As the door to the Thunderhawk touched the ground Achillies squad stepped out one after another, each marine sweeping a sector of space surrounding their landing zone. All reported clear, signifying it was safe for their charge to leave the dropship. Looking around Oritar couldn't help but comment on how dark it was. True they were on the dark side of the moon and it was to be expected, but this was an imperial hive, there should be lights and people everywhere. "It's blacker than the inside of a necron tomb," he stated as if no one else had noticed.

Looking around Inquisitor Prall pulled out a stab light, His human eyes barely able to make out twenty feet in front of him. He had expected at least some general public to observe their landing but instead, there was nothing, no street lights or lights in homes or buildings, No noise of people or the sounds of industry. It seemed the whole hive had been abandoned. "Very curious indeed," Prall queried, "yet not at all what we are here for. I want that relic secured immediately. We are about..."

Before the Inquisitor could finish his sentence there was a series of short whistles coming from the horizon, followed by an equal amount of explosions. The city lit up as flames engulfed the streets some ten kilometers away. "What in the emperor's name was that?" Prall asked.

"Sounded like imperial missile launchers." Answered Sergeant Achillies, "The cultists must have ever infiltrated the local pdf or subdued them, either way, we best avoid that direction."

Prall's face turned to a grimace as he spoke, "Not possible sergeant. The district we need to get to is beyond those explosions. There is a church of the Imperial cult nestled in an industrial district out there, that is our target."

"We could go around," Oritar suggested. But as he did the unmistakeable harsh bang of bolter fire rang out from the direction of the explosions.

"We don't have time to go around," interjected Artorias "Besides, those sounds can mean only one thing, the Mantis Warriors have engaged the cultists and will be heading this way.

"The success of this mission is paramount, " insisted Prall as he looked to the sergeant. "The captain assured me you would be more than capable of retrieving the relic. Perhaps I should call the veteran squad instead."

Achillies knew he was being goaded but still he had to take the bait, there was no way terminators could make it there undetected, it would be a terrible tactical move. Also, there was no way he was returning to ship a failure when the captain had put such trust in his single squad. "We will see how far we can get undetected. But tell lieutenant Gregorio to be ready to deploy in a heartbeat, there is no way this isn't turning into a bloodbath. Achilles mind wandered as he spoke. What would happen if they came across Mantis Warriors? Could he really kill fellow Astartes just to keep the secrecy of the mission?

The sergeant squashed the thoughts quickly and ordered "Form up! we get in and we get out. No witnesses."

Without a word, the squad took up tactical angles continuously searching for any sign of movement as they began to proceed down the empty street ahead of them. Stab lights pierced the blackness for the benefit of the inquisitor's human eyes, they were making good time and not a single sign of contact so far, Apollo figured that they had made it nearly three kilometers and thought surely it could only be minutes more before they ran into someone. The sounds of skirmishes coming and going from the horizon became louder each time they occurred.

Raising his stab lights to scan the surrounding factory rooftops Apollo's eyes locked with the scope of a sniper rifle. "Contact!" He managed to yell before a single round pierced his glassic eye lens killing him nearly instantly as his power armoured body crashed to the ferrocrete below. Albion was first to respond and sent a set of three mass reactive rounds hurtling towards the target. His aim was true but the sniper had already retreated into cover causing the rounds to fly off into the darkness.

"Catch that sniper! Astoras, Stay with the inquisitor!" Barked Achillies as his boot slammed open the door to the warehouse. The squad burst into the room, their ire bordering on pure rage at the loss of their battle brother. Instantly they were met with volleys of lasgun fire of two dozen cultists spread out across the room in various covers.

Without hesitation Achillies squad made a firing line, their bolters echoed throughout the room like a thunderstorm as the mass reactive rounds landed home, making cultists paint the walls with their viscera. "Suffer not the heretic to live!" Roared Oritar as his heavy bolter chewed through a lifting machine and the two enemies hiding behind it.

The cultists stood no chance against the onslaught brought down by the Astartes as they pressed their attack tearing their way across the room. "Sergeant I don't see the sniper," said Artorias as he drew his combat blade and plunged it into the skull of a cultist.

"We can't let him escape," added Albion as he made his way to the door of the next room. The rest of Achilles squad stacked up behind him as Albion cracked the door and lobbed in a frag grenade. Just a moment later there was a bang and screams as the grenade detonated, followed by each marine systematically entering and locking down their quarter with bolter fire. "There," shouted the sergeant as he used his helmet systems to ping the rest of his squad to the sniper's location at the back of the room.

Loran could see that these cultists were causing deviations in her plan and decided she would end this skirmish now. Holding her bolter with one hand she drew her wazikashi and began to run through the room, clearing obstacles and shooting down enemies without ever breaking stride. The sniper was trying to get a bead on her but she moved to fast and before he knew it she was at his barrel, the monomolecular blade cleaving the flak armoured sniper in two before he could even lower his weapon. "Slaanesh thanks you for your soul." She whispered as she flicked the blood from her blade.