The Cradle of Despair
An unofficial expansion to Games Workshop’s Space Hulk

By Peter “Gotthammer” Gorman

Miniature design by the Citadel Design team: http://www.games-workshop.com/

Map tiles, briefing page layouts and page borders by Games Workshop, used without permission.

Corridor scenery and furniture by Ainsty, supplied by Old Crow:

http://www.oldcrowmodels.co.uk/aiproducts.htm

Additional scenery by Fenris and Armorcast, supplied by Hasslefree Miniatures:

http://hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/

All miniatures and scenery painted by the author.

All art and photography by the author, except illustrations on pages 3 & 12 :

• Exorcist Grand Cruiser diagram by artist unknown, from Battle Fleet Gothic expansion “To Cleanse
the Stars – Vessels of the Imperium” by Games Workshop, used without permission.
• Herbert the Genestealer by Melissa Giumelli.
• Hybrid Life Cycle by Paul Green, Genestealer expansion by Games Workshop, used without
permission.

Marine profile pictures taken from Fallout: Tactics by Micro Forté and published by 14 Degrees East, used
without permission

Thanks
Special thanks to Richard Halliwell for designing Space Hulk in the first place and everyone else in the credits
of every edition of the game. Additional thanks to Mel, Vash and Da Boyz from Da Hill for putting up with me
constantly rambling about this for the last year or so. Further special mention to Vash and Pauly for play testing
and proof reading.

This game supplement is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited.

Adeptus Astartes, Blood Angels, Bloodquest, Cadian, Catachan, the Chaos devices, Cityfight, the Chaos logo,
Citadel, Citadel Device, Codex, Daemonhunters, Dark Angels, Dark Eldar, 'Eavy Metal, Eldar, Eldar symbol
devices, Eye of Terror, Fire Warrior, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Genestealer,
Golden Demon, Gorkamorka, Great Unclean One, Inquisitor, the Inquisitor logo, the Inquisitor device,
Inquisitor:Conspiracies, Keeper of Secrets, Khorne, Kroot, Lord of Change, Necron, Nurgle, Ork, Ork skull
devices, Sisters of Battle, Slaanesh, Space Hulk, Space Marine, Space Marine chapters, Space Marine chapter
logos, Tau, the Tau caste designations, Tyranid, Tyrannid, Tzeentch, Ultramarines, Warhammer, Warhammer
40k Device, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia,
characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either
®, TM and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2010, variably registered in the UK and other countries
around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their
respective owners.
Contents
Page
Introduction 1
The Rainbow Warriors 2
The Cradle of Despair 3

Rules Changes 6

New Units
Chaplains 8
Techmarines 9
Captains and Lieutenants 10
Genestealer Hybrids 13
Hybrid Magus 14

Mission Introduction 16
I: C.A.T.S. in the Cradle 18
II: Recon Force 22
III: Paranoid 26
IV: Paved in Blood 32
V: Mind Over Matter 36
VI: Stalemate 40
VII: Cold Embrace 44
VIII: Backs to the Wall 48
IX: Power Failure 52
X: Hybrid Hunt 56
XI: Momentum 60
XII: Seal the Breach 64
XIII: A-Train 68
XIV: Kil Kil Kil 72
XV: Race Against Time 76
XVI: A Light in the Darkness 80
XVII: Die Standing 84
XIX: Meltdown 88
XX: This Vehicle Makes Wide Turns 92
XI: Throne of Despair 96

Epilogues 100

Design Notes 106

Hobby 108
On the edge of human space lies a region
known as the Eastern Fringe. It is the furthest
reaches of the Imperium, located on the far
side of the galactic core to Holy Terra, and is
often lawless and subject to long periods of
isolation.
During the Age of Strife the Eastern Fringe
suffered greatly. While the western reaches of
the galaxy were quickly re-united under the
banner of The Emperor it would be many more
years until the Imperium reached the isolated
worlds in the east.
Terrible wars had been fought, humanity
against the terrors of alien attack - man against
man in petty civil wars. But worst of all were
the unknown horrors that came from beyond
the stars, aeons old.
Drifting silently for untold years in the warp
aboard Space Hulks the Genestealers could
strike anywhere at any time with little
warning.
On the Eastern Fringe the Imperial Fleet is
spread thin, battling Orks, the expanding Tau
empire and the tendrils of Kraken and
Behemoth. They have no resources to spare to
track down a possible hulk in the depths of
space.
The Hulks had to be stopped, and only the
marines of the Adeptus Astartes were able to
match the Hulk’s sudden appearance and face
Genestealers in the twisting corridors and
corroding passages.

The breed of beast known as Genestealers had

been known for some time as an insidious
pest, but it was not until thousands of years
passed that their true nature was revealed.
Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus
still debate if the Genestealer is originally a
creature of the Hive Fleets, or simply absorbed
into the genetic makeup as-is.
This is the tale of one such action carried out
It matters little, as what previously had meant
by the Space Marines of the Rainbow Warriors
death to a world through infection and blood
Chapter aboard the Hulk known as The Cradle
now meant death to systems and sectors at the
of Despair.
jaws of the Tyranid Hive Mind.

Y
It is with this new, terrible, knowledge that the
terror of Genestealer infestation had to be
fought with a new urgency. When a brood
took deep enough root in a planet’s society it
would call to the Hive Mind, summoning the
world consuming fleets to feed. Costly wars
and loss of resources would be the best
outcome.

The Rainbow
Warriors
The Chapter of the Rainbow Warriors is based
on the primative world of Prism located at the
inner curve of the Centaurus Arm in the
Ultima Segmentum.
The Chapter was founded by the survivors of a
group of Death Strike marines who were
marooned on the planet when lost in a warp
storm in M32. The local populace were under
attack by Eldar raiders and held a belief that
the Sun Emperor would send His Angels of
Light to save them, as He had in the past
(fragmentory evidence recovered suggests the
Ultramarines had discovered the planet during
the Great Crusade). After defeating the Eldar
and sealing their Webway portals, the stranded
marines set to work rebuilding themselves
anew.
The planet Prism
Over time the Marines recovered as best they
could, reaching nearby systems, but were
hampered by a lack of Astropaths and
Navigators in going further. This would last
until a Rogue Trader made contact and they
were united with the Imperium, some 2500
years later.
The ‘newly’ founded chapter quickly set about
establishing its worth, patroling space lanes
and enforcing Imperial Law in the often
lawless east. They proved able and willing,
eager to flex the military muscle they had been
building up fo two and a half millenia.
Each company, save the 1st and 10th is an
independent battle company and totally self
sufficient, a lesson learnt by the Chapter’s
unusual founding. The crashed Death Strike
battle barge formed the centre of the Chapter’s
command structure and logistical efforts, its
cargo bays originaly laden with equipment to
help found the Death Strike’s fortress
monastary. Subsequently the Rainbow
Warriors were not short on arms and armour
when rediscovered.
Rainbow Warriors on patrol
The Chapter had produced a full company’s
worth of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, and
was ready to use it with the Terminator Corps
of the 1st Company. These are the warriors
who stand ready to intercept pirates, alien
raiders and the dread Space Hulks. Clad in
Terminator armour and armed with the finest
weapons available they among man’s greatest
defenders.
The company is based aboard the strike
cruisers Dawn of Final Doom and Star of
Judgement, and the bases the Heart of Stone
and Relay Station 6 to cover as much space as
so few can. It is only in times of the greatest
need that the whole of the Terminator Corps
comes together to face their foe united as one.

The Cradle of
Despair
The hulk known as the Cradle of Despair was
first identified in the later part of M35. It was
originally an Exorcist Grand Cruiser,
converted to a colonial transport, that had
vanished some time in M33 near the Sabbat
Worlds under unknown circumstances.
When it re-appeared it was discovered drifting
in proximity to the world of San Leor in the
Mordant zone. A navy party boarded the
drifting vessel and discovered the reason for
its dissapearance: Genestealer infestation.
Due to the proximity to the Ultima and
Tempestus Segmentum HQs nearby forces
scrambled to intercept the vessel, including the
Sky Sentinels Chapter, but the ship dropped
back into the warp before any assault could be
made.
It was not seen again for another two thousand
years, and when it re-emerged from the warp it
was immediately set upon by the Tigers
Argent and Thunderheads Chapters.
When they boarded the twisted vessel they
discovered the previously thin ranks of
Genestealers were swollen and joined by
swarms of hybrids.
Clearly the ship had been in hiding, infecting
an unsuspecting world before picking up its
terrible cargo. The marines also discovered the
vast colonial transport bays had been refitted
into massive cryo-storage bays, holding many
more hybrids and purestrains in stasis.
The boarders succeeded in damaging many of
the ships critical systems, including its sensors
and main drives, but were forced to evacuate
when the hulk once again plunged into the
warp.
It was only the timely notice by a Thunderhead
Librarian of the suddenly shifting warp
currents that the attacking marines were not
lost along with the ship.
The Cradle of Despair continued to work its
way in a roughly north easterly fashion,
though it has no doubt appeared to infect many
worlds unknown to the Imperium.
The main body of the ship is still mostly intact
and recognisable, and is quite small for a space
hulk. It retains some control of its movements
when in real space. These combined would
allow it to easily slip past complacent orbital
stations to infect worlds at will.
p
There would be numerous suspected
encounters, but no confirmed contact until late
in the year 525.41 by the Rainbow Warrior’s
cruiser Star of Judgement.
++ Star of Judgement confirming, auspex
contact at CJG942-43. Moving to intercept and
pursue. ++
firepower he had to hand, his troopers must
face the horrors within. Only by claiming vital
data could they establish where the hulk had
travelled previously and where it had likely
spread its poison.

++ Vessel not responding to hail. Scan

commencing. ++
D
There were several unknowns in the equation:
the hulk was almost certainly rigged with
++ All units to red alert - identity of vessel
sensors to wake part of its monstrous crew
confirmed as Cradle of Despair, known
upon the detection of intruders, but how many
Genestealer carrier. ++
would be awoken and how quickly could
determine the course of the attack.
++ Dawn of Final Doom, Heart of Stone, and
Relay-6 responding. Continuing pursuit. ++

A flurry of Astropathic transmissions passed

as much information as was available from the
Librarium to the Star of Judgement on the
previous boardings. The Sky Sentinels and
Thunderheads had succeeded in shutting down
the cruiser’s fire control systems and destroyed
the main engines. The warp drive was
damaged, but there was no conclusive data on
whether it could be activated to make another
sudden escape.

Although the enemy vessel showed no signs of

activity they could not be sure if its sensor
arrays, previously damaged by Imperial Navy
attacks, had been repaired in the subsequent
millennia and it was well aware of their
presence, and the chitinous hordes within
would be waiting for them.
The state of the ship was also a mystery. They
Aboard the Star of Judgement Captain “Chief” had data from the previous assaults, but seven
Schliemann of the 1st Company Terminator thousand years had passed so there was no
Corps waited as patiently as he could manage. telling how the interior had changed in the
The only responding vessels so far were a trio intervening centuries.
of light cruisers and the six terminators from
With this in mind a direct torpedo assault was
the Heart of Stone, the Corps’ base on Prism.
out of the question, a subtler approach would
He knew that even though the Cradle of need to be taken.
Despair could be easily dealt with by raw

Capt Schliemann (SoJ)
• Any word from the Dawn?
Chap DeSilva (HoS)
• None as yet, last word we  techmarine and reconnaissance squad aboard
recieved was that they were six  to deploy C.A.T.s, small scout robots that
hours away.
Capt Schliemann (SoJ)
• We don't have the time to wait 
for their arrival. Ready a team  ++ Squad Ripper at standby. ++
and deploy the C.A.T.s
Chap DeSilva (HoS)
• Yes, Captain.
• The Emperor Protects.
Capt Schliemann (SoJ)
• The Emperor Protects.
• ++Disconected++
Chap DeSilva (HoS)
• Lieutenant Hawkins.
1stLt Hawkins (HoS)
• ++Connected++
• Yes Chaplain?
Chap DeSilva (HoS)
• Outlaw, the operation is a go.
• We will bring the Light of the 
Emperor to the darkness.
1stLt Hawkins (HoS)
• It shall be so.
• Death to the xenos.
This seemingly benign conversation would
decide the fate of entire systems. Failure to
secure the hulk would mean it would infect
countless other worlds, while success could
yield its path of contamination.
The decision was made to teleport a
could infiltrate the vessel and be safely
collected later. They would attempt to drop
them into major service ducts, giving the
robots access to the whole hulk.
++ Praise The Emperor, immortal protector of
mankind. ++
++ We follow Him into the shadows, and fear
not. ++
++ His strength is with us. ++
++ We cannot fail. ++
It was not without risk, the teleportation would
likely wake some of the genestealer from their
slumber, but hopefully less than a full scale
boarding would for greater long term gain.
Vital knowledge would be gained if
successful, such as the location of power
systems, viable docking areas and, most
importantly, the details of the cryo-storage
areas housing the foul cargo of hybrids.
Four Rainbow Warriors would pit themselves
against the entire hulk, and the course of the
campaign would be determined by their
actions.
A
++ Teleport commencing. ++
++ Bring light to the darkness. ++
Rules
Changes
The Timer
The timer is judged in a different manner in
the Cradle of Despair campaign than in the
main rulebook. Rather than a fixed amount the
timer varies dependant on the number of
Sergeants and Officers on the board at the
beginning of the Marine player’s turn.
The Marine player starts with a timer of two
minutes only to complete his turn. For every
Sergeant, Librarian or Chaplain on the board
he adds another 30 seconds. Lieutenants add
45 seconds, and Captains another minute.
For example: A Marine player with a Sergeant
and Lieutenant on the board would receive
three minutes and fifteen seconds to complete
his turn (2:00 + 0:30 + 0:45 = 3:15).
The longest a Marine player can have for their
turn is capped at four minutes. Also the
Marines only receive the bonus time if the
character is on the board at the start of their
turn. Should a character die during the
Marine’s turn (by falling down a ladder or
losing assault for example) the time bonus is
not lost until the Marine’s next turn.
It is recommended that the Genestealer player
reminds the Marine player at regular intervals
of the time remaining, and counts down the
last thirty seconds (laughing ominously or
maniacally is optional, but recommended).
Also stopping the timer when a rules query or
interruption occurs is advised.
The Genestealer has no time restriction as per
normal.
++ Move! Move! Move! ++
++ Four to the left! Hurry up with that
suppression!++
Reloading
The Cradle of Despair allows for the heavy
flamer to be re-loaded mid game and uses a
slightly modified method of reloading.
Reloading the heavy flamer or assault cannon
costs 4APs or CPs as per the main rulebook.
However this is split into two separate actions
of 2APs each.
First the empty ammo canister is detached,
costing 2APs. The weapon is now unloaded.
Unloaded weapons clearly cannot fire in any
capacity.
The second part is to attach the fresh
ammunition at a cost of 2APs. The assault
cannon follows the normal rules for being
reloaded as found in the main rulebook. The
heavy flamer gains back its six shots with no
penalties incurred.
This allows the reloading to be performed as
two actions, rather than one 4AP one.
Weapons may obviously only reload with the
correct type of reload, however if two models
have the same type of weapon one may give
another a reload following the rules for objects
in the main rulebook (although the reload is
destroyed if the model carrying it is slain).
Example: Trooper Shukri is out of ammunition
for his flamer (and has expended his own
reload). Trooper Bodan has a full flamer and
a reload. Bodan moves to Shukri at the cost of
3APs, and being adjacent uses her last AP to
pass the flamer reload to Shukri.
Flamer and Thunder
hammer Self
Destruct
A flamer or thunder hammer wielding Marine
may self destruct their weapon as a last resort.
A flamer must have one shot of ammunition
remaining (and loaded into the weapon). At
the cost of 2APs or CPs the Marine Player
may declare they are self destructing the
flamer. Remove the flamer trooper
immediately as a casualty.
The force of the explosion is so powerful that
all models are hit as per a normal flamer hit,
but any failed kill rolls may be re-rolled. The
room is then considered on fire as if it had
been flamed normally.
The thunder hammer may be self destructed at
the cost of 1AP or CP. Remove the thunder
hammer marine immediately as a casualty.
The explosion effects the whole board section,
destroying any Marine or door on a roll of 4+
and Genestealer on a 2+. If there is a model
behind a door, but on the same board section,
roll to see if the door is destroyed. If it is roll
for the model behind the door as the blast
carries past the barrier. If the door is not
destroyed the model behind the door is
unharmed.
“TV, we’ve got hostile forces inbound,
multiple blips converging on your location.”
“They must be held.”
“Roger that Command.”
Thu ‘TV’ Vukasan stepped forward into the
intersection of the two tunnels, the glow from
his suit lights disappearing rapidly in the
darkness.
Gauntleted fists tightened around the haft of
his thunder hammer as auspex returns pinged
in his headset. Genestealers, at least a dozen
by the size of the blips, coming at him from
three directions. He turned awkwardly in the
confined space and shut the bulkheads to his
sides, and watched as the blips diverted their
course. He stepped backwards into a combat
stance as the rapport of the auspex quickened.
He could see them now, a glimmer of chitin
and claw flashing in the darkness.
A note on Marine
Equipment
It must be noted that players should read the
mission descriptions carefully. Whereas the 3rd
Edition standard missions use the same
characters for ever mission the same is not true
for this campaign.
For instance in the 3rd Edition missions feature
a Sergeant with a thunder hammer and a
Marine with lighting claws, but this campaign
has Marines armed with thunder hammers and
Sergeants with lightning claws. Similarly not
every Sergeant has a power sword, some have
power fists.
The main rulebook has all the relevant
modifiers, just be sure to check they are added
correctly.
d
The first threw itself at him wildly, its claws
raking sparks from his storm shield as the
hammer cracked through its skull. He had no
time to pause, slaying the second with his
return stroke. The third lunged with its talons,
but Thu brought the edge of his shield down,
pinning the beast’s arms to the ground before
pulping its body.
So it went, killing one after the other, the
corridor becoming slick with blood and gore.
But more came, ripping through the bulkheads,
teeth bared. Stepping forward he swung
wildly, killing with every stroke.
“Mission complete, pull back Trooper!”
But there was no chance to escape, they were
on him, claws digging into his armour, teeth
clamped on his shield arm, holding it down.
Thu smiled as he swung his hammer one last
time, and his world exploded in white fire.
NEW UNITS Chaplains in games
Chaplains are equipped with a storm bolter,
The Chaplain Crozius Arcanum and Rosarius. The Chaplain
is also a fierce fighter, so rolls one die and
Chaplains are a vital part of every space
adds +1 to their score in assault, regardless of
marine Chapter, and this is no different in the
facing.
Rainbow Warriors.

They function as inspirational leaders and

moral guides to the other troopers. A Chaplain
must be steadfast and resolute where others,
even a Space Marine, would falter. They hold
fast a faith in the Emperor’s great plan for
them to cleanse the galaxy of the impure
mutant, the tainted heretic and the hated xenos.

This is no different (and perhaps even more

vital) when the Terminator Corps goes to war
– on the eve of battle each trooper meditates
on their duty to the Emperor, and many seek
Chaplain DeSilva aboard the Shadow of Hate
out their Chaplains for guidance. It is no little
burden; to be tasked with the spiritual strength The Crozius Arcanum
of the Chapter’s greatest warriors, but the
blood of the Emperor flows in each marine’s The Crozius Arcanum is the Chaplain’s
veins and gives them strength. symbol of office and authority. It is also a
powerful weapon, destroying armour and flesh
with ease.

The Chaplains of the Rainbow Warriors tend
to be less outwardly zealous and bombastic
than many of their brethren. This is mostly due
to their different interpretation of the Emperor:
He is viewed within the chapter as a mortal
man, the perfect culmination of humanity.
They see themselves as his inheritors, the last
true guardians of humanity and the Emperor’s
will.
It follows the same rules as the Power Sword,
found in the main rulebook.
The Rosarius
The powerful force field of the Rosarius
protects the wearer from great harm, whatever
the source.

In the example of His great duty and sacrifice
they guide the troopers of the chapter to
emulate His greatness in mind and body and
Chaplains embody this belief totally.
When at rest Chaplains are teachers and
scholars, but when called to battle can always
be found where the fighting is fiercest - their
crozius and storm bolter in hand, bringing the
light of the Emperor to the unworthy.
When attacked count the die roll as one lower
than it actually is (though never lower than 1).
For example a genestealer rolls 5, 4 & 1 while
the Chaplain rolls a 4+1 – a 5. Normally this
would be a draw, but the Genestealer’s score is
modified to 4, 3 & 1, so the Chaplain wins.
When facing the Broodlord the scores are
modified before being added together.
The Techmarine
Techmarines are an everyday part of life
within a Chapter – they maintain weapons,
armour and equipment, as well as tending to
vehicles and Dreadnoughts.
But first and foremost they are warriors. When
the Terminator Corps boards a hulk its more
technically minded brethren don their armour
and step into the boarding torpedoes.
It is not only to provide logistical support, but
vital tactical assets such as specialist
equipment and skills. Many times a stranded
squad has been rescued by the timely
reactivation of an ancient elevator shaft or
deactivation of old security systems.
Techmarines in Games
A Techmarine is equipped with a storm bolter
and either an Auspex or Photon Launcher.
They roll a single unmodified die in assault.
The Auspex
The Auspex is a powerful scanning device
incorporated into a Power Fist, so follows the
standard rules for that weapon as well as those
listed below.
If there is a Techmarine equipped with a
scanner the marine player can scan one blip for
a cost of one AP or CP. There is no distance
measurement or LOS required though only one
blip may be scanned per Techmarine per turn.
When a blip is scanned it is immediately
turned over, revealing its value, then turned
face down once again.
This is not a conversion, though if the
Broodlord is available and a ‘3’ is revealed the
Genestealer player can elect to place it as an
involuntary conversion.
The Photon Launcher
The Photon Launcher is a short range grenade
launcher, firing illuminating shells. It is
incorporated into a Chainfist, so follows the
standard rules for that weapon as well as those
listed below.
The Photon Launcher is fired in the same
manner as the Heavy Flamer (targeting a board
section rather than a model), with a range of
12 squares at the cost of 1AP. This cannot be
combined with a movement action.
Any model in the affected section must roll to
see if it is blinded. Each model, friend of foe,
must roll a D6 – Marines are blinded on a 5+,
Genestealers on a 3+. The effect is blocked by
closed doors, but not other models.
Blinded models loose half their APs in their
next turn, though CPs can be used by blinded
marines as normal. Additionally a targeted
Marine automatically looses Overwatch or
Guard, regardless of if he was blinded or not.
Captains and
Lieutenants
The Terminator Corps is lead by several
Captains and Lieutenants. Each is not only a
masterful warrior but a superb tactician and
inspirational leader.
A Captain seldom takes directly to the field,
instead staying in the rear to co-ordinate the
attack and defence of all the squads in battle.
They provide vital guidance to the squad
leaders and feed them tactical data from every
available source.
But when they do take to the field of battle
their enemies tremble as one of the most
accomplished warriors of mankind has come
to face them. Seldom do many opponents
stand against a Terminator Captain.
Lieutenant Hawkins engaging the enemy.
Second to the Captain are the Company’s
Lieutenants, themselves great leaders and
warriors in their own right. Within the
Rainbow Warrior’s Terminator Corps they are
the elite of close quarters fighters drawn from
the best the Chapter has to offer. Each has
years of combat experience and has excelled in
environments such as mines, star ship interiors
and hive cities.
Many are drawn from hives themselves, or are
simply the most vicious individuals up close
and personal the Chapter has to offer.
Regardless of the source each has an affinity
with dark, restrictive, unknown battlefields –
the battlegrounds of the Terminator Corps.
Lieutenants in games
Lieutenants are equipped with a Storm Bolter,
Power Sword or Power Fist and an Iron Halo.
They also have the Commander ability. In
assault the Lieutenant rolls one die and adds
+1 to their result when fighting to their front.
Iron Halo
The Iron Halo is a symbol of authority and
leadership. It is also a potent energy shield,
protecting the wearer from harm. It follows the
same rules as the Chaplain’s Rosarius, found
previously.
Commander
Lieutenants are some of the greatest tactical
minds in the Chapter. To represent this when a
Lieutenant is on the board the marine player
may re-draw the Command Point token in the
same manner as for a Sergeant. The re-draw
may only be done once, regardless of the
presence of a second Lieutenant or a Sergeant.
Additionally the Lieutenant gives the marine
player one extra CP per turn, meaning they
will have from 2-7 CPs. If the Lieutenant is
killed this CP is not lost until the Mission
Status phase.
Captains in Games
Captains are equipped with a Storm Bolter,
Power Sword and an Iron Halo. They also
have the Supreme Commander ability. In
assault the Captain rolls one die and adds +2 to
their result when fighting to their front.
Supreme Commander
This is the same as the Lieutenant’s
Commander ability, but gives +2 CPs per turn.
The two abilities do not stack however, so
there is a maximum of 8 CPs available per
turn. If the Captain is killed and there is also a
Lieutenant on the board the marine player still
gains +1 CP per turn.
Company Sergeant Gunnvarr „Gunner‰ Yadiz
The mostt commonly enccountered form m of the Genesttealer is the Genus
G Stealerus
us Priogenor, oor “Purestrain
in”. It is
described as being almoost as tall as a fully grown man, but hunc nched over on powerful
p legs. It has a humaanoid
head, thoough this is by no means absoolute (variatioons with tentaccle maws and others have beeen observed). The
T
creature also
a bas four manipulator
m liimbs, two clawwed, and two with
w human haands. It is worrth noting thatt the
Purestraiin Genestealer has little abillity to work teechnology, althhough they cleaarly understandd it.

It is for this
t reason thee Purestrain Genestealer
G is often
o accompannied by its fouul hybrid offspr
pring. As they progress
through thhe four stages they become more
m human, and a gain Hum manity’s affinitty with the MMachine Spiritss of more
complex devices
d than siimple doors annd hatchways.
Genestealer Hybrids When a fourth generation hybrid breeds (in the
and Brood Brothers normal human manner) it will spawn either
tainted humans, a hybrid form or even a
The most dangerous facet of Genestealer purestrain Genestealer. With more purestrains
infestation is that after several generations pass being born the cancer will spread faster and be
it becomes impossible to easily distinguish the impossible to cut out.
infected from normal humans. Once the taint
has spread further than a few hosts the
Genestealer clan will include not only the
hybrid creatures but their enthralled human
kin.

Genestealer Life Cycle

When a purestrain Genestealer infects a human

host it alters the victims DNA and imposes
what Ordo Xenos Inquisitors believe to be a
form of psychic dominance over the host. This
induces an intense desire to reproduce in the
host, an act that passes the infection on to all
they come in contact with.

When the child is born it will be a deformed

monster, part human, part Genestealer. Most
will have the distinctive elongated heads,
hunched posture, plates of bony carapace and
extra clawed arms. The parents will not notice
this and will instinctively hide the child away. The Extended Family

This child has the same infective properties as
the purestrain creature, although their children
will be more human – only one additional
limb, a more human appearance overall but
still clearly bestial.
The next generation will be able to move in
open society, with a more upright gait, no (or
only vestigial) extra limbs and a more human
mentality. Thankfully this third generation is
often sterile, and still clearly abhorrent to look
at when examined closely.
It is the fourth generation that signals the
doom of an infected planet. These hybrids
appear almost normal, but are frequently tall
and heavily built with a piercing gaze.
Extremely charismatic (likely through subtle
psychic manipulation) they worm their way
into positions of power, posing as politicians,
merchants and religious leaders.
It is not only the Hybrids that present a grave
threat to mankind, but the infected hosts and
their kin.
It is often the case that once infected a human
will only produce one hybrid offspring, the
rest being normal humans. Other cases have
been noted where the infected produce many
hybrids.
Either way any non-hybrid children will be
born into the Genestealer’s “family”, and will
share the same psychic bond with their mutant
siblings as their parents. These Brood Brothers
go on to infiltrate the military and government
of the planet, leaving it ripe for conquering.
The brood often masquerades as a harmless
cult – shunning excess by living a life of
isolation and wearing all concealing robes.
The simple message is often about piety to
elders and revering children. This draws in the
unwary to become new hosts, whilst
maintaining an air of legitimacy to avoid the
prying eyes of Imperial authorities.
The Magus
The head of this cult is initially the first human
infected under the control of the purestrain
(known as the Patriarch in this case).
However once a fourth generation hybrid is
born they take the reins as the Magus.
Intensely charismatic and almost always
powerfully psychic they can easily dominate
those around them.
The rise of a Magus will swell the numbers of
the brood exponentially, and destroying the
threat may prove impossible by this point,
leaving exterminatus the only option.
m
Hybrids in Games
Hybrids are seldom encountered on Hulks, but
occasionally they will be found outside the
confines of cyro-stasis. This is often the
precursor to an invasion as the more human
appearance allows for easier integration into a
unsuspecting society.
Hybrids and Brood Brothers
Hybrids and Brood Brothers are treated as
being the same unit for game purposes. They
enter play as blips and are revealed as normal,
though there will be special rules associated
with this found in the mission description.
Each Hybrid has 6APs and moves in the same
manner as a Genestealer.
In assault the Hybrid rolls a single dice, but
subtracts 2 from the result as they are nowhere
near as powerful as a purestrain. Any result
less than 1 is treated as a 1, so the combat
always has a chance to tie.
Example: A Hybrid assaults a Marine armed
with a power fist. The Hybrid rolling 1D6-2
comes up with a 1 and subtracts 2 for a total
of -1. This is treated as being a 1 however.
Fortunately the Marine, clearly overconfident,
also rolls a 1 and the combat is a tie.
When shooting at a hybrid the Marine’s dice
rolls are treated as being the same as for
normal Genestealers. Hybrids are more agile
and smaller targets so any gain in killing
power is balanced out by their being harder to
hit accurately.
Even though many hybrids may be modelled
carrying weapons they are considered either
non-functioning or not powerful enough to
have any hope of injuring a Space Marine in
terminator armour.
Author Note: I decided against armed hybrids
as it would make things far too complicated
and slow the game down. This is the same
reason Hybrids use Genestealer move points
and damage rolls.
The Magus
The magus follows all the rules for Hybrids
given previously, but also has access to
psychic powers.
The Magus may only use psychic powers
when on the board, not as a blip. Also by
virtue of being a powerful psyker the Magus is
immune to the Psychic Storm power.
The Magus has 15 Psi Points per game, to
spend on the following powers:
Monstrous Strength
For every Psi Point spent, to a maximum of 3,
the Magus increases the score of their assault
by 1. This gives the Magus a maximum roll of
D6+1. The Magus does not need to declare if
he is using Psi Points until both players have
rolled their dice.
If the Magus is in close combat with a
Librarian the player who is being attacked
must decide to use any Psi Points before their
opponent.
Example: A Magus assaults a Librarian. The
Magus rolls a 5, the Librarian a total of 4. The
Librarian must declare how many Psi Points
he is expending before the Magus decides.
Obviously with the Magus being capped the
Librarian has an advantage, but if either is
low on Psi Points it becomes relevant.
The following powers are used at any point
during the Genestealer phase, and do not count
as actions. The Magus may only use one per
turn, and must have enough Psi Points
available.
Shadow of the Brood
The Magus extends the power of the Brood
Mind and confounds the Marine’s scanners.
At the cost of 4 Psi Points the Genestealer
player may swap any two blips on the board,
so long as they have not been activated. They
may both be activated as normal after being
swapped.
Catalyst
Calling on the will of the Patriarch the Magus
energises his kin to action beyond their
fearsome norm.
Pick any one Genestealer of Hybrid within line
of sight to the Magus. They immediately gain
2APs to use immediately, even if they have
already been activated. This costs 2 Psi Points
to use.
Firestorm
Calling forth the terrible powers of the warp
the Magus projects forth a great wall of fire.
This power costs 6 Psi Points, and is a
persistant area effect weapon in the same
manner as a heavy flamer. Affected Marines
are killed on a roll of 4+, Genestealers on a
roll of 6+. The flames block line of sight, and a
model moving in the room takes a hit every
square they move through.
The vac-suits clad figure darted past her
vision. It had only been a glimpse but the
deformed shape and gait meant only one thing.
“Hybrids,” Sergeant Yadiz growled. It
rounded the corner ahead, a boxy autogun in
its hands. Tracer rounds streaked down the
corridor deflecting from her armour in a
shower of sparks. Seeing the futility of its
attack the creature ran, a third clawed arm
raised high. Stepping forward to meet the
mutant she clenched her fist, ready to strike.
Yadiz grunted as the talons tore at her helmet,
smashing out an optic. The power fist came
down and pulverised the unholy mix of man
and alien. The Sergeant felt the carapace crack
under the force of her blow, the hybrid
crumpling to the deck in a ruined heap.
“Target eliminated,” she voxed.
Blood and ichor oozed between her fingers as
she swept her storm bolter down the corridor.
“No contacts, continuing advance.”
 This represents the most you will need at any
Mission one point. For instance there are two separate
Lightning Claw armed marines, one a Trooper
Introduction the other a Sergeant. However they are never
Firstly, to play this campaign you will need the in the same mission together so only one
following miniatures: model is needed.

Genestealers

•
Loads of Genestealers (including a
Broodlord).
6-12 suitable figures to represent
Y
Four of the final five missions use two sets of
Genestealer Hybrids.
floor tile to make their maps. Should you only
• One Hybrid Magus.
have access to one set of tiles my suggestion is
to either cut the campaign short (not ideal) or
play the mission on a similarly themed map.
Space Marines
For example Meltdown can be played on the
• One Captain with Storm Bolter and Power Failure map with a little modification
Power Sword (in fact they represent the same part of the
• One Lieutenant with Storm Bolter and hulk, so one is an expanded view of the other).
Power Fist
• One Chaplain with Storm Bolter and Obviously some adjustments would need to be
Crozius made to the forces involved such as the
• One Librarian with Storm Bolter and number of Marines and the number of blips
Force Axe per turn or things could get very crowded very
• One Techmarine with Storm Bolter fast – which leads into...
and Auspex
• One Techmarine with Storm Bolter
and Photon Launcher Game Balance
• Two Sergeants with Storm Bolters and
Power Swords I’m a busy guy - I’ve created this campaign in
• Two Sergeants with Storm Bolters and my spare time between working full time night
Power Fists shifts. This has basically meant not a whole lot
• Two Marines with Heavy Flamers and of time for play testing. Fortunately Space
Hulk is a very forgiving game for that – a
Power Fists
single jammed overwatch roll can spell failure
• Two Marines with Assault Cannons
for the Marines. Similarly a good CP draw can
and Power Fists
make the Genestealers day a bad one.
• One Marine with Storm Bolters and
Chain Fist With that in mind I did attempt to keep things
• One Marine with Lightning Claws as fair and challenging (for both sides), but if
• One Marine with Thunder Hammer you find a particular mission impossible I
and Storm Shield won’t be offended if you change things up to
• Seven Marines with Storm Bolters and keep the game balanced (or adjust to suit
Power Fists miniature availability).
The Missions
This campaign is written as a story driven one
– each mission’s success or failure determines
the course of the campaign, and the objectives
change with it.
Each mission has an introductory story, setting
the context for the game, and giving some idea
of the Marine’s situation.
This is followed by the briefing page which
lists the forces, their deployment, the game’s
special rules and victory conditions.
The last page of each mission is the map page,
which is fairly self explanatory.
H
The Mission Tree
Each mission’s victory conditions mentions
which game to play next. This is determined
either by:
• Genestealer Victory (purple)
• Draw (white)
• Marine Victory (blue)
As per the Space Hulk rulebook consult the
victory conditions during each end phase to
determine if they have been met. Some
missions have a draw condition similar to a
victory, but with another clarifier.
Example: Mission III: Paranoid is a Marine
Victory if they kill the Magus, but a draw if the
Magus and Librarian are killed. The game
only ends once the Magus is killed, but if the
Librarian has been killed at this point the
Marines only score a draw.
Mission I: certainly the best candidate. McKenzie was a
relative newcomer to the Corps, but was an
C.A.T.S in the experienced soldier and highly skilled
Techmarine.
Cradle
There would soon be a battle the like of which
Capt Schliemann (SoJ) had not been seen in his lifetime. A fully
infested ‘stealer hulk like this was thankfully
• Ripper, the briefing is being  rare, and rarer still the opportunity to board it.
downloaded to you now.
The Captain had faced Genestealers before,
recently in the purging of Hive Girthens nine
Mst. Sgt. Lambrinos (SoJ)
years ago, but never on a hulk. There they had
• Standard C.A.T. drop then?  a complete advantage – the vacuum could kill
No worries, Chief. even a Marine with sudden decompression,
they could move swiftly while the Terminator
Capt Schliemann (SoJ) Armour would be restricted in the confined
spaces.
• The intelligence is vital to the 
campaign , the C.A.T.s must  Most importantly they would know the
be deployed if we are to  corridors inside and out, with millennia to
succeed in time. explore and plan ways to repel intruders. The
Marines were going in blind. Unless they
Mst. Sgt. Lambrinos (SoJ) could deploy the miniature scout robots into
• Roger that, Chief. the long defunct ventilation system that is. The
C.A.T.s would seek out power sources and
other anomalies before reporting back. Then
Tk. Trp. McKenzie (SoJ) the Marines could direct their forces to where
they could do the most damage and gain the
• I'll keep him in line, no heroics  most knowledge of the enemy.
for now.
Standing, Schliemann turned to his bondsman
attendant.
Capt Schliemann (SoJ)
• Good. You go in fifteen. “Ready my armour, we go to war.”
•And Ripper, try not to wake up 
the entire hulk this time, ok?

Mst. Sgt. Lambrinos (SoJ)
• I make no promises.
p
• ++Disconected++ The blue glow faded, in its place four heavily
armoured figures. They stood in a circle facing
outwards, weapons at the ready. White light
Captain Schliemann closed the data terminal,
shone from each suit casting stark, angular
exhaling slowly. “Ripper” Lambrinos was a
shadows on the walls. Spots hung in midair,
somewhat unpredictable hothead, but as a
flecks of dust floating immobile in the airless
recon leader he was unequalled. And if anyone
vacuum displaced by the Marine’s arrival.
was going to make first contact with an
unknown number of Genestealers he was “No returns. Sound off” voxed Ripper.
“No returns. Diesel.”
“No return. Umlaut.”
“No returns. Stone Cold.”
“Roger that, setting nav point A here.”
Ripper worked his suit’s systems quickly,
laying a navigation marker in the data file for
their arrival, and hopefully extraction, point.
“Setting nav markers for the projected course,
Diesel on point, Umlaut rearguard. Stone
Cold, you’re the cargo so you’re in behind
me.”
“Roger that, Ripper.”
The four marines moved around each other
before manoeuvring down one of the winding
corridors in single file. Ripper focussed on his
footing having little idea of the path ahead
with his vision blocked by the bulk of his
squad mate.
The only sounds were the rhythmic hiss of his
rebreather and the single ping of his auspex
every five seconds. So far there were no
returns sounding back. But he knew it
wouldn’t last. The silence was shattered by
Diesel announcing there was a bulkhead
ahead.
The corridor fanned out into a larger room
and the squad spread out into a defensive
perimeter.
“Stone Cold, check for traps.”
“I’m on it.”
The Techmarine approached the bulkhead, a
heavy blast door of toughened adamantium.
She deftly detached the control panel, tiny
mechandrites connecting with the door’s
machine spirit.
“The Machine Spirit is still active, and
undamaged, though the door’s mechanism is
unpowered.”
“So we must be smashing the door through
then?” queried Umlaut, flexing the fingers of
her power fist.
“Looks like it, but some of the doors ahead are
wired to an alarm system of some sort. It’ll
trigger something as soon as they’re opened.”
Ripper frowned, as the doors highlighted on
his HUD’s map. Not ideal, but a clever
defence to summon defenders against the
unwary.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it” he
said. “Cut it down.”
He stepped back as Stone Cold powered up her
chainfist, the saw toothed saw spinning in a
field of white energy. She brought the weapon
down against the door and its surface melted
apart like butter. White hot sparks showered
over the red and blue armour of the
Techmarine and cast a flurry of wild, erratic
shadows about the room. There was no sound,
but Ripper felt the vibrations and a dull rumble
echo through his feet.
Within moments the door teetered and fell and
the whole space seemed to shake.
“Move out, same order.”
It was just as the last Marine stepped through
the door that Ripper heard the rhythm in his
suit break. Then it broke once more, and once
more after that.
“Multiple contacts ahead,” sounded Diesel.
“I got ‘em.”
“I too.”
“Looks like this won’t be a simple drop after
all,” the Sergeant smiled.
“Safeties off, fire at will.”
f
Mission II:
Recon Force
++ Ram shields engaged. ++
++ Brace for impact. ++
The boarding torpedo slammed into the hull of
the Cradle of Despair, the bullet shaped prow
peeling the ancient armoured sides apart with
ease.
The five Marines within exited quickly,
weapons at the ready. Long range scanning
had shown an increase in activity since the
small, disastrous, incursion an hour ago. Four
troopers lost for zero gain. A grim air of
purpose hung over the squad as they
disembarked. If the assault on the hulk was to
be more than a bloody war of attrition the
Rainbow Warriors needed more information.
The previous attacks had yielded data on the
layout of the vessel, but that was collected so
long ago as to be highly suspect, especially
when the risks were so high.
With the loss of the C.A.T. delivery team
Captain Schliemann adopted his secondary
plan – to send a squad to reach one of the
vessel’s data core nodes and transmit
everything they could before pulling back to
form a defensive perimeter for further assaults.
The data from the Cradle’s systems would not
be as reliable as that gathered by the Marine’s
themselves, but they would no longer be
totally blind.
p “Roger that.”
“Form up squad, advance at good pace but
watch for traps and pitfalls.”
Eli “Mo” Moslav was one of the oldest serving
members of the Terminator Corps, and was at
the command of one of the most veteran
squads. Each member was a lone survivor
from their former team and that was their
bond: they endured.
Advancing with a precision that only came
with practice and skill, they needed no words
as they performed the manoeuvres exactly as
they had hundreds of times before.
++ Distance to target 0.920. ++
++ Multiple contacts on auspex. ++
++ Our strength is pure. ++
d
Moslav squeezed the trigger and half a dozen
shells spat from the storm bolter’s barrel in
less than a second. The Genestealer ahead of
him exploded in a shower of gore and chitin.
Advancing cautiously he checked his auspex.
It was alive with activity, the beasts coming
from every angle, but each was alone and
circling the Marines warily. Clearly they had
not realised the Adeptus Astartes had returned
to finish the job.
Ahead he saw Rolldown and Winger, the glow
of the latter’s heavy flamer providing a beacon
to follow.
“Continue the advance. Full pace, don’t give
them a chance to group up.”
The two Marines disappeared into the
darkness, silhouetted by their suit lights. His
helmet display showed his four teammate’s
views, twisted piping ripped from the ceiling
exposing tangles of cables and jagged spurs
loomed into view on Rolldown’s view.
Though no lethal trap on its own, the debris
could entangle a Marine, making them easy
prey.
“Sir, obstacle ahead. Proceed or go around?”
“Tear it down Trooper, but be wary. Needles,
move up to cover on the inner corridor,
Wheels stay on rearguard.”
The Marines voxed their acknowledgements,
and Rolldown began tearing at the cables and
pipes with her powerfist. They all came loose
with ease and the way was cleared in
moments.
“No resistance on them, Sir, they weren’t
connected to anything. I think we’ve been set
up. “
“Agreed. All Marines, form up tight and
advance on the target, we’re going to have
company.”
++ Distance to target 0.394. ++
++ Contacts increasing, focusing their
strength. ++
++ Weapons ready, we face death without
fear, victory without doubt. ++
“Four coming your way, Wheels. Needles, to
the left. Overwatch!”
A flare of orange light ahead signalled Winger
incinerating more of the ‘stealers, the flames
holding the right flank of the advance as the
others passed by.
The flamer trooper fell back into line behind
Moslav, the burning junction to be covered by
Wheels as the back facing rearguard.
Needles was ahead his bolter flaring brightly
as it fired. Resistance around them was fading,
but more xenos were gathering ahead, and in
greater numbers.
But they were close now, there would be no
stopping them.
“Objective in range, Sir.”
“Acknowledged, Trooper.”
Moslav checked his ammunition one last time
before they entered the final engagement area.
Full magazine ready, he was going to need it.
“Advance as you’ve been trained, full cover,
stick together. For the Emperor and the
Chapter.”
 Name Schliemann, Hillard AM 381
Rank Captain CK 1847
SN 120952-3 WR 7
Comp 1-0 Honours IH, CT, MC-VII, IS-VIII, IL-
GSC 4241 VI, PS-V
ƒ Recruited on Prism 565341.41.
ƒ First action against Ork raiders on Tarellen Sigma 738348– MC awarded.
ƒ Deployed to 4-5-2 on 758348.41.
ƒ Promoted to Squad Veteran on 592350.41 after Vassarian war.
ƒ Battle for Junction City 231362.41. Takes command of squad 4-5 after death of Vet
Sgt Tugott and rallies defenders to victory. Loses left arm – MC awarded.
ƒ 232362.41 Promoted to Sergeant.
ƒ Leads four year guerrilla operation “Switchback” against rebel logistics
981371.41 – awarded IS. Seconded to 1st Company, Recon Corps, 551377.41.
ƒ Awarded IS and MC during fighting in Hive Staturorus 871381.41.
ƒ Accepted into TDATC 042382.41- Awarded Crux Terminatus aboard Tau vessel TFL-
tedhts.
ƒ Promoted to Sgt (1st Co)645390.41 after action aboard Ork hulk Justice of Death.
ƒ Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant (1st Co) 573400.41 after defence of Kynard Shipyards .
ƒ Awarded IH and Promoted to 1st Lieutenant (1st Co) 812431.41 during Gorgoth War.
ƒ Commands retaking of Rassarian Manufactorums from Eldar raiders 897478.41. MC, IS,
IL awarded 199506.41 for actions during assault on Fort Ironbone.
ƒ Promoted to Captain (1st Co) 003516.41 during cleansing of Hive Girthens, Bartlet V.

Name Castonne, Ilsa AM 165

Rank Chaplain (DeSilva) CK 882
SN 121249-4 WR 5
Comp 1-0 Honours CT, MC-V, IS-IV, IL-X, PS-
GSC 3982 XII
ƒ Recruited on Hope Springs 876457.41.
ƒ Deployed to 5-1-1 532464.41.
ƒ Awarded IL 359472.41.
ƒ Promoted to Squad Veteran 5-2-2 on 421472.41.
ƒ IS, IL awarded during actions on Fortress Hill, Yisen Uprising 873475.41.
ƒ Inducted into Chaplainry, 5th Co 908475.41
ƒ MC, IL awarded during Dantillies Cluster Raid 412476.41
ƒ MC,IS, IL awarded after battle at Phorus Mines 129477.41.
ƒ Accepted into TDATC - awarded Crux Terminatus 897478.41 during retaking of
Rassarian Manufactorums.
ƒ Promoted to Sergeant (1st Co) 241483.41 after interdiction of renegade battle barge
Muldoon’s Pride of the Savage Vipers Chapter.
ƒ Inducted as Chaplain DeSilva (1st Co) 657500.41 after death of previous Chaplain
during action aboard hulk Shadow of Hate.
ƒ IS, IL awarded 199506.41 after assault on Fort Ironbone.
ƒ Leads counter attack against Ork raiders during The Groxian Shootout 358511.41. MC,
IS, IL awarded.
ƒ MC awarded 003516.41 during cleansing of Hive Girthens, Bartlet V.

 
Mission III:
Paranoid
The grainy images filled the pict-screen: dark
corridors and twisting service ducts. The
C.A.T. was making good progress, and had
already highlighted several critical areas. But
the Marines still had no primary targets,
nothing to unleash themselves on with
purpose.
Until the last transmission that is.
Captain Schliemann waited impatiently for the
others to arrive. Lieutenant Hawkins and his
command team were already assembled in the
briefing room. They were at ease but filled
with an anxious tension. He didn’t blame
them, a Genestealer Hulk was something only
encountered once every hundred years or so,
and not something taken lightly.
Hawkins was newly promoted, but there was
none more suited – a hive worlder by birth, the
close confines of a Hulk were his natural
habitat. Tall and lean, the Lieutenant had a
fierce, determined manner about him. His skin
would have been a tanned olive shade had he
got more sun, but he was pallid from the time
spent in space.
Leaning over the holo-table, he examined the
data retrieved by the recon team. He was in his
ready uniform, midnight blue fatigues over his
body glove, and could be ready for battle in
fifteen minutes.
Company Sergeant Yadiz was a native of
Prism, like Schliemann. But where he came
from the equatorial peoples she was from the
southern mountains, a fierce tribe of skull
takers. She waited impassively with her hands
behind her back, no sign of emotion in her
cold eyes. Unlike her commander she only
wore fatigue pants over her body glove. Not
only did it expose her powerful physique it
revealed her augmetic arm. She had lost it
some 45 years ago against Eldar at the retaking
of the Rassarian Manufactorm, Schliemann’s
first command operation.
Lastly there was Sergeant Stibbardo. The
shortest of them all he was also the stockiest.
Another hiver he was unusual that he lacked
their generally dour demeanour and was
always laughing and never seemed to take
things seriously. Schliemann knew him well,
as he did all his troops, and he was a good
team leader but he didn’t know why Doc had
requested him.
The Captain couldn’t help but crack a smile as
he saw Hawkins pondering something with his
hand on his chin, while Stibbardo looked over
his shoulder and stroked his moustache with
exaggerated thoughtfulness.
Finally the door to the command room entered
and the last member of the briefing arrived.
l
Walking quickly down the hall the Marine
paused. He could feel the Broodmind
beginning to stir from its slumber, the ancient
intelligence rising up again and blocking out
all other thought.
Shaking away the cloud he continued and
entered the briefing room. Captain Schliemann
nodded to him, “Conrad.”
“Captain,” he nodded back.
Hawkins looked up from the data streams on
the briefing table, the green glow of the table
illuminating his face with a ghostly light.
“Lore Master Neemias.” His voice was deep
and flat, but the psyker could sense the faint
anxiety in the air.
“The one and only Doc Morbid!” Neemias felt
a slap on his back as Sergeant Stibbardo
greeted him exuberantly. That was what he
was counting on.
The only one who said nothing was Yadiz, but
that was her manner and he took no offence.
She was a friendly, almost boisterous person
outside of combat. But once a mission was
underway she was all business.
“To business,” the Lore Master said, indicating
the holo-table. The Marines gathered round as
Neemias keyed up the new data. First to
appear was a map – a series of corridors and
ladders leading down to a small, isolated
room.
“This is the most significant discovery the
C.A.T. has made so far,” Schliemann began,
“and one of the most important of the
campaign.”
“What is it?” Stibbardo asked the obvious.
Neemias changed to a pict capture taken from
the C.A.T. showing a single cryo-pod in the
darkness.
“The Hybrid Magus, one of the highest
priority targets on the hulk.”
“Can we be sure?” asked the ever practical
Yadiz.
“Not 100%,” the psyker admitted, “but there is
precedent. On the hulks Death of Sympathy
and Blood of Unholy Fear the Magus was
found in an almost identical manner. There are
records from half a dozen other hulks to
indicate similar situations, though we only
have fragments of those reports.”
The Sergeant nodded, satisfied. Stibbardo
slapped his hands to his thighs and looked
around the table.
“Well, what are we waiting for then?”
G
++ Teleport complete. ++
++ Zero contacts. ++
++ Moving to engagement area. ++
The squad was making good time, and so far
had encountered no signs of activity. But
Neemias couldn’t shake the feeling they were
being watched. Fortunately Stibbardo was
keeping up the chatter with his squad to keep
the disquiet at bay.
“I mean who names these things?” he was
saying to nobody in particular. “Cradle of
Despair? Spawn of Execration? Monolith of
Woe? It’s defeatist if you ask me.” He paused
as he descended a service ladder. “They should
call them something like ‘Wreck what’s full of
guys who’s asses are going to be kicked’.”
There was a chorus of laughter as the squad
came to a T-junction.
“Ok Doc, which way? My scanner’s getting all
sorts of crazy feedback here.”
The Lore Master paused. He had memorised
the entirety of the data stream down to the
tiniest detail. Knowing which way to turn
shouldn’t be something he should need to
think about... “They know we’re here!” he
called out.
“Weapons free, weapons free!” Stibbardo
sprung into action. “Vulture overwatch on our
tails; Diva, BMOC, pick a side; TV on point!”
In an instant the marines were in a ready
position for any incoming attack. But the
scanners were still clear. Neemias exhaled
slowly and stilled his mind. No, it was a trick...
something to keep them on edge, slow them
down.
“Sergeant, the Magus is still in cryonic
suspension but his mind is reaching out to us.
We must be cautious that we do not jump at
shadows so readily.”
The Marine turned to face him as best he
could, the dim light glinting off of his optics.
“So basically be on constant alert but don’t
assume everything we see is real. Even though
it could be?”
“Yes, pretty much,” Neemias sighed.
Stibbardo shrugged, the bulky armour
struggling to match his movements. “No
worries, Doc, just another day in the Corps.
Ooo-rah!”
“Ooo-rah!” his squad sounded back.
BMOC roared in pain as the talons punched
through his armour into his thigh even as he
slammed his storm bolter down on the
stealer’s head. Falling to one knee he swept his
The psyker smiled under his helmet. This was
exactly why he’d picked Stibbardo. The
Thunderhead’s Librarians had reported that
they had attempted to reach a heavily defended
location that reports indicated was the very
chamber the Rainbow Warriors were now
trying to breach. They had been forced back as
some malign force seemed to create an air of
paranoia and confusion amongst their forces.
Neemias had banked on Stibbardo’s carefree
attitude giving him almost a shield of
ignorance. His squad was similarly ideal.
“TV” Vukasan was dumb as a sack of rhyto-
chrys, so just killed things without thinking too
much about it. “Vulture” Bodan was a member
of the Field Police and her faith in the
Emperor gave her a measure of protection.
“Diva” Turnen and “BMOC” Toivo were
grunts through and through, and would follow
Stibbsy in anything he ordered. While not the
most respected team in the Corps, they were
what they needed right now.
power fist down, severing the creature’s hand.
Vulture stepped past him roaring devotional
litanies, her flamer spewing death. “Faith in
fire brother! The Emperor is with us!”
Mission IV:
Paved In Blood
Chaplain DeSilva reached for her Rosarius.
Picking up the heavy gold chain she lifted the
eagle shaped medallion over her head and felt
its weight around her neck.
It was heavy, designed to be worn in armour,
but the burden was a comforting one. It
reminded her of the weight they all carried,
their inescapable duty to mankind. Pulling her
long black hair from under the chain DeSilva
thought of her own duties. She longed to be in
the thick of combat again, to feel the rush of
adrenaline and the joy of seeing His enemies
crushed. But she had other, greater, duties that
came first.
The teleport chamber was large, but the ten
massive figures made it seem almost
claustrophobic. Sergeants Mostav and
Jorgensen waited with their squads, armour
sealed, weapons in hand – all that was needed
was for the fire in their spirits to be lit.
They were to enter the hulk and seek out the
ship’s logbook. With it the Imperium would
know what planets the Cradle may have
infected with its taint over the long centuries.
Previous assaults had failed to reach it, but this
time the Emperor’s servants would prevail.
The Chapter would follow the hulk’s spoor
and destroy anything it had tainted.
“Enemies of the Emperor hide in the shadows.
They fear the light He bears – the light of
humanity. Go into the dark places and bear His
light aloft and with it destroy the foes of
Mankind.”
The Chaplain slowly walked along the line of
Marines. Each bowed slightly as she passed
and marked their helm with a small dab of
ground crystals taken from the Chapter’s home
world.
“The opponents of His will and His glory are
many, they are an ancient and terrible foe
intent on your deaths. But take heart as He is
with you and His hand guides us all. Within us
we carry the blood of the great Dorn, His own
mighty son. We are of his kin and follow His
great example, he made us in his mighty image
to do His works.”
The room hummed with static tension as the
teleported powered up. The great cables and
power coils that filled the room flowing with
energy.
“When Death comes do not fear it as your
blood will be avenged and your name
honoured. Victory will be ours and we gladly
lay down our lives to see our duty done. Death
is our sacrifice as His is life! Ready your
spirits and look to your war gear. There is no
mercy to the alien, only destruction.”
As one the Terminators turned to their right
and marched with iron hearts towards the
teleport chamber. As the first passed under its
wrought iron archway there was a flash of
light, a crack of thunder and a rush of wind.
And they were gone. No sooner had the noise
faded then the second stepped through.
DeSilva’s hair whipped about her as the air
churned and lightning crashed about the room.
She squinted at the brightness, her voice loud
and clear over the noise.
“No retreat! No remorse!” she held up her fist
in salute to the warriors as the last passed into
the burning fire. “For your brothers! For the
Chapter! For the Emperor!”
With a final crack the last Marine disappeared
and the light faded leaving dark splotches on
the Chaplain’s vision. Pausing she smiled to
herself, by now the enemies of the Emperor
would be dying.
k
Master Sergeant Grid “Brick” Jorgensen
continued her march through the twisting
corridors. The vox net was awash with chatter
as the aliens surged at them down side
passages and through ductwork.
Wrenching a jammed door from its mount she
passed through the narrow opening. She had
barely squeezed her massive bulk through
when a Genestealer lunged at her from a
junction, fangs bared and claws ready.
Before she could think her finger had already
tightened around the trigger of her bolter. A
short burst of shells stitched a jagged line
across the beast’s chest, exploding out the
back of its carapace. The alien died messily
against a wall, leaving a streak of black gore.
Under the creature’s corpse Brick saw a streak
of silver. Kicking the body aside she saw it
was the remains of a Terminator, their silver
and orange armour rent and torn. When the
Tigers Argent had to evacuate the hulk they
hadn’t had time to retrieve their dead.
Retrieving the logbook was a top priority on
any assault on a hulk, and the fighting to reach
it had been a path paved in the blood of many
great warriors. Growling, she gritted her teeth
at the insult the Genestealers had given to her
Chapter cousins, leaving their battle gear to rot
in this place. The Sergeant signalled to the
second squad.
“Mostav, I have found remains of one of the
Tigers Argent. When we withdraw I will take
him with us.”
“Agreed, Sergeant. We must honour the battle
gear of the dead.”
Ahead she could see her second in command,
“Boomer” Anderson. They had been squad
mates since they were recruited, and were
Oathbound since their youth on Prism.
“Sjurd, conserve your ammunition and form
up the squad, we’ve got some vengeance to
dish out to this xenos scum.”
“You got it, Grid,” Boomer said with bloody
joy in her voice.
With one last look at the dead marine Brick
continued onwards. Vengeance was coming to
the Genestealers. The Cradle of Despair first
and then to all their kin, wherever they hid.
Mission V:
Mind Over
Matter
“Contact lost, contact lost.”
“Which way did it go?”
“West and north, heading for the gangway.”
“I got it. Apples, Mac, cover me. Blinky hold
up here.”
Vic “Blinky” Zelenko sighed to himself and
checked his storm bolter’s magazine. This was
his first mission as a full member of the
Terminator Corps and he was still feeling out
of place.
The briefings had warned them that they
would be facing the Genestealers on their
home ground, and that it would be some of the
hardest fighting in the galaxy, but it was
nothing like that. It was worse.
He had earned his Crux aboard the Lord
Narmissus, a rebellious Fleet cruiser. There
had only been ten terminators leading the
attack, backed up by 5th Company, and the
fighting had been desperate and bloody. That
was a picnic compared to this hellhole. A
never ending series of twisting corridors and
walkways that only superficially resembled the
interior of an Imperial vessel. He supposed
much of the changes had been due to the
refitting to a people carrier, but no way it all
was.
The Genestealers had been on them from the
moment they had stepped out of the boarding
torpedoes, as if they were patrolling the likely
attack points. Rolldown, of squad 3, had
supposed it was due to the xenos’ previous
experiences of boardings. Apples had told her
that they were mindless aliens and it was just
their bad luck.
Blinky didn’t care either way as he was too
busy fighting for his life. They had been
making good progress to their objective and
were so far casualty free. He sighed again as
he thought of how the genestealer had been in
his sights but he had been too eager to kill it
and jammed his bolter.
Fortunately Sergeant Omu had been there and
it had retreated before realising how
vulnerable he was. Now he was sitting on
rearguard while the others finished off the job
he should have done himself.
The rattle of gunfire broke his thoughts
followed by voxed calls of a confirmed kill.
“Blinky, form up on me at the double.”
“Roger that, Sergeant.”
“Psssht,” Omu replied, her dismissal hissing
statically in his headset. “Call me Kaisa.
Moslav wants to run his show by the book
that’s fine, but in my squad we work as a team
to get things done.”
There was a pause as Blinky struggled with a
reply.
“Got it, Blinky?”
“Got it, Kaisa.”
“Good. Now let’s get moving, those doors
won’t open themselves.”
The control rooms for the hulk’s docking and
garbage bays were ahead, and once opened
Thunderhawks carrying the rest of the Corps
could land and set up a well defended
perimeter. Not necessarily the most glorious
entry for some, but it would have to do.
Without it they would have to rely on boarding
torpedoes, which lacking the guns of the
Thunderhawks to ward off the xenos would
put the whole assault on the back foot and in assault to spearhead.”
constant danger the moment they set foot on
the hulk’s deck. “Roger that, Kaisa.”

“Besides, if you really screw up you’ll be too

dead to worry about it,” Kaisa chuckled to
Pretty much what he was going through, he herself.
sighed as he rejoined his squad.
Blinky didn’t find that very reassuring.
“Thinking about missing that ‘stealer?” Kaisa
addressed him over a secure link, rather than
the squad channel.

“Yes,” Blinky admitted reluctantly, “I should

have got it.”
K
++ Approaching targets, resistance
“This is your first time fighting ‘stealers isn’t strengthening, but we prevail . ++
it.”
++ Weapons at ready we go into the jaws of
“It is.” the beast without fear. ++

“Remember what you were taught in training;

learn by doing. Apply it now as you did then.
If you let yourself get overawed by this -
you’ll make a mistake.”
The Sergeant paused for a moment as the
squad reformed to move through a junction.
Chitin and gore splattered against the wall as
the Genestealer exploded with a wet snap.
Blinky smiled to himself and slammed home a
fresh magazine as his boots crushed the alien’s
corpse into the decking.

“Yes, I know,” he relented, “but I can’t help “Target eliminated.”

but feel like some stupid rookie tagging along
“Roger that, Blinky,” came the response from
with the big kids.”
Kaisa. “Keep up the pressure on the right,
“You earned your Crux didn’t you? They we’ve got to link up with Squad 3.”
don’t just give those out with rations you
“Copy that, moving up now.”
know,” she said with a laugh. “If there was
even a chance you were still green you Blasting open a bulkhead the Marine stepped
wouldn’t be on my squad. So get your rear through, weapon ready.
into gear and quit moping. We’ve got an
Mission VI:
Stalemate
The Thunderhawk glided silently through the
void towards the open mouth of the docking
bay. Retro thrusters fired as the landing skids
dropped down, the assault ramp dropping to
the deck the moment the gunship came to rest.
A dozen bulky figures in midnight armour
thundered down with precise motion, fanning
out as two more gunships came to a stop
alongside the first.
++ No contacts. ++
++ Area secure. ++
“Gunner,” he voxed over his headset, “status
report.”
“Aye, Sir,” the Sergeant replied, her husky
voice terse through the crackling headset.
“Squad Omu is setting up Tarantulas at
entryways, here, here and here,”
Icons flashed on his HUD showing the three
main walkways heading to the prow, starboard
and aft of the vessel.
“Squad Jaffar is currently proceeding to the
landing control room above to secure it as an
avenue of attack.”
The Lieutenant looked up at the room, some
twelve metres up the slab sided walls. Jutting
out with a row of angled glass windows he
could imagine a tide of chitenous beasts
hurling themselves out to get at the assault
craft.

“Good work, Sergeant. Get a link up with

Jorgensen, Stibbardo and Moslav.”
Lieutenant Aubin “Outlaw” Hawkins marched
down to where his assault team was “Aye, Sir.”
marshalling. Here were gathering most of the
Corps’ warriors, ready to push into the heart of Saluting the Sergeant turned, gesturing at a
the enemy and deal them a mortal blow. The bondsman to hurry then marched off to check
situation was at a crucial junction – the on progress.
marines only had the barest foothold on the
Moments later his HUD flashed into life as the
hulk, but the Genestealers were not fully
three Sergeants uplinked to his suit.
awake.

If the Marines could bloody the aliens enough

now they could regain the control of the battle,
but to lose too many would shut off too may
avenues of attack.

Around him Terminators and bondsmen alike

stared setting up a fortified perimeter.
Hawkins didn’t like bringing the bondsmen
aboard, easy targets clad only in their vac-
suits, but the Marines didn’t have the time or
manpower to do the work themselves.

Sergeant Yadiz was directing the men and

women hauling crates of ammunition,
scanning equipment and other sundry supplies.

++ Connecting ++
• ++ Sgt Moslav connected ++
•++ Sgt Jorgensen connected ++
•++ Sgt Stibbardo connected ++
1stLt Hawkins(HoS)
• Orders are being transmitted  By their very nature they were stubborn and
now ‐ priority is killing as many  forthright – not a good mix when they didn’t
'stealers as possible. Questions?
Sgt Jorgensen (SoJ)
• None here, Outlaw.
• Advancing to target zone now.
• ++ Disconnected ++
Sgt Moslav (SoJ)
• The landing field will be secure 
wihout backup, Sir?
Moslav signalled he was moving out and
Hawkins sighed to himself. Nobody ever said
command would be easy, but he never
imagined how much work could go into
managing the different personalities under
him.
get along. Clearing the thought from his mind
he called up his status map on his HUD. Areas
blind to their sensors were slowly being eaten
away by thin tendrils as the squads dug deeper
into the hulk’s hide.
Soon the Genestealers would meet them, and
the precarious balance the campaign hung on
would swing one way.
Or the other.

1stLt Hawkins (HoS)
• As secure as it will ever be, 
Sergeant. 
• Victory outweighs our safety.
D
Sgt Stibbardo (R6)
++ Contacts ahead closing fast, moving to
• Come on, Mo ‐ live a little and  Rally 4 to hold them there. ++
quit worrying all the time.
• You'll live longer ;) ++ Got it, B, keep up the chatter guys. ++

++ Four ahead! Firing! ++

Sgt Moslav (SoJ)
• There is no dishonour in  ++ Two down, the others ducked back into a
security , a lesson you could  duct or something. ++
well learn young Stibbardo.
++ Hold position, don’t get suckered I’m... ah,
dammit! Die you... ugh... who wants some? ++
1stLt Hawkins (Hos)
• Alright you two, get moving.  ++ Sarge? ++
We've got it covered here and 
will be following up in twenty. ++ Get some! Yeah..! You too, huh? ++

++ ... ++
Sgt Stibbardo (R6)
• You got it, Outlaw. ++ I’m ok... ++
• ++ Disconnected ++
++ I found your missing ‘stealers, Diva. ++
Mission VII: ++ No contacts. ++

++ Area secure. ++
Cold Embrace
Comms chatter filled the air but McKenzie
tuned it out, listening instead to the music
pumping through her augmetics. It wasn’t
Data streamed in from dozens of sources.
technically against regulations, but the Chief
More C.A.T.s had been deployed, and the
would certainly give her that look if he found
hulk’s data core (though damaged through
out. Sky Pilot would be doubly disapproving
time and neglect) had yielded a goldmine of
but, as a Chaplain, that was her job. Besides,
information.
only High Voltage would be likely to find the
Unfortunately, much like a real mine, finding files and he did hardware mostly, not the data
the gold involved sifting through lots of drek. systems.
Technical Trooper McKenzie sighed and
Leaning back the techmarine drummed the air
rubbed her eyes. They weren’t really tired, it
as the data poured over her. It wasn’t
was more a habit from the boredom. Shifting
comprehending the information – but feeling.
in her seat she stretched her arms out, barely
She felt the machine’s mood as it consumed
finding space in the cramped confines of the
and digested the torrent. Suddenly the feed
command module. Carried under a
spiked as it devoured something new,
Thunderhawk transporter it was relatively
something different, and McKenzie sat up with
roomy, save for the Terminators milling
a start.
around taking up all the free space.
“Rewind.” She said the word out loud.
McKenzie had traded her armour for a more
Unnecessary, but she was too distracted to
practical midnight blue jumpsuit, a rainbow
avoid the habit. As the pages of schematics
crested field cap backwards on her head to
scrolled back across her view she was dimly
help keep her raven hair from her eyes. Putting
aware of the movement of bulky figures
a hand on the data terminals case she
behind her.
murmured a prayer to the machine’s spirit,
thanking it for its hard work and reliability and Calling the images up on the view screen in
asking for its continued service. Her prayer front of her, she leaned in close as if her own
finished she picked up the interface cable and mind had deceived her.
connected to her wrist mounted MIU.

Schematics and manifests streamed over her

vision, records of the conversion from fighter
carrier to civilian transporter, of the materials
needed to supply each journey, and the records
of the passengers aboard. It was a sad
reminder of the fate of so many colonist who
never made their journey, and a reminder of
why the few Angels of Light must succeed
here, lest the same terrible fate befall another
world. “Captain Schliemann!”
“So, in summary, it’s a main hub for the cryo
storage units. It looks like the two control
nodes are pretty fragile, they are basically jury
rigged after all, so destroying them shouldn’t
be too hard.
“The main issue is that they’re in the middle of
the biggest concentration of ‘stealers in the
entire Hulk.”
McKenzie stepped back from the schematic
projected against the bulkhead. The assembled
officers stared at it with a mix of hatred and
consternation. Destroying the cryo-chambers’
control units would kill around 60-80% of the
Purestrains, and all the Hybrids. A vital target
if ever there was one.
Sergeant Stibbardo was the first to speak.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Captain Schliemann paused for a moment
before replying.
“Well,” he coughed reflexively from a wound
he suffered to the throat many years ago,
“there’s not really many options – we either hit
them hard down the main access corridors, but
we’ll be wide open ourselves.”
“Or?” asked Lieutenant Hawkins, clearly not
enamoured with the idea of a straight run
down ‘stealer flooded corridors.
“Or we cut through the service tunnels, but
that’s slower and likely to be blocked up.”
“We could do both. Split the team.” Sergeant
Yadiz gestured vaguely at the map, her hand
cutting the air like a knife. “Cover more
ground and not get backed up on each other.”
Schliemann coughed again, looking over the
assembled troops.
“Well, Outlaw, it’s your call – you’ll be
leading the assault.”
Stibbardo cocked an eyebrow. “Not coming
along for the party, Sir? You’ll miss all the
fun.”
“Someone’s got to stay in tac-comms and
catch the downpour if it all goes to shit.”
Yadiz grinned, slapping the other Sergeant on
the shoulder “And this way he’ll be first in line
for medals when we blow it to hell and back.”
Chaplain DeSilva took a step forward and cast
her gaze over the assembled Marines.
“Achieving this objective will be a great
victory, even if we all die in the process.
Failure is not an option.”
Stibbardo rolled his eyes and huffed.
“Way to harsh my buzz, Chaplain Bring-
down.”
Mission VII:
Backs to the
Wall
“They’re coming. They’re in the tunnel.”
++ Tarantulas A and B active. ++
++ Tracking and firing on multiple targets. ++
The dull rumble of heavy bolters echoes
through the darkened corridors. Between
staccato bursts the Marines hear the shrill cries
of the aliens.
“They must be wall to wall in there. Look at
those ammo counters go.”
“It’s a shooting gallery out there.”
Tension is written of every face as the
numbers spiral ever downwards towards
empty.
“B gun’s dry. Twenty on A.”
“Ten.”
“Five.”
One last blast.
“That’s it.”
“They’re at the blast door.”
“Man, listen to that.”
Hardened talons claw at the metal, just metres
away, screeching and screaming.
“This is Omu, I’ve got some bad news.”
“Well there’s a switch.”
“They’re in the torpedo approach corridor.”
“On our way.”
p
Half a dozen massive shapes barrel through
twisting walkways and corridors, heavy shod
feet thundering on the grated deck.
Ahead they see their battle-brothers, ready for
the oncoming tide of alien filth.
“Situation?”
“Twenty metres and closing. Fifteen. C and D
Tarantulas down about fifty percent.”
The genestealers scream as they die. It seems
to the Marines they are screaming more in
frustration than pain.
“How many?”
“Can’t tell. Lots.”
Auspex readouts were useless – all that was
shown was a single massive blob coming at
them.
“D gun’s down to twenty. Ten.
“It’s out.”
“C gun’s out too.”
“Get ready. There’s something spread out on
the auspex. Inside the perimeter.”
“You’re just reading me.”
“No. No! It ain’t you. They’re inside. They’re
here.”
“Cass, stay cool. Nash?”
“It’s game time.”
“You and Chambers get back here. Fall back
to the gateway.”
“This signal’s weird... must be some
interference of something.”
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
“Hold your fire until you have a clear shot.
They can’t get through to the boarding
torpedoes!”

“Just get back here!” The pounding of alien hooves draws closer,
Storm Bolters click as range finders calibrate
Auspexes pinged, clear and crisp at the signs and the air is thick with deadly tension.
of distinct scans.
“Ten metres.”
“Movement! Signal’s clean.”
“Costa, if we don’t make it there’s something
“Range?” I want you to know.”
“Twenty metres.” “Yeah?
“Seal the doors.” “You’ve always been an asshole.”
“Seventeen metres.”

“Let’s light things up.”

A heavy flamer ignites with a muffled pop.

V
“Thirteen.”

Y a
Mission iX:
Power Failure
Boomer paced the room, spinning the barrels
of her Assault Cannon with a nervous twitch
of her thumb.
“I can’t wait to get out of here.”
“Why’s that?” Plaster asked, idly scratching
the nose of his helmet with his Storm Bolter.
“Sykes over in fourth picked up some vids
for me when he was on Hope Springs for
twilight watch.”
“What’d he get you?”
“Ninth season of Catachan Shore.”
“That crap rots your brain,” Pain interjected.
“You’ve got to have something better to do
with your down time.”
“Better’n what you got last. Armour of Krieg
volume twelve? I mean we get it guys, Krieg
has awesome tanks and guns... try expanding
your repertoire a little, ok?”
“Hey, they’re bringing out the fifth vid on the
Elysians soon. Better than the brain dead ‘roid
munchers going on about getting ripped and
tanned on a death-world for hours on end.
“My boot in your ass – that’s a situation!”
++ Squad 1-1 holding. ++
++ No contacts. ++
++ Advancing to rendezvous Kappa-8. ++
Sergeant Jorgensen inhaled slowly, holding
her breath as her squad bickered about her.
She listened to the static hum of her auspex,
and the clicking of her re-breather as it waited
for her to exhale.
Releasing the breath she sagged back inside
her armoured suit and frowned. Things were
not going as well as had been hoped. The
assault had been plagued by setbacks, heavy
casualties and a lack of any notable
achievements.
Now she was waiting in a long-abandoned
server room for Hawkins and his team to
arrive so they could start getting down to
business.
++ Squad 1-1 ETA 2.00 ++
Standing up straight Jorgensen opened her
squad frequency.
“Break it up guys, the Lieutenant’s almost
here.”
“Roger Sarge,” Pain muttered. No matter what
anyone else enjoyed it was hard to defend
twelve vid-docs about the same damn tanks
over and over. The Sergeant wondered how
many times Pain and Boomer had gone over
the exact same argument.
Thinking that with the current state of the
mission it could well be the last, Jorgensen
frowned, just as Lieutenant Hawkins strode
into view.
p
++ Kappa-8 reached. ++
++ Proceeding to reactor access Four-Niner ++
++ We will honour the fallen with victory. ++

1stLt Hawkins (HoS)
• The complex will be rife with  the big deal with these reactor controls? Chief
radiation and temperature 
fluctuations, so watch your  was a little vague on the specifics.”
readings.
MstSgt Jorgensen (SoJ)
•Any info from the techs on 
sensor effects?
CompSgt Yadiz (HoS)
•High Voltage assures us there 
will be minimal interference.
1stLt Hawkins (Hos)
• We'll be getting data to filter 
out any static as we go.
“So, Outlaw,” Jorgensen started over a private
channel as they began to move out, “what’s
“Scans are showing they’re powering the cryo
chambers. Shutting them down won’t kill the
‘stealers – it’ll wake them up actually – but it
will force the hybrids out into the open.
“They won’t be able to survive for too long on
the hulk outside of suspension, so it’ll mean
they’ll be making a break for the escape pods.”
A smile crossed Jorgensen’s lips. “And we
can catch them there when they make a break
for it. And without the hybrids they can’t run
the hulk, so they’ll be sitting ducks.”
“Precisely.”

“Let’s rock and roll.”

Trp Plavaskevi (SoJ)
• Is this going to be CAT based 
filtering or live telemetry?
U
Trp Hellad (HoS)
Still darkness surrounds myself,
• The techs will be live streaming 
to us based on an  Among the trees I saw the
amalgamation of sources, both  gates of hell,
dircect and remote.
I hear that someone screams
Trp Hellad (HoS) my name,
• But the only areas we should 
experience any severe 
Devil claims for my life.
interference is in the reactor 

Y
cores themselves.

Sgt Andor (SoJ)
•Aren't you glad you asked now, 
Grid? 
Sunlight divine, give me the
strength,
MstSgt Jorgensen (SoJ)
Angels of light, show me the
•*sigh*
way.
Mission X:
Hybrid Hunt
Caiper smiled as the diagnostic light blinked
from red to amber, and then to green. He
carefully picked up the targeter from the
workbench with grease stained hands, cradling
it gently. Carrying it to where Harvis, a fellow
maintenance bondsman, was working he saw
the other man hunched over the Storm Bolter’s
frame, scratching at the mechanism with long
probes.
“Targeter’s up and running, just had to clean
bits of chitin from under the calibration array.”
“Wish I was having your luck, the extractor’s
bent out of shape and jammed into the
breech.”
Harvis leaned back on his stool, pushing his
magnifying glasses up on his forehead. Caiper
gingerly placed the targeter in its velvet lined
box, pulling a stool up next to the other man.
He was probably forty years older, his hair
thin and greying, his heavily lined skin caked
with grease and grit.
Caiper imagined he was a similarly sorry sight.
It had been days since they had found a chance
to sleep for more than a few hours, let alone
wash in any capacity. Still, that was the least
of their worries. If they didn’t get this Storm
Bolter back into service they’d be in serious
trouble.
“Anything else need fixing?”
“I’ve re-worked the magazine acceptor, fixed
the transmitter rod, and cleaned out the trigger
assembly. But, unless I can get this damnable
extractor free I can’t take the breech apart to
test the thing.”
“That is... less than good.”
“A slight understatement,” Harvis deadpanned.
“Come on,” Harvis motioned Caiper in closer,
“You hold the pin back, I’ll work the rod.”
“That’s what she said.”
“Seriously?”
Caiper stuggled to hide his smirk. “Sorry,”
The pair held their breath as they worked,
sweat beading on their foreheads.
“Almost... almost.”
“Pull your... more... now back...”
“Just about there...”
“Yes!”
Caiper punched a fist in the air as the mangled
extractor rod came free and flung itself across
the room, clanging off shelves before coming
to rest behind a cabinet.
“Why does it always end up behind or under
something?” Harvis breathed a sigh of relief
and annoyance. “Nothing ever lands on the
bench tops.”
“I’ll get it, you keep going.”
It had travelled the length of the room, though
that wasn’t a big area by any means, the
‘workshop’ made from a converted Rhino
brought into the Hulk under a Thunderhawk.
The campaign was going relatively well –
which was to say they hadn’t all been torn to
shreds. This was Caiper’s first deployment
with the Corps, and he was doing his best to
hide his nerves.
Not leaving the workshop helped.
Lying down on the dirty decking, he fumbled
about blindly under the cabinet.
“Hey, Harvis.”
“Yeah?”
“How do you think the campaign’s going?
“Not my business to think about it.”
“Oh come on,” Caiper grunted as he stretched
further, the extractor rod under his fingertips.
“They’ve shut down the cryo-chambers, that’s
got to be good right.”
“It’s good, but the hybrids have thawed out
and are making a run for it,” said a third voice.
Jumping to his feet Caiper spun around,
saluting awkwardly.
“Sergeant Jogensen!”
They called her ‘Brick’ as she was big, even
for a marine. Towering over the bondsmen,
she was well deserving of the nickname. Her
face was calm, her smooth alabaster skin
seemed to glow eerily in the artificial light.
She fixed the bondsman with her piercing
eyes, so dark as to be almost black. “Is my
weapon ready yet?”
Caiper found himself speechless. He had no
idea how to tell her it wasn’t yet. Fortunately
Harvis, who hadn’t looked up from his work,
grunted a response.
“Be about fifteen, it just needs putting back
together.”
“Good,” was the reply, before the Marine
turned and strode away. Caiper blinked, before
realising he was still saluting. Chiding himself
he quickly handed the extractor rod to Harvis.
“I can’t believe you talked to Sergeant
Jorgensen like that.”
“Grid? We go back a long ways.”
“Really?” Caiper was genuinely surprised.
“You never said.”
Harvis simply shrugged. “Never came up. We
come from the same settlement – her, me and
Sjurd. All recruited the same time.”
The older man put down his tools and pulled
the glasses from his milky eyes. He smiled to
himself as a long forgotten memory crossed
his mind.
“Those two were inseparable even then. They
pulled themselves through the trials as neither
could go on without the other.”
“But you... she’s so much younger...”
“It’s not so bad, getting old while they stay the
same. Makes me feel safe, knowing that they
go on while us mortals fade away. It’ll happen
to you, my young apprentice.”
“Oh,” Caiper frowned. “Goody.”
“We were both pulled out of the trials because
our skills were too good to risk losing.
Without us the Chapter cannot fight. We still
wear the blue and bolt on our sleeves –
remember that.”
H
Jorgensen gripped the Storm Bolter tight in her
armoured gauntlet, sighting the reticule against
the far bulkhead. Boomer walked up next to
the Sergeant, her voice crackling over the
com-link.
“How’s Harvis doing?”
Looking down at her weapon, Jorgensen
thought of the time long ago when their friend
had left them, his life separated from theirs in
so many ways.
Running her Power Fist over the black oiled
frame of the weapon she realised it wouldn’t
be long before Harvis was no longer fixing her
weapons. He would be gone, despite all the
augmetics and rejuve treatement, and she
would continue. One more piece of her
humanity gone forever. She kept staring at her
gun, tears forming in her eyes.
“He’s getting old, Sjurd.”
 Name Yadiz, Gunnvarr AM 113
Rank Company Sergeant CK 1066
SN 122432-5 WR 9
Comp 1-1 Honours CT, MC-IX, IS-III, IL-IV, MH-
GSC 8646 II, PS-III
ƒ Recruited on Prism 314464.41.
ƒ Deployed to 6-3-1 on 893471.41.
ƒ Awarded IL for actions against Tau forces during Third Gorgoth War 382473.41
ƒ Promoted to Squad Veteran during Yisen Uprising 873475.41. MH awarded.
ƒ IS awarded after battle at Phorus Mines 129477.41.
ƒ Accepted into TDATC - awarded Crux Terminatus 897478.41 during retaking of Rassarian
Manufactorums.
ƒ Promoted to Sergeant (1st Co) 745499.41.
ƒ Loses both legs 002516.41 during fighting at Hive Girthens, Bartlet V. MC, IL awarded.
ƒ Promoted to Master Sergeant (1st Co) 393518.41.
ƒ 241520.41 - single handedly holds defence line against Thousand Sons terminators
aboard orbital station VXK-9142, even though severely wounded during the fighting. MC,
IL, MH awarded.
ƒ Promoted to Company Sergeant (1st Co) 912520.41.

Name Jorgensen, Grid AM 150

Rank Master Sergeant CK 989
SN 122043-7 WR 3
Comp 1-4 Honours CT, MC-III, IS-IV, IL-IV, MH-
GSC 8329 II, PS-II
ƒ Recruited on Prism 565451.41.
ƒ Deployed to 3-8-2 on 421456.41.
ƒ Awarded MH during Scouring of Jarkanis, 192458.41
ƒ Awarded IS for taking command of 3-8-2 when isolated and surrounded during Danis
Cluster War, 643463.41.
ƒ Promoted to Sergeant 3-8 001464.41
ƒ IS, IL, MC awarded after battle of Duncan’s Folly 532474.41
ƒ Accepted into TDATC - awarded Crux Terminatus 532476.41 during boarding of Alpha
Legion traitor vessel Defiance in Blood.
ƒ IL awarded for single-handedly slaying a Wraithlord during retaking of Rassarian
Manufactorums 897478.41
ƒ Promoted to Sergeant (1st co) after assault on Fort Ironbone 199506.41. IS, MC awarded.
ƒ Severely wounded during attacks on pirate shipping, 271510.41, Denhillier Nebula.
ƒ IS awarded 002516.41 for actions at Hive Girthens, Bartlet V.
ƒ Awarded MH for actions during Steinbrook Rebellion 724518.41
ƒ IL awarded during retaking of rebellious Dictator Class Cruiser Lord Narmissus
832522.41.

 
Mission XI:
Momentum
++ Squad 3, report. ++
++ ETA 5. ++
++ No contacts. ++
++ Squad 6, report. ++
++ Rendezvous with fire team successful.
Minimal resistance. ++
++ Keep a perimeter up. Success is more
important than glory. ++
++ Acknowledged, Commander. ++
++ Moslav reporting. Multiple contacts ahead,
closing fast. ++
++ Stay close and fire at will. ++
++ Death to the alien. ++
++ His will is our strength. ++
++ Three to your left. ++
++ Overwatch on that junction, nothing gets
through. ++
++ We need that cannon, I’m running hot. ++
++ Lambrinos, Costa what’s your ETA? ++
++ Dammit, I’m jammed. Winger, cover on
my left. ++
++ Laying down the flame. ++
++ We’re coming up on your six, Mo. ++
++ Yeah! Get some! ++
++ Check your targets. ++
++ More contacts inbound on vector two-
seven. Moving to intercept. ++
++ Duke, set up a fire lane on my line. ++
++ Incoming. ++
++ No contacts, advancing. ++
++ Stay in formation, dammit. ++
++ Contacts coming up on you Tórfrídir. ++
++ Seeing them. ++
++ Faith is my shield ++
++ Rolldown, set overwatch at point Alpha
three. Needles, cover her. ++
++ Reloading. ++
++ They’re massing up ahead. ++
++ Looks like they know we’re pushing
through. ++
++ No mercy! No remorse! ++
++ Here they come. ++
++ Check your fire, that’s me you’re shooting
at. ++
++ Your point being? ++
++ Command, we have reached checkpoint
three. Resistance increasing, no casualties. ++
++ Suppressive fire on my mark. ++
++ Two down. ++
++ Keep up the pressure. Diesel, hit the north
corridor. ++
++ Big lot closing in on the right. Set
overwatch at the vent room. ++
++ Checkpoint four in sight. ++
++ For the Chapter! ++