Okay, I feel like I should give some form of an explanation for the sheer amount of time it's been taking to make these. The college had been back on for six weeks now and unlike during the height of the pandemic, it's not all online anymore. So I have to drive myself there and attend lectures now.

And while I enjoy writing I have other hobbies I also wanna enjoy besides this plus homework and just regular work. So it's kinda been shunted down the priority list. I'm still writing this story just because I've had a lot of other things I have to or want to do besides it.

Please favorite, follow, share, and/or review


All around me Hybrids were moping around after the mass burial. I had mostly let them go from the overriding influence of the brood mind. But many more I still needed to keep shacked as they were almost completely Genestealers and kept wondering why they couldn't just eat the frail ones amongst them anymore. The Lictor and Tyranid Warrior eaten out remains were scattered piles of carapace plates and a pool of purple ichor. That I believed already seeped into the ground and wood the tracks were placed upon. It was like paint every Hybrid's clothes were stained further to where one would be forgiven to think some shirts and pants were crudely recolored.

The death of the Patriarch had much the same effect on them as the last time I killed one. There was this general air of sadness like they'd failed to aid a beloved family member. Yet had nothing to focus those emotions on, as I was in charge and they wouldn't see me as hostile now. So that negativity was focused inwards and only mitigated by me using the brood mind. They were all so hungry and I didn't want them all completely breaking down whilst lacking the energy to do much.

"Hello there." I couched next to someone whose mind seemed to tell me they knew this mine better than most. So I let her out of my influence for the time being.

"Oh, Micheal." In an instant, the four-armed woman looked to snap alert. How she knew to call me that I didn't know, perhaps I impart things whilst linked firmly with them. She was still distinctly feminine and I didn't mean in the chest area nor hair of which she had none. "How can I be of service?"

She asked cheerily, sorrow and hunger pushed aside to aid me. Her mouth and teeth were stained purple from the same vain attempt to satiate her thirst like everybody else.

"Marathi you happen to know where I can find some containers? One's that can carry liquids inside?"

"Of course!" Marathi moved to get up by herself but I was quick enough to tuck my arms under her shoulders and slowly hoisted her up. Didn't want to cause her to become light-headed from standing too fast. And tried to sling her arm over my shoulder but she was more than a head shorter than me. So settled for just holding onto Marathi's upper arms, she wasn't gonna die anytime soon or starved for nourishment but I wasn't gonna let her put too much strain on the body. Especially on uneven ground such as this mine.

Leading me on, more through our synaptic link around the ring and towards the elevator. The powered-down elevator thanks to my actions with the generators. Then ripping the gate open to the stairs it was a slow climb down the increasingly creaking stairs. Once at the second level Marathi pointed out some sturdy metal crates, thin ones. Easy to carry. Which was great because the Oasis two miles out was already gonna add some pounds to them anyway. It also meant my idea to use the wooden crates scattered about wouldn't be needed.

Great because it was desperate and stupid.

"I need someone to divert power to that elevator, my Lictors were not gonna use those stairs."

"Thank you, Marathi this will be a great help to everyone," I said with genuine praise and she seemed to glow from it. Carrying her back up the cheaply-made stairway I contemplated the next necessity on my to-do list to save the Hybrids.

"Okay, the water thing is being sorted now to figure out how to get food fast."


The night flew over us and the sun raised high overhead as many Lictors and Tyranid Warriors left the gather more and more water. While the Hybrids got their fill. wandered about the canyons and sands of Calderis. Most were looking for the airbase I wanted. Yet some had a far more important task to attend to.

Orks are one of the most difficult and confusing foes to combat in Warhammer. Reality-bending powers are capable of making garbage function or just blow up in their face because the laws that govern reality took a second to look at them. Large hulking bodies that could rip a part silver back Gorilla with ease and tank a lot of damage before dropping. Surging towards a fight with reckless abandon, because that is the only way any of them can have a good time. But the vast majority of them are about as smart as a brick.

There was a cry of what I could only describe as excitement reaching the enhanced hearing of the Lictor I was peering through. Ahead of them was a small pile of metal sheets all collected from the blown remains of the generation I had greneded. In addition, there were half a dozen knee-high wooden crates with large word EXPLOSIVE crudely written over them in bright purple. Any other person, upon coming into view of that stuff just sitting in the middle of the canyon was highly suspicious. Then smell, a trap of sorts considering this planet is still a warzone. However the tribe of about thirty Greenskins, their dozens of pack Gretchen, and a pack of volleyball-sized Squigs that were marching through, just saw a bunch of free loot. They weren't filled with thinkers that's for sure.

The largest of the bunch was just short of being considered a Knob as wielded a real axe. While the rest looked to be holding Spears and clubs from random bits of wood and scrap metal. No projectile weaponry that I could see, although the eyes I was peering through meant I could be missing something.

In the desert and especially a canyon there aren't a whole lot of places one could hide. There was the occasional foliage near the rock walls that didn't provide much cover anyway. That was where the Lictor was positioned to keep a close eye on proceedings, I wanted to see as closely to firsthand as possible to coordinate this plan exactly as I wanted it to. That was what made Tyranids so dangerous, organic machines following a CPU to the absolute letter. Especially with those Squigs and their sense of smell.

The proper Orks all attempted to swarm over the loot but the largest amongst them knocked many of his Boyz away. Shouting obscenities at the Greenskins about to rob him of the first pick of the loot. Didn't stop some from fanning around the stuff as their boss moved to loot. I waited for the Gretchin and the bags they were carrying as well as the Squigs to reach the main groups before springing the trap.

About four yards out, buried in a circle were eleven other Lictors. The sand exploded upwards as their bodies went from a semi-hibernation state to fully functional in a matter of seconds. All tore to the surprised Orks without hesitation, as was my desire for them. Not bothering to go for their green cloth-covered backs but exposed heads, as per my instructions, the fastest way to take an Ork out of the fight was to attack the brain. These guys didn't have armor or any really dangerous weaponry but that didn't mean I would underestimate the puny tribe. Or let my limited supply of Lictors take damage, such a thing could and would accumulate over time.

The thirty true Ork Boyz was knocked down by eleven as the claws of the equally as tall 'Nids bit deep into the backs of their victim's necks. Then tore out enough brain matter to turn them into sacks of fungal meat hitting the ground almost in sync. The element of surprise was a powerful thing as the remaining Orks were still confused for a few seconds longer as the Lictors tore into them and further decreased their numbers by four. Although they rallied to the sudden fight and hit back with the same ferocity one would expect from Greenskins.

Lashing out with their choppas and pointy sticks and forcing their assailants to pull back at my insistence. This boss roared a Waaagh but his bellowing was cut short. The slight bulge the scrap metal and empty wooden crates were laid atop of was blown away by the Tyranid Warrior. The twelve-foot tall 'nid uncurled from its ball beneath the sand and lure, the metal and wood knocking many of the Orks gathered around to the ground. Especially their boss whose head was taken off without delay, the Lictors already pouncing towards their downed prey to finish them.

The Gretchen weren't as fearless as their larger cousins and on mass fled the way they came. Throwing the bags they held down and flailing their arms about and even running into one another. The ravenous mouths with legs known as Squigs had no such sense of self-preservation and surged towards the nearest Lictor or the larger Tyranid Warrior. The remaining dozen or so Orks tried to get up or swing their weapons at this new foe. But the fight had already been decided in the opening minute.

Four Lictors moved to take on the large pack of Squigs. While the synaptic creature turned to eviscerate an eager Greenskins with no experience to back it up. It was too large to be much help against the relatively small creatures. Their biting mouths managed to dig into and to my frustration bring down one of the Lictors through leaping numbers. One of them sank its jagged teeth into the 'nid's skull.

It would be the only kill the Orks would have as the remaining Boyz were dispatched. The Lictors quickly redirected to finish off the Squigs and chance after the Gretchen. They were too small in stature to make it very far and in a minute each and every one of them had their head torn off or necks snapped.

"Looks like we've got more Ork on the menu today." I thought without an ounce of humor, more relief that everyone was gonna get something in their bellies. This wide search for food only revealed Orks, likely newly grown ones just roaming about for fights and to gain experience.

The wooden crates that retained themselves the best soon had Ork bodies of every sort piled in for the long haul. It would certainly be some trip they would need to hoof it, needing to go several miles away just to find this tiny Ork tribe then longer to set the trap. I disconnected and relaxed in my corner of the main tunnel. Hybrids were lounging about, this time a bit more lively than before but I could feel the hunger surrounding me. They needed to eat or risk starvation or worse, convincing me to let them dig up the bodies and feast. The three parties of 'nids with fashioned bait I sent out to find something to eat have turned out okay. Greenskins were the ones roaming around the sands looking for a fight and were the simplest to ambush. Especially when I could coordinate them, having so many Synaptic creatures nearby and one with each group made that just as simple.

So no more cannibalism, yay, what a bar I was able to get these people over. I killed Orks to get them fed so that was good. It was that they are Greenskins that I felt the most comfortable doing, I wouldn't let them stave if an Imperial transport came through. It just meant attacking it to steal supplies would be a roll of the dice if they had a lot of food with them.

"As long as they have water and I broke any vox boxes. The drivers and guards would have a long walk to report my presence." Well, it was something I wouldn't have to think about as we had something to mull everyone over. I didn't know what Ork meat would taste like and even if I was starting to get peckish myself by now. I wasn't about to dig in and figure it out.

The Calderian desert canyons were not a lively place, now yes it is a desert. But there are plenty of abandoned settlements out here, no one's gotten around to resettling them. I doubt they would as the continuously escalating conflict would only get worse. Blood Raven's primary recruiting world be damned, the higher-ups of the sector weren't gonna put a Feudal world high on their priority list.

So if I needed to move a ton of people through these pathways there would be a ton of unoccupied shelters to take up temporary residence at. So moving towards an airbase to wreck then quickly swooping in and airlifting everyone out was an option. There was just one new issue, there didn't seem to be any airbases. Very minor Imperial Guard outposts and vehicles rolling over and near what looked to be established highways sure.

"But that's not what I'm looking for, are there no air bases out here?" Once I got the thought in my head it grew to have me justify it. "When the Orks attacked Calderis. One of the main reasons why the Blood Ravens had trouble holding this planet is because they did it alone."

An extremely bloodied-nosed chapter was having to deal with a Waaagh whilst the ruling elite of the sector had banquets or something. Feudal worlds lore wise are planets like that because they're either geared towards making food or aren't important enough to invest in. To uplift the population into something more advanced. So the main military forces are whatever militia that could be formed or the Blood Ravens. The latter is still badly depleted and dealing with a serious demonic excursion and Eldar attacks to really do anything. Plus if they needed an airport there are ships in orbit able to do that. So I was gonna find no airbases for those reasons...

There was one place where there'd have to be space transport because people would land and take off.

"The planetary capital..." I knew where it was, my scouting parties had landed in a wide circle around that center of civilization. So to get transport that could go beyond the atmosphere, I would have to try and move just over a hundred fifty hybrids. Most of which did not look entirely human anymore and then hijack some ships in a move that's guaranteed to cause the fleet in orbit to notice us.

"That's not even going into the possible death toll for me or the city's defenders or its populous. No to mention the sheer amount I was gonna have to implant just to get inside..."

If it was just an airbase it made sense to me... But now I wasn't so sure about this course, the toll to cross would have to be large and encompass more than just soldiers joining to fight. And possibly die, but civilians. Does this make much sense anymore?

I have to let go of these thoughts and expand my mind outwards. To see and feel the many, many Hybrids lounging around this tunnel as if I was their father now. And my children were instinctively grouped to my protection. It didn't help that the prospect of getting likely disgusting Ork flesh cause they're enraptured of me to somehow get stronger. I wanted to remove my mind from the brood mind, to keep myself away from what this was clearly doing to me.

Clearly making me want to do, the ones from Typhon and on my flagship were my responsibility now. I self-appointed myself as their protector and how exactly was this group of victims in particular different? Hadn't I just seen them exhibit the same level of love the care for Norma and the others? Didn't they deserve the same chance as they did? But it would require me to hurt people within that city to do so.

"I will be saving lives and a lot of them. It just means taking... More like ruin some in the process."

I was really gonna do this? I looked up and into someone's eyes, his deep blue seen even in the limited light by my blood red. This skinny, starved, bald head with the telltale sight on his forehead. Yet there was a youthful beginning to his features, his whole life ahead of him. Just like it was for me before this 40k Tyranid hivemind shit, except I had no messiah coming to help me.

They did.

Even if it meant heading into an imperial-controlled city to do something stupid...

"I'm gonna need a lot more Ork meat. Then redirect the scouts to find a passageway that leads as through as few outposts as possible." The fewer bodies we'd- I would have to walk over the better I can justify all this.