Deathwing Anthology - 40K analysis/discussion thread

[Connor MacLeod]

We're onto the next anthology! This compilation is notable for having a couple of Bill King short stories, which are quite good. It also has an Abnett short story that shows up in Let the Galaxy Burn and two of the more interesting Ian Watson short stories I've mentioned before, the one about Meh'lindi getting her implants and Warped Stars where a super-psyker meets the past . In any case the big Bill King one is the "Deathwing" short story which forms a rathre big part of early edition fluff as I recall. Its also notable in it presents something of a dramatically different view of the Dark Angels other than the complete dicks we know - they're more native-American-esque non-dicks here. Rather heroic even. Which just goes to show that noone can write space Marines better than Bill King, IMHO. The other Bill King short story is about a Guard Regiment of Hive Gangers, and is interesting for both its characters and its technical aspects (and has a bit of humorous irony at the end.) I have to say I would fucking LOVE to see Bill King writing a Guard novel, based on this story. He writes it as well as Space Marines.

Anyhow, enjoy. Again each update is a separate short story. This means the updates will generally be variable in size, wjhereas I try to fit each update into a roughly comparable chunk (although also according to whim.), so bear with me. Let the Galaxy Burn is going to be insane to do.

Page 7

What follows is just one of the legends of the Deathwing, the First Company of the Dark Angels chapter. Like all legends, it changes with the telling, so that every one who hears it and retells it perpetuates the process of change. Who can now say what the truth of the matter ever was?

We take this to mean "canon has changed, so some of this stuff probably isn't valid anymore, but its still a great story." In general I'd consider it broadly (technically) accurate since I can't see many technical flaws, but the thematic details may be incorrect.

Anyone reading or using the quotes may feel warned, however.

Page 8

He closed his eyes and took three breaths, but when he looked again nothing had changed. He turned back towards the dropship Deathwing.

The dropship Deathwing. Remember this, it will be important later.

Page 10

The city reared above the plain like a soot-grimed leviathan. Cloud Runner spotted it before the others and ordered Lame Bear to land the dropship in a valley. out of sight of its walls. From the brow of the hill. he studied it through magnoculars. It was an ugly place that reminded him of the hiveworlds he had visited. It covered many miles and was enclosed by monolithic walls. Great smokestacks loomed in the distance, belching acrid chemical clouds into the greyish sky.

Outside the walls, the river ran black with poisons. As Cloud Runner watched. he saw herd elk being driven squealing from barges toward great abattoirs within the walls. From huge stone barracks, people swarmed through the streets towards enormous, brick factories. Smog drifted everywhere, occasionally obscuring the grimy city and its teeming inhabitants.

miles wide city with a fair deal of industry. The Dark Angels in question had been expecting a Native American feral world or something along those lines. Again, important detail, remember for later.


Page 10

"That city must hold all the clans of all the peoples of the Plains and ten times more besides. Could our folk have been enslaved and taken there, Brother Captain?"

This suggests that the city may hold tens or hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people given how your typical feral/feudal world runs, population wise

Page 11

"Those barracks are a hundred times the size of a lodgehouse and built of brick."

Best guesses I can make about RL "lodges" (its not a very well defined term) is that it might be anywhere from 10 to 30 meters in diameter and maybe 2-3 meters tall depending on various factors. assume "hundred times the size" refers to volume rather than specific dimensions. I'd roughly guess the barracks might be 80 to several hundred meters in diameter, assuming a height between 3-5 meters (less if its multi-story of course).

Pure estimate, but it does give a very rough idea of the size of construction. which might tell us a bit about relative tech level.


[Page 12

He stood in a cold shadowy place. He sensed chill white presences at the edge of his perception, clammy as mist and cold as the gravemound. Above him he could hear the beating of mighty pinions from where Deathwing. the Emperor's steed and bearer of the souls of the slain, hovered.

The Shaman talked with the presences, made pacts that bound them to his service and rewarded them with a portion of his strength. He sensed the hungry spirits surge around him. ready to shield him from sight, to cloud the eyes of any who might look upon him, causing them to see only a friendly being.

Dark Angels Librarian. I'm guessing he's harness warp spirits of some kind (non daemonic) to his will and fuelling their presence in realspace with his own life force/warp connection. In return he gets camoflage, basically.


Page 13

As they followed Lame Bear's locator signal through the warren of tunnels, despair filled Cloud Runner.

Terminator suits are equipped with locator beacons to find each other, as well as the facility to detect them.

Page 13

Cloud Runner had seen bodies butchered like that before but told himself that it was not possible here. Such a thing could not happen on his homeworld - in vast hulks that lay cold in space, perhaps, but not here.

- Genestealers leave behind a distinctive and recognizable pattern of butchery, at least to one experienced in such matters.

Page 14

He pushed on into the city, picking his way fastidiously through the narrow, dirty streets that ran between the enormous buildings. The place was laid out with no rhyme or reason. Vast squares lay between the great factories, but there was no apparent pattern. The city had grown uncontrolled, like a cancer.

There were no sewers, and the roads were full of filth. The smell of human waste mingled with the odour of frying food and the sharp tang of cheap alcohol. Low shadowy doors of inns and food booths rimmed each square.

More on the newly developed city. If you haven't guessed that genestealers have infested the place by the quote above, and that they built this, shame on you.

Page 15

The only ones who could remember the world of the Plains People were the Marines of the Dark Angels. When they died the clans would live only in the Chapter Fleet's records. Unless the Dark Angels broke with tradition and recruited from other worlds, the Chapter would end with the death of the present generation of Marines.

One of the more peculiar traits about this story is that it doesn't recognize Caliban, so this places it definitely pre-second edition in terms of storyline (I'd guess) the story bieng written, unless Bill King did it deliberately to give it a more "classical" flavor.

I also cannot help but think it silly if a Space Marine chapter is recruiting from only one world. AT best we'd be forced to consider this passage a form of historical revision or accident, and that the world here was merely one of several that the Dark Angels use for recruitment post HEresy.

Page 16

"We number only thirty, against possibly an entire city of Stealers. The Codex is quite clear on situations like this. We should virus bomb the planet from orbit." Cloud Runner said, listening to the silence settle. Lame Bear and Weasel-Fierce looked at him, appalled.

..

"We must at least consider that possibility before we cleanse our homeworld of life."
..

Cloud Runner felt the weight of terrible responsibility settle on him. His duty was clear. Here on this world was s great threat to the Imperium. His word would condemn his entire people to oblivion. He tried not to consider that Lame Bear might be right, that the People might not yet be totally enslaved by the Genestealers. But the thought nagged at him most of all because he hoped it was true. He stood frozen for a moment, paralysed by the enormity of the decision.

The Dark Angels consider virus bombing the planet to remove the Gene Stealers. It's also indicated this is pretty much sOP for such an infestation.

Also, its nice to see Space Marines not playing all grimdark psychopaths and show some humanity, even if it may be selfishly driven (They care about their homeworld, which is human.) Bill King can make even an otherwise dickish chapter like the Dark Angels seem likable. Also they are actually considering the consequences of their actions rather than acting like mindlessly fanatical caricatures. Even if we consider this is because they have a special attachment to the planet it makes them more understandable and likable.

Page 17

He raised his truncheon to strike Two Heads Talking, obviously perceiving him as one of the throng. It bounced off the carapace of his Terminator armour

Obviously, a club ain't gonna do much against Terminator armor.

Page 18

"Brother Marius. Brother Paulo, pray, silence." Cloud Runner said, invoking formality by the use of Chapter ritual and calling Weasel-Fierce and Bloody Moon by the names they had taken on when they had become Marines.

These Dark Angels take new names upon joining the order, suggesting that perhaps their origins were less... "native"

Page 20

Outside, in the distance, he heard the long. lonely wail of a steam whistle.

Steam whistle. I'm pretty sure this is another indication, along with the factories and shit, that we're dealing with at least a 19th or early 20th century industrial base or roughly thereabouts. Could be wrong though.

Page 21

"Often. the bucks would talk of the Warriors from the Sky. A hundred years had passed since their last visit, and the red star was visible in the sky. The time was near for their return."

- the Dark Angels Chapter recruits new initiates from this feral world every one hundred years. (couldn't find the name of the world, though.)

Page 24

"They strapped me to a steel table and opened my flesh with metal knives. I had endured the Weasel Claw ritual to prove my bravery, but the pain was as nothing to what I then endured. When they opened my flesh, they implanted things which they said would bond with my flesh and grant me spirit power. "

"For weeks. I lay in feverish agony while my body changed. The walls danced, and my spirit fled to the edge of the cold place. While I wandered lost and alone, one of the Brothers stood beside me reciting The Imperial litanies. "

"In a vision, the Emperor came to me, riding Deathwing, mightiest of thunderbirds. It was different from that which had borne the Sky Warriors home. It was a beast of spirit; the other had been a bird of metal, a totem cast in its image. "

"The Emperor spoke to me, telling me of the great struggle being waged on a thousand thousand worlds. He showed me the races other than man and the secret heart of the universe, which is Chaos. He showed me the powers that lurked in the warp and exposed me to their temptations. He watched as I resisted. I knew that. if I had given in, he would have struck me down. "

"Eventually, I awoke, and I knew then that my spirit belonged to the Emperor. I had chosen to abandon my people, my world and my bride for his service. I knew I had made the correct choice."

Implantation process. Note the thousand thousand worlds, the vision stuff... its all very reminiscient of the Space Wolf stuff Ragnar is described going through.

Page 25

He passed by the factories where giant steam engines stood, still working. Their din filled the air. Their pistons went up and down like the nodding heads of maddened dinosaurs. He knew they never rested.

He strode down a street of rich mansions, driven by morbid curiosity. He felt as though he had been shown the pieces of a vast puzzle, and if he could only locate the last piece, it would all fall into place.

Each mansion he passed had wrought-iron gates which bore the signs of the Night-owl, the Puma and the Rat. These were the totem animals of the Hill Clans. Two Heads Talking wondered whether the chieftains of these people dwelled within. He could well believe that they might make pacts with whoever had done this. Those people had dark reputations.

More on the factory process stuff. Again it seems very 19th or early 20th century.

Page 25

The Chapter might continue, but its heritage had been destroyed - it would never be the same again. Two Heads Talking was of the last generation of Marines recruited from the Plains People. There would be no more.

Again, seems like Caliban is excluded from the equation.

Page 26

- Its indicated here that the Imperium doesnt yet know the origin of the Genestealers (either from Ymgarl or that they are Tyranid minions.)

Page 26-27

"One hundred and twenty years ago, before ever I donned Terminator armour. I was sent with the fleet that investigated the strange silence of the hive world 'Thranx."

"The Imperial Governor had not paid tribute for twenty years, and the Adeptus Terra had decided that perhaps a gentle reminder of his sworn duties was in order. "

"The fleet arrived bearing sections from the Dark Angels, the Space Wolves, the Ultramarines and an Imperial Guard regiment from Necromunda. As the fleet moved into drop position we expected resistance, rebellion. But the orbital monitors did not fire at us, and the Governor spoke fairly to us on the comm-link."

..

"Thranx was a world encased in steel. Its natives never saw the sky. The Governor's hall was so vast. though, that clouds formed under its ceiling and rain fell on the trees that surrounded the Ruler's Pavilion. "

'It was a sight to stir the blood. Long ranks of guardsmen flanked the curving metal road that led to the pavilion. The pavilion itself floated on suspensors above an artificial lake. The governor sat an a throne carved from a single industrially cultured pearl. flanked by two beautiful blind maidens who were his court telepaths. He bade us welcome and showed us the tribute."

"It was brought from vaults by specially bred slaves, grey-skinned eunuchs with muscles like an Ogryn's. Even so, they could barely carry the chests. They paraded past us in a seemingly endless procession, carrying industrial diamonds, gold-inlaid bolters, suits of armoured ceramite and jade. "

It turns out, incidentally, the Governor of the entire planet was a genestealer Magus. Also, the Hive World of Thranx. gotta love the Coruscant-like feel.

Also note the mention of Orbital monitors, a suspensor-equipped pavilion, and Ogryn-like entities.


Page 29

"There was only one thing to do: order the Exterminatus. The whole place was sterilised from orbit with virus bombs. Later, inquisitorial investigators ascertained that the whole business had begun only sixty years before, when an unrecorded space hulk had swung through the system. "

"It had taken only three generations for the Stealers to infect a whole world. For that is how they reproduce - by turning people into hosts for their offspring. Their victims endure this willingly, due to the Stealers' hypnotic powers. "

'Many nights I have lain awake wondering whether we could have saved the world if only we had arrived sooner. Perhaps if we had been able to eliminate the Stealers before the cancer had spread, we would not have had to order the Exterminatus. "

Thranx was exterminatus'ed with virus bombs. The Genestealerrs had only been there for sixty years before gaining control - 3 generations tops.

It's also worth noting that if we didn't believe the bit about it being SOP to exterminate Genestealer infestations when they get severe via virus bombs, the fact that they declared Exterminatus on the 'Nids here (like the Salamanders did with Ymgarl) this reinforces that.

Page 31

"It began when I was a buck." said Morning Star, wiping his face. "One summer night, the sky burned, and there was a great roaring. A trail of fire raced across the sky, and there was an explosion. Where we are now was a vast crater, and in the centre, where the Temple of the Four-armed Emperor stands, was a great, red-hot pile of metal. "

"Some people thought the Sky Warriors had returned, that the roaring was the voice of their thunderbird. The Shamans knew that this could not be so, for Deathwing returns only once every hundred years, in autumn, and it had been only fifty years since the red star was last visible."

Indicative that this shit happened less than a century ago.. more accurately a mere fifty years. And the 'Stealers managed to subjugate the planet and build this city and the factories from a crashed starship..

Page 32

"Those who met our chiefs were not the armoured warriors of legend. They were feeble, pale-skinned men who claimed that they had come from the Emperor to show us the way to build an earthly paradise. They preached the virtues of tolerance and brotherly love and an end to warfare. The chiefs sent them packing, which was a mistake, for when honeyed words did not succeed, they tried force of arms. They allied with the Hill Clans and gave them metal blades which our weapons could not withstand. "

"Eventually, clans were forced to trade for the new weapons in order to withstand their enemies. Tales were told of how witching spirits with four arms and terrible claws destroyed our warriors. Soon, the pretenders ruled the Plains, taking slaves and destroying utterly those who opposed them. "

"Then came the building of this great city, using slave labour and paying the freemen in trade tokens."

More on the subjugation of the planet.

Page 35

The Stealers raced toward him. The Librarian raised his storm bolter and sent a hail of shells blazing out. Tracer fire ripped the night apart. The leading Genestealer was shredded by the heavy bullets. The other dodged with inhuman speed.

Stormbolter "shreds" a 'Stealer.

Page 35

The fat man concentrated, and a halo of power played around his head. The Librarian hosed him down with fire, but some force intercepted the shells, causing them to explode harmlessly a few feet from their target.


Two Heads Talking strode forward, swinging the axe. He felt his own power build within him as the blade arced toward his target. Something stopped it a foot away from the Magus's head. Great muscles bulged under his armour as he forced it forward. Servo-motors whined as they added their strength to his.

Slowly, inexorably, the Marine forced the blade toward his enemy. Sweat ran down the fat man's brow as he concentrated. A look of fear passed across his face. He could not save himself. and he knew it.

He gave a single shriek as his concentration lapsed. The force axe sheared through him from head to groin. Two Heads Talking felt the Magus' psychic death scream echo through the night. He sensed hundreds of minds answer it in the distance, through the deadening curtain of mist, he heard the sound of scuttling, coming ever closer.

'Stealer Magus stop sstorm bolter fire with his psychic powers and for a limited time, manages to stop the Librarian's force axe of a terminator-armored Librarian.

Page 36

"I am old," he said softly. "Old and tired. I have seen more than two hundred summers. In a few more, I will be dead anyway. I had hoped to gaze again on my kin before then, but it is not to be. This is my only regret."

Cloud Runner could see the weariness in him, felt its echo in his own mind. Every man about the fire had served the Emperor for centuries, their lifespans increased by the process that turned them into Marines.

At this point in time, 200 years or so seems to be "venerable" for Dark Angels space Marines. Contrast it with the Blood angels and Space Wolves, who can live in excess of a millenia if lucky, or the HH novels which indicate the Astartes are virtually immortal.

Page 37

"Providing we command Deathwing to virus-bomb the planet if we fail," he said. The rest of the warriors put their right fists forward, signifying assent.

Remember what I said about remembering what the Deathwing was? Drop ships can virus bomb planets.

Page 38

His heart sank when he saw what awaited him - a mass of hunched, evil-faced men with dark, piercing eyes. Some held ancient-looking energy weapons. Some gripped blades in their three hands.
...

A bolt from an energy weapon burned into his armour, melting one of the skulls on his chest plate.

These were descried as "ancient-looking energy weapons" carried by humanoid Genestealer minions. If we knew how big one of the skulls were we might estimate it. Assuming its maybe 5 cm in diameter and 1 cm "thick" and made of iron it'd take around 185 kj to melt.

Page 41

Suddenly, he found himself engaged in a bitter, psychic struggle. Tendrils of alien thought insinuated themselves into his mind. He blocked them, chopping them off with the blades of his hatred. He countered with a psychic bolt of his own, but it was stopped by an ancient will that seemed impervious to outside influence.

The Patriarch exerted his full power, and Two Heads Talking felt his defences begin to buckle under the terrible pressure. The cold, focused power of the Genestealer was enormous. Even fresh, Two Heads Talking doubted he could have matched it. Now, strength fading because of his wounds, exhausted because of his earlier struggles, he could offer no contest at all.

His outer screen fell, and the Patriarch was within his mind, sorting through his memories, absorbing them into itself. For a second, while it was disoriented, he tried a psychic thrust. The Stealer countered easily, but for a moment, they met mind to mind.

Strange alien memories and emotions washed over the Librarian, threatening to drown him. He saw the Patriarch's past spread out before him. He saw the long trail that led through despoiled worlds and past many children. He saw the hive world it had fled from in a fast ship, just before the virus bombs fell.

With a shock, he realised that he had been there himself - on 'Thranx and that the creature had recognised his aura from then. He saw the ship crippled by an Imperial battlebarge and barely able to make the jump into warp space.

He experienced the long struggle to return to normal space and the frozen eternities it took to escape and crash-land the crippled ship on a new, virgin world. He saw the pitifully few survivors emerge; only a few purestrains and three hybrid techs. He saw them make axes from the wreckage of the ship for trade with the tribesmen, and he watched them start the long struggle to establish themselves in a hostile world.

He was gratified as the web of psychic contact expanded with each new brood member. He felt cold satisfaction at the destruction of the tribes and the knowledge that soon a new industrial base would be built. The ship would be repaired. New worlds to conquer would be within reach.

For a bleak moment, despair filled Two Heads Talking. He saw the Stealer planning to spread to and infect new worlds. And he could do nothing to stop this old, invincible entity. He almost gave in.

Patriarch vs Librarian. We learn these 'Stealers fled Thranx in some sort of warp-capable ship that wsa small enough to land on planets (or crash) and that they're seeking to repair it. They must have crossed some distance without a Navigator to escape. I kind of doubt this world is next door (or even in the same sector) as Thranx was. They must have crossed thousands of light yeras to do it. We know from the story told that it happend 120 years ago and the Stealers landed 50 years ago. That means they had to have been travelling for 70 years. For a non-Navigator ship that's impressive, even if your effective FTL speed is only going to be several tens or hundreds of times c, maybe a few thousand c tops.

Page 42

He stood once more in the cold place, sensed far-off the spirit of the Emperor, bright and shining as a star. Near at hand were the angry ghosts. The Patriarch was a hungry, ominous presence, determined to enslave him. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the thunderous pinions of Deathwing coming to claim him.

The Librarian can "sense" the Emperor, or more likely the AStronomican.

Page 44

"Bloody Moon asked if we could possibly have killed them all. I can even now picture the puzzled look on his face. It was still there when a Stealer dropped through an air vent and took his head off. I blasted the thing with bolter fire, reducing it to bloody mush. "

Even if it took a full clip that's pretty darn impressive. Given that Anphalion project mentions that 'stealers are 300 kilos, we know they are heavily armored and tougher than a human to kill, thats at least the equivalent of several grendaes. Each bolt round would carry several grams to tens of grams of TNT at least, easily, even if it took the whole clip (as from the mythbusters clip and the bolter firepower analysis thread, a head sized chunk can be blown out by at least a few grams of TNT from a human sized target. several dozen such should be capable of blowing apart a person, and pulverizing should be within an OoM of that.)

Page 46

"I thanked the Emperor for the digital weapons in my power glove and sprayed the monstrosity's eyes with poisoned needles, blinding it. In the brief respite, I found time to bring my storm bolter to bear and slay it "

As we sometimes see, some Marine gear can have implanted digital weapons. In this case terminator armor.

Page 47

"I walked through the factories and past the toppled chimneys. Then we took our flamers and burned the city to the ground."

Remember at the start when that city was described as miles wide? I can't even begin to imagine how much firepower those Terminators had to be packing to do this, even if the dropship helped. Kilotons of ordnance, even if it was literally thousands of tons of explosive or incendiary or whatever.

[Elheru Aran]

Interestingly enough, I believe the comic anthology from BL called 'Flames of Damnation' has a section of this story, specifically the Two Heads Talking part, depicted within. The Deathwing there wears white armour, and Two Heads Talking's spirit-image is definitely very inspired by Native Americans.

Just a +1, but it might give you some material to work with if you can dig up the illustrations...

[andrewgpaul]

This short story was originally published in the Space hulk supplement also called Deathwing, and you're correct; it's firmly in the Rogue Trader (1st edition) era. It's still implicitly canon - at least, bits of it are; the overall story, of the Deathwing saving their recruiting world from 'stealers, is still mentioned in the current Codex: Dark Angels, and is the reason for thw white armour and the remnants of 'indian'-style iconography on the miniatures - the feathers and the like. I think that the planet in question has now been retconned into simply being a planet along the Rock's flightpath, rather than the Chapter homeworld (at the time it was written, there was no previous 'fluff' about the Dark Angels - this story pre-dates the Caliban stuff by several years).

Elheru Aran, the comic you're referring to was also published as "Warhammer Monthly #0", and was a promo item given away free with a White Dwarf.

The story as originally published in the Deathwing rulebook had several illustrations. These may have been reprinted in the original GW Books edition of the anthology, but I can't confirm that.

[Connor MacLeod]

Funny enough I noticed when re-working Angels of Darkness recently there was this bit:

Soon they were recalled and the Chaplain, Boreas, had arrived, flanked by Space Marines in white heavy Terminator armour. The uncon­ventional form of their livery and the barbaric decorations of bones and feathers had only added to Astelan's confusion, as had the term Boreas had used to describe them - the Deathwing.

When I read that I immediately thought of the Deathwing short story. It tends to crop up in background fluff in bits and pieces.

[andrewgpaul]

Elheru Aran, the comic you're referring to was also published as "Warhammer Monthly #0", and was a promo item given away free with a White Dwarf..

... which apparently I've thrown away. Fuck.

[Connor MacLeod]

Next update. My favorite short story out of this particular anthology. Bill King writing the Imperial Guard. I dare you to say this isn't awesome.

Page 49

"They're coming," said Nipper, peering out into the jungle. Even with his nightsight goggles set to max he couldn't really see anything, but he could tell something was wrong.

..

His youthful fanatic face gazed out from beneath his peaked cap through a transparent spore mask.

- Guard regiment equipped with nightsight/vision enhancement goggles as standard (also apparently with magnification ability. Gotta love Hive World regiments.). Also clear "spore masks" which I gather is a kind of rebreather

Page 49

"Ogryn - the Emperor wants you to ready the grenade launcher."

Ogryns (at least some) seem to be able to use grenade launchers as well as Ripper guns. Must be a damn smart Ogryn too.

Page 50

A small suckerleech cralwed across Nipper's combat jacket and he swatted it with one heavy gauntleted hand. He wiped his palm on his thigh before adjusting his spore mask left-handed.

Need to change the filter as soon as possible, he thought.

These Guardsmen pack gauntlets and their masks apparently are the "filter" variety rather than the ones with built in air supplies.

Page 50

Nipper looked over at the little sanctioned psyker.

..

She had a strange beauty, he thought.

"Thank you," Sal said. Nipper felt his face flush. Sal's talent was intermittent but her mind-reading ability was at peak tonight. She had been taking huge doses of witch-spore to enable her to track the rebels. It had amplified her powers greatly.

..

"Commissar, I can feel mindforms moving about half a click east. Human, but strangely distorted. Feels like rebels."

- The Guard company has its own sanctioned psyker, who has "intermittent" telepathic abilities boosted by some "witch-spore" type of drug. Also has the ability to pick up on surface thoughts (at least at close range) and detect heretics from half a kilometre away.

Page 51

From overhead came blinding laser flashses as rebel jetbikes swooped insanely under topside.

Rebels using jetbikes. Back from the days when the Guard didn't flicnh from using antigrav gear and Rhinos and Predators. Or evne Land Raiders.

Page 52

He brought his lasrifle up to the fire position and sent a full-intensity burst towards his target. Brilliant white fire played over it. Burn, heretic, thought Nipper.

He felt a thrill of fear as the figure refused to fall. His finger slackened on the trigger. He could make out details as the rebel advanced towards him. His heart sank. It was a killer robot, obviously modified to find its way through the greenside. One hand was a chainsword, the other had a heavy bolter which it was laboriously bringing to bear on Nipper.

He could hear the whine of servo-motors as the arm moved. The heavy plasteel of its carapace had melted and ran where Nipper's laser had struck.

- Lasgun (lasrifle) set to "full intensity burst" We dont know how much of the carapace was melted, the properties of plasteel, or anything like that, but if if it were a 10x10 cm area and 1 cm deep, that plasteel is equivalent to iron, it would be around 950 kilojoules for sustained fire, max power setting.

Page 52

He raised his own weapon and reached for the action of the grenade launcher. Only one chance, he thought. Better get it right.

He came to rest and fired the grenade. It arced towardsthe robot's feet and detonated. Nipper felt the force of the explosion ripple the carpet moss.

Nipper's lasgun is armed with a grenade launcher.

Page 53

Nipper checked Sal's filter mask. It was still completely in place. Good. He unclipped some med-plas from his belt and sprayed the wounded area.

"That should kill any spores," he muttered, watching the plasti-flesh congeal. He hoped the disinfectant and fungicide worked better than the last lot or Sal was in for a painful death.

- another example of some Guard medical tech. Even better they bother updating it.

Page 54

Suddenly Sal's face went slack. He knew she was in a listening trance. A moment later intelligence flooded back into her face.

"Borski and Krask have the rest of them about two hundred metres back. They're heading for the old comms hutch. Go the way I tell you. I think we'll have a clear path."

The sanctioned psyker can detect the rest of the troops several hundred metres back and is able to guide them safely there.

Page 54

There were few familiar faces from the old days when the Devil's Marauders had been a streetgang in the worldcity of Thranx. That had been before the Raising when they had been fierce and desperate enough to be inducted inot the Imperial Guard

By the Emperor, there had been nearly a hundred of them then.

the "gang" turned guard unit numbered around 100 and came from Thranx. Yep, the same place that was just exterminatus'ed by the Imperium for having 'Stealers.

Page 55

"Within one standard day Divine Retribution will cleanse this whole zone with an orbital bombardment. We have been ordered to fall back."

..

"That's madness." Krask muttered/ "The whole reason for sending us into the jungle in the first place was to drive Governor Damian's rebels out without damaging the witch-spore crop."

"That was before the full scale of the insurrection was realized," Borski said, almost gnetly. "we did not realize the cancer of heresy had spread so deep."

They intend to use orbital bombardment to eliminate rebel forces in a large area. Also the Imperium made a habit of salvaging the witch spore, likely to boost its own psykers.

Page 56

Only ones who had been bonded to the Emperor or who had undergone the terrible training to become sanctioned could be allowed to live.

The two (known) methods of safe human psykers. Soul binding makes you an astropath. I'm guessing psychic inquisitors and Librarians undergo Sanctioning or something similar and qualify as the latter.

Page 56

"Sir, if they are going to cleanse this place in twenty-four hours what will happen to us?"

"We are odered to fall back to Zone Amber."

..

"Zone Amber is fifty kilometres away. We'll never get there before the bombardment starts," Nipper said.

- the Guardsman have to cover 50 kilometers in 24 hours in order to be outside the range of a "cleansing" bombardment by a warship of unknown class named Divine Retribution (presumably a warship). We're not sure whether this is is radius or diameter, but its pretty effing huge area to purge even with a dispersed barrage. Assuming 1000 weapons on the battleship (if it is a battleship) and a 50 km diameter, that's nearly a mile in diameter per shot. Even if its thousands of shots (say 10K shots, say) we're talking an area many hundreds of meters in diameter. If it were cratering that could be hundred of meters, but even if they rely on blast and burns to purge and don't overlap we're talking tens or hundreds of tons of TNT equivalent per shot.

Page 56

Only Truk did not seem oppressed by their surroundings and the fact that they were twenty hours from being reduced to plasma by the Oribtal bombardment.

If we take that figuratively and they melt/vaporize the area we can figur they intend to raise the temp of the general area to high temp (say 1000 K) which weill require 1 MJ per cubic meter (roughly 1 kg of air occupies one cubic meter) With a raidus of several hundred meters thats several kt per shot, even assuming the variables above. It would be considerably (OOM) higher if it was literally plasmatized.

Page 57

From the two hundred metre high banan-like nation trees to the triple-tiered ecology they supported, it had all been wonderful for a boy from the steel corridors of the hive-world of Thranx.

Fricking huge tree. See above for my fireball estimates.

Page 57

He could well remember his first sight of the topside: an endless garden of flowers visible from the armoured aircar's glassteel windows.

Armoured aircar. Military vehicle probably. Possibly antigrav.

Page 57

Even now that the intial glamour had fade it still seemed slightly blasmphemous to him that it was about to be vaped from orbit.

Vaped literally or figuratively? fits with the plasmatize figure I estimated above. Figure they are just gonna dump nuclear yield on them.

Page 57

"Symmetry - it's because this world was designed by bio-adepts during the Dark Age of Technology. That's what records say. I was in the mind of the clerk who was transcribing the report back at Dropsite."

Extent of terraforming capability during the DAoT. What with the Eldar and probably the Old Ones before them did, a fuckload of planets must've been terraformed over the millenia.

Page 59

The natives wore chameleoline suits and were expert at blending in with the terrain. He paused for a minute and palced the stimm injector into the conduit on his filter mask.

There was a hiss of gas and he breathed deep. Artificial energy surged trhough him and he felt suddenly strong and alert., as if e could count the leaves on all the nearby trees. He knew the feeling would not last and in the end would leave him feeling worse, but at the moment he needed some encouragement to trudge on.

Cameoline suits and stimm injectors. Neat shit.

Page 59

"I'd go bug-crazy if I mixed that stuff with witch-spore. It's bad enough having to try and tune everybody out all the time but when you're on stimm its like everything is so loud it hurts."

Their sanctioned psyker is on witch spore.

Page 60

Glyn died first. A hail of magnetically accelerated shuriken ripped through his body.

Nipper saw a dozen cuts appear on Truk. The ogryn looked around bemused, as if he did not really feel any pain.

...

He knew shuriken catapults were perfect for jungle warfare. They accelerated their razor-edged weapons to a speed where they could penetrate body-armour. They were rapid firing and silent. All scouts carried them.

Yep. This is definitely early fiction much in the vein of Inquisition War. Imperials still had access to actual Shuriken weapons. Note they're magnetically accelerated and can penetrate body armor at a certain (specified) speed. And are supposedly silent Not sure how fast a tiny shuriken could go and stay silent, but to have any range they'd have to move at supersonic if not hypersonic velocities. Maybe their small size helps.

Page 60

"Nipper," Sal said. "That tree fork fifty metres south west, about five metres up."

- the psyker, Sal, detects the assassin.

Page 61

He opened fire, praying to the Emperor that his aim was true. He saw a line of fire blakcen the breanches he had aimed at. He heard a scream of intolerable pain and it seemed for one obscene moment as if the tree were screaming. Then something fell from the bole onto the carpet moss below. For a econd it was conspicuous, a green bondy on the brown forest floor, but then it seemed to vanish as its suit did the work.

- it takes a second for the Chameoline suit to go from visible to camoflaged. Also again note the largerly thermal effects of the lasgun in burning the branches and such. Assuming a several meter square area was burned (man sized area roughly) it could take half a megajoule to several mj to accomplish.

Page 63

He upped the magnification of his goggles and saw that it was an armoured transport flyer. It looked like a gigantic beetle.

"Side's been torn out of it," Krask said. "Somebody must have hit it with a rocket-launcher. It's no use to us."

- Nippers NVG are indicated here to have optical magnification abilities.

Page 65

There was a jerky quality tto the other guards' movements and their eyes seemed dead beneath their bubble goggles.

Bubble goggles for the Thranx regiment.

Page 65

"They are out there now. About two hundred metres and closing. They're advancing warily. they wonder what we re up to."

- the Guardsman are about two hundred meters away from the enemy, shorrtly after they begin engaging.

Page 66

Emperor guide my hand, he prayed, and squeezed the trigger of his lasrifle. There was a hum as the weapons generator kicked in. A perfectly straight beam of light crackled throught he night and hit the shadow, illuminating the figure of a man. Nipper heard a scream. In the torchlight of the burning figure other rebels were revealed.

To be burning like that either something flammable on his body caught fire, or the flesh dehydrated to the point where it ignited. It's worth noting this weapon is apparently semi-automatic only.

Page 66

All of a sudden everyone was firing. Nipper saw the flash of las-fire out of the corner of his eye, partially dampened by his protective goggles. He heard the strange coughing sound of the grenade launcher as Truk fired it.

- Nippers NVG's help to "partially" dampen flashes and glares, such as the flash of las-fire. These lasguns at least require flash suppression to protect the crews, which is actually what some lasers do need (at least going by atomic rockets) Threatening your enemy with blindness is actually a nice secondary effect.

Use of grenade launcher at around ~ 200 m or so.

Page 66

Mist rose from the fungus tree trunk. For a second he wondered what was happening then he realized that shuriken darts were hitting it.
..

He dropped flat as a hail of shuriken hissed through the air where he had been.

not quite noiseless.. but I'm not sure "hissing" is a sonic boom of any kind. Also shuriken "darts".

Page 66

It was Borski. He looked calm and unafraid.

"Get up, soldier," he said, ignoring the hail of darts which blurred by him. Nipper shook his head. Borski raised his pistol and snapped a shot off into the distance. Nipper heard a ricochet, saw Borski grimace with annoyance, like a man who had just missed a target on a practice range. He fired again and something close by groaned.

Another reason to like this Bill King short story. Badass Commissars who lead by example and won't just shoot right off the bat.

Page 67

Borski was setting him an exmaple of how to do it [meet his end.] He smiled up at the Commissar and rose to his feet.

Borski nodded, satisfied. "The correct decision," he said "You are a true guardsman."

Then his face was blown away by a hail of shuriken.

Shuriken fire headshot. Also, still a badass Commissar. respected rather than feared.


Page 67

He vaulted on to the top of the tree stump he had been cowering behind and set his lasrifle for full coverage. Howling with rage, he sprayed the enemy. He clicked the single-shot grenade launcher and fired again. An explosion racked the air. He countined to fire until his rifle powered down.

Lasgun mode of "full coverage". I'm not sure whether this means some sort of "area suppression" fire where bolts spread out in a cone, some sort of fan beam or wide beam mode (like in Legion), or what. I'd just guess maybe the former, a sort of lasgun full auto mode.

Page 68

"We're inside zone Amber then?"

"Yes sir. Five kilometres."

..

"You just made it in time."

..

"We have to fall back to Zone Grey. The enemy have broken through perimeter Amber. The Divine Retribution is going to bombard this area from orbit in twenty-four hours."

Nipper felt like screaming. Behind him a curtain of fire descended from the sky and the sector they had just left caught fire.

[/quote]

- the Guardsmen have covered 55 kilometers in 24 hours, and the bombardment occurs shortly after they arrive. Being five km away unharmed suggests that at least per shot they are definitely sub-megaton.. possibly no more than a few hundred kt per shot although I suspect that would even be excessive. A few kt probably would be more plausible.


Just a note for the next update:

Pages 69-90

- another short sotry that shows up in Let the Galaxy Burn. Will not cover it here. Saves me typing

[Connor MacLeod]

Next story update

Page 91

The warpscreen on the helm just in front of him was pulsing dully, displaying a convulsion of lesser eddies in the immaterium outside; nothing too worrying.

..

This was overlapped by his warp-sight, courtesy of his third eye, a mutation peculiar to navigators, which transmuted the chaotic fluidium of warp space into recognizable symbols.

Navigator perception of the warp - the warp eye largely depends on a symbolic nature. This makes a bit of sense as it has been said elsewhere that Navigators all perceive the warp differnetly.

Page 92

He felt Dea Brava stir around him as the automatic real space navigational functions prepared to relieve him from duty.

ten (minutes?) from emergence into realspace. Functions are largely automated, at least after the Navigator's duties are done.

Page 92

.. left Solonaetz little more than a disassembled jumlbe of bones within a leaking bag of flesh. Mercifully, because of his family's prestige, he'd immediately received the best of medical attention, thorough reconstruction and a frozen trip home to recuperate.

High end Imperial medical technology, at least of the sort Navigators could afford.

Page 93

The warp portal into real space was a stunner this time. Dea Brava was dwarfed by an increidble apparaition in the void ahead: brazen gates miles high, miles wide, encrusted with elaborate carvings.

..

Was it his own influenece, he wondered, or the psychic, fluidium bending whim of another navigator bored after a long stint alone.

..

Three drops back, he'd cruised the ship through a yawning, fang-toothed mouth, whose gullet delivered him into real space near one of the Ministorum administrative worlds.

Warp portals, at least perceived by the Navigators, all appear differently. This portal is "miles high" and "miles wide" which places some upper limits on how big this freighter is.

Apparently as well the emotions of the Navigator can also leave prolonged impressions on the warp.

Page 94

He'd seen the burn outs, shielded by their families, newly released form Ministorum retreats, where the priesthood tried to launder the frazzled brains of those who succumbed. It was a risky business he was involved in: his lifeblood.

I have to wonder whose blackmailing who to get Ministorum officials to rehabilitate filthy psykers. This may be indicative that the Ministorum also accomplishes some osrt of psychiatric/psychological/counseling function, at least with regards to the Warp and warp stuff.

Page 94

- Interesting that in this story, like many others, they talk about the ship as if it were alive/sentient and aware of everything going on inside it. It may be a reference to some sort of computer AI type setup, analogous to what Titans have. Quite a few novels featuring starships have similar cases.

Page 95

All Fiddeus ships had a member of the Ministorum on board, so that cleansing rituals could be performed with each warp shift. As well as being effective in cleaning away any psychic debris, it also boosted the morale of the crew.

I guess Imperial priests can serve some useful function after all.

Page 97

Salome Nigra was one of those legendary places of the space-lanes, rumoured to be home to a thosuand thousand illicit pleasures, all of which were available to discerning travllers for an appropriate fee.

Solonaetz, an unfailing cynic - perhaps a burdensome trait of his kind - knew it was the inhabitants of the planet herself who had engineered and now maintained this reputation. He cnsidered it to be a tourist retreat of the most tawdry kind...

Commerical tourism, in 40K. With advertising of some kind.

Page 98

..Brother Babreus amongst them, which caused a certain amount of good natured mockery. GAbreus settled himself fussily into a seat, pretending to be affronted. "May your tongues be black!" he said grandly. "All I seek is an assortment of pussiant fumes. This you all know, so caw away, as you like! We'll see the grins wiped from your faces when we're back in the warp and only my incenses keep the effluent of Chaos from your sweet, untainted minds!" He wriggled hi sconsiderable frame into a comfortable position. "Come, pilot, let's away! Night spreads her blakc, feathered fan upon the bosom of Assyrion and I, for one, want to be on the streets before the essence-blenders close shop!"

- not all Priests in the Ministorum seem to be hardassed psychopathic religious fanatics. The one mentioned on this page seems tob e more of a good-natured, friar-Tuckish type, with a hint of perversion about him. He doesnt even seem affronted by the presence of astropaths or navigators.

This may actually be the first and only priest I've read about I actually like.

Page 100

- Lacrymata, the substance whose name gives us the title of this short story, is a rare flower grown in underground catacombs whose perfume was highly nercaotic and whose "essential oil" was poisonous if infested. It was also highly expensive.

Page 103-104

- Astorpath can "see" and "read" the aura of others, such as a navigator. In this instance the Astropath was able to discern that the navigator had the aforemntioned scar,s but wasn't able to divine much detail (as to age). I should note noospherics in Mechanicum hint at being a form of aura reading.

Page 105

- Blindness of an astorpath makes them immune to the warp eye. We saw this in the second Inquisition War novel as well IIRc - agian a Navigator and Astorpath forming a bond.

Page 106

- Astropaths are "leased" out by the Adeptus Astra Telepathica - commissioned to specific duties.

Funny enough, the astropath in this story is bitter about her plight and being bound to the Emperor and having lost her sight, feeling enslaved. (which she technically is.) This is even more fucked up when you consider that in the 2nd edition Assassins Codex its mentioned that the Master of the Astra Telepathica is a psyker himself.

Page 107

Gabreus grinned. "he could breed whole generations of prime beef by the time we get home!"

Possibly joking, but hinting at the possible time that could pass for the merchant ship in warp transit. Must make Family reunions a bitch.

Page 108

- The ship master fears his astropath could deliberately alter his communications out of mischief or malevolence. Agian something we saw in the Inquisition War novels when the astropath there transmitted a Exterminatus order without Jaq's knowledge.

Page 108

The crew of a ship were an enclosed communicty, mostly removed from time and space itself; the universe rolled inexorably on without them. It was, therefore, intrinsic to the ship's wel-being that the crew resonated harmoniously with each other. One jarring note and the whole delicate structure could fall apart; entirely the kind of occurance that foul influences from the warp could get a hook into.

It sounds like new age crap, but considering the Immaterium it likely hs some merit.

Page 108

With this in mind, a few days later, when they were approaching the jump zone into warp space which would lead them finally back to Earth, Graian accompanied Solonaetz as he made his way to the blister...

- it takes "a few days" for a trader ship to travel from an inhabited planet to the edge of the system's "warp jump point". Apparently the message to Earth took less than that time as well - much less I'd gather, since the relationship between Navigator and Astorpath was considerably stronger - less than a day, perhaps.

for a few days assuming a distance of 14 AU (~2 billion km) or so and 2-3 days we might get an accel somewhere between 12 and 30 gees. If the range from Earth to this planet was say, 10,000 LY the astropathic messgae would travel at some few million c, possibly more, and is probably accurate to within an OoM or so.

Page 110

It was important to maintain a serene psyche during warp travel.

Again one has to stay centered. happy thoughts or oyu might get eaten.

Page 112

"My Lord Emperor!" Solonaetz screamed. "Help me!" Help me!"

And then a pure strain of unadulterated thought forced its way through the melee. "Take my hand," it said. "I am with you, navigator. Take my hand."

And he focused on that beam, his consciousness flowing with it, melding with it, following. Although he knew in his heart the Emperor was cocooned within his palace on Earth, his aged, tortured body kept alive by machines, the navigator's spirit saw a sifugre walking the astronomican's beam as if it was a shining path, leading the Dea Brava away from danger, dismissing the effluvia of the warp with the strength and the grief of its soul. A vision of his faith, maybe? But to Solonaetz it was the Empeor himself, spirit-walking in the void.

Some moments later, he came to a kind of reality, and realized the fluidum outside was quiesecent, the warpscreen clear of clots. There was no sound beneath the hatch-way and the fume of lacrymata had left the blister. He was Dea Brava and they swam the wave of the astronomican, embraced by the spiritual esence of a thousand martyrs, swimming home.

- beset by Chaos brought on by the lacrymata and as immering warp storm, the navigator's plea is answered (by something, at least) The figure is "walking along the astronomican's beam" and aids the ship in escaping the dangers of the Warp. something ismilar is implied to be one of the Emperor's abilities in THe Horus Heresy collected visions books, so its a reasonable assertion. I have to admit I found this part pretty damn cool.

Page 112

"I thought I heard a call, but the ship's mind told me otherwise."

AAgain we see the ship apparently is a self aware entity.

Page 113

"In scant days, we shall be home and your family awaits you"

Earlier it was noted to be "a short jump", probably meaning it was less than 10 thousand LY (less than across a segmentum)

I should note the ministorum dude gives a confession to the navigator. Again marking that this is perhaps the nicest and most laid back priest I have seen in 40K fiction since Zweil. The priest also notes that while rigorous, the Telepathica's methods cannot be infallible, and "tainted" astropaths can get through occasionally, even soul bound ones. That can't be good for the Emperor.

Anyway, if we're assuming several hundred LY travel in "days" the warp speed would be ~36,500c. Again treat as an OoM estimate.

[Connor MacLeod]

Moving Deathwing along... next story is one of the Ian Watson ones. Its a bit of an Inquisition War Prequel.. Meh'Lindi getting her Genestealer implants.



Page 117

Elsewhere in the gymnasium of the Callidus shrine, high-kicking initiate assasins broke plasteel bars, or else their own tarsal or heel bones. Injury was no excuse to discontinue the exercise - now they must master pain instead. Others dislocated their limbs by muscle tension so as to escape from bonds before crawling through constricted, kinking pipes. A pump sucked blood dazingly from two youths prior to their practising unarmed combat, and from another before he would attmept to run the gauntlet along a corridor of spinning knives. Scarred veteran instructors patrolled, ever willing to demonstrate to the unbelieving.

CAllidus training regimes. Makes many of the Astartes training seem upbeat and lighthearted. But then this IS an IAn Watson story.

Page 118

Meh'linid had been running for half an hour, trying to catch a fellow assassin who was vertically above her, upside down, wearing an experimental gravity-reverser belt.

I wonder if they stole that from the Harlequins.

Page 118

As hypersound vibrated sweat and grime loose from her, she gazed at her body in a tall speculum framed with brass bones interwoven and knotted.

the usual sci fi staple of the sonic shower and the 40K specialty of skeletal furniture.

Page 120

True, she could uncoil in an instant and launch herself - nor did a skilled assassin need to be staring at her target. The faint sigh of the man's lungs, his odour, the mere pressure of air in the room located Ziz for her.

Rreally good at blind fighting, in other words.

Page 120

Under the stimulus of polymorphine, flesh would flow like heated plastic. Bones would soften, reshape themselves, and harden again. Altering her height, her frame, her features, Meh'Lindi had frequently masqueraded as other women- gorgeous and ugly, noble and ocmmon. She had mimicked men. On one occasion she had mimicked a tall, hauntingly beautiful alien of the eldar race.

Meh'lindi contemplates the effects of Polymorphine.

Page 121

Yet the drug polymorphine on it sown was no miracle elixir. The business of shape-shifting demanded a deep and almost poignant sympathy with the person who was to be copied, killed, and replace.d The trick required empath- deep identification with the target - and inner discipline.

..

Meh'Lindi was an excellent, disciplined chameleon, exactly as the secundus said. Though she was no psyker, yet inscribed in the scells of her flesh and in the chambers of her brain was assuredly a wild gene-rune for apeing the appearance and traits of strangers - for metamorphosing herself - which the drug allowed her to express ot the utmost.

- its noted here that Meh'Lindi,d espite being "no psyker", has some sort of cellular/genetic level (in her flesh and brain) was some evideent predilection to shapeshifting. I'm still blaming the warp.

Page 122

- here is mentioned the Eversor temple as well as the Callidus.

Page 123

- Laser scalpels, stasis tureens holding extra glands and implants, anasthesia using "metacurareae" to keep her numbed but aware and immobile..

Page 123

An assassin could block off agony, could largely disconnect her consciousness from the screaming switchboard of pain in her brain.

Considering the training regimen probably a good skill to have.

Page 124-125

"Well will insert extrudable plastiflesh reinforced with carbon fibres into your anatomy. We will introduce flexicartilage which can toughen hard as horn. In repose - in their collapsed state - these implants will lurk within your body imperceptibly. Yet they will remember the monstrous shape and strength programmed into their fabric. When triggered, the polymorphine softens your flesh and bone, those implants will swell into full, active mode."

..

"We will graft extra glands into you to store, and synthesise at speed, growth hormone - somatotrophin - and glands to reverse the process."

Page 125-126

"Surely our experiment will succeed best with you. This can lead to wonderous things. To the imitating of tyranids, of tau, of lacrymoles, of kroot."

The range of alien races a Callidus can imitate if the experiment we know Meh'lindi underwent ever succeeded.

Page 126-127

A sub-skin of compacted, reinforced, "clever" plastiflesh was now layered subcutaneously within Meh'Lindi's arms and legs and torso. This pseudoflesh was 'clever' in two regards. It was sending invasive neural fibres deeper into her anatomy, fusing physiologically. In this, it was cousin to the black carapace which was grafted into every Space Marine as the crowning act of his transformation into a superhuman. Furthermore, the false flesh could remember the evil countours it was programmed to assume, and would forever override any rebellions impulse of Meh'Lindi to counterfeit a different form.

..

Likewise, blades of flexicartilage were inset under her finger and toe nails and sheathed her phlanges, her metatarsal and metacrapal bones. Stubs of the same had been grafted to her vertebrae, to her splint bones and femurs... And elsewhere.

..

"By submucous resection we now incise inside the nostrils, to elevate the lining membrane from the septum and insert spurs of flexicartilage; thus to develop the genestealer snout..."

Details of the process.

Page 129

- The Emperor's fingernails. 'Nuff said. That coudl almost be a swear (but in this case it's a holy relic. I shit you not.)

Page 130

Any assassin was already fluent in major dialects of Imperial Gothic as well as a number of human languages which had drifted far enough from their origins as to bear no resemblance to their roots. An assassin constantly added new languages to her repertoire. Meh'Lindi had done likewise, using a hypno-casque - a knowledge inducer - on the cargo ship en route to the sandy world of the giant red sun. The electronic tattoo on her palm currently declared her to be the daughter of a planetary governor on a pilgrimage.

Ah, Imperial speed learning. so versatile.

Page 130

She paid the proprietor a week in advance in Sabulorb shekels, exchanged at the spaceport against Imperial credit programmed into her tatoo, and added a shekel as a modest sweetener.

[

Neat form of funds transfer it seems. And the Imperium actualyl does seem to have a galactic economy, of sorts.

page 131

Her journey through the warp to Sabulorb had been brief enough, but some years of local tiem would have passed since whichever spy of the Imperiuum had left to report his or her suspicions. The infestation by Genestealers had plainly been under way for a number of generations. Genestealers would hide seeking to maintain a facade of normality as long as possible. Utlimately the evil brood would hope to control the city through their more presentable offpsring, and evne the planet, whils still maintaining the pretence that life was normal. Long before that stage was reached, the Imperium ought to take utmost measures.

Intel on Genestealers. Also it took "years" to arrive.

Page 134

- the fingernail church uses holographic images to tell a corrupted story of the Imperail cult (mixing the cult with genestealer imagery)

Page 136

- Genestealers (or at least human ones of the type Meh'Lindi is supposed to be imitating) can speak Imperial Gothic, if a bit slurred. Its also notable the Genestealer cult wasn't suspicious or surprised by the fake 'Stealer doing this.

Page 137

human beings seemed to manage this same feat almost incidentally and accidentally - all be it that the result was a thousand times a thousand human worlds, many pulsing to bursting point with the festering pus of the human species.

a million world, and the evocative imagery of Ian Watson, all in one place. He does seem to hint that the million worlds are all heavily populated though, which would tend ot suggest they do not include feral and feudal worlds as a rule (or agri worlds, for that matter.)

Page 140
No such planet as Psitticus, the parrot-world, existed. In an Imperium of a million worlds, no one individual, however well-informed, could know much about more than a tiny fraction of planets. Better by far, to name a world which didn't exist, than one hich did, concerning which she might conceivably be faulted...[/quote]

Self explanatory. Noone can be expected to know all the worlds in the Imperium, and apparently no readily available library is accessible where the information could be cross-checked.

Page 143

Here, behind a gaol-like barred door was a treasury, banded chests a brim with shekels. Behind other bars, an armoury storing different tereasure: stun guns, stub guns, bolt pistols, lasrifles.

The Genestealer armory. Neat trick getting ahold of bolt weapons and ammo.

Page 149

- Genestealer Patriarch is no match for polymorphine. An interesting if messy way of killing.

[Connor MacLeod]

Moving Deathwing along... next story is one of the Ian Watson ones. Its a bit of an Inquisition War Prequel.. Meh'Lindi getting her Genestealer implants.



Page 117

Elsewhere in the gymnasium of the Callidus shrine, high-kicking initiate assasins broke plasteel bars, or else their own tarsal or heel bones. Injury was no excuse to discontinue the exercise - now they must master pain instead. Others dislocated their limbs by muscle tension so as to escape from bonds before crawling through constricted, kinking pipes. A pump sucked blood dazingly from two youths prior to their practising unarmed combat, and from another before he would attmept to run the gauntlet along a corridor of spinning knives. Scarred veteran instructors patrolled, ever willing to demonstrate to the unbelieving.

CAllidus training regimes. Makes many of the Astartes training seem upbeat and lighthearted. But then this IS an IAn Watson story.

Page 118

Meh'linid had been running for half an hour, trying to catch a fellow assassin who was vertically above her, upside down, wearing an experimental gravity-reverser belt.

I wonder if they stole that from the Harlequins.

Page 118

As hypersound vibrated sweat and grime loose from her, she gazed at her body in a tall speculum framed with brass bones interwoven and knotted.

the usual sci fi staple of the sonic shower and the 40K specialty of skeletal furniture.

Page 120

True, she could uncoil in an instant and launch herself - nor did a skilled assassin need to be staring at her target. The faint sigh of the man's lungs, his odour, the mere pressure of air in the room located Ziz for her.

Rreally good at blind fighting, in other words.

Page 120

Under the stimulus of polymorphine, flesh would flow like heated plastic. Bones would soften, reshape themselves, and harden again. Altering her height, her frame, her features, Meh'Lindi had frequently masqueraded as other women- gorgeous and ugly, noble and ocmmon. She had mimicked men. On one occasion she had mimicked a tall, hauntingly beautiful alien of the eldar race.

Meh'lindi contemplates the effects of Polymorphine.

Page 121

Yet the drug polymorphine on it sown was no miracle elixir. The business of shape-shifting demanded a deep and almost poignant sympathy with the person who was to be copied, killed, and replace.d The trick required empath- deep identification with the target - and inner discipline.

..

Meh'Lindi was an excellent, disciplined chameleon, exactly as the secundus said. Though she was no psyker, yet inscribed in the scells of her flesh and in the chambers of her brain was assuredly a wild gene-rune for apeing the appearance and traits of strangers - for metamorphosing herself - which the drug allowed her to express ot the utmost.

- its noted here that Meh'Lindi,d espite being "no psyker", has some sort of cellular/genetic level (in her flesh and brain) was some evideent predilection to shapeshifting. I'm still blaming the warp.

Page 122

- here is mentioned the Eversor temple as well as the Callidus.

Page 123

- Laser scalpels, stasis tureens holding extra glands and implants, anasthesia using "metacurareae" to keep her numbed but aware and immobile..

Page 123

An assassin could block off agony, could largely disconnect her consciousness from the screaming switchboard of pain in her brain.

Considering the training regimen probably a good skill to have.

Page 124-125

"Well will insert extrudable plastiflesh reinforced with carbon fibres into your anatomy. We will introduce flexicartilage which can toughen hard as horn. In repose - in their collapsed state - these implants will lurk within your body imperceptibly. Yet they will remember the monstrous shape and strength programmed into their fabric. When triggered, the polymorphine softens your flesh and bone, those implants will swell into full, active mode."

..

"We will graft extra glands into you to store, and synthesise at speed, growth hormone - somatotrophin - and glands to reverse the process."

Page 125-126

"Surely our experiment will succeed best with you. This can lead to wonderous things. To the imitating of tyranids, of tau, of lacrymoles, of kroot."

The range of alien races a Callidus can imitate if the experiment we know Meh'lindi underwent ever succeeded.

Page 126-127

A sub-skin of compacted, reinforced, "clever" plastiflesh was now layered subcutaneously within Meh'Lindi's arms and legs and torso. This pseudoflesh was 'clever' in two regards. It was sending invasive neural fibres deeper into her anatomy, fusing physiologically. In this, it was cousin to the black carapace which was grafted into every Space Marine as the crowning act of his transformation into a superhuman. Furthermore, the false flesh could remember the evil countours it was programmed to assume, and would forever override any rebellions impulse of Meh'Lindi to counterfeit a different form.

..

Likewise, blades of flexicartilage were inset under her finger and toe nails and sheathed her phlanges, her metatarsal and metacrapal bones. Stubs of the same had been grafted to her vertebrae, to her splint bones and femurs... And elsewhere.

..

"By submucous resection we now incise inside the nostrils, to elevate the lining membrane from the septum and insert spurs of flexicartilage; thus to develop the genestealer snout..."

Details of the process.

Page 129

- The Emperor's fingernails. 'Nuff said. That coudl almost be a swear (but in this case it's a holy relic. I shit you not.)

Page 130

Any assassin was already fluent in major dialects of Imperial Gothic as well as a number of human languages which had drifted far enough from their origins as to bear no resemblance to their roots. An assassin constantly added new languages to her repertoire. Meh'Lindi had done likewise, using a hypno-casque - a knowledge inducer - on the cargo ship en route to the sandy world of the giant red sun. The electronic tattoo on her palm currently declared her to be the daughter of a planetary governor on a pilgrimage.

Ah, Imperial speed learning. so versatile.

Page 130

She paid the proprietor a week in advance in Sabulorb shekels, exchanged at the spaceport against Imperial credit programmed into her tatoo, and added a shekel as a modest sweetener.

[

Neat form of funds transfer it seems. And the Imperium actualyl does seem to have a galactic economy, of sorts.

page 131

Her journey through the warp to Sabulorb had been brief enough, but some years of local tiem would have passed since whichever spy of the Imperiuum had left to report his or her suspicions. The infestation by Genestealers had plainly been under way for a number of generations. Genestealers would hide seeking to maintain a facade of normality as long as possible. Utlimately the evil brood would hope to control the city through their more presentable offpsring, and evne the planet, whils still maintaining the pretence that life was normal. Long before that stage was reached, the Imperium ought to take utmost measures.

Intel on Genestealers. Also it took "years" to arrive.

Page 134

- the fingernail church uses holographic images to tell a corrupted story of the Imperail cult (mixing the cult with genestealer imagery)

Page 136

- Genestealers (or at least human ones of the type Meh'Lindi is supposed to be imitating) can speak Imperial Gothic, if a bit slurred. Its also notable the Genestealer cult wasn't suspicious or surprised by the fake 'Stealer doing this.

Page 137

human beings seemed to manage this same feat almost incidentally and accidentally - all be it that the result was a thousand times a thousand human worlds, many pulsing to bursting point with the festering pus of the human species.

a million world, and the evocative imagery of Ian Watson, all in one place. He does seem to hint that the million worlds are all heavily populated though, which would tend ot suggest they do not include feral and feudal worlds as a rule (or agri worlds, for that matter.)

Page 140
No such planet as Psitticus, the parrot-world, existed. In an Imperium of a million worlds, no one individual, however well-informed, could know much about more than a tiny fraction of planets. Better by far, to name a world which didn't exist, than one hich did, concerning which she might conceivably be faulted...[/quote]

Self explanatory. Noone can be expected to know all the worlds in the Imperium, and apparently no readily available library is accessible where the information could be cross-checked.

Page 143

Here, behind a gaol-like barred door was a treasury, banded chests a brim with shekels. Behind other bars, an armoury storing different tereasure: stun guns, stub guns, bolt pistols, lasrifles.

The Genestealer armory. Neat trick getting ahold of bolt weapons and ammo.

Page 149

- Genestealer Patriarch is no match for polymorphine. An interesting if messy way of killing.

[andrewgpaul]

An unfortunate double-post, that.

Page 125-126

"Surely our experiment will succeed best with you. This can lead to wonderous things. To the imitating of tyranids, of tau, of lacrymoles, of kroot."

The range of alien races a Callidus can imitate if the experiment we know Meh'lindi underwent ever succeeded.

I've got the Boxtree printing from 1993, and the original line is "To the imitating of Slanns, of Tyranids". Not sure where Lacrymole were first mentioned. The Lexicanum 40K Wiki cites pages 144-5 of the Inquisitor rulebook, but those pages don't seem to be included in the PDF downloads currently available.

[Imperial Overlord]

The Lexicanum 40K Wiki cites pages 144-5 of the Inquisitor rulebook, but those pages don't seem to be included in the PDF downloads currently available.

As someone who owns a hard copy of Inquisitor, yes those pages exist and contain said information.

[Junghalli]

Page 140
No such planet as Psitticus, the parrot-world, existed. In an Imperium of a million worlds, no one individual, however well-informed, could know much about more than a tiny fraction of planets. Better by far, to name a world which didn't exist, than one hich did, concerning which she might conceivably be faulted...

No Google or Google Earth equivalent in the Imperium?

[Connor MacLeod]

slightly late update, so I decided "to heck with it" and I'm gonna throw all of the last short stories up for Deathwing.

The first is a rather average short story called "seed of doubt" or something like that. Basically its an Inquisition short story told by a psyker who helps hunting down Chaos on another planet. The most notable detail is the rather incredible fact that we have a non-astropathic FTL system being used to establish contact with a sector base.

The second one is "Warped Stars" by Ian Watson. Its perbaps my favorite of his short stories, a bit odd, but interesting nonetheless. This is notable for being of two versions, in which one we have the Squat Grimm from the IW novels, and the other being a Techpriest named "Grill" *snicker*

Last story I'll be covering isn't much. Its called "Monastery of Death" and is about the Imperial conquest of a new world from the perspective of both the conquerors and conquerees. Not big and not much detail.

There are technically two other stories: Unofrgiven and Suffer not the Unlcean to Live, by (respectively) Graham McNeill and Gav Thorpe, but those willb e covered in Let the galaxy burn.


Page 153

- A black ship had apparently gone down en route to Terra with 500 psykers when a warp storm hit and the ship was destroyed.

Page 159

"Tchaq's deep voice was recognisable even over the warbling distortion. "How's that for service?" he demanded

Valdez cheered up immediately. "Thank the Emperor! Have you reached Kar Duniash?"

Tchaq sounded irritated. "Don't expect the Imperium in a day. We've been working flat out just to patch local channels together."

Yes, that's right. Another short story with non astropathic FTL comms. And apparently they imply some fairly fast speeds. Minutes or hours tops.

Page 162

"Now, what about Kar Duniash?"

"All the military channels are shot. We'll have to try and patch up one of the freight circuits. Golun's working on it."

..

"I could stay here supervising Golun. FAct is, he can patch in a commnet with his eyes closed."

More on the hypotheticall FTL comms.Military and merchant (civilian) channels too, it seems.

Page 165

"Your worship," van Meer implored. "We must send word back ot sector command."

The sound of feet pacing carefully on stones behindhim. Van Meer's glance flicked briefly rearwards. His eyes were eager, sparkling. "Kar Duniash," he insisted. "They could have a ship here for us in a matter of days."

Inter-sector travel lasting "days" This could mean a distance between as little as 10-15 and up to 200 LY. FTL speeds would be a few thousand to several tens of thousands of c.

Page 166

The bolt pistol spat four rounds before van Meer had a chance to draw. His features atomized, bone and muscle spewing out in a dark mist. The headless monster toppled, and stayed down.

Four bolt pistol rounds from a non-astartes weapon to blow apart the skull.

Page 169

A metallic whine cut open the night. A cabellan trooper was catapulted from his horse. The others scrambled for cover of the trees as the young soldier lay shaking on the earth, life pumping inexorably from the raw fissure in his guts.

..

Tchaq swore and spat a mouthful of dirt. "Nightfire rifle. If they've salvaged a couple of those they'll pick us off like cattle."

The Cabellans loosed off a volley of shots across the water. The answering blast struck Tolmann, pulling off an arm like meat ripped from a carcass. The Cabellan captain lay on teh ground, screams drowning the echo of the shot.

Some sort of guard weapon called a nighfire rifle. Sniper or long range rifle I take it, with some sort of infrared or Night vision capability. Presumably a projectile weapon - one powerful enough to amputate a limb or make a large hole in the belly.

Page 169

As she lowered Tolmann's body with a silent prayer, a solid form shifted on the fringes of her mindsight.

"There!" she whipsered. "I can sense one of them now. Across the lake. There's a boathouse at the waterfront."

Psyker detects the presence of a persona cross the lake, and details.

Page 170

The dark outline of an Imperial Guard shimmered in Danielle's mind. "He's seen Tchaq. He's moving to the door of the house. Aim to the left. Further." The image solidified, she saw Franca squared within the sights of the inquisitor's pistol.

"Now!"

bolt fire streamed across the surface of the pool. The boathouse ignited like tinder. A figure swathed in flame stumbled blindly from the wreckage. Valdez and Tchaq fired again, in unison. Gobbets of seared flesh sizzled in the waters of STyrus.

Psyker from before assists a blind Inquisitor with targeting.

Page 170

- The psyker cannot focus on two targets that split up and move separately.. she can track only one.

Page 175

"I've reached Kar Duniash on the freighter circuit. They'll have a military channel patched back in to us in a few minutes. What's the message going to be?"

..

"Wait for the military channel to be restored, then put them through to me. I'll tell them what needs to be done."

..

The voxcomm blinked red again. Sector command were ready to receive instructions.

FTL comms from sector command - few minutes tops anywhere from a few hundreds thousnad c to several million c propogation speed for the FTL vox.

Page 205-206

Nothing happened. The wheel stood still. The stalwart was frozen. Though forewarned, the crowd groaned. The spectators were
outside the small zone of hoodooed time cast by the doomed witch; they could still move about - yet hardly a body moved.
..

The timeless moment ended. As the delayed cudgel descended crackingly, the witch screamed. Time paused once again in his
immediate vicinity. Presently another blow fell, crushing flesh and snapping bone. Due to his futile evasions the witch did indeed
take much longer to be broken, and would take longer to hang draped around the wheel, slowly dying in utter pain.

Psyker/witch with some low level stasis/time manipulation ability.

Page 206

OVER THE COURSE of the next year a dozen more witches and muties died in the square of Groxgelt.

A dozen witches/mutants located in this village (at least.) Even if we assume across the whole planet annually, thats one psyker for every few hundred thousand or so. Fits roughly with the figure mentioned in "Fiath and fire".

Page 209

- Education level on this world, at least, is such that the populace seems generally unaware of some basic facts of astronomy (the Earth, moon, etc are round, why the stars put out light, etc.)

Page 210

"It is a week since we emerged safely from warp-space, benedico Imperatorem. We are in orbit around the gas-giant Delta
Khomeini V."

A week to transit the billions of km between the warp point and the planet. Single digit gees.

Page 210

"Propositum: for millennia past our undying Emperor has defended humanity against psychic attack from the warp, so that - one
far-off day - humankind can evolve psychic powers puissant enough to protect itself…"

..

Psyker-witches were beacons shining into the warp. They attracted parasites and daemons that could lay waste a world and make
its people unhuman.

"Subpropositum: wild, unguided, wayward psykers must be sought out by our Inquisition and destroyed."
"Counterpropositum: so as to nourish our Emperor, hundreds of fresh young psykers must daily sacrifice their souls - aye, gladly
too - to feed his own huge anguished soul."

Inquisitor giving his own little self reflection on what he considers the Emperos' plans and needs, and the Inquistors role in it all.


Page 211

Yes indeed, emerging psykers were sought out avidly and sent to Terra by the shipload. Those of high calibre, who could be
trained to serve the Imperium, were soul-bound to the Emperor for their own protection, an agonizing ritual which generally left
them blind. Exceptional individuals such as Serpilian were allowed to guard themselves mentally. The cream of such free psykers
became inquisitors. Yet daily hundreds of those transportees to Terra, duly guided in the blessings of sacrifice, were yielding up
their lives in the sucking gullet of the God-Emperor's mind. And elsewhere throughout the galaxy, untamable psykers were being
exterminated as witches.

- again mention of "hundreds" of psykers sacrificing themselves daily to preserve the Emperor's life (psykers who are captured by tthe Black ships.)

Page 211

Paradoxus: we root out as weeds what we cannot harvest. Yet whether we harvest or root out, the new crop is largely crushed, in
so far as is within our power. How then can humankind evolve that independent future strength it so desperately needs?

- I don't really follow this dude's logic unless its explicitly forbidden for psykers to have kids. How would they even police that?

Page 212[/]

On both forefingers he wore rare jokaero digital weapons, one of these
a miniaturized needler, the other a tiny laspistol.

[/quote]

Jokaero weapon imitating a laspistol. Much like in Chaos child.

Page 212

Long before the cabin door opened to admit Commander Hachard, Serpilian expected his arrival. The inquisitor was a powerful
senser of presence, who knew where everyone was within a generous radius. An unusual offshoot of this sense allowed him to
anticipate intrusions from the warp.

The story's Inquisitor and his psychic abilities.

Page 213

Shortly after leaving Valhall II, Serpilian had dreamed of a sickly-sweet coaxing voice that was neither man's nor woman's cajoling a bright young mind far far away; and that young mind was… special, in a way that the young Serpilian's had been special, only more so, much more so, it seemed. Thus, even across the light years, and through the immeasurable fluctuating currents of the warpsea, Serpilian heard… something that resonated with his own psyche; that plucked at his instincts, as if threads of dark destiny bound him direly to that mind and to that eerie, seductive voice.
A casting of the runebones by Serpilian in tandem with a Tarot divination performed by the ship's Navigator had indicated the blue star that was fourth brightest in the constellation of Khomeini…

What brought the Inquisitor.

Page 215

The thought drifted through Serpilian's mind, like some seductive siren song, that it wasn't totally unknown for an inquisitor to
sicken of his harsh duties and flee to some lost world, some primitive pastoral planet or other.

I guess not every Inquisitor is a heartless bastard. But why would they neccearily have to flee?

Page 216

"The boy's being given an aura of protection now to hide him. He's somewhere within a hundred or so
kilometres of the capital city. He's becoming a powerful psychic receiver. Other psychic talents are sprouting in him. I think he's about to be possessed. Unless we reach him first."

Psychic shielding over a 100 km diameter.

Page 216

"To capture him, or destroy him?"
"I fear for his potential power. One day perhaps," and Serpilian sketched a pious obeisance, "he might be a little like the Emperor himself. Just a little."

- mention of a psyker powerful enough that he might be "a little like" the Emperor. A mini emperor. Or perhaps an Avatar, of sorts.

Page 216

If that's the "situation, maybe the relevant quadrant of the moon should be sterilised… though that would include Urpol city and the spaceport, and many grox farms. Delta Khomeini II would starve as a consequence… And the moon has orbital defences as well as its surface troops, who would fight us… They won't have much battle experience. I think we could do it. I think. Perhaps with our last drop of blood…"

they consider blasting a fair portion of the planet to purge the trheat.

Page 216

The boy watched a floater of grox meat depart from Puschik Farm. The engine and cargo section were spattered with mystic runes to help hold the vehicle in the air and encourage the robot brain to find its way to the city. Those runes had recently been repainted. If runes faded or flaked off the hull, the floater might stray from its course or its chiller unit might fail.

Robot brains and antigrav freezers.

Page 217

No, thought Jomi, the floater would only break down if it hadn't been ''serviced'' properly. The meat-transporter was only a machine, a thing of metal and wires and crystals, based on ancient science from the Dark Age of Technology.
Courtesy of the voice, Jomi knew now that former ages had existed, unimaginable stretches of time unimaginably long ago. The cunent age was a time of ''superstition'', so said the voice. An earlier age had been a time of enlightenment. Yet that bygone era was now called dark to the extent that so much had been forgotten about it. So the voice assured him, confusingly. He mustn't worry his pretty mind overmuch about foul daemons such as Preacher Farb prated about. Such things existed, to a certain extent, that was true. But enlightenment was the route to joy. The owner of the voice said that it had been captured by the storms of ''warp-space'' long ago, doomed to wander in strange domains for aeons until finally it sensed a dawning psyker talent that was
peculiarly attuned to it.

Our mini Emperor receiving enlightenment from the Mysterious Voice.

Page 219

- A tech priest by the name of "Grill" is contemplating an Imperial world that bans wheels, and considers this unusual.

I should note here a bit of a discrepancy such as I hear things. In my copy of "Deathwing", it is a "techpriest" named "Grill" who
is witnessing this. I have heard, however, elsewhere the story is reprinted as having Grimm involved (indeed Grimm mentions going
to such a planet in the Inquisition War novels...) I'm not sure which way it was "originally" though.

Given that the story has a techpriest being boarded with Ogryn, I am suspecting the latter. Normally not evne an Inquisitor would treat a tech priest so shabbily, one thinks.

Page 219

The ogryn, Thunderjug' Aggrox, quit sharpening his yellow tusks on a rasp. 'Woz matter, titch?'
Sergeant-Ogryn Aggrox was a BONEhead, who had undergone Biochemical Ogryn Neural Enhancement. Thus he was capable of a degree of sophisticated conversation. Could be trusted with a ripper gun too.

- the "BONEhead (Biochemical Ogryn Neural Enhancement" process seems to be a prerequisite to using a Ripper gun. (much less anything more sophisticated), a nda llows the Ogryn a degree of sophisticated conversational ability.

Page 220

- The Techpriest/squat/whatever speculates that the "wheel"'s absence on this planet may be either to keep the peasants in place, or as a means of suppressing thought ("the Wheel" or innovation perhaps, is a beginning of dangerous thoughts... eg "Damn science")

Also they use floaters to rush the grox meat to the spaceport to be snet into orbit to be "void-frozen." Sounds appetizing.



Page 223

- the vessel belongs to the Space Marines apparently. Its supposedly capable of carrying "three platoons" - so maybe a company or so of troops overall (by modern terms) making it roughly a strike cruiser.

Since Space Marines normally do not use Platoons, this si either an error due to the dated nature of the story, or this Chapter is extremely non-Codex.

Page 225

The engines of Human Loyalty were beginning to whine and its hull to wail. The cruiser was at last descending through the
moon's atmosphere.

Okay maybe it's not a Strike Cruiser, since it can land.

Page 225

Who wounded and slew with power-stilettos which would spring a spike of vibrating, searing energy into the guts of a rival.

- mention of "power stilettos"

Page 226

One night, during a raid on the lower tech levels of Magnox, Torq sensed for the first time the presence of ambush. A glowing, multidimensional map of human life-signs swam within his head, distorting, shot through with static, needing tuning…
Subsequently, in that mysterious multivalent map, he was to sense the eerie mauve glow of intrusions from the warp. He led the brat gang against a nest of psykers. These psykers were on the verge of being possessed by daemons. A rival gang were protecting them, and were making a playful erotic cult of them.
Had Torq's gang discovered those psykers first, events might have fallen out otherwise. Avid for thrills, the gilded youths from the upper tier might have made gang mascots of the psykers. Torq might have become a coven leader. Eventually, pursued by fervent witchfinders, he might have been forced to flee and hide among the scum of the under-city.
Yet events did not fall out in this fashion. Furthermore, Torq had studied and he knew the lineaments of the Imperium rather better than his fellow brats. He thought he understood the strength of its muscles and the way those muscles pulled. His gang bested the patrons of those psykers, who had been pampered and abused by turns. Along with those captured playthings he presented himself to the Ecclesiarchy as a would-be inquisitor; whereby he would enjoy the wildest experiences, within a learned framework.

Our Inquisitor's past. Note the psychic mind-map.

Page 227

If the Imperium comprised a million worlds, why, there were only a million Marines too.

- mention of "a million worlds" and "a million [space] Marines"

Page 229

The citizens of Groxgelt could see that the bulky Grief
Bringer, with the visor of his helmet raised, was a true man.

Grief Bringer Space Marine (silly name) has visor that raises and lowers.

Page 229

"I'm within twenty kilometres of you, commander. Am on my way. Don't let the noise of the Land Raiders alert our target.
Advance the final four kilometres on foot."

- Land Raider communicator has a range of at least twenty kilometres.

Page 232

A glowing hoop appeared, balanced upon the ground a few hundred metres away. Slowly it swelled in size, though it did not brighten. If anything, it grew dimmer, as though to evade scrutiny from elsewhere. Within the hoop was utter night, a darkness absolute.
THE FACT THAT the portal was coming into existence some distance away from the boy - and slowly - tended to rule out the activity of a warp creature such as an enslavers. Warp creatures of that ilk were usually impetuous in their attack. Nor could the alien eldar be creating this opening. The eldar were masters of warp-gates and such; they hardly needed the type of psychic focus that the boy seemed to be providing. As though anything on this moon could possibly interest the eldar!
This portal was opening almost painfully - if such a thing could be. Almost creakingly, as if its ''hinges'' had rusted during long aeons of time. Obviously a warp-portal didn't have hinges; but the analogy held.

Warp portal forming on the planet. Noted to be distinctly diffrent from Eldar tech, and not warp creatures.

Page 233

A ROBOT HIGHER than any building in Groxgelt, a robot that bristled with what Jomi took to be weapons, lurched through the gate of darkness.

..

"Don't fear this metal body. This is the shell that has sheltered the kernel
of myself while I drifted alone for aeons in the warp in a derelict megaship."

- mention here of some sort of "demi-titan", somethign smaller yet nearly as powerful as a Titan, but in many respects more like a larger Dreadnought (it has a living body/consciousness embedded inside it.)

Page234

SERPILIAN SHOOK THE bag of rune bones at his waist so that he sounded like an angry rattlesnake, then switched on his energy armour. Beneath his cloak subtle forces wove a cocoon that clad his body, and his cuirass glowed faintly.

- the Inquisitor is wearing something called "energy armour" a curiass which, when activated "glows faintly" and surrounds his body with a cocoon of "subtle forces". Some sort of conversion or refractor field or the like I guess.

Page 234

The inquisitor stared at the giant gunmetal-grey relic, trying in vain to classify it. It was squatter than a Battle Titan, its limbs less flexibly jointed, nor did any obvious head protrude from the top of its chest in the way that control-heads jutted, turtle-like, from Titans. However, it looked almost as formidable. And what was more, it housed someone who had endured literally for aeons.
Serpilian knew of no mechanical system other than the Emperor's enormous immobile prosthetic throne which could sustain a person's existence during entire aeons.
What remnant of flesh and bone could possibly lurk inside that mobile juggernaut? Only the head and spinal column of the castaway? Only the naked brain, bathed in fluids? Or maybe - could such a thing be? - only the mind itself, wrought within some intricate interior talisman by ancient eldritch sorcery?
That robot was treasure.

The demi titan thingy again described.

Page 235

Surely that's a robot from the early Age of Strife, sirs! The portal must lead to a space hulk in the warp, mustn't it? Where else could such a robot have lurked? That hulk could contain a wealth of ancient technology.

Speculations on the origin of or dreadnought mini titan thingy.

Page 235

"Commander, disable the robot. Shoot off its legs."
Hachard rapped out orders. Almost immediately plasma and laser beams stitched the deepening night. Yet the beams glanced away, deflected by some shield - or even by an aura of invulnerability. For the mind within that machine was potent, was it not?
Had it not had mad, lonely aeons during which to examine and hone its powers?
The robot's own inbuilt lasers and plasma cannon fired back, tracking the sources of the energy beams. At the same time a wave of confusion lapped at Serpilian's mind. The creature in the robot possessed psychic weaponry too, so it seemed.
Perhaps something else shared mind-space with the occupant of that plasteel refuge, something that one wouldn't exactly classify as human company…

- Curiously, the Grief Bringers Astartes chapter (mentioned here, assisting the Inquisitor) are mentioned as using only laser and plasma weapons of indeterminite type, but no bolt guns. This would make them unusual marines, certainly.

The "robot also has "built in" laser and plasma weapons, as well as some sot of energy shields and psychic weaponry. No bolters seen, though.

Page 235

Serpilian had seen to it that the Grief Bringers wore protective psychic hoods. Still, in that first onslaught two Marines broke cover impetuously, rushing directly towards the robot. Their suits glowed, then incandesced. The overload filter in Hachard's radio stole away their screams. Another brave man took advantage of the diversion to advance at a powered run from a different direction, clutching a melta-bomb. He was obviously hoping to sacrifice himself by detonating this against one of the robot's feet, thus destabilizing it. Plasma engulfed him; the night erupted briefly as the bomb's thermal energy gushed prematurely, liquefying his suit. The Space Marines quickly resumed more disciplined fire.

The mini Dreadnought thingy's plasma fire melted a Armoured asstartes. Triple digit MJ at least.

Page 236

"Land Raiders arriving on station," said Hachard. "If we aim their las-cannons at one leg in concert we should bring it crashing
down soon enough."
"What if the shielding and the aura hold? Even temporarily? Fierce energies will recoil unpredictably. The boy may be evaporated
in the backlash. If the lascannon beams do break through, the robot might explode."

The titan's shields apparently either deflect/reflect or re-radiate incoming attacks since the boy has risk of being vaporized for being too close.

Description of Land Raider (at least 3) Lascannons against the shielding of the weird robot/dreadnought thingy.

Page 236

Hachard laughed; and it occurred to Serpilian that the wave of confusion might have affected the minds of the ogryns peculiarly. Unlike the Space Marines, the abhumans had been shielded only by their own dense skulls and by their brutish, if violent, thought processes. The confusion might only now be surfacing in their brainiest representative, the sergeant.

Ogryn aren't too receptive to psychic attacks due to being too dumb, it seems.

Page 237

This was an unusual species of possession, for the survivor plainly owned no body at all, other than the vast metal body of the robot. The survivor consisted only of mind, wrought within a talisman of crystal wafers or some other occult material, a talisman which strove to maintain the stability of that mind - strove with a fair degree of success, considering the awesome timespan, yet of necessity imperfectly.

something less than a Dreadnought then.

Page 238

JUST AS THE ogryn squad was commencing its assault, the robot aimed a plasma blast low at the grox compound, crisping several beasts yet also tearing a long gap in the fence.

cripsed several grox. No idea how to calc.

Page 239

Then a blast grenade, launched from a tube in the robot's arm, exploded near him. The shock wave picked the priest up and threw him several metres.

Grimm/Grill gets hit by a near proximity grenade, and survives. Since it was probably Grimm this may be a testament to squat flak. Or techpriest durability.

Page 240

"Will there be air on the other side of the portal? Will all atmosphere have long since leaked out of the hulk? Will there be only vacuum, to boil my blood and collapse my lungs like empty paper bags? My energy armour will be no protection from that fate…"

Energy armour does not extend far beyond the armor, and apparently won't retain air.

Page 242

As soon as Serpilian had hauled the boy to some reasonable remove, and had ducked with him
behind a boulder, the las-cannons of the Land Raiders opened fire. Shaft upon shaft of searing energy lanced at the robot. The Space Marine infantry added their contribution.

...

The robot launched jets of plasma and energy beams. A Land Raider exploded, raining hot shards of plasteel. Several Marines fel victim to beams and jets. The Imperial energies cascaded off the robot's shields, pluming into the sky, rendering the landscape bright as day.
Yet now the robot seemed confused. It backed. It lumbered. Perhaps the mind within was anguished. Perhaps, infected by Jomi's vision, it imagined that it had passed safely back through the portal, though the nightmare evidence was otherwise. Perhaps it was running low on energy.
At last an Imperial energy-beam tore loose a weapon arm. Another beam pierced the vulnerable hatch. Part of the robot's mantle flared and melted. Still firing - but falteringly now, seemingly at random - the great, damaged machine stomped back towards the portal. Land Raider beams focused in unison upon its back, so that it seemed to be propelled in its retreat by a hurricane-torn, white-hot sail woven from the heart of a sun.
As it entered the portal, the robot incandesced blindingly. A detonation as of a dozen simultaneous sonic booms rocked the torn terrain. Glaring fragments of the robot's carapace flew back like angry boomerangs, like scythes. The bulk of its disintegrating body pitched forward, out of existence, vanishing.

- the Dreandought-thingy destroys one of hte Land Raiders, but eventually succumbs to Imperial wepaonry.

Page 243

Bending, assisted by the tech-priest, Hachard dragged the ogryn's corpse into his powered arms.

Armored Astartes can lift dead Ogryn. Rather nice of him,

Page 246

"A randomzier," his master said, still with that faintly knowing smile. "We are safe from eavesdroopers, for the time being."

protection against eavesdropping

Page 253

- mention of a rivalry between the Adeptus Arbites and the Assassins within the Imperium. It may not mean the Officio Assasinorum though
since they refer to it merely as the Assassin's guild and I question whether a Judge would know about such an organization. In any case
the Arbites are mentioned here as to wishing to add the power of Assassins to their own power base within the Adeptus Terra.

Page 256

- Mention of "Power bows" and "automatic rifles" as part of the defences of a keep, side by side and presumably of equal power. Crossbow or longbow as a power weapon?
Strength amplifiers?

Page 257

Every nerve on fire as her syn-skin sensed her mood and responded to it, interfacing with her nervous system and feeding her amplified senses with data.

I guess she's really a proper Assassin. Also the synskin responds to her emotional/biological state.

Page 257

"Greetings" Judit said in the native tongue, surprised at the ease with which the words came - earlier, she had donned a hypno-casque in order to learn the local language.

The Assassin evidently learned a fair bit (enough to converse fluently and easily) in the native tongue, presumably since the time they arrived (which is fairly short - hours or days at most)

Page 264

- This planet (a feudal world with some sophisitcated tech) has an intact STC underneath the monastary, reachable only by teleporter.

[andrewgpaul]

The original version of Warped Stars does indeed feature Grimm the Squat. The same Grimm the Squat from the Inquisition War trilogy.

Monastery of Death features the only remaining fully functional STC database ever described in the 41st millennium, and the Imperium never learns it's there.

[Kojiro]

Just a quick addition- the bit on pg 7 about the 'retelling of the tale' is indeed an addition to the original. It does not appear in the original.

I'm pretty sure I have all the original first ed 40k books, including the Deathwing stuff that shows the Dark Angels were clearly very Native American from some of the old, old Jess Goodwin art. I'll try and dig it up and scan up some pics.

[Kojiro]

Some original Deathwing pics that go with the story from the original Space Hulk: Deathwing expansion.