†Aren't you a bit too paranoid? You're fighting bugs, not the forces of Chaos!†
The Overmind let out a helpless sigh. To have to guard against infiltration even when fighting simple "bugs"—what kind of mindset did this commander have?
In truth, Brigadier General Hyral and most of the defenders hadn't even considered the possibility of Zerg infiltration. It was only Ares' instinctual sense of wrongness that had led him to fire that experimental shot. Aiming a weapon at an ally carried severe consequences; Ares had already mentally prepared himself for a grueling investigation by the Inquisition and a potential sentence to serve in the Deathwatch.
Fortunately, his guess had been correct.
"The enemy possesses mimicry capabilities?"
"It's not surprising. They also have units capable of stealth."
Ares still remembered nearly being assassinated by a cloaked Lictor (though he misidentified it as a blade-and-axe bug). Ironically, the Zerg Swarm currently lacked any true stealth units; otherwise, they would have infiltrated unseen long ago.
"If they had infiltrated earlier, it would have been disastrous."
With so many people in the base, they couldn't exactly shoot everyone they suspected. Ares agonized over this; if the enemy was a mimic that only revealed itself upon death, they were in real trouble.
"Transmit the intelligence on these known enemies immediately. If any managed to escape and multiply elsewhere, we must be alerted."
However, they were out of time.
Ares felt a sharp tremor beneath his feet. One by one, the other Space Marines of the Hands of Judgment also sensed the rhythmic vibration from below. A sense of impending doom welled up in their hearts.
Ares turned to Hyral. "Does the base have subterranean defenses?"
"Of course. This facility sits on a foundation over fifty meters deep, constructed from reinforced plasteel and concrete. These bugs couldn't possibly break through..." Hyral paused, then added, "...not in a short time."
"Then they have likely already hollowed out the ground beneath us."
"Hollowed out" was an understatement. Even the massive plasteel foundations were being breached layer by layer by Nydus Worms. Theoretically, Nydus Worms could chew through Xel'naga temples; a human fortress was merely a matter of time.
The vibrations grew closer—now less than ten meters below the surface. Ares bellowed a new command.
"All units, prepare for combat! Hold your posts! Watch the ground—they could breach at any moment!!!"
Mere minutes after he spoke, the floor of the primary artillery battery shattered. The massive form of a Nydus Worm erupted from the earth, towering over the defenders before slamming its bulk down. From its cavernous maw, waves of Zerglings and Banelings poured out, interspersed with Hydralisks.
"Enemy breach! They're inside the perimeter!"
"Prioritize the Nydus Worms!"
This was Ares' first time seeing such a creature. The Tyranids had Mawlocs and Trygons, but they weren't this large, didn't act as transports, and certainly couldn't chew through hardened steel foundations.
The Space Marines prioritized their fire on the Nydus Worm, but Kans was no amateur. He moved a screen of Zerg units in front of the worm, using their bodies to block the bolts meant for the transport creature. It was crucial to note that Nydus Worms were not as durable as they appeared.
"Give me a melta charge! For the Emperor, I'll blow this thing myself!!!"
With a melta charge in one hand and a power sword in the other, Ares charged the Nydus Worm. But as he ran, before the first worm could be slain, the ground shook again. A second Nydus Worm burst through the floor nearby.
"A second one?"
It wasn't just a second. A third, a fourth, a fifth... even behind the two entrenched Baneblade Super-Heavy Tanks, Nydus Worms appeared. A deluge of Zerg flooded the base through these living tunnels.
The defensive lines were instantly fragmented into isolated pockets. By the time Ares successfully detonated the melta charge and destroyed the first worm, he realized the entire front had collapsed. While the Space Marines could barely hold their own ground, the PDF had been decimated in the initial ambush. These mortal troops were essentially one-shot kills without cover, unable to stand against the Swarm in close quarters.
Even Brigadier General Hyral was surrounded.
"My failure... is this base going to fall because of me?"
Ares hacked through the Zerg, consumed by self-reproach. He had been too overconfident, relying on his previous experience. Because the Tyranids he knew hadn't used such subterranean tactics, he assumed his current enemy wouldn't either. Yet even if he had known, what could he have done? Subterranean attacks were nearly impossible to defend against; even pre-laid mines couldn't stop that many Nydus Worms.
A single Nydus Worm was enough to break a line; ten were a death sentence.
"Consolidate the line!" Ares shouted, finally regaining his composure. "They are many, but they are not invincible! Their defense and attack are within tolerable limits! Do not fear them! We are the faithful servants of the Emperor! Exterminate the enemies of the Imperium! FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
The shattered morale was partially restored by Ares' speech. Morale truly affected combat effectiveness; the Space Marines noted that the internal intruders lacked heavy armor. Zerglings were manageable; only the Banelings were a true threat. With the Astartes' marksmanship and PDF support, Banelings were picked off before they could close in, causing only minor casualties.
†I've already made it this far, you think I'll let you hold on? None of you two hundred Space Marines are getting away. Every single one of you... die!†
More Nydus Worms breached the surface. The artillery positions were now a ruin of cratered concrete. These new worms began vomiting Roaches and Hydralisks, putting immense pressure on the surviving Astartes.
Ares himself was surrounded by over a dozen Roaches. He had to dodge their razor claws while simultaneously watching for their acidic spit. His Company Champion fought desperately to protect him, but the Roaches were too numerous. For every one they killed, the Nydus Worm spat out another. Despite his legendary prowess and reflexes, the Champion was eventually swarmed and pinned.
One by one, the Hands of Judgment fell. As their numbers dwindled, their defensive perimeter shrunk until it vanished. Ares looked around; between the desperate swings of his blade, he saw his brothers disappearing. Brigadier General Hyral had been slaughtered, his body torn into multiple pieces.
The defense of the Hands of Judgment had failed—utterly and completely.
"This is Captain Ares of the 4th Company, Hands of Judgment. This is my final transmission. Our base has been overrun. The enemy possesses siege capabilities beyond our imagination; they breached from beneath the foundation directly into our core."
Ares' power sword was stained crimson with Zerg blood. His proud yellow armor was covered in so much gore it no longer shone.
"I have transmitted the data. I hope the other Companies learn from our end. I cannot retreat, and I will not retreat. For the Emperor! Xenos! Face your death!!!"
Ares charged a Roach in a final, suicidal dash.
Ten minutes later, all sounds of resistance within the base ceased. This days-long siege had ended in a Zerg victory. A Roach stood atop the corpse of a Hands of Judgment Marine—a classic, grim image of the 41st Millennium.
†Tough nut to crack. I thought about catching a few alive for the Infestors to control, but forget it.†
Using Infestors on Space Marines seemed like a poor trade-off in resources given their sheer ferocity. He would wait for a Dreadnought to try that.
At that moment, Abathur spoke.
"Overmind. Considering frequent orbital bombardments, have improved the Spore Crawler. Now capable of launching biological projectiles into near-orbit."
†What about the planetary shield?†
"Research requires... more time."