The drone had returned to the strike base, and commander Flamewing had received news in the meantime that the Imperial forces had accepted their thier truce to elminate the Orks. Flamewing was pleased by this, though he would have to inform the Space Marines that were to be soon-arriving to this planet that this truce was underway. After telling his comms Shas'vre to contact them as soon as they were in contactable range, he went to his communications room.

Flamewing: Open a comm channel to this "Castus", please

System: Certainly Sir...Comms open, you are now talking with... Vindicare assasin, Inquisitor Castus Bones.

Flamewing: Thank you...Greetings, Inquisitor Castus Bones. I am glad we could agree on a truce to avoid bloodshed, and get rid of the Ork pests as soon as we could. And I trust that you will get the coming Space Marines to follow suit?

Castus: Yes, you can have my word. I fear despite my rank though, the Space Marines shall still follow their codex. But whatever it takes to get rid of those Ork scum.

Flamewing: Excellent. Allow me to tell our plan. We are currently positioned behind of the Ork horde that engages your Imperial city. Our plan, with your sides co-operation is to surround the Orks in a killing circle and slowly push them inwards until they are vanquished. We even have acquired an XV-104 Riptide to help us.

Castus: Sounds like a good plan, Commander.

Flamewing: It's the mastery of the code of fire, Inquisitor. And please do not associate me with those blinded Tau, for I am in the Farsight enclaves. As a matter of fact, as of right now, we have a Tau kill team prepped to kill another Warboss, Boss Steelface. In a matter of minutes, his "Krooza" shall crash into our projected position, and the Mont'ka shall make sure of that.

Castus: So we shall prepare for this?

Flamewing: Yes, we shall. Tell me when your forces are ready, mine are ready at any time to assist. Oh, and one more thing, Inquisitor. Do not trust these Eldar, as they are ready to backstab you at any time. I have faced them before, if you ask. Goodbye, Inquisitor. I hope more agreements can be made like this in future.

Castus: Another time shall come for that, Tau. Goodbye, Commander.

System: Channel closed.

Flamewing then walked out of his Comms room into his command center. Wanting to see it for himself, Flamewing ordered an Orca to bring him over to the poised kill-teams ready to assassinate Steelface. He checked time was left. He would make it, and he'd make sure himself that Steelface was dead. As his name suggested, he had a strange obsession with flamers, so much that he had custom-built, more deadly flamethrowers than the standard issue version. Stepping into the Orca, he headed off inside his battle-suit to where Steelface's krooza was to crash...

(Eh zog it, this got too wordy for me to pay attention to. SO! 'Ammer 'Ead got shot once and died or something, or never existed. WOOO!)

*Bruticus heard the echoing boom coming out from off in the distance, and immediately picked up the pace, rushing through the lush green forest, dipping and ducking under foliage, as he and his men grew closer to their target. Within twenty minutes, they halted, and regrouped, the five warriors coming back from their spread out formation, silent and disciplined, awaiting orders. Looking out from the edge of the forest, the city lay below them, within it, their prize. Bruticus noted the apparent battle between the Greenskins and mortal slaves to the corpse-emperor, and smiled underneath his helmet, the chance to face these two opponents in battle very appealing to the Khornate. Turning back to the group, he scanned their numbers, before settling on one member.*

"Ozymandias, we need to get to that city, and I'd like to get there relatively unnoticed. Can you make that happen?"

*The aspiring sorcerer took a few steps forward, looking out across the expanse before the Hive, as if running many calculations on the fly. Taking only a few moments, he nodded, stabbing his staff into the ground, as he began to rise into the air, glowing runes circling and floating around his body, as he floated cross legged in an meditative stance. Bruticus turned to face the rest of the group, making a motion for them to stay on guard, and keep watching the area. Greenskins were rarely known for their subtlety, but he was taking no chances on an ambush. All other members of the Fists of the Eight Point Star waited, listening and scanning the area, their training having improved their already amazing sensory abilities, due to training with the Vanguard's fabled Noise Champion. They could hear the fall of a leaf in a forest, feel the tremor of ants marching through their underground kingdoms, and smell the scent of a corpse from a mile away. Bruticus had faith that if anything was trying to ambush them, it would be hard pressed to stay hidden from this group. Several long minutes passed, as the Khornate ran over the plan once more, keeping an eye of the battle raging inside the city, careful to note the various forces each side was bringing forth into the party. At one moment, Ozymandias chuckles, causing a brief bit of alarm, yet when Bruticus inquired as to what had amused him, the sorcerer shrugged, merely saying that he was just reminded of another life briefly, whatever that meant. Finally, the Sorcerer held out his hands to his side, the Staff in the ground beginning to be drawn into the air, spinning around it's master, as the Sorcerer spoke.*

"It is done my lord, simply give me a target, and we shall soon be there."

*Bruticus pointed to one of his Slaaneshi soldiers, a man by who simple went by the name Adonis. Walking forward with his gleaming blade, Adonis bowed before the Chaos Lord, motioning that he was at his service, before Bruticus put a hand on his shoulder.*

"Rise brother, I believe we are in need of your sharp eyes here.*

*Bruticus called up his piece of tactical data, showing blue prints and maps that had gone into the building of this Hive, and focused on one spot in particular. A large hive like this, had to do away with waste somehow, so a massive sewage pipe was built to transport the Hive's collected waste had been built to ferry the disgusting matter out into a large ocean not far from here. This pipe had one point in it, not far from the walls, were a large grate had been constructed, in case internal repairs had to be made to the pipe, and that would be their point of entry into the Hive.*

"Brother Ozymandias will be delving into your mind, so when you see our target, raise your fist, and we shall prepare for our departure."

"We must make haste Bruticus, the tides of the Great Ocean rarely remain in a state where one can so readily manipulate them."

"Have faith sorcerer, for we have the greatest eyes in the Vanguard at our service here."

*Bruticus chuckled as Adonis rose to his full height, chest pumped out with pride. Never hurt to play to his ego when you wanted a job done right, he supposed, Slaaneshis loved that sort of thing. The kid had damn good vision, like that of a hawk, and he would need him to continue onwards. Meanwhile, he quickly spoke with the others in the group, assuring they were prepared to do their duty once they had gotten to the grate. Adonis raised his fist, and Ozymandias spoke*

"I-I see it, brace yourselves brothers, for we are about to swim through the fabric of reality."

*Bruticus braced himself, for he always hated this part. A sudden flash occurred, and everything went bright white before his eyes.*


*And then the world is back in focus, the echoing laughter of the neverborn merely a memory. Damn he hated teleportation, never felt whole after it. Bruticus looked up, and checking to make sure his entire team was still here. After a brief moment, he nodded, and they scanned the area around them. An old imperial construction site had been here, before it's abandonment, after the pipe's integrity had proven more than enough to last for a few generations. Quickly forgotten he assumed, those blind, foolish men and woman, so easy to forget the past, despite all the danger it still held. They walked through the site, making careful to not make so much noise, on the off chance someone still dwelt here, until the grate was in sight. It was massive, easily big enough to fit a warhound titan through, and briefly Bruticus pondered if this had been built with another purpose in mind, chuckling at the Imperial's need to constantly bleed themselves to keep loyal. They ran now, to the base of the massive construct, Bruticus drawing his axe. Upon reaching it, he turns and nods to Malak, a fellow Khornate in the team. He liked Malak, as even when he had first come to him he showed a level headed that the majority of new berserkers didn't. He had enjoyed training the whelp, as he did the rest of his men, and now that they were here, he knew Malak would not let him down. They both hefted their axes, Malak's dual hand helds, and Bruticus's massive two hander, and as one brought them down on the metal of the grate. The teeth immediately began to screech against the metal, as their bit deeper and deeper, and Bruticus had no illusions his axe would take time to carve an entrance large enough for all of them, so he called over their personal comm.*

"Keep low, and watch our perimeter. Ozymandias, see if you can null this sound."

*He heard an audible sigh from his Noise Champion, and chuckled at the Slaaneshi loosing out on whatever sick pleasure this noise gave him. The three soldiers spread out, keeping a watch over the area, as the two Khornates continued to work. After ten minutes, they had finally carved out a large enough entrance for the team to enter, and Bruticus called his boys back. Before entering he turned to the sorcerer.*

"Anything in your Great Ocean tell ya if we die in there?"

*Ozymandias paused, holding out his free hand, as if deep in thought, before he turned back to Bruticus*

"There are no traps I can concieve if that is what you mean my lord. However, with so many Orks involved, their chaotic nature makes it difficult to divine the true path our lives walk in the Great Ocean."

"Great."

*With that, the six Chaos Space Marines entered into the great pipe, heading into the city by underground means.*

At that exact time...

While Flamewing was on his way, he wanted to be certain the Imperium would agree with his terms. Sending a Spy-Drone, to the sewage pipe, which Flamewing had no clue of any Chaos forces entry, it headed towards that exact pipe where the six chaos space marines were heading...

*As a Banshee stood talking to one of the Farseers of the group she nodded and quickly moved towards a group of Eldar rangers who were watching the fighting going on near the city borders as well as what was going on with the defenders inside it. As quick as she could she gathered the rangers up and started off heading towards the citys outskirts moving along carefully watching for any signs of trouble. As she and the the small group left the Farseer walked over and hug his head down for a moment then raised it as a new arrival started getting comments out of the gathered force of Eldar. As a trio of Warp Hunters exited the warpway the Eldar knew something was up if this type of firepower was being called in...*

Castus's orders weighed heavy on the minds of the mechanized guard regiment that lay outside of the city. Inquisitors were seldom questioned, even less when they carried a very big gun.

With the regiment at now at his disposal, Castus once again surrendered the solitude he treasured the most. As the guardsmen began boarding their chimeras, Castus climbed aboard the lead vehicle and crouched next its turret. He attempted to make sense of the scattered transmission from the city that all these forces were destined to meet in, but his efforts bore no fruit.

As the armored column ventured closer to the city, he could not help but let his mind wander. Would the Astartes make it in time? Would he Tau keep their word? And why had he not seen any Eldar since his first discovery of them?

The Salamanders were the first to arrive in-system. Their fleet composed of the Wyrmfire, a battle barge of some renown among the ancient chapter, as well as a number of strike crusiers, moved directly to intercept the Space Hulk hovering above the dusty planet's atmosphere. Even as the titanic conflict raged in the skies, however, the Sons of Vulkan prepared for the ground war.

The ship had recieved word earlier that day from an Imperial commander claiming to be an "Inquisitor Castus", who had informed the Astartes that they would be allied with the Tau for the duration of the assualt upon the Greenskins. Bray'arth, ignoring both the council of Chaplain Kato and the veterans under his command, had sent back a strongly worded response informing the Inquisitor that the Salamanders would do no such thing. They were the Sons of Vulkan, the Eighteenth Legion, and they would not dishonor their father's legacy so, the Iron Dragon had replied.

Kato shook his head as he recalled the tense meeting on the bridge. The Iron Dragon was a potent weapon and a supremely valued commander and Astartes, but he was also a bull-headed beserker with the blood of Mount Deathfire herself running through what remained of the Dreadnought's veins. "Emperor help us all.." the Chaplain muttered quietly as he stepped aboard his Thunderhawk. Due to the recent problems on Nocturne, the Second had only a Demi-Company to pledge to the cause on this world, but the aged Astartes was sure it would be enough. Signaling to the pilot to proceed, Kato could feel the ground beneath him lurch away as the complement of Thunderhawks left the hanger bay.

The plan was simple. Drop the troops directly to the front lines, breaking the Orkish push and allowing the beleagured Guardsmen to fall back to the Central Spire. From there, the supplies on the Thunderhawks would be used to assist in fortifying the area before the Demi-company returned to help outlast the seige. With luck, the Ultramarines would arrive soon and the forces of the Imperium could get to work scouring the planet of the Xenos menace, Ork or otherwise..

*Bruticus and his team walked through the darkness of the underground pipeline, moving along a clearly defined sidewalk, only feet away from a river of foulness and waste from a fully populated Hive world. Most had turned off their helmet's scent sensory functions, due to the need to remain focused on the task at hand, rather than contemplate the disgusting body of "Water" just next to them. Most did this, however, Malathrax the Keeper, the large Nurgle devoted plague marine, forged on as though he walked through a field of flowers on a summer morn. The group stayed silent, the only sound being heard in this abyss, the constant drip-drip, of liquids having collected on the walls and ceiling, finally dropping back to the ground. However, suddenly, their Noise Champion, Kal'Brauss, suddenly halted, holding up a fist to motion for silence. The team halted their movement, yet raised their weapons and scanned the area.*

"We are not alone down here. Movement behind us, not far, yet unless I am mistaken..."

*He takes a moment to assure himself*

"Yes, not close enough to detect us yet, some sort of flying....anomaly."

*Bruticus scowled at this knowledge. The fact that they may very well be under surveillance already showed that somehow either they had made a fatal mistake, or that the upper echelons of the Vanguard had been infiltrated. He turned to his Plague champion, and opened up a comm channel to the team*

"Malathrax, Ozymandias, send back a set of eyes or two to secure our exit. I don't want anything tailing us, or raising an alarm down here. Do it quietly."

*Both of the traitors nodded, and got to work immediatly. Ozymandias sat on the ground, muttering to himself in some dark tongue, while Malathrax simply stood in position, as if contemplating something. A sick tearing nosie could be heard coming from the Plague marine, as he used his one lightning claw to reach over, and pop a growing pod of pus that had been growing on his lower torso. From this sickening container, flying out from all the bodily fluid, came five buzzing insectoids, each about the size of a common house cat, that circled around the servant of Papa Nurgle. The Plague Marine held out his hand, cooing to these disgusting creatures, as he motioned for them to head towards the source of the noise.*

"Go my children, make me proud, for you shall act as our eyes in the sky, and if need be, a lance from the darkness."

*Bruticus himself was somewhat disgusted by this display, yet he could not help but consider how useful such a being was, and so he kept his annoyance to himself. The five bugs, after circling for a moment, took off on their mission, just as Ozymandias let out a breath.*

"I have them....they serve as my eyes now. We shall soon see who exactly dares stand in our path."


*A few minutes later, the Tau Drone may pick up a sudden buzzing noise, as from the darkness, five strange creatures begin to fly into sight. Keeping above the river of waste, the bugs circle the strange drone, as if examining it. Suddenly, on flies towards the drone, then another, and another. They hover infront of the mechanism, as if curious to it's nature, before all three, latch onto the top of the drone. With their various stingers and fangs, their begin to tear into the little drone, clawing away at the armor with some effort, as they seek to destroy the thing, and drive it into the sewage itself. Should the drone not be capable of properly defending itself, it would soon find itself deactivated, and falling into the river, slowly being pushed away from the city, and out towards the sea.*

*Back with the Chaos space marines, Ozymandias gets to his feet and curses.*

"Of course, the Tau. No wonder I could not see these primitives, for not even the Gods care to bring them into the fold."

*Bruticus pondered this for a moment, the arrival of the Tau. Deciding that this changed little in their mission, he ushered the warriors onward, as the headed closer to their target. Currently, they had just passed underneath the massive Hive walls, and were well on their way to the center of the city.*

((God damn it im out for a day and 2 pages appear.... ill post tomorrow -_-)

@BerserkerOfKhorne
The spy-drone had two pulse pistols...so it fired off, obviously I'll just say it killed one of the insectiods

Flamewing had no choice but to change current course for the main battle soon to occur in the Imperial Hive City. He would have to let his kill-team do the job of attempting to kill Steelface. By now he would have crash-landed, and Flamewing was hoping they'd have assassinated him. Deciding to see the drone's progress back in the Hive city sewers to get a clear view of both sides, he turned it on, only to have no signal.

Flamewing cursed, but the smart commander decided to send a Stealth-Team to be dropped from altitude with a recon drone. Flamewing was confident the XV25's stealth field generator would be able to keep the Stealth-team and the recon drone virtually invisible. It was the pinnicle of Tau technology, after all. If all failed, he would send in his prized Vespid Stingwings, who were the masters of hiding in cities and ruins.

Flamewing was confident with that tactical advantage, and to find out what the Imperium were doing the battle would be won. Contacting Castus to tell him they were nearing the Ork horde, they pressed on their course to soon commence their Mont'ka.
Yes, today the Tau's superior tactics and technology(i.e XV-104 Riptide) would win over numbers.
Wanting to get more details on the Ork horde itself, he decided to gather two more pieces of intel on the way.

Firstly: He would get the stealth-suit team that was hidden within the horde to find out the location of the commanding Orks. It would be an advantage to target them and possibly kill the Warboss Krol'ja before he ever got close. He could fire anything he needed, from the Riptide's Ion accelrator to the workhorse of the Tau armory, the Hammerhead's railgun. A bit of a pity, Flamewing thought. If Farsight was here, he'd enjoy the close combat.

Secondly: To hack into "Vixen"'s Tau standard issue Fire warrior helmet camera. If he could hack that, according to reports saying that Vixen was usually next to Krol'ja, He would know his location easily. The issue was if even this "Vixen" Tau existed.

Flamewing, trying his luck anyway decided to hack it after settling his first task. Success! He saw it all...
A massive tide of green, and there he was, Warboss Krol'ja himself. Flamewing knew he had won this already.