++Message Origin: Delteron IV; Immolator astropathic relay++
++Message Originator: Forgemaster Pyrus Som'taaw++
++Message Destination: Ultima Segmentum; Prometheus; Fortress-monastery astropathic relay++
++Security Coding: Threat Level Orange; Xenos Moderatus++
The situation on Delteron IV is deteriorating rapidly. Thus far, our forces have met the challenge of Xenos forces arrayed against us. A most disturbing incident occurred during our latest deployment into the Shrine Ruins. We were investigating an anomalous power signature, as well as following up on a request from the Forgefather to gather intelligence on a series of runes inscribed in the bedrock beneath the shrine. With Ba'rakus' help, we managed to breach a long-sealed cavern which our auspexes assured us held the source of the power signal. What we found was an incredibly ancient structure of advanced Xenos technological origin. We captured multiple examples of the runes as per the Forgefather's orders, but we activated some sort of defensive protocol. The power signature grew in power until it rendered the auspexes useless, and the entire structure thrummed with an unholy life and abominable Xenos glow of some sort of ambient green energy.
Our expedition was engaged by a defensive force of what my preliminary analysis determined was, in all likelihood, Necron origin. We fought our way back to the breach in the cavern, at which point Xenos forces disengaged quite suddenly. A figure of some power within the Xenos structure appeared with a much larger force at its back, but did not engage. It addressed us in what I calculated as a calm but authoritative manner, though at this point the cogitators have not completed a speech analysis of the thing's words.
Due to the increasing complexity of the conflict here, I am informing the Pantheon Council of my plan in addressing the threats. Until this point I have limited my actions to defensive only, in hopes of protecting the populace of Delteron IV from the predations of foul Xenos. With the entry of a third Xenos force into the picture, I can only guess that enigmatic events of great import are unfolding, and I must act accordingly. I will be dispatching small cadres of Astartes to advise and train the local PDF, while taking the bulk of my forces to a more offensive-minded footing.
Included below is the compiled battle sequences collected from Astartes pict-recorders, so that the Pantheon may draw what conclusions it will from raw battle data.
++Text Communication Ends++
++Pict-recording File Attached++
The recording picked up with Pyrus kneeling, examining a faintly glowing rune inscribed on some dust-covered metal plating. Five terminators, resplendent with their crackling storm shields and thunder hammers, formed a defensive cordon a few paces from him, while an extended squad of veterans and several squads of tactical marines deployed on overwatch. The hulking form of Ironclad Ba'rakus stood silent and immobile... yet somehow still surly in demeanor.
Pyrus' eerie voice almost muttered to itself, "These runes appear to be extremely ancient. Similar to something I have seen before. It could not be THEM, though. Not here. Could it?" He reached out to touch the rune, tracing his ceramite-coated finger along its surface. With a nearly subsonic groan - more felt through the floor of the cavern than heard - the cavern began to light up with an ominous, green light and light fog. With harsh, actinic flashes, metallic forms began to melt into existance. To add to the surreal wrongness of the moment, the cavern was almost totally silent. The beings seemed almost to be specters, fading into reality.
The forces were appearing in a position to cut the Salamanders off from the only escape to the cavern, a massive tunnel blasted into the cavern wall by Ba'rakus' seismic hammer. Acting quickly, Pyrus rounded up his command, and issued orders to evacuate to the surface, where transport awaited. He carefully bundled up some examples of the runes and samples of the stone from the cavern, and the marines began to push towards the waiting enemy forces.
++Pict recordings become jumbled and fragmentary, as many Brothers took serious wounds, and in many cases, the bizarre weaponry of the foe seems to have caused malfunctions in some of the non-essential and unshielded equipment of the Marines. What follows are small segments of mostly undamaged video, with no clear chronological order or context.++
*Salamanders forces flood between odd, low structures in the cavern, pushing through the pulsating green light towards the faint promise of sunlight from the cavern opening. Odd bolts of energy, obviously of Xenos origin, begin splashing down.
*Ba'rakus, standing defiantly, takes a massive salvo of this energy fire. To the shock and dismay of his Brothers, even his thick hull is scored and pitted from the fire as the war machine changes course to intercept some new mechanical horror that looks a mechanical snake man escorted by some sort of mechanical insect with lashing cables flailing about.
*An odd discharge of energy behind the Sternguard squad prompts some cautionary fire in its direction, but ultimately nothing was really there. A similar discharge occurred across the battlefield nearly simultaneously, but there are no recordings of what happened there.
*Swarms of strange, metallic beetles poured out of one of the structures, as if hell-bent on charging into the Salamander lines. Withering bolter and flamer fire winnowed their numbers greatly, leaving only a few to get within range of ceramite curb-stomps.
*Some sort of arcane floating vehicle discharged massive gouts of lightning into a squad of tactical marines just before the snake and bug machines crashed into them, with Ba'rakus joining the fray moments after. Tangled in the cables from the bug machine, the marines fell like wheat before the snake's scythe. Ba'rakus eventually crushed the bug, and after a long, tense duel with the snake, did the same for it. Those still battle-capable amongst the marine squad charged into the odd architecture of the Xenos ruins to avenge their dead and wounded. Ba'rakus took a moment to scan the battlefield, then moved off towards an engagement of his own.
*After more withering fire from the floating vehicle, Pyrus and his guardian squad of terminators led an assault into the heart of enemy lines, his marines following behind to offer cover fire. Catching the vehicle unaware, hammers swung, and Pyrus himself latched onto the vehicle with one servo arm, pulling himself up close enough to anchor himself on it as he plunged the other servo arm through the craft's plating. He struck something vital as the thing detonated with unknowable energies, though Pyrus and his terminators were safely ensconced in the protection of the Emperor.
*A motley group of marines charged into a massive swarm of the mechanical beetles which seemed to just multiply as fast as they could be crushed. The marines were slowly overwhelmed, their numbers dropping under the weight of their foe.
*Smoke clears from the wreckage of the vehicle in the cavern; Pyrus and the terminators find themselves caught in a hellish crossfire that leaves only Pyrus himself standing. Spotting a group of the grim mechanical soldiers responsible, Pyrus rushes into them, unleashing a storm of fire and plasma as enemy fire deflects off his blessed Artificer Armor. Once in their midst, their bayonettes and axes have almost as little effect, though one managed to catch a joint in his armor. His fury at the losses inflicted on his brothers fueled his strength though, and he crushed the figures into unrecognizable wreckage. Horrifically, though, they didn't always stay down...
*A squad of tactical marines charge a Xenos strongpoint, dragging some out bodily through the windows as what was a ranged duel suddenly becomes a fierce melee. Meanwhile, Ba'rakus engages some spider-like monstrosity of metal, and the beast strikes through a damaged section of armor to disable his chassis weapon control systems and severely hamper his mobility, effectively removing him from the fight as thick smoke billowed from destroyed equipment.
*Pyrus regroups with the remaining sternguard troopers for what looks to be a last stand when the enemy forces disappear in the same type of blinding flash they arrived with.
*A pict recorder swings towards a more regal metallic figure, the snake creature heeled before him, but the image quickly becomes distorted and unreadable, as does the audio.
++No further pict recorder info included++
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