[You present the Lictor's corpse to Commander Drakos for examination.]
[The Tech-Priest from the advance team stationed at the exploratory outpost confirms there are no native creatures matching this description on 'Tyran.']
[This appears to be an unknown xenos species never before encountered by the Imperium.]
[You stress the gravity of the situation to Commander Drakos once more.]
[You recommend that all soldiers be mobilized immediately and placed on combat alert.]
[Commander Drakos accepts your counsel without argument.]
[However, he asks that you personally brief the 358th Regiment about the nature of the unknown creatures they're about to face.]
[You don't hesitate. You tell the soldiers of the 358th Regiment the truth, holding nothing back.]
[These are space-faring xenos far more terrifying than the Ork menace.]
[They are predatory organisms from the intergalactic void beyond the galaxy's edge, creatures that seem to exist solely to consume, evolve, and multiply without end.]
["In time, the Imperium will come to call them 'the Great Devourer,' or..." Your mouth feels full of ash as you force out the whispered words, "Tyranids."]
[Week Three]
[The warp communications array at the 'Tyran' exploratory outpost goes silent.]
[The 358th Regiment can only attempt contact with the Endeavour-class light cruiser in planetary orbit using atmospheric flight vehicles.]
[The ocean surrounding the isolated island falls into an eerie stillness. What was once a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life now lies dead and empty.]
[For an entire week, you barely sleep.]
[Each day finds you and Adjutant Lawrence conducting repeated inspections of the defensive positions.]
[The exploratory outpost on this isolated island has no rear line. Every direction is a potential front.]
[During one inspection, a young mortal soldier's lasgun slips from his trembling hands and clatters to the ground.]
[Your earlier briefing about the Tyranids has shaken his morale. He stands there, body wracked with uncontrollable shaking, fear written plainly across his features.]
[Adjutant Lawrence moves to reprimand him, but you raise a hand to stop your adjutant.]
[Calmly, you bend down and retrieve the fallen lasgun. You place it gently back across the soldier's shoulder, settling the strap into place.]
[You reach up and pat his cheek, still soft with youth, then turn to survey the eyes of every mortal soldier within earshot.]
["I know we're about to face an extremely brutal war," you say, your voice carrying across the assembled troops. "You're all terrified of these alien enemies you've never encountered before. And I'll be honest with you... I'm scared too. Even though I've died many times before."]
[The soldiers shift uncomfortably, exchanging uncertain glances. The raw honesty in your words has caught them off guard.]
["But we are soldiers!" Your voice rises with conviction. "We are the guardians of the Imperium of Man! We are the first line of defense for countless inhabited worlds! We cannot retreat! We dare not retreat! Our sacrifice here will provide the Imperium with intelligence on the enemy's weaknesses. We will lay the foundation for humanity's future victory!"]
[You pause, letting your gaze sweep across every face before you.]
["As Commissar of the 358th Regiment, I give you my word..." Your hand moves to rest on your bolt pistol. "When the enemy attacks, I will be the first to charge. And if death comes for us, I will die before you do. I will die leading the charge forward, not cowering behind you."]