Dawn of War: Destiny War

by Big Boss Pugh

In the 40th millennium, there is nothing but war. Now, on the edge of the halo zone in the Segmentum Pacificus region, a new threat is coming. Follow the story of the imperial guard led by Max Johnson and Lucas Turner as they face orks and chaos worshippers of Slaanesh. Though they stand alone, alliances must be made if they are to survive the horrors.

5. Chapter 5

Dawn of War: Destiny War

(New leaders of the Imperial Guard rise up to take the fight to the enemy. The dark forces of Rela continue to work a dark plan. Only the faithful will be able to withstand the horrors they shall face. Enjoy the reading.)

Chapter 5: Section 5 – 1

"Your work has been impressive. You have done well for the Imperium of Man; I understand the madness you have endured to get this far, but you must go further. You must find and eliminate the war boss of the ork horde. Based on what you have told me, the war will end soon. Once you have dealt with the orks, you are to find out and purse the eldar. The eldar commander may have her own thoughts of your activities and try to use them against you. For now, let her do as she will and be on your guard for any sign of treachery; she will turn against you once she is done completing her tasks with you. Accept the help of the eldar support when in battle; be mindful of when they will leave you to die. We will tolerate their kind until their usefulness has run out. As for the dark eldar, only eliminate them if they get in your way. They are not here in full force to face you since you have only encountered a small group of them. I will send you some available troops when I have the time. Your orders and mission still stand as they are even if you have to face three enemies at the same time. And yes, the reward is still the same as before. I will lend you one hundred thousand men and women from my company of two million. They will reinforce the ice world and be of great help to you. Many of them are still fresh from the conscripts we received. A lot more is on the way. There is still much on Saneesh we are still uncovering. Once we have fully fortified the rest of the key areas, we will continue our war with you and stop any more forms of xeno infiltrations. As of now, you are no longer ordinary imperial guardsmen. I shall put in an order of regiment recognition for you to obtain higher rank. Keep me updated and fight on." Commander Vance the Bright.

Lucas and Max return to the ice world with more to their surprise than ever. They still can't believe that Commander Vance gives them high praise. No firing squad and no threats of death for xeno affiliations. No words of disappointment. The words of reward, rank, and praise are all they recall; this has to be a dream of sort. Any other commanding officer or general of a planet would deliver the killing blow to both of them. At this moment, both men want to smile at their successful battles. Noble One Max Johnson went from a no one to a person of great leadership. He has the trust of the renegade guardsmen and more is expected of him. Sergeant Major Lucas Turner has the support of the loyalists and none is lacking in strength. With only a few days out from their FTL jump to the ice world, they take a moment to chat before they return to business.

Max says, "I did not think your Commander Vance is so willing to over look at person's faults with no trouble. He is even more impressive with the fact that we have an understanding with the eldar."

Lucas says, "The Commander must truly believe in our cause. He did surprise me with the fresh conscripts he sent with us. We have more than enough troops to stop war boss Bone Snappa and his horde. It is good to know we won't be entering our next battle short on numbers."

Lucas and Max oversee the operations of the ship. With Lina still at the foundry, her improvements on the War Harbinger increase each time the ship returns. The monitors on the ship show that all major systems have increased output greatly. The ship still needs more adjustments to the cannons and guns. Once the ship arrives at the ice world, they get into contact with the foundry. The human-eldar alliance remains as a mutual benefit for both parties; Lina contacts the ship and guides the operators to set the ship down on the land station. After coming back again to the ice world, the foundry has more to show than ever. There is a landing pad for the War Harbinger to be stationed at. The base has been further expanded to increase its perimeter. Just to the southwest area of the base, the eldar have utilize a section for their own operations; they have established a formidable defense. Once the ship touches down, it didn't take long before the new comers meet with the veterans, seniors, and hard hitters of the regiment. Many new recruits of the conscripts meet with the survivors of the ork wars to compare notes. The drill sergeants get the new people split up from different units and organize them. With the additional help from the conscripts and those at the foundry, the guardsmen morale is high. The troop count is at now one hundred and ten thousand soldiers ready for combat.

Max leaves the defenses to Lucas and organization for Lina. He heads to a mutual spot to meet with Kayleth. It didn't take her long to find out that the ship has return. Veldoran stays with the eldar and keeps them focus; however, Kayleth stays with the howling banshees and continues to hone her skills. Veldoran gives his final orders for his warlocks and takes his leave. He tries to contact Kayleth; however, she sends one of the scouts to relay all messages from her to the humans as an envoy. Instead of the scout going, Veldoran accepts the message; he goes to meet with Max. He takes the time to gather his own thoughts on Kayleth. Lately, she keeps her sword practice as a regular routine. She remains more away from trying to maintain contact with humans. Veldoran wishes to know why. As Max waits in the cold for Kayleth to show up, the spirit stone hums softly in his hands. He looks down at it spirit stone with wonder. He still has a hard time accepting the fact that the eldar farseer wishes to remain by his side. The light from the stone shines brighter than ever.

He says, "What are you buzzing for? I tried to give you back to your rightful kin, yet you continue to stay with me. Your kind doesn't like the idea of you still wanting to be around me. Why is that?"

The spirit stone of Elenwe replies, "Hope."

Max nearly laughs at the idea that he brings hope to someone. The events of his life did bring him much excitement; Max didn't think of the hope he has instill in others. He was taught that hope is a damning word to believe in. Maybe that is why he is still alive. He looks up to see Veldoran approaching him. Max would have preferred to see Kayleth instead. Something about the warlock being there causes Max to be curious.

Veldoran says, "You will have to forgive my commander for not coming. She is in training with her howling banshees. I take it you are here to ask about our current activities?"

Max replies, "I only wish to continue our cooperation. Kayleth did swear to help until our conditions are met. Once we get our base in order with new recruits, we will set a course for the last known coordinates the ork horde went. I will let our tech priest pass the information to you."

As he tries to leave, Veldoran asks, "Is there anything I should let Kayleth know of before you retire? She has been more focused since her last few times spent around you."

Max answers, "It sounds like you are more worried about her mentally than I am; I only admired her beauty at one. I must admit. For her to be your commander in charge, she does have an amazing feature. And yes, she is beautiful to me."

The warlock nearly laughs but replies, "You are indeed a foolish human. You harbor such thoughts for Kayleth? It is fortunate that I did come here instead of her. She would have gladly cut you down for such words. And I do now understand a few reasons on why she wants to keep her distant from you."

He chuckles and turns to head back to the base.

Max says, "If your commander needs me, she knows where to find me at. For now, be ready soon. And not that it matters, please call us for help. Your farseer believes that I need to help you as much as I can."

Veldoran takes his leave and returns back to the eldar base. Though he didn't hear any words of fault or lies, he decides to take Max at his word. Even farseer Elenwe has shown more trust for him regardless of how things are. Once he arrives back at camp, he inquiries about Kayleth. Veldoran hears she is resting. He finds her nursing herself and recovering her strength. Rather than speaking right away, he sees her shine brightly. Her skin glows with a surprising feature. Before he can break her silence by clearing her throat, she opens her eyes. Kayleth relaxes her warp power and stands.

She says, "What news did you bring from the humans?"

Veldoran answers, "They will be on their way soon; there are new recruits that are getting adjusted to what they will be facing. I have nothing else to inform you of; however, Max does send 'his' regards to you."

Kayleth proudly ignores his concern and says, "Humph, he can send his warm regards to me…to us once we have recovered Elenwe from him. For now, I rather he keep his distance from me. And we have more pressing matters to deal with now. There is movement going on from those that now follow Rela. We must deal with them."

Before leaving her chamber, Veldoran asks, "Do you still believe that he can save our craft world?"

Kayleth gives him a sharp stare; Veldoran bows his head and heads out of her view. She goes back to mediating and focusing her thoughts. Thanks to the information provided by her scouts, the small forces under Rela and former guardsmen has moved to the west. The ork parties have gathered in strength; the news of these groups put the eldar on high alert. After she is done mediating, Kayleth collects her armor and weapon. She would drive out what is left of the enemy. Veldoran readies his warlocks, yet he is uncertain as to why the eldar are going at this alone. A captain of the warp spiders approaches Veldoran and expresses his concerns in private. As the eldar finish up their final preparations, Kayleth comes from her chamber ready for battle. She urges her kin to move with speed and be quick. Before Veldoran can ask her more of the dangers ahead, he decides to enact his backup plan without her knowing. He sends one of the warp spiders off to the human base with news of what is occurring.

The eldar army uses a small assault party of five teams. Once they reach the area, a single bone singer sets up the strike base before returning to the camp site; Kayleth is sure of the motive the enemy has in mind. She moves into the first area of the forest; the snow covers the trees. Before making any more moves, the eldar hear movement in the trees. They encounter guardsmen jumping out of trees to attack; the eldar waste no time in slaying the group. As they advance through the forest, the freezing cold makes it intense to fight in. The eldar may be great at temperature changes but none such as this. The more they push in, the stronger the winds get. A few more groups of humans try to slay them like before. Kayleth counters every ambush with brutal force. She throws her blade into tree tops to eliminate a sniper. She moves deeper into the terrain.

After she retrieves her weapon, a lone soldier walks slowly over to them. Kayleth and her war host stand aggressively. The soldier stops in front of them only ten feet away; he starts laughing uncontrollably and fires his las-rifle into the trees. The eldar want to advance; Kayleth keeps her warriors ready. As the guardsman stops his firing, noises are heard. A few more guards join him and surround the eldar on all sides. The situation turns troublesome for the assault party. They all look around to see the corrupt humans surround them on all sides. Rela walks up with her hand brushing against the face of the man. She cuts into his skin with her finger nails. The small amount of pain brings her joy. Kayleth stands ready to strike her down.

Rela says, "I see you have stumbled into my trap. The mighty eldar would be ashamed to know of this. One of their commanders falling victim to a trap is such a disgrace."

Kayleth smirks as small flickers of light buzz around them, "You obvious have forgotten that I am never truly alone. I brought more than enough warriors to stop you."

A handful of warp spiders and rangers appear in the area ready for combat. The mad humans smile with great joy. They turn their weapons at the new eldar; they can barely contain their excitement. Rela laughs loudly as others laugh with her. Dark flickers of purple light flash around the area. Kayleth and her troops form one large circle. They face more guardsmen, dark eldar, and orks that appear out from the shadows. Kayleth looks around to see that her small assault party is trapped. Even with her hidden forces joining her, they eldar now stay on the defensive. The enemy moves in and completely surround the eldar. Kayleth looks around for any way out.

She says, "No! This is not how it ends!"

Rela replies, "Oh, this is how it ends for you. Once I captured you, the rest of your kind will follow. You really thought this plan would work? Foolish child, you are not ready for one such as me."

As the crazed bunch move in on the eldar, Kayleth readies her unit to return back to the base camp. With a war cry, three eldar dire avengers fire into one direction. Next, her elite howling banshees cut a path open for the commander to escape. The eldar move and sprint back to the forward camp; they are caught by the ambushing parties along the way. A few eldar stay behind and fight off the enemy in a vain attempt. Half of her strike force is captured for torture. Kayleth and the rest make it back to the strike base. It is on fire and nearly destroyed at the hands of the Wych cults. Kayleth and her forces look around to see the path for escape is cut off.

A wych tries to strike at Kayleth. She is blown backwards by the warp powers of Veldoran. He brings up reinforcements and saves his commander. As the rest fall back, Kayleth thanks her warlock friend for arriving just in time. As the eldar numbers slightly increase, Kayleth notices that not many are here to support them.

She speaks with Veldoran, "Our enemy Rela has united the orks, the humans, and her dark eldar kin under a single rule. We have loss the element of surprise and our position is too few. They have employed dark warp powers here. Where are the rest of the eldar?"

Veldoran assures her, "Then, it is a good thing I brought reinforcements to this location. Though the imperial guard will be here a little later, we are to hold this position. Our main force travels with the others."

Kayleth shows her anger about the reinforcements, "You dare bring the mon-keigh to assist us in this matter? We need only to escape from here and return in full might. Why did you feel the need to include them?"

Another warlock of Veldoran interrupts, "Even with the full support of our army, we will still need their help. For now, let us hold out and wait."

Kayleth turns her focus to the trees in front of her. The enemy comes charging out. Orks and humans all charge at the eldar as they begin the bloody battle. The corruption of Rela has sowed deep within her pawns. The humans let their guns sing loudly as they use up the ammo in each one to hear the wonderful sound. The swords and axes swing with such deadly grace as they try to cut at the eldar. Veldoran holds their army together by sheer will that help will come. Kayleth violently tears through the enemy as much as she can before feeling a blade cut into her leg. She stumbles to the ground; she looks out into the field as she sees the horror of war on her kin. Orks gutting open a howling banshee. Humans violently tearing open a fallen dire avenger. Dark eldar wyches strike with lighting speed as they cut down scouts. Veldoran steps forward and fires his warp powers into the group as he shelters the commander from the enemy. The land is devastated by the warp powers. The ground is covered in blood of the orks, humans, dark eldar, and eldar. Kayleth begins to feel at this moment that nothing but brute strength will save her kind. She musters up her courage and stands on her bleeding leg. Veldoran looks to her in shock.

He says, "You are injured. You must not fight. Please, retreat."

Kayleth roars at the enemy with a shrieking cry, "I am Autarch Kayleth of the craft world Alaitoc! I shall not back down to this damnation and corruption!"

She uses her eldar speed to slay a group of humans. Even with her wounded leg, she runs faster than the dark eldar wyches. She slays two more groups of humans and several orks; in fact, she manages to buy her army more time before falling on one knee. The new marks given to her slow her efforts down. A group of wyches move in for the kill and honor. Kayleth leaps into the air and spins in a circle. The heads of all six dark eldar wyches roll off before the eyes of the guardsmen. The last of her graceful feats takes a huge toll on her wounds. As more of the enemy moves in, Rela walks up with her two personal guards. Kayleth struggles to stand only to feel the pain in her wounds. She looks at the dark eldar leader with utter rage. Rela happily smiles at her pain and agony.

She wets her lips, "You will make a fine trophy for me. I look forward to seeing you dance and die in my battle arena for me."

Kayleth snarls, "I will end you, Rela! I shall never be your slave!"

Rela waves her hand forward. The army of the dark eldar succubus seems endless. Kaylth grips her wounded leg; she can see how far the former human allies have fallen. They show no remorse for their actions; none care of the suffering they will experience. They are truly damned. Before the enemy can reach her, they are stopped by a single bolter shot. A bolter shot cracks through one of the corrupt humans; Veldoran calls to Kayleth. She looks back to see the imperial guard come charging right beside the eldar reinforcements. She secretly thanks the spirits that the mon-keigh saves her wounded allies. Rela hisses at the sight of the imperial guard. As the two armies clash, Rela slips away again to avoid detection. Lucas and Max come charging in with guns firing at the enemy. Lucas secures the wounded and orders the squads to push up the field. Veldoran is teleported away by a warp spider captain to safety. As the eldar recover their allies, Max looks over to see Kayleth passing out on the ground. He rushes to her direction and guns down any ork and human in his way.

As Max closes in, a large ork blocks his path. The spirit stone of Elenwe allows him to leap over the beast. He fires several shots to the head. No bullet penetrates pass the helmet. As he moves, he runs all around the creature and stabs it in various areas that are exposed. The ork falls over dead from the cuts on its body. Before he secures Kayleth, Max throws several grenades ahead of her. He rushes up to her and shields her from the blast. The bombs explode and throws the enemy off balance. Lucas and the alliance army push forward once again. In the midst of battle with everyone advancing, Max looks down to see Kayleth not breathing. He tries to check a pulse; there is nothing. Max calls to others around him as the humans and eldar offer to protect them. Once fighting is ahead of them, Lucas rushes back to check on the situation. Max looks at Kayleth with worry. As the eldar and human watch him, he tries desperately to get a respond from her. The eldar warriors start moving further back; the guardsmen back up as well. Everyone is unsure, but the eldar know something is happening. Lucas arrives and calls to Max. No words or reason get his attention. At that moment, Max only cared about Kayleth making a recovery. With no other choice, Max does the unthinkable. He throws his gun to the side and moves in close to her. To everyone's shock and surprise, he tears open her vest. The eldar want to move in only to be stopped by guardsmen. He begins applying pressure to her chest.

Chapter 5: Section 5 – 2

She feels at peace for a moment. The noises of battle are silent; the only thing certain is the company of her allies and kin. For a brief moment, she is at peace with her thoughts. For a moment, all things are still showing hope. Kayleth would have been feeling better until she opens her eyes to the unpleasant sight in front of her. She can't believe how close he is to her. Noble One Max Johnson of the imperial guard is trying to use a worthless method to save her. She feels the cold air brush against her chest. The only thing certain of her emotion is absolute rage. Before he can try anything else, he sees the displeased look she has. The look in her eyes shows more than just anger. The lighting underneath her body sparks quickly. As everything else around them slows down, the eldar commander grips Max by his shirt with quick hands; now she is ready. Max will pay for his insolence and ignorance. The first mistake is being too close to her; the largest mistake is unveiling her vest without her permission.

With a gigantic jump into the air, she carries Max upward by his shirt. Max can't tell what is going on or why he is moving so fast. The eldar follow her every move. The guardsmen didn't know how they disappeared; Kayleth tightens her hold on Max. She shoots down to the ground with him following closely. The eldar in the area jump back smoothly. The imperial guard didn't understand the motion. With a hard slam to the ground, the area shakes slightly as everyone nearby falls over. The flakes of snow fly in the air and cover the two. The eldar remain standing as they all look to see Kayleth on her feet. With a vicious back hand to the face, Kayleth shows no regret for her actions. Before the guardsmen can make out what is going on, they all hear the words of Kayleth clearly.

She shouts, "You MON-KEIGH! How dare you touch me?!"

The snow falls away from around them; many can't believe the savage beating she gives Max. The emotions of the eldar commander can barely be contained. A hard punch to the face and warp powered kick to the side. Max lifts in the air; Kayleth grabs him again. She ends the assault with a knee cap to the side. Max falls to the soil in pain. He can't even form words to explain his actions. Kayleth knocks him back down once more. With a strong warp kick to the head, Max slides backwards from her. She calls to her warriors. The humans want to fight back, but Sergeant Major Lucas Turner orders them to stand down. Kayleth calms down and looks to see her damage done to Max. Unable to hold her rage in, she disappears from sight. The eldar follow in the same manner. Lucas goes over to Max. The damage done to him is extreme. His ribs are busted and the left arm is shattered. He bleeds from his mouth profusely.

Max weakly says, "I guess I deserve that. She actually broke some ribs with her knee cap and I can't feel my left arm."

Lucas says, "We don't know what happen. All we remember is her being on the ground. Now, you are on the ground. She did a good number on you. I guess she is not one for the close contact moments."

Lucas orders the army to fall back to the foundry. The medics do what they can to stabilize Max and rush him back to the foundry. In the trees two miles away from them, Rela looks on from a distance. She marvels at how well the human survived the onslaught he was given. She turns her focus away and rejoins her own allies. As the travel back to the foundry is long and harsh, Lina sends reports to Lucas about the sudden eldar disappearance. Max tries to reach up. The men keep him alert and awake. Lucas radios for the base to be ready to receive Max for medical assistances. The guardsmen rush their shattered leader back to base; his wounds look serious. An infuriated eldar commander lets her heighten emotions blind her for the time; Veldoran tries to calm her down. Kayleth looks down at her vest to see the tear. She still can't believe he would go that far to try and recover her through pitiful means. First, Max touches without her allowing it on multiple occasions. The second insult is removing more than just an a piece of cloth.

Kayleth says, "The alliance is too much for us. I did not require any aid from them. All you had to do was reinforce us. Why get the humans involved, Veldoran? Why did you allow him to get that close? He has disgraced greatly with his…his hands."

Veldoran answers, "I only did what I believe is correct, Kayleth. I told the humans where you were going and to bring reinforcements. Even if we used our own kin, we would have lost more to the enemy. I couldn't dare risk us fighting alone and dwindling down."

Kayleth is stunned as he continues, "When you left the area, I had a feeling that you didn't take enough support with you. Before I joined you, I sent a warp spider to inform Max of your plan and asked that he joins us. It took some time before they made it; I am grateful for our allies. Had they not arrive sooner, we would all be dead."

Kayleth questions him, "And what of the rest? All of your doing or his own?"

He replies, "I didn't expect Max to go that far to secure your health. He only believes he is in the right. He didn't know that the spirit stone of Elenwe was healing your wounds at the time. But, tell me Kayleth. Are you upset that the humans came to us on my behalf? Or, are you upset with the fact that Max almost…"

Kayleth interrupts him, "Let us never speak of such a thing ever again. I am honored for the support, but not to ever again be assisted by Max in such a manner. If I die, it will be in battle."

Veldoran bows his head and takes his leave. Once alone, Kayleth nearly drops to her knees in shock. She retraces the event back to how everything happened. The reaction she gave to Max did require an explanation; she still can see it happening. Did he nearly kiss her? What kind of method involves his lips upon hers? The more she thinks of it, the more her rage builds. The only thing that must continue is the human-eldar alliance together. As much as she wishes to remove the humans from their path, she sighs with her frustration in check. She leaves command of the eldar to Veldoran. When he asks what the reason is, her voice sings only purpose.

She says, "I am going to ensure that the eldar will prevail."

At the foundry, Max falls in a deep unconscious state. His condition is critical. The cracked rips have allowed blood to become clogged in several areas. As everyone tries to help him, a warp portal opens right beside him. Kayleth appears at his side. With no pause, Lucas and Lina come rushing in to halt any other sinister plans. The tension is high after her assault on Max; no one is willing to let her harm him further.

Lina says, "You dare come here after what you have done to him? He may not be of our regiment, but he is still one of the Emperor's lost followers. I should melt your face off."

Lucas orders everyone to hold and questions the eldar commander.

"Why have you come here? You made your point clear when you put him down hard."

Kayleth answers, "I am here to save him. I was not in the wrong in defending myself; I thought he was trying to finish me. Max defiled me and wounded my pride. Because of his actions, I overstep myself. I am wrong for not taking care when I did more harm to him. Allow me to save him."

Lina preps to fire, but Lucas stops her. The Sergeant Major steps to the Kayleth keen on taking her life.

He says, "If he lives, we will let you go peacefully. If he dies, then all other eldar are no longer allowed to come here. We will be enemies. Do you understand?"

All guns stay focused on her. She approaches the bed and sees Max resting easy and on critical. Though her mind is set on saving his life, she sees something about Max that allows some of her feelings to show slightly.

She thought, "Why would he try so hard to save me? Why am I here saving him? He is unusual. I don't want him to die just yet."

Kayleth reaches for her pouch. The las-rifles are aimed at her. She pulls out a small vial. There is a bright, silver liquid glowing inside. She shows it to the guardsmen.

Kayleth says, "This is a single drop from the old Eldar God Isha. It has only been used twice since the last time I opened it. All you need is one drop and Max will be restored."

She pours the smallest drop she can into the mouth of Max. As everyone stands back and watches, Lina is still kept in checked by Lucas. In a short time, the vital signs of Max are slowly recovering to full health. As the others move to help and provide assistance, Kayleth silently disappears from the foundry and returns to her own kin. As she slips pass security turrets, she still goes over the same questions in her head. Each question brings her to the obviously conclusion of the prophecy. She keeps damning the words of her farseer. The more she has tries to fight against it, the more it keeps happening as the events unfold. With the life-force of Max returning, she retreats back to her kin. Her heart is heavy with worry and sorrow for what has happen. The only good from this is the recovery Max will make.

As he lay asleep, he hears her words. The last face he can remember is Kayleth of the eldar. Her face of wrath is all that comes to mind. Max only meant to save her. Why did she feel the need to remind him that there is no touching in a brutal way? He slowly opens his eyes to see a bright light in his face. He slowly sits up only to hear a few people let out a sigh of relief. His blurry vision is slightly fading away. Max sees Lucas, Lina, and a few loyal troops in his recovery wing. He didn't understand how fast his health was failing. Lucas informs him of the events that have happen. Max is slightly shocked.

Max says, "All I know is that I didn't get a pulse from her nor did she breathe at all; it turns out something else healed her. I was not aware of the farseer spirit stone healing her until it shared with me what happen. As for the rest, it is pretty obvious. The same farseer spirit stone protected me from most of the attacks Kayleth used on me. Without her intervention, I should have died from being slammed that hard into the ground. I must speak with Kayleth for now."

As he gets up from the bed, Lucas stops him, "I think it is best that we no longer associate ourselves with the eldar. They are misunderstood as their actions are; this constant need to assist them always ends with them trying to kill us or get us killed. We can't afford any more time to be wasted helping their cause."

Lina agrees with the notion, "We have lost more troops in the past from helping them. What more else can we gain from providing our assistance to them when we are barely keeping our regiment whole? You are making a calculated mistake by helping them, Max."

Max calmly assures them, "It is true that our time spent with the eldar is a sign of danger to our army. It is even more dangerous to let them lurk around us since they are xeno. They contaminate our troops with their appearance and later, they will use us until they have what they need back. The only trouble we face worse than them is the forces of Rela. They seek to do something horrifying that will allow a daemon to manifest itself in this part of the galaxy. So, we will continue to cooperate for now if it means saving them in the process too. To save the eldar means salvation for this section of the galaxy. I will still go to speak with her and ease the tension between both groups; I will give them the coordinates for the ork horde too. For now, just trust in me and why I am doing this."

Lina and Lucas are stunned by the words of Max. They didn't understand the need to continue such an alliance with the eldar. As Max gathers up his gear, one of the tech priests presents him with the last known location of the ork horde. Once he is dressed, Max nods his head and exits the recovery wing. Lucas tries to urge him to take a team; however, Max forbids it. The morale of the guardsmen returns back to an all-time high. The eldar no longer lurk or hang around the foundry; the three able leaders are ready. It is almost time to take the fight to the enemy. The journey towards the eldar is long and freezing. At night time, the temperature is uncomfortable. Max looks down at the spirit stone. Farseer Elenwe glows less; he hears her sadness. Instead of confusion or hatred, Max helps the farseer understand.

He says, "I understand if you do not wish to speak with me. I still desire your help. Please, send a message to the eldar commander. Let Kayleth know to meet me here at this spot. I want to show my appreciation for my recovery. I won't screw this up; I promise you that."

The spirit stone shines brightly and sends an unworldly hum that radiates like a signal. At the eldar camp, the howling banshees take their usual stance and guard the camp. Kayleth was about to remain in a mediated state until she hears the noise. She starts to feel the pull of the noise. Veldoran appears at her side, but she informs him to maintain watch over the eldar. With her sword in hand, Kayleth sprints off to the location of the sound. She can hear the hum slowly fading away. Once it stops, Kayleth quickens her pace. It didn't take her too long to return to the imperial guard territory. She arrives at the south-western entrance of the foundry. The area is silent. The idea of returning back here makes her curious and alert.

Chapter 5: Section 5 – 3

The night is quiet with a wonderful whisper; the cold temperature freezes the area. All around the snow falls calmly. There is peace at the moment. At the south west area, the eldar stand alert and ready in a deep trace. Many sleep away their troubles and others are alert for any danger. Veldoran mediates for the time and focuses on his warp power. The warlocks around him keep their powers in check as they wait patiently for the next task to begin. All howling banshees stand perfectly still as stone statues. The warp spiders hold their position. All is silent at the eldar war camp. Inside the foundry, many guardsmen stay in their barracks to keep warm. The patrol groups take turns getting warm by the barrels of burning wood. Inside the command center of the foundry, Lina and Lucas go over inventory and double the check the monitors on the War Harbinger. The activity is slow; the eldar and human alliance is a fragile agreement. Though both sides know what is at stake, neither seems too committed to continue sharing information. The eldar are too mistrusting and hard to read; the humans are eager and reckless. If there is one thing both have in common, it is the need to thrive.

Elsewhere, a lone man takes his last step at the marked location. He leans against a door way of an abandoned building. The door is slightly open. He steps inside to find several wooden objects to burn; he throws a few pieces together with the wooden objects and tries to look for a way to start the fire. He adds a few more boxes to the pile. Before he can look any further, a flame appears on the pile. Max turns around to feel the heat buildup faster inside the room. He looks down at the eldar spirit stone to see that the small rays of light cause the fire to appear. The room heats up more and smoke begins to shoot out from the top. As the room heats up, Max stands near the flames to stay warm. Kayleth arrives at the building and sees the smoke coming out. She looks at the door and sees the light shine within. She draws her blade and slowly advances on the opening into the building. The light from the fire flickers off the wall; she walks in with her blade drawn. The heat from the flame keeps her on alert. Her aggressive stance changes when she sees him leaning against the wall. Her face still shows disgust towards him for what he did.

She says, "What do you want now, Max? I am not some rabid animal that you can call on when you feel there is something to say or share. Our alliance should end after your unpleasant attempt to help me."

Max shakes his head in disappointment, "So, I guess a thank you is not in need for helping me. This also means you don't want to know where our next destination is at. So, your journey here is for nothing and a waste of my time. I take my leave."

Kayleth sprints in front of Max. He stops and looks into her eyes; she wants nothing more to do with him than end his life. The emotion is slowly growing. Her need to strike him down is high yet she doesn't.

Max replies, "So, you do want to talk? Are you interested in where we are going next? Do you want to hear my explanations for the intent early? You want to know if I wanted to…"

She nearly raises her blade to his throat, "I was being healed by farseer Elenwe. Even as a spirit stone, she can heal wounds or protect a person from danger. She obviously thought you didn't need to die by my hands at that moment."

Max laughs a little and says, "So, you thought I wanted to kiss you at that moment?"

Kayleth gasps and harshly answers, "You are a fool for harboring such emotions for an eldar warrior. Why would I let you kiss me? Are you interested in me that you would dare try to seduce me in the middle of a battle? Is that your intention from early? This alliance between the humans and eldar is more than a waste of my time. You journey out here for nothing only to seek a quicker death. I will never understand why you mon-keigh feel the need to die for unworthy causes."

"And I will never understand why you still hate me," Max said. He continues, "Since when did the humans matter so little to you? Why do you seek our help yet are quick to wish us dead? You only seem focus on trying to use us more than help us."

Kayleth backs away from him, "Ever since your kind has taken its steps into the void of space, you have been nothing more than trouble. Your kind is as vicious as the orks you chase. Your arrogance blinds you to the danger in the galaxy. You would do well to stay out of affairs that are not your own."

Max shrugs his shoulders and heads for the door; the conversation seems pointless to continue. She steps in front of the door and stops him again. He looks into her eyes with curiosity.

Before she can say a word, Max says, "You seek to only use us so long as it helps your people. You seek to destroy us so long as your people are saved; I came here under a banner of peace and this is how you dishonor me. Instead of focusing on the next problem, you only seek to serve yourself until your childish needs are satisfied. And you are preventing me again from leaving."

Kayleth roars at him, "I am always looking out for my kind. If I wanted this chat of ours to end, then you will be dead and left here to rot away."

Max laughs at her. She nearly cuts him only for her hand to feel something warm. Kayleth feels Max's hand grip hers. She realizes that he is slowly moving closer to her. She jumps away and shakes off her shock. Before she can become upset, Max places a small piece of paper on the ground.

He says, "Well, that was fun, but I must go. If your warlock asks you questions, just know that you are to respond with what you know. The next location is on the paper. Once we have made sure the foundry is secure, we will go after War Boss Bone Snappa. You are welcome to come. I apologize if I made you feel uneasy; I will let you know this though. You remind me of her. She may be gone from me, but every time I see you, I swear you are everything I miss about her. Farewell Autarch Kayleth of craft world Alaitoc."

Max leaves out the door; Kayleth takes the paper from the ground. Instead of being mad, she is glad that all is still well for the time being. After she puts up her sword, she looks at her hand again; the feeling is still there. It is unusual to know this feeling. She wants to be mad at Max; however, he gives Kayleth a reason to have hope. The night ends well for both sides, but the trust may still take time given the recent events. The next day shows promise as the imperial guard is ready for their last journey. It comes down to one more trip to the edge of the north-western galaxy. It is here that they will find Bone Snappa and end his way of war. As the guardsmen march to the War Harbinger, they are stopped by the eldar forces appearing nearby. Many already ignore their presence and continue to board the ship; Kayleth comes forward and asks for the leaders to speak with her. Max allows the others to head to the ship. Veldoran waits to the side and Kayleth informs Max of their intentions.

She says, "Before you leave this planet, there is one more issue that must be handled. It is important and will prevent the spread of any taint."

Max sighs and asks, "What is it this time? Are the dark eldar back? Did the orks learn to speak any warp powers or spells that can tear us to pieces?"

Kayleth answers, "If an ork can speak powerful warp spells, then I pray that we are all-powerful before them. I am giving you the last known coordinates of the corruption left on this planet. We are going there now to eliminate the source before we head after the war boss with you. We humbly request that you accompany us to the area."

A few guardsmen over hear the chat. Max turns to them and asks that the news be passed on. With the information provided, Max takes his leave only for Kayleth to stop him by touching his shoulder. Max turns to see her show a new look on her face. He asks about her 'concerns'.

Kayleth quickly says, "I hope you will help us. For the sake of everything, we both will need to help one another."

Max says, "I will help. It gives us time to let Lina test out her new weapon she installed on the ship; however, I can only help when you let go of my shoulder, Kayleth."

She pulls away and Max heads off to join his allies. Veldoran looks at Kayleth with interest.

He says, "If you don't believe that this will work, we can always commit ourselves to the battle."

Kayleth assures Veldoran that they will get help needed. She didn't believe the humans will help, but even they can be wrong. The Faded Light appears next to the War Harbinger to teleport the eldar up to the vessel. Once they are aboard, the eldar ship travels to the destination. The howling banshees are ready for battle; the dire avengers and rangers stand ready. Once the War Harbinger is ready, the imperial ship goes towards the last destination provided by the eldar. It didn't take the ships too long to reach the area. In the crater just forty miles away from the foundry, the camps of the mad stand strong. The corrupt and damn enjoy the pleasantries that surround them. The eldar monitor the activities by screen; they see too much pain and suffering at the bottom.

In the crater, the various camps of the corrupt stretch in all directions. One camp hosts the blood battle as the warriors strike at one another to feel pain for enjoyment. A section of torture grounds has men and women indulging themselves in the utmost violent means to extreme measures. The blood shedding and loss of life is ever twisting and turning in the crater. As the eldar wait in the Faded Light, an incoming vox transmits to the vessel. Kayleth takes the call.

The vox broadcasts, "This is Max of the imperial guard. Our techno child is going to test out our new cannon. I advise you to move your ship away to our location. You don't want to be caught in the blast zone."

Kayleth orders the operators to maneuver the vessel to the known location of the War Harbinger. Once the radar on the imperial ship shows the vessel going out of range, Lina preps the cannon for fire. As the tech priests stand by at their post, the War Harbinger opens the doors underneath the lower half of the ship. Just below the fourth deck, the cannon extends out and points forward. The design of the cannon is large with a single barrel large in diameter. At the top on level one, Lina aims the cannon at the crater. A message is sent from Kayleth of the eldar; she notifies the humans that they are ready to see what happens now. Max and Lucas remain unsure about the power of the weapon. Lina and her tech-priests are filled with joy as they praise the Machine God for the knowledge it took to make the weapon. They boast of the time spent on it; a few claim that the effort was worth it. The features the cannon looks like so many others. Only Lina knows of the full extent.

Lucas asks, "Are you sure that the firepower is more than enough to eliminate the enemy camp?"

Lina happily replies, "This has become one of my greatest achievements to the Machine God. I know that the Emperor of Mankind is with us; however, it is from the knowledge of the Omnissiah that I will show you why it is all powerful. You won't be disappointed once it fires."

Max smiles at her greatly, "You have my full support and permission to fire it. I want to see what the cannon will do."

Lucas agrees with the statement. Lina turns her sight back to the screen and sets the cannon; she informs her tech priests to begin the firing sequence. The imperial guard troops stand back amazed at how much strain the ship endures. Thanks to the upgrades to the system and reactors, the ship handles it well. Lina gives the order for the cannon to fire. Outside, the cannon sparks up and electricity slowly gathers. The eldar watch from their vessel with interest to see what will occur. At the front, light slowly forms inside the barrel of the cannon; the cannon launches the shell at the camp of corruption. As the imperial guard and eldar look on, they see the crater light up with a large blast. Suddenly, the light expands outward. The sky roars; the ground shakes. The Faded Light and War Harbinger pull away as the blast effect throws debris at them. Once the aftershock ends, the area is a smoking hole. There are no signs of life. Only dust and echoes are left as a reminder. The guardsmen praise the Blessed Techno Child for her weapon of destruction. The eldar shudder on their vessel that such a powerful weapon is in the hands of the mon-keigh. Lina gives her reports to her close associates; they continue to monitor the results of the weapon. They marvel at what they discover.

She says, "Yes, that was only ten percent of the cannon fire we used. If I had wanted, the ship could have used twenty five percent only; it will require us to be at least above orbit and ten miles away from the target. If the power was higher, it will require us to fire the cannon from space. Who knows, we may have to fire it in the future. For now, I thank the Omnissiah for allowing me to create a weapon of great power for the Imperium."

Max and Lucas approve of her latest weapon. The eldar send a message to the War Harbinger by communication.

Kayleth wisely says, "I am glad to see you assisting us with the matter on the ice world. Now, we will accompany you to the next destination. You can count on the eldar to support you."

Max replies, "We shall take our leave now. Let's make for the mysterious planet."

As both ships leave orbit, two commanding leaders give the speech of hope to everyone.

Lucas says, "Attention! All hands of the War Harbinger. We have come far in our fight against the orks. Now, we will bring an end to the orks in this part of the galaxy. Though the war boss is ready for us, we are ready for him. He will not escape the wrath of the guardsmen!"

Max adds, "His kind will drown in a sea of blood; we may have our eldar allies in this fight with us, but it is by our hands that the enemy will perish. So, ready yourself for battle when we arrive at the ork strong hold. We will shut them down. There can be no escape. There will be no prisoners. All orks must die!"

The guardsmen shout, "Long live the Immortal Emperor of Man! Long live the Imperium of Man!"

Aboard the Faded Light, Veldoran inspires his fellow warlocks, rangers, howling banshees and warp spiders with words of promise.

He says, "We know not where the path takes us. We know not when fate will show us our demise; we do know that we are not alone. The future is ever changing. Our human allies can assist us in changing the future. For now, we will and must be ready for what the enemy will throw at us. Steel your mind. Hone your skills. Our war will begin soon."

As the ships leave the planet behind, the human-eldar alliance seems stable for now. As Max, Lucas, and Lina guide the imperial guard into the dark space, they can only hope what they have will be enough. Autarch Kayleth and Warlock Veldoran look to the possible choices they now face. The hunt for Rela will be ending soon; every single thought brings them all courage, retribution, and a need to win.

Chapter 5: Section 5 – 4

The roar of violence surrounds their head; a gun shot rings in the sky all around. They stomp the ground as they charge into the lines of unknown hordes of twisted evils. Though daemons are strong and can't die by natural means, each one is banished back to the warp by the green hands of the horde. From the smallest of warp monsters to the mightiest of daemons, the ork horde of War Boss Bone Snappa keeps their territory ork infested. The camp of the orks stretches five miles out; each war chief has set up a base of operations. At the center of the ork horde, the massive size of his base connects all war chiefs. They roar and praise their mighty war boss for his deed. Each of the five remaining chiefs stand before Bone Snappa as he informs them of their tasks.

He says, "Alright ya Nobz! You'z got a lota work to do. We'z gotz dis ere land unda our control. I aims to keep it dat way. Dere's a lota monsters and daemons ere to kill; I already took da ead of dis ere daemon. So, we will kill any otha daemons dat com round to our area. All foot-stompaz in da north-east ar to keep da humiez dead if dey find any. Da burna-boyz close to da south betta be burning the front door all da time. Da rest of you lot can do wha ya kno best. I aim to mak dis planet da greatest ork planet of all times. Now go keep ya squig ead boyz in line fore I lose me tempar!"

The chiefs leave the area. A section of the land is touched by the warp; it spills out daemons from the darkness. The creatures advance on the ork entrance only to be met with land mines. The western landscape always has daemon coming out swinging their swords. With every dead daemon, the orks keep reinforcing the area with more mines and guns. The only safe passage to the ork base is from the east. Not once did any sign of intruders come from the side or make any attempts to advance on them. The only interesting sight is the few dead orks around the land. Bone Snappa returns to his high tower of the crashed ship. He commands and sends out orders to his chiefs. The orks send an advance party into the daemon landscape; the orks encounter unimaginable daemons roaming the land. With so much conflict in the north and west landscape, none is certain which side will prevail.

They hide in the shadows and kill without hesitation; they calculate the possible outcome with precise predictions. None miss their mark as the increase of ork activity becomes more aggressive than before. From employing bomb usage to common gun fights, they look upon the orks with such disgust. They tinker with their small stock pile of weapons the enemy leaves behind. As an ork party comes rushing by to collect the stacked loot, a bomb goes off that throw the orks around. Even without the support of a titan to aid them, the Skitarii teams stand ready to eliminate the orks with tactics and traps none have ever seen. A handful of skitarii gunners take cover in the tall bushes. The orks come rushing by before they stop advancing; the skitarii are out-numbered. The ork parties are large in numbers. As the enemy wanders aimlessly and search, the skitarii wait in the bushes. In seconds, they calculate the enemy's reaction time. One of them tosses a stick bomb to the shoe of an ork. Two more toss stick bombs and attach them to others. The orks pay attention to the devices. Before they can ask anything, the ringing sound of gun fire cuts through the air. The skitarii fire and detonate the bombs. The orks die quickly and quietly. Not one of the skitarii soldiers die.

Elsewhere on the other side of the planet, a dark jungle is infested with humans traveling to safety. Though they get far on foot, each one is snatched by their leg. They look around in the trees to see what is attacking them; no signs of a person or thing as they run and run. The people run until they collapse from exhaustion. Out from the shadows, the dark eldar strike at their foe. They cause as much pain and suffering possible to indulge themselves in. The orks offer battle to the dark eldar warriors. For every group of orks they encounter, the wych cult groups display a graceful scene of blood. A handful of humans try to fight against the slave masters, but it helps them none. At the center of the open field, a ship floats in silence. The ship houses death, pain, suffering, torture, and chaos at its finest. Humans suffer as they feel their skin peel off. Orks violently roar at their captors who burns, tear, or scar them. On the ground, the torture camps expand in many directions. Some camps take in the delightful sight of the pain they can inflict. One camp continues with the torture of humans. A small cage of battle houses three humans or more against one member of the dark eldar. The land of suffering keeps its slave capacity high; the victims are freshly stocked nearly every day. At the center of the suffering, the daemon infused blade drinks in the sounds of everything. The noise and pleasure of pain is so much that it keeps all dark eldar stable and refreshed. Rela dances in one of her blood matches as she takes in the most intense feeling she can feed on. The death of her opponents gives her more than enough sensation.

She joyfully cries, "Such pain! Such blood! Such pleasure is mine! I can bathe in this for eternity!"

A slave approaches and informs her of something interesting.

The slave says, "Mistress Rela, a message comes to you. It seems important."

She takes the device from the slave and listens to the message of distress.

The message reads: "By now, the imperial guard has found their way to the planet the orks are residing on. If so, it is time for your next phase of the plan to begin. You are to provoke the orks to fight the guardsmen. The eldar will show up with them, so do not let them distract you. I need you to make this part of the plan work if you are to keep your soul intact. I will be in touch soon."

Rela sighs greatly as she inhales a vial of fresh souls. She smiles at the idea of Autarch Kayleth coming to stop her plan. With the orks battling the humans, this will be her perfect chance to capture the eldar commander. The thoughts of torturing her give her such ecstasy and pleasure. With no other thoughts of planning, Rela rallies her warriors for a new battle. Her cult groups of wyches rally together. The Incubi groups take a sip of the souls they collect; Rela takes to a high hill and shrieks to her dark eldar kin.

She says, "Hear me now, my fellow kin. We have what we need to survive. The torture grounds are being taken care of by the Haemonculus. The slaves are providing us fresh souls; the land we stand on is our holy ground from which we will wage war from. No more shall we run from those that wish to die by our hand. No longer will we let our eldar kin chase us. For it is we who will chase them into the void of space. We will have their spirit stones; we will taste their suffering and survive our battles. Most of all, we will return to Commorragh with a bounty none have ever seen. Join me now. Together, the enemy will know fear."

The dark eldar cheer and laugh at the sight of the pain they will inflict. Rela looks out at her army. She stands with her dark kin, the corrupt guardsmen, and a few ork slaves. The land will be covered in blood. The slave grounds will be full. All will hear the cry of the victims. The dark forces of Rela march out to the surrounding cities on Ragnar. Be it the ork horde of Bone Snappa or the dark forces of Rela, the planet will hear a roar like no other. The faster than light travel takes a toll on the ship. The reactors cool down as the War Harbinger and Faded Light appear in open space. Lina pulls up the status of the ship; Max and Lucas discuss their plans for deployment. The eldar locate a small moon in this part of the sector. The moon has a small area of oxygen covering it; Kayleth lets her operators inform the War Harbinger of the location. The tech priests follow up the information with Lucas. He agrees to the advice given. The ships slowly float to the moon and set up a space camp on the surface. To everyone's shock, the moon has ample supplies that can be used from the surface of the moon. The humans and eldar take to the surface as fast as they can. Lina stays aboard and coordinates with the troops. Lucas takes in the sight of seeing their next battle as he sends troops to the moon.

Chapter 5: Section 5 – 5

The soil is perfect for crafting material for the ship and weapons. The humans scoop up as much as they can and analysis any substance found. The eldar look deeper into the soil and discover a joyful sight. A few missing spirit stones of a lost craft world are recovered; they add them to their collection and continue to sweep the moon. Though Lina and Lucas remain aboard the War Harbinger, Max takes in the sight of the moon. The spirit stone of Elenwe guides him to various spots on the moon. Every point of interest reveals a missing eldar spirit stone or resource. Kayleth takes notice from the Faded Light at how accurate Max's findings are. Despite her fight with him on the ice world, everything is still holding together. She is interrupted by Veldoran who can't help but find her new interest amusing.

He says, "I see that you have Max in your sight. He seems more than just able now that he is giving us more spirit stones to add to our lost collection."

Kayleth replies, "He is of no interest to me. I am simply waiting to recover Elenwe from him the moment she allows us to return her to safety."

Veldoran looks on with her, "Of course. What else is there to do than to save one farseer from the hands of a human? I am sure that the prophecy won't be of use to us once we have her back. Though I wish to know more of it."

She says, "There is nothing else we need to know of the prophecy. Once the humans stop the war boss, we will use them to stop Rela and complete our journey here. It would have been better if Elenwe stayed with us from the beginning. Now I may have to kill him later to retrieve her. Max is unusual for a human."

Before any more words can be said, a warp spider comes to them. She has an amazing artifact found by Max. As the eldar gather around, the artifact glows with a low hum.

She says, "Max has helped us recover a small fragment belonging to the avatar of Khaine. We may be able to use it once more should we have the means."

Veldoran and Kayleth smile at Max for his impressive discovery. Veldoran takes his leave of Kayleth to study the shard. On the moon, the last of the small imperial bases are set up. Max radios back to the War Harbinger for additional intel.

He says, "What else did the coordinates tell us about Bone Snappa coming out here?"

Lina replies, "The location out here seems to stop at this point. I see no planets anywhere in the sector. Our scanners are not picking up anything. We have no further information."

Lucas adds, "Maybe the ork ship got swallowed up in the warp. For all we know, an ork probably decided that new leadership is in need."

Kayleth interrupts the radio chatter by appearing beside Max on the moon. She startles him with her appearance.

She says, "Your comrades are not so bright. The orks are here. I can sense his presence here as well."

Max alerts everyone to keep scanning for any unusual anomalies. The spirit stone around his neck shines its rays upward; Max looks up to the empty part of space. He calls to everyone on the moon and ship to look up. They all can't believe their eyes. Many flickers of warp power are in use; it appears massive in size. The Faded Light and War Harbinger turn to see the strange sight. The warp flickers strongly as they witness a section of Ragnar turn towards them. They still are at a loss for words. The planet is half covered in warp energy. Even the eldar are amazed that the planet is still holding. Lina checks the coordinates of the planet. It shows the planet resting on the edge of the halo zone. As Max radios to others to return to the ship, a few small companies stay on the moon to solidify the area due to the oxygen and resources. The Faded Light advances to the planet; Max calls to the eldar vessel only to hear a quick communication from Kayleth.

She says, "We have what we need. Be swift and follow us to the surface. Once your ork dies, we will expect Elenwe back before you leave."

Max returns to the ship and heads straight for deck one. Lina and Lucas ask what is going on.

Max says, "The eldar are on the move. We better hurry up and join them before they get killed."

The War Harbinger quickens its pace. The planet Ragnar shows half under constant attacks from warp powers. Each lighting bolt flashes around the orbit. It is hard to get a reading on the surface. The other side of the planet is clear of the warp. Though the star in the system is red, the surface blooms with life. As the ships breach the orbit, they encounter an open landscape with life. Shuttles from the human ship fly to the surface. Lucas and Max send updates on the planet to Lina. It didn't take them long to find plenty of mystery on the ground. The area they land in widens their eyes. Out from the huts of thin wool and metal, they walk to them. Many guardsmen look on with shock; the eldar look at their allies. They also discover something mysterious.

They approach the first group of guardsmen and scan their weapons. The unknown humans look around to see the eldar disappear and reappear in another spot; Kayleth and her war host join the humans at the camp site. The guardsmen are nervous and ready to fire. The eldar arrive and stand at peace. Before any questions come from Max or Lucas, a member of the skitarii rifle squad steps forward.

The rifle carrier says, "Greetings, I am honored by you being here. We require assistance against the dangerous foe."

Max shrugs his shoulders. Lucas says, "What dangerous foe is attacking you? What is this place?"

It says, "This is the planet Ragnar and orks have invaded the planet. We have kept them away from out borders; they now push in to cease our life function. We require aid against them. They attack any that travels to their borders. The enemy is too many; there are also dark reports coming in from another part of the planet. We tried to trace it, but the signal is no more. The last report comes from the north. Our last scout reported something with speed and black moving too fast."

Lucas and Max look behind them to see Kayleth and Veldoran approaching.

She says, "You came across the dark eldar. Provide us with whatever you have."

Max stops her demands, "We are here to help them, not treat them as pawns."

Kayleth looks to Max, "If you have any sense at all, you can clearly see they are not worth keeping alive let alone trusting."

Lucas begs to differ, "You are still wrong there. They are no ordinary tech priests. Let us see what Lina will say of them. And as for trust, you have a lot of nerve to be saying that after what you did."

As Lucas transmits the information to her, Veldoran adds, "There are several other artifacts on the planet. They sing loudly like the fragment we found on the moon. We must find them as fast as we can."

Lina studies the information and praises the Emperor once more.

She says, "They are a group of long lost Skitarii riflemen. We need them as much as they need us. They can fight along with us and provide intel on anything we need."

Lucas, Kayleth, Veldoran, and Max all look to each other. They both are presented with opportunities to grow. It didn't take the eldar long to leave their side and go in search of the other artifacts similar to the one from the moon; Max and Lucas agree to let them go. They turn to their new-found friends and humbly offer aid. As more shuttles fly down supplies, the rifle carrier urges cautions.

It says, "The planet Ragnar has a cycle it will enter soon. You have only one month or so to complete your task or risk the journey with us on the planet. If you help us, we will join you and add our technology to yours. We have only been on the surface for two months, but we have studied this planet for the last two years. Our reports must be sent back to Mars."

Max and Lucas waste no time issuing out orders to find the ork camp. The objective is the same as before: Kill the war boss and return home alive. Max radios to the eldar the same message and hopes that they will hurry with their plan. Neither of the groups understand what cycle the planet will begin in a month. The only thing certain is that they must hurry or face the consequences on the planet. The orks of Bone Snappa battle the daemons; the army of Rela journeys through the land capturing a number of unknown slaves. The imperial guard assists the skitarii fighters with their ork problem. Lastly, the eldar search for strange artifacts that will help them. It all comes down to a battle for control, capture, revenge, and death. The time is getting shorter; the enemies are numerous. Who will claim their reward in time?