The Thunderhawk Gunship bucked violently in the Warp's turbulent currents, like a small boat in a storm.
Gaius gripped his restraints, feeling the vibrations from his armor colliding with the ship's hull.
His Black Carapace pulsed faintly, not from fear, but from anticipation, this was Squad Seven's first official mission, and his chance to prove himself.
"Fifty seconds to jump!" the pilot's voice echoed in the cabin, "Target Veridian III, extreme atmospheric turbulence, prepare for hard landing!"
Dorian checked his Bolter's power pack, grinning, "I heard the mushrooms there spray poisonous spores that can eat through armor.
If my handsome face gets corroded, the girls on Macragge will be heartbroken."
Elisa closed her eyes, focusing, her sensor interface directly connected to the gunship's systems, yet a faint smile played on her lips: "According to data, Veridian III's spores require seventy-two hours of continuous exposure to cause even minor effects on Ceramite armor.
As for your face, with all due respect, corrosion might be an improvement."
Sergeant Talos snorted, "Stay focused, Catonia.
If you put your mind on tactics instead of girls, you wouldn't have been 'killed' three times in the last exercise."
Dorian dramatically clutched his chest: "Sergeant, the opponent was too cunning!
Who would have thought they'd set a trap next to the mess hall?
I was distracted by the aroma!"
The gunship suddenly shook violently, throwing everyone against their restraints.
Alarms blared, red lights flashed.
"Asteroid field! Hold on!" the pilot roared.
After a dizzying maneuver, the gunship stabilized.
Dorian's face was green: "By the Emperor, I almost threw up my breakfast nutrient paste.
Seriously, why can't the Chapter improve the food?
Eating that grey mush every day, even Orks would lose their appetite."
Elisa still had her eyes closed, but her voice held a hint of amusement: "According to records, Macragge once attempted diversified meals.
However, in M39.256, after a Company Captain missed a crucial battle due to food poisoning, the Chapter reverted to standardized nutrient paste."
"No wonder the Primarch is in stasis," Dorian mumbled, "he must have gotten tired of it."
Sergeant Talos suddenly spoke: "I've seen Primarch Guilliman eat."
Everyone immediately fell silent, even Elisa opened her eyes.
The Sergeant continued wiping his Power Sword, not looking up: "During his brief awakening after the Great Rift opened.
In the Primarch's presence, even the simplest water and bread seemed...sacred."
A solemn silence fell over the cabin.
Gaius couldn't help but imagine the scene, the awakened Primarch, humanity's last hope, even his eating was like a ritual.
Dorian finally whispered, "So he...liked nutrient paste?"
Talos glared at him, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly: "The Primarch considered dietary efficiency a vital component of strategy.
He personally approved the upgrade to the current nutrient formula."
"See!" Dorian triumphantly slapped his leg, "Even the Primarch couldn't stand the old formula!"
Elisa shook her head: "Your chain of logic has serious flaws, Catonia."
"Call me Dorian, Sister! We're comrades now, don't be so formal."
He turned to Gaius, "What about you, Gaius?
Do you miss the delicacies of Kronus IV?"
Gaius paused.
He hadn't thought about his homeworld's food in a long time.
"We mainly ate fungus bread and stew.
Sometimes we could hunt subterranean rat-beasts, but the meat was tough."
He hesitated, "My mother's baked fungus cakes were actually...not bad."
Dorian sighed dramatically: "Look!
Even 'not bad' baked fungus cakes are better than nutrient paste!
I'm telling you, if the Chapter put me in charge of logistics, I guarantee, "
The gunship suddenly tilted violently, interrupting his grand pronouncements.
Everyone was thrown to one side by inertia.
"Atmospheric entry! Hold on tight!" the pilot yelled.
After an even more violent bout of turbulence, the gunship finally stabilized.
Dorian rubbed his shoulder, sore from the safety harness: "It's always like this!
Just as I'm about to propose revolutionary dietary improvements, we hit turbulence!
The universe must be trying to stop culinary progress!"
Dorian finally winked at Gaius: "When we get back, I'll secretly take you to the kitchen.
I know a Tech-Priest who can make nutrient paste taste like baked fungus cakes, don't tell the Sergeant!"
Gaius couldn't help but smile.
Among these serious warriors, Dorian was like a breath of fresh air.
He suddenly felt a subtle resonance from his Black Carapace, not just with his Power Armor, but with these comrades fighting alongside him.
Sergeant Talos stood up, his Power Armor gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the red light: "Remember, this is a reconnaissance-first mission.
Report any anomalies immediately, do not engage without orders."
His gaze swept over the three new recruits, "Especially you, Catonia.
I want scouts, not a charge squad."
Dorian nodded sheepishly: "Understood, Sergeant."
The Thunderhawk broke through Veridian III's atmosphere, and Gaius saw the view below through the observation window, a vast fungus forest like a sickly purple carpet, dotted with the metallic wreckage of a colony.
Several plumes of thick smoke rose, clearly indicating recent battle.
The gunship landed on a relatively flat fungal plain.
As the hatch opened, a dense cloud of spores rushed into the cabin.
The air filtration system immediately overloaded and alarmed.
"Switch to closed-cycle oxygen!" Talos ordered, "Kohl, scan for life signs!"
Elisa's sensors emitted a faint hum: "No life signals within a five-hundred-meter radius.
But multiple energy residues detected...plasma weapons and...some kind of biological energy."
The squad exited the gunship in a tactical formation.
Gaius' boots sank into the viscous fungal mat, each step making an uncomfortable squelching sound.
His Black Carapace gave abnormal feedback, the entire area was permeated by a weak energy field, similar to static electricity, but more...purposeful.
"Look at this," Dorian pointed his Bolter at a giant fungus.
Embedded in the stalk was a half-melted armor plate, the Ultramarines' blue paint still discernible.
Talos examined the wreckage: "Recent damage.
Caused by plasma weapons."
His voice suddenly became grim, "But there shouldn't be plasma-level weapons here."
Gaius knelt, his fingers wiping the surface of the fungal mat.
Through his armor's sensors, he detected faint vibrations underground: "There's a structure below.
Metallic, and it's...moving?"
Suddenly, the fungal mat burst open, and several metallic tentacles lashed out at the squad with lightning speed.
Elisa was the first to open fire, her Bolter blasting the nearest tentacle into fragments, splashing not just metal, but viscous biological tissue.
"Mechanicus Heresy!" Talos roared, "Defensive formation!"
More tentacles emerged from underground, their ends equipped with rotating drills and energy weapons.
They were clearly coordinated by some central intelligence, their attacks seamlessly synchronized.
Gaius fired precise bursts, each Bolter round hitting a tentacle's joint.
His Primarch memories flashed, move three steps left, evade the underground spike; deflect right shoulder armor forty-five degrees, block energy fire; throw a frag grenade at two o'clock...
"They're learning our tactics!" Elisa warned, "Attack patterns are adapting!"
Dorian's Heavy Bolter roared: "Then don't let them learn!"
His furious firepower temporarily suppressed the tentacles on the right, but more units were surging from underground.
Talos made a decision: "Retreat northeast!
There are metallic structures there for cover!"
The squad fought and retreated.
Gaius suddenly felt his chest amulet grow hot, not a warning, but a kind of...guidance.
He deviated from the retreat path, charging towards a particularly massive fungus.
"Gaius! Come back!" Talos commanded sharply.
But Gaius had already found the source, a bio-mechanical device embedded in the fungus' base, emitting coordination signals.
He unhesitatingly slapped a melta-bomb onto the device.
The chain reaction triggered by the explosion was astonishing.
All tentacles instantly stiffened, then fell limp.
The entire fungal mat's anomalous energy field began to dissipate.
When Talos arrived, Gaius was examining the device's wreckage.
"Sergeant, this isn't ordinary Mechanicus Heresy.
Look at this, " He pointed to organic components in the wreckage, "They're using the fungus as a conductive network."
Elisa scanned the wreckage: "Technical characteristics similar to previously encountered modified organisms.
But more advanced...more like some kind of prototype."
The squad continued to push towards the colony's center.
The deeper they went, the more unsettling the sights, the fusion of fungus and machinery became increasingly perfect.
They saw entire buildings enveloped in living mycelial strands, pulsating like giant biological hearts; mechanical devices growing fungal tumors, secreting corrosive slime; they even discovered several intact modification workshops, their equipment still operating autonomously.
"This place wasn't invaded," Gaius said gravely, "this place was modified.
The entire planet is being transformed into some kind of...bio-mechanical factory."
In front of a half-collapsed communication tower, Elisa found a still-functional data terminal: "Sergeant, I can try to recover some records."
Talos nodded: "Gaius, Catonia, be alert."
Gaius ascended a nearby vantage point, his Bolter cautiously scanning the surroundings.
His Black Carapace suddenly gave a strong warning, not from external sources, but from deep underground.
Some huge energy was accumulating.
"Sergeant! Recommend immediate evacuation!
Underground there's, "
An earthquake-like violent tremor interrupted the warning.
The ground split open with huge fissures, and the fungal mat rolled like a living thing.
A colossal entity rose from underground, it was neither machine nor organism, but a terrifying fusion.
It had a centipede-like segmented body, but composed of both metal and fungus; its head was a rotating energy weapon, surrounded by dozens of human heads, all eyes glowing with an eerie red light.
"By the Emperor..." Dorian murmured, "What blasphemy is this?"
The monster emitted a piercing shriek, both mechanical noise and biological wail.
All remaining mechanical tentacles reactivated, guarding it like a loyal retinue.
Talos immediately ordered: "All personnel! Retreat to the Thunderhawk!"
But the retreat route was blocked by newly emerging tentacles.
The monster's head-mounted energy weapon began to charge, aiming directly at the squad.
Gaius' Primarch memories flashed wildly, the energy weapon's weak point was at the third joint; limb connection points could disrupt balance; the thinnest part of the head armor was at the third second of rotation...
"Sergeant! I can stop it!" Gaius shouted, "I need thirty seconds!"
Talos hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Twenty seconds!
Catonia, full cover!"
Dorian's Heavy Bolter roared, Elisa's Plasma Gun fired precise bursts.
Talos even used his missile launcher, but the monster's armor was exceptionally tough.
Gaius didn't attack directly, but charged towards a nearby intact tall tower.
His Bolter shot out supporting structures, and the tower slowly fell, landing precisely on the monster.
This was not to cause damage, but to create an opportunity.
Using gravity's acceleration, Gaius leaped towards the monster's head.
His Power Armor at full output, his Power Sword plunged directly into the base of the energy weapon, the weak point indicated by his Primarch memory.
The moment the blade pierced the armor, energy erupted uncontrollably.
Gaius was thrown back by the shockwave, crashing heavily into the fungal mat.
The monster gave a violent, dying convulsion, then fell completely still.
The squad quickly eliminated the remaining tentacles and rushed to Gaius' side.
He was struggling to get up, his chest armor severely damaged, but his amulet was miraculously intact.
"Reckless!" Talos reprimanded, but with an almost imperceptible hint of approval in his tone, "But also...effective."
Elisa suddenly exclaimed: "Sergeant! Look at this!"
She had salvaged some data from the terminal, the projection displayed a familiar symbol: a distorted fusion of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Ultramarines insignia, precisely the mark of House Horn.
Records showed they were experimenting with "gene-targeted bio-weapons" here, specifically designed against the Guilliman gene sequence.
The most unsettling record was the last one: "Signal source confirmed, Macragge orbit, Ultramarines Chapter flagship 'Ultramar's Glory'."
Talos' face was ashen: "Return immediately!
This is a highest-level alert!"
No one spoke on the return Thunderhawk.
Gaius gazed out the window at Veridian III, shrinking into the distance, that defiled world.
His fingers unconsciously caressed the amulet on his chest, his Primarch memories still whispering warnings.
The darkness does not end here...this is just the beginning...
When they returned to the battleship, they were met by fully armed guards.
Apothecary Vorlak personally led people to escort the squad to an isolation chamber.
"Serious breach, Sergeant Talos!" the Tech-Priest's mechanical voice was uncharacteristically emotional, "You've brought back pathogens that could contaminate the entire battleship!"
But after thorough decontamination, Sergeant Thayne brought unexpected news: "The Chapter Master wants to hear the report personally."
In the heavily guarded conference room, Gaius stood before Chapter Master Calgar.
During the debriefing, the Chapter Master remained silent until the mark of House Horn was displayed, then he spoke:
"This mark...I know it," the Chapter Master's voice was heavy as lead, "It belongs to a heretical faction that was purged.
But they have clearly found...new patrons."
Sergeant Thayne supplemented the information: "We traced Veridian's signal source.
It indeed came from 'Ultramar's Glory', more precisely, from the prison section."
"Prison section?" Talos was shocked, "That's where..."
"War criminals from the Macragge Rebellion," the Chapter Master finished, "including some...Tech-Priests."
After the meeting, Thayne kept Gaius behind: "Your performance exceeded all expectations.
But it also attracted...unnecessary attention."
He pointed to a monitor screen, showing two noble representatives arguing fiercely with an officer about something.
"House Horn?" Gaius asked.
"And their allies," Thayne nodded, "They accuse you of 'heretical contamination' and demand your transfer to the Inquisition."
Gaius' heart tightened: "Sergeant..."
"The Chapter Master refused," Thayne's tone was firm, "But the pressure will continue to increase.
The next mission must provide irrefutable evidence."
When Gaius returned to his quarters, he found Dorian and Elisa waiting for him.
No words were exchanged, just firm nods.
That night, Gaius stood by the observation window, gazing at the distant stars.
The horrors of Veridian were still vivid, but clearer still were the figures of his comrades standing shoulder to shoulder.
He touched the Omega symbol on his shoulder plate, feeling its weight and glory.
His Black Carapace pulsed faintly, Elisa and Dorian were also keeping watch in their respective cabins.
No words were needed, they knew: a storm was coming, but they would face it together.
The Thunderhawk Gunship was ready for departure again, this time with a clearer objective, to expose the enemy hidden within the Chapter.
Gaius tightened his armor straps, his Bolter heavy and reliable.
"For Macragge!" Sergeant Talos' roar echoed in the cabin.
"For the Emperor!" the squad responded in unison, the sound of Bolters being raised like war drums.
Gaius took one last look at the battleship corridor, where several noble representatives were grimly watching them.
His fingers lightly touched the amulet on his chest, feeling its warmth.
Primarch memories whispered a promise: the truth would eventually be revealed, by fire and by steel.
A Thunderhawk Gunship screamed low over Veridian III, its engine's roar tearing through the deathly silence of the cursed world. Calgar gazed through the observation window, down at the endless fungal forest that seemed to writhe like a living thing, its caps swaying eerily in the abnormal wind.
"High-concentration biological signals detected," Elisa's voice came through the squad channel, calm as ever, "Pattern match 91%, Tyranids."
Dorian's Heavy Bolter made a soft charging sound: "I knew it was these damned bugs. They ate half my homeworld last time on Catonia."
Sergeant Talos adjusted his sensors: "Quiet. Gaius, report psychic readings."
Calgar closed his eyes and focused, his black carapace and the anti-psychic amulet on his chest resonating subtly. His consciousness extended, touching the terror permeating the forest below, not simple biological signals, but a vast, unified psychic network, a hum like billions of brains thinking simultaneously.
"Confirming Tyranid psychic signature," Calgar reported, his voice tight with discomfort, "But...there's an anomaly. The psychic signal is mixed with mechanical frequencies, like..."
The gunship suddenly tilted violently, alarms screaming.
"Ground fire!" the pilot yelled, "Bio-turrets! Hold on!"
The mycelial carpet below exploded, dozens of turrets made of flesh and carapace raising their barrels, raining down searing bio-acid. The Thunderhawk's void shields rippled under the acid's impact.
"By the Emperor," Dorian cursed, "These bugs learned anti-air?"
Talos was already on his feet: "Prepare for forced landing! Calgar, suppress fire points! Catonia, cover left flank! Gaius, prepare for assault with me!"
The Thunderhawk executed a sharp dive, simultaneously deploying chaff. Bio-acid exploded on the decoys, forming eerie green fireworks. The gunship slammed hard onto a relatively open fungal plain, its hatch jamming as it deformed from the impact.
"Manual override!" Talos roared, his powerfist smashing into the hydraulic mechanism.
The hatch crashed open, revealing a hellish scene. The mycelial carpet was covered in pulsating, vein-like structures, and the air reeked of corrosive spores and bio-acid. In the distance, several towering Tyranid creatures charged towards them.
"For Macragge!" Talos was the first to charge out, his Bolter's precise bursts felling the leading Tyranid.
Calgar followed close behind, his black carapace operating at full speed. Every shot he fired struck a Tyranid's nerve cluster, the Primarch's memories providing instinctive aiming corrections. One degree right, at the carapace seam; two inches down, at the second heart's location...
Dorian's Heavy Bolter roared continuously, tearing apart swarms of smaller Tyranids. "Taste this, you ugly bastards!"
Elisa took the high ground, her Plasma Gun precisely eliminating distant bio-turrets. "Watch ten o'clock! Swarm is flanking!"
The squad fought their way forward. Calgar suddenly felt his amulet grow intensely hot, not a warning, but a powerful attraction. "Sergeant! The psychic signal source is guiding them! We must find the Hive Mind!"
Talos smashed a Tyranid's head: "Direction?"
Calgar pointed to a particularly massive fungal forest: "There! Deep underground!"
They charged towards the target area, the Tyranid resistance growing increasingly frantic. New types of Tyranids appeared, their carapaces embedded with metal fragments, their attack patterns exhibiting an eerie, mechanical precision.
"These bugs have been modified!" Elisa warned, "Detecting Adeptus Mechanicus energy signatures!"
Dorian reloaded his magazine, cursing: "Mechanics and bugs together? That's against the damned laws of nature!"
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. The mycelial carpet rolled back and cracked open, revealing a massive pit, not naturally formed, but the trace of some bio-mechanical excavation. From deep within the pit came an unsettling hum and scraping sounds.
Talos threw a flare. The sight illuminated by its light choked even the toughest warriors.
The pit descended hundreds of meters, its walls covered in pulsating biological material and metal supports. Countless Tyranids swarmed within, like a nightmarish ant's nest. Deeper still, a massive organic structure could vaguely be seen writhing, the location of the Hive Mind.
"By the Emperor..." Dorian murmured, "We found their nest."
Before the flare extinguished, Calgar glimpsed the most horrifying sight, near the Hive Mind, several figures in Ultramarines armor moved freely among the Tyranid swarm.
"Traitors..." Talos' voice trembled with fury, "They've allied with the Tyranids!"
The swarm seemed enraged by the flare, pouring out of the pit like a tide. Talos immediately ordered: "Fall back to Point B! We need to call for orbital strike!"
But the retreat route was cut off. New types of Tyranids, mutants with House Horn's crest embedded in their carapaces, surrounded them from all sides.
"They're learning our tactics!" Elisa warned, "They're adapting to Bolter trajectories!"
Calgar felt an unusual feedback from his black carapace, the swarm consciousness was attempting to invade his mind. The amulet grew scorching hot, protecting his sanity. "Sergeant! They're trying to control us!"
Talos made an instant decision: "Calgar, deploy plasma mines! Catonia, smoke grenade cover! Gaius, try to disrupt the psychic signal!"
Calgar concentrated, extending his consciousness through the amulet. He was no longer resisting, but actively attacking, using the psychic techniques from the Primarch's memories to counter the swarm's consciousness. Find the nodes, sever the connections, disrupt the frequencies...
The swarm suddenly fell into disarray, losing coordination. Dorian seized the opportunity to throw a melta bomb, blasting open a path.
"Nice work, brother!" Dorian roared, "How did you do that?"
Calgar had no time to answer. A deafening roar came from deep within the pit, and the entire ground trembled. A colossal shadow rose from the abyss, not an ordinary Tyranid, but some bio-mechanical Titan, a terrifying construct fusing Tyranid carapace and Adeptus Mechanicus technology.
The Titan's "head" was a massive energy weapon, charging and aiming at the squad.
"Disperse!" Talos roared.
The energy beam grazed past Calgar, vaporizing the mycelial carpet behind him into a glassy pit. The extreme heat even caused his armor to overload.
Elisa's Plasma Gun had no effect on the Titan. "Armor's too thick! Need more powerful firepower!"
Dorian had already switched to a missile launcher: "Taste this, big guy!" The missile hit the Titan's chest, but only left scorch marks on its carapace.
The Titan's second strike was more precise. The energy beam directly hit Dorian's position,
"No!" Calgar instinctively lunged at his comrade, his power armor at full output. He shoved Dorian aside, and the energy beam grazed his shoulder guard, instantly melting through the armor layer. Excruciating pain flared, but he didn't stop to check the injury.
Talos spotted a weakness: "Joints! Attack the joints!"
Under concentrated fire, one of the Titan's legs was blown off. The monster crashed to the ground, but was still alive, continuing to attack with its remaining limbs.
Just then, familiar Bolter fire came from deep within the pit. Those traitor Space Marines were firing at them!
"Under attack from three sides!" Elisa reported, "Recommend immediate retreat!"
But retreat was no longer possible. The swarm completely surrounded them, the traitors held the high ground, and the Titan, though wounded, was still a threat.
Calgar felt the Primarch's memories surge like a flood, not fragments, but complete tactical plans. Use the Titan's body as cover; throw smoke grenades at two o'clock; Calgar to snipe high-ground traitors; Catonia to suppress the swarm with heavy firepower; Sergeant to prepare melta bombs...
"Sergeant! I have a plan!" Calgar rapidly relayed the scheme.
Talos didn't hesitate: "Execute!"
The plan worked perfectly. Smoke obscured the traitors' vision, Elisa's precise sniping forced the traitors to take cover, and Dorian's heavy firepower temporarily suppressed the swarm. Talos threw melta bombs into the Titan's wounds, and the massive explosion tore the monster to shreds.
The shockwave cleared the surrounding swarm and also collapsed part of the pit's edge. The traitors were forced to retreat.
"Now! Retreat!" Talos ordered.
They charged towards the temporarily opened gap. Calgar suddenly felt his amulet vibrate violently, not a warning, but some kind of...call. From the deepest part of the pit.
"Sergeant! There's something down there! Some kind of...signal source!" Calgar yelled, "It might be the Adeptus Mechanicus' control device!"
Talos hesitated for a moment: "Calgar, Catonia, cover! Gaius, you have sixty seconds!"
Calgar leaped into the pit, his power armor absorbing the impact of the fall. The scene at the bottom was even more horrifying than above, the fusion of biology and machinery was more complete, and Tyranids could even be seen "printing" new mutants.
The amulet guided him to a relatively clean area. There was a device clearly not made by Tyranids, Adeptus Mechanicus style, but with House Horn markings. In the center of the device was a transparent container, inside which floated...
A brain. A human brain, connected by countless cables and bio-conduits. The brain was still active, emitting faint psychic signals.
Even more shocking was the label next to the brain: "Project Director: House Horn Genetic Sample X-1."
Calgar suddenly understood, this was the core of the weapon designed against his genes. House Horn had not only betrayed humanity, but was also using a living brain to control the Tyranids!
The device suddenly glowed red. The brain twitched violently, emitting a powerful psychic shockwave. Calgar was thrown back, his armor systems instantly overloading.
"Gaius!" Talos' voice came through the comms, "Status?"
Calgar struggled to his feet: "Found the control device! Need to destroy it!"
"No time! The swarm is back! Evacuate immediately!"
But Calgar knew he couldn't leave this device. He raised his Bolter, but the Primarch's memories warned, direct attack might trigger a psychic explosion.
The amulet grew hot again, offering a solution, cut off the power supply, priority: biological, mechanical, psychic...
Calgar shot precisely, severing the bio-conduits, then destroying the mechanical connections, and finally cutting the psychic crystal with his power sword. The device gave a final spasm, then shut down completely.
The swarm deep within the pit suddenly fell into chaos, losing unified command.
Calgar seized the opportunity to climb back to the surface. The squad was fighting hard, but the swarm's attacks had lost coordination.
"Orbital strike ready!" the pilot's voice came, "Evacuate to safe distance immediately!"
They sprinted at full speed, behind them the swarm descended into infighting. The Thunderhawk Gunship swooped low, its rope ladder extended.
"Quick! Quick!" Dorian was the last to climb the ladder, his Heavy Bolter still firing at the pursuers.
As the gunship rapidly ascended, they witnessed the spectacular sight of the orbital strike, macro-cannon shells falling like the hammer of a god, turning the entire hive region into a sea of fire.
But Calgar felt no joy of victory. The image of that brain was seared into his mind, House Horn had not only betrayed humanity, but was also conducting such blasphemous experiments.
On the journey back to the battleship, no one spoke. Everyone was immersed in the recent battle and discovery.
In the decontamination chamber, Apothecary Vorlak personally examined them. "Detecting anomalous gene contamination," the Tech-Priest's mechanical voice carried solemnity, "All personnel require additional purification procedures."
Sergeant Thayne waited outside the isolation window, his face grim: "Chapter Master Calgar needs an immediate report."
This time, the briefing room had several new faces, Inquisition representatives and high-ranking Adeptus Mechanicus priests.
Calgar reported his findings in detail, especially the brain control device. When he mentioned "House Horn Genetic Sample X-1," the Inquisitor suddenly looked up.
"Describe the detailed features of the brain container," the Inquisitor's voice was cold as iron.
After Calgar's description, the Inquisitor and the Tech-Priest exchanged glances. "It's the brain of Gregory Horn," the Inquisitor announced, "Former patriarch of House Horn, declared 'deceased' three years ago."
The briefing room fell silent. Even Talos showed a shocked expression.
Sergeant Thayne broke the silence: "This means..."
"It means House Horn is not only alive," the Inquisitor interjected, "but is also conducting forbidden experiments using their own patriarch's brain. This goes beyond heresy; it is outright demonic activity."
Chapter Master Calgar finally spoke: "Squad Seven, you have uncovered extremely vital intelligence. But you have also placed yourselves in extreme danger." He looked at Calgar, "Especially you, brother. That device was clearly designed for your genes."
After the meeting, Thayne kept Calgar alone: "Your performance far exceeded expectations. But the use of the Primarch's memories...must be cautious. The Inquisitor has already noticed anomalies."
Calgar touched the amulet on his chest: "Sergeant, that brain...it was calling to me. As if it knew me."
Thayne's expression became unusually serious: "Gregory Horn was once a genius of the Adeptus Mechanicus. He firmly believed that human evolution required the fusion of biology and machinery. The Chapter once...collaborated with him on a project."
Calgar was shocked: "Ultramarines collaborating with a heretic?"
"He wasn't a heretic then," Thayne sighed, "The project codenamed 'Genetic Immortality,' aimed at improving gene-seed stability. But Gaius unilaterally added forbidden content, attempting to directly fuse Astartes with machinery."
The Sergeant pointed to Calgar's black carapace: "Your high resonance might stem from that project. Gaius might have left a...backdoor in your genes."
This news sent a chill down Calgar's spine. Were his special abilities not a blessing from the Emperor, but the product of a heretical experiment?
When he returned to his quarters, Dorian and Elisa were waiting for him. Without a word, Dorian handed him an energy bar, not standard nutrient paste, but a special one with the scent of roasted fungal cake.
"The Tech-Priest in the kitchen made it," Dorian winked, "Don't tell the Sergeant."
Calgar took the energy bar, and suddenly felt a warm resonance from his black carapace, not from the Primarch's memories, but from the concern of his comrades.
Elisa softly said: "Whatever we discover, we face it together. Squad Seven lives and dies together."
That night, Calgar stood before the observation window, gazing at the star-filled sky. His origins, his abilities, his mission, everything was more complex than he had imagined.
But as he felt the presence of Dorian and Elisa in the adjacent cabin, and touched the warmth of the amulet on his chest, those doubts gradually subsided.
The Thunderhawk Gunship was ready to depart again. This time, their objective was clear, to track down House Horn and put a definitive end to their blasphemous experiments.
As he boarded, Calgar noticed several Inquisition representatives watching from a distance. Dorian patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, brother, if the Inquisitor gives us trouble, I'll 'reason' with them with my Heavy Bolter."
Talos glared at him: "Catonia, for the next mission report, write five thousand words on 'The Importance of Tactical Discipline.'"
Amidst Dorian's wails, the Thunderhawk's engines roared.
Calgar gripped his Bolter, his gaze firm. No matter what darkness lay ahead, he was no longer alone.The sword of Squad Seven would continue to strike down the Emperor's enemies.
The Thunderhawk Gunship violently bucked in the Warp's tumultuous waves, the wail of its engines and the groan of its armor plating intertwining into an unsettling symphony.
Gaius clutched his harness, knuckles white from the strain.
His black carapace subtly throbbed, not from fear, but from rage, the fury against House Horn's sacrilegious acts surging through his veins.
"Ten seconds to real-space jump!" the pilot's voice crackled with static, "Detecting strong interference field, prepare for hard landing!"
Dorian checked his Bolter's power pack, the metallic clang echoing in the cabin: "Heard House Horn's stronghold is tougher to crack than an Ork fortress.
Hope they've prepared a welcoming committee."
Elisa closed her eyes in concentration, her sensor interface directly linked to the gunship's systems: "Interference field pattern matches Adeptus Mechanicus sacred machine characteristics.
But energy readings... abnormal.
Mixed with biological energy signatures."
Sergeant Talos stood up, his power armor gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the red alert light: "Remember the mission priorities: secure experimental data, capture key Tech-Priests, and only then destroy the facilities."
His gaze swept over the three Astartes, "House Horn possesses critical technology against the Tyranids, no matter how blasphemous, it must be recovered first."
With a deafening roar, the Thunderhawk burst through the interference field.
Gaius looked through the observation window at the scene below, a metal fortress half-buried in a glacier, its architecture blending the rigor of the Adeptus Mechanicus with a certain organic, twisted feel.
The fortress surface was covered with pulsating conduits, gently rising and falling like blood vessels.
"Bio-mechanical fusion," Gaius murmured, "They're making the fortress alive."
The gunship struggled to land in the furious ice storm, and as soon as the hatch opened, frigid air flooded the cabin.
Temperature readings plummeted to minus one hundred twenty degrees Celsius.
"Power armor environmental protection systems activated!" Talos ordered, "Gaius, scan defensive arrays!"
Elisa's sensors blared a sharp alarm: "Omni-directional weapon lock! Bio-energy turrets!"
Dozens of gunports suddenly split open on the fortress surface, and scorching bio-acid rained down.
The Thunderhawk's void shield flickered violently under the acid's impact.
"The Emperor curse these heretics!" Dorian roared, "They're using Tyranid tissue to make weapons!"
Talos had already charged out of the gunship: "Assault formation! Gaius, cover left flank! Catonia, break through right flank! Gaius, jam signals!"
Gaius was the first to leap out, his Bolter spitting fire.
Every one of his precise bursts hit the turrets' energy nodes, the Primarch's memories providing instinctive ballistic calculations.
Half a degree to the right, avoiding the carapace's curve; an inch up, the biological core's position...
Dorian's heavy Bolter roared, tearing open the right flank's defenses: "Taste this, you perverted Tech-Priests!"
Elisa unleashed full-spectrum interference, and the fortress' automated defense systems immediately fell into chaos.
But something more unsettling happened, the destroyed turrets began to self-repair, fleshy, bud-like tissue rapidly growing from the wounds.
"Fusion of nanomachines and biological tissue," Elisa warned, "Regeneration speed exceeds expectations!"
Talos smashed a regenerating turret: "Assault the main entrance! Don't get bogged down!"
They charged towards the fortress' massive gate.
Gaius suddenly felt his amulet vibrate violently, not a warning, but a kind of resonance.
The mechanical locks on the gate actually reacted to his approach, emitting an unlocking hum.
"Sergeant! The lock is recognizing my gene-signal!"
Talos made an immediate decision: "Use it! But we destroy the locks immediately after we get inside!"
The gate slowly rose, revealing a terrifying sight within.
The passage walls were entirely composed of biological tissue, pulsating with a strange rhythm.
Mechanical devices were embedded in the fleshy walls like parasites, and cables crisscrossed like nerve bundles.
"By the Emperor," Dorian spat in disgust, "This place is alive!"
Suddenly, the walls split open, and dozens of modified guards poured out.
They wore House Horn private army uniforms, but their bodies had been fused with weapon systems, arms transformed into gun barrels, eyes into aiming sensors, spines connected to energy backpacks.
"Free fire!" Talos roared.
The roar of the Bolters sounded unusually muffled in the organic passage.
The modified guards' armor was surprisingly tough, ordinary Bolter rounds struggled to penetrate.
"Aim for the energy interfaces!" Gaius shouted, his meltagun precisely vaporizing a guard's back connection point, "Their power comes from outside!"
The tactical adjustment immediately took effect.
The squad concentrated fire on the energy interfaces, and the modified guards successively collapsed.
But more guards were pouring from deeper within the passage.
"They're endless!" Dorian reloaded his magazine, "Need a new plan!"
Gaius' Primarch memories suddenly flashed a complete tactical plan, melta-bomb blast through the left fleshy wall; Gaius unleash electromagnetic pulse; Catonia heavy fire suppression; Sergeant prepare for assault...
"Sergeant! Follow me!" Gaius was the first to charge towards the left fleshy wall, attaching a melta-bomb.
The explosion tore a huge wound, revealing the complex maintenance passages behind it.
The squad quickly dove in, Elisa setting booby traps at the entrance.
The passage inside was even more unsettling.
Surveillance eyeballs were embedded in the fleshy walls, turning as they moved; nerve-bundle cables hung down like vines, occasionally twitching to transmit signals; the air was filled with a mixed scent of preservative and decaying tissue.
"Detecting strong gene scan," Elisa warned, "They're tracking a specific target..."
Gaius suddenly felt a sharp pain, the sensation of his black carapace being invaded.
His amulet grew scorching hot, resisting the invisible attack.
"They're trying to control me! Through a genetic backdoor!"
Talos immediately ordered: "Gaius, full-spectrum shield! Catonia, protect Gaius!"
Dorian used his body to shield Gaius: "Don't you dare touch my brother!"
The end of the passage suddenly opened, and several Tech-Priests in white robes appeared.
Their mechanical appendages held some kind of emitter, not a weapon, but more like a medical device.
"Target gene sample confirmed," the leading Tech-Priest spoke with a mechanical, synthesized voice, "Capture directive prioritized."
The emitter fired not an energy beam, but a kind of nano-cloud.
The cloud ignored armor protection, directly penetrating and enveloping Gaius.
"Bio-nanomachines!" Elisa exclaimed, "Targeting specific gene sequences!"
Gaius felt millions of needles piercing every cell simultaneously.
His muscles cramped, vision blurred, and his black carapace blared overload warnings.
His amulet became intensely hot, fiercely resisting the nanomachines.
"Hold on, brother!" Dorian shielded him from subsequent shots, "Sergeant, think of something!"
Talos smashed a Tech-Priest: "Gaius, can you find a counter-frequency?"
Elisa rapidly operated her data-slate: "Requires sample analysis! Catonia, collect the emitter!"
Dorian charged forward through a hail of bullets, his power fist smashing an emitter, grabbing the wreckage and tossing it to Elisa.
"Analyzing... matching gene-lock characteristics... requires Gaius' blood sample!"
Gaius painfully extended his arm: "Take it! Hurry!"
Elisa unhesitatingly used a scalpel to cut through the seam of Gaius' arm armor, collecting a blood sample and plugging it into her data-slate.
"Frequency matched! Transmitting interference signal!"
A special electromagnetic pulse spread out, and the nanomachines immediately deactivated and fell away.
Gaius collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Medkit!" Talos ordered, "Immediate detoxification!"
Dorian provided cover while retrieving a medkit: "Hang in there, brother! When we get back, I'll teach you how to make Catonia stew, guaranteed a hundred times better than nutrient paste!"
After the antidote was injected, Gaius gradually recovered.
But his black carapace sustained permanent damage, the left side of his body responded sluggishly, and his Primarch memories became fragmented.
"Must... keep going," Gaius struggled to his feet, "I can feel it... the main laboratory is close."
They broke through the last line of defense and entered the fortress' core area.
The sight before them choked even the strongest Astartes.
Inside a massive spherical chamber, hundreds of cultivation tanks were neatly arranged.
Each tank contained a floating Ultramarine, some complete bodies, some severed organs, all connected to complex life support systems.
In the center of the chamber was a giant bio-computer, running some kind of simulation program with Astartes gene data.
"Gene-theft project..." Talos' voice trembled with rage, "They're experimenting on our brothers' bodies!"
Suddenly, all the cultivation tanks opened simultaneously.
The "specimens" inside opened their eyes, all were hollow and milky white.
They tore free from their tubes and lunged like zombies.
"The Emperor curse these heretics!" Dorian roared as he opened fire, "They desecrated our brothers' remains!"
But these were no ordinary zombies. They retained the combat instincts of a Space Marine, operating with mechanical precision. The squad was in a tough fight.
Gaius suddenly noticed an anomaly in the central computer, one cultivation tank was exceptionally large, and the body inside was remarkably familiar…
"Sergeant Thayne?!" Gaius exclaimed. It was indeed Thayne inside the tank, or rather, his clone, being infused with some kind of biomechanical nanoliquid.
Primarch memories suddenly flooded in, the computer core was at the top; energy conduits at the bottom; data interface at the third node on the left…
"Sergeant! I can shut it down!" Gaius rushed towards the computer, "I need to connect the Black Carapace!"
Sergeant Talos immediately ordered: "Provide full cover! Buy Gaius some time!"
Dorian and Elisa formed a crossfire, while Talos personally guarded the front of Gaius. The modified creatures surged in like a tide, and the roar of the Bolter was deafening.
Gaius inserted the Black Carapace interface into the computer. Instantly, a massive amount of data flooded his consciousness, not just experimental data, but also House Horn's entire plan: to create controllable Astartes-Tyranid hybrids, replace the existing Space Marines, and control the entire Imperium of Man…
Even more terrifying, the plan indicated that multiple Chapter Masters had already been cloned and replaced…
"Sergeant! We must warn the Chapter!" Gaius shouted, "Gaius' conspiracy has, "
A violent explosion interrupted him. The wall was blown open, and the real Sergeant Thayne led reinforcements rushing in: "Squad Seven! We're too late!"
And not far away, another identical Sergeant Thayne rushed out.
But Gaius noticed an anomaly, this Thayne's movements had subtle inconsistencies, and his eyes were too cold.
"Don't trust him!" Gaius urgently warned via private channel, "He's a clone!"
In the instant both the real and fake Thaynes froze, Talos unhesitatingly opened fire on the clone. Bolter rounds struck the clone Thayne's shoulder pauldron, revealing the biomechanical tissue beneath.
"Traitor!" the clone Thayne roared, his voice distorted, "You hinder the evolution of humanity!"
Full-scale infighting erupted. Real and fake reinforcements clashed, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Gaius, relying on his damaged Black Carapace, barely identified the clones, their psychic signatures were abnormally hollow.
"We must destroy the main computer!" the real Thayne shouted, "That's the control core!"
The squad charged towards the computer. The clone Thayne personally intercepted them, his Power Sword clashing violently with the real Thayne's weapon.
"Poor, primitive version," the clone sneered, "I am the perfect evolution."
The real Thayne's assault became even more furious: "You desecrate the Emperor's creation!"
While the two Thaynes were entangled, Gaius rushed to the computer. But the shutdown procedure required highest clearance, only a direct descendant of House Horn could provide it.
Gaius looked at his blood-stained gloves and suddenly understood the true purpose of that "genetic backdoor."
He placed his hand on the scanner. The computer immediately responded: "Genetic key confirmed. Welcome, Gregory Horn."
Primarch memories suddenly became exceptionally clear, not Guilliman's memories, but another person's… Gregory Horn's memories! That brain control device was not only controlling the Tyranids, but also transmitting Gaius' own memories to Gaius!
"No!" Gaius struggled to resist the memory invasion, "I am not you!"
The amulet glowed with unprecedented brilliance, helping him maintain his self. Amidst the torrent of memories, he found the information he needed, the self-destruct code.
The moment the code was entered, the entire fortress shook violently. The main computer began to overload, and the cultivation tanks exploded one after another.
"Self-destruct sequence initiated! Annihilation in ten minutes!" Alarms blared throughout the fortress.
The clone Thayne let out an enraged roar: "You've ruined a century of effort!" He repelled the real Thayne and lunged at Gaius.
The real Thayne intercepted him just in time, and the two identical warriors began their final duel. Power Swords clashed, sending out blinding sparks, gauntlets shattered armor, and blood and oil splattered.
"Now! Evacuate!" the real Thayne roared, "That's an order!"
Talos pulled Gaius up: "Squad Seven! Retreat!"
They rushed towards the exit, with the two Thaynes' life-and-death struggle behind them. At the corner of the passage, Gaius took one last glance back, the real Thayne plunged his Power Sword into the clone's heart, but he himself was also gravely wounded.
Explosions chased their footsteps. As they burst out of the fortress, the entire structure was collapsing. A Thunderhawk Gunship braved the gunfire to pick them up.
As they ascended, they witnessed the fortress' ultimate destruction, the annihilation reaction reduced everything to fundamental particles, leaving no evidence.
During the journey back to the warship, no one spoke. Everyone was immersed in the brutal battle and astonishing discoveries they had just experienced.
In the medical bay, Apothecary Vorlak repaired Gaius' Black Carapace damage. "Neural connections are permanently damaged," the Tech-Priest announced, "but an anomaly has been discovered, some kind of external neural network is compensating for the damage."
Sergeant Thayne, heavily wounded, came over: "Those are Gaius' nanomachines. They are merging with your Black Carapace."
Gaius felt a chill: "Will I become like them?"
"No," Thayne said firmly, "The Emperor's creation is stronger than the heretics' desecration. But you must learn to control this… fusion."
After the Chapter Master personally heard the report, his expression was more somber than ever: "House Horn's conspiracy far exceeds imagination. We must immediately cleanse our ranks, but with caution, we don't know how many more clones are lurking."
Gaius raised his biggest concern: "Chapter Master, if Gaius can clone Astartes… they might have infiltrated all Chapters."
After the meeting, Thayne handed Gaius a data chip: "This is some data salvaged from the main computer. About your… origin."
Gaius privately reviewed the data, shocked to discover the truth, he was not a naturally born child, but a product of House Horn's genetic engineering, intended as a perfect host. But his mother, the farm woman from Kronus IV, was actually a loyalist agent protecting him, and she paid with her life.
This truth almost broke Gaius. What was the meaning of his existence? A warrior of the Emperor or a tool of heretics?
When Dorian and Elisa found him, Gaius was staring blankly at the amulet his mother had left him.
"Listen, brother," Dorian said with rare seriousness, "No matter your origin, you saved my life three times, and that's enough."
Elisa nodded: "Squad Seven doesn't ask about origins, only recognizes brothers."
Sergeant Thayne also walked over: "Do you know why you were chosen for Squad Seven? Not because of your genes, but because of your choices, choosing to fight the Orks on Kronus IV, choosing to protect your comrades in training, choosing to destroy the fortress today."
The old warrior placed a hand on Gaius' shoulder pauldron: "Remember, a warrior's worth is not in his birth, but in his actions."
That night, Gaius stood by the observation window, gazing at the starry sky. His existence might have begun with a lie, but his mission was undeniably real. Touching the amulet his mother left him and the one on his chest, he made a choice, to continue fighting, not to prove anything, but because it was the right choice.
The Thunderhawk Gunship was ready to depart again. This time, the objective was clear, to purge the clone traitors within the Chapter.
As he boarded, Gaius noticed a subtle change in his Black Carapace, damaged areas were repaired by some biomechanical tissue, and its responsiveness was even faster than before.
Dorian whistled: "Whoa, brother, you're a bionic superman now!"
Talos glared at him: "Catonia, for your next mission report, write a ten-thousand-word essay on 'The Importance of Battlefield Discipline'."
Amidst Dorian's wails, the Thunderhawk engines roared.
Gaius gripped his Bolter, his gaze resolute. No matter where his genes came from, he was now a member of the Ultramarines' Squad Seven. That was enough.
The gunship burst out of the warship, heading towards a new battlefield. Stars streamed past the windows, like countless destinies waiting to be written.
And this time, Gaius would write his own destiny with his own hands.