The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

"Ae-Shin to high command, do you read?"

"Go ahead Ae-Shin," Tangmo never took his eyes off the gigantic holographic map hovering in the middle of the battlegroup's command tent. After Fio had reappeared and told everyone commander Shadowsun got abducted by Fire Warriors loyal to Paxish, the Eight and the main characters had evicted the dining room and headed for the headquarter, situated in the big, lofty garden adjacent to the mansion's western wing, a fitting change of scenery considering how fucking intense the situation had escalated.

"We found the anomaly you were asking for," Ae-Shin went on, the battlegroup's top ace and her squadron was put in charge of combing the area where Shadowsun got nabbed. "At around ten thirty standard Terra time we found a trail, small and inconspicuous, leading away from the main highway and into the forest, taking a south westerly route. The trail end at a mountain range and we've called in the Immortal Spirit to make a more in depth scan of the area. Lord admiral, what did you find?"

"A hidden military installation built into the very stone of the mountain," Solveig took over the explanation. "Although we are not able to get a more robust reading, our thermal and radiation scan suggests that it is multi storied and heavily guarded."

"Is this installation Tau or human in nature?" Tangmo asked as vague details appeared on the digital map.

"Human, lord commissar," Solveig went on. "We can tell by the shape and location that it belongs to the traitor forces and had been there for a very long time."

"I know of the place," Fio stepped toward the hologram. "It is a research facility called the Equinox End, the name came up constantly when I went through the planetary manifest. Supposedly abandoned for centuries, a resurgence of activity had spiked since the expeditionary force arrived in the system."

"Do you have any more information regarding the base itself?" Nikki asked, "the size, the security, the functions?"

"It should be in the data stick O'shaserra gave you, I transfer all of my finding directly to her," Fio gingerly approached one of the computer console, the Jijurean manning the keyboard eyed her suspiciously. At the unfriendly regard, Fio turned to the Eight and the main characters with a look of askance. "May I?"

"Fine," at Tangmo dismissive wave Fio leaned down and started typing on the keyboard, after a moment the Jijurean got off his seat and offered it to the Water Caste diplomat. "Just don't put any viruses or malwares in the system, alright?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lady commissar Raine slid in beside Tangmo, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Come on, seriously, look at her, I doubt she's gonna try anything," Tangmo stabbed his thumb at Fio with a 'really?' look.

"That's not what I meant," Raine went on, "are we really rendering assistance to the enemy's highest ranking commander?"

"…Yes, that is why we're all here," Tangmo said and it was clear the Eight's decision was not terribly popular.

"If what commander Shadowsun said is true, and the Tau expeditionary force is indeed fractured into two opposing factions, then her death would benefit us," Brother Sergeant Antalok of the Salamander made his input. "We can simply allow the internal conflict to unfold then strike at the victor once they emerge. At that junction they should be severely weakened and easy to deal with."

"That would have been our modus operandi if it wasn't for one major factor: Chaos," Erik said and the main characters reluctantly nodded. "If we don't intervene we'll be facing a Chaos incursion as a result, and from what we've seen Paxish's faction is winning, and we can't let that happen."

"High Ranger Erik is correct in this regard," canoness Galatea surprised everyone by siding with the Swedish elf. "To fight the true enemy of the Imperium of Man and the God Emperor, concession must be made. At least the choice presented to us is bearable."

"Safe to assume all of you are okay with this?" Henry sighed in relief when the main characters showed their support with nods and words of affirmation, even the hardline colonels and Sororitas were onboard, no disdainfulness to be seen, "nice, and now that we're saving Shadowsun for real, how do we go about doing it?"

"With precision," Lita said, "this must be a surgical strike, fast and swift. We can't lay siege to the place and the Astartes are too loud, the enemies must have no time to react."

"She's right, beside the Raven Guards, we Space Marines are not built for stealth," Damien added then dramatically swept his gaze across the tent, drawing out the moment until it was nice and ripe. "I think it's time for the Stormtroopers to rise, don't you think?"

Their visages a study of badassery, the guardsmen, Aeldari and Astartes all voiced their agreement, stern and hard in countenance. The Adepta Sororitas however, were abjectly confused by the announcement.

"Stormtroopers? Like the Tempestus Scion?" Bellona spoke up, she and her canoness buddies were not really catching on to the conversation.

"No, not like the Tempestus Scion, something better and deadlier, the Immoral Spirit own special forces," Tangmo explained, one brow quirked. "Why are you asking like you're hearing about this for the first time?"

"Because this is the first time we have heard of it," Myorin, co-canoness of the Celestial Serenity, took her place beside Bellona, the knight and the samurai were accusatory in their glares. "Why were the Adepta Sororitas not inform of this development?"

"We did tell you," Tangmo couldn't believe what he was hearing and looked to the Eight for help. "We told everyone, hell, even the Space Marines assisted with the training. I mean, I'm pretty goddamn sure Albert and Mary sent out the emails, and those two don't fuck up."

"That would explain why no Sororitas showed up during the tryout," Laura fixed her gaze on the Sisters of Battle. "Damn shame, Battle Sisters would've greatly complimented the Stormtroopers."

"Well, we did not get any notification on this matter," Eldul snapped heatedly.

"You guys forgot to check your email, didn't you?" Laura's douchey face, the one she reserved for those most worthy of her condescension, made the canonesses blistered visibly. "I'll admit, it's kinda our fault too, I mean, we didn't mark the message as urgent, so it's possible they were ignored."

"We have…pages for the more bureaucratic aspect of our duty," Crestienne, the most moderate of the canonesses, admitted slowly. "It is possible they might have swept the message aside, considering that it was not, by your words, an important issue."

"We're still looking to expand the Stormtroopers, so feel free to sign up," Tangmo reentered the conversation. "If you're interested, that is."

"We'll be sure to let our orders know," Galatea told him the same moment the image of the mountain compound became clear and detailed, the crisp 8k display now overlapping the map. "We have our target."

"It is done, lord commissar," Fio rose from the console and rejoined the main characters. "But I must ask, what are the Stormtroopers? Are they the ones rescuing O'shaserra? Can they succeed?"

"They're the battlegroup elite force, born and bred and armed by the Immortal Spirit, utilizing all doctrines of war available to the Imperium of Man, the Aeldari, and the STCs," Tangmo dropped his timbre so that it was appropriately dramatic, too bad he wasn't sitting down, this would've been a perfect moment for a Gendo pose. "The Stormtroopers specialize in swift and powerful surgical strike, they are trained to singlehandedly take down cities and armies, a killing blow that none can hope to recover. So to answer your question, Fio, the Stormtroopers will prevail in their mission."

"That's good to hear," Fio sighed, shoulders sagging in relief. "They must have done this many times before."

"Umm…see," Tangmo had always been honest, even when it was better to lie, so he ignored his friends desperate miming for him to shut the fuck up and looked Fio square in the eyes. "This will be their first mission."

"…WHAT?!" Fio cried out, almost leaping off her skirt in shock. "You're sending amateurs to rescue O'shaserra?!"

"Woman, the Stormtroopers are veterans from their individual regiments, selected after a grueling written and physical examination that put half of them in the fucking hospital. So I would appreciate it if you put some fucking respect on their names!" Tangmo shot back, causing Fio to squawk in distress. "Seriously, we can, and will, pull this off."

"That depends on how we are to proceed," lord commissar Cain spoke up, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he examined the mountain base, magnifying and rotating the hologram, taking long look at the vertical stacks of rooms and empty spaces. As if the man was volunteering to go. "Although the overall structure is decidedly uncreative, the size of the base means that the Stormtroopers could be wasting a significant amount of time trying to find where Shadowsun is being detained."

"Don't worry about that, because I'm leading the Stormtroopers myself," Tangmo puffed his chest up so that he was manly and heroic in bearing.

"Not without me you're not," Nikki joined Tangmo and threw her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, the silky veil smacking him right in the face. "Face it dude, I'm the best when it comes to urban warfare and breaching operation, and you need the best for something as big as this."

"Goddamn show off," Tangmo chuckled lightly and clasped hand powerfully with Nikki, "but yeah, nothing but the best for this mission."

"Likewise dude," Nikki nodded and broke off the handshake.

"What is our plan of attack then?" Lady inquisitor Greyfax, who had remained behind while Celestine went to talk with Isha, slipped in beside Cain, her green cybernetic eye narrowed on the compound. "There are only two entrances, one on the ground, and a landing pad several thousand feet above it."

"We're taking the landing pad," Nikki took the rein of the strategizing and pointed at the chosen target, drawing a line down the map. "There's an elevator that goes to every floor, we can use that to speed up the infiltration."

"The place is heavily fortified," canoness Amaryllis of the Sacred Rose waved her hand at the various defensive icons. "The assault will not be easy, considering how narrow and open the landing pad is. You will be walking into a kill zone. How many Stormtroopers are you taking?"

"Thirty? Thirty should be enough," Nikki turned to Tangmo, who held up his thumb. "Don't worry Amaryllis, we have Warp Spiders with us, they'll disable the big guns."

"A risky endeavor," clear worry roiled beneath Amaryllis's stoic visage.

"Not as risky as making a frontal assault," Nikki pulled the hologram back and zoomed in on the walls and gates surrounding the compound, which looked pretty goddamn big. "And that's where all of you come in. Henry, Damien, we need you guys to launch a ground assault."

"Didn't you just say it was risky?" Henry smirked, really warming to the idea.

"Exactly, perfect for tanks, Space Marine and Sisters of Battle, nothing bring down walls faster than a direct bludgeoning of excessive firepower," Nikki chuckled but solemnity quickly returned. "We have no idea how many people are inside the facility, but since they're holding Shadowsun there, I'm gonna say a lot. A direct attack will elevate the pressure from our front, giving us more time to find Shadowsun."

"But this will also put Shadowsun in danger," Lita now said. "We don't know what they want with her, nothing good obviously, but if they realize a rescue is being attempted, they might choose to kill her out of desperation."

"That would be the case if we were Tau, lassie," colonel Bruce stroke his beard thoughtfully. "Once they see that it's the battlegroup coming for them, they'll just assume that we're simply attacking the facility."

"But the Tau knows Shadowsun met with us," Evangeline added. "They might think the battlegroup has come to rescue her, which will lead to the lady Warseer's concern coming true."

"For the sake of argument, let's assume the Tau are prepare for an intervention from the battlegroup," Kenshin tapped the pommel of his katana, the tempo slow and thoughtful. "How does this affect our overall plan? Will our timeframe be narrowed? Could we be expecting an army's worth of hostile waiting inside the compound?"

"Were you spotted when you made your escape?" Mira of the 101st Cadian asked Fio.

"They were not aware of my presence," Fio shook her head. "When O'shaserra was captured, she told their captain that I was slain by the battlegroup, and he believed her."

"Thank fucking God Emperor and Isha, this actually works in our favor," Nikki was very pleased with this information. "Even if the Tau are aware that Shadowsun and the battlegroup are in some sort of unofficial partnership, they would naturally assume we know nothing about the kidnapping. Those fuckers are in the dark."

"For now at least," Tangmo struck a badass commissariat pose, his chin pointed at the hologram, then nodded sternly. "Our window of opportunity is shrinking, the longer we delay the higher the chance of Shadowsun dying, and that wouldn't be good for anyone." The Thai commissar shifted his attention to the Russian exarch. "You got the team picked out?"

"Yeah," Nikki held up her data-pad, "just waiting to go over them with you."

"Thanks dude," Tangmo tipped his awesome commissar cap at her and turned to Henry and Damien. "How soon can the ground forces be on the move?"

"Twenty minutes," Henry told him, "and about forty minutes more to reach the facility itself, we still have to plow through the forest to get there. We'll be traveling light, with seventy Imperium and Aeldari tanks."

"Perhaps we can request a strafing run on the facility," Brother Sergeant Gallus turned to Tangmo and Nikki. "That way you will have adequate support while the main column is en route."

"Thank you Gallus, but that wouldn't be necessary," Nikki bow politely, the Ultramarine reciprocating with equal decorum. "That would alert the Tau of our coming and they might try to accelerate things, which will greatly inconvenience us."

"That means our attack must be executed perfectly, down to the fucking nanosecond," Tangmo exhaled slowly, easing his stiffening nerves. "Let's get this shit started then, I'm getting nervous just standing around doing nothing." He glanced at Leilatha and laid a firm hand on her shoulder, the lady commissar reaching up to clasp his fingers. "Stay safe, Leila."

"I should be the one saying that," Leilatha snickered and tapped Tangmo's hand, prompting him to let go. "But yes, God Emperor speed Tangmo, I'll see you after the mission."

"Likewise Leila," Tangmo smiled then shifted his attention to the main characters and the Eight. "Alrighty then people, no time like the present, let's go rescue Shadowsun."

"Wait! I'm coming too!" Out of all the stupid cliché shit, Fio had to pick the one Tangmo despised the most. He fucking hates escort mission.

"Fat fucking chance, we don't need a dead weight slowing us down," Fio's face flushed red, well, more like magenta, when Tangmo looked her up and down. "And you're wearing a dress for Christ sake. Go with Henry, you'll be safer inside the King-Ghidorah."

"No! I'm coming with you!" Tangmo had to stop himself from roundhouse kicking Fio in the head, opting instead for a demonic glare he fixed entirely on her. The Tau swallowed down her fear loudly, but didn't relent. "I abandoned O'shaserra before, did nothing as they beat her and drag her away…I couldn't live with myself if I do nothing again."

"We don't have time for this bullshit, fine, you can tag along, but you better keep up because we're not slowing down," Nikki shrugged at the stunned Tangmo. "Hey, if she wants to get her stupid ass kill who am I to stop her?"

"Whatever, just stay behind us," Tangmo groaned exasperatedly and Fio beamed brightly. Shaking his head and muttering a slew of Thai curses, Tangmo headed for the exit and waved for the Eight and the main characters to hustle. "Let's get a move on people, the clock is ticking and it ain't slowing down."

"Best of luck Tangmo, Nikki," Erik glided in between the Thai commissar and the Russian exarch, the Swede's pleasant smile had a knife edge to it. "I dearly hope you don't plan on…enunciating anything that could cause regrettable friction between our friendship."

"Bro, what in the fuck are you talking about?" Nikki quirked a brow, but Tangmo had a pretty good idea of what Erik was referring to.

"Then let me be blunt," Erik placed a gentle hand on Tangmo's shoulder, the simple touch cold like ice, and equally heavy to boot. "Sabaton just released a new album, The War to End All War, and in the aforementioned album there is a song about the Stormtroopers, the World War One elite troops of the German Empire, which also happens to be the name of the soldiers you and Nikki are leading into battle. Please refrain from singing the song please."

"Sabaton released a new album?" Tangmo's stupid face wasn't fooling anyone. "I had no idea!"

"You already share the song 'The Unkillable Soldier' with captain Adrian last week, after the counter offensive," Erik deadpanned, not at all amused.

"Really?! Why, that must've slipped my mind!" Tangmo chuckled nervously as Erik leaned in close.

"Don't sing Sabaton," Erik said simply before detaching himself from Tangmo and Nikki and went over to talk amiably with Lita, the Mexican Warseer oblivious to the tense conversation that had just transpired.

"You still gonna sing?" Nikki asked.

"I rather not take that chance," Tangmo said.

"How the fuck does he do that?" Tangmo raised his voice over the low, uninterrupted hum of the Valkyrie as it flew toward the mountain compound. "I mean, how does he knows when me or anyone sings a Sabaton song every goddamn time?!"

"He's Swedish, and Sabaton's Swedish," Nikki made her unhelpful input. "And he's also from Falun, the town Sabaton came from."

"And that gives him a clairvoyance super power to police who sings Sabaton?" Tangmo made a face.

"Maybe?" Nikki shrugged. "I mean, I don't how Swedish people work."

"Aren't they like your neighbor or something?" Tangmo went on.

"They're close, but they're not our neighbor, just the house down the road," Nikki explained. "Sweden and Russia doesn't share a border, Finland's in the way."

"Oh right," Tangmo mentally facepalmed himself for forgetting basic geography. "I'm gonna sound like an idiot here, but I always thought Sweden and Russia shares a border in the north."

"That's Norway," Nikki said. "They're like a Nordic hat for Sweden and Finland."

"What are you two talking about?!" Tangmo and Nikki spared Fio a bored glance, the Tau diplomat was sandwiched between a flamer wielding Krieg and a Homeland Rifle scout. She was wearing an ill fitted flank vest and helmet, the ensemble made her look ridiculous and out of place. "Shouldn't you be concentrating on the plan to get O'shaserra out instead of wasting your time with nonsensical chatter?!"

"We already went over the plan several times, so can you maybe chill?" Nikki shot back.

"Y-You should be more focus!" Fio blurted petulantly, seemingly forgetting that she was the most unqualified person to make any comment regarding military operation.

"That is quite enough out of you, young lady," Fio jumped with a squeal when captain Adrian of the Praetorian Guard appeared behind her. "Your concern is understandable, but I must ask that you refrain from making comments on topic you have no knowledge about. As the lady exarch had said our plan has been finalized, and there is nothing for us to do but wait for the execution to come. So I would ask that you remain calm and let us do our job."

Fio hung her head low in shame and nodded slowly, prompting Adrian to grunt in response.

"Thanks for that captain," Tangmo tipped his awesome commissar cap at Adrian then flashed the Praetorian an amused grin. "One more accolade to add to your already staggering reputation, eh captain? I bet if the Astartes starts looking for new recruits, you'll be the first in line."

"That does sound rather smashing," Adrian stroke his chin thoughtfully. "I say lad, are they truly recruiting? I heard the procedure is quite painful, but I'm not one to shy away from a challenge."

"You're bad enough as you are, Adrian, no need to make it worse!" Hearty laughter rippled across the hull as a black man stepped forward, an Antebellan, his grin tigerish. "Besides, if you became an Astartes, you'll make the rest of us look even more like bums!"

"Corporal Roberts, always a pleasure," Nikki held out her hand and Roberts shook it firmly. "Since we could be dealing with Chaos corruption, it's nice to have someone who's totally immune to the freaky Warp shit."

"It would be nothing short of criminal if the Hellkiller miss out on the chance to show our mettle," Roberts tipped the rim of his helmet politely at Nikki, and yes, having the man around was a plus for the Stormtroopers. Roberts's regiment was, like their real life counterpart the Hellfighter, comprised entirely of black Antebellan who were famed for withstanding twelve months of encirclement by a Chaos army. Their unyielding faith and pure unfiltered badassery held the daemons at bay long enough for the rest of the Antebellan to destroy the Chaos horde, and although suffering heavy casualty none of them were corrupted, and they have the inquisitorial seal of approval to show for it. Roberts was a fifth generation Hellkiller, like the rest of the regiment's current iteration it was comprised of both descendants of the original soldiers and new recruits.

"And your mettle shall be tested," Alruin, a Striking Scorpion of the Alaitoc Craftworld, spoke up, the man was making final checks on his chainsword and submachine gun. "Darkness awaits us, and within its warren we know not what lurks."

"We shall light the way my Aeldari friend, no, we shall raise an inferno and set our path ablaze," running his fingers over the string of polished brown beads dangling from his neck, lieutenant Benkei of the Dawn Blade joined the conversation. Technically a monk, and one of father Joseph drinking buddies, the Kuronese was a fierce and pious warrior, prayers and hymns fresh on his lips as he led his brothers and sisters into battle. "Whatever opposition awaits us, they will burn, God Emperor as my witness."

"Five minutes to target, make ready," the pilot spoke up and red light flooded the Valkyries, Tangmo personally wanted Tyra on this mission, but she was busy chauffeuring Celestine.

"Liraniel, get your team ready," Nikki put on her Predator mask, the metal sliding smoothly into place over her cranium whilst leaving her high ponytail untouched, as four Warp Spiders walked into view, fearsome Death Spinners held at the ready. "You got everything figured out?"

"We do, lady exarch," Liraniel put on her helm, the slit glowing menacing red. "The Warp Spiders shall silence the anti-air batteries and pin the defenders down until the Stormtroopers arrive."

"We won't be long," Tangmo secured the awesome commissar cap to his head, checked his Zetton lasgun, and with Nikki went to stand at the Valkyrie's side ramp, joining the snipers as the Stormtroopers got into formation behind them. With that done, Tangmo contacted the pilot, "how long until we reach the landing pad?"

"Two minutes, lord commissar," the pilot answered him.

"That's your que," Nikki told Liraniel and her team, "for life and for light, good luck."

"Thank you lady exarch, but we of the Warp Spiders don't need luck," there was a grin in Liraniel's voice as she and her cohorts disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind wispy tendrils that faded away to nothing. Tangmo and Nikki traded amused looks and settled down to wait as the Valkyries started descending. It was a very tense minute, every muscle in Tangmo's body was winded tight, bracing for flank shells or streams of white hot tracer rounds to tear the hull apart, or any myriad of things to go wrong.

"Approaching the landing pad now! Thirty seconds!" Miraculously, the Valkyrie met no opposition. Through one of the windows Tangmo can see strips of cement studded with blinking lights rising up to meet them.

"Open the door!" Tangmo yelled and the side door slid open, powerful gust rolled in, but the Stormtroopers didn't budge an inch as Nikki, along with the snipers, opened fired at the raised walkways and towers jutting out of the vertical cliff face. Near the giant blast door built into the mountain, six platforms were consumed by flame, blazing iridescent and hot. So far, no alarm had gone off yet.

"Let's show them what the Stormtroopers are made of, boys and girls!" Nikki bellowed, retracted her sniper rifle, shouldered it firmly, and leapt off the Valkyrie a heartbeat before it touched the ground, Tangmo following a nanosecond later. No war cry, no pious benediction, only silence as the Stormtroopers, the elite of the Immortal Spirit battlegroup, thundered off the Valkyrie, weapons trained forward, forming a defensive crescent around the ship, wholly unaffected by the high altitude wind billowing around them. When everyone was on the tarmac, the stumbling Fio included, Nikki lifted her thumb at the pilot and the Valkyrie took off to begin circling the mountain peaks. "Give them hell! For Isha! For the Emperor!"

The Stormtroopers sprinted across the landing field, las and shuriken flashing as they run and gun the bunkers and buildings, even with his eyes squinted Tangmo saw that every shot found a mark, a soldier there, a crewman here, by the time they reached the main structure the walkways and pathways were littered with corpses.

"Secure the perimeter!" Tangmo gave his order as he leapt up a flight of stairs with Nikki. "Adrian, take a team and clear out that communication tower! Benkei, do the same with those storage units over there! Wolfsohn, same deal dude, make sure no one is hiding in those armories and bunkers! The rest of you, with me and Nikki, we need to link up with the Warp Spiders, move!"

With no mistake to be seen, the Stormtroopers spread out and executed their tasks, muzzles flashing brilliantly as they plowed through every opposition that emerged, not slowing down even when they reached the designated targets. Arriving at the gigantic door, Tangmo and Nikki breathe a sigh of relief when they found Liraniel and her team waiting for them, and kneeling before the Aspect Warriors, hands clasped to the back of their heads, were ten humans, two soldiers and eight workers.

"Flawless," Nikki held her fist out to Liraniel and the Warp Spider bumped it awkwardly. Behind them the firefight has ended, five minutes after the attack commenced. "Excellent work Liraniel, you don't boast lightly."

"No, I do not," Liraniel waved her curved power blade at the kneeling prisoners. "They were trying to flee and call for help. I believe they could be useful."

"Nice thinking dude, top job," Nikki start of a smirk was interrupted by rumbling reverberation raking across the mountain. The Russian exarch looked at the data-pad on her arm and grinned. "Right on time, Henry and Damien just started their offensive."

"Which means everyone will be looking to the walls, not the fucking roof," Tangmo chuckled villainously and pressed the barrel of his Zetton lasgun to the skull of the prisoner closest to him, the crewman whimpered miserably, tears already flowing down his cheeks. "How about you stop crying like a little bitch and tell me where Shadowsun is?"

"S-Shadowsun? I don't know any…" the young man never finished his sentence as Tangmo blew his brain out, his body had barely hit the ground when the Thai commissar pressed the smoking muzzle to the redhead girl beside him.

"I don't have the time for this bullshit!" Tangmo roared and the girl shrieked in fright. "Shut the fuck up! Now, I'm gonna ask all of you sons and daughters of bitches one more time. Where the fuck is Shadowsun…no one?! Fine then!"

"Wait! Please don't hurt her, I'll tell you everything!" Another prisoner, a soldier, blurted and tried to reach for Tangmo, Adrian and Roberts was on him in a blink, grabbing the man roughly by the shoulders. "A Tau detachment arrived a few hours ago, they had a prisoner with them, a Tau woman. I-I don't know the detail, but from the chatter they're taking her to the prayer sanctum."

"Where is the prayer sanctum?" Nikki asked coldly.

"Level forty-five to fifty," the solider went on hurriedly. "The sanctum took up five floors."

"Liraniel, did you checked the elevator?" Tangmo asked the Warp Spider who nodded in response. "What kind of machine are we dealing with here? Complex or simple?"

"Simple, standard Imperial machinery," Liraniel held out her hand, revealing a big key connected to a length of chain. "Took this off an officer, we probably need it to access the elevator."

"Seem straight forward enough," Tangmo wagged his finger at the remaining prisoners. "So we don't need them anymore?"

"We do not," Tangmo went full auto on the kneeling men and women, their scorched bodies dropped to the ground with dull thuds before Liraniel even finished her sentence, "efficient as always, lord commissar."

"You just shot unarmed, defenseless prisoners!" Oh right, Fio was with them. The Tau woman was righteously indignant as the Stormtroopers moved to stand before the large blast door that served as the elevator's entrance. Wolfsohn of the Death Korps, their resident engineer, swiftly and easily summoned the lift. As they waited, Tangmo spared Fio a dead eyed glance, which only infuriated her more. "You're a monster! A murderer! You and your soldiers just violated every rule of war ever written!"

"She actually thinks we give a fuck, that's really cute," Nikki snickered and Tangmo and the Stormtroopers joined in, making Fio's face flushed a deeper blue. The hilarity came to an end when the locking mechanism of the elevator doors released, the screeches and clanks of grinding irons was acoustically abrasive. With a speed that belayed its size, the two partitions parted to reveal a squad of soldiers. So caught up with the unfolding attack below, all of them saw too late the Stormtroopers and their guns.

"What the f…!" Was the last word to come out of the sergeant's mouth when, in the span of a single second, las and shuriken tore into him and his men, no bullet wasted, the killing thorough and complete.

"Must've caught a ride when we called the lift," Tangmo shrugged and together with Nikki led the Stormtroopers and Fio inside, the doors slamming close after Robert punched the correct floor into the large control panel. When the elevator began its descend Tangmo made quick hand signals, prompting the Stormtroopers to take positon around the large interior, all guns trained on another set of doors opposite the entrance. "Let's hope we don't make any unscheduled stop. Alright people make ready, we're deep in hostile territory now, prepare for blood."

"Zhihao, what's the situation outside?" Nikki turned to the Buxiunese radio expert. As if to puncture the gravity of the situation, a resounding tremor rippled across the elevator, sending dust and dirt raining down on them while the cogs and gears groaned audibly, the cadence less than reassuring. "I'm not really digging the ambience."

"If the argument between lady general Sulla and lady general Mavia is anything to go by, I say that was a stray shot," Zhihao narrowed her eyes on the glowing data-pad. "Yes, it would appear lady general Sulla once again got a little too eager and destroyed a fuel depot. That's what caused the explosion. General Henry is currently trying to calms things down between her and Mavia."

"How will this affect our overall progress?" Oratyr, a Biel-Tan Ranger, asked, his unblinking gaze never leaving the scope of his sniper rifle.

"Either the way ahead will be empty because every available soldier got redirected to the front," Nikki said, "or we could be running into heavily armed troops en route to the combat zone."

"A stirred nest of hornet will always be dangerous, within and without," Adrian spoke up easily and adjusted the straps of his Praetorian combat armor, the white flank contrasting nicely with the red uniform underneath. "Come what may, we shall face the enemy with vigor and courage, befitting soldiers of the God Emperor, and Isha too."

"Damn right we will," Tangmo turned to Robert. "How many floors do we have to go?"

"Ten more floors sir," Robert cast one last look at the panel and rejoined the Stormtroopers, his AA-12 Trench Gun held at the ready, "with no schedule stop along the way, we'll reach the sanctum in a few minutes."

"Into position people," alarm sirens went off across the compound as Tangmo gave his order. He couldn't help but chuckle, it took the bastard almost fifteen minutes to initiate a general call to arms, that's some sloppy soldiering. The elevator started to slow and Tangmo slid the bayonet down the barrel of his lasgun. "Fix bayonets. We won't be getting up close and personal, but I rather we be ready."

The Stormtroopers complied with the expected finesse, their movement synchronized despite the various armament they carried, and by the time the elevator had stopped and the doors began it's slow, ponderous parting every gun was trained forward, the men and women a picture of serenity, statue still, eyes trained down iron sights and scopes. When the lift was opened in its entirety, Tangmo, Nikki and the Stormtroopers were greeted by a column of agitated and terrified looking PDFs, the officers barking at the jittery soldiers, swords and crops brandished menacingly. It was the confused look on the PDF's faces that prompted the puffed up captains to turn around, shouts dying on their tongues when they didn't recognize the elevator's occupants.

"Who the fuck are you clowns supposed to…!" The thick bearded man's question was terminated by the Stormtroopers brutal fusillade, las and shurikens strobed the air, fountaining bloods boiled and hissed, dissolving into mists of scarlet. In the span of three heartbeats close to a hundred PDFs were dead, a carpet of twitching red corpses rolled out for the battlegroup.

"Excellent work my dudes, that shit was flawless!" Nikki jogged quickly over the dead PDFs, Tangmo and six other Stormtroopers followed her to the rear, where several unlucky bastards moaned pitifully. "Shut them up and secure the corridor, go!"

Bayonets plunged down, severing spines, piercing throats and puncturing hearts, the task quick and methodical as the Stormtroopers quickly secure the wide hallway immediately adjacent to the elevator, barrels sweeping the vaulted ceiling, las and shurikens cutting down servo skulls and cherubs floating above, killing the creepy cyborgs before they can call for help.

"All clear," Nikki, a Striking Scorpion and a Ranger had taken point and were sweeping the four-way junction down the corridor. After wiping his bayonet clean, Tangmo joined the Russian exarch, who was twirling her finger in the air. "You notice anything odd around us?"

"If you're referring to the churchly effigies now liberally desecrated by dead humans and Tau, all of them eviscerated and mutilated into grotesque sculptures of flesh, then yeah, I kinda notice, that shit's hard to miss," Tangmo deadpanned and waved Robert over. "You feel any bad vibe around here my dude?"

"Evil," Robert frown and made the sign of the aquila. "It permeates the place, left unattended a Warp Portal can easily come into being."

"Any idea where the Tau commander can be in this place?" Alruin cast a wary glance across the defiled corridor, even with his helm on Tangmo knew the Striking Scorpion was sneering at the daemonic graffiti inflicted upon the once holy ground. "And why was she brought here of all places? Shouldn't she be inside a brig or an interrogation room?"

"Could the security forces have misled us?" Sergeant Chastel of the Mordian asked, the man was an apex scout and given high commendation by Evangeline.

"No, they didn't," Zhihao piped up, she was listening intently to the radio chatter. "The Tau contingents are inside the sanctum, and from what I can discern they seems to be embroiled in a heated conversation regarding a special package that had just arrived."

"Then we better get moving," Nikki took the lead and Tangmo fall in beside her, the Stormtroopers following in a tight column. "Because this fucking place is huge, five storey carved into the mountain, all connected, devoted solely to the worship of the God Emperor and the Omnissiah, well, formerly at least."

"We can start off with this big chapel," Tangmo showed his data-pad to Nikki. "It's not too far, and we can use it as a checkpoint if we're forced to retreat, or if Shadowsun's already dead."

"She's not dead!" Fio snapped at him, the volume too loud for comfort now that the mustering siren had stopped.

"Shut the fuck up and keep your fucking mouth shut you idiot! You wanna get us all kill or something?!" Tangmo shot back and Fio pressed her lips into a thin line with a squeak. Muttering a slew of Thai curses under his breath, the language so foul that even Nikki cringed, Tangmo fixed his Zetton lasgun forward and quickened his pace, "we need to hurry, move!"

With Nikki guiding them, Tangmo and the Stormtroopers, plus Fio, swiftly navigated the churchly corridors, the Chao decoration grew more and more bloody and overtop the deeper they ventured into the sanctum. When they reached the great arch doorway ten minutes later, the Stormtroopers had only two run in with small groups of panicky PDFs trying to get to the defenses on the lower levels, their death was sudden and remorseless.

"On three," Tangmo and Nikki got into breaching position, the Thai commissar and the Russian exarch pressed themselves flat against the two partitions, the wooden surface stained and seeped dark blood, and took hold of the brass handle rings while the Stormtroopers arrayed themselves in a firing line ten paces away. "One…two…!"

The hinges barely squealed when Tangmo and Nikki pulled it apart, thick sludge of blood poured from the joints and bolts, the archway yawning wide to reveal the horrific scene beyond. Their steps sending splashes of red and blue ichor flying, Tangmo and Nikki strode down the central aisle between the pews, every seat occupied by corpses in various poses of torment, the Thai and the Russian more than shook when they reached the worship altar, the smooth marble adorned with curtain of blackish ooze.

"By the God Emperor's infinite mercy," Benkei hissed and swiftly made the sign of the aquila, prompting the other guardsmen to also make the warding gesture, while the Aeldari voiced litany of mercy to Isha. Upon the altar, surrounded by severed heads, knelt a dead Tau, his skin and entrails draped around him like tattered banners, dripping viscera hung from his outstretched arms, raised in prayer to the heaven, the visage of the xeno was one of rapture, eyeless sockets fixed upward in joy.

"What in the fuck?" Tangmo hissed and behind him Fio puked, the Water Caste was leaning over a pew and heaving violently. "Oh, so I guess you haven't seen this kinda shit before?"

"By the Greater Good, no!" Fio's pallor was sickly as she stumbled drunkenly forward, almost vomiting anew when she got a good look at the dead Tau. "W-What has happened to us? This is not the Tau way, this goes against every creed of the Greater Good."

"Your people have fallen," Benkei glared at the Tau corpse, nothing but anger and disgust can be found on his visage. Fio wilted but can find no words to dispute the Kuronese monk. "This is not some simple decoration or mad work of art either. This is an offering, done to gain favors of the Dark Gods."

Fio can only lower her head in shame from Benkei's admonition, and Tangmo actually felt bad for the girl, because none of this was her fault, she couldn't have known what the fuck was going on. Tangmo and Nikki was in the process of figuring out where to go next when loud staccatos of gunfire erupted to their right, pulse bullets punching through the wooden side door to ricochet around the chapel. The Stormtroopers were leaping for cover when two Fire Warriors careened through the destroyed entrance, one had a smoking hole where his eye should be, the other was trying to scramble off his dead buddy when a full auto burst tore into him. The Fire Warrior was still twitching miserably when a ragged figure staggered inside, pulse rifle held rictus tight. It was commander Shadowsun, and holy fuck the woman looked like absolute shit. Her uniform was torn up, her hair a mess of red curls cascading down her shoulders, and her face was bruised and bleeding.

"O'shaserra!" Fio shrieked and bulled pass Tangmo and Nikki, sprinting head first for her aunt, arms spread wide. Tangmo thought for sure Fio was gonna get blasted to bit, Shadowsun already had her pulse rifle trained on the younger woman, but the Tau commander possessed enough control to see through the bloodlust and assessed the target coming toward her. When she saw who it was, the pulse rifle slipped from her grip to clatter loudly on the ground.

"F-Fio?!" Shadowsun's question ruptured into a pained squawk when Fio crashed into her, wrapping the obviously injured woman up in a crushing hug. "Argh! Fio, stop! Let me go!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Fio backed off and threw Shadowsun's arm over her shoulder, supporting her. "Thank the Greater Good you are alive…I'm sorry, I just sat by and let them take you, I should've done something."

"None of that now, you stupid girl," Shadowsun tapped Fio's back gently. "I would reprimand you for behaving with such recklessness, but damn it all, I am glad to see you again."

"Will you two shut the fuck up and get into cover?! Holy shit!" Tangmo cut the reunion short and waved for Fio and Shadowsun to join him and Nikki behind the altar and its macabre centerpiece. The Tau commander was just now noticing the humans and eldars arrayed across the chapel. "What the fuck are you waiting for?! Move it!"

The two Tau scrambled passed the dead Fire Warriors and slipped in beside the Thai commissar and the Russian exarch as the Stormtroopers, with speed and grace, reposition themselves around the VIP, every barrel trained outward, effectively turning the entire chapel into a kill zone.

"By the Greater Good!" Shadowsun blinked her one good eye several times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Lord commissar Tangmo? You're here?!"

"That's an affirmative," Tangmo winked dashingly at Shadowsun. "We're bailing you out, but it looks like you've already managed to get away on your own."

"I wouldn't have gotten far," Shadowsun coughed several times, specks of blue blood misted the air. "My time was already running out, I got lucky when the explosion distract T'olku. I barely managed to slip away."

"You did good, saved us a lot of trouble of having to look for you," Nikki waved her finger in the air and Shadowsun grimaced at the daemonic decoration. "Judging by how freaked out you looked, you didn't see any of this when they brought you in?"

"I had a bag over my head, lady exarch, so no, I was not aware of the place…horrid condition," Shadowsun shook her head, eyes scrunched shut in rictus pain from the simple movement. "By the Greater Good, what has Paxish done?"

"Some really bad shit obviously, but I rather we discuss this when we're out of this fucking place," Tangmo waved the Warp Spiders over. "Liraniel, I need you and the Warp Spiders to secure our path back to the elevators." The eldars nodded and disappeared in a flash of light, making Shadowsun jump in surprise. "As for the rest us, tactical withdrawal, we need to – fuck!"

Tangmo shoved Fio to the ground and sent a burst of lasbolt at a group of Tau drones, seven in all, flying over the destroyed door, his fusillade was soon joined by Nikki, Adrian, Robert and Shadowsun, the commander having picked up the fallen pulse rifle. Not one drone escaped the kaleidoscopic discharge, but their demise was soon followed by pounding boots and loud bellows in a language that was definitely not human.

"Here we fucking go," Tangmo flipped his lasgun to semi-auto and headshot the first Fire Warrior that sprinted into view. "Nikki, get everyone to the elevator. Wolfsohn, Chastel, Tahmine, Dilsae, Amkyn, with me!"

Say one thing about the Tau, those blue motherfuckers knows how to war, especially modern warfare, because Nikki and the main characters had barely made it half way across the chapel when a platoon worth of Fire Warriors managed to establish a beachhead around the destroyed door, their suppressing barrage forcing Tangmo and the five Stormtroopers behind the pews. Unfortunately for the Tau, they were not dealing with normal guardsmen and eldars, and the Singing Commissar was with them.

"Tahmine, Chastel, Amkyn, you guys are with me, lay it on those fuckers! Wolfsohn, Dilsae, keep your fucking heads low and get your asses to the entrance," Tangmo fished a frag grenade out of his awesome commissar coat and pulled the pin with his teeth. "Give me some cover, go!"

Tahmine the Tallarn and Chastel the Mordian popped up above the pew and unleashed a full auto barrage on the Tau, killing three and forcing the rest to either go prone or slipped behind the pillars near the door. The accompanying combat drones were turning their guns on the guardsmen when Amkyn the Ranger took them down, serene and calm in movement as she shot all nine bogeys within the span of five seconds. The last dead drone had barley hit the ground when Tangmo's grenade bounced into the Tau midst, the explosion sent bodies flying and lessened the Fire Warriors suppressing fire considerably. Tangmo made a quick glance back and grinned when he saw that Wolfsohn and Dilsae the Fire Dragon had made it safely to the archway entrance.

"Our turn to go," Tangmo flipped his lasgun back to full auto and held the trigger down, forcing the remaining Tau into cover, this would've been a good development if it wasn't for the fact that more Fire Warriors and drones were swiftly reinforcing them, "oh for the love of fuck – move it people, more of them are showing up!"

"Ah, I always enjoy a nice gathering," Tahmine grinned as she trained the launcher tube attachment forward and send the payload at the Tau with a hollow pop. The ordnance struck a Tau officer dead in the chest, sending explosion scything through his soldiers in a brilliant burst of fire and blood. "That should slow them down."

"Damn right it will, great shot Tahmine," Tangmo, being the heroic unapologetic badass that he was, placed himself in the rear and covered the remaining Stormtroopers, his barrage pinning down the survivors of the blast and discouraging those who were trying to enter the chapel. Pulse bullets were starting to intensify around Tangmo's head when he made it to the entrance, Tahmine, Chastel and Amkyn were crouched about twenty paces away, as opposed to Wolfsohn and Dilsae, both of whom stood before the open threshold, flamer and fusion pike humming ready. Skidding to a stop behind them, Tangmo went to one knee and started taking pot shot at the Tau, several platoon worth of the bastards were spilling into the chapel, filling the place up quickly. "Wait for it…wait for it…now! Burn the motherfuckers!"

The backblast of hot air threw Tangmo on his ass with a squawk, the temperature was nothing short of horrific but the Thai commissar couldn't help but smiled at the unfolding destruction like an idiot. Wolfsohn's flamer bathed the chapel in liquid promethium, the inferno tsunami consumed the heretical effigies, idols and sacraments in rolling fire. Oh, and the Fire Warriors were immolated too. To compound this, Dilsae swept his fusion pike in a sweeping arch, sending salvos of superheated red melta into the blazing fire, exasperating the conflagration until the entire chapel was consumed by a convulsing maelstrom of white hot fire.

"Welp, looks like those assholes won't be on our asses for a while," Tangmo tapped Wolfsohn and Dilsae on the shoulders and led them back to where Tahmine, Chastel and Amkyn were waiting, all of them awestruck by the death the two flamers had just unleashed. "Back to the elevator people, from the chatter I'm getting, looks like a contingent of Tau had intercepted Nikki. Let's go give her a hand."

The Stormtroopers nodded sharply and followed Tangmo back the way they'd come, weapons reloaded and braced, ready to jump into another fight. After rounding a corner, it turns out that their help wasn't needed.

"How did it go?" Nikki was perched on the shoulder of a decapitated Crisis Battlesuit, smokes rising to curl around her long, shapely legs.

"We burned that fucking chapel to the ground yo, shit was spectacular," Tangmo grinned and swept his gaze at the carnage around him, the violence was just starting to simmer down. Looks like the Tau anticipated Shadowsun escape and had tried, the keyword here being tried, to set up a blockade in front of the elevator, which was still open and waiting for their returned. The armament had been impressive, Fire Warriors, Crisis Battlesuits, and hover gun platforms, more than enough to repel an army. Judging by how the Stormtroopers were strolling across the silent battlefield and finishing off the survivors, the elite of the Immortal Spirit battlegroup was more than they can handle. Whistling appreciatively, Tangmo fist bump Nikki after she gracefully jumped off the Battlesuit. "Shit went down hard here too, goddamn, did we got out alright? Any casualties?"

"None," Nikki raised her sniper rifle in the air and the Stormtroopers cheered heartily, yep, nobody died. The same can't be said for the Tau though, not a single body even so much as twitched. "Adrian took a hit to the noggin though, but he's okay, the bullet bounced off his pith helmet."

"And made a nasty smudge too," Adrian bellowed from near the elevator, his laspistol flashing at a raised, beseeching hand. "Not to worry lord commissar, I made sure to repay the rowdy bastard, with interest."

"Yeah, I can see that…"

"You!" All eyes turned to Shadowsun, the Tau commander was stalking after a Tau officer trying to crawl away, her pulse rifle trained vehemently on him, behind her hovered an equally angry Fio. "This is the end for you T'olku, there's nowhere to flee this time."

"I surrender," the Fire Warrior, T'olku, had a grin on his face as he raised his hands. "The code of war is clear, commander Shadowsun, we of the Tau spares any enemies who ask for mercy. I hereby beseech clemency, as befitting an honored foe."

"You have no honor, scum!" Shadowsun seethed, her pulse rifle shook dangerously, but she did not pull the trigger.

"Who the fuck is this?" Tangmo interrupted the argument, the presence of the infamous black clad political officer of the Imperium of Man was enough to wipe the shit eating grin off T'olku's face, the Tau's anxiety only increased when the Thai commissar narrowed his eyes on him. "Is this the fucker that captured you? And kicked the shit out of you too?"

"He is," Shadowsun nodded and waved at the surrounding humans and eldars with cruel satisfaction. "Captain T'olku, this is lord commissar Tangmo and lady exarch Nikki of the Immortal Spirit battlegroup, I'm sure you've heard of their renown. It was them who mounted this rescue operation."

"Hi! You're our prisoner now!" Nikki chirped happily and kicked T'olku in the face, the blow send blood and teeth flying but not hard enough to knock the fucker out. The Russian exarch then flashed a quick sequence of hand signals at the Aeldari. "Cuff him please, and don't be gentle."

"Lord commissar, lady exarch, I believe we should go now?" Roberts resumed his post at the elevator's control console. "Scan indicates that a large contingent of hostiles is converging on our location, the destroyed chapel was hard to miss. Now, I have no problem with mowing them down sir, my Trench Gun is barely hot, but I believe the objective must take precedence."

"Damn right it takes precedence! Get on the fucking lift!" Tangmo, covering the rear with Nikki, waved the Stormtroopers, Shadowsun and Fio into the elevator before following them.

"Target secured, requesting immediate pick up," Nikki tapped her earbud as the elevator made it slow ascend, the ambience of pounding weaponries remained a nerve wracking constant. The assault was obviously going well, but shit, Tangmo always hated it when the lift started shaking.

"On my way lady exarch," the pilot responded crisply.

"Lord commissar, lady exarch," Shadowsun strode up to Tangmo and Nikki, the commander masking her pain well, the straight back posture was impeccable. Fio nevertheless stood nearby in case something goes wrong. "I thank you for the rescue. It is an unexpected courtesy but an extremely welcome one. You could have let me to die, instead you have chosen to help me, your enemy, for this you have my eternal gratitude."

"Well, Fio was extremely insistence when she demanded that we go and help you," Nikki winked cheekily at the huffing Fio. The Russian amiability evaporated when she glared at the bound T'olku kneeling not far away, a Striking Scorpion standing guard over him. "What was he planning to do?"

"To open my mind to the ultimate truth of the Greater Good, his exact words," Shadowsun sneered at T'olku, the commander was seething so bad that her entire body trembled. "Those bodies inside the chapel, the mutilation, the desecration, was that the truth you wanted me to see T'olku? A madness that transcends all decency?!"

"Part of it, yeah, that shit you saw was Chaos 101," Tangmo loomed menacingly over T'olku, the Tau officer tried to squirm away but the Striking Scorpion held him in place. "That's the only reason why we took him in, the fucker clearly know about this, quite a lot too if I was to make an educated guess. I foresee a very brief conversation with him."

"I will never talk," T'olku wasn't fooling anyone with his piss poor attempt to sound brave, achieving the opposite in fact.

"You'll squeal, you little blue shit, and then you'll sing to whatever tune we want," Tangmo said darkly. "Then you'll squeal some more, and sing some more, on and on until we're satisfy. You fucking got that?"

T'olku clamped his mouth shut and Tangmo scoffed at the little fuck before coiling his finger around the trigger of his lasgun, prepared for something to go wrong, as it usually does during tense moment like this. And in another instance of cliché breaking, the elevator safely reached the landing pad, the two partitions slid open to reveal the still burning ruins left behind by the Stormtroopers. About a hundred yard away the Valkyrie sat waiting, engines humming loudly over the howling wind and the pounding of heavy weapons below.

"Get to the ship! Move it!" Nikki shouted over the intercom as she and Tangmo once again heroically covered the rear, the Russian exarch and the Thai commissar only bolting for the Valkyrie after Adrian alerted them that everyone was onboard. Not two heartbeats after they got inside the Valkyrie's door slammed close and the VTOL plane took off. Cheers and claps rang across the hull as Nikki tapped her earbud. "Great timing, now take us back to base."

"Henry, we're in the air dude," Tangmo tapped his earbud. "Tell everyone to pull back and call in the bunker busters, high time we bring the fucking mountain down."

"You're destroying the compound?" Fio asked, surprised and revolted, "but why? You have already rescue O'shaserra, there is no need for further destruction to be inflicted."

"…She's not a very astute student of war, is she?" Tangmo smirked at Shadowsun, earning himself a blistering glare from Fio.

"Fio is of the Water Caste, lord commissar," Shadowsun defended her niece, and it did not escaped Tangmo's notice that the commander was having difficulty standing up, leaning more and more into Fio's shoulder. "The Castes are separated, the ideologies segregated as to not contaminate each other, I am not a very shrewd when it comes to diplomacy and politic either."

"I see," Tangmo nodded and turned to face the miffed Fio. "The reason we're destroying the compound is to basically cover our track, and blind the Tau's high command to our true purpose, which is rescuing Shadowsun. By destroying everything, the Ethereal will assume that the battlegroup simply targeted the compound for elimination. Hopefully, they will think Shadowsun and everyone else died in the explosion, all loose end taken care of, which will give us ample opportunity to plan the next phase of our campaign." Darker blue rushed up Fio's cheeks when Tangmo titled his head to the side and smiled sweetly, like a teacher indulging his less than stellar student. "Do you understand?"

"Yes I do," Fio stomped her cloven feet on the hull. "I'm not an idiot."

"Never said you were," Tangmo was starting to chuckle when a powerful vibration rippled through the Valkyrie, the quaking passed quickly and was followed by bright fiery orange rushing through the port side windows, muted thunder roared beyond. "And there we go, the compound's gone, we can probably see the mushroom cloud from our base."

"I don't doubt it lord commissar…I'm sorry, I…!" Shadowsun pitched forward suddenly, landing on her hands and knees, dragging a squawking Fio down with her, and vomited heavily. Nearly a minute passed before her stomach was emptied, and after several more dry heaves Fio sat Shadowsun down on the ground. "I'm sorry, that was disgraceful of me."

"Benkei, check on her please," Nikki told the Kuronese monk. "I know a concussion when I see one."

"She's not humans or Aeldari lady exarch, but I'll do my best," Benkei bowed from the hip, took out the data-pad from his belt, and crouched down beside Shadowsun. He ran the device over the commander's body, the soft neon blue blending nicely with her skin, and grunted lowly when the screen flared a warning red. Muttering curses under his breathe, Benkei tapped the data-pad quickly, arranging each notification into the correct order, before looking up at Tangmo and Nikki. "I know next to nothing about Tau physiology lady exarch, lord commissar, but I can easily identify internal hemorrhages." He turned to Shadowsun. "Several organs in your thorax are bleeding, the injuries you have sustained are severe, by the God Emperor I don't even know how you manage to fight for so long. And the lady exarch is right, your brain is swollen, so I would advise that you stay seated for the moment and move as little as possible."

"People always underestimate how resilient I am," Shadowsun shot a glare at T'olku. "I am not easily broken."

"You're on your way to being broken," Benkei shook his head and put away the data-pad, the look he gave Tangmo and Nikki was not comforting at all. "She's hurt severely, and left unattended her condition will worsen."

"Is she going to die?" Fio blurted, clear hysteria in her timbre.

"We'll reach the base in about ten minutes," Tangmo quirked a brow at Shadowsun, "think you can last that long?"

"Easily, lord commissar," Shadowsun grinned and made the mistake of nodding, the commander winching from the tiny bobbing of the cranium, "shit!"

Despite the vomiting and the migraine, Shadowsun fortunately did not die during the return journey. Tangmo and Nikki was staring out the portholes, admiring the brightening view below, when the pilot's voice blared in their earbuds, "lord commissar, lady exarch, a large contingent of Adepta Sororitas and Aspect Warriors had gathered around the landing pad, I can see them arrayed in a battle-ready formation."

"They're here for Shadowsun?" Nikki asked.

"…Negative lady exarch, another Valkyrie had just return from the Immortal Spirit and is making final approach as we speak," the pilot was silent for a moment before continuing. "Sir, Saint Celestine has returned."

"Holy fuck, talk about perfect timing," Tangmo and Nikki exchanged guarded looks as the Valkyrie made it descend.

"Perfect for who?" Nikki asked and the hull rocked from the impact of the landing, Shadowsun moaned painfully from the judder. When the engines powered down and the ramp at the back started lowering, Nikki reached down and, with Fio's help, gently got Shadowsun back on her feet. "Easy Shadowsun, you're home free now, our medics will fix you up nice and quick."

"Forgive me for not being thrill at the prospect of meeting you medical workers," Shadowsun winced with every step taken. "The saws and drills and metallic arms can leave a very negative impression."

"You should know by now that we're not like other Imperial forces," Tangmo rolled his eyes and, setting a slow pace, led the Stormtroopers out of the Valkyrie. A double column of Celestians and Dire Avengers greeted him, and standing in the middle of the heavily armed corridor, accompanied by inquisitor Greyfax as always, was Saint Celestine. Casting a look at the injured Shadowsun, Tangmo and Nikki made sure to put themselves between the Tau commander and the Living Saint as the two group came to a stop not five paces from each other. Not wanting the situation to get tense, Tangmo saluted, Celestine returning the gesture amiably. "Welcome back lady Saint, I'm sure lady inquisitor Greyfax have already fill you in on our mission?"

"She did, lord commissar," Celestine looked at Shadowsun but said nothing more.

"Did your talk with Isha go well?" Tangmo's attempt to lighten the mood backfired spectacularly when Celestine's visage turned grim.

"No, it did not," Celestine stepped aside and a willowy, but ethereally beautiful Aeldari clad in a master crafted armor of silver strode forward, hue in a soft sheen of radiant mist, her posture queenly. It was Isha, in the flesh.

"…You being here in person can't be good," Tangmo felt his heart dropped to his stomach, like Nikki his expression was one of resignation, bracing for the bad news to come.

"You are correct, lord commissar," Isha said apologetically but her timbre became iron as she continued. "The Tau must be stopped at all cost."

"I know, those crazy bastards are trying to summon the Dark Gods," Tangmo went on.

"No lord commissar, the Tau are not attempting to summon the Dark Gods," Isha paused for a moment, as if to gather her strength, only pressing on after Celestine lay a supporting hand on her shoulder. "The Tau are attempting to create a new Chaos God."