New trick

"The phase shifter keeps our phase in step with the C'tan sword. What Zakalwe failed to remember is that a de-tuned phase sword is still a sharp bit of metal that can cut you."
Hammerhand shrugged poor Zakalwe had never been much of a fighter. Perhaps this was what he had hoped to learn from Hammerhand. He had never understood his system of levels or his motivation for helping.

"Hawk, sends his instructions,"reminded Sophia. She picked up her sword.
"Caliban, clear up the mess," Hammerhand gestured vaguely between Sophia and Zakalwe.
"Don't get too clever Hammerhand," warned Sophia.
"Pulse bomb is charged," replied Hammerhand, "Over there." He gestured.
"Give me Inquisitor Hawks orders."

Out of Phase

Appended to a white shimmering blur the C'tan phase sword sliced towards Hammerhand. He swayed back out of range. The slice rolled into a thrust. The phase sword became embedded. Sophia let a grunt of surprise escape. Bugger thought Hammerhand. Zakalwe gasped and groaned. Blood dripped onto the floor. Caliban hissed with pleasure. The C'tan fell from Sophia's grasp as the body pitched to the floor.
"I see you have found yourself a new trick, Hammerhand," stated Sophia.
Bugger thought Hammerhand, why did that idiot Zakalwe have to get in the way.
"Yes, its called a phase shifter. I learned it from my esteemed colleague and ally there." Hammerhand gestured at the corpse. "I see you have greeted him in a rather undeservedly casual manner."

Landin Plan

In the empty hangar Hezakk addressed his Bosses and their Mobs.
"We have rich pickins on the dirtball below. All we need to do is land and chop the scummy humin natives into bits and then enjoy the planet. We is goin' to build a huge base here and all the Orks lookin for the tru leader will flock here and join our waaaghh against the useless humins."
Fat useless grot on steroids thought Garzakk. Call yourself a boss, you wouldn't know Bossin if it bit you on your green arse

Energy Transference

Caliban suddenly teleported in with a flash, a high pitched crack and a stench of burned rotting flesh. Its containing box creaked and buzzed.
"No need for the fuss and noise," remarked Hammerhand. "You won't break your containment. In fact you will never get out unless and until I release you."
"Who or what is that," asked Zakalwe eagerly.
"This is Caliban, one of Hawks pets, and if it ever gets out of the box it will eat you alive, literally."
"Come we have work to finish."

Hammerhand and Zakalwe had spent the last 3 days working on a use for the energy stored by the micro particle converter in his survival suit. The well equipped workshop had made the process easy. Zakalwe's help had made it even easier. Hammerhand still did not trust the ease with which Zakalwe had transferred his loyalty to him. Hammerhand had therefore insisted on making the teleport beacon homer for Caliban himself. He wanted no mistakes when it came to Caliban. Dealing with Caliban was a bit like juggling anti matter bare handed.
Hammerhand still vividly remembered the day he and Hawk had summonsed Caliban and forced it into the containment box.

Attakk Plan

“See dat planet.”
“See the readouts here. Deres fighting goin on.”
“If we's to go back we needs a base and some fightin and winnin' and loots an slaves and some time to build our boys back up to strength,” Hezakk set the strategy.
“Now for some cunnin tactics.”
“We need all the boys, so lets put dis scummy hulk down on dat miserable planet, dere,” He waved a broad taloned finger at an equatorial continent.
“Den once were down we gets the bikes and truks out and smashes and loots de nearest town.”
“Get the grots onto it,” He ordered.
“Right away Boss,” Replied Garzakk. You useless fat git he thought.
He stomped out of Hezakk’s control room down the scummy corridor shouting orders at the grots and lesser orks he came across.
“We’re goin’ down.”
“Brace for battle landing.”
“Get weapons ready.”
“Get the weird boyz to get this hulk out of warp.”
“Grots to the engines and wait for more orders.”
Useless bastard he thought.

Under the Silent Surface

The red painted Hull had blackened in Hyperspace. The corroded reddened hulk slipped through hyperspace leaving only a faint trail through the vortex. It was hunting.
"No Dats dem over dere." grunted Garzakk, pointed a taloned green finger.
"You betta be right dis time," snapped Boss Hezakk, in reply.

Plan of Attack

"Select three equatorial industrial zones, spaced roughly equidistant around the planets equator," stated Hawk.
"Pulverise them with an orbital bombardment," added Pilgrim.
"Launch the assault troops in drop pods to arrive on the selected pulverised zone, just as the bombardment switches to the primary target," continued Tiberius.
"The second wave, which you will command Tiberius, will assault through an orbital and aerial envelopment," continued Hawk.
"The original assault group will build a defensible base from which the ongoing assault can be supported."
"The primary target should be the spaceport identified through the original scans," stated Pilgrim.
"No," countermanded Hawk. "It is located on the shore of the central ocean. We will disable it through a tsunami caused by a level 7 tunnelling nuclear strike on the ocean bed."
"After all if we can do that they could do the same to us after we captured it."

Dog Belly Dreams

Assault after Dark

Somehow the enemy had detected them. Visibility was minimal. The atmosphere was still clogged with particulate debris from the bombardment plus smoke from fires within ruined structures. In addition night had fallen. Alfus could barely make out Athelwist's rump 10 spans forward as he lay amidst the debris born of the orbital bombardment. Athelwist was watching the enemy positions. His signals indicated that 3 of the armoured suits were active in the remains of the buildings ahead. Other suits lay inert. Alfus itched to go and examine them but this was not the time. The Gann had put him in charge of the squad and the eight of them were relying on his tactical skills and adherence to orders to see them through.
The three active suits seem to be assembling some type of weapon which pointed in their direction. Alfus hoped the Gann would not wait much longer before signalling the attack. The Belismar boys were to flush out any enemy from the ruins of the defense complex. Given that this site had been of the focuses of the bombardment the fact that masonry still stood at the bottom of the 3000 span crater showed that the building had been built as a strong point. The above ground structure had been blasted off during the bombardment but the beneath ground layers exposed by the destruction above were designed to take over the defense.
Blur 100% the signal came to Alfus' squad. As the blur switched in everything slowed but at the same moment time slipped. One second Alfus and his mates were switching the mixture. The next they were amongst the enemy suits firing, stabbing and clubbing at the slowly dropping and twitching figures.

An unexpected helper

"I know that you are from off planet," the flamboyant man continued. "You qualify as an Unreal even if you do not know how to behave as one."

Hammerhand stepped close to Mr Zakalwe Iridescent. His right hand slipped up his left sleeve and closed around the grip of the extensible steel bar he kept strapped to his left forearm. Low technology, he thought, but capable of smashing skulls and so effective at close quarters.

"Just a little moment, I am on you side and that of your masters," pleaded Zakalwe. "You have technology we do not have and we have technology you do not have!"