Some Light

"Where is that cursed transport", snarled Athelwist. The Belismar boys were getting restless. There was an ominous rumbling creaking noise just over the horizon. Masks on was signalled, kalm 100%. Complaints died down amongst the Chemdogs. "It should be here soon", signalled Alfus with his fingers. "They told us it would be a quick in and out, bit like you Athelwist."
At that moment a blaze of light appeared above. "Thunderhawk on fusion drive," Alfus nudged Athelwist and waved his gaze upwards.

A beam of light seared from the distant horizon seeking and joining with the fusion flare of the thunderhawk. The fusion light wobbled twice and a colossal flash lit the sky.

Here comes trouble thought Hammerhand as he saw the searing flash on the distant horizon.

A Quiet Moment

The world below seemed innocently peaceful. As he fell Hammerhand's mind drifted back to his apprenticeship on Mars with the Enginseers. The satellite images that Hawk had shown him of this world reminded Hammerhand strongly of Mars and the manufactoriums and design workshops, yet unlike Mars many parts of this planet seem pristine, untouched by habitation.

Freefall

Hammerhand enjoyed the rush of air past his face. He was now in the lower atmosphere floating down at a mere 250kph. It had been a roller coaster ride until now. Almost all of the energy of his drop onto the planet had been stored in the entry suit by the creation of a handful of antimatter molecules held in magnetic field. The micro particle converter had been one of his own creations. He had not bothered telling Hawk knowing his antipathy to anything that was not classical Imperial technology. He had jettisoned it at 8km. It had exploded spectacularly halfway across the planet. He hoped that and the Belismar boys would get the attention of anyone on the ground.

More Hand Signals

Standing amidst the shattered bodies of the enemy Alfus saw hand signals flickering around the platoon again. The Lieutenant had ordered kalm only, blur off, form perimeter, hold position, await thunderhawks. Alfus slipped off his mask as everything slowed down. Too much blur and you burned up. How much was too much was an imperial secret.
He nudged his mate, "What do you reckon they are, twists?" He pointed at the shattered armoured suits scattered around."
"Do you reckon we should do a Yarrick now we're finished with gun-babies?"
"Why not," Athelwist replied. "What about that over there, that smart expensive looking box?"

Look at That!

Shards of tracer flicked past Alfus and his squad. They were breathing kalm so it seemed as dangerous as a light show. The shards flickered and steadied on one of the pods. It glowed red and then exploded shredding a squad that had just disembarked. More pods were pitching down, their thudding impact drowned by the throaty crack of the enemy fire. Hand signals semaphored from squad to squad. The chem dogs passed orders by hand as their masks precluded verbal orders.
Alfus read the signal, mix kalm with blur 50:50 and advance on enemy. Forward we go he thought as blur coursed through his muscles. On this mix the squad advanced at the double. The enemy tracer fire seemed so slow that Alfus tried to catch some in his hand until he realised that was a bad idea. The Belismar boys rocket forwards covering the 2 kilos to the enemy guns in under a minute. More hand signals, this time torch them. Alfus open fire on the armoured figures that appeared to move incredibly slowly as they reacted to the sudden appearance of the troopers.
Soon their armour began to glow and split under the impact of hundreds of lasgun shots at close range.

Command and Control

"Recap the situation for me, Captain Pilgrim."
"The fleet is stationed and hidden within the system's twin jovian systems, stealth satellites for both communication with our ground forces and ground surveillance and intelligence are in orbit of the target. A feint reconnaissance in force has podded in using the Belismar Boys Mercenary Dogs Light Infantry and finally Interrogator Hammerhand has been stealth inserted using a powerless drop pod close to the site of maximum energy use on the target."
"So far, so good," remarked Inquisitor Hawk, "now we have the hard part, the wait for information."

Landfall

The drop-pods hit the steaming vegetation in a staccato series of muffled thumps. A brief interval of stunned natural silence was terminated by an explosion of racketing bird-reptiles launching themselves skyward towards the bright lapis lazui horizon from the dusky orange vegetation. Their coarse cries were lost in the sound of the drop-pods cracking followed by the battle cries of the imperial chem dog mercenaries launching themselves onto the forgotten world.
"Alfus look at that!"

The Belismar Boys

"Pull the trigger Hammerhand or let me do it," screamed Alfus, "Give the bastard what he deserves." His fellow Leftovers screamed and yelled along with him, raising an unholy racket as they battered the walls and fixtures of the squad room while they watched Hawk's conference on the monitor.

Alfus had barely survived Sweetfruit's slaughter of the conscripts and along with the remnant of his squad was on board the Imperial transports of Pilgrim's fleet.

Redeemed for Inquisitor Hawk

"Thank you, Hammerhand," continued Hawk in the same cool dry tone.
"You may pull the trigger if the Commissar does not give his full attention to my presentation."
Hawk had the complete attention of the meeting. "Interrogator Hammerhand has arranged for this discussion to be broadcast to the entire force embarked within Captain Pilgrim's fleet."

"We are at a significant moment in the history of the Imperium. Beset by enemies we must ramp up the technology we use, particularly as I have evidence that some parts of the Imperial Forces are turning to the heretical technology of our alien foes." He glanced at Sophia.

"This condemned force will therefore set course for Bubo IX. This world lost contact with the Imperium in the ancient past, but the latest scans suggest a highly technological civilisation. It was part of the Imperium before the great rebellion and so is not officially a Xeno World but it may well have become so as it has been so long separated from the Imperium. More importantly it may still have records of or access to ancient Imperial Technologies that we have lost!"

Secondly

Secondly the Captain and crew of any Imperial vessel required to transport the Inquisitor. Sweetfruit, Daedalus, Sophia, Hammerhand and the Tribune Torne do not qualify for survival except........ A scream of rage interrupted the Inquisitor.

"Nooo not me" raged Sweetfruit. Commissars are always exempt." He hissed at Hawk.

Hammerhand stepped behind Sweetfruit and held his laspistol to the Commissars temple. Sweetfruit went still. A laspistol was about the only weapon that could be used relatively safely within a spaceship as it would not be powerful enough to penetrate the hull.

"You will listen carefully while Inquisitor Hawk finishes," ordered Hammerhand crisply. This was so cool he thought, wait until the guardsmen hear I have pulled a pistol on Sweetfruit.

Dead Men part 3

As Hammerhand continued he paced around the conference and watched as the heads of the senior officers twisted to follow him, except Hawk who lounged at the head of the table. He had their attention without a doubt he thought.

"Wait a moment that does not apply to us, only to the grunts." Interrupted Sweetfruit.
" It applies to you without a doubt," snapped Daedalus of the Ordo Hereticus, "but we will make an exception for the Captain here," with a nod to Captain Pilgrim, " without him and his crew I and the others of the Inquisition would be breathing vacuum."

"Sir!" Shouted Hammerhand, snapping to attention and clicking his heels.
"With respect the Imperial Decree states in simple and clear language that the 'Emperor's Benediction' is to be applied without consideration of rank or unit."

"Interrogator Hammerhand is correct." Stated Hawk in a cool dry tone that penetrated around the table.
"There are only two exceptions. Firstly the Inquisitor who erased the incursion of Chaos , in order that Imperial Records will contain the documented means applied to exterminate the incursion."

Dead Men Part 2

The power in the blade made the air sparkle and sing as it swept from ear to ear. With a scream Sweetfruit laid into the conscripts, Blood, severed limbs, bowels and heads sheeted through the air as the power sword effortlessly slided through the soft flesh on the unsuspecting conscripts. The first conscripts were slaughtered as they stood too dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events to move despite the evidence of their eyes. Alfus swayed ducked and pushed one of his motionless comrades into the path of the keening blade. He fell back and collapsed sliding under body parts and a film of blood to feign death.

A silence fell disturbed only by the hum of the power blade. Alfus heard Sweetfruit. "Sorry lads, muttered the Commissar, "Nothing personal, you all did your bit, but Imperial Decree requires it to be thus."

We are all dead men

"By Imperial Decree, of our God Emperor, all who are exposed to Chaos must be removed permanently from the Imperial Commonwealth of Man to protect the innocent and pure majority of citizens from the least taint of the traitor forces of Chaos."

Interrogator Hammerhand stated to the council. He had donned one of his many uniforms, this one cut in the design of an Heroic Cadian Karskin Captain.

Commissar Sweetfruit

"Death comes to us all", shouted the Commissar. "Death in the service of the God Emperor comes only to the privileged few." The conscripts cowered, except for Alfus from Belisimar.
"Death should be slavering for that one", he whispered to his friend Theodosius, "if there is any justice". Alfus had been press-ganged into a New Etrurian Free Company while drunk after a works night out. Sweetfruit had pulled his power sword out and was slashing it through the air around his head. The power in this blade made the air sparkle and sing as it swept from ear to ear. Sweetfruit's blade was a family heirloom and had been handed down through four generations of illustrious ancestors until it had arrived at their unworthy descendant, Tatum Sweetfruit, Commissar by privilege and inheritance.

Importance

To the left sat Commissar Sweetfruit, not a sweetie, but definitely fruity and more like a sweetbread, thought Hammerhand, definitely a taste only for gourmets of pain. Alongside him sat the apparently eternal Sophie the assassin. Two difficult customers.


To the right sat Inquisitor Daedalus, Tribune Torne, Enginseer Troy and Captain Pilgrim of the Brethren Class Battle Cruiser upon which they were embarked. Only Captain Pilgrim could be relied upon at this meeting, except perhaps for the Sweetie as Hammerhand thought of Commissar Sweetfruit, provided the sweetie had the promise of oceans of bloodshed. Hammerhand recalled the deference with which Troy had greeted Hawk after they had embarked and the easy way in which he had acquiesced with the requisitioning of his ship.

Case Conference

Inquisitor Hawk chaired the meeting just as he had taken command of the Imperial starship.

"Unhuman heretical technologies have been illegally introduced to the imperium. These technologies have been responsible for the destruction of Gladstone VI. My Acolyte Hammerhand will now explain the details. Following his briefing this meeting will formulate a plan to deal with the issues identified."

Hammerhand stood, glancing around the chamber.