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  Barring the fact Mama and Tsavorae were sandwig Weiss and me and were looking at us meaningfully in the Rhino, the ride to the crashed Battlestar was mostly uful. The trip was a short one, owing to the speed of the Rhinos and Chimeras. Whe to the void ship, the Sensor-skulls deployed by the Thunderhawks weren't doh their initial s. As such, instead of standing around and doio nothing, the Joint Task Force started setting up a Base of Operations, bringing in even more material to secure and fortify the crash site. Sihe previously hidden Traitors revealed themselves to the Battlestar, it would be prudent to bolster our defense and deny our nemesis of the prize.

  That train of thought then leads us to this point, moments after the Sensor-skulls deem that the Battlestar is not an enviroal threat to a b party.

  "How should we proceed with this, Mama?" I call out to my adopted mother, who is surveying the tech priests, who are cutting a hole for entry.

  "You ever it a b a before, Ein?" Mama asks, turning to look at me with a small smile.

  I shake my head, answering. "'t say I did, Mama. The closest thing we did to a b a was raiding the Traitors' hideout in an underground maze. There was little to no lighting back then and the air quality was bad enough that we had to wear our masks stantly. Our enemy back thehe terrains a up ambushes everywhere. Had we made the wrong decision to split up our unit, we would be picked off, one by one."

  Mama pats me on the shoulder with her armored hand, making me look up at her.

  "Then this will be much of the same for you. Your 3rd Ptoon will apany us for the initial breach to clear out the iion point. Afterward, a unit of Tech-priests will e aboard to analyze our path deeper into the ship. The Sensor-skulls mao slip iween some of the smaller cracks in the voidship's armor ptings, but they couldn't give us a proper view of the internal areas. We know that the vessel has sealed bulkheads but for the most part, we will be heading in blind." She winks at me. "But don't worry, this time around, the Order and the Samanders have your back."

  Not gonna lie, I 't help but feel a surge of happiness at the reassura's not every day that you feel the love of your mother in the 40K universe. My feelings seem to be transmitted onto my faa giggles before patting my head, now with my helmet off. Together, we watch as members of the JTF go about their tasks in our Base of Operations.

  Cadian 8th Guardsmen and Guardswomeher on patrol, standing guard, or are unloading war and building materials from the back of Valkyries and Tauroxes. To further transport the materials and to prop them up as bunkers, walls, and watchtowers, the 8th's bat Engineer Battalion uses taur and Land Crawler armored utility vehicles. Ultimately, the 8th's engineers will struct multiple outposts and checkpoints around the crash site. Although the Tech-priests are entrusted with breag the Battlestar, the Cadian engineers are enlisted to be the brawl, w in tandem with the brain power and sophisticated maery the Tech-priests bring along.

  Still, the bulk of firepower and defensive capability lies not in the experienced Cadian 8th. For all of our srifles and Lasons, we are no match for the alpha strike the Sisters of Battle or the Samander Space Marines are capable of dishing out. They bring with them not just bolters and power armor but also enough war vehicles that kick the Cadian 8th bruised and battered in a stand-up fight. From the ubiquitous Rhino APCs to even the rarer Deimos Patteror Destructors fielded by the Samander Space Marines. Or the heavily armed and protected Thunderhawk gunships to the bzingly fast Land Speeders that give the 8th's Leman Russes a run for their money... Yeah, suffice to say, the JTF's Base of Operations is armed to the teeth. Rue be the day for any Traitor that dares to meao this crash site.

  Overkill? More like underkill. When dealing with Traitors aics, overwhelming firepower is a y. Holy, due to the express nature of the situation, the JTF hasn't been able to deploy many of their heavier units. Words fly around that el Mustahim is bemoaning the fact that he 't tribute a Banebde for the JTF's cause just yet. Though apparently, the Samanders are in the process of dropping a Land Raider pside so... More dakka?

  Jokes aside, the Battlestar of i is somewhat buried in the ground. Its ventral hangars are o be seen while the fore-end of the voidship is trapped beh a rge mound of dirt and debris. The Battlestar has clearly seen bat, owing to the deformations, scorched marks, cracks, and holes along its hull. There are many of its visible kiic turrets beiroyed by hostile fire, rather than being disabled by the crash on Cadia. By the look of it, half of the engines of the Battlestar are also goheir parts are strewing across the mile-long trench it left behind. Funnily enough, it's easier for us to just fly up to a random hole on the dorsal hull of the Battlestar and board the vessel there. Yet, owing to logistical s, a decision was reached to start cutting ary point into the voidship's upper portside pod/hangar. Even with the battle scars running all over the ship, one barely make out the inscriptions on the flight pods.

  Pegasus.

  Now that name, heh, it sure brought back memories. Of all the Battlestars that could have ended up here, it has to be one of the unluckiest ones. I wonder, is it ander Adama or stupid who made the jump, only to end up in a different universe altogether? More than that, how did they even mao wade through not just the Multiverse but also the Omniverse? I highly doubt the Shoggoths iween the verses would ignore a steel alligator pung a hole through the fabrics of reality. Unless, this whole thing is pnned, of course, and I remain hopeful that I turn this thing into a boon for the Imperium. Despite the parabolic teological curve of the Imperium of Man, there exists more than just a Blink Drive otlestar that hopefully be replicated freater cause. The Raptor dropship, for once, is one of the few voidcraft that is both small but FTL-capable. The Tech-priests will have a field day trying to figure out how to miniaturize such a craft with glee, for sure.

  My mulling is cut short when Tsavorae es close to Mama and me. With her helmet being held close to her hip, Tsavorae says. "Elyzabeth, Ein, the Tech-priests say they're just about doh the breach. Should we gather the b party?"

  Mama and I share a look, with me veying my readiness with a nod. Mama smiles, replying. "Round up the Guards, our Sisters, and the Space Marines. Whatever es , we face it together."

  I chuckle. "Well said, Mama. May the Emperor bless us with a fruitful endeavor."

  "Indeed, my girl. Indeed." Mama then turns to me. "Have you picked a suitable loadout for the task?"

  I grin, hoisting up something behih my left hand. Bringing it to the front, I reveal it to be a bck ballistic shield with a hidden surprise. Adorned on the front face of the shield is an Imperial Aqui inscription with its talons grasping the words:

  Bck Steel.

  Giggling at the raised eyebrow of Mama and Tsavorae, I say. "I'll be bringing something that bash some heads in."

  "A notion that I find myself nodding in approval." es the ent of Chapter Master Tu'shan from behind us.

  Following the Chapter Master's steps are his Chief Librarian and Huards. Trailing behind them as well is Sergeant Johnson who is leading the rest of 3rd Ptoon. With their arrival, the b party be sidered assembled and ready for deployment.

  Mama nods at everyone, saying. "Well then, shall we?"

  Battlestar Pegasus, excuse us for our intrusion.

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