Moloch

"Cool," exclaimed Moloch cheerfully. It was floating 10 meters above the avenue. A baneblade had appeared at the furthest end.
The avenue through the exclusively wealthy part of Lakupad town was scattered with lumps of flesh hewn from the local populace. The once white washed buildings sported a thin coat of a bright shade of blood. Moloch spun on his heels in mid air and a powerfully vivid ball of flaming white fire shot from his chest to the tank. There was a massive explosion. The baneblade rocked in its tracks, the hull mounted demolisher cannon had been ripped off.
The image on the Voxpict link blurred. "That was 20 minutes ago," grated Assault Marshall Vikrumm.
He screamed, "What were you thinking of when you released that? Inqueestitor Hammerhanded"
"If I could put your ass in front of a firing squad I would do it gleefully and pull the trigger!"

Garzakk's End

Garzakk's belly burst with an explosive flash of green guts and blood as the stormbolter rounds exploded inside. His legs ran on for a few more steps down the central corridor of the Hulk before they realised that he was dead.
Meddigo had detailed two squads of terminators to ambush the Orks detected re-entering the Hulk by Inquisitor Hawk’s auto savants.

The surviving Orks in Garzakk's mob surged forward towards the corridor junction from where one of the two squads had opened fire. As they did so Terminators power fisted through the corridor walls behind them and charged home slaughtering the Orks at the rear of the mob. The other squad now charged the front of the howling mass of Orks firing their stormbolters as they leap forward. The mob of Orks found itself crushed between two assaulting squads of spacemarines in terminator armour. While in normal circumstances the Orks would have been able to give a good account of themselves, here in the gloomy confines of the ribbed ancient metal walled corridor of the Hulk the Orks were pressed so closely on each other that they were unable to effectively fight back. In the center of the mob fighting broke out between Orks, biting and gouging with talons and head butting, as they were unable to swing their weapons. The terminators pressed forward compressing the writhing mobs of Orks as they slaughtered them down to the last greenskin.

Armoured Column on Dirtball

The armoured column rolled forward. Baneblade after Baneblade grinding slowly across the blasted landscape. On the distant horizon their goal. The largest industrial complex on the planet and its associated towns located in a river valley area and given the tactical name Zone Zero, or double Zed to the Belisimar Chem Dogs.
Alfus and his squad rolled comfortably across the blasted heath and scrubland in a Chimera. The second landings had been successful and after the failed Tau counter attack resistance seemed to have crumbled.

Hammerhand sat in the command chimera as it followed the Leman Russ squadrons behind the Baneblades. Assault Marshall Vikrumm and his command team sat around the planning table. As Inquisitor Hawk’s representative on the Dirtball as they were calling the planet Hammerhand was de-facto part of the team.

“The enemy seem to be mainly the Xenos Tau. The locals seem human which should be expected as this world was part of the Imperium before the Heresy.”
Commissar Goldengoth was speaking.
“Once we have occupied Zone Zero I do not expect further resistance. The remaining Xenos will probably surrender in the hope of prisoner exchange.”
Vikrumm grunted his assent.

Staff Officer Russ cleared his throat, “I have the draft orders for the establishment of a base and the organisation of pacification and Imperialisation of the planet, my Lord Assault Marshall.”
Vikrumm indicated that the documents were to be placed on the table. He looked at Hammerhand.
“The glory of reincorporating this lost world will be yours, my Lord Assault Marshall,” continued Russ.
“Indeed,” responded Vikrumm with satisfaction. The glory of the deed would be the seal to his career. He turned to Hammerhand.
“How long in your estimation will it take for the Inquisition to eradicate taints of Xenos and deviation? We need to know to start assessing the logistics for this operation.”

“With respect Sir,” responded Hammerhand, “I believe the the High Lord Inquisitor Hawk does not consider this fine battle group as a force to be blunted by the tedium of occupation. He has not shared his intentions for the end of local resistance. I recommend that we immediately re-establish communications with Captain Admiral Pilgrim of the fleet and through him contact the Inquisitor.”
In other words phone home before Hawk decides to kick your fat immobile backside, thought Hammerhand.

“In any case it may take decades before the Inquisition can be confident that the isolated population on this world are able to be reincorporated."

"It will depend on how long they have been associating with the Xenos and what other deviations have taken root here during its isolation.”
And undoubtedly there are some strange goings on as I discovered through poor Zakalwe and his levels considered Hammerhand.

Garzakk Rentry

The hull airlock outer door exploded in a flare of slivers. Garzakk and his mob felt the blast wave through the Hull. A few grots lost their grip and floated off the Hulk . None of the Orks paid any attention. They were closely following the Mek's team as it lowered the next charge into the gaping scar on the surface of the Hulk where the airlock outer door had been.

Hezakk was not dumb but he was not stupid either reasoned Garzakk. He would have positioned some grots and Orks wif big shootas to cover the airlock as well as the corridor approach. What he would not have thought of was that he Garzakk was much cunninger. The airlock would be blasted through. Any Orks beyond the door would be blasted out in to the vacuum with the air rush. One of his Garzakk's mobs was positioned to slug and blast any intact Orks thrown out by the blast. Then he would use his cunning plan.

With the second blast Garzakk's Orks opened fire on the tumbling bodies. The spew of gas and debris died away. Now was the time when Hezakks mob would be building an emergency air wall. Garzakk signalled the second mobb. They carefully rolled a black nobbly cylinder over to the gash in the Hulk. Sitting on the cylinder a crazed grot in a vacuum bubble strapped to the back of the stubby winged cylinder ignited a rokkitt motor on the outer surface. With a momentary crazed wave the grot rode the black cylinder into the gash in the Hulk. Garzakk and his mob fired their rokkit boostas and jumped as far around the Hulk as they could without launching themselves into orbit. A vast convulsion shook the surface for kliks around. Several of the appendages on the surface of the Hulk shook loose in the blast with some tumbling into orbit around the Hulk over under the force of spurting gas and boiling fluids. The gash on the Hulk were the airlock had been was no longer. There was now a gaping crater where Hezakk's control room had been.

Now was the time to get back in through anuvver airlock and srtoll down the central corridor finishing off any of Hezakks mob that would not join his. He could feel himself beginning to grow again. What Hezakk the useless grot had not realised but he Garzakk had was that there were many control rooms in this Hulk.

C'tan

High commander Fa'thanen sighed. Everything that had been going so well with Operation Lone Pilgrim seemed to be on the verge of being lost. The orbital defenses were bombarded out of existence after they had been revealed too early. Why had he let himself be convinced to open fire at that point? The native human population had become restive as the orbital fireworks told them that what the Tau emissaries had convinced them of previously was not exactly true. The fleet had had to be withdrawn to defend against a surprise Imperial Crusade against one of the Tau Rim worlds. His two picket system ships had vanished shortly after they had reported contact with a derelict Space Hulk approaching the system and now this. The reports he held indicated that the attack he had ordered to wipe out the isolated human imperial survivors from their recent original landing had gone bizarrely wrong long before the attack force had made contact. Devilfish exploding for no reason or colliding into and destroying other transports made no sense at all. All his slim residual resources would be required to rescue the survivors. He needed to think. Had the humans made contact with the indigenes and their bizarre system of levels. He shrugged. The Imperial Humans would stamp that cult out as soon as they took control. The High Commander shook himself he must not think like that. He needed to concentrate on the needs of the greater good.

Were the imperial humans using as yet unknown weapon systems and that was why the attack had failed or could it be sabotage Fa'thanen pondered. Hn'harduden his bumptious servant entered. He had never learned to precede his wish to enter a room with a respectful clearing of the throat before entering.
"Why are you here," demanded Fa'thanen.
"I have a message," came the unusually confident response.
"Speak then."
"By the order of the High Emperor of Terra I pronounce you foul Xenos and sentence you to die. So says Inquisitor Hawk and so do I."
The form of Hn'harduden blurred. A C'tan phase sword stabbed forward impaling the High Commander before he had time to react to his death sentence.
High commander Fa'thanen sighed and slid off the sword.
Sophia laughed and teleported. "What a useless piece of meat," she thought.

Devilfish

A taloned hand punched through the bulkhead separating the seated armoured suited Tau warriors from the drive compartment of their Devilfish transport. An evil demonic visage followed. It emanated waves of unnatural horror that clung to any who saw it like a stench of death and decay. The warriors nearest to the apparition were retching as they tried to squirm themselves as far away from it as possible. They were crammed too tightly together in the transport's troop compartment to use weapons or in any way defend themselves or escape. It paused to allow them to appreciate the horror of their predicament. It spoke to them, not in words but directly and repulsively into their minds. "Canned meat I like that." Caliban launched himself into the compartment faster than the warriors could react. A spray of blood, bowels, gobbets of flesh and gurgling screams resonated around the compartment. In less than a minute Caliban was grinning, and preening itself while hovering over a layer of minced tissues awash with blood. The intercom snapped and spat. "Ah, the pilot," murmured Caliban and reached through the ceiling of the compartment. The Hammerhead lurched and spun. Caliban teleported. The Devilfish raced out of position and smashed into it partner in formation. Both hit the ground with an immense flash and explosion.
Further down the line of Devilfish and Hammerheads the same events recurred.

The sentry reported to Gann Arfur, "Flashes and explosion on the horizon, Sir, North West , sensors suggest 20 kliks distance."
"Any idea Hammerhand?" asked the Gann.
"Probably my and Hawk's pet."
"What sort of pet?"
"Our daemonhost, I let him off his leash just before I Ieft to come here. I have also asked him to bring his associate Moloch this time."

Take me to your Leader

"Take me to your leader," whispered Hammerhand with a smile in the ear of the sentry. Athelwist startled, dropped his las rifle and fumbled for his knife as Hammerhand grasped his wrist. "Easy there soldier," commanded Hammerhand. "Here is may badge of authority with the Inquisition. My rank is Interrogator."
"Please don’t tell the sergeant," gasped Athelwist.

The autosavants reported matter expressionlessly. "The Hulk’s systems report that there has been a significant perturbation of the Hulk’s trajectory. The controls are being used without understanding and as a result the divergence from an atmospheric entry path is becoming more marked with each passing minute. There are probably only 3 to 4 hours during which the trajectory can be repaired. We can influence the control systems from here but with the presence of others in the control room also using the Hulk’s systems it is unlikely that we could achieve sufficient control to ensure that a planned landing on the planet can be achieved."
Hawk demanded. "If the trajectory is not corrected, what then?"
"It is likely that the Hulk will strike the planet’s atmosphere at a glancing angle, losing speed due to atmospheric friction and as the resultant trajectory would if uncorrected pass close to the system’s sun, suffer significant heat and radiation damage before collecting speed from its passage through the solar atmosphere and if it survives this it will be ejected from the system in the directions of the Dark Marked Warp region at sublight speed reaching…."
"Enough, thank you," responded Hawk.

"It seems we either have to gain full control of the Hulk or evacuate."
"Evacuation may only be possible after completion of the planetary assault," responded captain Meddigo through Blou.
"Agreed," replied Hawk. "We need full control of the Hulk, despite its infestation with Orks.
"According the Hulk’s systems," intervened the autosavants, "there are 2 or 3 million of them on board. Almost all as ‘passengers’ sealed in other compartments controlled by the Mobs that have occupied the bridge and engine rooms."
"There is also evidence of other Xeno species on board."

Frame Shifts

“Captain, arrange for the snake data umbilical of the shuttle to be located in the nearest Hulk data point,” commanded Hawk. The two autosavants began their analysis of the Hulk.
“There are two battle worthy platoons of Grey Knights,” reported Meddigo through Blou. “And there is also one Deathwing platoon ready for immediate deployment.”
Hawk thought. “And the injured, how many will be available after patching and repairing with the facilities we have here.”

Hezakk and his mob waited for Garzakk and his mob to come done the axial corridor to the control room in the Hulk. His boys were ready with choppas, rokkits, and sluggas. Master Mekk Boltzerr and Slaver Slyzakk had their grotts fighting with the alien systems of the Hulk in the control room to restore stability. The fight in the hangar, the explosive collapse of the hangar roof as well as the impacts of the assault pods and the weight of debris falling on to the Hulk from the destruction of the Ork cruisers and the secondwave had altered the Hulk's course fractionally.

Hammerhand arrived as a wave of black armoured drop pods crashed to earth around the Belisimar positions on the crater rim. He dropped his stolen speeder to ground quickly before anyone thought to target him and cautiously approached the Belisimar positions.

Garzakk and his mob were crossing the outer hull of the Hulk. The skin of the Hulk was scarred from millennia in deep space. Its outer rind was fissured. The fissured valleys were often dominated by protrusions, some of which were smooth domed. Others were mind wrenchingly twisted. A few larger ones had leathery surfaces pocked by micrometeorite impacts and venting gasses, suggesting an organic origin. Yet others were crudely mechanical and functional. The latter were often additions that generations of Orks had added. The functions of most were of little interest to Garzakk and his mob even if he could have understood them. Many contained sensors or warp controls and propulsion mechanisms. Garzakk crept through the vacuum seared industrial landscape of the outer surface of the Hulk to an airlock that he knew led directly into the control room.

Hammerhand crept on his belly to the sentry. Visibility was still markedly reduced as a result of the original bombardment throwing tons of fine micro-particles high in the atmosphere, reducing sunlight and allowing moisture to condense out. Daytime was only slightly brighter than nighttime. Inching forward he crept past the sentry and eased himself into the communication trench that ran outwards to the sentry point.

Hangar Victory

Hawk's launch swooped down into the Hangar with fusion motor flames incinerating and hull mounted cannons blasting Orks. The remaining Orks fleeing the launch fell under the bolters of the Terminators. There was no escape.

Grey Knight Captain Meddigo plugged himself into the comms port on the outer hull of the shuttle by the landing gear. He linked to Inquisitor Hawk through the Vox-link communicator. Hawk eschewed vox linked communication directly into his own neural circuits and mind. Blou the pilot spoke for Captain Meddigo. "It was touch and go, Sir. You arrived just at the right time. When are the second assault wave due?"

"We are all that will be arriving of the second wave," responded Hawk.
"None the less we must take this Hulk."
"Report to me your strength and situation, while my autosavants interrogate the Hulks systems and formulate the best approach to taking control of the Hulk. If need be we may have to cut a deal with one or another faction of the Orks here to get neutralise them if we do not have sufficient ammunition to erase them all at the moment."

Changing Fortunes

Hezakk waved his Nobs forward as he slipped back from the whirling melee. It was not looking so good now. "Time to go," he thought. He noticed some mobs of lesser Orks hanging back. Moving over he grabbed and threw their leaders in to the fight at the same time sending his attendant grots to get his bodyguard of Nobs to fall back. Garzakk noticed the change and signalled his own mob to fall back to the bulkhead doors. Hezakk and his mob began running for the doors. Blood thirsting Orks cleared out of the way of the Boss and his Nobs but closed up ranks after he had pushed through. Garzakk realised he could not catch up with the retreating Boss. His group was blocked as it fought and pushed through the jostling mass of mobs. Blood crazed Orks struck by Garzakk's mob lashed out at other Orks. Creating a heading chaotic secondary Ork versus Ork battle. The front ranks were whittled down by increasingly devastating bolter fire from the terminator suited marines as the Orks fought amongst themselves. The massive hangar was a whirling chaos of chopping and firing and dying spacemarines and Orks.

Shouting into his mask, " Usless grot," Garzakk fired his slugga at the retreating back of Hezakk. Hezakk stumbled and fell. His Nobs grabbed him and roughly carried him throught the bulkhead door. The doors began closing. Garzakk signalled to his boyz and Nobs, "Use Rokitts." Back strapped rokkitts fired. Most Orks rose slowly at first then rapidly, mainly out of control arcing out of the hangar through its shattered roof and onto the surface of the Hulk seeking functioning airlock doors.