Clavessa Secundus

"There is no Food Chain on Clavessa, only the Cycle."

– a common PDF saying

Clavessa Secundus is a planet located in the Segmentum Obscurus. It was created when some Fa/tg/uys were playing around with the Creature Feature Creation Table for /tg. Every single organism on Clavessa Secundus breeds parasitically. Every. Single. One. Even the plants inject their seeds in captured prey; there is also no real food chain here. The plants eat meat or other plants, the scavengers mainly scavenge corpses they made through their parasitic birth or through self defense. Part of the Neglecta Sector

Clavessa Secundus

Points Of Interest:

The Belt

Starfall Camp

The Pit

The Magos' Lab

The Flesh Lords' Home Vessels

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Agents of the Imperium

Clavessa Bush Brigade: The PDF that live in the Belt as Clavessa itself has so far proven impossible to colonize properly. They are Space Bushmen, and as such half of their lasguns were converted into Long-las', though due to the indomitable nature of the planet's native flora and fauna they most often employ heavy weapons teams (lascannons, autocannons mortars) and do their best not to engage in close combat as everything on Clavessa Secundus can either poison them, infect them with something, or shove their offspring inside them. They are by and large an Infantry Regiment, though they do have a few tanks (normal Russes and Basilisks for the most part). They do have Chimeras, but the world's terrain tends to limit their use. They have grown used to the horrors of the planet, less in the Catachan badass-prepared-for-anything way and more in a desensitized-to-the-point-that-watching-their-buddy-get-ripped-apart-by-a-parasitic-nightmare-would-only-give-them-a-little-bit-of-trauma, deeply broken kind of way. Many wear red undershirts during their downtime, as well as beneath their uniforms.

The Flesh Lords: The Space Marine chapter that resides in orbit around Clavessa with their ten ships (4 of them are out of order though) They want to make Clavessa Secundus safe and parasite free in order to avenge those fallen battle brothers and prove to the rest of the imperium how loyal they are (not that they would need to prove that) and practise terror tactics on the wildlife regardless of whether or not they work on animals

-heavily augmented

-don't employ scouts

-if a PDF trooper/ random spacer proves themselves then they go straight to the black carapace

-unaugmented marines aren't considered properly part of the chapter

-new marines don't get augmented until they prove themselves worthy

- the chapter eat their fallen enemies

-when they want a new augment they ceremonially remove their old body part and eat it

- secretly night lords successors that turned on their old chapter and want to rejoin the imperium

-this is a secret (shhhh)

-have pet frogbats, whom they tame as an initiation ceremony; once the creature is lost, they paint their armour white, give up their weapons and join the Kinless, a company of chainglaive-wielding melee troops searching for death in battle.

-are genuinely trying to rejoin the emperor

-use a lot of purity seals

-employ a lot of 'purified' Anvilus Pattern Dreadclaws that are covered in purity seals and don't kill their occupants

-on good terms with the PDF and local Magos

-the Chaplains double as chefs who will 'bless' their food and lead holy feasts in the name of the Emperor

The Magos: He's been there nearly as long as the Brigade, and far longer than the Flesh Lords. Hard to describe or understand, like most Magos, he belongs to the Magos Xenobiologis. Despite having Skitarii with him, he tends to instead make the local guardsmen carry out his orders, along with the Flesh Lords Astartes Chapter. Little is known aside from his penchant to threaten to turn people into servitors over the smallest inconveniences and requesting that anyone who comes upon a new organism collect it and bring it back to him, preferably alive or at least whole. He gets along swimmingly with the Flesh Lords due to their obsession with bionic enhancement, which he is more than happy to allow his lessers along with the Flesh Lords' Techmarines build.

The Xenos

The entire sector is full of deadly xeno creatures - practically every planet in the sector has at least one deadly super-beast on it - but Clavessa Secundus is famous for its incredibly deadly parastic fauna. In fact they are all so deadly they are offically designated as Xenos in the hope someone purges the animals, or maybe calls for an Exterminatus. No purges have happened because the entire sector is a huge shit-show with no real Administratum presence; also no Exterminatus will happen even if that gets fixed (unlikely) because the local fauna are all so deadly, they have actually single-handled decimated an Ork warband. The local PDF didn't need to actually fight off the Orks, so much as put them down before they spread the planet's parasites off-world.

Also, for reasons entirly unknown, a bunch of Xeno races - as in, actual space-worthy Xeno races like the previously mentioned Orks - are interested in this Death World. The only ones who don't know how incredibly deadly the world is are the Tau, who think they can somehow liberate this world from its oppressors (which says everything about them and how they are all going to die horribly the second they try to free this planet from the grip of the parasites really); the other Xenos definitely know how deadly this world is, but have one reason or another for wanting to even be in the same solar system as this planet.

The Parasites of Clavessa Secundus

X1: (The first to be rolled up.) One of the higher functioning parasitic life-forms, though it is technically a scavenger. The adult form stands upright around the size of a man, with wiry, gangly limbs and a bipedal gait. It is covered in feathers and crude spines, and seems to use some kind of sixth sense to track its meals. Despite being only a scavenger it is quite strong, even able to punch through the Planetary Defense Force’s body armor with its large claws. In addition it has a strange psionic ability, which it demonstrates with a scream. Prolonged exposure causes major brain hemorrhaging. When killed, two smaller creatures will burst from its chest, resembling the original thanks to their feathers, strange mouth, and bipedal stature, though they do not stand higher than a commissar’s boot, and lack arms, spines, and even the claws or psionic ability. Their only purpose seems to be to be eaten or killed. We believe it may be an adolescent stage, which then leads to the matured form after some part of it has been ingested by another creature. This pupation completes with quite the bang, as it grows faster than should be necessary, becoming so large that, as one Guardsman Penry puts it, “it wears the man like a full body costume three sizes too small.” Suggested methods of disposal: burning or total evaporation/disintegration preferable, but simply shooting the smaller organisms will work so long as they are disposed of as soon as possible.

X2- Parasitic Livestock (Reptilian Xenos Poultry): the flying dodo parasite

Another native of Clavessa Secundus, these carnivorous fowl-lizard xenos are easy to farm and have been somewhat domesticated by the Magos and his other assistants. They grow quite plump with relatively little meat compared to most other livestock, and due to its regenerative properties one singular xenos can be used to harvest at least two full meals for a single guardsman a day, before it has to be left to regenerate its lost limbs. This does not take long, so long as one keeps it fed. It tends to burrow, and also uses an odd sixth sense to find prey. Perhaps it senses life in some other manner? Infrared? Heat? Whatever it is, it must make it delicious.

X3: the cow thing with the plant on its back

Born from the very earth of Clavessa Secundus is what we denote as being a form of elemental beast, a living mass of rock and soil. We do not understand what it parasitizes beneath the ground before its birth, but it may be something to research. An exclusive herbivore, it feeds off of the strange fruit which the plants covering it produce. The beast itself is largely docile, but when provoked can possibly tip a Rhino with own strength. However, the most dangerous part of it is not its own strength or strange, amorphous soil body, but the plants that cover it.

X3.5- Magos Xenobiologis Project Alpha-3: the plant that's on the back of the cow thing

MXPA3 is a lab-engineered species of fruit-bearing vine-tree, initially created to fight the shortage of rations coming to the PDF here. It is resilient to even Lascannon fire, bleeds acid when cut anywhere but its fruit stems, and seems to urge its newfound host toward certain regions through its sense of smell-- a biological holdover from its larval stage, in which it is more similar to a four-legged spider with roots dangling just beneath it. These are placed in the sweat pores of the earthen beasts, which have slowly begun to search for and attack other organisms or make themselves into a simple, unmoving hill so that MXPA3 may have a free meal and then provide it with the fruit. It can shoot small, hardened vines out as a projectile attack, or simply expel noxious spores. Its host is unaffected by this. The Magos claims it was his plan the entire while to create such a symbiosis, to prove that the Omnissiah’s engineering can do all. I do not question it. He was adamant about it after they had managed to kill some Flesh Lord Astartes.

X4- Psykos Arachneae (High Gothic): "Those spooky psychic parasites." - Guardsman Roderick.

A pseudoarachnid of some sort that navigates by touch, covered in a sturdy but not incredibly tough carapace. Commissar Volkov details that if they are to be destroyed, they must be destroyed entirely. Any non-cauterized wounds will heal as if nothing had transpired. The Commissar also informed us that one of the men that had managed to actually destroy the creature was subsequently accosted by what appears to be some kind of warp energy, babbling about the dead guardsmen’s spirits speaking to him. The fully functional bodies were shipped off for research and experimentation (or conversion), and the guardsman afflicted was killed. Later autopsy revealed the organisms’ first targets were men who showed qualities that may have implicated them with some psyker potential.

X5- Harbingers of Death?: The tiny fluffy Bringers of the supposed end times

This one is, as the locals say, a portent of imminent doom, despite being a small, fuzzy creature. It fluffs its own fur up to appear massive, but mostly it is just a smelly little creature that carries disease. Like most xenos on this Clavessa Secundus, its lifecycle is one of a parasite. Burst from previous host, eat and eat, get killed, offspring get eaten, the cycle begins anew.

X6- Cosmic Loaches: space piranhas

Native to the planet, these creatures allow themselves to become so weightless that they manage to enter the space surrounding to then consume debris and carrion they find. They are about the size of a frigate, covered in scales, spikes, and inflated with a lighter than air compound that allows them to float into space. This compound just so happens to poison their bodies, and thus they have no natural predators, unless one includes the Flesh Lords Chapter. We do not know if the creatures they parasitize are themselves (bursting from their progenitors not unlike some terran species of wasp to then eat them) or those that consume them. We will have to wait and see if one bursts from Brother Doran. He seems to be making very good use of that jaw we made for him.

X7- Bad-bads (Low Gothic) | Mutagenic Skave (High Gothic): the furry rat things with the poisoned globe ranged attack

A predatory rat-like quadruped, this organism is being actively hunted in order to acquire more and more of the mutagenic concoction that resides in the glowing bulb on the end of its tail, which it seems to wave as a lure in the tall grass. Much like the feathered biped mentioned earlier, if it is killed it will simply split into two smaller ones, then likely attack or run away. These smaller creatures do not split when killed. Much like the previous mammal creature, it fluffs its own fur up and stands on its hind legs to make itself look much bigger than it is. It can toss the bulb on the end of its tail, and those doused in the bio-bomb’s contents will undergo terrible changes. In addition, we believe that the creature as well carries smaller parasites, fleas of some sort, which will also bite. Those bitten will contract a condition that causes speedy mental degradation and death within the week. One of the Mutagenic Quadrupeds will then scrabble its way out of the corpse and eat it before leaving. The bulb on its tail does grow back after use. We researched all effects by quarantining any and all who came into contact with any of the individuals.

X8- Sea Devil Kelp (Low Gothic) | Florus Desmodus (High Gothic): A plant fully equipped to kill anything that comes its way, with spore-bubble ranged attacks, swift, writhing, entangling vines covered in some strange kind of toxin, and a massive, bestial maw that would be more in place on a daemon, it feeds on other plants of all things. It grows out of the flesh of those who were unfortunate enough to be struck by one of its spore-bubble bullets, drifting along with the currents of the oceans of Clavessa Secundus, attached to a corpse. One of the largest of these plants has killed several Astartes of the Flesh Lords Chapter as well. I believe they may very well have a vendetta against this planet’s ecosystem.

X9- Jump Cunts (Low Gothic) | Paraciticus Sucmes (High Gothic): Nasty things that hide in toilets and suck blood. Killed more PDF than any other animal on the planet. KILL ON SIGHT.

X10- Aqua Skave: A semi-aquatic, seafaring variant of the Bad-bad which has a flash-bang variant of the Bad-bads' grenade launcher. Could pose a serious threat if disturbed.

X11- The Clavessian Wolf (Low gothic) | Inficium rana (High Gothic): "What are you saying that wolves on Fenris ain't slimy, mate?" - Guardsman Roderick

Mostly harmless, so long as well fed and not abused. The local Planetary Defense Force keep them around and feed them scraps of their meals. The presence of the xenos animal deters most other species local to the planet. I have deduced that due to the poison and venom that runs throughout their biology makes them toxic to other Clavessian species; it does not seem to harm the local guardsmen, though, and they instead compare it to eating something with high capsaicin amounts, and a slight relaxing quality to it. I have surmised that the Clavessian Wolf uses this to its advantage by allowing creatures to touch it, fall ill to its poison, then track it using their enhanced olfactory senses to eat. It can survive on a purely liquid diet of blood, as well as on meat and various plants. Some, raised from birth after the eggs were incubated inside one of the xenos livestock, were quite intelligent and quick to follow orders from those they imprinted on. Much like Terran wolves, they seem to travel in family units if at all, and are quite sociable. They are next to useless in combat with anything that does not fall ill from their toxins (such as other humans, Orks, or Eldar of any flavor), but they are a good deterrent against the local wildlife. They also come in a wide variety of strange colors, either to warn of toxicity or simply because nothing on this planet can stomach them and thus it has no need for camouflage, developing stranger hues for sexual purposes. Once the eggs are fertilized, the mother uses the hunting technique to find a suitable host for its offspring. They lay 4 - 12 eggs per mating season, each one implanted in a different host body. Domestication in progress. Estimated generations until full domestication: 86.

X12- The Clavessian Raptor or Frogbat (Low gothic) | Inficium rana vespertilio (High Gothic): "The raptor is to Clavessa Secundus, what the wolf is to Fenris"- Brother Chaplain Ezeickl, Flesh Lords 7th Company

Not all the life on Clavessa Secundus is hunted by the Flesh Lords: the Clavessian Raptor for example are kept as companions and war beasts by the Flesh Lords. They are described as long birdlike amphibians with slimy skin and large wings, growing to around the size of a large dog. In combat the the Raptor flaps its wings, throwing an odd, flashpowder-like substance at their target, and then either waiting for its Flesh Lord to perform the killing blow or using its stinger tipped tail to inject its venom and a clutch of eggs into the opponent. It has also exhibited the ability to camouflage itself for ambush attack. The Raptor is also a large part of the chapter's culture. Each marine has his own raptor, a large part of a neophyte's indoctrination is the finding of his raptor, and upon the death of a marine's raptor it is buried; its owner then removes all paint from his armor, leaving it pure white, and joins the second company of "Kinless", who run onto the field of battle with only a chainglaive in a state of suicidal depression and rage.

X13- The Pea Shooter (low gothic) | Scientia dirigentes (High Gothic):

Similiar to the Clavessian Raptor in that it is utilised by the Flesh Lords chapter, the Scientia Dirigentes is a highly dangerous plant species that would've been wiped out due to the threat it posed to the planet's inhabitants if not for the intervention of the Flesh Lords' apothecaries. They began cultivating them in secure habitats aboard their ships and have genetically modifying them to not target members of the Flesh Lords chapter. The plant fires a hail of seeds that embed in the victim; within an hour new, fully matured Scientia Dirigentes will burst from the host's body, continuing the cycle. After battles when Flesh Lords chapter have deployed these biological weapons, the Chapter Apothecaries take great care in making sure the remaining plants have been accounted for, most being destroyed through the use of a specialised virus with the seeds recovered to cultivate a new batch.

X14- The Death Hog (low gothic) | Inficium mors leporis (High Gothic):

This small creature could easily be mistaken for a lesser daemon; it is resistant to fire and seems to have some kind of psychic mind control abilities. After a member of the Clavessa Bush Brigade attempted to eat one due to hunger, they have been farmed due to their supposed "incredible taste". Although parasitic like every other species on Clavessa Secundus, their young are destroyed in the cooking process and so are treated as a local delicacy. They require a skilled cook though; due to their resistance to fire it is easy to undercook the animal, leaving their young alive to infect whoever eats them.

X15- The Clavessian Dragon (low gothic) | Inficium rana draco (High Gothic): To begin with, my observations of this creature led me to believe it was simply a larger, more aggressive sub-species of the Clavessian Raptor; however, it seems to possess a great intelligence, most notably shown by the fact it kills seemingly for fun. This has led me to the conclusion that it is a malicious creature, and so should be treated with great caution. If unable to avoid the creature, excessive force should be applied before it can do too much damage. Similiar to its smaller cousin the Clavessian Raptor, the Dragon also plays an important role in the culture of the Flesh Lords chapter; each new Chapter Master must locate and either kill or tame one, although the latter option is significantly less common. The newest Chapter Master chose to attempt to tame his Dragon and succeeded, now utilising it as a mount in battle.

X16- The Clavessa Death Bee ( | Clavessus Mortis Mortis (High Gothic: Parasitical bees that can be found on Clavessa and are sometimes used as potent bioweapons by the Flesh Lords. Filled with poison spines and an sharp ovipositor, it has enhanced senses and extra enhanced eyesight. Its poison induces mind control, sending prey into a docile trance to make it easier to inject them. The injected eggs hatch so quickly into new bees that it can be used offensively; it hunts in swarms and has defensive maneuvers which make the swarm hard to hit with bullets. The scourge of the PDF because the little bastards just refuse to die. They burrow into living creatures/trees and turn them into hives, using the meat/blood as catalysts for "honey" to feed their young to propagate more. Absolutely one of the most volatile things on the planet.

The False God (low gothic) | Cauragcae (Eldar) The last of its kind, The False God resides on the maiden world Ek'thu'hu, and is orbited by Craftworld Galad'hu. Huge and vaguely mammalian in appearance, it wanders the inhospitable north of the world, left alone by the Eldar inhabitants. The only recorded instance of it displaying aggressive behaviour was when an Ork Rokk landed on the world; once provoked by their arrival, it ran amok through their forces, seemingly unharmed by their weapons, tearing vehicles apart with its claws, and wiping them out singlehandedly while remaining unharmed. Despite its size, it seems to have tremondous innate agility, allowing it to dodge all but the fastest projectiles, which combined with its camouflage makes it a great threat if angered. Observations from both Eldar prisoners and the Inquisitor that investigated the beast have concluded that it likely has some level of intelligence. Because of this the Eldar feel some sympathy for the creature due to its loneliness.

Other Xenos Races (Who are possibly not Parasites(possibly))

Ork Warband, known as "Patchwerkz Krumpas": This force, led by the legendary warboss Patchwerk, once posed a serious threat to the inhabitants of Clavessa Secundus, but after numerous engagements with local fauna, their numbers have been greatly diminished so they are biding their time, replenishing their forces and launching occasional raids on the other inhabitants of the system. They seem to have a sort of rivalry with local Tau forces, having stolen a number of "Crisis" Mech suits, which were later recovered by the Tau. In retaliation they retook the suits, enslaving the ones that had taken them and forcing them to work on projects unknown to the Imperium, but considering there is a Spacehulk in the sector that has its own incredibly nasty shitshow going for it, a vast majority of the Tau slaves end up there. To compensate for their relatively low numbers, the warband employs a great number of "Doks" which patch up the other orks after the battle, often with parts from their fallen, or in some cases still living comrades.

The Kabal of the Spiteful Shadow: Led by Archon Onk'Ba'an, these Xenos often raid Clavessa Secundus. They seem to have taken interest into the local flora and fauna, although other than that their reasons are currently unknown. After discovering the role that the Clavessian Raptors play in the culture of the Flesh Lords, they have taken to targeting these war beasts, delighting in the suffering this causes the marines. Because of this the chapter has sworn to crush this Kabal wherever its forces appear, with the Kinless often taking to the field in full force when they are found. They favour a stealthy approach to close the distance between them and their foes, then engaging them in melee; this tactic has been unsuccessful with the forces of the Kinless however due to the savage nature of these death-seeking marines.

Craftworld Galad'hu: This craftworld orbits an Eldar maiden world, acting as a sort of defensive moon. Unlike most craftworlds, in which most of the inhabitants gravitate towards a specific "path", Galad'hu homes a large number of outcasts due to a nearby webway gate; the believed reason for this is that it gives these wayward individuals a sense of purpose. They seem to have an incredibly high number of warriors compared to other craftworlds and employ large numbers of Striking Scorpions, in war they tend to defer to the leadership of the legendary spiritseer, Cait'saim. Their first encounter with the Imperium took place in M41, however there is evidence to suggest they fought the Tau Empire long before this point.

The "liberators" of Kor'avai (Clavessa): A Tau scouting force that only recently entered the system to reinforce an earler, much smaller expedition that had come into contact with Craftworld Galad'hu, they found no survivors from the original force, and so have set about 'liberating' the system, with very little idea of the nature of its inhabitants, especially those of Clavessa Secundus. They are led by the Ethereal Or'la, who seeks to turn Clavessa Secundus into a thriving Tau colony, not understanding the difficulty of the task; and Shas'O Or, a much more ambitious individual who originally suggested the conquest and colonisation of Clavessa Secundus, unaware of the dangers it holds. In combat they specialise in Mont'ka, the killing blow, and utilise hybrid combat tactics, with both mobile armoured columns and more static, infantry-based gunlines. They have come into conflict with the Ork Warboss Patchwerk and his boys, who stole a set of Crisis Suits from them, and wears a coat and hat made from their skin. The Tau are horribly, horribly outclassed and the only Tau worth mentioning - as in, he isn't going to die horribly the instant anything bad happens - is the one lone warrior-caste survivor that is aboard the Space Hulk the Orks found. Every other Tau dies, either of depression because of how fucked they all are, or horribly to Orks, Genestealers, Chaos cultists and what could be described as "trees" - if it wasn't a incredibly deadly, nigh-invulnerable plant parasite. ---

Chaos

Of cource, the Ruinous Powers have interest in this world as well. Most of the fauna already resemble horrible Warp monstrosities so it's possible they were here from the start (because seriously, why else would they bother looking here other than for personal pet projects like "Nurgle spawns even more Parasites because he loves the Clavessa Cycle"), but if that is not the case then the Flesh Lords' entire situation probably got the Dark Gods' attention, and the massive Eldar presence in the region should make it no suprise that the Dark Gods sent a warband along to turn that into a Minor Eldar presence and also bag some of the deadliest creatures this side of the Eye of Terror (and thats not just the Very Loyal Space Marines). It truly is a humongous Warband - It probably would be called into a Black Crusade if it wasn't currently in the middle of the shittiest most out-of-the-way sector possible - and it is a very, very good thing this sector has all those navy ships just lying around, because otherwise this warband would have rolled over the entire sector already (except for maybe the Orks and the mentioned deadly fauna).

The Seekers of the Deep: A Tzeentchian warband of the Thousand Sons Legion, the Seekers of the Deep come from a primarily oceanic world which is heavily reflected in their appearance. They are led by the sorceror Malicar. Many rumours surround this individual, the strangest of which being that he has only spoken one word, his name. His mutations give him the appearance of an Angler Fish, a sea creature of Old Terra, with a lure hanging in front of his head that he utilises to disorient his enemies. The warband's forces wear incredibly ornate armour, said to shift between shades of blue, imitating the seas of their homeworld. Instead of gold, they decorate their armour and vehicles in meticulously carved Daemon Coral. In battle they utilise terror tactics which makes for interesting confrontations with the Flesh Lords. They have incredibly high numbers due to recently joining another warband known as the Wild Hunt.

The Wild Hunt: Unlike their newfound allies, The Wild Hunt are a renegade chapter that abandoned the Imperium after they were accused of heresy and lost a war against the forces of the inquisition. While hiding in the warp they were hunted by a warp entity and eventually retaliated. The entity, which is believed to be a twisted hound of the Eldar god Kurnous, was surprised by their skill as hunters and so offered to ally with them. The warband treat war as a form of hunting, and have arrived in the Clavessa system in order to test their skills on the Flesh Lords chapter, seeing those who believe themselves to be hunters as the greatest prey. Whilst in the system they attacked Craftworld Galad'hu, where a single terminator alongside the hound that guides the warband wreaked havoc amongst the defenders

The Blackship Prison Pleasure Cult A Slaanesh warband that is aboard The Murdalation Complex Space Hulk. They are shunned. Extremely, extremely shunned. To the point where every single member is now pratically irreplacable, and they are stuck aboard this death trap. The only reason they are even CONSIDERED to be a part of the Chaos Warband at this point is because the Daemon Prince leading them IS NOT a joke, since he has so far survived being on this hulk filed with Death Trees, his local neighbours the genestealers and orks, and finally the Tau/Eldar/Imperial kill teams that come to this hulk thanks to the Death Trees.

Writefaggotry

Split Xeno/Guardsman Penry and the No Good, Very Bad Night the very first writefaggotry on the very first thread. Without this the thread might've just up and died and the entire Neglecta sector might never have been

>Be me, Imperial Guardsman Penry

>Just took some temperate world, looks like one of those old colony sorts

>Hear about Orks dying for seemingly no reason on the planet

>Probably just some silly local myths or something

>Hear about monsters inside men from the locals

>Yeah, probably genestealers or minor daemons

>Laugh about it, relax on the first normal Emperor-damned planet we've had the opportunity to stop at for a time

>Week later, exploring the planet, find a gigantic field filled with dead Orks

>Gettheflamers.jpg

>Burn as many of those goddamned xenos carcasses as we can

>Notice some fellow guards hesitating for some strange reason, but don't report it-- Commissar's a huge bitch

>"Hey Penry, these all look like that one time you accidentally tossed a grenade into an Ork's mouth"

>"Yeah, guess they do. Weird. Must've ate something bad."

>Nothing happens for another week aside from someone getting shot for trying to peek at the Commissar while showering

>Get up one night to polish my lasgun and give a prayer, don't want it jamming on me

>Notice shapes in one of the storage rooms, peek through door

>Five, maybe six other guardsmen crouching on the floor

>What the fuck are they doing?

>Squint, try not to use light to show them I'm there

>Looks like they're tearing at something, eating it

>Squint harder

>IsthatafuckingOrk

>Back the fuck off and go to get Commissar

>Wake 'em up by shaking the fuck out of 'em

>Get my shit smacked before being told to explain myself

>"Commissar there are some guards in the storage eating one of the Orks we were supposed to burn"

>We head back over, Commissar in cap and jacket and pajamas beneath, myself in my boxers and undershirt with my lasgun and helmet

>Just a green puddle of blood, a hunk of Ork arm, and green bootprints

>"Penry, I want everyone at this base in the mess hall, NOW."

>"Yes S- Ma'am!"

>Go fire off my lasgun, waking as many guard as I can

>Commissar wants everyone in the damn Mess Hall

>Everyone complies

>Everyone stands at attention while Commissar and I walk down the lines, looking for any signs of Xenos consumption

>Order the suspicious ones- about ten out of the bunch- off to the side to be quarantined

>Some of them begin to freak out and spasm, the rest of the guards scatter while the Commissar and I open fire

>Put down four of the guards, immediately get to burning them

>"Didn't know eating Ork does that to a man."

>"It doesn't, Penry."

>Hear screeching from the bodies as they burn

>One starts moving, standing up

>Burnt, charred flesh falls away like a fucking banana peel from something inside

>Stands just taller than a man, with a warped, quad-hinged maw lined with teeth, covered in feathers and quills

>It screams at me and my head begins to ache until the Commissar shoots it in the mouth

>Wipe my nosebleed and open fire as well

>It finally stops moving after we waste our entire clips, but while we're reloading something else happens

>Two separate creatures burst from its chest, covered in the same feathers, and immediately launch themselves into the nearest ventilation shafts

>Fucking hell

>And there are still one or two others that we missed from the main group

>Two little bastards in the vents

>One or two of the bigger ones probably with the other guards

>"Guess we'll have to search agai-"

>Loud crashes and screams from the barracks

>Commissar and I rush over, weapons loaded

>One of the creatures had begun to burst from its host, basically wearing the poor bastard like a halloween costume three sizes too small

>Sharp quills and spiked feathers jutted out from beneath the skin, the opening of its maw bursting the man's head

>Another scream left it, and all the guardsmen clutched their own heads

>The Commissar didn't take it, pumping a few rounds into its chest

>It stopped, only to kill two guards by punching its claws straight through their chests, straight through the imperial body armor so many had been scrambling to get on

>Emperor fucking preserve us

>Everyone able to pick up their lasgun starts firing at it, and it falls in moments

>People stop to reload, but the Commissar just picks up another nearby loaded gun and keeps firing, killing the two smaller beasts that tried to burst from its chest

>One and the two smaller ones left, we think

>More fucking screams

>We follow the sound outside, weapons at the ready

>Fucking xenos

>Flat plains all around the base

>Best light we have are the base's lamps that barely fucking work and the moonlight

>Tall shapes surrounding the base, we notice, and they begin to walk closer

>They look like the fucking xenos we've been killing all this time, but a little stockier, a bit greener

>The guard begins firing without question, every man aiming to take one down to avenge their fallen brothers in arms

>Commissar demands they kill the xenos threat, then grabs me and drags me back inside

>"We're getting a smaller one to take to the Ordo Xenos."

>"Is that a good idea?"

>"It is if I say it is, Penry."

>"Yes, ma'am."

>Start hunting through the building for the bastard, focusing as hard as I can to listen for them in the vents

>In a darkened hallway, something launches out of the nearby duct and tries to run down the hall

>The commissar cripples one of its legs, sending it tumbling before she then fell upon it with her own jacket, wrapping it up like a pissed off snake

>The second lunges for her as well, but I manage to throw it off with a shot to the face, sending it screeching down the hall into the dark

>Commissar stands and takes my gun in her other hand before ordering me to carry the wrapped up xeno, which was still writhing and screeching in the jacket

>Try to ignore its screams until we make it outside

>A whole lot of green and red outside, but nothing's moving

>Commissar just ignores it, and leads me to the vessel we're using to get to the nearest other base to contact the Ordo Xenos

>Stash the xeno into a footlocker and lock it up. Dead or alive, it'll be of use

>We blast off, and take a moment to calm down and have breakfast

>Check vital signs on the ship

>4 living beings on board

>"Hell."

Commissar Volkovs Report on X4

>A random warp-fueled mutation in a creature now extinct, this species of psuedo-arachnid xenos is a strange being to be studied further.

>Its original ancestor is likely either extinct or endangered, having lost the parasitic arms race that makes up this planet's food chain-- or, as the locals say, the food cycle.

>It feeds on what we can only assume to be some form of warp essence or energy, specifically from living organisms. It is dangerous enough on its own, but there are other reasons to avoid them.

>Just being around it puts one at unease, though it is no larger than what one might consider a small pet. No matter how many times you cut it, it eventually grows back unless burned away. It seems to have strangely sophisticated hunting methods, though no equivalent to eyes, a nose, or even a mouth.

>Its carapace exoskeleton is not the toughest, but it grows back at an alarming rate, and if one were to cut the creature into multiples it will just grow whatever parts it is missing back, even if only a leg is left. This can be countered by burners, lascannons, and meltas.

>Its reproduction cycle is deadly as well; slashing with its claws, though not the most fatal ability in its repertoire, will leave the victim with the minuscule offspring which will eventually develop into a full grown individual if not removed.

>The host will die from the process, but autopsies of those guardsmen who fell victim to it have no real wounds aside from the bite, and are otherwise fine. Their brain, their body, both seem to be in perfect health, yet it stops functioning altogether.

>We have loaded the functional corpses and shipped them off to the nearest forgeworld for conversion or study. That seemed to please the Magos greatly.

>After the initial autopsies we realized some of the men that were being hunted had... Psyker potential.

>After they died, there was no discrimination between prey items.

>One last note in my report to the Ordo Xenos, when we were setting up defenses to keep them out- it was practically impossible to hit them with the lascannons due to how well their carapace blends in with the terrain, so we had to wake up some old Mechanicus shield technology- one of the men did manage to get a lucky shot off with a lascannon, destroying one individual of the species entirely.

>After it was gone there was a strange flash, and Guardsman Richards, the man who had killed it, was writhing on the ground.

>He screamed about the fallen guardsmen, about how they were there, how they were angry and hurt and "broken."

>I shot him in the head on the spot, fearing what such warp-induced madness may bring.

>I would like for an Inquisitor to be dispatched for research purposes. The Magos is highly competent in their own way, but I would like someone handier with a weapon around.

>For now, we are just keeping the base protected from the terrors of this planet with the shields we have gotten up and running. I do not plan to allow any of my men to be infected with the heresies of the dead.

>Signed, Commissar Volkov.

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Drawfaggotry

• 

  just another day of being a Flesh Lord

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