PART 2 – Explorator

08:43:21 Hours Sidereal – In transit.

Quadro gazed from the viewport of the small transit vessel at the bright silhouette of the distant planet. Designated  Phi-Delta-Three-Sixty-Three  and noted in Imperial records as ‘Eskade’ it had been chosen by Magos Peclaw as the first of their exploratory missions into the sector due to some anomalous warp signatures picked up from their temporary home on Daedalus.

Quadro didn’t like it. Looking down on the rich green colour of the approaching world made him uneasy. For one so close to the machine, such superstitions were anathema. But regardless, something didn’t feel right. Continuing to stare, unblinking through his ocular implants the planet seemed to twist, morphing for a split second into the head of a great lupine creature, howling at the distant stars. Quadro shook his head and replayed the last few seconds of visual recording, there was nothing to be seen, only the great green globe spinning lazily in the void.

With mounting trepidation Quadro opened a vox channel to Magos Peclaw on the command deck.

“Magos. Are you detecting anything out of the ordinary?”

“All atmospheric, radiant and immaterial signatures remain within acceptable limits.” Replied the Magos. “Is something amiss Quadro?”

Quadro paused before replying “Nothing is wrong honoured Magos. Still, I think it would be pertinent for you to take the Kastelans down to the surface. The experience will be valuable for their combat wetware.”

“I am hardly likely to encounter any hostiles Quadro.” Peclaw said “Still, the Kastelans are your responsibility and if some simple reconnaissance will be good for their machine spirits then so be it. Glory to the Machine God.” The vox line went dead.

“Glory to the Machine God.” Quadro replied softly into the empty air. He stared down at the approaching planet once again trying to convince himself with cold logic that Magos Peclaw would return safely.

 

11:16:01 Hours Sidereal – Planetfall.

Materialising softly within the dense green atmosphere of ‘Eskade’ Magos Peclaw conducted a routine noospheric sweep of his expeditionary forces. All units were reporting readiness and he sensed the looming forms of the two Cybernetica robots at his back. They seemed grossly unnecessary amongst his smaller Skitarii cohorts but Quadro had insisted that this patrol would be beneficial for the ancient machines and he had indulged his subordinate.

                Extending his machine senses, Peclaw was shocked to discover the faint energy signature of a rare, ancient technology approximately two kilometres to the East.

                “Volkite weapons.” He mused distractedly.

                With a binaric command, the forces of the Omnissiah turned in the direction of the priceless technology and set off at a brisk pace. They had barely covered five hundred meters when Magos Peclaw called a halt. A host of warp ghosts and immaterial signatures were appearing across his sensors and with mounting alarm; he called all Skitarii to battle readiness.

                Out of the green mists a host of twisted creatures advanced on his position. Howling mutants and daemons mixed with traitor Astartes ran forwards to engage his metallic platoons. He shared his visual feed with Adept Quadro aboard their orbiting support craft.

                “Quadro, confirm you are seeing this.” Magos Peclaw commanded.

                “Confirmed Magos, how did we not detect such a force from orbit?”

                “I do not know Quadro,” Peclaw replied “The secrets of these creatures are best left unknown. I will eradicate them and request reinforcements from you once a drop site is cleared.”

                “Acknowledged Magos.” Quadro replied.

As the two forces closed the two Kastelan robots opened fire, the proximity of their cannons causing Magos Peclaw to deploy his auditory baffles to protect his delicate machine senses. In the distance he could see armoured bodies falling from a ruined gantry as the burning projectiles struck home.

                Without warning an ancient Rhino roared through the ruins disgorging a squad of warped Astartes bearing squalling sonic weapons. Before they could react, an entire platoon of Skitarii was turned into scrap metal by the wall of deafening sound. Peclaw readied his ancient eradicator and fired a silent stream of energised particles. In a moment of peculiar calm, over half of the traitors were simply erased from existence.

                Without his Skitarii to protect him, Magos Peclaw was left undefended against the oncoming hordes of daemons. Undefended but not helpless, he thought grimly as he raised his enormous axe in readiness for the bloodshed to come. As the plague ridden creatures charged home, Peclaw drew his machine pistol and let loose a burst of rapid fire slugs which tore one of the daemons apart. Then they were upon him, their infected blades stabbing at his precious metallic body. Methodically he defended himself with sweeps of his staff, using the axe head to bludgeon them into pools of stinking ichor one by one. His sensors registered minor system damage but it was easily repaired by his artificer bionics.

                At some unheard signal, the remaining Daemons evaporated into the ether. The last few Astartes disengaged from their one sided firefight with the Kastelans and boarded their rusting transport roaring off into the wasteland. Magos Peclaw surveyed the carnage dismally. So many of his wonderful Skitarii had been blasted apart by the traitors’ blasphemous weaponry. Dimly he registered the energy ghost of the precious Volkite weapon on the horizon. Calling forward his reserve platoons, he trudged onwards into the fog.