The reason Darius had detected a signal on his way over but still hadn't spotted their troublesome little leader when he arrived was simple: Annie had stayed invisible and had never planned to join the fight.
Maybe she thought it wouldn't be fun. Maybe she didn't think it was her job. Or maybe she wanted to give the new recruits more of a chance to hone their skills.
Whatever the reason, she never showed herself—not even when Darius arrived with his finest troops, stabilized the situation, and drove the Warp Daemons and Chaos monsters back through the iron gate as easily as chopping vegetables. That was true even though her signal had appeared near the gate.
Of course, it wasn't that Annie had left them to die, nor was she actually standing by and doing nothing!
She felt she had something more important to do: destroy the source of the Warp Daemons inside the mining settlement, the Warp Rift that had appeared in some obscure corner of the underground tunnels. That was better than joining those useless, stupid Marines in their desperate struggle over the boring iron gate and passively defending it.
In fact, as she crept invisibly through the crowded tunnels, she was already wondering how to solve the problem once and for all, so the daemons couldn't invade again.
Yes, once and for all!
After all, since the Warp Daemons had opened a rift and poured through it this time, they would surely find a way back again. Finding the root of the problem and permanently dealing with it was what Annie, their leader, ought to do.
Naturally, it would also be the most fun and exciting option. It was definitely better than standing guard in front of that iron gate with those useless fools!
"..."
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