Svejk Prime's surface was divided by vast oceans into five major continents and thousands of islands. Arkhas Fal descended upon the largest continent.
The moment he leaped from his drop pod, he was immediately met with a tidal wave of surging Q'orl.
Becoming a "Sailor" had unlocked the latent power within his body.
He hefted his massive chainaxe in one hand and raised his archaeotech pistol with the other, firing into the air.
The searing lethal radiation, harvested from the planet's radiative zone, pierced the papery outer shells, incinerating the sacs within along with them.
The Legion Master's Honor Guard unleashed a dense barrage into the sky. Xenos corpses rained down like hail, their slime splattering against the verdant trees.
Arkhas looked up at the obscured sky. He suddenly recalled the Black Emperor's words: a Q'orl Queen could lay thousands of eggs daily, and each Q'orl lived for about ten Terran years.
'The Q'orl have already taken root on this world. I must gather more troops.'
The Shadow Lord immediately marked his coordinates on the Nineteenth Legion's tactical network and issued an assembly order.
Then, he switched comm channels and hailed the fleet.
"Auspex Officer. Maximum power scan. I want the twenty coordinate points with the strongest life signals."
As green runes rapidly converged on the tactical network, Arkhas simultaneously spotted five squads approaching from different directions.
Incineration cannons spat beams into the air, reducing swathes of adult male Q'orl warriors to ash.
On Arkhas's helmet display, the red dots in the surrounding area vanished rapidly, replaced by more and more green.
His helmet's internal comm beeped. He activated it. The Auspex Matrix Master's voice sounded.
"Shadow Lord, scan complete."
"The nearest coordinate point is 14.83 kilometers from your position. At least one hundred thousand xenos there."
Arkhas ended the call, immediately marked the target location on the tactical network, and issued the attack order.
Clad in his Cataphractii-pattern Terminator armor, he strode forward.
Since becoming a "Sailor," he felt slightly more at ease in the armor.
Though not as nimble as when he wore the Mark I power armor from the Unification Wars, his steps had become noticeably lighter.
Arkhas slowed his pace, but still gradually pulled ahead of the Terminator-armored squad. Two squads in Mark III power armor flanked him, keeping pace.
Suddenly, Arkhas surged forward, his chainaxe roaring.
Rounds slapped against his Terminator armor.
The "Sailor" raised his hand, firing a beam that detonated the abdomen connecting an armored vehicle.
The vehicle, severed from its biochemical interface, hurtled forward under its own momentum.
The "Sailor" fired a beam at another armored vehicle while swinging his axe.
The roaring chainaxe tore the xenos vehicle apart. Fragments of metal, mixed with organic matter, clattered against his Terminator armor.
Arkhas didn't slow. He crashed into the Q'orl armored cluster.
The chainaxe spun in the "Sailor's" hands, a blur of motion.
Amidst piercing shrieks, chitinous limbs were shredded. Slime sprayed. Metal debris of all sizes clanged against his armor.
After obliterating the Q'orl armored force, Arkhas found himself at the entrance to a large basin.
He glanced at his helmet's tactical network. Ahead lay the target point, the screen filled with a red sea.
Arkhas looked into the basin. At the entrance, groups of Q'orl roamed.
Unlike the adult male warriors encountered earlier, these lacked wings. Their bodies were supported by one or two pairs of three-jointed walking limbs.
The Shadow Lord raised his axe, pointing into the basin.
"Purge the xenos!"
The Legion Astartes following him roared in unison.
A dense barrage tore into the Q'orl juveniles, blasting them into pulp.
Arkhas plowed into the xenos. Where he passed, Q'orl juveniles were crushed into pools of ichor.
Entering the basin, he immediately saw the mountainsides covered in numerous eggs.
His gaze was then drawn to a colossal figure, mountainous in size.
She was ten times the size of an adult male Q'orl warrior. Each of her arms was three times thicker.
Her massive body lacked wings. She lay on the ground, her three pairs of compound eyes glaring ferociously at him.
"Hunting Party, stand ready!"
"Everyone else, destroy all Q'orl. Burn every single egg!"
The Astartes immediately executed the Legion Master's orders, firing bolts at the Q'orl juveniles.
Devastators took meltas and incineration cannons from their battle-brothers, leaping into the air to scour the cliffs of their densely packed eggs.
The Q'orl Queen's three pairs of compound eyes watched her children die in droves. She let out an enraged roar.
A sudden storm erupted within the valley. Eggs rattled down the cliffs. Q'orl juveniles were swept up by the airflow, flying towards the center.
At the center stood the Q'orl Queen. The honeycomb structures within her abdominal sac underwent complex, rapid movements. Muscular filters and thirteen valves vibrated at high frequency.
Just as she prepared to attack, she saw a figure charging towards her at tremendous speed.
Where he passed, scattered eggs popped like balloons underfoot, smearing the ground. Q'orl juveniles were torn apart by the chainaxe.
Arkhas raised his hand, firing a beam at the Q'orl Queen. Simultaneously, the Queen attacked.
A deafening boom. A piercing shockwave. An air cannon shot forth. Where it passed, thousands of wind-blown eggs and dozens of Q'orl juveniles were pulverized to dust.
The air cannon collided with the beam, instantly engulfing it.
Arkhas watched his searing radiative beam vanish in an instant.
With a thought, the "Sailor" activated the "Phantom Scales" hidden beneath his skin.
The moment Arkhas was sent flying, he issued his order.
"Hunting Party, now!"
Dozens of arcs of electricity shot forth simultaneously, crackling as they struck the Q'orl Queen.
Her entire body convulsed. Her heaving abdomen stilled.
Arkhas slammed heavily into a cliff. Countless rocks tumbled down, burying him beneath.
Honor Guard members immediately rushed towards their Legion Master. The Hunting Party angrily fired a second volley of arcs at the target.
The Shadow Lord' Honor Guard scrambled frantically at the rubble. Suddenly, they felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.
Arkhas emerged from the debris, disheveled but alive. The chestplate of his Terminator armor was dented.
"I'm fine." The "Sailor's" tone was calm. He had activated his "Phantom Scales" at the last moment of the attack. The shockwave had pierced his armor but caused him no real harm.
Arkhas heard a sound like a mountain collapsing. The ground shook violently.
He turned. The Q'orl Queen lay slumped and helpless on the ground. Her body heaved; she was clearly unconscious.
He also saw dozens of enormous stone pillars protruding from the ground behind her, covered in Q'orl runic script.
'The first hunt was a bit rough, but at least I completed Our Lord's task. We have the Q'orl Queen and the planetary way-markers.'
He pressed a rune, and the chainaxe gradually fell silent. His gaze swept across the basin, towards the sea in the distance.
'With the hunt complete, it's time to set sail and truly enjoy being a "Sailor."'
.....
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