Corruption had taken root in the colony — not mere heresy of flesh, but the silent whisper of the Tyranid mind. Some of the townsfolk bore the marks of mutation, their eyes unfocused, their wills bent to an unseen master. Through the warp’s shadowed echoes, the cell discerned the truth: a hive presence pulsed beneath the soil. Genestealers. Even the mayor’s soul was no longer his own.

The corruption had spread beyond men. The corn itself shimmered with a slick, organic residue — a foul secretion that spoke of alien touch. The same taint had likely infested the grain shipment that vanished weeks before.

Outside the compound, Cesare communed with machine-spirits once enslaved to the hive’s will. Through code and prayer, he broke their bonds. One by one, the combat servitors submitted. Four war-machines, each armed with Heavy Bolters, and a single suppressor servitor now stood ready under the cell’s command — iron faith made manifest.

They boarded two harvesters, driving through the fields of corrupted corn toward their Aquila Lander. The dust of the plains burned crimson in the dying light. Upon return, they conferred with Abelath. The plan was clear: seize the planetary control tower and silence the defense grid.

Through warp and will, Vinz tore open a gate. The portal crackled with empyric flame, and the group stepped through into the heart of the tower. A lone worker turned in shock — eyes glassy, mouth murmuring in alien cadence. His allegiance was plain. Combat erupted.

Bolter fire split the silence. Flesh met machine. When the smoke cleared, the cell held the tower. Cesare bent over the cogitator core, his mechadendrites weaving code-prayers faster than thought. The defense network went dark, sealed under his encryption.

But as they withdrew, the sky above the palace burned with tracer fire. The anti-air batteries had awakened, spitting hatred at their departing craft.

Unfazed, Abelath gave the order: four landers to descend, each laden with loyal troops. The purge would begin.

Then came the next leap — the void stretching open before them. Their quarry, the Princess Bellana, awaited beyond the stars.

With a burst of light, the warp folded. Their destination emerged: a cold military void station, iron and silence adrift among the stars. Three ships clung to its hull — two destroyers and, at their center, the Princess Bellana.

The hunt continued.

XP earned:
60 XP => Marc, Jochen, Peter, Karsten
30 XP => Christian (not present)