Otto Hannig's Story

Go forth, for the Emperor!

Distant in a boarded up building on main street that seems to stretch forever Dietrich, an Imperial Fist of the Emperor stood checking his modified armor's internal systems. He'd woken up removed from his armor surrounded by the strange abhumans professing their loyalty to the Emperor. No longer divided by an explosion expertly reconstructed like the best Apothecary his legs moved without complaint the dense body of a space marine retethered and rekindled. The creatures did explain what they'd done though it was not of Dietrich's liking. They'd rekindled his body, they said, though he'd failed to be one suitable for true rekindling under the Living Emperor. The Doom Eagle Gunnac Umbercaller, however, was indeed a true rekindled. A doom eagle deprived of death an ironic thing that made him laugh at the hell the enemies of the Imperium would experience for such a thing.

This place was too quiet for his liking though there were other imperial guard here there was another Imperial Guard that had taken a True Rekindling, as the abhumans called it, and it seemed like such a waste to Dietrich. Nevertheless he stood and could feel the ammo count push across his mind as the weapon loaded ammo into itself. Not quite the same as a mind impulse unit, Gunnac explained, but it allowed his weapon's machine spirit to communicate with Dietrich directly.

Dietrich made a feral grin imagining the bloody litanies they would sing to honor the empeor's name. The machine spirit seemed pleased. The force of his predatory will disturbed a imperial Guard as Dietrich looked at them, "We must go. The Emperor and battle calls us forth once more! This day is not yet done; there so much bleeding yet to do."

He stood and walked what felt like downhill through the building that was far too large for its confines. "Gunnac, I trust you will monitor the Abhumans. I must go to the front", Dietrich said in a terse statement to the silver clad Techmarine with ruffling crimson cloak. The sound of shredding paper came from the energetic locus of psychic power as it moved the black robed abhumans about or even the imperial guard.

Gunnac nodded as Dietrich could see the tearing cloak fold out tools to inspect his weapons one last time, "The Jinhai will psychoport you to Dorn. Bring glory to the Emperor's name and Mankind, brother marine."

The world deconstructed into patterns and letters around Dietrich's hidden smile as Jinhai leveraged the Way hub to move Dietrich to the front.

Can't I just die with honor?

Among the hundreds of bodies a small point of light beacons like a firefly seeking something upon which to alight. It moves upward then through the area as a psychoport locus flits to an open area among the bodies. With the sound of tearing paper black humanoid forms known to the guard as Jinhai poured themselves into reality. They'd said multiple times to many guard that they couldn't evacuate humans with such a thing. Yet somehow at the center was a disaffected Imperial guard with repaired armor. Jinhai began inspecting the broken bodies, apothecaries of last resort, for signs of intact thrones of Mankind. As well as other useful pieces of broken civilian charnel with which to rebuild them.

Otto just shivered at the Jinhai moving through bodies heading instead toward his living counterparts. As Otto approached Small eddies of black mist whirl over the ferroplasm autoshotgun in his hands two drums of ammunition tethered to his back. Despite the Heavy look of his weapon it didn't seem to move like something with weight. It jerked toward targets on its own periodically and Otto gave it a light smack.

"You. Stay on focus. By the Emperor, I have to train your part of my head like a fresh guardsman, don't I.", He admonished it. He could feel the machine spirit animating it inside as it lived on using his own mind. A damned thing using an extra piece of his mind inserted by Jinahi to enable the machine spirit but it served obediently. Still, the weapon unleashed one hell of a punishment for being something that ought not to be portable or firable by imperial guard.

Otto sighed the death was done for now and he needed his hands to help. Otto tossed the weapon aside as if discarding it but the bolts bent and the eddies returned in force. The black metal shifted and bent as it collapsed inward to a snake-like form. When it hit ground the head and pincers were visible as well as the muzzle centered on its mouth. The psitech construct slithered beside him with a wide swath.

He found the nearest sergeant or lieutenant to report for duty, "Corporal Otto Hannig reporting for duty, Sir! There's a dozen more reconstructed guard moving this way down main street, Sir!"[/b]

If they bothered to check the IFF for his suit, or if they knew him personally, they'd most definitely find that either memory marks Otto as quite deceased.

What new strangeness is this?

As Kinara's medical droids went about the civilian population they'd rapidly discover an odd thing about some of the strong. That some are composed of parts while somehow cleared of immunological antigens nonetheless not the ones they were born with. More so than donor organs sheets of skin or individual sections of bone without apparent surgical evidence. DNA analysis would show the whole of some belonging to dozens of donors. The results of the Jinhai rekindling civilians from the depths of death.

The bloodied fist

Much like Otto that same firefly desperately tried to trail the hustling space marines but couldn't quite propagate at such speed. It elected instead with a hollow bang to pound Dietrich into existence. The yellow fisted shield held high Dietrich doubletimed to catch up with his brothers. Able and willing to fight and more than enthused about doing so.

Aboard the Glaive
Emily continued to coordinate affairs and efforts by the IMPs to excavate and evacuate the city, including the deployment of over three hundred medical personnel.

She also ordered the deployment of Alexander, calling Feidy to pilot and help excavate the larger pieces of rubble to reach any trapped citizens within.

Awaiting the Space Marines.
As he stood amid the dust and broken rubble, positioned between the girl and the approaching soldiers, Ean radioed to the Glaive. "Emily, I need you to prep three bunker teams to drop on my position. And get the shock rod ready for deployment as well."

Emily paused in her own activities, the first time the young woman ever seemed to hesitate in her almost non stop action. "B-but... That's not been tested, it-"

"Might not work and might punch a hole in the planet yeah I know, get it ready. I'm hoping we won't need it but if we do, I want it launched on my command." Ean gave his orders with finality, cutting off the connection and pulling his pistol from it's holster. He also held a small spherical device in his left hand, which he rotated and fidgeted with without cease.

In his own mind he was anxious. He knew what was coming and how it would go, but that still meant he had to go through it. "The waiting is the worst part, damn." He muttered to himself as he watched the dust and waited for the conflict that approached.

Behind him, Tiff just swayed, still too dazed and stunned to do anything.

In his name, we fight

"Targets spotted, enemy in optimum range. Brothers, we shall energetic the enemy in multiple direction. Lord Dorn shall strike through the center, we will provide flanking support. Our targets are the witch and the one who guards her. We strike without mercy brothers! In the name of the Emperor let us finish this!" The marines soon scattered in multiple directions. Bolters armed and ready.

Dorn himself rushed through the dust, his massive armored form now visible and his foot sells thundered across the area like lighting. A hum of a chainsword was mixed in the cacophony of noise coming from the massive Primarch. As soon as he had vision of Ean, Dorn did not hesitate to aim 'The Voice Of Terra' his prized Tacical Bolter at Ean and fired off rocket propelled rounds in his direction. A massive weapon that had recoil to even cause a space marine to flinch slightly, this man used such a thing with one hand, and it was modified to pack a greater punch than a standard bolter. Instead of the normal .75 caliber the gun echoed loudly, almost as if the ammunition was perhaps 1.00 caliber or even higher. He knew that the man in front of him was the enemy, to save a witch that caused this destruction. It was unforgivable.

Back to the living

The commanding officer in charge of the Imperial Guard forces turned to face Otto. "Corporal? Oh yeah, we received reports that the dead have returned. So more men are on the way, great work. We have to get these civilians to safety before anything else happens, we get them to the evacuation Teliporter Homers and we save the life. There are only children and young adults, such a world when a kid lives without his parents...damned Dieties...but enough talk, let's move out!" The Guard commander soon began to motion at a squad escorting a group of children to one of the still standing structures marked with the Imperial Eagle.

"Did you think the act of a mere God would keep you safe from your conscription?"

Four mighty voices rang out within the heads of those previously Taken by the Legion of Shadows, as well as in the air of the Bunkers of the Imperium, meant to keep the people safe, but only trapping them for the slaughter. However, with this massive hit to the Legion, and their efforts also focused somewhere else in another realm, the ship filled with refugees led by Kinara the Jedi would be left untouched.

For now.

A terrifying, gut-wrenching screech rang out in each of the safety-bunkers provided by the Forces Imperium for approximately five seconds the shadows within turned into a sort of sludge, melting from their places and bubbling like magma. Great chunks of this molten Shadow would proceed to fling itself around at the sources of light in the Bunkers until a zone of darkness was available. Once created, if at all, the Legion would pour through. Hounds of all shapes and sizes went first, snarling and screaming as loud as possible, followed by the Bashers, in their now-commonplace Roman-Cohort Armor and weapons, hacking and slashing at any foolish enough to stand too close or oppose them. Each body felled would be dragged into the abyss, alive or not, by tendrils of black mass.

Kinara's eyes closed half way as she sensed the Darkness spreading within the bunkers, however unless they opened their doors, her gunships were of no use, and could not fire upon the Shadows, nor evacuate civilians. She grit her teeth, and her throat tightened, hurting from the decision she was about to make. Reluctantly, she pulled back her gunships and transports to the Obsidian Eagle, letting them land to be refueled by the worker droids waiting for their jobs to be given to them.

However, she also sensed, something else. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something else was about to happen. "Pull the ship up to join the Venators....stay in Geo-Sync orbit, something is coming." She said to her pilot droids.

"Roger Roger." they responded, and with a subtle rocking, the Obsidian Eagle and her four small Tartan Patrol Cruisers lifted themselves from their position a few hundred meters above the earth, and joined her forces in low atmospheric orbit.

Birth of Adeptus Interitus

The thoughts of what he learned in that plane of Genesis weighed heavy on him like chains. He felt it important to clarify for his superiors though he said more than he intended. While his eyes showed someone strong his voice sounded much like one that wasn't sure of the score, "Sir, While they do return able bodied there's an... issue. The Jinhai said I survived some more intensive version, 'True Rekindling'. I report first-hand that I am no longer capable of dying with honor. Or retiring. The first incident while weapons training resulted in a time-gap until manifestation of 92 minutes."

There's that moment when you understand how and when things just went FUBAR and just hope you survive. It lasts a damn long time. When he yelled at his new shotgun in training and it turned to look at him at attention he could see every bolt shifting as it curved backward to point the barrel at him. The pain when the hammer struck only lasted a split second as the round pounded his head and helmet apart. Then 92 minutes later, determined later according to his uninterrupted wrist clock, he smashed helmet-first into the center of the floor. He hadn't expected to be around let alone barely conscious when Myrkul's Vein manifested his essence back into a painful new reality. He made an oath right then and there to never use his last round. The special punishment of having to let his brothers fight on while he waited to starve to death trapped in the blackness under rubble came to the forefront of his mind.

Will of four dozen

Jinhai were the first to notice the aching flux in proximity to the raw Way core gate. The raucous activity of the shadow injecting itself into reality led to an inescapable conclusion from what they'd already experienced. Each turns from the duties of searching flesh to bolt toward each other full-run. On impact the noises came of wet-silt craters in the growing orb of black dust. A psychic beacon proclaimed alarm with an impression of the broken surface around them to all that could hear it, "UMBRALKIND. The bunker is tainted."

Then limbs began to pour outward as Jinhai divided into four bodies the size of space marines a burning constellation of a dozen grey eyes each to them. Defining volume of that shout however blasts Otto from stable footing while remaining at attention so close to the beacon. Two came forward toward him to pick up a combative true rekindled to his feet. Otto fobbed them off as a snake-like weapon crawled into his hands from the ground, "I'm fine! By the Emperor, There's those shadow things inside?"

The two Jinhai nodded and one spoke, "Two will advance. Two will hold the gate."

Metal in the air

Feidy could finally land without sinking up to his knees in moving tarmac as such was already waiting for the go ahead to launch. Then the Captain called him down to move rubble. There was something that blasted across the psychic ECM systems as he'd turned them up quite a bit to focus and didn't catch the signal in time. Hmm. He hunkered down, adjusted the consoles one last time so his own psychic powers could hear anything and pressed the launch button. Centered near Ean's location the Mech launched from the bottom of Ean's ship with retro-thrusters ablaze to slow his descent. Feidlimid landed the titanic mech Alexander with only a soft bump if scorching pavement. The ring of swords and the pull of chains at his armor pushed at his precognition as Feidy turned to where Alexander's sensors said there were targets.

"Boss, don't those guys guard the city? Everything is so very unclean. What have you been up to down here?", said Feidy's voice over comms in his normally childlike high-pitched voice. Despite the threats fidey, the obsessively clean sort, couldn't help the urge to start sweeping debris in spite of the threats.

Unwilling Combatant

Ean turned and tossed the sphere he had in his left hand straight at the ground the moment the Marines had showed up. He had been hoping to talk to them and maybe stall for time, but that plan went right out the window.

When the sphere impacted the ground, it clicked and expanded to the size of a bus in the span of a second, enveloping Ean and Tiff in a barrier of swirling electrical energy. It lasted just long enough for Alexander to land in the location.

Ean turned and called out to Feidy "Give us some cover big guy, been a bit of a misunderstanding. I'll explain later!"

Battalion Launch

From the belly of the Cobalt Glaive, two cover plates opened and revealed a trio of extending towers. From each of these came a low buzz, followed by a loud thump, as they launched three house sized pods that streaked towards the ground, a holographic field surrounding them.

Each of these three pods would impact the ground, about fifteen feet apart, with Ean and Tiff at the center of their landing space. The moment they landed, each pod began to shift and reconfigure into a bunker, really nothing more than a metal box with waist high walls about thirty feet from wall to wall. In the middle of each unfolding bunker was a column of metal, normally adorned with communications equipment, supplies, spare weapons and ammo, the works. These however had been stripped of all that, to be replaced with extra sockets for soldiers to strap into. Normally each bunker could only seat four imps, these had been retrofitted to seat six, though it was tight and uncomfortable. Nevertheless it worked, as eighteen soldiers leaped towards the bunker walls and opened suppressing fire on the approaching marines, their charge rifles set to a slightly higher setting than normal, these were space marines after all.

For about twenty or twenty two seconds after landing, the bunkers were little more than fancy implanted cover positions, until the column in the center of each of them fully charged up, and produced a phase emission barrier around itself. At that point, the barrier grapped solid projectiles that came near it and swung them into an orbit near it's highest point, amassing a collection of ammunition for a later purpose. The imps used energy weapons, and firing them out of the phase emission barrier pulled a small amount of energy from the barrier to follow the shot, giving each "bullet" fired by the imps more impact, like upgrading from automatic rifles to .50 cal machine guns that fired armor melting plasma.

Thankfully firing into the barrier didn't produce the same effect, energy weapons coming into the barrier were dispersed across it's surface with a rather colorful display of electrical arcing.

It was the imps go to tactic for defense and delaying. The barriers gave them about a minute of combat advantage where they could fire on enemies with impunity, usually long enough for a pod storm to come down behind them and reinforce. In this case, Ean didn't intend to reinforce, but retreat. "Emily! Launch the Rod now! On my position.

The girl didn't respond over the comms, but a loud cracking sound came from above as the rod was fired from a launch bay. It impaled the ground in the midst of the three bunkers, looking like a totem pole but with loose wiring and exposed circuitry instead of animal faces. No sooner had it landed than it began humming and charging up, though for what was yet to be seen.

Ean took that moment to call out to a nearby imp, who tossed him one of the spare charge rifles. The bunkers would provide them plenty of cover, but he knew that the leader of those marines would be there to face him soon enough.

"Come on then you thick headed brute of a bastard, come and try me!" He muttered to himself.

"Hostile reinforcments! Enemy forces have provided adequate cover and are opening fire on Lord Dorn! Plasma weaponry, do not get caught out brothers." A Tactical marine voxed to the other marines as they kept to cover to get around the sides.

One of the Tacticals un-shouldered a Helios Pattern Rocket launcher and aimed at the ship in the air. "Target locked, Emperor guide my missile through. Let it strike true..." He recited a prayer of aim as he came around one of the building and aimed at the aircraft.

For Rogal Dorn himself, as the plasma bullets sailed his way, he slammed a foot into the ground sending a massive chuck of stone from the eart hto give him cover, however while taking fire she shot back and noticed the strange barrier trapping the bolt round. "The barrier seems to be trapping our rounds, but it seems that energy weaponry can pass through safely...we cant get close enough unless...Imperial command come in. Fire an earthshaker rounds at coordinates 191.24.N and 66.431.N..." Dorn voxed as he remained behind his makeshift cover as it was being slowly torn apart.

"Affirmitive my Lord...Basilisk artillery coordinates plotted and underway. Stay clear my Lord." A voice replied. Miles away from the battlefield two Basilisk field guns emerged from sturdy Imperial Guard depots and aimed two different rounds a few yards away from the barrier as to not hit it directly. If they could not damage the structures directly, then causing the ground under the defenses to collapse. "Earthshaker rounds loaded in...Praise be unto the Emperor...May he guide our strike true...Let our weapons bellow his faith and destroy his enemies...Fire!" After the Guardsman finished their prayers, the gun fired shaking the ground. And sending two rounds directed at the battle in the front.

Inside one of the bunkers, as the Shadow Legion advanced. A certain Space Marine Librarian had appeared using the Gate Of Infinity and spew fourth a wave of psychic lightning which seemed to be much improved. "Horrid abominations...you should all die just because of how ugly you filth are..." The man as Carnaelgaar muttered. Making sure to keep his gifts secret.

Curse of Aetherkind

Aboard the Glaive the two Jinhai remain on the bridge while Plinth was in extended surgery. They could not assist. Here they served quietly reading the almanac and listening to the thoughts of Myrkul's Vein regarding the situations of its sub-beings. The combat between mankind was not their own without permission of the Emperor. They nonetheless observed for the needs of an impartial record for the Emperor of Mankind. One spoke up in their emotionally pale voices of whirling dust.

It spoke to Ean as he terminated communications, "The Living Emperor has stated dissatisfaction with the beliefs and behaviors of His subjects. It is the assertion of Myrkul's Vein that your status remains as neutral regardless of combat. The new instance of Humankind created by the Aetherkind has no actions of importance ascribed to it and remains neutral beyond considerations of the tainted. Do you need reconstitution, Humankind Ean?"

Once more into the Pyre

Of the first to storm his way into that bunker the bright flash and thunder was heard from Otto's living weapon against the shadow creatures. Witchfire-charged slug rounds of Gunnac's make they seared whatever was not human and by the Emperor's will be they purged. The weapon was a heavy-bladed thing responsive to Otto's wrath at the shadow creatures attacking civilians here. They attacked as a singular being but unfamiliar with his machine spirit's xenothirst Otto was unable to hold back his advance with the rest of the Imperial Guard.

When the librarian appeared somewhere down a blood-soaked hallway Otto was the first guard to burn. The lightning seared his flesh and armor away but his mind would not fall. The force broke his limbs and the mind would still not lay down to die. For a long minute Otto's mind was just pain and blackness. The crinkle of metal signaled his weapon reconstructing just as Otto's will returned to force out the pain. A smoking, seared corpse hauled itself to its feet with a stub for an arm. The throne of mankind still burned hot as a True rekindled slowly extended fresh flesh and even scraps of his armor under every piece of ash.

The voice was ragged and harsh, "Otto Hannig, Imperial Guard. I can't see you, right now, but you librarians never did care about friendly fire. I understand the imperial fists more now I think. Every time it hurts I care a little less."

The bones grew bright red leg muscles pouring out more blood than he ought to still have. Otto realized something while his brain operated under a conflagration of pain. Seems he couldn't go unconscious by the pain though he sorely wanted to. Everything hurt. Every nerve was on fire and what didn't hurt was numb.

A eye reconstituted in its blown-out socket to look at Carnaelgaar then he screamed out the pain from a livened sense with a bloodied cry. Otto then writhed in pain while supported by a scorched wall, "Sorry. I'm trying to care a lot less right now. Forgive me if I talk to keep the pain at bay. 'Cause seems Myrkul and the Emperor won't let it push me under anymore. Lucky me."

Otto turned to stumble his way out of the cleansed bunker with a single good eye and the gleaming psi-tech shotgun slithering at his side.

All knowledge to the Primarch

Dietrich pulled a gleaming ferroplasm bolter clip from his pack among four there. A faint white light emerged from the socket as the manifestation plant began manufacturing a replacement. Approaching his primarch Dietrich held up the clip that slowly moved bolter rounds into view as if they were loaded from the bottom.

Dietrich saluted, "I have returned from rekindling with new resources, Primarch. The Jinhai have repaired my armor with their own technology until a Techmarine of the Doom Eagles constructs a forge for the Imperium. I can manufacture ammo and deliver it to nearby brothers. Directly to their clip. Tech-priests may educate the machine spirit for ammo required of it."

The response against the presence of the Legion was swift, as was the reaction of the Legion itself. Shifting its focus to purely harvesting, by the time their enemy was able to bring in their more powerful weapons, the Legion paused as droves of its forces were depleted by the shots. Soon, a screech rang out across the bunker they inhabited, and the Legion sank into the floor,vanishing into the shadows of those they'd slain, taking the bodies with them.

They would find other means to replenish their numbers.

Otto's body wouldn't stop ticking. His skin was still half burnt off at least what wasn't bleeding from rebuilding itself. His hand twitched from the pain but at least he'd stopped bleeding there. Couldn't go unconscious, couldn't seem to sleep, just had to take the pain. Even the armor he'd died in sealed over holes slowly hiding what healthy skin already healed like it was part of his body.

Earlier he double timed it across the city then hitched a transport to the alert's deploy site as an available grunt. It earned him sidelong looks as a hideously scorched imperial guard sporting visible bones hot-footed it over then slowly became a more recognizable one along the way. With but a twitch of scorched flesh to show complaint but he still came when the commanders called. Lightning hadn't burnt through the brain case thanks to something about his helmet so it didn't put him down entirely. Still had the guard's loyal if slightly disaffected demeanor when they met his eye. He might have been disappointed at the notion but the time gaps didn't feel like sleep. Just hurt when Myrkul spat him back out at the ground so he preferred to just keep moving forward. Flesh was made of sterner stuff now he supposed but didn't know much about what the Jinhai had done to him. Didn't feel much like he wanted to know, anyway. Everything damned hurt.

After saluting with a sodden stump he moved slowly with the point guard of the commanding officer's formation a huge shotgun held up with that meaty pulsing stump still growing back everything above the wrist. The legs moved but he was stiff as hell unless he had to run in a straight line. His left arm however took a lot of punishment from that librarian's lightning blast. Still, all he needed to serve the Emperor was one good trigger finger, ammo, and maybe a good stiff drink to go with the lead in his legs.

As the group proceeded forward, eventually there were tell tale signs of something in the area. Scattered pieces of burning metal, a few broken trees, all signs pointing out that something had crashed here. "Thank the Emperor...we managed to actually find the blasted thing." The commanding officer turned back and his glance looked right at Otto and his...very tattered appearance. "Been to Wing city huh?...Surprised that you are still walking. Could always get some cybernetics, damn things are much more common now. Probaly help fix some problems." The man spoek to him very briefly before actually giving his order. "We shall split up into multiple groups. You six." He points at Otto and five random men. "Are group one. The rest on me. We will go left while the other goes right. We will circle around and surround the craft. Remember that unless the enemy is hostile, don't fire. New regulations...gotta deal with it. Emperor be with you men!" The man spoke as he and his five soldiers sepperated from the group to head to the left side of the crash site.

Nefertari's sensitive hearing picked up the sound of others her light sword quickly shifted into a light rifle as she ducked into cover she waited silently watching for who approached her keen ears and eyes scanning. She hid waiting to see if they where hostile or not.

Otto nodded to the commander though his tongue felt like a sack of leather and his voice sounded like a worn bag of crickets, "Sir, Yes sir. Died once there. Got better. Then fried by librarian, you should see what the enemies of the Imperium looked like."

He smiled then winced as a fresh tooth rammed through his gums moving into place. He motioned for the other men to follow behind him. In that same seared voice that took real effort he said to them as an eye turned from bloody to clear, "Stay behind me I can soak rounds. If I take a headshot and die bring my body with you. Will show up on top of it in about an hour. Explain later."

Otto moved forward at a standing position to better cover his fellows to break right. The shotgun he held across the body that was still caked with either ash or gore though there were clear metal bits forming over exposed flesh. Clothes then armor crawled over them like a growing slime mold. Otto knew the ragged breathing from burnt lungs showed him out among the wreckage very quickly but that just made drawing fire easier.

"Sir...I see something up ahead." The forward soldier spoke as he motioned for the group to halt. The man quickly got into cover behind trees as the man in front moved forward passed the brush and stumbled on what appeared to be a crashed ship.

"Clear." The man spoke as the men began to secure the area.

"Stop right there!" Nefertari called out " I don't know who you are or what your intentions are. I don't want to start a fight here but know I will defend myself if I must... I did not intend to crash on your planet and I don't intend to die here ethier. I would rather things stay peaceful between us but that is up to you..."

Nefertari had her gun trained on the closest Guardsmen he would be the first to fall should they attack.

As they cleared the area Otto kept up and kept an alert watch in all directions. When the female voice perked up along the main wreckage he moved stiff-legged into her focus then stopped. The man looked like he already needed medical attention but just felt like he needed a damned drink and some leave. After a week of getting shot by some enemy or another then burnt all over the pain just kind of leveled off. It was getting hard to feel much at all.

His voice would sound relieved it it wasn't so sawed off, "Cpl. Otto, Imperial Guard. I've been shot and burned enough this week if it's all the same to you, ma'am. We have orders not to engage if you'd please put down your weapon and identify yourself."

Otto figured she could use a sign of good faith and the weapon got real heavy held up with one working hand. The shotgun held in front of him he just dropped it in place. With a short screech of moving metal the heavy auto shotgun changed to a snake-like form with the clip sticking vertically out of the back of its head. The gun backed circled once around him then raised its pincered barrel-head up to be close at hand. Otto's stump hand held at his side he waited while it dripped red onto the earth.

The soldier she pointed at did not dare move however his allies aimed their las-guns at the xeno woman. "Ma'm we are the Imperial Guard. Defenders of mankind! We have no intention of starting a fight but if you do not lower the weapon we will be forced to act! So stand down xeno!" The Imperial officer spoke hiding his las-pistol.

Nefertari stood up her gun fading into nothing " You can call me Nefertari " she said looking at the men she stepped out toward the one that gave his name figuring him the leader and more friendly of the group dispite his looks.
"My ship crossed the path of a comet this forced me off course and damaged my ship" Nefertari explained. " So now I'm afraid I'm stuck on your world until such time I can fix my ship or acquire a new one..."

The Imperial Officer looks at Otto and nods, he was free to speak to this xeno woman. Of course the soldiers stood down, albeit they were still on guard in case of an ambush.

Point men tended to be the ones that got shot but then his squad would have the good sense to take cover somewhere not behind him. Someone had to do it and he sure as the emperor couldn't kneel down behind the wreckage without risking not being able to get up again. So there he stood like a private as the one sent to yammer at the Xenos so the one that got drew fire was the one they could spare. Otto couldn't argue with good tactics but looked over to his immediate superior after the woman identified herself for new orders.

Suppose he shouldn't call them Xenos as apparently things had changed. The one named Adolefactus said that all the true rekindled would end up in Genesis and see the Emperor and so did he. There were discussions among the Emperor and his primarchs about weaknesses in the imperium chief among them a displeasure with the Eclessiasty centered around the Emperor Himself. Damnedest thing but the word of the Emperor must survive all his displeasure.

Otto returned his officer's nod to acknowledge it then calmly walked closer. He looked at the wreckage for a moment and the notion that this was a civilian craft didn't seem to fit. They didn't tend to be built strong enough to take impacts this heavy. That left a lot of important questions and a few educated guesses.

He continued to interact with the female... being, "What is your business in this system, Ma'am? Military assets should first declare themselves to Terra air control. We can, however, arrange transport to a location so you can see to your future needs."

His weapon slithered closer to get between them as Otto's suspicion leaked into its part of his brain. The creature didn't make any noise but for a faint scuffing a of metal plates.