Major Craft peered from the cupola, he had finally sent his force forward to attack the tau lines. He had covered himself, claiming he was awaiting the Generals order to advance. It was only when he spotted the Tau Ethereal on the hill, and the forces of the greater good moved to protect him that he launched his force. He had sent them down the hill, where they would cut across Gearts pursuit, and allow him the chance to escape. He had shot his driver through the front cupola, and jumped across. He ducked into the cabin and shoved the recently deceased driver out of his way.

He pulled away from the main group of vehicles. One of his officers questioned his manoeuvre over the vox but he ignored him and shut the channel, leaving it so he could listen to general chatter. He was nearly free, he didn't need to explain the situation away anymore. Just had to get behind tau lines and wave the white flag.

He listened with a sly smile to the chatter come in as the support company cut across the Generals advance. Shouts of conflicting orders and cursing, reports of collisions between vehicles and friendly fire all sang a sweet song of freedom in his ear. He slid the hatch back and checked on his alien companion. She gave him what seemed to be a smile and another awkward thumbs-up. He did the same gesture in return.

'What the hell is going on!' came an irate voice over the vox. 'Is this a frakking joke to you Craft? I swear I will have the commissars shoot the shit out of you for this!' The Major took a deep breath, calming himself from the shock the General had just given him, before flicking the vox channel back to open.

'General Geart, is something wrong?' He said politely

'What the frakking warp is wrong with you? Where was your detachment when we needed you? And why did you charge after the Xeno filth had retreated from us! You have ruined my whole offensive Major!' The Generals voice rose so only a screech could be heard, over the vox. The occasional curse from the general was audible amongst the racket.

'Well Craft, what do you have to say?' the General said regaining some composure

'General, I offer my deepest condolences if my actions have cause you any dismay, unfortunately I have a more pressing matter to deal with, so if...'

'More pressing matter!' the general yelled back at him

'Yes, So if you would be most kind, and piss off!' Craft cut the vox system completely now. He allowed himself a small laugh, and turned his attention back to following the tau forces.

Stood amongst the smoke and the wreckage, Collus looked on as the Tau fled the battle and the guard's second wave utterly ruined their chance of following. A small number of his assault marines had begun a pursuit, but they were too few to chance the covering fire from the Xeno guns and were pinned down.

He took a slow walk across the churned up mud, surveying the destruction around him. A number of reports came through from his officers. He provided only clipped replies, ordering a basic regroup, he had other issues to deal with first. He approached a huddled group of Guard officers, a large booming voice came from the centre of them and the figure it came from had the stripes of a general on his wide shoulders.

The librarian wrapped his hand around the Generals shirt, and lifted the portly man high over the heads of the other officers, finally bringing him down to be on an eye level with himself, pushing the man's back firmly against the hull of a nearby vehicle.

'What is the meaning of this?' The man exclaimed, Collus stuck his spear into the mud and lifted his hand to his helmet. There was a hiss of pressure and he raised the dragon visage up over his head, placing the helmet on top of the APC he had the squirming man pressed up against. He looked deep into the man's eyes.

'General Geart, I presume?' he said softly. The man stopped squirming and comically folded his arms, meeting Collus' gaze.

'Yes, you must be Collus?'

'What was that?' Collus questioned

'I presume you are talking about the shambles that was supposed to be my second wave strike on the enemy heavy guns, which has been utterly sabotaged by the Major in charge of the detachment?' Geart said with venom.

'What do you mean, sabotaged?' Collus pushed the General more firmly, but Geart would not be scared into submission, he was too angry at Craft. He grabbed the thick collar of the marine in defiance, pulling on it though the marine didn't move under the meagre pressure.

'I mean, I have a traitorous man, who has just sent his detachment of armour blindly across the battlefield, and then told me to piss off before cutting vox, now if you are quite finished throwing your weight around with me. I'd like to find the bastard and put my power fist through his stomach.' Gearts voice rose steadily to a yell, lightly spraying the marine in spit.

Collus dropped the General, and lifted his helmet from the APC. The man slid down the side of the vehicle and fell to his knees in the mud with the sudden force.

'Very Well' the Marine said as he put his helmet back on, 'So long as you stay out of my way from now on I will not feel the need to deal with this matter any further.' His voice now cold and raspy though his helmet. He grabbed his spear and turned from the General, the surrounding officers parted before him and he paced back to his force.

'Everyone get ready to move, I want Craft and every alien on this frakking planet dead by nightfall!' Geart boomed to his men, watching the marine psyker coldly.

The imperial blunder had been just what he had needed, he could get his Aun'El away from the enemy unharmed, and set a new defensive line up, ready for any counter attack. Nen'sho had barely contained his rage at the Ethereals reckless actions but he had been needlessly dismissive. Of course even a Shas'O couldn't make any orders of an Ethereal, but he could have at least asked his council on the subject. It was a miracle no enemy snipers had seen him and taken his life, but at least he had him covered now.

A small number of the Gue'la elites had charged after them, but his pathfinders and sniper drones had kept them at bay during the retreat. The conflict had costs him some valuable men, At least 10 of his Battle suits had gone up in flames, almost 60 fire warriors, and his entire auxiliary of kroot, 220 mercenaries killed. He would be pushed hard now, if the fighting got too close it would be a blood bath, even the biggest gun is useless is a fist fight. Overall though his force had held itself together, disciplined throughout the combat and everyone followed orders. He could still win this planet for the empire, even if it hadn't gone according to plan. He had hoped to have wrapped this up and moved on, once the static defences could be laid down, the defence of a planet could be managed from orbit. And after a few years he would have had fresh recruits coming through to bolster his ranks, fresh from the captured world.

That was all just wishful thinking now, he had to clear the planet of resistance, and then hope his fleet recovered enough to get them off planet again. He took a look around, and made sure he didn't have any pursuers still chasing his force down, everything looked clear. With a quick signal sent through the comms the entire force came to an organised halt, the rear guard units automatically turning to create a defensive line. This position looked good, a nice slope that would need to climbed if the gue'la wanted to assault him, dense woodland on one side, which would prevent any armoured units sneaking around him, and a wide river to the other, provide him with protection from assault on the other side. Satisfied, he turned to Cha'riss.

'Aun'el, I will hold the enemy off from here, whilst you make you return to the drop site.'

'And what of the men's morale? When they see me fleeing from the field of battle?' Cha'riss had a wry smile on his face

'Morale is at a high having seen you standing with the men, but now your safety is paramount. We will be under attack again shortly, and you will need to prepare for evacuation, and my force would consider it an honour to fight protecting you.' Nen'sho knew it wasn't worth getting angry, Cha'riss would just have enjoyed ignoring his suggestions.

'I'm sure you are correct Shas'O, though I would request that you bolster my defence in light of the enemy force attacking us.' The Ethereal leant lazily against the edge of his chariot, looking his battle suit up and down.

'Of course, you can have my remaining bodyguard, she is one of my finest Shas'vre. I am sure she will protect you.' The Shas'O gestured to the battle suit at his side, the armoured figure completed a mechanical salute.

'Excellent, I expect to see you back at the drop site Shas'O' with that the Ethereal turned away, pressing a button on his chariot, and speaking quietly into his comm. The transport he was attached too whirred and moved away, the Ethereal pulled along. Nen'sho watched his bodyguard bound along beside the shrinking figure. He took a moment before opening his comms channel once more, and began the organisation of his force.

After a very brief moment to mourn the loss of their friend, the Inquisitorial team had prepared to make chase of the Ethereal. Jadden hadn't even questioned that the extra men they had acquired would be coming with them. And he had got everything loaded on the back of Belle quickly and efficiently. They still needed one of the Trakarts, he ordered Josla to take it with Grimes. The guardsmen had initially hopped in front of the handlebars, but the woman had dragged him back down the saddle without a word and taken his place.

He had made the decision that the new arrivals need to be spread amongst his team. He wanted to minimise the risk of them running to save their own and jeopardising the main objective. He had sat them all down and explained what was happening. He didn't give them the option to walk away, they were helping them complete this mission, no arguments. He had expected to have this wrapped up hours ago, He wanted the target secured before the main offensive had started, not trying to perform a last minute snatch in the middle of a full blown war. But he had to deal with that now, and at least he had four extra hands to help with the job, even if some of them didn't like the idea. Grimes had been the most vocal about his objections to the mission, feeling that it was a death sentence. He was probably right of course but he had stuck him with Josla because she would keep him in line, especially after the loss of Varner, she was using her grief as a powerful focus and would scare him into obedience.

Grant and Bannerman had just looked to Alishia, she didn't argue about going, so they fell in line with her. Jadden had kept them on the truck, get them away from Grimes negative talk and settle into the team, even if it would only be for the last few hours of their lives. Corporal Grant was up front with Mal, his rebellious edge shouldn't affect the young corporal who was clearly very straight edged, and the driver's excitement should get him to relax a little. Bannerman's jaw had dropped when he was put on the auto cannon, but then, so had Batty's. Batty was now running through the guns operation with the young private, clearly not comfortable with it but as far as Jadden could tell the only problem was confidence. He was smart and in good shape, and would make a fine soldier if he got through this, the chance to use a heavy weapon might just spur him on.

Alishia was in the back with him and Wyn. She was still weary from the melta blast, and her skin had come up red from the heat wave, it would heal in a day or two without a mark, but it had clearly been a close call. Wyn had been uncharacteristically apologetic, evidently having miscalculated the risk to her had left him feeling he had to correct his error. He currently had his mechandrites in the pommel of her power sword, claiming he could improve it greatly. She was obviously still uncomfortable about what had happened and had only given in to his requested to improve the sword so he would stop discussing the matter.

The Commissar sat in silence, watching the planet roll by, her hat in her lap with the wind blowing her ponytail out behind her. The large cut on her head had been cleaned and wrapped by Mal, he was proficient at basic medical work but wasn't bothered about patient comfort, much the same as his driving style. Jadden watched her closely, she had been so unsure of herself almost a day ago, they had spoken most of the night and he had tried to impart on her that getting the job done would get her through these hardships, and as he looked at her now he could see she was still troubled. He had considered talking with her again, but had decided against it. She was clearly processing a lot of information and he chose to leave her to it. It was then his Vox bead beeped.

'Go ahead'

'We have the Tau force regrouping up ahead.'

'Is the target with them?' He asked, Mal paused for a moment

'Don't think so, Judging by the rapid getaway they made when he showed up, I don't think they want him in harm's way. I'm guessing they have sent him back to a secure location at the drop site.' Jadden took in this new information, he stood to get a look himself.

'That's quite a gun line they have there.' He wasn't really speaking to anyone, he surveyed the area.

'What about those trees, can we get through?'

Batty began to answer 'Looks too thick for…' Mal cut across him.

'No Worries.' came his cheerful voice, turning the big vehicle to face the woodland, Josla swerved in to follow behind them.

Jadden sat quickly, reaching for the bench straps. He buckled himself in tight, and gestured to Wyn to do the same, the tech priest slid the power sword under the bench, did up his own strap and used his mechandrites to grip onto the edge of the vehicle. Batty shoved Bannerman off the gun and yelled at him to hold tight as he took his position, sliding his arm into the padded shoulder straps for the large weapon. Bannerman looked surprised at the sudden relocation, he looked at Jadden, who just nodded that he should get strapped in, Alishia followed suit, but gave him a puzzled look.

It was then that several tonnes of armoured Tauros slammed into the dense woodland at full speed. Mal whooped with joy as splinters of wood flew over the passengers, the force of the impact throwing them around the back of the vehicle. Josla wisely kept herself and Grimes at a distance, following in the wake of Mal and his metal behemoth, using the path that had been cleared to allow a far smoother journey.

Things were finally starting to look organised, Squads were back with their vehicles and any losses were reassigned. The losses hadn't been too severe, it was more the disruption of Crafts treacherous charge that had caused problems. Geart could deal with the loss of tanks and men, but not with treachery. He had disbanded Crafts detachment, and had the commissars shoot every other officer to discourage anyone who may have shared the bastard's plans of fleeing. He had enough surviving tank commanders from his own formation to fill the gaps their executions had left. The stout soldier was stood on top on his chimera, watching the ranks form back up, ready to deploy after the Tau.

The Sanguine Dragons had dispatched quickly, taking only around 20 minutes to completely regroup and moved out at tremendous speed. Geart rubbed his neck were the marine commander had held him up, the memory infuriating him again. He couldn't say he didn't understand the man's reaction, but he still didn't like being manhandled, especially not in front of all his senior officers. Now more determined than ever to win this war, the general was not going to be dissuaded by anyone, not even the witch Collus.

Geart stepped down the rungs bolted to the side of the transport and swung himself around the hull into the rear ramp. Poiller turned to him and gave a stiff salute

'What's going on then, lad? He asked, pacing up to his young aide.

'Most units are ready to go. Crafts detachment has been evenly split amongst the other units, all in forward positions so they can be dealt with if needed.' Poiller replied, he didn't look at his station, providing all information from memory.

'Get us moving as soon as possible. No more delays, I want those xenos and their fancy war suits destroyed'

'Of course, Sir!' Poiller turned back to his station.

It was such an ugly place to be, all straight lines and exposed rivets. Even the bench was a poor design, just a slab of metal, bolted to the side of the hull, No design to make it comfortable, just the bare minimum effort to get the job done. No wonder Craft had rescued her and wanted to join the Greater Good, everything about the imperium was ugly and unpleasant. La'Keel had always admired the grace of her people's technology. She had always been interested in the aesthetic of design, and when she had been called upon to join a research team she had hoped to see the wonders of designs from other worlds, but for the most part she had been under whelmed. Gue'la design was generally boxy, unwieldy designs that had been mass produced. No style or grace, just brutal efficiency, occasionally there where exceptions, but nothing that really amazed her. It had reaffirmed to her that the greater good was the true purpose of the Tau. To spread it to the entire galaxy.

She studied the guardsman's cadaver next to her, the man's hand was strange, the extra digit making it seem thin and stretched, like the gaunt hands of monsters from the stories she was told as a child. The arms and torso seemed quite Tau, but the armour obscured a lot of the shape, the blood was particularly alien, running like water at first, and then drying hard like a paint of some kind, not the consistent gel of her own. Strangest of all was the face, she had spent some time amongst the Gue'la before but she could never fathom the faces.

The large protrusion in the centre seemed to obscure everything else, the strange eyes hidden just above it. The pupils were so small, and they seemed to dart around constantly. The most disgusting part of the alien anatomy was by far the mouth, the way the inside seemed to protrude out, apparently called lips, but it just looked like a permanent area of prolapse to La'keel.

The gue'la transport lurched suddenly and came to a stop, the shutter slid open and her escort's facial protrusion sticking through the gap.

'Look out the firing slot?' He said? La'keel was confused. She was not familiar with the term firing slot

'Excuse?' she asked

'Urm, Window? Look out of the window?' Craft's small eyes gestured to a small indent behind her, his thin hand coming up and pointing in the same direction through the thin shutter.

She turned, seeing a small panel with a curved arrow printed on it. She twisted the panel and it swung down to reveal a small circular hole. She turned back, and used the gesture she had learnt from the Gue'la, she assumed it meant things were generally positive, though she had received some funny looks after using it, so she could not be sure if there were more subtle meanings she had not grasped.

The hand gave another jerk in the direction of the hole, and she peered through, it took a second for her to make out anything as the eyes adjusted to the bright light, but she soon saw why they had stopped, amassed before her was the Army of the Greater good. Shining in the midday sun, the white armour glowing, it was a heart-warming sight to La'keel. She could just make out the stripes of bright green detailing on some of the closer units. Craft called back to her from the driver's seat.

'Nearly free, just gotta get back to your drop zone.' He smiled

Collus had forced the Sanguine Dragons to depart as quickly as possible. He had the enemy on the run, and he didn't want to give them time to recover. He was at the head of a force of space marines and they would know victory today, he vowed this to himself. He wasn't going to let anything stand in his way, not after the disaster caused by the guard. The General did seem to be competent, and was obviously taking measures, but that fact that a senior officer had defected spoke poorly for his judgement. He could not be allowed to further jeopardise the planets safety.

The war host would march for the last time in this campaign. He had taken many casualties in the last skirmish, only two assault squads were at full strength, one of his Baal Predators had been lost, along with one of the venerable brothers entombed within a dreadnought. Chaplain Drake had been wounded, and was now barely keeping the 4 remaining lost brothers in check. Even one of Maddox's Terminator veterans had fallen, his wounds beyond that of even the Chief Sanguinary Priest to heal.

But they were close behind the Tau, He could sense it. It wasn't like warp sense, it was more physical than that, an instinct. He had managed to move most of the infantry into the remaining Storm ravens, only the heavy support and the Land Raider with Maddox's terminator squad in had remained on the ground. He was now speeding across the plains ready to initiate the final strike. The Tau force was highly mobile, and had made more ground on them than the wise marine had foreseen but reports had started to come in regarding the current position and condition of the Tau.

It appears that the Tau had create another defensive line, The enemy general clearly knew where his strengths were and was not prepared to give up on them. Thankfully space marines were far more versatile, and Collus would make sure he punished the Xenos for their stagnant approach to war.