Fourteen total Plague Marines of the Death Guard, easily enough to conquer an entire solar system, approached the gunship bolters raised. The aspiring champion carrying a huge, rusted blade led the way. The ship sat invisible in the middle of miles upon miles of forest. The three Thunder Hawks circled several hundred metres overhead, their weapons locked on and ready to fire if the highly advanced stealth ship moves even an inch.

The Plague Marines didn't bother with stealth or subtlety as they stomped through the under brush and smashed aside any small trees that got in their way.

It was when the Plague Marines were around fifteen metres away Kalakor's trap ignited and in a split-second a good one hundred metre radius of jungle became consumed in blue fire so powerful, all of the Plague Marines are instantly atomised.

All three Thunder Hawks writhed and wavered from the pressure, then the shrapnel made up of thousands of exploded trees crashed against them, causing them to wheel and reel as they began to pull back. The armour of the Thunder Hawk withheld against the impacts of the debris but some managed to find its way into the turbines and it was too much to handle.

The Thunder Hawks whirled and began to lose control.

Ten minutes earlier...

'I cannot get a connection with the Xenocide,' said Ulysses as he fiddled with the ship's communications controls.

'So try again!' Arlathan snapped.

Ulysses sighed and turned his dark gaze at the Interrogator. 'I just...alright I will keep trying.'

Arlathan nodded, turned and stormed out of the cockpit and into the recreation room. In there, Vex sat at his cogitator and vox-caster. Next to him, Karmen Kons laid on the couch, limp and lifeless. Right after their call from the traitor Hayden Tresch she'd left in her ethereal form to try get to their ships in the system and find out what in the Emperor's name was going on.

Lurking around was the former commissar Tathe, and his compatriot the scout trooper Dellenger. The assassin and pilot Darrance, his apprentice Delathasi. The ex-arbite Torris who still held his meltagun like it was a long-lost lover just found. But with all the devastation Torris had recced Arlathan couldn't blame him. Then there was the arsehole Kollath and his remaining Stormtroopers. But the most attention attracting was the towering Space Marine of the Raven Guard chapter Kalakor who stood watch over the room from the corner. His arms folded over his chest plate. He wore a white beaked helm of a Veteran-sergeant and belonging to the famous Mark 6 Astartes armour pattern.

Last was the young medicae Halsin, who stood in the corner not far from Kalakor.

'I can't believe it,' said Vex, as he stared blank-eyed at his screen. 'He did that to Adelana. Adelana! That sick son of a bitch! She-she, was such a good person. I-'

'Anything from Enandra, Attelus or anyone, Vex?' Arlathan said, even though he knew the answer.

'No,' said the boy in such a sulky tone it hurt Arlathan's diaphragm for a reason beyond him. Arlathan was certain Vex wanted to add a "frig-head" at the end of his sentence.

'We need to move,' said Kollath, pushing himself off the wall and turning his ludicrously spare face to Arlathan.

'I agree,' said Arlathan,. 'But first we need somewhere to go first.'

'And what? You think we can go to the Xenocide?' said Kollath. 'And even if we do we'll lead the enemy right to them and we know there are hundreds of enemy ships in orbit.'

Arlathan sighed, he hated to admit Kollath but had a damned good point. He was coated in sweat like never before and his heart pounded painfully. It seemed he was close to having a panic attack if he didn't regain control of himself.

'Well, if we can't go to the Xenocide where can we go, Kollath?' said Arlathan.

Kollath pursed his lips. 'Hide in one of the system's moons? Or maybe even go to the Sister's convent?'

'We have visual cloaking as well as scanners,' said Tathe. 'Don't we? How can they track us?'

'Because apparently Hayden-frigging-arshole and that arse Drevan told them everything!' said Vex. 'We have to guess at what frequency they can detect us! They might not be able track us visually, but their scanners will!'

'I have an idea,' said Kalakor, which made everyone's attentions snap to him, Delathasi and Vex flinching as they did. 'A few of us stay here while the rest leave to rendezvous with the original Guncutter.'

'I don't like where this is going,' said Vex.

'Shut it, boy,' Kalakor growled. 'We lure the Plague Marines near the ship, then overload the reactor.'

'Taking out not just a highly sophisticated and invaluable ship but whoever volunteers who stay behind,' said Arlathan. 'Which are also valuable and-'

'We are backed into a corner now, completely and truly, Interrogator of the Ordo Hereticus,' said Kalakor. 'If we are to get out of it, we must resort to such desperate methods.'

Vex frowned. 'Are they going to even bother-'

'If they wanted us dead, they would've had this ship and a quarter of mile of jungle around us glassed from orbit already instead of sending just three enemy Thunder Hawks,' said Darrance, then he looked at Arlathan. 'I think the Space Marine's idea is sound.'

'Yeah, well, it isn't,' said Tathe, and Arlathan had never heard such an exasperated and snarling tone from the ex-commissar. 'That's going to be one hell of an explosion, this isn't like overloading a lasgun for a last-ditch trap, no way. And even if the escaping agents manage to make it far enough to not get consumed they'll be trying to escape a forest fire made from hell itself.'

'Neglecting the fact the enemy might detect them running away,' said Vex.

'Wear your syn skin bodygloves, then,' said Kalakor. 'And hurry it up, because we are running out of time. I volunteer to stay. It is my idea and therefore I must.'

Then for less than a second, Arlathan swore the Space Marine gave Dellenger a slight glance.

'I volunteer, too.' said Dellenger, that couldn't have been a coincidence, but Arlathan ignored it.

'Alright, fine,' Arlathan groaned to hard it hurt his chest. 'Back into that shitty jungle, I guess. Now! Let's move, move, move!'

He then looked at Karmen. She still hadn't returned, Arlathan could only hope she was okay.

The spilt second Karmen had left her physical form, she knew something was out there. Something in the Sea of Souls, waiting for her.

The daemon's laugh echoed through her, somehow making her ethereal form somehow shiver.

It began to part the warp toward her, the snarling, smiling, hollow-eyed face dwarfed her like nothing she'd ever encountered before.

She shrieked with a non-existent mouth and willed her soul to return to her body, but it didn't work. She was stuck.

Karmen turned and ran, trying not to see the creature of such power it parted the warp in its wake like a real-world sea.

The daemon laughed again. You cannot escape me, little psyker. Come back and I promise I will make it quick and...somewhat less painful.

Karmen just kept moving. This thing, it had a familiar feeling, its power was utterly undeniable but it was a similar feeling as the Greater Daemon of the Blood god when she'd held it in her telekinesis briefly back on Sarkeath.

Could this be? Could it be!? Oh God-Emperor, no! No!

Karmen started to pray.