Into the Deep Sea

The Astra Militarum's tide of steel advanced steadily along the coastline. The aftermath of orbital bombardment still rippled across the sea, staining the once-blue waters a murky purple-black.

Scorched biological remains and shattered carapaces rose and fell with the waves, as though the entire ocean were boiling beneath the Empire's merciless wrath.

The air was thick with ozone, gunpowder smoke, and a cloying, rotten stench—the blasphemous residue left behind when Tyranid organisms had been vaporized by intense heat.

Inside the hastily erected forward command center, a holoprojector emitted a steady, low hum, casting an anatomical map of the seabed hive into the slightly clouded air.

Fiber-optic cables snaked across the floor, linking humming data terminals and communications arrays. Data streams from orbital and ground sensors cascaded across secondary screens like waterfalls.

Auregana's mechanical finger precisely tapped a pulsing crimson point in the projection. Her optical lenses adjusted their focus slightly, refracting a cold blue gleam.

"The thermal signatures and bio-energy readings remain abnormal. The primary energy source did not dissipate after the orbital strike. Instead, it is shifting toward the deeper hydrothermal zones of the crust. The hive's main structure remains highly active, and the peak of its bio-energy fluctuations has reached the threshold of observable levels." Her synthesized voice held no inflection, yet the air in the command tent grew heavier. "It is inferred that a high-value target or core biological specimen is attempting to withdraw to a safer depth."

Captain Kassir stood with his arms folded across his chest. Fine traces of damage on his dark green armor flickered beneath the lights, testifying to the battle he had fought not long before.

Like a statue forged from steel and will, he spoke through his helmet's filters, his voice low as grinding gravel and filled with unquestionable resolve. "If