‘Assault command, scan readings from the Ithraca’s Vengeance; only penetrate to your current position,’ warned Praxa­medes, still aboard the Space Marine vessel and moving rapidly out of range. The plan was to withdraw the gunships into the planetary atmosphere rather than force the cruiser to remain under fire for evacuation duties. ‘No enemy detected at your location.’

‘No enemy?’ Aeschelus looked around. In the flash of his suit lamps, he counted at least half a dozen scarab-constructs just within a few yards, their sparking mandibles working at sheared bulkheads. ‘We are surrounded.’

‘Then we are blind to them, brother-captain,’ confessed Praxa­medes. ‘It is not that the xenos creatures are invisible on the auspex, it is just that they register exactly the same as their ship.’

Aeschelus checked his auto-senses and then called to the closest auspex-bearer, Brother Opheus. ‘What are you picking up, brother?’ he asked the Intercessor.

Opheus spent several seconds adjusting the bulky scanning device, panning one way and then the other.

‘Only motion tracking seems effective, captain.’

‘We’re moving out of tactical vox range, assault command,’ warned Praxa­medes. The signal was beginning to break up. ‘Do you need us to return for extraction?’

Aeschelus gave it only a few seconds’ thought.

‘Negative, ship command. Continue with your orders.’

‘Understood. Ship command out.’

That was it. They either pressed on or returned to the gunships.

His decision was forced by sudden bursts of fire and cried warnings from the lead squad. At just the same moment, the repair constructs around Aeschelus ceased their ministrations to the ship and turned towards the Space Marines, evidently receiving orders to respond to the invaders.

‘Open fire, all targets of opportunity!’ he snapped.

Despite their size, the beetle-like aliens packed a surprising short-range burst of energy capable of punching through power armour. In the sudden attack, Aeschelus lost three of his party – overwhelmed by clinging insectoid foes, their ceramite punctured by strobing detonations of jade energy. The flare of various grades of bolt weapons illuminated the interior of the alien ship, flashing bright from polished silver and exposed veins of crystal circuitry.

Aeschelus could not risk being drawn into a protracted fight; they had to push on towards their as-yet-unidentified objective.

‘Incursors, lead the way,’ he commanded. ‘Judiciar, reinforce the Intercessor assault squad. Everybody else, breakout procedures.’

The Space Marines moved with renewed purpose, focusing their blades and bolts on the enemies standing between them and further ingress into the enemy ship. The Incursors scoured ahead, their enhanced armour systems a little better at picking up enemy signals before they attacked.

They carried the bodies with them, determined that no brother would be left aboard the xenos vessel, whether alive or dead. Taking the increased resistance as a sign that they were heading in the right direction, Aeschelus led the force onwards along a single front. He dared not split away any squads, the augurs unable to penetrate the ship’s layout beyond a dozen yards.