Prologue: Planetfall

   The AA-42 Landing Craft shook violently as it plummeted through the planet's atmosphere. Buckled into his seat with his lasgun strapped above him, Private Kevar, 3rd Class of the Dantesian XIIIth Mobile Infantry held his breath to help with the pain of the atmospheric change. Giving up, he let out his breath in one long sigh, and turned to his Sergeant.
   "What're we doing on this rock, anyway Sarge?" he asked.
   "Yeah," added Private Ostamin, to his right. "You decided to take us on a lovely desert holiday?"
   "Right. Because you're so beautiful, I wanted to see you in a swimsuit," the Sergeant replied. The round of laughter this got did little to calm Sergeant Kellamin's nerves. He had been briefed on the situation earlier and it sounded like a bad one to be thrown into. Little was known about what had happened to the mining colony on this planet, only garbled messages about alien assaults came through before the station was overrun. Kellamin didn't like being thrown into a fight when he didn't know who he was fighting. He even more didn't like the fact that there had been no time for preliminary stealth drops, landing artillery and special forces to assist them, just a handful of Sisters from a nearby convent. But that was the Dantus way. Prima In, Prima Invictus. First in, and first to victory. He met eyes with his fellow Sergeant in the drop ship and nodded slightly before addressing the men.
   "Alright, you beggars, listen up. We're about twenty seconds away from making contact with Emperor only knows what on this Warp damned ball of dust and rock. Now you're all veterans of hundreds of drops, in training and in war, so I won't waste time going through greener rubbish. You boys have fought by my side before, and I know what you can do. And what you're going to do is go down there and give whatever we find down there the biggest, and last, shock of their lives. We've got no artillery, no showy Spec Ops with their sneaking about down there. But we do have some of the most battle hardened Sisters of the Order of the Ebon Chalice dropping with us, so the Emperor fights with us today! Prima In! Prima Invictus! Dantesians Clear the Path!"
    The men's roar of agreement merged with the ship's thrusters as they kick in to bring them in for the grav chute drop. The co-pilot's voice came over the intercom.
    "Equip chutes. Five seconds to jump."
    The doors of the AA-42 slammed open and the roar of the engines filled the cabin.
    "Four... three... two.... one... GO! GO! GO!"