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.