Book 1 - The Defense of Firebase 342 Prologue An Inquisitor of the Imperium carries many burdens; the safety of Humanity, the threat of the Warp, the secrets within secrets within secrets... but the most terrible burden of an Inquisitor is the weight of their own memories, sealed away in the darkest corners of their minds; doubts and fears which accumulate, unspoken, until the mass of them threatens to collapse the mind like a dying star. Inquisitor Magnus surveyed the grim results of his work. As he had ordered, the garrison of Firebase 342 had been wiped out to the last man. He stared into the flames of the pyres; there were over a dozen heaps of burning corpses. These had once been Modrian Guardsmen, their commander, Colonel Haasen was of some reknown as an honourable and just man. Magnus had reviewed his file before signing the purge orders. He closed his eyes, trying not to remember the face of the creature that was no longer Haasen. His uniform, the manhood of a Modrian, was unkempt and soiled, his skin was pale and purplish. His hands had clawed at Magnus’ armour like a beast; but his eyes... it was the eyes that would haunt him; those eyes that were full of lustful rage and hunger – the eyes of the possessed. It was an Eldar, Farseer Val’Arien that had alerted him to the Genestealer infestation. Imperial dogma dictates that the alien is not to be trusted, but Magnus was no mindless zealot. His travels in the Outer Segmentia had taught him much. When the Farseer requested a meeting, the Inquisitor replied in the High Speech. The Eldar knew then that this was the man they sought; a man of wisdom as well as strength. One who would be up to the hard task that lay ahead. Magnus had gained the trust of these Eldar, and he would need them – he would need whatever he could get. Janus IV must hold – The Hive Fleet was fast approaching. The Eldar called it Khal’Feyd Shakkar; The Maker of Death. The Imperium at large was unaware of its existence – the Inquisition however, was quite aware of it; it was code-named Hive Fleet Kthulhu, a shadow-fleet that could strike deep into imperial territory with little warning. It was capable of extremely long ranged warp-jumps delivering a payload of vile abominations virtually anywhere; these jumps used a great deal of energy, and left the fleet vulnerable to counter-attack until it replenished itself. The Inquisition had been monitoring the Fleet’s movements closely, and responding with subtle adjustments to the deployment of the Imperial Navy; constantly ready to mobilize should the Hive Fleet move. Val’Arien had sensed the Hive Mind’s plan – a concentration of activity at a critical Naval Supply station on the planet Janus IV. He knew that the agents of the Imperium would not believe him without proof, so he had a team of Warp Spiders raid the base and take one of the possessed Modrian Guardsmen alive. Magnus could not deny it, even if he were to try. The orders were signed and he led the attack himself. A strike team of Draconian Legion Space Marines were sent in, led by Magnus personally. The infestation had spread further than was thought, and the fight was harder then anyone expected. The Marines would have been overwhelmed if not for the timely intervention of Val’Arien and a small but powerful force of Eldar Aspect Warriors. In the end, the Imperium was victorious, but barely. Only a handful of Marines survived, not enough to hold against what was coming, even with the aid of Eldar allies. Hive Fleet Kthulhu was headed straight for them, and requests for reinforcements had been answered with a rag-tag force of Imperial Guardsmen. Col. John Pengelly of the Praetorian Guard had answered the distress call with a small but mighty band of stalwart soldiers, far too few to hold against what was coming. His ship had happened to be in the area by accident; the request for aid had never reached Imperial Command. Magnus suspected enemies within enemies; it could well be that there was another hand at work from within the Inquisition, but that matter would have to wait. First Magnus would have to survive the trap that had been laid for him. First he would have to face the Tyrannids. End of Prologue by Dylan - April 24, 2001