Sinite cruised through the planet's atmosphere at low speed only a few kilometers above sea level. One hundred kilometers to the north east was the nearest shoreline, a hilly low mountain range that connected the southern continent to the much larger northern. The natural choke point for land travel was infested with Orks as they headed south towards the base the humans had established. Camps sprung up when Orks no longer wanted to walk any farther.
Commander Addison looked up from the tactical displays. "We should be close enough now to begin the attack. All fighters commence operation."
To either side of Sinite, fighters shaped much like ancient arrow heads broke formation and streaked away towards the shore. The tactical display showed the position of each vehicle participating in the attack, including a group of shuttles and speeders waiting a short distance down the coast line.
As the fighter wave reached the Ork camp, they slowed and reduced altitude. They changed formation to screen two fighters carrying canisters as part of their external stores.
Addison watched the screens calculating wind distribution of the area and the speed of the fighters. "Activate dispensers." The commander instructed the two pilots.
Thick brown clouds billowed out from the dispensers and slowly began to descend. After passing over the Ork camp the fighters changed course.
"Beginning two hundred and seventy degree turn to starboard." Commed the flight leader. The fighters looped around to fly over the camp again.
"Flight leader here, we're taking small arms fire from groundside."
Addison soon responded. "Disregard small arms fire, continue the mission."
As they finished passing over the camp a second time a launched Grot bounced off the flight leaders fighter.
"Uh... we're taking small goblin hits here."
Addison kept a close watch on the orbital view of the area, all but ignoring the remaining reports from the fighter pilots. Even as he watched, the green vegetation in the area started to wither and burn away. Within a few minutes almost all movement in the area had stopped. The last of the chemical agents settled within ten minutes, meaning the wind had little time to spread the burn area farther.
"Fighters, begin combat air patrol. Shuttle group you are clear to move in."
"Acknowledged Commander." came Parek's voice in return. "I hope this stuff actually worked."
"Orbital views all seem to show it as being effective sir."
The tactical displayed showed the shuttles and speeders moving out.
"At your current rate you should reach the edges of the affected area in a few minutes."
"Thank you Commander."
"Double check suit seals." instructed Parek over the comm. "We don't know what this stuff will do to humans and I'd rather not find out."
Each person assisted the ones nearest to them in double checking suit integrity. It was a procedure all of them were familiar with having spent the majority of their lives in space.
As the craft swept into the area the chemicals had hit, everyone saw that all of the bio-matter had been burned. Tree trunks still stood but their leaves were gone.
In the Ork camp they were greeted by the sight of piles of burnt looking foam materials. Troops wearing modular power armour and flight packs touched down first scouting for any survivors. One large Nob was still alive and came shambling out of the tree line towards them, choppa still in hand. A trooper took careful aim and downed the beast with a head shot.
Parek's speeder set down a few minutes later once the troopers had expanded their perimeter.
"I want the scanning crews to spread out, and for crying out loud make sure you get some samples into stasis boxes."
"Sir!" Called out one of the officers. "you should have a look at this Nob that we downed."
The Captain stepped over some red painted debris that contact from chemicals was starting to turn a dark brown in places. When he reached the body that a pair of troopers in modular armour was standing over he saw what the problem was. One of the troopers had hacked open the Ork's large body, revealing that the chemicals had done a great deal of damage to the monster but it had been too large to die from it. The metal plating that the Ork also had implanted onto its head had probably also extended it's life.
"How much damage does it do?" Parek asked.
The troopers looked between each other for a second before turning back to the Captain. "Ten centimeters sir, maybe a little more."
"Is ten enough?"
"All of these other Orks were small sir, we must have killed off most of the big ones with the bombardment."
"So you're saying this stuff will kill small Orks, those little goblin things and... the spores?"
"All of the other Ork-life too sir." Added the second trooper.
"Get samples of that dead Ork." he said, pointing at the Nob. "Find out if the residue from this stuff will repel weapons fire in any way or if it's flammable."
Parek sat the head of the briefing room listening to various reports. Officers from both Sinite and Megara were present as they discussed the effects of the chemical weapons.
"If it wasn't for the fact that the left over materials degrade over a matter of weeks I would vote against further use." Said Montoya, who had been busy scanning samples brought back from the site. "Over use of these chemicals could cause an ecological nightmare. The idea of using these weapons on a global scale should be abhorrent."
Parek sighed before replying with a "Thank you Doctor. Now, what are the resistance levels of the left over materials?"
A Lieutenant from the Megara cleared his throat. "We've found that the left over or 'burned' bio-matter is capable of repelling some lasrifle fire but is otherwise rather flammable. Even the most basic infantry flamer would be able handle Orks covered in this stuff."
"One piece of good news finally." said Parek. "What about that metal plate on the Ork's head though?"
"It doesn't look like the chemical has any effect on their armour sir. If an Ork was covered in enough metal it would be nearly invulnerable to the chemical."
"Take heed, ye who have surrendered to the Darkness." Chanted Brother Atar.
"We shall be unbowed and unbroken.
For where there is darkness, His light shall shine.
And the darkness shall retreat." His students all repeated the line as one.
Today he went to each student in turn, speaking the first few words of either a common prayer or litany revering the Emperor and waited for them to complete it. When he returned to the front of the room Lavidean was satisfied. The men and women selected for this role must have all been chosen for eidetic memory abilities.
"You are all as ready as anyone not born a citizen of the Imperium can be. Remember that the light of the Emperor is always with you. Even if you do not believe in Him, it does not mean He does not believe in you."
Everyone present made a gesture of warding that Brother Atar had taught them.
"Know that if you are discovered you will likely be treated as heretics and be burned as such."
He bowed his head.
"Take succor in His strength.
Steel thy soul with His word.
Armour thy personage in faith to He.
Arm thy self with His will."
Lavidean straightened and stood at attention.
"You are dismissed."
Brother Atar entered Medbay after receiving a summon over the ship's intercom. He was allowed to walk through the ship without an escort now but he suspected that the crew had ways of keeping track of his location.
"Doctor, you requested my presence?"
Montoya looked up from his work next to the main examination table.
"One of my patients did."
The older man waved him over and indicated a man on the table nearly obscured from sight by medical scanners.
Lavidean frowned. "I remember you. Third row, second from the left in my would be chapel."
"Yes Brother Captain." The young man responded.
His frown deepened. "That was a rank I never attained, refer to me simply as Brother Atar."
"Yes Brother. Never the less it is how those you trained refer to you now."
"What do you want?" He asked, half expecting the student-spy to request the Emperor's Benediction. Such was not the case however.
"I am bound for the realm of Ultramar, where the Tyranid threat is more fully understood. I would know if you wanted a message sent to your Chapter."
Lavidean very nearly answered 'no' until a plausible story came to mind.
"Tell them that my ship was thrown off course in the Warp and that I was picked up by Rogue Traders. I will return to them upon the destruction of a Xeno worshiping cult."
Montoya stepped forward with an injector. "I'll need my patient unconscious now so that I can finish my work."
Lavidean backed away to give the Doctor room. "What are you doing to him?"
"Implanting a sub-dermal nano weave. It can help to improve muscle response and acts as a way of armouring the skin. We've used it for a few millennia now in medical treatment. One of the reason's I'm so old."
"Orbital Mass Penetrators."
Parek looked up from the report that he was reading at an almost excited looking Commander Addison. "What was that Commander?"
"To deal with the Ork problem sir."
The Captain put down the data slate so that he could devote his full attention.
"...I don't follow."
"Heavy metal penetrators deployed in orbit from a small cargo ship sir. We could equip some of the penetrators with the chemical dispensers. Targeting packages would only have to carry the most rudimentary guidance."
"Do we have any existing patterns for this?"
"Not for the dispenser packages as yet, but those design patterns could easily be reprogrammed."
"Sinite, would you be interested in helping the commander with this project?" He asked, directing his comment toward the overhead speakers.
"I'd be happy to sir." responded the synthesized voice.
"Get to work Commander, I want progress reports."
Addison was nearly out the door by the time Parek finished his sentence.
"Grit-Nife? ...Mo' loik GIT-NIFE AM AYE ROIGHT BOYZ?!"
The small band of boyz broke down in fits of laughter like only Orks could. Until the Ork making the joke suddenly had his head removed by a Power Claw.
Grit-Nife tossed the severed head aside into a nearby fire.
"Wut part of me'z beein da biggest didn' ya bunch a squig erders get?! I'M DA BOSS! An me namez Grit-Nife an nuffin diffrent!"
All of the boys nodded enthusiastically not wanting to anger the Big Mek any more.
"Now wez got'a keep buildin' shield fingys! Dem humies in o'bit iz da ones dat burn'd us gud and wez gonna make em pay!"
"Yea!" shouted one of the boys and all of the others were soon to shout out. "WAAAAAAGGGHH!"
"Shut yer oles!" Yelled Grit-Nife, momentarily stalling the other Orks battlecrys.
"Ya see dem stars ya gits?" he said, pointing to a group of stars moving across the night sky. "Dems da humies. Wen dey go by wez gots to giv em a sign from Gork an Mork!"
The Mek lifted his one arm that wasn't covered in mechanical parts to the stars and extended his middle finger. "Fer Gork an Mork!" he yelled and every other Ork nearby did the same.
"FER GORK AN MORK! WAAAAAAGGGHH!"
"Sir, the Darius is firing on the planet's surface." reported Sinite's sensor officer.
Parek put his data slate away. "It looks like I won't be getting much work done tonight. Com, hail Darius and see what the problem is."
The face of Captain Miranna Abya appeared on the forward display moments later.
"What's the problem Captain?" Parek asked.
"Sir, we've been monitoring the planet's surface. The Orks in one area seem to be aware of our fleet's presence."
"And what would indicate that? Are they preparing to launch ships or missiles up at us?"
"No sir. We're transmitting the image to you."
Seconds later Parek was viewing a light enhanced orbital view of several hundred Orks giving the middle finger to the fleet.
"What the-" The Captain didn't honestly know how one was supposed to respond when given an insult on such a large scale.
"How much damage did your fire cause?" he asked at length.
"Little or none sir. It looks like the Orks are starting to erect planetary grade shield generators."
Parek tried to calculate the numbers. Fifteen ships had left orbit just a few hours ago to deliver spies to various parts of the Imperium of Man. His eighteen frigates, one carrier and one grounded transport still had enough firepower to take down planetary shields. But he still needed enough Orks left over on the planet for the army they were raising to train against.
"Captain Abya, I want you to locate each shield generator the Orks build and knock them out as they become operational. If you need more ships ask for assistance. Try to minimise collateral damage."
"Aye sir."