The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

"Alright lads, time to panic," Laura stated calmly as the crowds around them erupted into shouts and screams, everybody trampling each other to reach the exits.

"Did someone just fucking say Tyranids?!" Damien's distorted Space Marine voice blared in their earbuds, the pitch rising embarrassingly high.

"Yes we fucking said Tyranids, you're heading straight for them!" Yuki bellowed back.

"I'm down, this is gonna be fun!" Nikki didn't seem fazed by the news.

"No it won't!" Lita was not thrilled though.

"The evil shits under the mine were fucking Tyranids?!" Tangmo spun on Astrid. She, the elskerinne and the huskarls were glaring murder at the sheepish prisoners.

"I thought you knew?" Astrid looked genuinely surprised.

"How the fuck was I supposed to know that?!" Tangmo shot back.

"Well, I thought you knew everything!" Astrid snapped back sassily.

"This is your fault!" Eldul bellowed and pointed her spear at Cain and Beije. The weapon cackled and hissed dangerously before bright blue energy sheathed the fuck huge blade. "We warned you this would happen! For millennia we've made sure that they remained in hibernation, but now, because of your action, the entire system is doom!"

"Lower your spear, elskerinne," Amberley placed herself in front of Cain and drew her power sword, the weapon glowing to life. The inquisitor and the elskerinne staring down each other like two Jedi about to duel to the death.

"Eldul we don't have time for this!" Skoleif interceded. "The Great Devourer is upon us, what matters now are the men and women behind these walls. We need to protect them."

Eldul snarled at the two commissars, her teeth bared and angry, before powering down her spear, the shaft angling downward until the shimmering hot blade was touching the ground, every slow heaving breathes restoring her equanimity.

"Thank you little sister," Eldul nodded at Skoleif then turned to the huskarls and shield-maidens, "to the walls my warriors! The hour of ice, claws and fangs have come at last, and we shall face it with courage and fury! Make the Allfather proud my daughters! We shall feast to our victory tonight!"

The Frost Bringers raised their voice in powerful salutation, the timbre shaking the air like something physical.

"Front and center boys and girls, we're fighting nids today!" Tangmo waved the battlegroup over, the guardsmen forming up into pristine column behind him.

"Make ready sisters, the xenos are upon us!" Morelia, the Valorous Heart canoness, raised her thunder hammer high and led the Sororitas in a spirited prayer.

"This shouldn't be much of a problem," predictably, Erik rather nonchalant statement drew quite a few what the fuck looks from the main characters, eldars included. "What? I'm just saying, the Tyranids just woke up from hibernation, they can't be that strong. Furthermore…"

"Umm…guys?" Yuki spoke up.

"They're going up against guardsmen, Space Marines, eldars and Sororitas, the chance of them winning isn't exactly very high," Erik pressed on.

"Yo, seriously guys," Yuki's voice rose in alarm.

"And even if they managed to somehow get here, there's absolutely no possible way they can break down the wall…"

"EARTHQUAKE!"

Welp, that got everybody's attention. All eyes spun toward the Japanese Banshee exarch who was staring at the ground with rising apprehension.

"Don't be absurd," Eldul scoffed. "Tectonic movement in this part of the planet is so benign that the tractors made more vibration."

"I'm Japanese," Yuki declared, as if that explained everything. "We have a freaking six sense when it comes to earthquake, and I'm telling you there's one under us right now. Hell, I think it's getting…nearer? What the hell?"

"Are you sure love?" Laura knelt down and laid her hand on the ground. "I don't feel…wait a minute…"

"Solveig, do you read me?" Tangmo terminated the hologram, stuffed the data-pad back into his awesome commissar coat, and tapped his earbud.

"Yes lord commissar," the captain answered.

"Get a seismic reading on my location please," Tangmo said.

"Give me a moment," Solveig was silent for half a minute before speaking again, the confusion clear. "There seems to be an earthquake happening in your area sir, but the epicenter appears to be moving toward you…I think you're going to have company soon – by the Throne, it just splintered off into ten tendrils!"

Tangmo was about to spew a tirade of F words when the little vibration Yuki felt before skyrocketed up the Richter scale. The main characters tumbled to the ground, squawking and screaming as they fell on top of his each other. The crashing rumbles and pillars of smoke rising around the Great Hall didn't bode well for the city outside, made worse by the inhuman roar blasting through the raging symphony of destruction.

"We need to get out of here!" Leilatha, down on her knees beside him, hissed through clenched teeth. When Tangmo nodded in agreement, she yelled, "everybody outside, now! Get moving!"

"Stay with the prisoners, Skoleif," Eldul hauled ass for the main entrance, Tangmo close at her heels, his steps becoming more steady now that the quake had subsided, the roar continued to be an acoustic menace though. Bursting outside, Tangmo and the main characters found a bulbous, fleshy flower trimmed in curved serrated blade sprouting in the middle of the beautiful roundabout, clumps of dirt and jagged fragments of flagstone making a halo around the cancerous protrusion. It took Tangmo a moment to realize that the slithery thing was some kind of motherfucking worm, and the petals were actually teeth filled maw. The ugly bastard reminded Tangmo of the Graboid from the Tremor movies, but a lot bigger.

"Open fire!" The Sororitas, both the knights and Vikings variants, unleashed a hellish salvo of bolts and meltas on the worm thing, it howled in pain as the merciless Imperial weaponries tore it to pieces. In less than a minute, the worm spasm its death throne, sending gouts of disgusting brown fluid gushing across the roundabout, the rock sizzled where it touched, before flopping gracelessly to the side, crushing a few buildings in the process.

"What is that abomination?" Miriya ejected her empty clip and slammed a new one home.

"Mothra's ugly ass cousin," Tangmo offered and walked toward the hole the worm had emerged from. "Everybody stand back and make ready, this can't be it."

Tangmo drew one of his laspistol when he reached the edge, Laura joining him with a hell pistol held at the ready.

"What in the bloody fuck?" Laura exclaimed as they stared down the hole, which was about three times larger than the fucking worm and so deep that light cannot reach the bottom. And from the darkness came glowing red dots in uncountable multitude, rising higher to the chorus of snapping claws and fangs. The pair spun and ran.

"Get the fuck back inside!" Tangmo yelled into his earbud, arms flapping like a startled chicken. "Sororitas, form up with me! Now!"

Although Tangmo was never the most popular individual amongst the nuns, the Battle Sisters obeyed his command with speed and professionalism. Eldul and Astrid, along with the huskarls and shield-maidens, joined them, standing shoulder to shoulder with their erstwhile sisters in arms.

"Flamers up yo! Flamers up!" Tangmo stopped in front of the line of Sororitas and turned around to find a mass of hormagaunts pouring out of the hole in a flood of stabbing, slashing talons and gnashing needle sharp teeth. "Oh shit! Open fire!"

Bolts and melta crashed into the oncoming wave of Tyranids, the barrage cutting them down in droves but it was as effective as throwing a freaking rock at an oncoming tsunami.

"Cleansed them in fire, sisters!" Bellona roared, hefted up her flamers and, along with the Battle Sisters wielding incendiary weapons, unleashed burning promethium on the hormagaunts, creating a wall of fire between the Tyranids and the battlegroup. The hormagaunts' agonizing shrieks were cacophonic and horrific.

"Fall back! Go!" Tangmo fired his dual laspistols at the wall of fire as everyone sprinted for the closing entrance. The fire turned out to be a temporary respite because the Tyranids, tough mindless bastards that they were, wouldn't let a trifle little thing like immolation stop them from reaching their prey. Soon, the chittering motherfuckers were leaping through the fire, talons raised and roaring.

"Everybody is inside, come on!" Miriya said to his right and Tangmo found that he, the Celestian and Astrid were the last three still facing the fire.

"Right! Let's go ladies!" Tangmo, Miriya and Astrid make a break for the fuck huge gate. White streaked of shurikens and shimmering red hot las shot passed their shoulders, dropping any hormagaunts that tried to pounce them as the three slipped inside the Great Hall just a hairbreadth before the entrance slammed close, the metallic clangs of clasping locks sealing the enormous double doors. Tangmo's moment of breathless respite ended when hammering staccatos pounded the iron frame, accompanied by the frantic screeching of talons on metal. It wasn't long before the heavy entrance started to bulge inward, the barrier proving a poor deterrent against the Tyranid's unstoppable tenacity.

"Do we hold the Great Hall or flee?" Miriya asked. She and Astrid were barely winded from the sprint, courtesy of their power armor.

"We ain't waiting here, that's for sure. Come on!" Tangmo and the two Sororitas jogged toward Eldul, the elskerinne was trading intels with Leilatha, the colonels and the eldars. "Yo, we gotta get out of here!"

"There's another exit at the back of the Hall," Skoleif told him with a grimace. "But according to the reading from your ship, we'll be running straight into nine other worms that had sprouted across the city, spewing out swarm worth of Tyranids."

"We don't have a choice," Tangmo reloaded his laspistols. "This place is indefensible. I rather try my luck outside; at least we'll be running and fighting."

"Wait! I got an idea!" Erik piped up.

"What do you got love?" Leilatha asked him.

"You guys remember that scene in Godzilla?" Erik turned to Tangmo, Laura and Yuki.

"Which Godzilla? There's like a hundred of them," Laura said.

"Actually, not counting the three Hollywood films, there are only thirty-two, Toho made, Gojira movies," Yuki stated matter of factually. "But Laura's right, which one are you talking about?"

"The American made one," Erik went on.

"The one with Bryan Cranston?" Tangmo asked.

"No, the Matthew Broderick version," Erik said.

"Oh, I see where you're going with this," Yuki nodded then look at Eldul. "You okay with us blowing up the Great Hall?"

"Excuse me?" Eldul's brow quirked minutely, looking more annoyed than surprised or shocked.

"When the Tyranids filled up the place, the air force can bomb them straight to hell," Tangmo explained. "But the Great Hall's gonna get wiped out in the process."

"Do it," Eldul nodded quickly without a fuzz.

"Wait, seriously?" Tangmo was surprised by the elskerinne's swift answer. "I mean, you're not gonna get all mad and start wailing about how this place is sacred and what not?"

"It's just a hall," Eldul groaned exasperatedly. "A building can be rebuilt, but lives cannot."

"Besides, we have to…renovate the Great Hall every year anyway," Astrid added sheepishly. "The annual feast always gets out of hand."

"Ae-Shin, do you read, over?" Tangmo tapped his earbuds.

"Go ahead lord commissar," the Jigurean air force commander responded.

"What's the situation at the mine?" Tangmo asked.

"Well, I'm not an expert on fighting Tyranids, but judging by how our tanks are pushing them back, I think general Henry have things under control," Ae-Shin said.

"Good, that means you can spare some birds for us," Tangmo said.

"How can I be of service?" Tangmo can tell Ae-Shin was smiling.

"Air support for the city in the mountain," Tangmo went on. "The Tyranids have breached the place and are running wild and we need your help to stop them."

"Give me five minutes, lord commissar," Ae-Shin told him.

"Thanks dude," Tangmo nodded. "There's also this huge Great Hall in the middle of the city, it's pretty much a stadium; I want you and your bombers to blow it to kingdom come when I give the signal, got it?"

"Yes sir, just give me a shout out," Ae-Shin said.

"Catch you later dude," Tangmo tapped his earbud and raised his voice to the main characters. "Alright boys and girls, the air force is on the way, we're moving out," he turned to the elskerinne, "so where's the exit at?"

"Over there," Eldul waved her power spear in the air. "Follow me."

"Wait, what about the prisoner?" Laura gestured at Cain, Beije and their regiments, all of them staring at the elskerinne with wide, breathless eyes, pleading and frightful in equal measure.

"Leave them," Eldul spat harshly, some of the Valhallan and Tallarn were already wailing. "The Tyranids must be hungry, fresh food will slow them down."

"You heartless…!"

"Yeah, you're not gonna leave them here," Tangmo cut in before Amberley can say the B word, his obnoxious knowing look made Eldul blistered.

"You think I will show mercy to those that brought this blight upon us?!" Eldul roared into Tangmo's face, her golden red hair flying like a raging fire.

"Oh definitely," Tangmo smirked dickishly, "because, you're not fucking evil. Hell, you're actually a pretty nice person. You care about the people in the city and you've shown restrain with the prisoners, I mean, shit, you could've tortured them all to death by now, but all I see is a few bruises. So how about you drop this macho alpha female bullshit and let them go, because you won't be able to live with yourself if you let them die."

Yep, that stuck a nerve alright, because it looked like Eldul was about to bite his head off, and goddamn those were some nice-looking incisors and canines, gleaming white and sharp. Thankfully, all the elskerinne did was screamed in his face, the timbre piercing and the volume ringing, before snapping at one of the huskarls, "get them out of the cells, they're coming with us!"

The huskarl and her friends sprinted to the pen while Tangmo, smiling smugly, drew his combat knife and strode over to Kasteen, Sulla and Asmar, "hold still."

"Thank you sir," Kasteen rubbed her sore wrist, nodding gratefully.

"Don't mention it," Tangmo said and cut the bidding for Sulla and Asmar, gently for the Valhallan but nicking the Tallarn. "Can you guys still fight?"

"We can," Sulla said energetically.

"Where's the key?" Amberley demanded as she yanked hard on the lock fastening Cain to the stock.

"Give her the key," Eldul groaned at Skoleif and put on her winged Valkyrie helm.

"…I thought you have the key," Skoleif gave her a blank look.

"No I don't," Eldul shrugged then glanced at Astrid. "Do you have the key?"

"How can I have the key, I was out all night and all morning!" Astrid retorted.

"Alright, calm the hell down, I'll get him out," Yuki cracked her knuckles, strode behind the kneeling Cain and began tracing her finger along the stockade's rough surface, stopping at a point just above the commissar's head.

"What are you doing?!" Amberley leveled her power sword at Yuki.

"Trust me, you're gonna like this," Yuki honed her concentration on the stockade then punched the wooden frame in ten rapid succession, her speed a shadowy blur. Before anybody can question what the hell they just saw, the stockade holding Cain exploded into a hundred pieces, freeing the dumbstruck commissar who fell flat on his face.

"Wha – what did you…? WHAT?!" Astrid exclaimed as Yuki repeated the process on the horrified Beije, who showed his gratitude by scrambling away like she'd just bitten him.

"Hokuto Shinken," Yuki got into a Fist of the North Star pose for a few seconds before dusting off her hands. "Cool, ain't it?"

"What? No ATATATATA? I'm disappointed," Tangmo commented.

"I'm more of MUDA, MUDA, MUDA kinda girl," Yuki winked.

"Sorry to interrupt, but now that the esteem commissar is free, perhaps we can get going?" Xiphos was barely able to keep the urgency from his voice and Tangmo didn't blame him, he could see talons and snouts poking through the gap in the Great Hall's entrance.

"Follow me!" Eldul sprinted for the far end of the Great Hall where a half circle double door stood ajar, wide enough for six people to walk abreast with ease, Tangmo can just barely make out the many cookeries inside the unlit interior.

"Get them outside, go!" Tangmo told Leilatha while he, Krillen, Hildebrandt, Evangeline, Miriya's squad, a handful of guardsmen and Eldul herself stayed by the door, acting as the rear guard. The lady commissar grunted in acknowledgement before disappearing into the press of surging humanity.

"Huh, and here I thought you would be the first one out the door," Eldul shot him a sideway glance before hefting up her wrist mounted storm bolter and decapitated a few hormagaunts that had wormed their way inside the Great Hall. They came in pairs and quartets for now, but Tangmo knew the trickle was but a prelude to the flood.

"It's tempting, but nah, I want to spent more time with you!" Tangmo laughed, hefted up his dual laspistols and sprayed the nids with impunity. Soon, an admirable mound of corpses was piling up in front of the entrance.

"Everybody's clear," Evangeline reloaded her Zetton lasgun and started waving the rearguard out. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Tangmo let out a few parting bursts before sprinting after the Mordian colonel, Eldul close behind him. They were nearing the back exit when the crash of metal announced the demise of the entrance, the gleeful shrieking of the hormagaunts spurring him faster toward the light at the end of the long stone corridor.

"Ae-Shin, bring the hammer down dude!" Tangmo burst through the doorway and dashed across the wide, empty square that looked like a parking lot, the elskerinne matching speed beside him as they sprinted for the guardsmen and eldars huddling together about a kilometer away. "Waste those motherfuckers!"

"With pleasure," the roar of diving jets resounded above them, the high-pitched screams cleaving the air then faded away to a muted rumble. Tangmo barely heard the whine of falling bombs before he was throw to the ground by the concussive shockwave, searing hot gale and blinding orange glare washed over him like a devouring tide. Scrambling up to his feet, ears ringing and world spinning, Tangmo staggered drunkenly toward the rising Eldul.

"You okay?" Tangmo asked.

"I'm fine," Eldul glanced at the flaming ruin that was the Great Hall, brilliant tongues of fire twisting high into the sky. "That was ballsy."

"Desperate time dude," Tangmo took a deep breath, straightening himself. "Sorry about the Great Hall."

"The place was due for a reconstruction away," Eldul shrugged and waved for him to follow. "Come, there's no time to tarry."

"Nice job, Ae-Shin," Tangmo tapped his earbud as he and Eldul joined the cheering main characters. "Stay frosty dude, there's more nids to kill."

"We'll be here sir," Ae-Shin said.

"So what's the plan here?" Tangmo turned to Eldul, the high command of both parties gathering around them.

"I'm going back to the Ice Peak," Eldul waved her spear at a rocky tower that was carved from the mountain itself. "The Star Pillar must be protected at all cause."

"The Star Pillar?" Tangmo asked.

"You have a similar one near the Eye of Terror, called the Cadian Pylons," excitable murmurs rippled through the Cadian ranks, passion that wasn't there before gleamed in their violet eyes. "It's not as powerful, but right now it's the only thing stopping the Tyranids from contacting a Hive Fleet in the vicinity. They're going to throw everything they have at the Peak."

"You heard the lady, prepare to move out!" Tangmo bellowed at the battlegroup.

"I must ask that your troops remain in the city, commissar Tangmo," Eldul told him. "My huskarls and Honor Guards will be more than enough to stop the Tyranids."

"Holy shit, is this seriously the time to be pulling this hubris crap on me?!" Tangmo snapped at Eldul.

"That's not my reason, you damn fool!" Eldul shot back. "The defender around the city will be spread thin; I need your guardsmen to bolster them. If you can stem the Tyranid's advance, it will make my job that much easier. Also, the people need to be protected and I can't be in two places at once…I must ask for your help in this regard."

"Well, I'm still pretty mad about them booing me, I don't know if I want to help them," Tangmo pouted childishly, which morphed into a good-natured laugh when Eldul growled nastily. "I'm kidding, chill, we're totally gonna help. We're not gonna let civilians get nom by the nids, right guys?"

A hearty roar of affirmation answered Tangmo and Eldul sighed in relief, "see? We got your back."

"You have my gratitude," Eldul was genuine in her thanks.

"Tune your frequency to the Immortal Spirit's air force channel," Tangmo waited as Eldul searched the signal, when she nodded he tapped his earbud. "Ae-Shin, you're going to be providing support for elskerinne Eldul, if she asks for an air strike, please give it to her."

"Yes lord commissar," Ae-Shin acknowledged his command.

"Thank you," Eldul nodded as more tremors and hellish howls rumbled across the city. "I must get going."

"Mother, I wish to go with commissar Tangmo," Astrid and her squad stepped forward. "The battlegroup will need someone to guide them."

"Be safe daughter," Eldul said and waved her huskarls into an attack column. "Prepare to move out, double time!"

"So…what's gonna happen to them?" Laura pointed at the Valhallan and Tallarn prisoners.

"They're coming with us, Skoleif get them on their feet," Eldul took her place at the head of the retinue.

"Miriya, you and the Celestians go with commissar Tangmo," Miriya was not pleased in the slightest as Galatea and her canoness buddies went to stand with Eldul. "We shall go with you, sister."

"Not letting me out of your sight?" Eldul scoffed.

"Not a chance," Bellona smirked, her power whip-sword sliding slowly out of its sheath.

"Fine," Eldul raised her spear again, "forward! Back to the Peak!"

Skoleif pressed a horn to her lips and blew a long, epic note, the huskarls roaring in response as the column trudged up the rise toward the Ice Peak.

"Yo, any idea where we need to go?" Tangmo asked Astrid when her mother's retinue disappeared up a narrow road.

"I rather we know the situation inside the city," Astrid said. "The enemy's number, the location of the worms, and where our shield-maidens are engaged."

"The Tyranids doesn't seem to have any concrete target," Erik jogged up to Astrid's side and showed her his data-pad. "They seem uncoordinated and are attacking things at random."

"Ae-Shin, take out those worm motherfuckers and plugged the holes with promethium napalm please," Tangmo tapped his earbud.

"On it sir," Ae-Shin said to the squeal of descending engines, if Tangmo squinted hard enough he could see slivery shapes shooting out of the cloud.

"What about the shield-maidens on the wall?" Joanna asked suddenly.

"They're maintaining position, why?" Astrid said.

"Why are y'all letting them fillies just sitting there doing nothing?!" Joanna exclaimed, her Texan accent perky and pleasant. "Have them push into the city. The Tyranids are in here, not out there. That way they'll be able to corral them toward us, and like red-hot iron between hammer and anvil, we'll smash them to mush."

"…Why didn't I think of that?!" Astrid blurted then smacked her winged helm and relayed the plan.

"Much obliged mam," Tangmo tried for his best southern American accent and tipped his awesome commissar cap at Joanna.

"You're very much welcome kind sir," Joanna curtsey with a dashing smile.

"So where are we going?" Krillen asked impatiently.

"The citizens are being evacuated to the White Petal district," Astrid pointed at a cluster of spire shaped buildings situated on the higher tier of the city, the entire place sloping up a hill that dominated the cityscape. "It's the city most opulent neighborhood, but the geography and large sturdy houses are design to be easily defendable. The elskerinne of old had long ago declared that in the event of a breach, the civilians are to take shelter there."

"Alrighty then, fix bayonets boys and girls, this is gonna get close and dirty," Tangmo stabbed his finger at Kenshin and Lingxin suddenly. "And no, we're not banzai or wansui charging the nids! They're coming to us, not us going to them, you got that?!"

"Urgh! Fine!" Lingxin spat, Kenshin frowned like a spoiled brat denied a candy, and Min Jae just snickered.

"Stay close, this is a running urban warfare, we're not holding down any position until we reach the White Petal district, so be on your toe. If you see anything that doesn't look human or eldar, you blow it straight to hell, do you get me?!" Tangmo made his rousing pre-battle speech.

"Yes sir!" The guardsmen, and surprisingly the eldars too, roared with gusto in response, while the Sororitas, being the sour puss that they were, just nodded curtly.

"Fuck yeah! Now we're pumped up!" Tangmo drew his bolt pistol, gave it a cowboy twirl and turned to Astrid. "Lead the way dude."

"Follow me," Astrid and her huskarls took off up the gently sloped road and into a corridor of high rise buildings that looked like an amalgamation of modern day apartments and ancient Scandinavian architecture, the two styles actually looked compatible with one another. Tangmo's eyes darted from one alleyway to another, then back at the road, before snapping toward the column behind him, searching for any sign of Tyranid organisms that could be lurking nearby. It wasn't until they neared a square that they heard the nids' horrid shrieking and the cracks and booms of lasguns and bolters.

"Over there! Forward sisters! For the Allfather!" Astrid yelled and stormed into a large four-way junction where a couple of dozens shield-maidens and civilian militias were getting overwhelmed by the nids. Beside the hormagaunts, some of them wielding bio acid rifles, there were several Raveners presence; one of the big motherfuckers was cutting a bloody swathe through the militia's rank.

"Death to the xenos! For the Emperor!" Miriya roared and followed the huskarls into the fray, bolters and meltas blazing. The Tyranid's exposed flanks yielded in a fountain of fire and gore, the Sororitas plunging into the rippling, living mass of aliens with zeal and fury. The beset shield-maidens and militias cheered heartily and fought with renewed spirit.

"Kill the one with the guns first! Open fire!" Tangmo leveled his bolt pistol and fired, decapitating an ugly bastard turning its bony firearm toward the Battle Sisters, his fellows meeting a similar head related demise when the guardsmen lay down an accurate barrage on the horde. Soon, only pockets of hormagaunts and Raveners remained. Although concentrated fire from the Zetton, Zodd and rapid-las were enough to crack carapace armors with ease, the simple task of actually shooting the Tyranids was proving extremely difficult because the fucking Sororitas had to go and melee those assholes. Powerful apex predators the Raveners may be, they were no match for the battle hardened Celestians, their swordsmanship and marksmanship cutting down the Tyranids with brutal, clinical precision while the Frost Bringers lived up to their Viking heritage, swords and axes hacking the nids to bloody pieces, stabbing and slashing with gleeful savagery even after they stopped moving. The Frost Bringers roared in exultation when no Tyranids remained standing, before going about carving trophy from the carcasses.

"Savages," Isabel hissed in disgust.

"At least they are well versed in a fight," Emmanis, the newly promoted Celestian of the Ebon Chalice, shrugged noncommittally.

"We revel in our duty, as bestowed by the Allfather," Astrid wrenched a Ravener head free from its torso, spines and all, before handing it to one of the shield-maiden. "Maybe you should to try it sometime, that way people wouldn't think you have a stick up your ass all the time."

"Umm, ladies?" Tangmo quickly butted in before the Sororitas can retort, tiptoeing over a pile of steaming hormagaunt's intestine. "Look, I'm all for taking war souvenirs, but we really need to hurry. This was just a small pocket, and according to Ae-Shin there's a lot more nids sum bitches in the area, so can we please get moving already? Because getting bog down by Tyranids sounds unappealing as fuck."

"Five more minutes please?" What the fuck, was Astrid actually pouting at him? "The White Petal district is only up ahead, please?"

"Woman, get off your ass or I'm gonna Thai Kick it!" Tangmo growled and Astrid flaunts distress.

"A word of advice, lord commissar, our posterior is armored," Miriya said nonchalantly as she flicked red droplets from her chainsword.

"…How the hell did you know what a Thai Kick was?" Tangmo was pretty fucking sure he never told Miriya about it.

"They told me," Miriya stabbed her thumb at the waving Krix and Luva, and a very unamused looking Evangeline.

"Huskarl Astrid!" A shield-maiden scrambled up to Astrid, one of the woman's arm hung limply at her side and half her face was sheathed in gore. "Your sisters!"

Every hint of carefreeness and hilarity disappeared from Astrid's face as she rounded on the injured shield-maiden, "what of my sisters? Speak quickly!"

"Their war hosts were escorting a group of civilians to safety when they were waylaid by the Tyranids," the woman went on quickly. "They're now holed up in the orphanage the outworlder took over last night. They're surrounded and the beasts are merciless…"

"Fuck!" Astrid exclaimed then turned to another shield-maiden. "Duna, take the guardsmen and the Sororitas to the White Petal district. Huskarls, with me!"

"Yo, that ain't smart bro," Tangmo told Astrid.

"I don't care, I'm going to get my sisters," Astrid reloaded her bolter. "I doubt the Tyranid will be as courteous as you."

"Did you just say 'sisters'? As in, the plural form," Tangmo wasn't sure he heard Astrid right.

"I don't have time for this," Astrid growled and turned to leave with her six huskarls companions, but Tangmo snatched her arm before she took off.

"Are you fucking insane?! It's seven of you against a fuckton!" Tangmo said quickly, holding down Astrid was proving extremely difficult.

"Let go of me!" Astrid reeled back her fist.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Tangmo let go and groaned exasperatedly. "I need fifty volunteers, with heavy ordnances. Leilatha, take everyone to the White Petal district and fortified the position. I'll join you soon."

Leilatha sighed and nodded while Orhul brought up ten Cadians with rapid-las and rocket launchers, followed by Moltke and thirty Krieg grenadiers, topping off with Erik and ten eldar Rangers.

"Thank you," Astrid's eyes glimmered with gratitude.

"If you come back without him, I'll kill you," Leilatha told Astrid sharply before leading the battlegroup after the shield-maidens and militias.

"Damn, she's not kidding around," Erik commented then nudged the suddenly pasty looking Astrid in the ribs. "Which way are we going?"

"Huh? Oh! This way!" Astrid turned and sprinted down a narrow side road, the guardsmen and eldars marching double time to keep up.

"So what's the plan?" Erik jogged up to Tangmo's side.

"No idea," Tangmo shook his head then glanced at the guardsmen. "You guys got any suggestion?"

"A concentrated attack using our grenade launchers followed by a continuous barrage should be enough to disorient and weaken the Tyranids," Moltke laid out his plan.

"I like it," Orhul did a double check on his M60 looking rapid-las.

"Same," Tangmo concurred.

"The element of surprise will be crucial to the execution of this plan. The Tyranids must not know that we are…"

"Sigrid! Himinn!" Astrid shouted then charged into a wide open square. She and the huskarls plowed into the Tyranid's rear, bolters blazing, sending up misty plumes of red ichor and fleshy gore.

"Astrid, you stupid bitch! Fuck!" Tangmo raised his bolt pistol. "Moltke, bomb those motherfuckers! Orhul, laid down a suppressive fire! Erik, cut down any leader organism you can find!"

The Krieg launched volleys after volleys of grenades into the chitinous ranks, sending blood coated carapaces twirling across the air, before the hormagaunts can orient themselves Orhul and his heavy weapon team laid down their barrage, the nids screamed indignantly as las and rockets cut them down to smoldering, twitching gibs. The Tyranid Warriors, towering above their smaller peers by a couple of meters, tried to rally the lesser organisms against the smaller Imperial forces, but quick silver bullets from eldar snipers made short work of them, every shot decapitating or sending brains gushing into the air.

"Watch your flanks! Push them back!" Tangmo yelled as the guardsmen and eldars formed a loose arrowhead wedge and opened fire on the hormagaunts trying to perform a pincer maneuver. The battlegroup's fire power, combined with the orphanage defenders sallying forth to meet the Tyranids, was enough to wipe out the besieging force. Slamming home another Metal Storm clip, Tangmo and Erik waded through the slush of dead aliens to where Astrid and her huskarls were finishing off the last pocket of Tyranids. The Frost Bringers had holstered their bolters and were engaging the nids with melee weapons. Astrid took center stage, blocking with her shield and slashing with her sword in a stunning display of elegant barbarity, her attacks accompanied by roars of purest rage, no movement wasted on frivolity, every stabs, slashes and hacks aiming to kill. The Tyranid Warrior wasn't ready for Astrid, and with one last pained, unbelieving cry, the nids choked on the Viking sword shoved down its throat and die. The crowd, watching from the orphanage, cheered like they were watching a wrestling match and Astrid bowed with a smile.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Tangmo strode up to Astrid.

"Basking in my victory!" Astrid shot Tangmo an annoyed look. "What?!"

"There are nids on our asses, we don't have time to fuck around with this Hulkamaniac bullshit," Tangmo went on quickly. "And where are your sisters? They're the reason we took this fucking detour."

"Astrid!" On que, Sigrid and a girl who looked identical to her ran up to Astrid and leaped into the huskarl's waiting embrace. The other girl, Himinn, was clad in a leather robe with bone fetishes hanging from the wide sleeves and hems as opposed to Sigrid's wolf helm and fur trimmed plate armor. She was also wearing glasses, which was pretty cute.

"Dude," Erik pointed at Himinn, and Tangmo didn't need an eldar level sensitivity to know that she was a Storm Singer, the Frost Bringer cadre of psyker.

"I know," Tangmo nodded then said. "That's really nice and cute, but can we please go now?!"

"You again?!" Sigrid, the ungrateful little Chihuahua, barked at him. "Why are you here?! Are you responsible for this?!"

"Sigrid, calm down!" Himinn squeaked, her timidity a jarring contrast to her twin's aggro temperament. "I saw him and the guardsmen helping Astrid."

"Can we save the introduction for later?!" Tangmo was bouncing agitatedly on his toes, head darting nervously at every howl and shrieks. "I'm pretty fucking sure the nids are getting closer, and I don't like that! So can you please get those people out of the orphanage?!"

"Would you calm down? They're already outside," Astrid pointed at a line of people being escorted by the shield-maidens and militias down the road. "Stop being so hysterical, we'll get you back to your woman soon enough."

"That's great! Everybody form up, we're moving out!" Erik cut in before Tangmo went ballistic. He wasn't being hysterical, he was just nervous about getting fucking nom by the nids! And the idea of him and his men turning into snacks because the Frost Bringers were too busy screwing around actually pisses him off. Whatever, at least they're moving again, but goddamn the stupid laughing grin the huskarls shot him was fucking annoying. Luckily, no Tyranids ambushed their little jog and it wasn't long before they reached the White Petal district's walled enclosure, now decked out with haphazard barricades manned by Sororitas, guardsmen and eldars. Heavy bolters, heavy meltas and snipers were positioned inside towering mansions adjacent to the wall, the expensive looking windows shattered to make room for the weapons.

"Here you are, lady commissar," Astrid spoke aloud as they ran passed rows of tractors that had replaced the district's awning gate, sauntering up to the prim Leilatha, whose hard visage softened when she saw Tangmo. "One wailing gentlemen at his wits end, hopefully he'll stop crying now."

"You lying asshole! Fuck you!" Tangmo shouted after the cackling Astrid then turned to find Leilatha staring at him with a quirked brow, "what?!"

"Do you need to sit down for a bit?" Leilatha allowed a tiny hint of a smile to ghost her lips.

"No I don't need to sit down!" Tangmo said a little too loudly. "Sorry, I'm just a little nervous. I've never fought Tyranids before. But I feel better now, behind a wall and with you."

"Nicely spoken," Leilatha was very please.

"Tyranids coming up the western road!" Alistair shouted and every gun was leveled at the wide eight lane road in front of the district. Squeezing himself beside Al-Rahman and Xiphos, the Fire Guard colonel handing him an extra Zetton lasgun, Tangmo trained the barrel down the street and whistled appreciatively. Holy sweet mother of Christ, that's a lot of Tyranids, it's like watching a dam burst and getting mesmerized by the murderous tide rushing for him.

"Heavy batteries and snipers, open fire!" Tangmo shouted into his earbud and bolts, rockets and meltas bombarded the oncoming Tyranids, sending majestic surfs of blood and fire rising skyward. It was a beautiful display of destruction but the Tyranids, being single-minded psychotic killing machines, gave no fucks to the odds arrayed against them or the casualty they suffered, and through the fire and the flame they carried on toward the barricades.

"Everybody light them up! In the name of the Emperor, let none survive!" Tangmo braced his lasgun and went full-auto on the nids, heralding a barrage of red hot lasers that tore into the hormagaunts ranks. They fell in droves, but more clawed and bite through the dead, screaming at the defenders, eager to even the odds.

"Goddamn, it's like that outpost scene in Starship Trooper!" Tangmo was loving every second of this.

"Let's hope we don't end up dead like them," Erik gritted his teeth as he no scoped lines after lines of Tyranids, racking up an impressive kill count.

"What are you talking about?! Denise Richards rescued them all in the end!" Tangmo emptied his clip on a stubborn Tyranid Warriors until only sizzling mush remained.

"Do you see any planes coming to pick us up?!" Erik reloaded his eldar sniper rifle, winced, then tapped his earbud. "Korri, I'm not trying to steal your kill, okay? Can you please calm down already?! No I'm not lying, look, how about I let you kill the leader organisms, how about that?"

"Planes…oh fuck, how did I forget about that?!" Tangmo facepalmed, then contacted the air force, "Ae-Shin, you there? Come in."

"About time you called back," Ae-Shin was annoyingly sassy. "Things are seriously not looking good down there."

"Hang on, I'm adding Astrid to the conversation," Tangmo tapped his earbud quickly a few times, "yo Astrid, you still alive?"

"What do you want, I'm busy!" Astrid growled impatiently.

"Ae-Shin, what do you got for us?" Tangmo asked.

"You have four more attack columns closing in," Ae-Shin said. "They're doing a pincer maneuver and most of the defenders are occupied on the main western road. You won't be able to redeploy in time."

"Well, thank the Emperor we have you here then," was Tangmo chirpy reply, "would you be so kind as to bomb the ever-loving fuck out of those assholes before they kill us?!"

"Sir, I'll have to carpet bomb several city blocks to effectively stop the Tyranid's advances," Ae-Shin told him.

"Astrid, what do think?" Tangmo changed to his serious voice.

"I concurred," Astrid took little time to answer. "Like my mother said, lives are more important than buildings."

"A regular chip off the old block, nice," Tangmo nodded appreciatively. "You heard her Ae-Shin, do it."

"Yes sir," Ae-Shin answered him. "What about the western road?"

"We got this, right Astrid?" Tangmo smirked.

"Indeed!" Astrid laughed.

"Alright, cover your ears ladies and gentlemen, things are about to get really loud," Ae-Shin warned as supersonic roar of jet engines grew louder and louder until the Tyranid's shrieking was muted by sky cleaving rumbles. "Impact in three…two…one."

The world shattered in thunder and fire, pillars of flaming debris and dust erupted around them like a hundred volcanoes going off at once, the concussive acoustic battered them from every direction.

"Keep firing! Keep firing, goddamn it! Don't let up!" Tangmo fired blindly into the swirling smoke that rolled over them, sweeping his lasgun in a maddened arc. He couldn't see shit but the Tyranid's hellish roar never lost its hungry octave, the shrilly cries rising in timbre now that the dust was settling. At least those motherfuckers weren't leaping at the barricades, so they were probably winning, right?

"Sir, all of the pincer column has been destroy," that's nice to hear, so why did Tangmo felt like Ae-Shin was cushioning him for a bad news? "But now every organism is converging on the western road, it's a massive frontal assault."

Well, shit.

"…God Emperor above! Prepare for contact! Prepare for contact!" Ae-Shin yelled into his earbud, and the fact that the usually stoic commander was panicking totally meant shit was about to go down.

"Oh shit," Erik pulled the binocular away from his face the same moment a rhythmic pounding, like the T-Rex scene in the first Jurassic Park, reverberate across the ground.

"It's something big, isn't?" Tangmo deadpanned.

"A Carnifex actually," Erik went on nonchalantly.

"Well, fuck me sideway!" Tangmo threw his hands into the air in exasperation then tapped his earbud, speaking calmly. "Every heavy gun, cease fire, we have a big motherfucker heading our way, save your ammo and train every barrel down the road. When the damn thing got within a hundred yard, we're gonna give him a proper Imperial welcome. Make ready boys and girls, and big ladies in power armor, the Carnifex is coming to town."

"Dude there's two of them," Erik spoke up.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Tangmo snatched the binocular from the Swedish elf and pressed it hard over his eyes. The Carnifex, a fuck huge monstrosity of giant teeth and talons and about a thousand ton of pure murder, was stomping toward the barricade. And there were two of them, holy sweet Jesus.

"Everybody bail!" Tangmo dropped all façade of calm and shouted into his earbud. "Get clear of the barricade, those two Carnifexes are gonna ram us!"

"We are not retreating!" Astrid bellowed.

"Hold fast guardsmen. Trust in the God Emperor and stand your ground against the xenos, they will fall before our fire and zeal!" Miriya added her benediction to the mix.

"Wait, what's happening right now?" Laura piped up.

"Tangmo, what do we do? Are we falling back or not?" Leilatha put forward her question.

"Awaiting command, Herr commissar," Hildebrandt stated calmly with military crispness.

"We need orders, what's our next move?!" Krillen cut in.

"Stand your ground and fight, guardsmen!" Cassandra bellowed.

"Beg your pardon madam, but that thing is enormous," there was an alien hint of alarm in Alistair's tone.

"Yeah, katana ain't gonna cut it this time," Yuki deadpanned.

"Agreed, I'm not that suicidal," Kenshin agreed.

"You sure about that?" Min Jae sniggered.

"We shall fight them! The songs of our deeds will echo across eternity!" Sigrid added dementedly.

"Lord commissar, I think we should fall back," Evangeline gave her two cents.

"Cowards! You will not forsake this barricade!" Isabel hissed.

"EVERYBODY SHUT THE FUCK UP! WE'RE GETTING THE – OH FUCK!" While the battlegroup were busy arguing with each other, the two Carnifexes closed ranks, shoulder to shoulder, and together, as one, made the final, roaring sprint toward the trucks and tractors blocking the gateway. The fuckers plowed through the defenses like they were fucking Hot Wheels toys, the heavy vehicles cartwheeled and corkscrewed across the air in a spectacle that would make Michael Bay wept with joy. Amongst the falling debris rained men and women, send flying by the Carnifexes cacophonic impact, the walls of the White Petal district didn't stand a chance against the beast's gargantuan bulk. Good thing Tangmo was further down the parapet or he would've been one of those poor bastards crashing onto the street in broken heaps. And if having to deal with two rampaging Carnifexes wasn't bad enough, the remaining Tyranid grunts were making another push for the disoriented defenders. Now that the disciplined, concentrated fire was not hampering them, the nids bastards came at the battlegroup like an avalanche.

"Fall back! Everybody fall back!" Tangmo threw a grenade at the oncoming horde, it did absolutely jack shit, before making a run for it. Abandoning the wall, Tangmo, with Erik, the guardsmen and the shield-maiden at his back, made a beeline down the road. Not that there were many places to run. In front of them one of the Carnifex has elected to stay behind and raised hell while its friend plowed deeper into the district.

"Over there! Go, go, go!" Tangmo led his ragtag group toward a pile of flipped over tractors, finding the main characters already hunkered down behind it. To his relief all of them were there, albeit a little banged up.

"How's everybody doing?" Tangmo's smirk was met with annoyed murmurs.

"What do we do now lad?" Bruce asked.

"We hold the line," Leilatha answered for him. "We cannot allow the Tyranids to overrun the district. This will be where we make our stand."

"She's right," Tangmo nodded his affirmative then tapped his earbud, "Ae-Shin, you there?"

"Glad to hear you're still alive, lord commissar," Ae-Shin said.

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna last long," Tangmo told her. "How's Henry doing?"

"The general has managed to push the Tyranids back into the mine, they're in the process of containing them as we speak," Ae-Shin continued.

"Nice to know things are going well on the other front," Tangmo chuckled mirthlessly. "Look Ae-Shin, we're not doing too hot over here, the nids just fucking broke through. We'll hold out as long as we can, but when we get overrun, I want you to flatten this entire place, okay? Get Solveig to launch some orbital bombardment too, nothing get out of here alive."

"A heroic sentiment, lord commissar," what the? Was Ae-Shin rolling her eyes on the other end?! "But in the end, unnecessary."

"Say what now?" Damn it, there goes his noble sacrifice moment, but hey, he'll take being alive over a glorious death any day.

"The Frost Bringers along the wall are pushing the Tyranid back across the city, we've been giving them air support for the last hour," Ae-Shin continued. "Despite their numbers, the Tyranids are in retreat. Whatever grounds they've taken has already been reclaimed by the Battle Sisters. The Tyranids are caught between your two forces; you just need to hold out until they arrive. I'm sure you can manage that."

"Damn right I can!" Ae-Shin condescending tone was enough to rile Tangmo up. "Ain't no goddamn Tyranids gonna get pass us!"

"That's the spirit!" Joanna hooted loudly. "We're gonna get all them vermin! Yeehaw!"

"I'll be here if you need a strafing run," Ae-Shin said. "Good luck commissar."

"Thanks Ae-Shin," Tangmo reloaded his Zetton lasgun. "I'll buy you a round of sake after this."

"I don't drink that crap, a woman of sophistication like myself prefers soju, thank you very much," Ae-Shin huffed haughtily then cut the transmission.

"Whatever, soju taste like piss anyway," Kenshin muttered.

"That's not what she said," Min Jae nudged his head at the wide eyed Lingxin glaring a hole through his helmet.

"Save the spat for after the battle," Evangeline leveled her laspistol at the destroyed gateway, the first wave of hormagaunts were already rushing through. "Here they come!"

"Open fire!" Tangmo held down the trigger and sprayed hot, sizzling las on the advancing nids, they fell in twitching heap, trialing streaks of blood like grotesque fleshy comets. The main characters joined in, then the buildings around them erupted in a brilliant lightshow of discharging weaponries, the guardsmen, eldars and shield-maidens having fortified themselves inside the huge, sturdy mansions lining the street. The first minute of intense firefight was followed by torrents of promethium flames shooting out of the Imperial held position, bathing the walls and surrounding areas in furious fire, stemming the Tyranids advance to a manageable trickle.

"Oh fuck, the big one just noticed what's up," Yuki pointed hurriedly at the lumbering Carnifex slowly turning toward them after dispatching a platoon of shield-maidens, its snarling fangs twitching in annoyance. It growled lowly and advanced on the main characters, each stomps slow and confident.

"Miriya! Miriya, shoot that thing now!" Tangmo grabbed Miriya's shoulders and spun her at the approaching Carnifex. The Celestian gave a tiny gasp of surprise before bracing her Godwyn bolter and going full-auto on the motherfucker.

"Celestians, behind us!" Miriya yelled and the Celestians of the six Sororitas orders turned in unison, raised their weapons, and unleashed a deafening barrage on the Carnifex. The hail of bolts and melta was so powerful that it sends the gigantic Tyranids staggering back a few steps, which totally pissed it off.

"What? No song this time?" Cassandra was her snarky self as she unjammed the heavy bolter she carried.

"My head playlist is a little jumble right now," Tangmo dropped the empty Zetton lasgun, drew his bolt pistol, and was in the process of selecting a new magazine when another roar sounded behind the aggrieved Carnifex. Its uglier friend was coming to the rescue. Fuck. But before Tangmo can start panicking, a very loud honking like those you hears on a six-wheeler blared across the battlefield, drawing the second Carnifex's attention to its immediate right. A huge truck sped into view and, with the accuracy and trajectory of a battering ram, slammed into the Carnifex, sending both skidding across the street in a tangle of bony limbs and metal. Tangmo could just make out the shape of a female militia running away the same moment the Carnifex's talons ripped the driver's seat to pieces. The enraged Carnifex was about to push the truck aside when it exploded, consuming the big Tyranid in a blinding ball of white hot fire, the shockwave throwing everyone off their feet, glasses, debris and loosened flakes of snow peppered them. When the world finally stopped spinning, Tangmo groggily got up and saw that the explosion had crippled the Carnifex. The charred, mutilated beast was wailing torturously as the shield-maidens swarmed it, hacking and tearing the downed Tyranid apart like a bunch of shrieking fire ants going crazy on an incapacitated tarantula.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKERS, YOU KILLED MY BRO!" Would be what the surviving Carnifex would have said if it was capable of human speech, because it roared murderously at the main characters and charged, the Celestians' suppressing fire did not slowed it down in the slightest.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Tangmo was fumbling to load a Kraken magazine when four, thick spears of ice shot out of the ground and impaled the Carnifex in the chest. Torrents of red ichor poured from the puncture wounds, steams rising where the Tyranid's lifeblood drenched the icy spears. The Carnifex howled in agony and outrage, and with great, monstrous determination, started pressing forward. The spears slid deeper into the beast's chest but its weight was enough to send webs of cracks shooting across the white blue shafts. It opened its maw and roared, spraying hot blood at the main characters, drenching them in icky disgusting red puke. Another pillar of ice launched out of the ground, this one spearing the Carnifex through the jaw and lodging itself inside the beast's skull. Then the air above the gurgling behemoth started to bend, the light gleamed in blinding spectrum as it coalesced into a sharp, translucent pendulum that crashed down on the Tyranid's neck. There was a single humorous moment where the Carnifex gaped at them, mouth open, before the twitching body folded to the ground, the head held aloft like a hunting trophy by the ice spear.

"Himinn!" Behind Tangmo, Astrid and Sigrid were holding the almost limp Storm Singer between them. "Easy now sister, that's it."

"I'm alright Astrid," Himinn's face was drenched in sweat, her glasses almost sliding off her nose as she managed a shaky smile. "I just need a moment to…"

"Holy fucking shit dude, you saved our asses!" Tangmo leapt at Himinn and wrapped the Storm Singer up in a powerful hug, shaking the girl like she was a stuffed teddy bear, her horrified squealing drowned out by the main character's thunderous cheers. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You stay away from her!" Tangmo was putting Himinn down when Laura skidded to a stop in front of them, arms spread heroically wide, barring the Celestians from approaching the Storm Singer. "I won't let you hurt her!"

"Don't be so dramatic," Miriya rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid enough to discard a valuable weapon. But she will need to be sheathed properly once this is done."

"I guess that's a step up from what their canonesses did…"

"AHHHH!"

Before Yuki can finish her sentence, Himinn was hurled off her feet, fleshy pink tentacles wrapped tight around her neck, arms and chest, dragging the thrashing girl over the barricade of dilapidated tractors.

"What the fuck?!" Tangmo rushed after her, but it was Miriya and Verity who managed to grab the girl before she was dragged across the street toward…holy God almighty, what in the fuck was he looking at? Tentacles. There were a lot of tentacles, which was the most noticeable thing about this Tyranid specimen. Where arms should be sprouts a writhing mass of slimy octopod appendages that twisted and churned with hungry animation. And the face, damn, the dude was obviously Cthulhu long lost cousin, sporting a Lovecraftian tendril beard. The monstrous organism was huge, made even taller by the fact that its armored torso was supported on a four-legged hide quarter, making it look like an eldritch centaur. In summation, it's a goddamn Tentacle Rape Monster straight out of a hentai, and it got itself a screaming young girl to violate. Being the gentleman that he is, Tangmo ain't gonna let that happen.

"Holy shit, it's a Toxicrene!" Erik took a shot, but the eldar bullet barely scratched the carapaced head.

"Nice to know the tentacle rapist got a name," Tangmo emptied his bolt pistol on the Toxicrene, groaning when the Kraken rounds barely nicked the skull. "Fuck!"

"AHHH! HELP ME!" Himinn was dragged screaming toward the writhing Cthulhu maw, Miriya, Verity and Sigrid clinging desperately to the girl's legs and waist. "DON'T LET GO! PLEASE, DON'T LET GO!"

"Pull, damn you, pull!" Miriya gritted her teeth and strained her arms, but it was clear that the Sororitas were losing the tug of war. The Toxicrene was making a pleased sounding ululation when, in a shower of reddish purple gore, Himinn was cut loose from the tentacles, herself, Miriya, Verity and Sigrid were send careening backward by the sudden liberation. The hentai monster roared in outrage and made to approach its prey again, only to find Astrid standing in its path, shield raised and bluish grey sword, slicked with alien blood, pointed forward.

"Get her to safety, go!" Astrid spared a nanosecond of a glance at Himinn and it was all the Toxicrene needed. The tentacles lashed out and coiled its squirming mass around Astrid's shield arm, engulfing the limb. Astrid was starting to hack at the tentacles when she was lifted off the ground and slammed back down violently. There was a crunch of destroyed ceramite, a fleshly pop of bones, and Astrid's agonized scream.

"Astrid!" Himinn and Sigrid cried in unison as another mass of tentacles devoured Astrid's sword arm. She was lifted off the ground again, held suspended in a crucified posture. The flowing tendrils tightened, like how muscles go taut during a physical exertion, and Astrid's piercing cry shattered the air. The sick Tyranid fuck was gonna tear her arms off! Then, just as quickly as it began, Astrid's harrowing wail ceased and she dropped to the ground, the twitching tentacles gave a final spasm and slid off her still intact limbs. And standing above her was Kenshin and Yuki, the two samurais guarding the fallen Viking from the monster that would seek her harm. Kenshin held his katana forward in a standard kenjutsu stance, while Yuki dual-wielded two eldar katanas ala Miyamoto Musashi.

"YOU STUPID SAMURAI ASSHOLES! DIE!" The Toxicrene screamed, if it was capable of articulating the English language, and hurled its remaining tentacles at Kenshin and Yuki. In a hurricane of silver and crimson, the two Japanese danced into the thicket, hacking and slashing at the lunging tentacles, their sword work a blinding, ethereal grace, splendor in form and vivid in violence.

"Astrid! Yo, you okay bro?!" Tangmo sprinted toward the fallen huskarl, all the while nailing the Toxicrene with bolts whenever Yuki and Kenshin wasn't in the way, Leilatha and Krillen close at his heel.

"Wake up! Wake up you dumb cow, wake up!" Sigrid shouted and slammed her fists down on Astrid armored torso, tears streaming down her face. She got so distraught that Miriya had to physically pry her off Astrid while Verity and Himinn went to check on her, the hospitaller running her medical scanner over the huskarl while the Storm Singer lifted her head off the gore slicked ground. Himinn cried out in shuddering relief when Astrid stirred then squawked in pain.

"Fuck! My arm!" Astrid yelled.

"Your shoulder is dislocated," Verity turned off the scanner and rummaged through the many pouches on her belt. "Stay still, I need to apply the healing gel and bid it."

"No," Astrid shook her head fiercely, "pop it back it."

"I very much advise against that," Verity went on. "Even if I pop your shoulder back in, you wouldn't be able to fight effectively. The battle is over for you, sister, you've done enough today."

"Fine! I'll do it myself!" Astrid grabbed her injured arm and tried to push the bone back in, the result was predictably painful.

"Can't even do it right," groaning, Krillen knelt down beside Astrid and took her dislocated shoulder, the huskarl screamed like a gutted pig. "Save it for when the pain really come. Now, deep breath and…"

A pop, then a shriek and Astrid's arm was back inside its socket.

"Better?" Krillen rose as Astrid flexed her arms, wincing from time to time but overall, she was okay.

"Yes, thank you," Astrid said curtly and reached for her fallen weapons, grimacing as she held the shield up, and pointed her sword at the faltering Toxicrene, many of its formidable tentacles reduced to bleeding stumps by Kenshin and Yuki. "I'm not finish with that one yet."

"Sit your ass down Astrid, we'll take care of this," Tangmo threw his awesome commissar coat back dramatically and reached for a gleaming black magazine emblazoned with a carmine emblem of Orochi, the eight-headed dragon. Slamming the clip home, Tangmo found Leilatha looking at him with clear alarm. "What?"

"You're going to use that now?" Leilatha inquired.

"Yeah, why not?" Tangmo waved at the enraged Toxicrene. "I mean, there's not gonna be a better opportunity than this."

"But she's here," Leilatha nudged her head at the confused Miriya and loaded the same round.

"Excuse me?" Miriya narrowed her eyes on them.

"Screw it, we'll explain later," Tangmo hefted up his bolt pistol, Leilatha mimicking him, "Yuki! Kenshin! Fall back dude!"

With one last immaculate stroke of their katanas, and severing a few more tentacles, Yuki and Kenshin disengaged from the Toxicrene and sprinted back to where Astrid was standing, the two samurais sliding behind the Viking's raised shield. The Toxicrene took one step in pursue and Tangmo and Leilatha pulled the triggers, the bolt pistols roaring in fiery unison, the cadence of mighty dragons. The headshot was spectacular. Tentacle moustaches, eyeballs, brain, cranium, and blood in the gallons bloomed in visceral radiance where the Toxicrene's head used to be, a grotesque halo of blossoming gore. The Toxicrene didn't even have time to verbalize its demise as the new bolt rounds tore into its torso, the merciless salvo turning the indomitable plate of carapace into a pulping mess of streaming blood and sundered meats. By the time Tangmo and Leilatha ejected the empty clips, the Toxicrene's upper body lay separated from its centaur hide quarter, the limbs twitching miserably in a sad imitation of life.

"Miriya, can your Celestian buddies set that motherfucker on fire please?" Tangmo reloaded a standard clip. "Better be sure that it's dead for real."

"Agreed," Miriya waved the flamer sisters forward. "Our reinforcement has arrived."

Following Miriya's gaze, Tangmo saw that the huskarls and shield-maidens from the walls were here, the Viking Sororitas were spreading out to finish off any remaining Tyranids or helping the injured to safety. A dozen of them, all wielding flamers, joined the Celestian around the dead Toxicrene and, together, set fire to the tentacle rapist. The pyre blazed strong and beautiful.

"Mind telling us what just happened?" Miriya came to stand before Tangmo, bolter held laxed but ready, a nervous Verity hovering over her shoulder, ready to intervene if things got physical.

"We just bagged a freaking Toxicrene, that's what happened," Tangmo smiled brightly. "Too bad we headshot the fucker, the head would've looked amazing in the trophy room."

"I meant those bolt rounds," Miriya nudged her head at his smoking bolt pistol. "What are they? I've never seen ammunition with those marking before. And why wasn't the Sororitas made aware of its existence?"

"Might as well come clean," Tangmo shrugged and holstered his bolt pistol. "These rounds are called Banestrike, ever heard of it?"

"No," Miriya shook her head.

"They were created by the Alpha Legion, the traitor First Founding Space Marine chapter," not the smartest thing to say in front of a Sororitas, Tangmo admits, but what the hell, the cat's out of the bag. "These bad boys were made specifically to kill Astartes. They can penetrate Horus Heresy era power armor with ease. The traitor legions used them throughout the Heresy and quite possibly into the modern days."

"And how did you come by such deadly armaments?" Miriya was doing a pretty good job at reining in her emotion, but the glare bespoke of a deeper, stormier undercurrent.

"Kolasi," Tangmo went on nonchalantly. "We got half of the specification from there, and the rest from Jigugeum. We combined the data and cross-referenced it with the Mechanicus's manifest, and found out what it was. Everything was ready to go but we postponed the unveiling when we met you guys on Tera-Antebella because…well, you know."

"I see," the icy calm exuding from Miriya was not reassuring in the least. So much in fact that Tangmo had preemptively stiffened his neck in preparation for the hands that would close around it. Leilatha and Verity must have seen this too, because both very discreetly braced their legs, ready for the worst.

"The canonesses will not be pleased by your action, commissar Tangmo," Miriya continued after a moment.

"You should know by now that I don't give a shit," Tangmo said.

"Oh believe me, I do," Miriya's smirk was poisonously condescending. "So you don't plan on sharing any of these armaments?"

"The Ultramarines and Salamanders already have the Banestrike in storage," Tangmo was startled by the amiability in Miriya's tone. "Why?"

"Do you not think that the Sororitas deserved to be armed like the Astartes and the Militarum?" Miriya sounded almost offended.

"Wait, hold up," Tangmo didn't know if he was hearing Miriya right. "Did you just ask if you can have the Banestrike rounds?!"

"I thought I was quite clear," Miriya said.

"Not in so many words," Leilatha quirked a brow.

"But you just said the canonesses wouldn't be cool with this," Tangmo pressed on.

"We are pious in our faith to the God Emperor but, despite what you and your men might think, we're not idiots," Miriya went on easily. "There will be opposition from the canonesses, especially from Bellona and Morelia, but in the end, I'm sure they'll see the virtue of enriching our arsenals, regardless of the weapon's history and origin."

"Woah, that's…really open minded of you," Tangmo's goofy smile was making Miriya fumed. "I'm surprise, in a good way."

"The galaxy is changing, so very fast," Miriya looked at the arguing Yuki and Kenshin and sighed. "For us to perform our duty effectively we must be able to adapt, lest we find ourselves becoming obsolete and discarded."

"That's awesome Miriya, I'm proud of you!" Tangmo smacked Miriya friendly on the pauldron.

"Don't touch me," Miriya deadpanned.

"Sorry," Tangmo backed away, sharing a grin with an equally amused Verity. "Anyway, we've already made Banestrike rounds for the Godwyn bolters, in case you guys are okay with it. We'll give them to you when the mission is over. Just be a little conservative with it, alright? Damn thing ain't cheap or easy to make."

"Thank you, lord commissar," Miriya glanced around the now calm White Petal district. "What is our next move?"

"Probably mopped up the remaining Tyranids and then…"

The earthquake returned. The epicenter, which was moving away from them, thank God, appeared to be heading for the looming Ice Peak.

"Me and my big fucking mouth," Tangmo shook his head as another worm thingy rocketed out of the steep mountainside, sending up plumes of dust, ice and rocks. And this one was different too, in a bad way.

"That's a Mawloc," Erik pipped up. "It's a monstrous size Tyranids that live underground and can burrow through pretty much anything, looks like they saved it for the Star Pillar."

"Ae-Shin," Tangmo wailed into his earbud like an obnoxious whiny kid calling for his mom.

"Yeah, yeah, we see it, give us a minute," Ae-Shin actually sounded bored as every jet and bomber converged on the Mawloc. "But you might want to do something about the Tyranids climbing up the mountain. They don't look like grunts."

"Welp, guess we know where we're heading next," Tangmo adjusted his awesome commissar cap and waved at his guardsmen. "Regroup! We're going up the mountain."

"Call down one of your plane!" Astrid stomped up to Tangmo. "We need to get to the Star Pillar, now!"

"All the Valkyries operating planet side are fully engaged at the mine right now, they don't have any birds to spare," Ae-Shin told her. "The reserve Valkyries on the Immortal Spirit will need ten minutes to mobilize and another ten to reach your position."

"That's not fast enough!" Astrid bellowed. "We need to go help mother now!"

"If we were able to hold the line here, it stands to reason that the elskerinne and her cohort should find similar success at the Star Pillar," Alistair spoke up.

"What if all this was simply a distraction while the Tyranid's vanguard attacks the true objective?" Al-Rahman put forward his idea.

"Preliminary reconnaissance seems to suggest that you're right," Min Jae was looking intently at his data-pad.

"Well that's bloody great," Laura groaned and turned to the main characters. "How soon can we move out?"

"Five minutes," Lingxin told her. "But we don't know whether the Ice Peak will be standing by the time we reach it."

"There's a way up the mountain," Sigrid told Astrid. "Small, secretive, but quick, Himinn and I used it all the time when we were children to sneak after mother."

"Aren't you still technically children?" Erik asked.

"Shut your mouth xeno!" Sigrid snapped at him and started down the road with Himinn. "You coming Astrid?"

Without another word, Astrid sprinted after her sisters, leaving her dumbfounded huskarls behind with the equally flabbergasted main characters.

"Oi! Three person isn't gonna change a thing!" Laura yelled after them, but the trio didn't listen as they rushed for an undamaged jeep and started hard wiring it.

"How about seven?" Yuki strolled after the three Frost Bringers. "You guys coming or what?"

"Wait, we can't just leave our men!" Erik piped up.

"God, you're such a buzz kill, you know that?!" Yuki chided Erik, who shrank like a scolded boy, then turned to one of her Banshee. "Firnera, you're in command while I'm gone. Play nice with Miriya now, no fighting."

"As you wish, lady exarch," the masked Banshee said tightly.

"Well…I guess I can delegate too," Erik added sheepishly before tapping his earbud and relayed his command.

"That's the spirit love," Laura joined Yuki, but not before giving Tangmo a mischievous look, "you coming mate? Or do you need your mommy's permission first?"

"Can I go with them? Can I? Oh please, please, please! I'll be back before supper!" Leilatha sneered in disgust at Tangmo's attempt to be puppy eyed and cute.

"Don't ever do that again," Leilatha warned him then sighed exasperatedly. "We are of the same rank Tangmo. I can hardly stop you from going where you want."

"Thank you!" Tangmo squealed then skipped after his friend, all the while waving back at his girlfriend. "Don't worry I'll come back safe and sound!"

"You better," Leilatha raised her voice.

"You're in command while I'm gone!"

"I know!"

"Oh shit! Almost forgot!" Tangmo skidded to a stop halfway down the road and sprinted back to the main characters, heading straight for Bruce. "Yo dude, give me your Zodd lasgun and all the magazines."

"Here you go laddie," the Grey Watch colonel gave him the blocky lasgun and four extra magazines, "happy hunting."

"Good luck and stay safe guys, we'll go out for a drink later tonight!" A chorus of tired but poignant cheers followed Tangmo down the road, it was very cool and heart lifting. By the time he reached the jeep, everybody was already inside, a very impatient looking Sigrid honking on the horn.

"Alright, alright! Jeez!" Yuki threw open the backseat door and he squeezed inside with her, Laura, Erik and Astrid. "Go, go, go!"

Sigrid put the pedal to the metal and the jeep lurched into motion with a screech, "Took you long enough!"

"Sorry, I need my guns!" Tangmo said. "So where are we going?"

"An old library at the foot of the Ice Peak," Astrid told him. "It's been abandon for six hundred years. We only use it as storage for things like tables and tankards from the festivity. Himinn said there's an old elevator shaft that goes up to the Star Pillar."

"You sure this elevator still works?" Yuki asked.

"Only one way to find out," Himinn shrugged as they sped down the road, which was thankfully free of Tyranids. After about a minute, they were pulled up in front of a decrepit library. The seven of them quickly leapt out of the jeep and ran into the dusty, lightless interior, Himinn and Sigrid leading the way. Another minute more and they came upon a back room, and what do you know, there really was an elevator. Old, creepy and covered in rusty cage, the damn thing looked like it came out of a horror movie.

"That's a sunny looking thing," Laura commented mirthlessly, the inquisitor was duel wielding a flamer and a hellpistol.

"Please work, please work," Himinn chanted the phrase like a mantra and pressed the button beside the elevator. Miraculously, the single light bulb inside flickered to life, followed by the reassuring hum of machinery. "Praise the Allfather!"

"Inside!" Sigrid slid the grated door open and herded everyone inside, it was a tight fit but not uncomfortably so. Slamming the door close, Sigrid threw the level; sparks flew above and beneath them as the elevator ascended at a considerable speed, the ancient steel frames groaning in protest. The sound was not soothing.

"I swear to God, if I die in some random elevator…" Tangmo hissed, his ears popping from the change in altitude.

"There are worst ways to die," Astrid's attempt at humor was pitiful.

"I rather die in an epic last stand, not screaming down a fucking chute," Tangmo said as the elevator jerked to a stop without warning, the suddenness tossing everyone around like a pinball. "Shit, that was fast."

"This way, follow me," Astrid was the first out of the elevator, followed by the twins, Tangmo and his homies bringing up the rear. To his surprise, they weren't inside some foreboding stone keep with dying flames dancing inside sconces, but a modern looking passageway of ceramic tiles and neon, sliding metallic doors and large window panes flanking them. The place was abandoned, in a hurry it seems, because all the rubbishes littering the floor looked fresh. Muffled roars and booms were a constant echo around them. After turning a few bends, they came upon a long, large corridor that went in a straight line.

"The Star Pillar's chamber is just up ahead, we have to…" Piercing inhuman shrieks cut Astrid's sentence short. The seven of them turned back the way they came and was greeted by the hungry call of Tyranids.

"Get to your mom, we'll hold them back," Tangmo checked the Zodd lasgun's ammo and braced it.

"Are you sure?" Astrid shot him a disbelieving look.

"We'll be fine," Laura waved her off and ignite her flamer. "Catch you later love, just leave some for us, yeah?"

"…Thank you," Astrid nodded gratefully and bounded down the corridor with her sisters.

"Welp, the odds sure look pretty bad," Erik got on one knee and aimed down the iron sight.

"Yeah, they don't stand a chance," Yuki drew two eldar sub-machineguns from her thighs, giving them a few flashy twirls. "So how many Alien references are we allowed?"

"Several," Tangmo pulled the trigger and decapitated the first Tyranid Warrior that stormed out of the shadow. "Let's rock!"