Rest Eterna - Mission Two

With the Frater in sight, the Sisters spring into action.

The Sisters of Battle hurry through the undergrowth, their power-armoured strides eating up the distance between them and their objective. They burst into the clearing and take stock of the situation. Halfway across the clearing and running perpendicular to their position is a dirt road. And on the dirt road is their objective: Frater Taddeus’ beleaguered Rhino transport.

The Frater has managed to climb atop the Rhino and is in the process of shouting the Twelve Affirmations of Hatred at the top of his lungs. Meanwhile, forming a loose perimeter around the Rhino, his bodyguard of Frateris Militia takes pot shots at an encroaching trio of undead, killing one of them.

The squad, consisting again of Superior Silvia, Sister Jenine, Sister Alicia, a fire team of Battle Sisters and a recon team of two Novitiates, press forwards as the earth behind them churns with grasping claws.

The Battle Sisters and the Frateris Militia redouble their efforts to bring down the zombies in front of the Rhino. However, their combined fire only manages to kill one more of the foul creatures. Even worse, another cohort of warp infused undead make themselves known on the other side of the Rhino. The rest of the squad reacts immediately, firing their weapons at this latest threat. But at such ranges, only Superior Silvia manages to land an ineffective hit with her pistol.

Threatening castigation for such poor marksmanship, Silvia urges the squad forward. The Novitiates, Alicia and Silvia close the distance to the zombies and let loose another barrage. They fare much better, three of the undead are blown apart in showers of rotted flesh. The explosion of violence seemingly spurs the zombies into action; one shambles towards the Sisters hoping to close the distance, another lunges at a Militiaman and promptly takes a bite out of the poor man’s throat. He collapses in a fountain of blood, twitches a few times before falling still. To the horror of everyone that witnesses it, the recently deceased Frateris Militia rises once more with glassy eyes and a slack jaw, dead as the abomination that killed him.

From atop the Rhino Frater Taddeus turns their horror to hatred, he screams admonitions at the undead and denounces them in the name of the Him on Terra. The remaining Frateris Militia react in kind, killing two of the zombies as their zealotry reaches a new pinnacle.

The Novitiates wait for the horde to pass them by.

Silvia orders the Novitiates to scout the crypt on the opposite side of the track while the remaining Sisters move to secure the Rhino. They double time across the open ground, firing their autoguns at the undead as they go. One of the undead is caught in the open and is shredded by the small calibre gunfire.

Sister Alicia charges ahead toward the Rhino, firing her bolter at the two undead near the vehicle’s rear hatch as she goes. She manages to bring one of them down but the other lurches at her. She easily dodges its clumsy swipe and give the undead horror a swift kick that sends it sprawling backwards. Silvia and Jenine follow her lead, combining their firepower to reduce the last zombie to a steaming pile of gristle.

The Novitiates jog up to the crypt with weapons at the ready. A quick check from the entrance shows the crypt has been ransacked and the bodies that had been interred have already gone, either by persons unknown or waking from the dead. Meanwhile, the Frater climbs down from the Rhino and greets Silvia with the sign of the aquila.

“Well met Frater, although,” says Silvia nodding towards the Frateris Militia, “I’d say you scarcely needed our help.”

Frater Taddeus lets out a booming laugh, “Indeed, they gave a good account of themselves don’t you think? Just goes to show even the most pitiful sump rat can become one of the Emperor’s Martyrs if their faith is strong enough, eh?”

The Sisters secure the Rhino transport.

Debrief

Returning to base the Sisters are subject to decontamination procedures that have, by this point, become part of life while the war rages. Weapons and armour are taken away for deep cleaning. Servo-skulls float from Sister to Sister reading biosigns and taking pricks of blood for analysis. Watching over the proceedings a servitor-linked inferno turret pans slowly across the room.

While the rest of the squad is cleared, Superior Silvia is held back. One of the Hospitallers explains that her biosigns were slightly off her baseline. Just enough to raise concerns.

“We can’t be too careful.” They explain from the vox-emitter of their sealed containment-suit.

Silvia sighs as the Medicae staff begin a more thorough examination. They scrape under her fingernails for any residual contaminants and check her mouth for any hidden cuts that may have become infected.

Under her ribs they find the culprit, a graze that has become an angry shade of red. The wound is from the previous mission, one of the undead had managed to get close enough to take a swing at her before Sister Alicia despatched it with a well-placed punch to the skull. Silvia’s armour had kept her from harm, but the force of the impact did graze her skin.

“You have over-cleaned it,” the Hospitaller says flatly, “Did you not sufficiently thin the counter-septic?”

“I thought we couldn’t be too careful?” replies the Superior, failing to keep the mocking tone out of her voice.

“We can when undiluted counter-septic is causing cell death. You’ll need to spend a few days in the Medicae so that it heals properly under observation.”

Silvia opens her mouth in protest, but the Hospitaller gets there first.

“After all, we can’t be too careful now, can we Sister-Superior?”