- Name: Dustmite
- Date: 357.M41
- Commanding Officer: Scout Master Geron
- Forces: Geron, Ghost Company, 10 Scouts, Librarian Vortigan, Chaplain Omniscio, Techmarine, Apothecary, Hunter Squadron Alpha.
- Goals: Further investigate the crashed thunderhawk (filled with dead space marines in unmarked power armour) in sector D44 on Sygma-477, and the strange facility - known as 'Outpost H' - where the tracks from the thunderhawk led.
Background[]
Fabricator General Regon of Nestorium informed Ghosts of Retribution in 341.M41 that their automated probes detected a crashed Thunderhawk on Sygma-477.
Upon arrival the Imperial Navy welcomed the Chapter, informing them that they had a base in the area. After the Chapter stated their business the Navy gave permission to land and a route to the planet that avoided their mines planted around the system. In turn, the space marines were asked not to go into sector D45, D44 and D41, because of the naval installations. The Thunderhawk in question was found near the border of sector D44.
As Mercurion inspected the Thunderhawk, he realized a few things. First - it clearly wasn't flying from somewhere on the planet, it was descending, probably from the orbit, as was clearly indicated by the still open orbital descent burners. Furthermore - not all damage on the Thunderhawk was left by the crash, it was clearly damaged by energy weapons that were firing from at least two different sides. From the way the spacecraft was covered by a very thin, but already visible amount of dust that managed to form even in this weak atmosphere indicated that it spent here at least a few decades laying there.
Another curious thing about it was that the Thunderhawk didn't bear any insignia nor colour scheme - it was plain ceramite, an unusual thing for a consecrated Space Marine vessel. As Mercurion inspected the forms of seven Astartes that were lying around the crash site, he realised that their armour was also ceramite grey, without any signs to what Chapter they might belong to. The Thunderhawk itself was beyond repair but the marines discovered sets of strange armoured containers that were chained to the floor. Even the crash landing didn't dislodge them. There were three containers, each one about a cubic meter in size and one of them open and empty. It seemed to have been opened without force. The others were locked and coded by some sort of ancient mechanisms that seem to have safety devices installed within. Sergeant Airon noticed that there were tracks, partly covered by decades of slowly drifting moon dust, that are leading away from the crash site. It seems as if an Astartes-sized human was crawling after the fall away from the crash site.
The machine spirit of the Thunderhawk was retrieved, which revealed that the craft was hailing from the general direction of Axis Mundi. After Brother Geron was sent to scout where the tracks led he reported that the base in sector D44 is abandoned, and the veil separating the immaternum is thin enough to be visible to untrained eyes.
Description[]
In 357.M41 the operation force followed the tracks from the unmarked thunderhawk deep into sector D44, where they found Outpost H. The base had been almost completely destroyed - either by whatever battle took place there or imperial navy bombardment - and the warp presence that surrouds it is discovered to be much smaller than thought, exaggerated by some kind of illusion.
Beneath the rubble a space marine was found, grievously wounded, missing a leg, and clad in ruined unmarked armour, but alive having put himself into suspended animation. The marine was hastily evacuated while in the rubble nearby another object was discovered, a strange glowing elipsoid of suspected alien origin. The device was left where it was found, but Librarian Vortigan and Master of the Forge Seran strongly suspected it to be the source of the illusory warp phenomena, and definitely of xenos origin. After consulting Lord Inquisitor Tomas Garant, he decided to notify the Inquisition of its location so it could be picked up later.
Back upon the Aspera Dominus, the space marine was risen from his self-induced coma. The astartes was confused and struggled with his memory, though he thought his name to be Astelion. After being asked about what he was doing on Sygma-477 he could only respond with:
"I remember... Not much. Everything is fragmented somehow. I know that we had a mission. Me and my squad... Where are they? Have you seen any other marines, such as myself, where you found me? We were on a Thunderhawk, going towards the planet. It's complicated. I think I recall fire after that. It's all blurry. Wait! Yes, now I remember. We were supposed to meet our friend, Inquisitor. Damn, can't remember his name. Our mission, it was secret. We were not allowed to... Well, I guess I am still not allowed to, even if I would remember."