A Foul Discovery

Coteaz awoke in a strange chamber; connect to an array of tubes and pipes. The walls were made from a white, ceramic material. Everything in the room was spotlessly clean.

The room was filled with surgical and life support equipment. Whatever had happened to him had been serious enough to warrant a great deal of medical care. The Inquisitor noted it strange that despite the work surfaces being covered in these tools, the glass fronted cupboards were bare.

These facilities would not be available to a normal inhabitant of Varlislia or the wider Imperium. This chamber must be reserved for the aristocracy.

With a hiss the door opened. A tall, gaunt figure appeared, covered in an array of bionic implants, the most striking of which were the greasy mechadendrites forcing their way out of his spine. Coteaz could not see the figure’s legs move – he looked as though he glided effortlessly across the marble floor.

Coteaz looked around. Everything around the chamber looked expensive. ‘Little wonder why Trantor had fallen behind with Varlislia’s tithes.’ he thought to himself.

“You were very fortunate to be alive” Trantor continued. “Chaplain Cassisus informs me that Calgar himself was beaten by a remarkably similar creature.”

“How did I get here?” The Inquisitor replied.

“The Swarmlord left you dying, but fled before she could deliver the final blow – you have your Paladins to thank. They slaughtered dozens of those bugs to create a perimeter around you. Their Stormraven extracted what few survivors remained, including your good self.”

“What news is there from the rest of the relief force?”

“Cassius and his Ultramarines have made planet fall, and encountered xenos almost immediately. Without vehicle support they were weakened, but clung on. They are still out in the field, looking to press home their advantage.”

“And the Wolves?”

“Something troubling, Inquisitor. Their planetfall revealed an unknown truth to us. It is not only the Emperor’s Servants and Tyranids present here on Varlislia. Some of the Wolves landed near an old temple, thought to have been abandoned for Millenia. They stumbled upon a ritual being performed by traitor astartes, led by a Daemon Prince. Whilst the vengeance of the Emperor delivered was enough to clear the immediate vicinity, we fear that this runs much deeper – they are likely to be back in force.”

Coteaz absorbed this new piece of information. The situation had suddenly got increasingly grim, but he was still confident that he could rescue Varlislia; his Grey Knights specialised in dealing with such abominations.

“Trantor, have my men informed that I intend to return to the field imminently; the xenos and traitor filth need to be cleansed, and there is no time to lose! At present, they have control of much of the planet. We need to force them back to regain territory and distance them from your people!”