Hive Fleet Pishacha

"Quite interesting these....Tyranids, their species is comprised of beings more like organic machines than a true creature. Hive Fleet Pishacha truly has developed those traits into something...difficult."

- Cryptek Eet'awh

Hive Fleet Pishacha is believed to have been formed from the remains of Hive Fleet Behemoth and now tears through the Segmentum Ultima, consuming, growing, gaining strength. Though it lacks the size and uses the tendril formation much like later Hive Fleets, Pishacha is dreaded due to its unusually aggressive (even for Tyranids) tactics, obviously acting on Behemoths old instincts. Pishacha is famed for its sheer speed and force, crashing against the eneimes ranks with endless swarms smaller Tyranids.

Hive Fleet Pishacha is also noted for various unique adaptations, the foremost being evolution of orbital bombardment. Hive Ships of Hive Fleet Pishacha have evolved biomorphs that act as high yield explosives, chemical weapons, and even biological pathogens, all of which can be unloaded onto any world with surprising accuracy.

Hive Fleet Pisacha is also highly evolved in the art of ship-to-ship warfare, and even the most brilliant Imperial admerial has watched his fleet picked apart by Pisachas Bio-Ships.

Hive Fleet Pishacha also has an unusually high number of air born bioforms, vast swarms of Gargoyles, Shrikes, and Sky-Slashers often herald Pishachas invasions. Even winged Cortex Leeches, Gene-Stealers, and Lictors are noted amongst Pishachas swarms.

Origin
Hive Fleet Pishacha was a tendril of Hive Fleet Behemoth that managed to survive its parent fleets destruction, and since that time has become a grave danger to all beings within the Galactic East, consuming, growing, becoming stronger with each conflict. Pishacha developed a particular skill for attacking and seeking out space faring vessels, often smaller bio-ships will lie in wait at particular trade routes or even lie in ambush within ore rich asteroid belts, knowing that prey will inevitably come to such areas.

Fall of Mistorma
Mistorma was a verdint paradise world for the Imperial elite of the now lifeless Broma Sub-Sector. It was the capital from which the wealthy and rich nobles ruled from atop their ivory towers and cared not for the hardships of the poeple the goverend. And the Imperium was fine with the suffering of the people of Broma so long as the nobles sent full coffers back to Terra. But the luxury would not save them from the coming swarm. Hive Fleet Pishacha, ravenous following the dissolve of its partent Hive Fleet, tore into the poorly defended Sub-Sector like a Cyber-Mastif to a raw peice of meat. World after world fell in quick succession, and, to the horror of the nobility, the Hive Minds "Shadow in the Warp" had effectively kept the Tyranid menace unknown until it was at their doorstep. Mistorma was devoured, not as rapidly as one would think, but instead suffered a steady barrage of virus bombings and Cortex Leech swarms. When the skies finally darkend with Sky-Slashers and Gargolyes, little remained alive to reist them. The once vibrent planet was reduced to a vacume swept wasteland in less than a Terran month.

Eradication of Fleet Broma
The Imperial Navy contingant of the Broma Sub-Sector was hunted down both in various systems and even within the void of deep space, there was no escape save for the few who abandoned their posts long before the Shadow in the Warp set in making Warp Drives usless or suicidal to use. This was the first example the Imperium ever saw of Hive Fleet Pishachas highly evolved ship-to-ship combat instincts, as the Hive Fleets vessles successfully out manuvered and overwhelmed all Imperial ships that dared stay in the Broma Sub-Sector.

Assault on the Hordes
Tendrils of Hive Fleet Pishacha have been seen harrasing the borders of the barbarian empire known as the Calipsian Hordes, though at present the fleet cannot gain a foothold due to the difficulty of Gene-Stealer infiltration within the geneticly savvy hordes. However, a number of outer worlds have been destoried or severly damaged by Pishacha in the past.

Tactics
Hive Fleet Pishacha prefers the tried and true tactic of overwhelming numbers used by its proginator, Behemoth, and thus its ranks teem with Warriors and Hormagaunts as is standard. It also has an unusual preference for Cortex Leeches which are often delivered in huge swarms, unchecked the vile monsters could turn an entire infantry platoon into nothing more but driveling zombies. Often lighiting fast assaults break the foes lines and are followed by endless swarms of smaller bioforms. Thus the Hive Fleet relies heavily on Raveners, Mawlocs, and Trygons. As is standard, Carnifexes, Hierodules, and Viragons form the vanguard of Pishachas swarms, sweeping away any lingering fronts that remain after the intial assaults by areial and subterrainan biomorphs.

Pishacha has also developed various aerial bio-forms, from the already known Harridans, Shrikes and Sky-Slashers, to greatly feared Phantoms (Airborne Lictors) and Fiends. (Winged Gene-Stealers)

Pishacha also makes use of various biological, chemical, and viral weapons, each more deadly and crippling than the last. Myriad examples have been identified by the Magos Biologis as being specifically tailored to a particular speices or even the environment of the planet in question, some are even tailor made to spread through the ventilation systems of various ships. These are often synthisezed by Pishachas Gene-Stealer cults prior to the invasion and further utilzed by the fleet to weaken any potental resistance.

Viruses and Chemical Weapons
Hive Fleet Pishacha has developed a vast array of deadly toxins and viruses that as of yet are poorly understood at best by the rest of the Galaxy.

Known pathogens are as follows:

Fleshing Virus- The Fleshing Virus is an extremely deadly and horrific virus used as an airborne or waterborne agent, once inducted into the body, the victem suffers a reletivly swift and agonising death. Within half an hour, or shorter depending on the amount of exposure, the targets flesh and bone marrow has melted and rendered down into a soupy puddle surrounding its bones. The Fleshing Virus is often deployed via specialised Mycetic Spores that relese vast amounts of the airborne strain into the upper atomosphere. Often these spores are deployed within contested areas of combat or hevily populated areas.

Liquid Glass-

Neurofire-

Rigamortus Fluid-

Weapons
Whilst often seen armed with the various weapon symbiotes that most other Tyranids are seen armed with, Hive Fleet Pishacha has developed some unique weaponary apart from its fellow Tyranids.

Tox-Spewer- A catch call term for any symbiote that sprays the target with gouts of acid or toxic substances, often seen on Gargoyles in the form of rifle like growths, also seen on Warriors and Shrikes and Heavy Tox-Spewers are seen on larger biomorphs such as Pyrovores and Hive Tyrants. Tox-Spewers can do damage not unlike a Melta, totally removing any trace of infantry targets and reducing main battle tanks to but smoldering wrecks, Tox-Spewers are also used to burrow through enemy fortifications.

Venom Shredder- Identical to the larger Venom Cannon but on a much smaller scale the vile Venom Shredder is a pistol-sized symbiote, capable of very rapid fire. The venom crystals fired from the Veom Shredder can rip through all but the finest armor and its toxien is powerful enough to kill a full grown man in less than a miniute. Often this symbiote is seen on Termagaunts, Gargoyles, Shrikes, and Warriors. Often two symbiotes take up the Tyranids lower arms, doubling the firepower.

Fiends
Fiends are winged Gene-Stealers, often forming the vanguard of Hive Fleet Pishachas invasions and are its most mobile assault units. Like normal Gene-Stealers they are fast, strong, and undeniably cunning. Fiends are often led by a Fiend Lord which is little more than a winged Brood Lord.

Phantoms
Phantoms are winged Lictors, designed to infiltraite enemy lines and sew terror in advance of the swarm. They are beyond deadly, with their inate speed and cunning, not to mention bearing rending talons in place of hooves and the ability to produce toxic spore clouds to mask their approch or retreat. Phantoms are greatly feared for even as they fly, they are totally silent.

Shrike Superiors
The pinical of the Shrike warrior breed, these arieal warriors are supremely deadly, being stronger, faster, and bearing more synapse power than standard Shrikes. Often Superiors lead their own small packs of Shrikes or large swarms of Gargoyles.

The Onslaught
"Don't you understand!? IT, CANNOT, DIE!"- Unknown Imperial Guardsman refering to The Onslaught

The Onslaught is a unique Tyranid Warrior that seems to act as an intermediary between the Hive Fleets first assault on a new world and the arrival of the Hive Tyrant. Often it is seen leading Pishachas swarms as a frontline commander and vanguard, even after the Hive Tyrants emergence. The Onslaught is considerably more potent than any other Warrior-Class breed. The Onslaught is larger, stronger, faster, and far smarter than any other synapse creature of its size, and has been referred to as a "Junior Tyrant" in the past to sum up its abilities.

The Onslaughts namesake however, comes from its unique ability to "Rise from the Grave" sometimes only minutes after its apparent demise. This is due to what the Magos Biologis call "The Onslaught Genome", when The Onslaught falls in battle, the synaptic shock of its death dose not send nearby bioforms into a frenzy but instead instigates the nearest Warrior to rapidly mutate into The Onslaught.

During its "rebirth" The Onslaught augments its current symbiotes to deal with the threat that eliminated it and thus can not only adapt the swarm but itself as well. However, The Onslaught often bears wings, to better coordinate Pishachas teeming swarms, and get the drop on its foes. It is also seems to prefer rending claws that are seethed in bio-plasma feilds making them equivilant to power weapons, in addtion to this it may also be armed with any wargear seen on standard Warriors abeit of more potent quality. The one consistant weapon The Onslaught is always armed with is a deadly tail-stinger that can deliver molecular acid directly into the foes bloodstream and spray a tightly controled (or widely spread) jet of acid at a distance.

The Onslaught is a nigh unstoppable adversary, impossible to truly kill, and constantly learning and devising new ways to bring its prey to its inevitable doom. The Onslaught often seeks out the preys leadership and decapitates it, leaving the rest of the enemies forces severely weakened to the swarm.

Often The Onslaught is accompanied by a cadre of deadly Warrior Primes or Shrike Superiors, which, under The Onslaughts command, can be considered the equivalent of an elite assault squad.

Harbinger
"It is the fury of the swarm, it is the culmination of the savagery of the Tyranid race, it is Harbinger... and it is coming."- Unknown Magos Biologis, final duty log as Research Station Beouin was overrun by Hive Fleet Pishacha

Harbinger is a Hive Tyrant unique to Hive Fleet Pishacha. Harbinger is a massive winged monstrosity that, like the standard Hive Tyrant, is a beast created soley for the total annihilation of all who dare oppose the swarm. Harbinger is only summoned by Hive Fleet Pishacha when it must harbor its most violent of assaults and when the foe has proven to resilent to bring down without the untamed savagery of Harbinger. Harbingers mere prescence is enough to drive the swarm into a bloody frenzy the likes of which have not been seen in any other Hive Fleet, as if it was Behemoths wrath reborn in a single being. Harbinger is unmatched in battle, as it can fly at great speeds and strikes with its supersonic screech being its only herald. The screech alone can actually kill mortal men. Harbinger is always wreathed in toxic spore clouds that can kill any non-Tyranid being that comes in contact with it, and its very blood has an acidic quality that can melt a fully armored Space Marine in bare seconds.

Harbinger is the fury of the swarm given form, the undying bloodlust and ravoenous hunger for death that is the Tyranid race. Its weaponary refelcts this, though Harbinger can be equipped with any weapon a standard Hive Tyrant can be equipped with, it is built for and excles at close quarters combat, and is often armed with mighty Bone Swords and Crushing Claws.

Harbinger leads the teeming hordes of Hive Fleet Pishacha from the front, spearheading the onslaught at the strongest points of resistance, crushing anything that dares stand in its way.

Should Harbinger fall, it can be reborn within hours, but its death would cause most of the swarm to fall into a disorganized frenzy and provide the beluagerd defenders a chance to strike back...provided that The Onlsaught has not already reogranized the swarm.

By
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"- Cortex Leech Zombie

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Trivia

 * A Pishacha is a flesh eating demon from Hindu mythology, they prefer dark areas, and like to stalk graveyards. They are described as having a dark complexion, bulging veins, and red protruding eyes. They could also change their shape at will, and could even turn invisable. Often they possess human beings and drive them mad.