A slightly smaller Mess

Mac: "Good, or we'd be right fucked." *he starts wheeling the chair out.*

A single purestrain genestealer drops from above, claws outstretched, and obviously reaching for Noctis.

Serah: She glares daggers for a few moments, and, dispite a calming hand from jax, placed on her arm. She speaks with a tempered voice. "Yes, one, do not read my mind, and two, i believe you two be lying."

anne: *laughs* Our greatest foe, stairs!

Notcis Saw it coming, sidestepping, and driving his blade through it's body.

Charles: I'm not lying.

Mac: "Cripples are we!"

That first blow, is the spark that lights the inferno, as genestealers and hybrid pour from everywhere. Tearing through walls, the floor, spilling from every hatch and door.
Za'thun: "HOLD FAST SONS OF VULKAN.. BURN THEM ALL!" He raises his storm bolter, and unleashes a torrent of shells, the tactical marines similarly opening fire. In these volumes, any concept of accuracy is pointless, each shell WILL find a target.

Serah: "Then what do you propose?"

she laughs again

A storm of death is unleashed from the sons of vulkan, with bolt, plasma, and flame, annihilating anything that comes within line of sight

Charles: Well, what do you wish exactly?

*he chuckles along as he pushes her down the corridor.*

Za'Thun begins to sing, a battle hymn, soon taken up by the tactical marines also.

"We... the shield, of his imperium... stand against thee on land, or sky or immaterium!"

Serah: "To fight."

she sits back, enjoying the ride

more murdering

Charles: that can be arranged...maybe not when laurence is around though.

Mac: "Fuckin hell all these doors look the same, which one's theirs?"

Za'Thun swings his crozarius, sending a purestrain crashing back into the horde, but it pushes closer. In a desperate gambit, to keep his brothers shielded, he steps forth from the protection of the formation, bolter roaring and the symbol of his office reaping a heavy toll as he swings it. He continues to sing, louder still. "XENOS, TRAITOR, HERETIC! ALL SHALL FALL BEFORE! THE MIGHT OF HIS ANGELS, THOSE FALLEN, REMEMBERED EVERMORE!"

Serah: "And that will be when?"

"No idea"

*the agressors push forwards alongside him, shoulder to shoulder with the chaplain, as they burn and punch the shit out of the genestealers*

Charles: Depending on if we go back down there, soon or a little while.

Mac: "Guess we're finding the biggest one then."

Za'Thun is a study in fury. An example few could aspire to match. with prayer ever at his lips, and his weapon ever reaping the emperor's tally. It is with song heavy in the air, mixing with the cordite and promethium smoke, that the first of their number is felled. One of the tactical marine's bolter runs dry, and as he ejects the spent magazine, a purestrain clears the line formed by Za'Thun and the agressors. He blunts its first blow with his bolter, a claw puncturing its bolt track. The marine drops it, and draws his blade, and the xenos slashes for him. In a loverlike embrace, the marine plunges his blade into its guts, as the purstrain cleaves his arm away at the elbow.

Serah's fists clench, and she takes a step forwards. "There are heretics down there!"

Jax places a hand on her arm, more firmly this time, and holds her back.

Anne: guess so.

murder continues to occur

Charles: Indeed. And as of right now, the salamanders are eliminating their leadership, and two regiments of Mordian Iron Guard are en route to purge them.

They come to a largeish looking door. "Looks good as any."

The marine is dragged back into the pack, the purestrain shot off him. One of the agressors is targeted more viciously than his compatriots. The hive mind singling him out to be the weak link in their line.

Jax: "I think... what she's saying is. Let us do our jobs. Chaos cults are what we do."

Anne: aye.

The agressor seems to be frankly impossible to reach, a wall of fire separating him and the creatures assaulting him.

Charles: I won't get you killed over an impulse.

He knocks on the door with the barrels of the sawn off, still carrying it in his right hand.

Behind this wall of fire, Ingran Works his apothecary's upon the injured marine.

Jax: "Its not really a request." He raises an eyebrow

Anne sits there, waiting

They continue to kill fings

Charles: If we go back down there, you'll be coming with us. Alright?

The door hisses open, with a rather irritated looking commissar behind it, who's expression evaporates the moment she sees mac, then as she looks down gets rather confused as she sees anne.

Soon enough, the hive mind decides to call it quits, and the flow stems, with the still living xenos fleeing into vents and hatchways.

Jax: "...It'll do."

Anne: Ma'am *chuckles* Don't ask

Noctis: Report.

Charles: Alright. Anything else?

She raises an eyebrow, before stepping aside to let them in. "Get your asses in before someone sees you roaming the halls with a shotgun you daft cripples."

ingran: "He shall live... if he sits still for ten seconds..."

Jax: "I think that's everything."

Anne lets mac push her in before actually standing up.

Noctis: brothers, hold. We leave no man behind.

Charles: excellent.

Hera: "I was under the assumption the doctors said bedrest."

Marine: "I am not yet a casualty! I have a left arm, for just this occasion!" A round of low chuckles go round, as one of the other marines adds. "Shut up Hel'Uan."

Jax: "Just don't be lying." He turns around and heads for the door. Serah following after a particularly harsh glare.

Serah: "For your sake."

Anne: yeah but sod that.

the primaris share in the chuckles
Noctis: That's the spirit brother! takes more than some four armed xeno to bring down one of vulkan's sons eh?

Charles: wouldn't dream of it.

Hera: "I expected this from Mac, but you're supposed to be sensible."

Mac: "I take offence."

*hera makes a pointed look at his shotgun.*

Mac: "point."

The marine, identified now as Hel'uan is helped to his feet, and his dismembered arm is strapped to his back, with some kind of make shift plastek bag seal over its stump, on the off chance it could be reattached later. He draws his bolt pistol. "Shoulda gone for the head." He kicks its corpse

They leave, and leave behind a rather grim feeling in charles' mind. The feeling that he has a hell of a lot less control of his crew than he did six months ago. perhaps worth it for hera...

Anne: Didn't want to sit bored on my arse in the hospital if he sodded off.

Noctis: Come, brothers. we have xenos to slay.

*heh*

Hera: "Fair enough... So... why did you come here?"

Mac: "Check on you."

The marines fall in, reload, and follow noctis.

At this very moment, a long absent, rather large lack of control. Reappears. Thankfully, the door has closed behind Jax and Serah when he appears. The golden form, of laurence's ostentatious astral projection. It flickers like a bad vox signal, and looks around.

Anne: pretty much.

they continue advancing towards their objective.

Charles:...afternoon.

Hera: "I'm fine...?"

Mac: "oh... I heard you'd gone pretty all out on that... thing, that i totally missed. Cause of the capturin."

Once more, the joviality is drained by the bleak surroundings. Every shadow looks like a xeno waiting to pounce, the swaying glow globes creating false movement that draws the eye.

When he speaks, his voice comes from over near the windows. "WArp stoooooooorms. MakE this... this.... isssss. shit. really hurturturt."

Anne: how's the girl?

being astartes, they are unphased as they advance.

Charles: best keep this quick then. What's wrong?

Hera: "I... Sort of passed out when i got in. I... Byrne will still be taking care of her."

on Za'Thun's armour, the purity seals begin to smoulder, and he stops, leaning on the wall with his shoulder. Muttering under his breath words of piety.

Laurence: "Iron warriors..." The apparition becomes sharp for a moment, and charles' sees his teeth clenched in pain. "Week awway. TrYING. TO. Organize. DefeNCe." With that. The apparition almost blurs out of existence entirely. A few more words leak through into the room, from ten directions at once. "Jarimus. Planet. Six."

Anne: She'll be alright then.

Noctis: what is it?

Charles: so you want our help. Alright, I've got to finish up here, but I'll see what I can do.

Mac: "Man seems solid." Hes leaning on the wheelchair pretty heavily.

Za'thun replies through clenched teeth. "The xenos psyker is... assaulting my mind." He goes back to muttering "The pure mind is a fortress, bar the gates with belief, and guard them with faith."

It once again snaps back to clarity, with laurence pointing at charles. Or a point two feet to his left. "TAKE CARE OF THE XENO." Then exits of reality, with an audible POP.

Anne: yeah... by the way ma'am...sorry about getting myself captured like that. I wasn't... in the right frame of mind.

Noctis: Beware brothers. Do not lock eyes with the xeno, and it cannot control you.

Charles:..well then.

Hera: "Don't give me that shit. This idiot did too." Gesturing at mac.

Za'Thun: "I think.. you have read... too much of the uplifting primer. I shall battle the creature... in mind. You must in body"

*Guy working a vox desk.* "What the fuuu...."

Anne: Sorry ma'am. *she's havin a hard time shakin the discipline shit.*

Noctis: not at all brother. His power is strongest when he locks eyes.

Hera shrugs, and walks back into the room proper. "Might as well sit down proper, 'stead of standing in the doorway."

Za'Thun: "But is... rather... potent none the less... Without doing so."

"yes ma'am" *she walks in proper*

Noctis: hold strong, brother. The beast will die. Forward brothers!

She says over her shoulder. "Hera."

Za'thun pushes himself off the wall, steadily chanting curses.

"Sorry ma-...hera"

*advancing happens*

"If i used my title all the time, how would you know when i was pissed?"

They come to a heavy bulkhead, and za'thun's chanting has raised in volume, the smouldering of his holy icon's having blossomed into flames, of a colour that noctis could not quite name.

Anne: *smiles* Fair enough

on noctis' signal, one of the aggressors approaches the bulkhead, ready to power fist it open

Hera: "So... How're you both healing up?"

Za'Thun: "Avert your eyes brother... He is looking at the door."

Anne: body's fine. Head...not as much.

*he does so, and smashes the door down*

Hera: "Ah, got you good huh?" She walks over to the cabinet, and takes out a bottle of something presumably expensive, and three cut crystal glasses. They seem to be actual crystal, not glass. She gestures to the sofa as she sets the glasses down on the fine wooden table, and starts pouring generous measures.

He is almost immediately hit by a torrent of small arms fire. Averted eyes protected, and mind shielded by Za'Thun's mental strength, but bullets and lasfire? Not so much.

Anne sits on the sofa, as directed

bullets and lasfire, aye, but they do jack shite against a marine in gravis armour

Mac sits down next to her, and hera pushes two glasses towards them, sitting down on a chair opposite, gesturing to take off her cap, before realizing she isnt wearing it. "I got the vague gist of what they were doing down there... Lotta sisters of battle... well. Corpses."

I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and i have no fear, for i have 500 flashlights. In the simple volume coming through that door, even gravis isn't going to stand for long.

Anne: yeah... from what we figured, they were trying to break em mentally. Make em..vulnerable to their mind control.

The agressors move fast, charging in, creating a wall of muscle and armour as they do so for the others to advance behind

Hera: "Well, didn't work did it? None fighting us at any rate."

The others move to back them up, the agressors' armour becoming increasingly damaged

Anne: aye... still fucking hurt.

the primaris take mere moments to open fire, as dozens of the hybrids are gunned down in the following few seconds, torrets of bolt and plasma fire tearing them apart, as the aggressors reach flamethrower range and get to work

Hera: "Oh, we all know that. Not one of us hasn't felt that."

Za'Thun, in such proximity to the magus, is now almost entirely wreathed in non corporeal flame. A thousand colours flicker across his frame, the holy icons, seals and inscriptions upon his armour blaze with light. "SUFFER NOT, THE WITCH TO LIVE!"

The witch in question, stands on a raised dias, behind the dug in hybrid.

she nods

the moment the magus becomes visible, noctis directs the hellblasters to turn him, and the cover he's behind, and anyone inbetween them, into superheated sludge

Hera: "Different arseholes, same shit. Oh, dont bring it up to Charles. He goes mental."
*She takes a slug from her glass*

As the order is given, Za'Thun makes direct eye contact with the magus. the battle of minds holding him still momentarily, preventing him from avoiding the fusillade.

Anne:...ma'am? *she doesn't quite follow*

*well...not much to describe here. guy don't stand a chance*

Hera: "Torture. It sends him proper off the deepend."

*With their guiding figure gone, the hybrid fall quickly.*