Exercise at Erith

The Bells of remorse, in the fortress monastery of the Wardens of Dubris, peeled in memory of Chief librarian Ainger.  As a sign of respect, the bells would peel once for every year that the librarian had served the emperor.  The loss to the chapter laid heavy on the Lord Warden`s shoulders.  In one disastrous mission he had lost both a friend and the chapter`s chief weapon against the demonic forces of Chaos and had multiple injured marines.  There would have to be a reckoning with the inquisitor for his part in the death of the librarian and the hurt done to his men, but that would have to wait there was a demon to be dealt with.

The Lord Warden turned the problem over in his mind.  The Mentor Legion was still conducting exercises on Erith.  The chapter was well-known for its use of experimental weaponry if they could be persuaded to offer their aid to the Wardens of Dubris the demon could yet be vanquished.

On Erith, a squad of Mentor Legion neophytes were being led through a training exercise by Sergeant Rorty.  The squad had been sent in blind, their task was to find and retrieve munitions from two supply caches in the southern Erith spore fields, but other than that they had no idea of they would face. 

 Thick clouds of spores obscured the neophyte’s vision as they headed slowly towards the supply caches.

A dark shadow floated slowly towards the group of neophytes in unison they opened fire.  The explosive rounds struck the object and it exploded illuminating the area around it.  The flash of light revealed the real danger the squad was in.  Writhing leaves topped with orange flowers protruded from a central stem were snaking towards the marines.  The leaves moved with lightning speed and before sergeant Rorty or initiate Taylor could react to the deadly flora the leaves had completely engulfed them.

For a moment the spore cloud thinned allowing initiates Cavell and Kirchin to see initiate Anscombe vainly trying to fight off four giant leaves with his combat knife.  The two marine scouts did not wait to see the outcome of the combat and they let loose with their weapons.  Their shots hit several times, but they had no real effect on the giant plant.

Taking careful aim with his sniper rifle Initiate Kirchin breathed out slowly and relaxed his whole body. As he was about to pull the trigger the spore cloud suddenly thickened spoiling his aim.  Through the spores the two marine scouts heard initiate Anscombe stifled cry as he was overcome by the Venus mantrap.

The Venus mantrap reached out with its leaves groping for the remaining marine scouts.  One of its tendrils wrapped itself around a Bimmiel landshark.  The ferocious predator lashed out at the leaf that was wrapping itself around it, but the landshark was soon stilled.  A second vine caught Cavell by his ankle as the initiate fell, he reflexively pulled the trigger of his bolt-gun blowing the leaf to pieces and freeing himself.   

Cavell and Kirchin pushed on towards their objectives without thought for the fate of their comrades.  They had their duty, and they were determined to carry it out or to die trying.  In their haste they did not notice the large floating sphere coming out of the spore cloud until it was too late. 

The sphere was covered in a myriad of sensitive papules as one of these papules brushed against initiate Kirchin`s arm the sphere exploded.  The explosion threw Kirchin through the air his body slamming into some rocks with a sickening crunch.

Cavell grabbed his fallen brother by his arms and dragged his motionless body into the supply shed.  There he activated the distress beacon and slumped down exhausted.  The exertions of the encounter had taken everything out of the marine scout.  His previous life on a hive world had not prepared him to fight enemies like these. 

What would the Tutors make of the squad`s performance? 

Outside, the Venus mantrap could still be heard, the slow quiet crushing of its captured prey, and the wild thrashing of its tendrils as it tried to gain entry into the supply shed.