The Big Game

     "Whats that stuff Apothecary Yuell?" asked stormtrooper Derrem.

     "Bioplasma resido. Its old and dry its a insuffichent sample for what I need." responded the white armored Red Scorpian Apothecary as he got up from the ground stooping to avoid the low cealing of the cavern.

     "How old brother?" asked the massive grey form of Sergent Marson form ahead in the tunnel.

     Apothecary Yuell double checked his analiser gauntlet to be sure.
     "About three days at the most sir."

     "Good were getting close." responded Sgt Marson almost to himself.

     The expidition of 12 stormtroopers and 6 space marines continued their advance deeper into the depths beneath underhive Zartirina. They were on the hunt for a most elusive foe. Genestealers. The local governer had know of this problem from the moment it started but insteed of calling for help he beleaved he could handle it alone. After substanshel casualts amoung the PDF and populace one of his subordinace called for help. After a swift excicution by 'bolter to face' for the sin of pride the governer was delt with by a responding Justicar who requested the help form the space marine chapter with the most experiance on mutations. The Red Scorpions. The chapter prides it self on the purity of its geneseed and thus have many ways to find and distroy mutations of any kind. All that was needed to create a vialbe 'vacsean' was a sample of a first or second generation genestealer so the 'vacsean' can kill as many of them as posible before they could adapt or mutate a resistance to it.

     The Guardsman had been talkative the entire trip and it begain to wear on apothicary Yuells nerves. Especialy the debates.

     "I'm just saying a flamer is made for these kind of fights" said the guards heavey weapons specialists hefting an obviously modifiyed heavy flamer.

     "And I say, Barnson, a shotgun will last twice as long and not hit your mates in the process" said trooper Erikson holding a combat shotgun and wareing a absurd number of bondelers with exstra shells.
    
      "Both of you quiet down now." snaped Yuell finally feed up with their bickering. The troopers CO, Sgt Hallens heard Yuell snap form the front of the line, the tunnel was wide enought for two space marines to walk side by side, allbeit cramped. The Sgt droped back to the troopers, passing Yuell, and repermanded them both with a smack up side the head. Yuell smiled under his helmet happy for some quiet. After afew quick words to his men the Sgt walked past Yuell with a nod and returned to his spot at the front with Sgt Marson. Yuell looked back to see the troopers reluctently catch up to him. Yuell sighed.

      "The sgt wanted us to apaligise for our ruddness mylord." trooper Branson started.
      "My apoligise as well mylord." said trooper Erikson.

      Yuell always hated the formalitys with 'mylord' this 'your greatness' that and rolled his eyes.

      "Your debate was worthy but the timing was not troopers" Yuell said with a almost fatherly voice."there is a time for talk and a time for doing the Emperors work." The troopers stooped ther heads like children cought red handed."I do not scorn you for punishment guardsmen but for education. Beleave me when I say I take no pleasure in it." Yuell reasurement did not help the guardsmens moods.

      "Sir, beg you parden, but why do we need to find a spacific sample won't one of the millions of little buggers we killed up stairs do?" inquired Erikson.

      Normally Yuell would have repramanded the trooper for talking again, above all else asking a stupid question, but the question was about medison Yuells one weakness.

      "You see trooper, Genestealers mutate rapidly and go throught generations of mutations. But they all devrive from a single sorce or point of origin. If you can make a virse from that base DNA you can make it counter almost any posible mutations for several generation and destroy that particular strain forever."

      "So we need one of the head honchos or one of the original infected." said trooper Branson.

      "That is correct." confermed Yuell.

      "I gess its bug hunting then. Man I wish Garison was still alive he loved hunting." lamented Erickson as he read the third name carved on his shotguns hilt.

      Yuell saw the name. "You can honor you comrades by purging these xenos from the univerce, but first we need that gene sample."

      Erikson was suprised no knowing he said that out loud. Suddenly the Sgts singnaled to stop through hand sighns. The time for talk was over and the squad disperced agenst the walls of the tunnel to find what cover they could among its many groves made by digging claws. Sgt Marson called Yuell up to the front. Crouch running Yuell came up and knelt by the Sgt. Sgt Marson, using space marine battle hand sighs, told Yuell to scan ahead with his bio sencor on his guntlet. Yuell slung his bolter and activated the small computer on his arm. The scan data went directly to his heads up display.

      "One bio signiture that is only half-human sir." Yuell whispered.

      "Is it one you can use?" asked Marson.

      "Can't tell I need to get a physical sample to deturmen its potency."

      "Were is it?"

      "Down the tunnel twelve meters and down a dead end passage probly digging."

      Sgt Marson gave quick short orders to Sgt Hallens and they moved forward with the rest of the squad. As ordered the team shut their flash lights off and switched two night vision. When they made it to the side tunnel the team set up a perimiter around the entrance as Marson, Yuell, Erickson, Hallens, and Branson entered the cave. At the end  of the tunnel stood a frail figure that final notice them aproch. The figure turned to reviel she was a black haired women in her 20's clothed in a torn worker overalls. The women hissed and backed herself agenst the wall. The women looked as if she had not been feed for days and had worked he hands to the bone digging. But for all intence and purposes she looked human.

      "She don't look so tough." said Erikson brasinly.

      Yuell skoffed "Be my guest then, 'aprehend' her."

      Erikson slung his shotgun and slowly aproched the women.

      "Easy now lass. I don't want to have to hurt you now do I?" Erikson said with his hands up.

      A sudden wet taring sound cought Eriksons ear just before she lounged to bite. Erikson jumped back in time to avoid being bit by her massive razor sharp teeth. The taring sound, Erikson relised, was her cheacks ripping to widen her mouth. Erikson quickly backed away to the laughs of Branson and Yuell. Marson nodded to Yuell who imediatly stoped laughing and acomponyed Marson forward. With the speed of snake handlers they cought the womens arms spun her around and pinned her agenst the tunnel wall. Yuell held her one handed as the other produced a long nedial that made a low drilling noise. The troopers cringed becouse they know what came next. Yuell riped the back of the overall open reviling her spine, whitch had begun to deform backwards and had a more pronounced bone structure. Yuell slowly pushed the nedial between the third and fourth vertibrae and begain estracting a sample, that filled a clear vial on Yuell wrist gauntlet with a strange purpal liquid. The women could not even scream because the pain was so intence all she could do was let out little bursts of air. Yuell finaly removed the nedial and both marines let the women go who went limp to the gound shaking.

       "Well is it good enough?" asked Sgt Hallens visable discusted by what he just saw.
  
       "Anilising." Yuell said annoyed and still trying to collect himself from the ordeal as well. He put in a few more calculations into his gauntlet and it spat out a anwser with a dishearting blurt.

       "Negitive this poor creture is only a gen 3, insufficent." Yuell reported.

        "I not a monster! not monster!" came a sudden deformed yell from behind Yuell. He turned to see the women sitting facing the wall crying. "I 'm not! I'm not" she cryed. "She can still talk then." Marson said as he knelt beside her. Yuell crouched on her oposide side. "Everything was so cloudy until you stabed me." the women sobbed out. "The trama must have dirupted the phycic hold on her mind." Yuell didoost. "Can you remember were the others are?" Marson asked her. "I'm trying but Oooo God-Emporer its coming back the cloud!" said the women holding her head. "were lossing her." Yuell said holding the womens shoulder. "Don't let me go back! KILL ME! PLEASE!" she yelled. "Tell us what we want to know and we'll make it quick." Yuell said soothingly. "Their...their about 3 kolomiters south ... at the fork turn...AAAAHHHHHHHH!" The women cunvulst violantly and a strage buzzing noise could be heard until a loud wet pop. The women went limp again but had blood coming out of her ears, eyes, and mouth. Yuell and Marson stood simutanusly.

        "They know we're here." Marson said grimmly.

                              continued in part 2