Tyranid quest

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Chapter 1: Prophase
"To: Magos Xenologis Lexidium. Report concerning Divisio Biologis operations on Gladius Prime.

''...With the Astra Militarum as Tech-Priest liaison, to investigate the Circle Varnak facility on Gladius Prime -- that is, the successful experiments which had resulted in victory at Fecundia... [missing data]''

''...when the storm stabilized, the planet was cut off. Fearing the worst, I made my way to the Genetor facility -- but found it an empty ruin, with no trace of Servitors or Tech-Priests. I returned empty-handed t the surviving military forces.''

''Soon, reports came in. Monsters, horrors -- Tyranids. But the creatures were not coordinated swarms -- they were isolated, running wild, easy prey for Neophyte Marines or Veteran Guardsmen. I dared to hope we could elliminate them.''

That wish was short-lived.

Knowing what I know now, the Hive-mind focused on the creation of mighty synapse creatures -- the warrior, Tyrants and Primes."

Objectives:
 * Research Alpha Ovipository
 * Construct Alpha Ovipository
 * Produce Tyranid Prime

Chapter 2: Interphase
"To: Magos Xenologis Lexidium. Report concerning Divisio Biologis operations on Gladius Prime.

''Tech-Adept, I had the data from Fecundia and Macragge, I knew the Tyranid methodology — they would be gathering Biomass to mount their assault, stripping isolated areas down to the bedrock for materials and building their armies. And the hive mind was a gourmet, sampling the local genetic data, creating warriors tailored to our weaknesses to ensure victory. Even now, I knew the Malanthropes would be massing, working behind the warriors.''

''I should have warned the Astra Militarum, I know — but I was more concerned with protecing the products of our research. These Tyranids could be the key to defeating the next Hive Fleet. I chose to gather data, in the hope of getting it off-planet, and hence I doomed this world.''

''The Hive Mind needed Biomass. Given that it came from just a few individuals in our facility, it will have needed more genetic data too. It will have looked to its Malanthropes, the slithering giants that followed its swarm.''"

Chapter 3: Anoikis
"To: Magos Xenologis Lexidium. Report concerning Divisio Biologis operations on Gladius Prime.

''Finally the space marine chapter and Astra Militarum realised the threat — that they were trapped here, not merely with Orks and Necrons, but with Tyranids too. That humanity might be crushed between these three Xenos horrors. My remaining flesh ached with despair. Yet an unexpected ally gave us a chance to destroy them once and for all.''

Tech-Adept, the planet itself rose against them.

''It seems that Gladius housed some long-forgotten xenos technology, perhaps the self-same that trapped us here under the warp storms. Great spires burnished Exodite metal rose from the ground around the Tyranid hives. From my analyses of its remains, I suspect it may pre-date even the Eldar — as far back as… [data missing]''

''Where the spires rose, thr warp storms intensified, purging the planet’s surface of life. The Tyranids were thrown back — for a time.''"

Objective: Survive Invasion

"The Imperial Forces, who had been prepared to die defending our cities, seized the moment and attacked. I lent some of my Kastelans to the effort, however small the chance of victory was."

Objective: Survive Invasion

"It was all for not. Our forces were destroyed, torn apart and rendered down in the reclamation pools, even the ancient spires toppled."

Chapter 4: Cytokinesis
"To: Magos Xenologis Lexidium. Report concerning Divisio Biologis operations on Gladius Prime.

With the planet as our ally, we dared to dream — but the human forces couldn’t afford to loose another expedition like the last, instead focusing on [missing data]

''Thankfully, the planet’s ancient mechanisms threw up another trick — a psychic signal akin to that produced by the doomed Astropath on Fecundia which somehow divided the hive mind against itself. A second hive rose to fight the first, and a real hope emerged amongst the defenders that the hive fleet would spend all its biomass in futile internecine war.''

''I had no such illusions. I knew that one swarm would prevail and emerge stronger for the test. That soon the isolated Tyranid strain would call out to space and attract the nearest Hive fleet - perhaps a fragment from Tiamat — and then all would be consumed.''

''The two hive minds met in battle soon after. I do not know if the original survived or the challenger, but it mattered little — the winner adapted first, then consumed its opponent’s troops, so it shared the genetic data of both.''"

Objective:

Use any production buildings to reclaim unit

Defeat the enemy camp

Chapter 5: Juxtacrinesis
"To: Magos Xenologis Lexidium. Report concerning Divisio Biologis operations on Gladius Prime.

''Months passed, tech-Adept. The planet continued to ramp up the pressure on the Xenos, turning the planet’s life against them, even as the Shadow in the Warp fell over Gladius Prime and the Hive Fleet encircled it.''

''We now felt like bystanders in a battle between giants. It must have become obvious to the hive mind that it couldn’t simply consume this world like normal — their dreaded spore pods couldn’t get through the warp storm and they couldn’t breed fast enough on the surface to overcome our defenses. It needed something special to crack the planet wide open.''

''The few Imperial satellites and the Space Marine Battle Barge reported that the hive fleet was circling the planet, throwing mystical spores downward, probing the storm. Though nothing made it through, the fleet seemed to identify a relatively stable point in the storm. The Shadow In the Warp pushed on it, widening it.''

''On the surface, the Hive Mind moved its resources, coordinating with the fleet above, aiming somehow to reach through the storm. Its forces were seen near to a dormant Necron tomb city — perhaps the storms were weaker there?''"

Objective: found new city on highlighted tile (0/1)

"There was peace for a time, whilst the Hive nested and gathered resources. Peace, only in the context of endless war, of course."

Objective: Accumulate Biomass (0/500)

"Then, like a delicate strange flower but impossibly tall, a Capllary Tower rose from the new hive. We watched it stretch miles and miles high, growing into the atmosphere."

Objective: Research Capillary Tower (0/1)

Construct Capillary Tower (0/1)

"From the surface, we could see only the Capillary Tower. Yet the few Imperial craft in low orbit reported seeing the Hive’s ships creeping closer extending strange tendrils trailing down to the tower’s tip, buring with witchfire as the warp storm teared at then. It was short connection only — but in reconnecting, the local Hive Mind fragment had learned how to destroy this world."

Chapter 6: Phagein
"To: Magos Xenologis Lexidium. Report concerning Divisio Biologis operations on Gladius Prime.

''Whatever it was that gestated on the planet then, we could all feel the horror of it — even my remaining flesh shrank as the thing grew. At its birth, every psyker on the planet howled — the hive mind had sent something monstrous to the planet.''

''The planet’s defenses knew that this was the end too — it scraped up everything left to it. Every horror driven from its lair and forced towards the Tyranid hives. Orks, Psychenuin, Catachan Devils, degenerate Kroot. And thr Hive Mind defended its gestating horror with equal vigour.''

The battle was endless — it wasn’t clear whether we’d survive the planet’s defenses, let alone the Tyranid assimilation."

Objective: Survive Invasion for 10 turns

Keep the Doom Alive (0/1)

"My attempts to secure an artifact to stabilise the storm and a ship to leave Gladius had been frustrated by the Tyranids arrival and the loss of my Kastelans. Escape from the planet was impossible, I now recognized. In our makeshift fortifications, the Imperial Cult lead the prayers to the God-Emperor one last time — and I prayed to the Omnissiah.

''Then I organised my notes to be preserved in the traditional method — buried alongside the Marines Geneseed in a drill, deep in the planets crust. And I prepared myself for death.''

''And out there, in the ruins of our civilization, the Tyranid creature — doom of this planet — crept closer to its destiny, the heart of this strange, alien world. Our satellites saw it batting towards the base of a Tower of Vaul — perhaps to access the Exodite mechanisms inside?''"

Bring the Doom to indicated Tile in 10 Turns

Keep the Doom Alive (0/1)

"Have you ever felt a planet just… die? We all felt that at last. Beneath our feet, it trembled. Whatever ancient power had been battling the Tyranids was finally defeated, its psychic energies absorbed by the Tyranid’s monster creation.

''And then is started to come apart. That ancient machine, whatever it was, must have been holding the entire planet together — even now the earth shudders constantly beneath our feet, the gravity shifting wildly. If it continues at this rate, the planet will simply disintegrate — denying the Tyranids its resources at least.''

''I have no idea if this message will survive. I am handing it to my servitor, to send into the planet’s crust now — I hope it will survive the collapse of the planet. May the Omnissiah have mercy on our souls.''"

When the Explorator ships finally reached Gladius Prime, generations later, to see if anything was left to be reclaimed, the planet itself had gone. Instead, around the sun called Gladius was a metallic asteroid belt in the same orbit. And, of course, the Tyranids were long gone...