Kill-Team Theron: Operation Sacred Hunt

The Imperium is under siege by yet another sinister foe, the Ghrok. Its foul leader, See'E'Ohh Gimdak Do Moro, has led a massive assault on the Trini Sub-Sector and has laid waste to hundreds of worlds in his foul campaign for loot and bloodshed. Currently he is personally leading a mass attack on the Sub-Sectors fortress world and capital, the Shrine World of Unitet. Already millions of brave Fraternis Millitia and hundreds of brave Sisters of Battle have given their lives to halt the vile xenos and their unyielding assault. Gimdak proclaims that "Nofin de umanz can trow at me can stop my Kartellz!"... yet even now, as his armies close in on the planetary capital to deliver the final blow, his retribution is coming.

Chapter One: The Arrival
"Damn it Kris, you really should take better care of yourself." The old Apothecary grunted as he helped his old friend from his pain glove.

"The pain is fleeting, the knowledge gained is eternal."

"So you tell me, and so I've seen, but that doesn't change the fact that if you keep tuning this blasted thing up so high your going to put yourself on the operating table."

Kris Drosan had difficulty standing at first, his legs nearly giving out beneath him, but the old Apothecary steadied him. The two then worked their way to the center of the Apothicarium, away from the pain glove which had been on the Black Ship longer than most members of the Kill-Team had been alive.

Kris steadied himself on a cognatior while Gridar readied his medical equipment, he noticed the Apothecary had stocked up on anti-venoms and immuno boosters. "Gridar, its a Shrine World, are those immuno boosters necessary?"

The Biologist grunted with his usual faux irritation, "Don't you have a Kill-Team to muster, Captain?"

Kris couldn't help but smile, he knew Gridar well, the old Apothecary had saved his and many other lives countless times in the line of duty, but his personality was much like Kris' own, blunt and to the point.

"Very well Apothecary, I'll leave you to your work."

"And Emperor willing it'll be done before another one of you come and bother me!" Girdar shouted as Kris left the Apothecarion.

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The clash of blades echoed through the armory, two power armored figures locked in pitched battle, while four others prepared themselves for war.

"Come now Specter, your making this easier than usual!" Nerus shouted as he spun his twin powerswords, reveling in the thrum of the disruptor fields as they sliced through the air. On his right shoulder he bore the crossed blades and skull with laurels insignia of his Chapter, the Lords Exemplar.

"Its called a feint. Didn't they bother to teach you that in your 'Paladin' order?" Specter countered as he eyed his arrogant opponent, the fool had given the Marine Baleful plenty of time to prepare, preening his armor, polishing his helm, Specter was almost obliged to smile when Nerus strode into the arena wearing his crimson cloak! Specter gouged a line before him with his power claws index finger, making his Chapters insignia, a fanged skull with wings, visible.

"Are you a gambling man Excelsior?"

"I never figured you the kind who took up such fool games Specter."

"That wasn't an answer." Specter stood ready, he could tell that Nerus was readying himself, the Lord Exemplar liked to shift styles every few flurries.

"Very well, whats the wager?" Nerus strode forth, confidant, the beak of his Corvus helm pointing up in such a display of arrogance.

Specter stood hunched, claws out to his sides, anticipating his foes movements. "You cross this line, and I'll yield."

Since Kill-Team Theron's inception, neither Nerus nor Specter had ever yielded to anyone in the arena, even Kris could not break their resolve in combat.

Nerus cocked his head to the side, inquisitive, clearly suspecting the Marine Baleful of treachery. "Do I have your word?"

"Do you really need it? I am a Space Marine after all."

"So am I, yet I wouldn't make such a foolish bet."

"Is the mighty Nerus Cabrin scared?"

"Space Marines don't feel fear, however, I'm hardly inclined to trust you."

"Very well Excelsior, you have my wor-"

Nerus suddenly lunged forward, right blade swinging for his foes throat. 'Nice try..." Specter thought as he blocked the blow with the back of his claws, and delivered a underhand strike with his remaining claw. Nerus swiftly sidestepped the uppercut, left blade surging forth towards Specter's midsection. Specter swatted the blade away, and made a wide swipe at Nerus' chest. The Lord Exemplar blocked the blow with is left blade and followed up with a kick to the chest. Specter blocked the kick with the back of his right claw, forcing Nerus to leap back in order to maintain his balance.

Nerus shifted his stance, from the full frontal, to a side step stance, presenting as little of a profile as possible for a fully armored space marine.

"And you lecture me on honor?" Specter stated coldly.

"The foe we fight deserve no honor, they are filth that pollutes the Emperors realm."

"You are not fighting xenos at this moment."

"Every breath we breath is one of defiance, every motion we make is against the enemeis of man, if you were a true Space Marine, you would understand that."

At this Specter lunged forth with such speed that Nerus was almost impressed. Specter became a flurry of claws, yet each strike met a flawless parry, however such was Specters might that Nerus was forced to focus solely on his own defense. Suddenly the Marine Baleful made a grievous error, overextending a stab with his claws, Nerus caught Specters right arm in the crook of his own, and delivered a punishing blow with the skull shaped pommel of his power sword to Specters brow. This was followed buy a knee to the chest, and as Specter stumbled back a roundhouse kick knocked him a considerable distance back.

'I will not let you win.' Specters inner voice echoed as he dug his claws into the ground, coming to a sliding halt. Nerus charged forth, blades poised for the finishing blow. Specter held his position, then, just as Nerus brought his blade down, he saw his moment. Specter's left claw swept Nerus' legs. As the Paladin Knight sailed over him, Specter allowed himself a small smile.

Nerus rolled, coming to his feet without missing any momentum and spun to face his opponent. However, before he could assail Specter, the Marine Baleful stood at attention, claws lowered at his side. Nerus followed Specters gaze. Kris "Bastion' Drosan stood at the entrance of the arena in his full armor, decorated in blue runes and proudly bearing the Indomitable Golems Chapter Badge, a fist clutching a stone skull. Nerus sheathed his blades and stood at attention, hands at his side, chest thrust out, and nose upturned.

"Briefing room, now." the Watch Captain ordered, short and concise as usual.

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In the armory four Space Marines readied themselves for battle in the ways taught to them by their most honored forebears. One knelt before a great cog, praying the the almighty Omnimessiah. Two more knelt reverently before and idol of the great God Emperor of Mankind, one spoke litanies of forgiveness and redemption, while the other spoke litanies of bravery and valor. Yet the final one simply assembled his rifle, inspected his Volkite Serpenta Pistol, and sharpened his knife in complete silence.

Suddenly a bell toned, it was time. The four Space Marines fell in and briskly martched themselves to the brefing room. As they filed into the large room before the hangar and stood at attention, their Inquisitor paced before the holographic display of a verdent planet, and their four other teamates already stood at attention.

The Inquisitor waited for the rest of the Kill-Team to fall into formation before he began. "All right, now I know some of you are already privy to the mission at hand, but as we all know from experience, the best intel is full intel."

A small chuckle came from one of the Marines, Takashi Hono, of the Imperial Hounds. On his right shoulder was the Chapter Badge, a great Cyber-Mastiff. "This won't be like Operation: Silent Dirge, right Inquisitor?"

The jest was not lost on Takashi's close comrade, Calos Tytherion of the Emperor's Sentinels. His Chapter Badge, an ever vigilant eye, shone brightly in the light of the hangar. "Emperor willing, the Drop Pod will finally land at the drop site and not in the midst of a xenos horde."

Kris' steely glare silenced the two, but inside he understood their humor, blasted drop pods only seemed to land where the foe was thickest.

"Now Unitet is a Shrine World, temperate but humid, you'll have some bogs and swamplands but since the A.O. is the capital city of Uninata that shouldn't present itself as a problem. The city itself is moderately urbanized so expect some open ground, overall-"

"With all due respect Jorden, cut to the chase, what are we here to kill?" It was Edge, clad in his black camouflage cloak and leaning against a nearby ammo crate, the Equalizers Chapter Badge of a pair of balanced scales showing dimly in the hangars lighting.

The Inquisitor glared at the sniper, "The target, as if you didn't already know Edge, is the prime warlord of the Ghrok empire, a Gimdak Do Moro. The vile beast has been harassing this sector for some time, and has proven himself quite difficult to kill."

The holo-displays image shifted to that of the xeno in question, a huge, eel headed creature, with a cruel maw of oversized teeth and large goggles. The monstrosity was clad in a suit of power armor that was roughly the size of a dreadnought and bristled with various ranged and melee weapons. Ironically the slide showed that the suit was almost purely mechanical, and that the 'mighty' Gimdak himself was almost shoulder height of a Ratling.

"Disgusting." Murmured Sakael Vakier, the Kill-Teams local Black Shield, as was customary, his right paldroun was bare, empty and dispondant as the marine who bore it.

"Indeed," the Inquisitor continued, "Now the basics of the Ghrok is that they are tough little buggers, so aim for the head. Also, their weapons, though primitive, can prove quite lethal if they manage to hit you. Finally, they are extremely resistant to poisons of any kind, so keep that in mind before you start spitting in their faces Nerus."

The Paladin merely snorted indignantly and crossed his arms.

"Now, Gimdak is believed to have set up his headquarters within a minutorum weapons depot, its well fortified and Gimdak is reputed to have a large staff of personal guard. You will infiltrate the depot via any means possible, though there are several potential entrance points, the best bet is the sewers. And before you start Nerus, yes this is the 'most tactically sound' maneuver."

Again, Nerus made is indignation heard.

Again the holo-display shifted, showing the layout of the weapons depot and the sewage entrance. The sewers twisted and branched off in areas all around the facility, giving the Kill-Team access to various, potentially unguarded, access points all over the Depot.

"Now, the drop site is going to be within this radius," The display showed a large red circle around the depot and surrounding structures, "If all things go as planned and you do your jobs, Gimdak should be dead within eight Terran hours. Any questions?"

The Kill-Team remained silent as usual.

"Then get to work."

Chapter Two: Fallen Paradise
Once, the Shrine World Unitet had been a paradise of a planet. The world was green and lush, the skyline dominated by the spires of the numerous cathedrals and temples, from within could be heard the choirs of joyful citizens as they sang hymns about their beloved God- Emperor. Watching over it all were the Sisters of Battle, the Order of the Red Veil. This Order Minoris of the Adepta Sororitas had looked after and protected Unitet for generations.

That was before the Ghrok came.

Canoness Commander Elisha Isador marched through the ruin and carnage that had once been the grandest of Unitet's cities, Uninata. She and her fellow red- and- gold armored Sisters of Battle were standing in the charred mess that had once been Uninata's central square, a plaza that was now a slaughterhouse. Corpses lined the streets like grotesque pavement, the homes that lined the streets had been ransacked and looted, and worst of all, the statue of the Holy Emperor at the center of the plaza had been blown to pieces.

This shall not stand, thought Elisha as she signaled her troops to advance. She had currently had a few Retributor Squads at her back, a testament to how low the Red Veil's forces were at the moment, but it would have to be enough. They were the last hope of the citizens of Unitet, and the God Emperor would not allow them to fail that duty.

"Remain alert sisters. The enemy could be anywhere." She voxed to her fellow Sisters.

As if on que, a rocket the size of a human head sped out of the ruin, hitting Sister Kaylis and reducing her into a hail of gore and shattered power armor. All around them, the foul eel- like Ghrok emerged from their hiding places, running towards then on mechanical legs, guns blazing. The Sisters were quick to recover from the initial shock of the ambush, and formed a protective circle, covering all their flanks. Soon, bolter fire lashed out at the Ghrok, creating a lethal web of gunfire as the two opposing forces fought. Many of the Ghrok died within the first few seconds, as the bionic exoskeletons they wore crumpled like parchment under the hail of bolts. But, no matter how many of the xenos died, two more would emerge from the wreckage like vermin scuttling out of a garbage heap.

Elisha could only watch as one by one her fellow Sisters sisters died under the Ghrok's assault. Sister Merida perished next to her, her skull pierced by a slug that detonated within her brain, turning her head into crimson mist. Filled with rage over her death, Elisha targeted the Ghrok that fired the shot, her bolter spitting death at the unfortunate xenos. The Ghrok died as the bolts shattered his tech- harness and pulped it's diminutive body. She mowed down two more before she heard the dry cough of a plasma weapon firing behind her. Spinning around, Elisha was greeted by a ball of superheated gas spinning towards her.

She tried to dodge out of the way of the projectile, but not fast enough. The plasma blast missed her torso and sheared through her left arm instead, vaporizing the entire limb and leaving behind a cauterized stump. The pain was excruciating, and Elisha screamed even as she toppled onto her back from the force of blast. Her vision blurred, and as she slowly tried to sit up, she saw the hazy outline of Sister of Battle standing above her holding out her hand to help her up, and died as another plasma blast struck her fellow Sister from behind, leaving a charred crater where her chest had been. Her killer was revealed as the Sister's corpse fell to one side, a Ghrok holding a primitive- looking plasma gun.

Elisha tried to get off the ground, tried to point her bolter at the xenos, but her body refused to respond as the Ghrok walked towards her prone form. The Ghrok now stood above her, it's disgusting face so close to her helmet that she could practically smell the thing's rank odor, and pointed it's plasma gun at her head.

"May the God Emperor preserve my soul", she whispered under her breath, and awaited the end.

But then she noticed that the Ghrok was no longer pointing it's weapon at her, in fact, it seemed to be distracted by something above it. Looking up into Unitet's blue afternoon sky, Elisha saw a fiery shape plummeting down from the heavens, as if it where some sort of avenging angel come to smite these unclean xenos. As the shape drew closer, Elisha could see it was no angel, but a large, jet black, cylindrical object. It looked almost familiar, had she seen something like it before? Then she remembered.

A Space Marine drop pod, she thought, ''it seems the Emperor does protect. ''Even as the pain of her wounds drew her into unconsciousness, she smiled underneath her helmet, knowing that the Ghrok would soon meet their end.

Chapter Three: Without Fail
The drop pod crashed into the ground, crushing four unfortunate Ghrok. The doors fell open, and the Kill-Team immediately lept into action. Specter was out of the pod first, leaping into the air, claws coursing with energy as he drove them into two Ghrok as he landed. One of the xenos rushed him, primitive auto-gun ablaze, only to be side swiped by a surge of plasma as Takashi opened fire with his heavy plasma gun, Specter then dove headlong into the xenos ranks, tearing his way through the beasts like a whirlwind of death and carnage.

Takashi then surged forth, his ornate plasma gun incinerating huge swaths of the Ghrok horde. A team of three of the xenos pushed a looted Thunder Fire Cannon to the edge of a ruined building that overlooked the plaza, and began training it on the Imperial Hound. Suddenly a bolt the size of a Space Marines fist came crashing into one of the Ghrok, almost reducing his four foot frame to pulped flesh and scrap as it detonated. Edge trained his massive Equius Pattern Oblivion sniper rifle on the Thunder Fire Cannons targeting array and fired, as the bolt came crashing into the apparatus the gun went haywire, firing on all the Ghrok before it.

The two remaining gunners desperately struggled to get the gun under control, but within seconds they and the gun were reduced to charred remains as Calos fired two grenades from his Astartes Pattern Grenade launcher, all while holding a Ghrok by the throat with his right hand. With a crunch he felt the xenos life slip away, he fired three more grenades into the xenos horde, the incendiary grenades ignited vast swaths of the horde and sent nearby Ghrok flying into the air in various states of dismemberment.

Nerus waded into the sea of eel-like xenos, Combi-Bolter slung across his back, power swords swinging, each strike a kill. One of the beasts lept above the horde, primitive maul over its head, Nerus merely glared at the beast and his bionic eye did the rest as a powerful lasbolt fired from his eye and blew the monster out of the sky. He then thrusted his blade down through the skull of yet another xenos, rather than pull it out he simply left it there, and then drew one of his many combat knives from its sheath on his hilt, throwing it with such velocity that it pinned its target to a chunk of masonry as it ran through its head. He then drew the sword from the dead Ghrok and continued to slaughter.

Kris and Sakael stood side by side, Sakael's Master Crafted Bolter ablaze as he slew scores of the Ghrok, meanwhile Kris took careful and methodical aim with his bolt pistol, each shot ending the life of one of the vile xenos that swarmed them, trying to overwhelm the Kill-Team as they slowly pushed forward from the drop pod. Tree of the beasts sprinted forth, primitive swords in hand as they rushed the Watch Captain, with one deft swing Kris decapitated two of them and ran the other through, the creature still snapped and spat at him, feebly flailing its blade. Kris crushed its skull with a swift kick that sent it sailing off his blade.

Gridar stood alone, bolter ablaze, he stood over the body of a Sister of Battle, a Canoness by the looks of her. Though her arm had been blown off by a plasma blast, Gridar had seen the like one to many times. However the Canoness's chest still rose and fell, Gridar would be damned if he let these xenos scum take another life, espcially one of the Emperor's most faithful. He went to load yet another clip into his bolter when he heard the cough of a plasma rifle, he sidestepped the blast with ease, and his eyes fell upon his assailent as it lept at him plasma rifle belching forth yet another deadly pulse of plasma, this struck Gridar in the soulder, scorching his Chapter Badge, a Hammer with a Skull at the middle of its head. Gridar recovered from the blast, managing to level his bolter and fire it at the xenos, but not before it landed, the bolts ripped into its body, yet still it charged and fired, trailing its organs behind it. It crashed into the aged Space Marine, clawing at hims madly as its rifle dropped from its grubby claws. Gridar rammed a surgical drill into its skull, the tool was ment to retreive Gene-Seed from the corpses of fully armored Space Marines, and thus made short work of the Ghrok's skull.

The xenos began to fall back, knowing they were outmatched. As quickly as they came the Ghrok dissolved into the surrounding ruins, dragging what dead and dying comrades the could... all fell quiet as the Space Marines regrouped around the drop pod, save for the sounds of war that echoed all over the world.

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Darkness...then...slowly her eyes opened.

Her sight was still blurry, but Elisha could vaguely make out the shape of a large, black armored figure kneeling above her. A Ghrok? No, a Space Marine!

"Takashi, you really should have prayed harder to the Omnissiah," a deep, jovial voice rang out from behind her, "Seems we've landed in the middle of a battlefield, again."

"Perhaps the drop pod's machine spirit was offended by your fell body odor, Calos." said another good- natured voice, this time coming from off to her left side.

"I may not smell very nice, but that's nothing compared to you. Honestly, do you wash yourself with rotten meat?" the first voice, in a seemingly joking manner.

As Elisha slowly turned her head to the left, she could see several other Space Marines. But they were not like any Space Marines she had ever seen or even heard of. Each one wore jet- black power armor, the left arms of which were painted silver. Each of their left pauldrons bared the seal of the Holy Inquisition, while the each of the Space Marines right pauldrons bore a different symbol. Each one carried exotic and ornate weaponry, and moved amongst the alien carnage they created like the gods of war that they were.

Some kind of specialist force? She thought, wondering. Turning her view back to the Space Marine above her, she could see that his helmet, right arm, and backpack were painted white. Some sort of medical device was mounted on his right arm, and his armor bore the mark of the Medicae. An Apothecary.

"M- My Lord," Elisha tried to say, but all that came out was a muffled whisper.

"Shush," said the Apothecary, "You took quite a beating, but you should be alright. I've injected you with a sedative that will put you to sleep in a few seconds, long enough for your body to heal itself naturally."

Even as he spoke, Elisha could see the darkness creeping in to the corners of her vision. She was tired, and sleeping suddenly felt like a very attractive prospect.

"Thank you," she whispered as she slowly crept into unconsciousness.

As sleep took her, Elisha could have sworn the Space Marine whispered back; "Don't mention it."

Gridar stood up from the now sleeping form of the Canoness. Patching in to the Deathwatch ship in orbit's vox channel, he contacted the Inquisitor.

"Jorden, I have a wounded Sister of Battle, we need to get her somewhere safe." he voxed.

"Already on it," replied Jorden. "I've just informed the Uniteti PDF about the ambush. They should arrive soon to pick up the canoness."

"They better." said Gridar, before severing the connection.

Walking back to the drop pod, Gridar consulted the rest of his Kill- Team.

"So, what's the plan?" he said.

Kris looked up from a schematic of Uninata's sewer systems given to them by Jorden.

"The plan is simple; their is a maintenance access entrance near our location, and if these schematics are correct, the sewer tunnel should lead us directly into the manufactorum where are target is."

"Provided we survive. This entire area is infested with xenos." said Edge, looking through the scope of his Oblivion Rifle to the edges of the square. He could already see more Ghrok crashing through the wreckage towards their position.

"We'll make do, we've survived worse than this." replied Kris.

"Oh really? What about that time in the Ghoul Stars?" Calos chimed in. "You know, the one with the Eldar, and Necron Monoliths, and the Dread Beasts that wanted to eat our primary hearts for dinner?"

"Calos, shut up." said Sakael, surprising the rest of the squad. Sakael rarely spoke, especially around his squadmates.

"I agree with the Black Shield, do shut up Calos. Now if we're all quite finished here are we going or what? I personally am not sitting here waiting for a xenos shitstorm to fall upon us." said Gridar, casting a puzzled look at Sakael.

Kris smiled faintly underneath his helmet.

"Kill- Team Theron, move out!"