“Go! Go! Finish the Mission!”

-Brother G’heirnat, yelling to his teammates as he grimaced from the pain caused by his split kneecap, ripped off bionic arm and missing four fingers, yet he still turned to face the Genestealer.

The Tyranid overrun planet of Tantalus has been designated as lost by the Imperial High Command and sanctioned for Exterminatus. In response, the Deathwatch and Inquisition have deployed four of the Deathwatch’s automated Kill-ships to carry out the task but one of these ships, the “Foe Hammer” has strayed off course and is not responding to controls. Scans show an unknown Xenos presence on the ship and so Kill-Team Kronus and two other kill-teams under the command of Forge Master Greyweaver are dispatched to intercept the ship, assess and neutralize any threats and repair the ship’s malfunctioning systems. Apothecary G’heirnat seizes this opportunity to wield the famed Deathwatch holy relic, the Cruciform of the Crusade, into battle.

After boarding the ship, the kill-teams discover that the ship has been infested by Tyranid forces and begin the dangerous task of cleansing the ship of this Xenos threat. Once the Kill-teams make their way into the ship’s interior, Kill-Team Kronus is tasked with Security Detail while the other Kill-teams, who have Tech Marines under the guidance of Forge Master Grey Weaver, get busy repairing the ship’s navigation systems. After securing several junctions, the kill-team Kronus is sent to investigate an isolated human life sign and upon arrival at the designated location, they find a Sister of Battle asleep in stasis.

Puzzled by the presence of the Sister on a Deathwatch ship, Brother G’heirnat frees the Sister from stasis and she appears to be just as confused as the Space Marines. Sister Ruby remembers being in the Jericho Reach system and remembers going into stasis hibernation but does not remember where she was going or how she came aboard this ship. She is still a faithful servant of the Emperor so, after being explained the situation and the Kill-team’s mission, she joins their cause to lend her Bolter to the fight.

The Kill-team proceeds to their next assignment- to clear a major junction being used by the Tyranids to attack the other kill-teams’ positions and disrupt repair operations. The Battle Brothers (and Sister) begin the deadly and intense task of cleansing the Xenos from the corridors and rooms. They are beset by waves of Termagaunts and Hormagaunts supported by bands of deadly Genestealers. Bolter, Flamer and a huge Aquilla-shaped relic bring death to the Xenos but it is not without costs as many of the Battle Brothers start to sustain injuries. Rest is long in coming as the Kill-Team struggles to complete their task.

With the junction cleared, the Tech Marines continue repairs on the ship but with the constant hit and run Tyranid attacks hampering progress, Greyweaver decides that the only way to complete the repairs on the ship is by eliminating the Tyranid threat in its entirety. Luckily, Greyweaver has brought with him several canisters of an experimental toxin that was created using the data stored in Magos Vyakai’s data-core. The canisters are hooked up to the ship’s air circulation system and it is hoped that with every nook and cranny of the ship’s interior filled with the gas, the toxin will kill the Tyranids after prolonged exposure.

Unfortunately, Kill-team Delgado is attacked and nearly decimated while hooking up the final control switch and Kill-Team Kronus is dispatched to activate the final switch and rescue any survivors. The kill-team’s fight to the control switch is an epic battle for survival as the Tyranid forces, under the command of a Broodlord, make the Kill-team pay dearly for every stretch of corridor and room they cross. Brother Angelous is ambushed and nearly killed by the Broodlord and it is only by the luck of the Emperor that he is able to survive. Supported by Brother Lance, the two Space Marines battle the Broodlord using every bit of skill at their disposal, as well as strength from the Emperor, to defeat the Tyranid monster. The rest of the kill-team continues to their objective with Brother Corvus clearing the way with fire from his Heavy Flamer. Hordes of Hormagaunts fall to the flames but surrounded and a little scattered, the kill-team is locked in a desperate battle to succeed. Brother G’heirnat attempts a heroic rearguard action to fight off Genestealers only to lose four fingers and the use of his bionic arm before he collapses. Brother Angelous soon follows- his body also wracked by grievous injuries.

The remaining Tech Marine from Kill-Team Delgado is able to activate the switch before he is killed by Genestealers. Everyone in the team, included Sister Ruby, are seriously wounded but they are able to exit the ship carrying their critically wounded comrades as poison gas fills the ship’s interior. The gas proves to be a success (for the time being until the Tyranid biology is able to adapt) and with the ship free of infestation, the rest of the repairs can be completed. “Foe Hammer” is able to link up with the other four Kill-ship’s for execution hour and with the deployment of their Cyclone Torpedoes, Tantalus is no more.

• GM’s Note: This mission was created by the GM and inspired by Games Workshop’s discontinued board game “Space Hulk.”