Hive in the Underhive

Under the cover of suppressive fire, the Orlocks moved, advancing over ancient walkways, each step rattling metal seams long since forgotten. Sparks flew from ricocheting rounds as muzzle flashes carved momentary light into the gloom.

They reached a Power Cone just as motion flared at the far end of the catwalk. A young juve lunged forward, snatching the artefact with trembling hands.

Then the shadows moved. Silhouettes. Claws. Glimmering eyes.

The gang leader gave the order they were all waiting for. The Orlocks obeyed, falling back, covering one another as they went.

The Missionary did not follow.

Rearguard fire echoed behind them — Theodore perched atop a broken railing, autogun blasting, voice bellowing prayers into the dark.

His chanting was soon drowned out by the roar of a chainsword as he leapt from the gantry, charging into combat with fanatical rage.

The crew moved through the wreckage of Sub-Level 32, their footsteps echoing through a forgotten world of rusted gantries, collapsed hab-tunnels, and flickering lumen-strips. The air was thick with the stench of decay and ozone. Strange fungal blooms pulsed faintly on walls where once there had been steel.

They had been searching for Power Cones — unstable archeotech artefacts discovered deep in this zone. The Cones were a vital part of the plan. Potentially devastating explosives, they represented the only heavy firepower available to the Marines in this subterranean warzone.

Then, the Auspex detected motion ahead. At first, they assumed it was vermin… or perhaps an Escher ganger scouting ahead.

From the blackness, they came.

Six-limbed horrors — chitinous, silent, and impossibly fast. Their forms blurred through the gloom, leaping from the walls and ceilings like arachnid predators. They struck with relentless violence.

The Deathwatch took point, bolters thundered as they pushed forward without hesitation. The others scrambled for cover, returning fire as best they could.

OPERATION: DEEP CLEANSE

Authorized by: Watch Captain Malrek

Ordo Xenos Liaison: Inquisitor Kovas

Primary Objectives:

• Deploy to affected Underhive sector, Sub-Level 32
• Retrieve and secure volatile Power Cones (archeotech cores)
• Engage and eliminate all xenoforms encountered
• Contain all evidence of xeno presence

Final Directive:

“Prevent dissemination of knowledge regarding xeno presence beyond authorized personnel. All non-Astartes assets are to be considered compromised and may be subject to immediate termination upon mission completion. Imperial secrecy is to be maintained at all costs.”

 — Inquisitorial Addendum 41-9B, sealed under edict of the Ordo Xenos

The Deathwatch Marines descended into the Underhive, summoned by dire reports of xeno activity. Their destination: Sub-Level 32 — Newly cracked open by a hive quake.

A long forgotten stratum, now a fresh battleground. House gangs, ever hungry for territory and spoils, had begun to probe its depths. But something stirred down there.

They met Theodore — a grizzled Missionary of the Ecclesiarchy, his sermons echoing through forgotten vox-channels. Many dismissed his messages as the ravings of a hive-priest broken by his travels. But the Inquisition heard the truth beneath the madness.

What the Marines found was not delusion, but resolve. The Missionary had not only identified the threat — he had acted. Rallying a disparate force from the Hive’s dregs, he forged an unexpected alliance:

House Orlock, pragmatic and heavily armed, saw profit and honour in the mission.

House Escher, lethal and ambitious, sought trade goods and alchemical salvage.

Spyre Hunters, aristocratic predators from the Hive’s upper spires, descended in ritual hunt, craving glory and the thrill of blood.

This was no army. It was a crew — a fragile coalition of zealots, mercenaries, gangers, and noble killers. Not ideal but a necessary escort for the Deathwatch to traverse the chaos of the Underhive