans was such that he had to physically restrain his right hand from dropping down to the butt of his plasma pistol.

"Inquisitor?" the Sister asked.

"Fine," he grumped back before addressing the survivors again, "Who is in charge here?"

"I am. Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams. Who am I addressing?" the sole remaining female in the small group stood a little taller and casually strolled up to Smurf Team.

"You are addressing Inquisitor Marcus Thol, Ordo Xenos and commander of Kill-Team Smurf," Thol stated proudly and loudly. The troops behind the sergeant began to snigger. HERESY!

"Sergeant, you will control your men. To laugh at the name of a Deathwatch Kill Team and their Inquisitor is...punishable by summary execution," Thol allowed his errant hand to finally grasp the butt of the pistol and calmly draw it, ready to snap fire it at any of these Guardsmen if needed. He doubted it. With his extra senses, he could feel the adamantium tension that was a battle-prepped Astartes. That also meant they already had firing lines established and targets chosen, bolters up.

"WOAH! Just because they laugh at a name like 'Smurf' is NOT any damn good reason to just execute someone! Only a tribunal can authorize an execution!" the errant sergeant said, stepping between her men and the Inquisitor.

"No, it's long been established that an Inquisitor can authorize an execution. It's well within the powers of the Inquisition," he explained with force behind his voice. That force had shattered the wills of Planetary Governors, errant Lord-Generals and a few newer Inquisitors.

"No. Its. Not. Right," she said, just as forcefully. So be it then.

"End them, leave the sergeant," he said simply over the vox. The Astartes complied, bolters barking only once as they ended the unfortunate troopers' lives. They died messily as the mass reactive rounds easily punched through their body armor and pulped their chests and heads, showering the horror-struck sergeant with gore.

That horror turned to rage and anger and she charged the Inquisitor. He calmly drew his de-activated power sword and side stepped her rage induced charge. With a low cross sweep of the blunt edge of the sword, he took her legs out from under her, causing her to fall into Rex's arms. Doc was on her immediately, slapping Deadlock and silver Mechanicus-pattern locking cloth on her wrists. She hardly struggled, for the paralyzing effect of the drug kicked in immediately, and she went limp. Rex slung her over one shoulder like a rocket launcher, and stood patiently for the Inquisitor's next orders.

"Search the area, clear it of witnesses. Pile and burn the evidence, Sister, Fang, Eagle." Marcus said without emotion, having done this hundreds of times.

"Copy" they acknowledged and carried out their orders.

"While they're doing that, I suggest we head further inland, towards that city, see if we can't find anything useful," the Inquisitor said. Brother-Captain Havelock nodded and gestured to Smurf Team's remaining personal. They formed a wedge with Ellie on point and moved in the direction of the city.

"Do you think the Inquisitor was too hard on the Guardsmen?" the Sister asked as she raked her heavy flamer across the pile of human pasta. The two Astartes having finished clearing the surrounding structures, finding nothing of value and two more witnesses to dispose of, stood behind her, eying the surroundings for anything that might try and end them.

"For once, I thought he was too lenient on that sergeant. She should join her comrades in death," Eagle said quietly but with the utmost conviction, "Disobeying the Inquisition's order is one thing, but utterly denying altogether? Heresy." He shook his head at the thought.

"Kevak, you are the last one I'd think to be discussing what heresy is and isn't," Fang joked.

"Oh? Why is that, Furball?" The Raven Guard said in an equally joking manner.

"You. Raven Guard. Heresy," Fang shrugged, "I found it funny."

"At least my Chapter's doctrine doesn't include being a perpetually drunk inbred imbecile," Kron mumbled just loud enough for the Space Wolf to hear.

"Grrrrr..." the (admittedly) rather barbaric Astartes growled at him.

"You're even growling like a damn wolf," Eagle suppressed the urge to laugh, but the mirth was shameless in his voice and continued on. "Look to yourself to find the greatest source of contrition," the black armored Astartes said in a mystical voice. The Space Wolf didn't stop growling and giving the Raven Guard a glare that would petrify an Ork, but the Raven Guard had faced more terrifying things alone. And killed it without breaking too much of a sweat. The recent kills had their skulls hanging above his bunk onboard the Renegade.

"Make that grox-shit up yourself?" Fang asked skeptically.

"No, actually. I read it in the Inquisitor's Librarium. It was written by a rather wise Rune Priest of your Chapter, Njal Stormcaller," he said with an aloofness that added to the fury of the Space Wolf. Out-maneuvered. Again. And Eagle knew it. The giant among Astartes cursed the name of Kevak Kron, Eagle, and the Raven Guard as they moved to rejoin the Inquisitor and the rest of Smurf Team.

Seeing his mate in an obvious state of utter frustration, Kevak Kron shut down his external vox and laughed, getting it out of his system before it bit him in the ass again. Once he was done, St. Claire opened a channel.

"You were laughing just now, weren't you?" she demanded quietly.

"I am an Astartes. What do you think?" he rumbled in reply, playing up the stoic Defender of Humanity without a touch of Humanity Left that most people saw Astartes for.

"In my professional opinion? Skjarl's still seething. In fact, if he breathes any harder, he'll give himself an aneurysm. And you're not helping." she remarked.

"I am not an Apothecary. What is an 'aneurysm'?"

"In its most base form? A blood vessel exploding somewhere on the body. In his case, it'll probably be in the brain."

"I thought your previous specality was of the Ordo Dialogus?" Kevak asked.

"It was, but that didn't mean that I didn't have to provide the most basic service a Soritas can offer humanity from time to time. Or extended periods of time," she replied, her mind taking her back to the battle-torn and scarred worlds upon which she served as a translator for a Sisters Hospitaler unit that was assisting the Imperial Guard in their campaigns. She shook those memories off. Those memories were not important. What is important is rejoining the Inquisitor and finding a way off this planet and rejoining the Emperor.

++ 0101000001100001011101010111001101100101++

2183. Eden Prime, high atmosphere. SSV Normandy, Cargo Bay.

"Engaging stealth systems," Joker narrated as he brought the Normandy into Eden Prime's atmosphere just like he wanted, fast, quiet and low. Oh and stealthy. Don't forget stealthy.

The cloud layer of Eden Prime was blood red, something not covered in the briefings. Even Jenkins was taken aback when the cargo bay doors first opened.

"Not something you remember, Corporal?" Shepard yelled over the roar of the winds as Joker plunged the Normandy deeper into the atmosphere.

"Not even close, Commander! There's definitely something weird going on!" he shouted back.

Anderson and Nihlus joined them then, Nihlus casting sidelong glances at Shepard and his team.

"Shepard! Nihlus'll scout for you. He'll be dropped off and take the high route to the camp, scouting the way. You'll be dropped on the lower slopes and go in hard," Anderson shouted over the winds.

"It's the only way the Marines go in sir!" Jenkins shouted, an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

"Easy, Corporal, remember our conversation?!" Shepard yelled back.

"What about survivors?" Alenko spoke up for the first time. Shepard didn't know a whole lot about the man, but heard he was handy with a gun in a firefight, so for now he'd trust him.

"Helping survivors is secondary to the beacon!" Anderson roared back.

"Approaching drop point one!" Joker called. The ship slowed and flared as it came in for a drop off. Nihlus gave a half-salute and jumped out the bay doors. Shepard saw him land with grace and take off for the tree line, sniper rifle in hand. Joker took the ship away to try and conceal the position of the Spectre, and made for Shepard's insertion point.

"Good luck Shepard! We're counting on you!" Anderson called.

"Approaching drop point two!" The ship flared again. Shepard looked. The ground was covered in large rocks jutting from the ground. Easily able to hide a man. Good cover in a firefight. But it wouldn't be taken at range, would it? Said a voice in the back of his head.

"Go, go, go!" Shepard repeated the mantra that all military NCO's and field CO's had perfected since time immemorial. The team jumped out into the field without a second thought.

The landing was soft, being only a few meters off the ground. Or rather, as soft as it could be. It jarred Shepard as he tucked and rolled to bleed of momentum. As he came out of the roll, he drew his side arm, a reflex honed while roof jumping on Elysium.

"Perimeter secure," Alenko reported. Shepard stood and switched to his assault rifle. Alenko and Jenkins were a little ways away from him. Jenkins didn't put his rifle down. Good.

"Alright, the dig site should be further down the crevice. Nihlus, are you live?" Shepard asked, then cursed for using Alliance slang.

"I'm in position, if that's what you're asking," the Turian replied.

"See anything?"

"Just a pile of dead robots. Seems our friends have been through here," Nihlus reported, "What's the human expression for disbelief? By Jesus?"

"Usually 'Oh my God'," Shepard replied, "Why?"

"There's oil and parts everywhere. Like you would not believe," was the reply.

"We're moving down the crevice now," Shepard motioned to the team and they fanned out in a wedge formation behind the Commander and moved down the crevice. True to his word, there were robots everywhere. Dead ones. Most were rather messily dismembered, save a few with holes burnt clean through. And the foot prints. Lots of large, heavy tracks.

Shepard knelt and took a look at the tracks. "Oh my God...Nihlus, I'd say you were right about our friends. Can you move up?"

"Already moving. Don't worry about me. I'm evaluating you, after all," Nihlus said.

"Alright. Jenkins, move up 15 meters to my 10. Alenko, my 2," Shepard ordered. The crevice widened up, and the reverse wedge should give them the ability to catch whatever came at them in a hell of a crossfire.

"Commander I've got movement," Jenkins said, peering from behind a rock.

"Can you ID it?" Shepard asked, holding absolutely still to try and find the movement.

"No, but it-AAAAAHHHH" Gun fire erupted as three flying drones came hurtling down the crevice and annihilated the first thing they saw: Jenkins.

"No! You bastards!" Shepard roared, tearing into the attackers with the rifle, heedless of cover or his weapon overheating. Alenko managed to down one of them.

As the last drone hit the ground, Shepard called "Cover me!" and ran for Jenkins. Alenko could only comply. He knew that look. Shepard wasn't going to be reachable for a while yet.

"Jenkins?" Shepard asked loudly, shaking the dead trooper. No response. Just as he feared.

"Damn it," he muttered. The radio crackled.

"Commander, everything alright?" Nilhus asked.

"No, Jenkins is down. I'm marking his position for retrieval and burial later," Shepard said, removing an IR beacon. "Continuing the mission,"

"Copy that. The dig site is vacant ahead. I'm moving on," Nihlus reported.

"Acknowledged" Shepard shut off the channel and turned to Alenko.

"He'll get a burial later, but we need to focus on the mission at hand, alright lieutenant?" he asked.

"Aye, aye Commander," Alenko nodded. Shepard stood and pointed down the crevice.

"Nihlus reports that the way is clear, but we're to take no chances, understand?" Alenko nodded. "Alright, then we'll move in echelon right. Move out."

As the duo moved down the crevice, it was littered with more dead robots, and more footprints. Soon, they came to the dig site, where the video was obviously taken. Shepard turned to the south and recognized the skyline. The massive tracks, massively dead robots and large objects overturned and thrown about like playthings.

"Our giant friends were here, there's no question about it," Shepard muttered.

"You say something Commander?" Alenko asked.

"Yeah. What did Anderson tell you about this mission?" Shepard asked as they walked through the circular site.

"Not much, that we had to retrieve a Prothean beacon and something may have happened to the research team and their guards. Everything I've seen so far agrees with that. Why?" he asked.

"See these tracks?" Shepard gestured to the massive prints everywhere.

"Yeah...kinda hard to miss, with all due respect," Alenko replied.

"There was a few more details Anderson should have told you," Shepard began as they continued through the site, looking for anything that could look like a beacon."Oh, did he mention how big this thing was?"

"Nope."

"Fablous."

"You were saying about the other details?"

"Right. There were these robots, attacking Alliance Marines, right? Then this gunney says 'Get down' and this crashing noise comes from the woods, just over there," Shepard pointed to the massive wake of destruction coming from the woods."And these large, heavily armored, what appeared to be humans come out of fucking nowhere with swords and axes and tear into the robots. Bodies go everywhere, some chant about an 'emperor' or what not, and then shot of a giant metal shrimp then black."

"...what the fuck? Sir." Alenko asked in disbelief.

"That was our reaction as well, lieutenant," Shepard said with a tired sigh. "But whatever they were, they're well armored and armed, if their weapons go through these things like butter. Find anything?"

"No, nothing. But damn, butter?" Alenko took a closer look at the disemboweled robots with a new found respect. "Shit. Sure looks like it. Hell of a clean cut."

"Alright, the beacon's obviously not here. Let's move into the camp, they might have moved it," Shepard said as he walked up an earthen ramp to the scientist's camp proper. Something hit him then. Not something physical, but more subtle, if you can call the smell of charred flesh subtle.

"Oh God!" he breathed. Alenko was by him in a minute and suffered the same fate.

"Jesus Christ!" he whispered hoarsely, both of them shutting their suits to the outside and purging the air inside."Is that what I think it is, Commander?"Alenko was pointing to a smoldering black pile by one of the pre-fab quarters.

"I think it is, lieutenant. Whatever killed these scientists..." Shepard took a closer look at something that looked relatively shiny. He grabbed it and yanked. Bones and charred flesh flaked and fell, but the object came loose. It was an assault rifle, Alliance standard issue.

"Not scientists. Marines," Alenko took the words right out of Shepard's head.

"Shepard, come in. This is Nihlus, over." The radio cackled.

"Nihlus, we're at the dig site. Completely empty. Pile of Alliance Marines. Burned, probably to try and hide evidence. No sign of the beacon," Shepard reported.

"This isn't good, Shepard. I've found a small spaceport just northwest of your position. Meet me there and we'll plan further. Scour the area once more, just to be sure. Nihlus out," Nihlus signed off. Shepard turned to Alenko after checking the coordinates Nihlus gave him.

"Alright, we're meeting Nihlus in a spaceport about half a klick northwest from here. Let's give the camp a once over before we move on, alright?" Shepard said. Alenko nodded and they split up. Some of the pre-fabs had their doors kicked in. Shepard peeked inside and saw gore splattered on three walls, the ceiling and the floor. God, it looked like three people bled to death in here. He felt bile rising, but pushed it down. This was not the time.

"Find anything Alenko?" Shepard asked through clenched teeth.

"Nada. You?"

"Blood and gore. Lots of it," was his equally strained reply, and Shepard stepped back out. He didn't want to go in there.

"Ready to continue, sir?" Alenko asked gently.

"Give me a minute. Not that well with blood," Shepard said through deep breaths.

"How did you make it through Elysium then, sir?" Alenko asked.

"Starved myself and only threw up when there was a lull in the battle. Wasn't pretty," Shepard replied. Then a sharp crack split the air. Shepard jolted up.

"Nihlus... Alenko, we're oscar mike! Move!" Shepard was up and moving, thoughts of what he had seen relegated to the back of his mind. Now he had to link up with Nihlus and get the beacon. Hopefully he'll avoid those monstrous creatures that killed the Marines. He couldn't call on the Normandy for back up. Wait. Could he?

"Normandy, this is Commander Shepard. Come in, over," Shepard called. Nada. Right, the stealth mechanisms. No radio in or out. Damn. He turned his jog into a flat out sprint and made for the port, following the tracks and the horrendously rising body count.

They came to the space port in short order, a mess of debris still aflame and scattered dead. The warriors hadn't been here, as the robots patrolling the area were upright and still in one piece. In fact, they were still able to fire their weapons.

"Take cover!" Shepard shouted needlessly. Alenko was already under cover putting rounds into the robots.

"Way ahead of ya!" he shouted back, taking down two robots. "Three more coming down the stairs!"

Shepard took them down with several well placed bursts from his assault rifle. Again.

"Any more?" he asked. They scanned the area for anyone else that might possibly be alive, but didn't see any.

"No, I think we got them all..." Alenko said hesitantly, sweeping the area still.

"Alright, then cover me," Shepard ordered. He took a relaxing breath, and vaulted the rock he was taking cover behind. He did a quick take on the field, and took cover in the stair well leading up to the platform.

"See anything?" he asked.

"Nope, you're clear," Alenko reported. "Cover me?"

"Go!" Shepard barked as he rose up and out of cover. As Alenko dashed over to his side, Shepard noticed the lack of movement. A disturbing lack of movement.

"Still seeing nothing Alenko?" Shepard asked.

"Aye. Not even a sensor flash."

"Alright, cover me. We're moving up to the coordinates. Let's see if we can't get Nihlus' opinion on this."

"Copy that. On your move," Alenko nodded.

"Move." Shepard lead the way once more, moving a little slower than Alenko would have preferred, but the commander was the Hero of Elysium after all. The platform that Nihlus had indicated was empty, save for a body half tucked into a corner, blood spattered on the wall behind it. As they drew closer, the awful truth became clearer.

"..Nihlus.." Alenko said cautiously. Shepard ducked low and rolled the body over. Yes, Alenko's deduction was right. The Turian Spectre was indeed deader that a doornail.

"Aw...FUCK!" Shepard growled and took a deep breath. "Alright Alenko, this mission just got a lot more dangerous. Check around, see if you can find something to give us an id-" something moved from behind some crates stacked in the corner of the platform, toppling the top one over. Alenko snap fired his pistol. The round hit less than an inch from the face of a terrified dock worker who stood with his hands held high in the air. The stench of urine then filled the air.

Shepard rose and walked over to the worker, lowering his rifle but not putting it away. "That's a damn good way to get yourself killed," he growled.

"Sorry, sorry," the worker said, putting his hands down "I heard voices and I nearly leapt up. You're the first I've seen since the Geth arrived. Are they all gone?"

"Yeah, we're working on that little problem," Shepard said. "What do you know about the attack? Anything with large armored humanoid figures?"

"What? Humanoid? The only thing large and humanoid were the Geth Primes I saw move that thing the scientists dug up."

"Are you sure?" Shepard pressed.

"Absolutely. Look, why are you so interested in these things anyways?"

Shepard toyed with the idea of telling him to go fuck himself. "That Turian over there was an up and coming Spectre. Who is now dead. On a human world. Can you do math?"

"Yes, I can do the math. But I am fairly certain it wasn't these...whatever the hell you're chasing. It was another Turian. I think his name was Saren."

"Saren?" Alenko asked.

"Anderson mentioned him a week or so back. Some asshole of a Turian that hates humans. Legendary Spectre to boot," Shepard narrated.

"And you're sure he killed Nihlus?" Alenko asked.

"Absolutely. They were talking for a minute or two, then Saren just pulled out a gun and shot him in the head."

"Okay. That's one objective, but what about the thing the scientists dug up?" Shepard asked.

"That? These Geth Primes moved it...uh...thataway," the worker pointed deeper into the city.

"Alright, noted," Shepard said, making recordings of the man's testimony for later review. "But what about your own survival? We haven't met up with another human survivor yet."

"I..uh...was hiding behind the crates," he explained sheepishly.

"Why is there no one else with them?" he asked skeptically.

"...because I was already here when the attack started..." he muttered. Shepard's eyes went cold.

"You were lazy, slunk off to bullshit around and...!" he caught himself mid rant. "Never mind. What matters right now is that you did survive to tell us what you knew about that meeting. But let this be a lesson to you," Shepard growled. "Alenko, we're moving. Put a beacon on the body for retrieval."

"Aye commander," Alenko pulled out an IR beacon and put the little object in one of the Spectre's many pockets.

"Okay, now all that's left is to get that beacon and call the mission done," he muttered to himself. "Alenko! You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. After you commander," he said. With that, Shepard led the way deeper into the city of the dead.

++Thought for the Day: The Emperor bestowed upon us the gift of intolerance++

++Data transfer packet_4 complete++