+++ PLANETARY STATUS VERIFICATION +++
+++ STATUS:   AMBER +++
+++ SIGNAL PRIORITY: ALPHA +++
+++ TRANSMISSION DATE: 1 425 013 . M3 (FOUNDING) +++
+++ TRANSMISSION RECEIVED: 5 317 013 . M39 (TERRAN) +++
+++           MESSAGE SOURCE: XXXXXXXXXXX(censored)  +++

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:The Emperor's mercy knows no limits.

BEGIN:

My Lords, it is my pleasure to be able to report that the xenos incursion previously reported has been driven into retreat.  The situation was not promising until the last 17 days (terran) when almost overnight the advance appeared to stall and has since been in continuous recession.

Astropathic communion has been suppressed until recent days, suspected due to the presence of a number of Tyranis Zoanthropus genus in the vicinity of Astrophathic Chorus base.  In addition, reports indicated the presence of Tyranis Tyrant and Carnifexis genus as well as numerous smaller specimens of the Hormagaunt, Termagant and Genestealer strains.

Explanation for the sudden change was difficult to ascertain although the following report may shed some light upon its cause.  As we have reclaimed sections of Hive Okess, cleansing them of the xeno's taint, we have been able to collect reports from various hive lurkers and pockets of isolated PDF that were holding out.  Of course, these individuals have also been cleansed of potential taint, welcoming the Emperors mercy.

It is my belief that the intervention of a previously unknown Astrates taskforce may have played a significant role in the repulsion of the Tyranid infestation.  I was unaware of the presence of any Astartes forces within the sub-sector, and your previous reports had suggested that reinforcements were not available.  I include excerpts and transcriptions of testimony obtained (some willingly) from witnesses.

We were outnumbered, there was nothing we could do to stem the tide, we just hoped we could hold out long enough to make a difference.  We'd been repulsing wave after wave of the smaller types, being forced into progressively smaller sub-sections of the hive block.  That was when Trooper Grath started to lose it.  Mumbling about them coming, raving, decrying our chances.  I guess he had something of the taint in him, must have been missed in the screening.  It was a warning although we didn't realise it. Eventually we had to end it for his and our benefit, but it was too late, I guess he'd acted like a beacon, they were coming.

This time it wasn't just the little ones, there were huge creatures, constructs of flesh and shell, like living tanks. Nothing we had could even touch them, let alone have a chance of doing any significant damage.  I rallied the men as best I could, but we knew that was the end.
        -- Sgt. R. Sancar, 4th 


The following are a collection of statements from various troopers, compiled and sorted to an approximation of chronological order:

It was as if they appeared from nowhere, one second we are facing a horde of approaching xeno filth, next second there are marines crashing to the ground all around us and you couldn't hear anything over the whine of the turbines in their jump pack.

They didn't appear like the Astartes you see in the picts and vids, something subtly wrong about them.  It was their armour I think, it just didn't look like the stuff you normally see, I mean, look at this pict I captured, it just looks strange.

Pict capture
(original source has been confiscated and consigned as per standard containment protocol)

There were at least two squads at the start, and some kind of commander, he was definitely directing things.  The all of a sudden, from up on high, thundering cannons from a giant form, much bigger than a standard sentinel.  I have no idea where they came from, they were like ghosts.



Even Astartes guns didn't seem to make a difference, sure they killed a few of them, but not that much more than we had, and the big ones just didn't seem to care.  That was when the brain-things started.  My nose and ears were bleeding, it felt like they were trying to crush my head, squeeze my brain out through my eyes....

Yeah, it was horrible.  Got a few of them too, they just seemed to come apart, as if they weren't even wearing armour.  I thought we were done for at that point, if even Astartes can't manage, what chance did we have.

It was the bravest thing I've ever seen, they must have known they wouldn't survive.  Still, 5 of them plunged into the very middle of the line, they ignored everything other than the big brain bug things, Zoanthropus you said they were called?  It was impressive, the bugs just came apart...  they idn't last long after that though, those marines were burried by the xenos, so many of them, they just couldn't do anything.

There weren't many of them left by then, they'd hurt the aliens, but there were still so many.  That was when it happened, it was as if they knew.  The concussion knocked me off my feet, and the roar as the others dropped in on their jetpacks.  Terminators!  A whole squad of them.

It must have been some kind of plan, but to think, Terminators sacrificing themselves!  It worked, kind of.  A whole section of the enemy went after them, seeing them covered in bits of the bugs as they swung their hammers, it was really inspiring.  It created the opening though.  Their commander, he knew it was coming, and timed it perfectly.  As the line split, he dived forward, right at the lead creature, that one you called a Tyrant?  It was epic, the beasts claws repeatedly being turned away by the field from his Iron Halo, him swinging that huge hammer left and right.  He took it down too, but I couldn't see what happened after that, there were just too many creatures in the way.

Pict capture from Hive security camera

The last actions witnessed saw the support dreadnought that had been providing covering fire, quite literally leaping from the vantage point it had used throughout the battle to provide support for the few remaining marines (enclosed pict indicates the original location of the dreadnought).  It must have been successful as after the Xenos swarm had been driven back, there were no remains found of any marines, and despite the corpse of the dead Xenos Tyrant, the only evidence of the presence of this force were two massive depressions at the landing location of the dreadnought.

Thus concludes my report.  As previously stated, I have no further knowledge of the origins of the intervening chapter, or their reasons for involving themselves.  Their identity still remains unknown.  The best image we have been able to recover of the Chapter symbology is appended to the conclusion of this report.  Perhaps you have sources able to shed better light on their nature.

We are forever the Emperor's servants, glory to the Golden Throne.

MESSAGE ENDS

APPENDED DATAFILE:


+++ PLANETARY STATUS VERIFICATION +++
+++ STATUS:   AMBER +++
+++ SIGNAL PRIORITY: ALPHA +++
+++ TRANSMISSION DATE: 1 425 013 . M3 (FOUNDING) +++
+++ TRANSMISSION RECEIVED: 5 317 013 . M39 (TERRAN) +++
+++           MESSAGE SOURCE: XXXXXXXXXXX(censored)  +++

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:The Emperor's mercy knows no limits.

BEGIN:

My Lords, it is my pleasure to be able to report that the xenos incursion previously reported has been driven into retreat.  The situation was not promising until the last 17 days (terran) when almost overnight the advance appeared to stall and has since been in continuous recession.

Astropathic communion has been suppressed until recent days, suspected due to the presence of a number of Tyranis Zoanthropus genus in the vicinity of Astrophathic Chorus base.  In addition, reports indicated the presence of Tyranis Tyrant and Carnifexis genus as well as numerous smaller specimens of the Hormagaunt, Termagant and Genestealer strains.

Explanation for the sudden change was difficult to ascertain although the following report may shed some light upon its cause.  As we have reclaimed sections of Hive Okess, cleansing them of the xeno's taint, we have been able to collect reports from various hive lurkers and pockets of isolated PDF that were holding out.  Of course, these individuals have also been cleansed of potential taint, welcoming the Emperors mercy.

It is my belief that the intervention of a previously unknown Astrates taskforce may have played a significant role in the repulsion of the Tyranid infestation.  I was unaware of the presence of any Astartes forces within the sub-sector, and your previous reports had suggested that reinforcements were not available.  I include excerpts and transcriptions of testimony obtained (some willingly) from witnesses.

We were outnumbered, there was nothing we could do to stem the tide, we just hoped we could hold out long enough to make a difference.  We'd been repulsing wave after wave of the smaller types, being forced into progressively smaller sub-sections of the hive block.  That was when Trooper Grath started to lose it.  Mumbling about them coming, raving, decrying our chances.  I guess he had something of the taint in him, must have been missed in the screening.  It was a warning although we didn't realise it. Eventually we had to end it for his and our benefit, but it was too late, I guess he'd acted like a beacon, they were coming.

This time it wasn't just the little ones, there were huge creatures, constructs of flesh and shell, like living tanks. Nothing we had could even touch them, let alone have a chance of doing any significant damage.  I rallied the men as best I could, but we knew that was the end.
        -- Sgt. R. Sancar, 4th 


The following are a collection of statements from various troopers, compiled and sorted to an approximation of chronological order:

It was as if they appeared from nowhere, one second we are facing a horde of approaching xeno filth, next second there are marines crashing to the ground all around us and you couldn't hear anything over the whine of the turbines in their jump pack.

They didn't appear like the Astartes you see in the picts and vids, something subtly wrong about them.  It was their armour I think, it just didn't look like the stuff you normally see, I mean, look at this pict I captured, it just looks strange.

Pict capture
(original source has been confiscated and consigned as per standard containment protocol)

There were at least two squads at the start, and some kind of commander, he was definitely directing things.  The all of a sudden, from up on high, thundering cannons from a giant form, much bigger than a standard sentinel.  I have no idea where they came from, they were like ghosts.



Even Astartes guns didn't seem to make a difference, sure they killed a few of them, but not that much more than we had, and the big ones just didn't seem to care.  That was when the brain-things started.  My nose and ears were bleeding, it felt like they were trying to crush my head, squeeze my brain out through my eyes....

Yeah, it was horrible.  Got a few of them too, they just seemed to come apart, as if they weren't even wearing armour.  I thought we were done for at that point, if even Astartes can't manage, what chance did we have.

It was the bravest thing I've ever seen, they must have known they wouldn't survive.  Still, 5 of them plunged into the very middle of the line, they ignored everything other than the big brain bug things, Zoanthropus you said they were called?  It was impressive, the bugs just came apart...  they idn't last long after that though, those marines were burried by the xenos, so many of them, they just couldn't do anything.

There weren't many of them left by then, they'd hurt the aliens, but there were still so many.  That was when it happened, it was as if they knew.  The concussion knocked me off my feet, and the roar as the others dropped in on their jetpacks.  Terminators!  A whole squad of them.

It must have been some kind of plan, but to think, Terminators sacrificing themselves!  It worked, kind of.  A whole section of the enemy went after them, seeing them covered in bits of the bugs as they swung their hammers, it was really inspiring.  It created the opening though.  Their commander, he knew it was coming, and timed it perfectly.  As the line split, he dived forward, right at the lead creature, that one you called a Tyrant?  It was epic, the beasts claws repeatedly being turned away by the field from his Iron Halo, him swinging that huge hammer left and right.  He took it down too, but I couldn't see what happened after that, there were just too many creatures in the way.

Pict capture from Hive security camera

The last actions witnessed saw the support dreadnought that had been providing covering fire, quite literally leaping from the vantage point it had used throughout the battle to provide support for the few remaining marines (enclosed pict indicates the original location of the dreadnought).  It must have been successful as after the Xenos swarm had been driven back, there were no remains found of any marines, and despite the corpse of the dead Xenos Tyrant, the only evidence of the presence of this force were two massive depressions at the landing location of the dreadnought.

Thus concludes my report.  As previously stated, I have no further knowledge of the origins of the intervening chapter, or their reasons for involving themselves.  Their identity still remains unknown.  The best image we have been able to recover of the Chapter symbology is appended to the conclusion of this report.  Perhaps you have sources able to shed better light on their nature.

We are forever the Emperor's servants, glory to the Golden Throne.

MESSAGE ENDS

APPENDED DATAFILE: