No Quarter 65

®

Capture the power of a Dragon

“Battle for the athanc” campaign rules

when Dragons Battle, Caen shuDDers

Wrath of the Dragonfather

Bog trog Mist speaker

moDel previeW

And EvEn morE ContEnt For:

*While supplies last— —and they’re running out! ©2001–2015 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, No Quarter, and their logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. ®

GET YOUR LIMITED-EDITION PIN WITH SUBSCRIPTION!*

For more details on Privateer Press Digital and No Quarter subscriptions visit privateerpress.com and store.privateerpress.com/subscriptions.aspx

Become a fan of No Quarter on Facebook!

Credits

Publications Director: Michael G. Ryan Creative Director: Ed Bourelle Director of Business Development: Will Shick

Director of Operations: Jason Martin Director of Marketing: Samuel Fletcher

Art Director: Mike Vaillancourt Lead Developer: Jason Soles

RPG Producer: Matt Goetz Playtest Coordination: Jack Coleman Graphic Design Director: Laine Garrett

Studio Director: Ron Kruzie Hobby Manager: Stuart Spengler Editorial Manager: Darla Kennerud

• • •

Editor-in-Chief: Lyle Lowery Editing: Kelsey Fox, Lyle Lowery, Michael G.

Ryan

Proofreading: Charles Agel, Jack Coleman, Matt Goetz, Will Hungerford, Dallas Kemp, Ron Kruzie, Michael Plummer, William “Oz”

Schoonover, William Shick Continuity Editors: Matt Goetz, Douglas Seacat,

Jason Soles

Graphic Design: Laine Garrett, Jessy Stetson, Ainsley Yeager

Photography: Charles Agel, Matt Ferbrache, Geordie Hicks, Dirk Hoppe, Dallas Kemp,

Roger Murmann, Jessy Stetson Studio Miniatures Painting: Matt DiPietro,

Geordie Hicks, Dallas Kemp, Ron Kruzie • • •

COntRiButORS

Josh Colon, Matt Goetz, Orrin Grey,Geordie Hicks, Will Hungerford, Nathan E. Meyer, William Overstreet,Zachary C. Parker,Michael

Plummer,Aeryn Rudel, Michael G. Ryan, William Shick, Tim Simpson, Matthew D.

Wilson • • • iLLuStRAtiOnS

Carlos Cabrera, Oscar Carfaro, Mike Capprotti, Hardy Fowler,Mariuz Gandzel,Johan Grenier, Imaginary Friends Studios,David Kuo, Susan

Luo, Néstor Ossandón, Kiri Østergaard Leonard, Raphael Lübke,Andrea Uderzo,Mike

Vaillancourt, Matthew D. Wilson

All content copyright 2001–2016 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms®, The Witchfire Trilogy, Monsternomicon, Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, Full Metal Fantasy, Immoren, Unleashed, WARMACHINE®, Forces of WARMACHINE, WARMACHINE High Command, Steam-Powered Miniatures Combat, WARMACHINE: Tactics, Convergence of Cyriss®, Convergence, Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, warcaster®, warjack®, HORDES®, Forces of HORDES, HORDES High Command, Monstrous Miniatures Combat, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, Trollblood, warbeast, Orgoth, cephalyx, War Room, Lock & Load, Steamroller, Hardcore, Iron Gauntlet, No Quarter, Formula P3, Formula P3 Hobby Series, Bodgers, Heap, Infernal Contraption, Infernal Contraption 2: Sabotage!, Scrappers, Zombies Keep Out, Grind, Skull Island eXpeditions, SIX, Dogs of War, Exiles in Arms, Called to Battle, The Warlock Sagas, The Warcaster Chronicles, Privateer Pins, and all associated logos and slogans are trademark property of Privateer Press, Inc. All other trademarks appearing are property of their respective owners. First printing Vol. 10, Issue 65: March 2016. Printed in the USA. This magazine contains works of fiction, any resemblance to actual people, organizations, places, or events in those works of fiction are purely coincidental. Duplicating any portion of the materials herein unless specifically addressed within the work or by written permission from Privateer Press is strictly prohibited. In the event that permissions are granted such duplications shall be intended solely for personal, noncommercial use and must maintain all copyrights, trademarks, or other notices contained therein or preserve all marks associated thereof. LEVEL 7 is a registered trademark of Matthew D. Wilson, Individual. Used with permission.

On the COver

Wrath of the Dragonfather by Néstor Ossandón

Racing across the border into Germany, our Juggernaut stops outside Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for the one in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Our Juggernaut, on the other hand, is inspired to put such a beauty to sleep permanently... —Photo by Dirk Hoppe

Juggernaut’s JOurney

2

New Releases 4

Editorial 10

News from the Front 11

Model Preview: Bog Trog Mist Speaker 12

Guts & Gears: Blind Walker 14

Skull Island eXpeditions: Deadly Protocols 25

Battle Report: “Battle for the Athanc” Finale 30

“Battle for the Athanc” Campaign 49

O-Pin Season 61

TABlE OF CONTENTS

Battle Report

“Battle for the Athanc” Finale

“Battle for the Athanc” Campaign

Model Preview

Bog Trog Mist Speaker

Guts & Gears Blind Walker

30

49

14

12

3

Bounty Hunt 62

Gavyn Kyle Files: Pyrrhus 64

lock & load GameFest 2016 Schedule 72

Skull Island eXpeditions: Wrath of the Dragonfather 80

Seeking Immortality 84

Scoundrels & Sell-Swords: lanel Gozca 87

Vive la Resistance 90

Once Upon a Time in Khadoran-Occupied llael 98

Player Gallery 110

No Quarter Painting Challenge 112

Bounty Hunt Gavyn Kyle Files

Pyrrhus

64

Once Upon A Time in Khadoran-Occupied llael

62

Skull Island eXpeditions

R

(R

/M

)

game: hordes/trollbloods

sculptor: brian dugas

painter: dallas kemp

release: march

PIP 71102 • $54.99

G

B

, F

C

(M

)

game: hordes/trollbloods

sculptors: russ charles, brian dugas

painter: matt dipietro

release: april

PIP 71066 • $17.99

B

W

/B

W

(P

)

game: hordes/minions

sculptor: michael jenkins

painters: geordie hicks, dallas kemp

release: march

PIP 75062 • $39.99

l

W

& e

l

(M

)

game: hordes/minions

sculptor: shawn bruner

painter: matt dipietro

release: march

PIP 75065 • $19.99

New releases

B

n

G

R

/G

B

(P

)

game: hordes/legion of everblight

sculptor: carlos castaño

painters: geordie hicks, matt dipietro

release: march

PIP 73090 • $59.99

P

(R

/M

)

game: hordes/legion of everblight

sculptor: fausto gutierrez lopez

painter: dallas kemp

release: april

PIP 73097 • $64.99

New releases

5

C

d

s

(M

)

game: warmachine/cygnar

sculptor: michael jenkins

painter: geordie hicks

release: april

PIP 31113 • $15.99

s

t

C

(M

)

game: warmachine/cryx

sculptor: michael jenkins

painter: geordie hicks

release: april

PIP 34107 • $15.99

t

(R

/M

)

game: warmachine/cygnar

sculptor: dave kidd

painter: matt dipietro

release: april

PIP 31120 • $59.99

t

B

(R

/M

)

game: warmachine/cygnar

sculptor: brian dugas

painter: matt dipietro

release: march

PIP 31110 • $21.99

New releases

P

, F

h

(M

)

game: warmachine/protectorate of menoth

sculptor: olivier nkweti

painter: matt dipietro

release: march

PIP 32111 • $17.99

B

t

o

M

(R

/M

)

game: warmachine/cryx

sculptor: jason hendricks

painter: matt dipietro

release: march

PIP 34131 • $24.99

G

s

s

(R

/M

)

game: warmachine/protectorate of menoth

sculptors: bobby jackson, brian dugas

painter: dallas kemp

release: april

PIP 32114 • $17.99

s

v

(M

)

game: warmachine/retribution of scyrah

sculptor: olivier nkweti

painter: dallas kemp

release: april

PIP 35067 • $11.99

New releases

7

LEVEL 7 [OMEGA PROTOCOL]: E

P

release: march

PIP 62008 • $54.99

i

: A

i

K

A

release: april

PIP 424 • $24.99

i

W

release: april

PIP 604 • $14.99

New releases

C

t

s

PIP 91130 • $11.99

P

t

s

PIP 91131 • $11.99

k

t

s

PIP 91132 • $11.99

C

t

s

PIP 91133 • $11.99

R

t

s

PIP 91134 • $11.99

C

t

s

PIP 91135 • $11.99

WaRMaChine

hoRdes t

s

a

a

M

t

s

PIP 91136 • $11.99

t

t

s

PIP 91137 • $11.99

C

t

s

PIP 91138 • $11.99

l

t

s

PIP 91139 • $11.99

s

t

s

PIP 91140 • $11.99

M

t

s

PIP 91141 • $11.99

New releases

9

If you frequent the Privateer Press website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter, you’ve no doubt seen the epic “Battle for the Athanc” WARMACHINE & HORDES map campaign that I’ve been embroiled in with several of the crew. If you’ve been following along with anticipation, I’ve got a treat for you! This issue contains the campaign rules we’ve been using to play “Battle for the Athanc” AND a truly epic Battle Report that chronicles the grand conclusion to our own map campaign at Privateer Press headquarters! Yours truly has located the athanc, but will I be able to hold on to it, or will it be snatched from my grasp? Read on to find out.

This issue also features a “Model Preview” with the Bog Trog Mist Speaker and a “Guts & Gears” that describes the Blind Walker in greater detail than ever before. (I restrained myself there from saying “gator detail than ever before.” You’re welcome.)

The Llaelese Resistance gets the spotlight in this issue’s Full Metal Fantasy content. The “Viva La Resistance” article is a mini-expansion sure to interest anyone who wants to know more about the Resistance, and you can use the content with a new Resistance adventure that lets you engage in one of their daring missions. There’s also an excerpt from the upcoming Skull Island eXpeditions novel, Wrath of the Dragonfather, by Zachary C. Parker. This epic novel directly ties into the storylines of recent WARMACHINE & HORDES expansion books, so you definitely don’t want to miss it.

Athanc you,

Lyle Lowery

No Quarter

Hello,

I noticed that the last issue has a quote attributed to Lich Lord

Mortenebra. Did she get a promotion I wasn’t aware of? Is Cryx trying to tell us something?

Thank you, Mark Davies

Boulder, CO

The Fleshless Maiden calls no lich lord master, but she is not yet a lich lord herself. It is true there is still an opening since the destruction of Lich Lord Morbus, and it’s possible Mortenebra has applied for that position. As far as we are aware, however, Lord Toruk has not yet picked a replacement and is still reviewing potential applicants.

Do you have a favorite article series you’d like to see in a compilation? Send us a letter with your suggestion or any other questions or comments you have! Email your letters to letters@noquartermagazine.

com, tweet @privateerpress using the hashtag #NQLetters, or send us a

message on the No Quarter Facebook page.

News from the Front brings you recaps and advance information about WARMACHINE and HORDES-related events, as well as updates on products and people in the community. Is there a cool event taking place in your area? Tell us about it at: [email protected]

When Blood Meets oil

Leicester’s Phat Kats Gaming Club ushered in their sixth annual Blood & Oil event, thanks to Press Gangers Ross Knill-MacArthur (Exiled Nephilim) and Stefan Ashwell (Stef686). In total, one hundred players entered the event, which was both a WTC and EU Championship qualifier. For the past two years, the bloodiest generals (most VPs) for HORDES and WARMACHINE have been awarded replica weapons, and this year, Mike Davies took home Rathrok and Jim Gradwell got Daeamortus.

News from the froNt

A MurAl for the Ages

Living up to their name, Nerd Haven Games Inc., has gone the extra mile for the players of Abbotsford and Fraser Valley. Store Manager Jason Anderson explains, “We wanted players to immerse themselves in the game so we went epic-size on the art. Paying equal homage to WARMACHINE and HORDES, the battle scene helps set the tone for the space.” The store even has “dungeon” roleplaying area and fantasy-themed lounge for players looking to dive into the Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying Game or squeeze in a quick 25-point skirmish.

dreieichcon 2015

For the tenth time, WARMACHINE and HORDES players gathered for the annual DreieichCon near Frankfurt to battle for the title of German Champion. The tournament was played in the Masters format with 64 participants.

In the nail-biting finale, Bernhard Fischer clashed with Christian Metz. Bernhard had already won the title in the past, and Christian was the defending champion of 2014. Bernhard had played his first five matches without using his warlock’s feat even once!

Christian fielded a Butcher1 list against Bernhard’s Krueger1, and in the end, it was Christian who came out on top to defend his title. Congratulations to Christian for a well-deserved victory!

conquering love

December marked the wedding of Press Ganger Federico Castelo, whose new bride surprised him with a custom cake that celebrated their union and his love for WARMACHINE. “I believe the first thing I told Sofia after a long, silent pause was, ‘I like to play WARMACHINE.’ Of course that did not get us here, but it did make her surprise perfect. Special things like this are why I love her a little more each day,” Frederico shared.

11

12

Although the meanest and most intimidating individuals lead most bog trog tribes, the real power behind the marshy throne is often found in the webbed claws of a mist speaker. These cunning viziers act as the spiritual advisors and counselors to the chieftains, performing not just as diviners and shamans but also as sorcerers. Mist speakers purport to communicate with the spirits of the swamp. They tap into this strange pantheon of animistic entities, ancestor spirits, and necromantic beings to gain insight beyond the understanding of their fellow tribesmen. Using their cryptic wisdom, the “big fish” who lead the tribes gain insight into the best course of action—though the outcome almost always favors the mist speaker himself. In battle, mist speakers support the tribe by wielding powerful magic that calls upon the bog trogs’ swampy abodes.

Mist speakers speak reverently of the mammoth beast Ashiga, who they believe slumbers beneath Sike Dulra, the great swamp of bog trog legend. Some mist speakers claim that when Ashiga rises from his slumber, he will free all bog trogs from subjugation at the claws of their gatorman oppressors. Some mist speakers believe it is they who will awaken Ashiga with their whispered chants and the blood they spill.

It is these mist speakers who most enthusiastically join the forces of the Blindwater Congregation in battle. From the midst of the battle, they call upon fell spirits to harry the enemy so their blows might

Model Preview

By Will Hungerford Art by Andrea Uderzo

®

miss, or to possess them, causing them to lay waste to one another. Their incantations bolster their allies, whose blows aim true with unerring precision. With each death, the mist speakers whisper thanks and praise to Ashiga, casting sly glances at the oblivious gatormen who are too self-absorbed to realize that every drop of blood shed under the sinister chants of the mist speakers hastens the day of the gatormen’s destruction.

13

Minion – This model will work for Circle, Legion, Skorne, and Trollbloods.

Mist sPeaker

be targeted by ranged or magic attacks and can make attacks only against other models in deep water. While completely in deep water, this model does not block LOS. Magic Ability [6]

• Guidance (HAction) – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction model. If the model is in range, it gains Eyeless Sight and its weapons gain Magical Weapon for one turn. • Influence (HAttack) – Influence is a RNG 10 magic

attack. Take control of target enemy non-warcaster, non-warlock warrior model hit. The model immediately makes one normal melee attack, then Influence expires. • Summon Vortex (HAction) – Center a 3˝ AOE cloud effect

on this model. Enemy models suffer –2 to attack rolls while in the AOE. Summon Vortex lasts for one round. Prowl – This model gains Stealth while within terrain that provides concealment, the AOE of a spell that provides concealment, or the AOE of a cloud effect.

Mist glaive

SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD

DAMAgE 5 FiElD AllOWAnCE 2 POinT COST 2 SMAll BASE 5 6 5 3 13 14 8

TacTIcal TIpS

Amphibious – This model can attack other models that are

in deep water.

mAgic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or

special attack counts as casting a spell.

Bog Trog MisT speaker

Minion solo

Unlike Gorman, Mist Speakers are not characters and can therefore be taken in pairs! While a single Mist Speaker can help grant concealment to a friendly warlock each and every turn, a pair working in tandem offers a mobile cloud wall for the aggressive positioning of said warlock. Best of all, the Mist Speakers have Prowl, which provides Stealth while within their own cloud effect, allowing them to operate with relative safety from ranged attacks. The Mist Speakers’ martial prowess isn’t anything to write home about, but that’s okay. They prefer to rely on the martial prowess of enemy models instead, using Influence to force them to attack their own allies! This spell is the Mist Speakers’ only offensive spell, but as any Cephalyx player will tell you, a well-placed Influence can turn the tide of battle. Just the mere threat of this spell will often cause an opponent to spread their forces wide enough to negate the spell’s effect, which can often be more disruptive than the effect of the spell itself. Finally, the Mist Speaker packs one of the most potent ranged support spells in the game, Guidance. While Guidance can be used on other Minion models hired by a Troll, Skorne, Circle, or Legion army, this ability is perhaps most effective in a Blindwater

Congregation force. Granting Eyeless Sight to warlocks who have powerful ranged

attacks—like Calaban or Rask—makes them even more menacing. This spell is especially dangerous on Rask, who—thanks to his trusty trident cannon—can strip off upkeep spells that might grant Stealth to a model or unit, such as Occultation! The Ironback Spitter is another model that benefits greatly from Eyeless Sight, as well as having its ball of corrosive spit suddenly become magical (imagine what that must look like. . . sparkly mucus). A Spitter benefiting from Guidance

can accurately deliver its deadly AOE into troublesome Stealth or Incorporeal infantry, making it a great tool for dealing with

these pesky foes. The Bog Trog Mist

Speaker is an incredibly versatile support solo in any HORDES faction and is especially dangerous in a Minions Blindwater Congregation army.

USInG The BoG TroG

MIST Speaker

Similar to the service the Mercenary Gorman di Wulfe has provided to WARMACHINE players for years, Mist Speakers bring on-demand cloud effects to the forces of HORDES for a mere 2 army points.

GUTS

&

GEARS

GUTS

&

GEARS

By Aeryn rudel • Art By CArlos CABrerA, HArdy Fowler, And néstor ossAndón If you make your living fishing the Cloutsdown, you get used to

seeing gatormen. Usually, they’ll leave you alone if you steer clear of their villages, but sometimes they don’t. It’s why I carry my old military rifle in my boat. I’m not afraid of anything made of meat and bone—a bullet in the brain will do for a gator just as it will for a man. What I am afraid of are the gatorman shamans, the bokors. They work a dark magic, and on some nights, you can see the witch lights dancing over the village mounds built up out of the swamp. Sometimes those lights move, crossing the dark marsh in silence, and once I saw how.

I was doing a little night fishing when I caught sight of a glow on the shore. I watched it move closer and hunkered down in my boat,

hoping whatever it was would pass me by. A gatorman appeared out of the gloom, covered in bone fetishes, its scales painted in swirling designs. It was leading a terrible beast, a great bipedal gator with eyes that glittered in the dark. Its head was adorned with a crown of flickering candles, and the wax had melted into the thing’s scales. There was no reason those candles should have stayed lit, with the wet and the wind, but they did.

They didn’t see me, or else that bokor had more important things to do. I went straight back to the village and I didn’t come out of my hut until the sun shone clear and strong in the sky. I don’t fish at night anymore.

—Killian Dunn, Gnasir fisherman

14

Blind walkers are created from blackhides, the huge bipedal gators that have long been used by gatorman bokors as beasts of war. The blackhide wrastler is the most commonly encountered, and its strength and ferocity are well documented. The blind walker is something altogether different, a subtle and more precise weapon compared to the wrastler’s overt brutality.

The primary purpose of the blind walker is to serve as a conduit for a bokor’s magic, usually the one who creates it. Secondarily, the blind walker is imbued with an enhanced ability to protect its master, even if this means its own

destruction.

The process of creating a blind walker is lengthy and arduous, and only the most skilled bokors, those that truly command the favor of Kossk, would dare attempt it. The first part of the process is choosing an appropriate subject. Some bokors seek a blackhide in its prime, healthy and vigorous, to serve as the vessel. Others, perhaps more pragmatically, may choose an older, more decrepit blackhide, even one that has served the bokor as a wrastler but can no longer due to catastrophic injury or old age. The choice of vessel makes little difference, and the resulting blind walker is arguably the same regardless of its physical condition before its

transformation.

Once the vessel is chosen, the first step of its transformation into a blind walker is the application of a powerful toxin called the venom of Kossk. This poison, taken from the skin secretions of certain frogs native to the swamps, holds the

multi-ton blackhide in a deathlike sleep for days. The poison’s primary use is to The gatormen of western Immoren are mighty warriors—

strong, tough, and vicious. There are few races on Caen that can match their physical strength or natural fighting prowess, but it is not these traits that make the gatormen so feared by their enemies. It is the dark magic they command, the power they derive from the terrible spirits of the swamp, the greatest among them being Kossk. The gatorman shamans, called bokors, can channel the might of the spirits directly to aid allies or smite enemies. They may also invoke these fell powers to harness the mightiest beasts of the swamp. Sometimes it is enough to simply control these monsters in battle, turning their primal fury into a powerful if unsubtle weapon. Other times, a bokor may call upon Kossk to change the nature of a beast and make it a more appropriate vessel for the bokor’s magic. The blind walker is such a creature, a blackhide whose spirit has been hollowed, whose mind has been all but destroyed, and whose purpose has become much more terrible than brute ferocity.

Blind Walker Creation

—Far-Springer, escaped croak slave

15

destroy portions of its brain that control will and cognition, hollowing the beast’s mind to serve as a more receptive vessel for the bokor’s magic. The venom of Kossk has an additional benefit: it holds the blackhide immobile while the rituals are performed. A powerful bokor could simply dominate the blackhide and force it to remain still, but the rituals involved invoke powerful spirits that could seize control of the blackhide to disastrous effect.

Once the blackhide is immobile, the bokor petitions Kossk through a complex set of rituals. The purpose of these rituals is to remove a portion of the blackhide’s spiritual essence so that the void may be filled with the bokor’s will. Kossk “devours” this piece of the blackhide, a sacrifice to ensure the mighty spirit is appeased and will facilitate the transformation.

When the ritual is complete, bone fetishes are bound to the blackhide’s body, and its muzzle is secured with ropes that have been soaked in the bokor’s blood. The blood is a sacrifice, as the bokor offers his own vital essence to replace the vitality stripped from the blind walker and appease the great spirit Kossk. Then a grave is dug, which can be the most difficult part of the process. Finding an area of firm earth in the swamp large enough to bury a beast the size of a blackhide is not an easy task. In some swamps there are islands dedicated to this purpose, and this valuable resource is often a source of conflict between gatorman tribes.

The blackhide is buried for at least two days, sometimes more. How it survives this process is unknown, though some scholars believe the venom of Kossk may slow the beast’s respiration to a point that it requires little oxygen. This alone would cause severe brain damage, but since the venom of Kossk has already stripped away the great majority of the blind walker’s mind, reduced cognition is hardly a concern. The necromantic ritual process employed by the gatormen during the burial manages to mystically preserve the creature’s life, though outsiders know little about the mechanisms of this ritual.

When the blackhide is unearthed, there is nothing left of the creature’s mind beyond that which controls gross bodily functions, such as breathing. At this point, the beast’s eyes are removed and replaced with gemstones. The type of gemstones varies, but bloodstones are common, as they are sacred to Kossk. Gemstones are rare in the swamps, and some bokor’s may use large freshwater pearls instead, as they are more readily available. The bokor then devours the blackhide’s eyes in a ritualized ceremony, so that part of its flesh becomes part of the bokor. This ritual binds the blind walker to its master and imbues the beast with a type of limited precognition directly related to threats in its master’s location.

The final step in the creation of the blind walker is making the crown of candles that adorn its head and back and the rune-inscribed brazier attached to its spine. The candles are

commonly red and white. The tallow of the white candles is combined with dirt from the blind walker’s grave, the site where it was buried and began its transformation, while the red candles incorporate the blood of powerful predators. The brazier is made of copper or bronze and is inscribed with runes of life and death. The candles and brazier amplify necromantic magic, and allow the bokor to use the blind walker as a conduit for the bokor’s magic, extending the shaman’s range and efficacy with his charms and curses.

Once the candles and brazier are lit, they melt into the blind walker’s scales, fusing them to its body. The flames are drawn from the creature’s life force, and as such, they cannot be snuffed by water, wind, or any mundane method. Only the death of blind walker can extinguish its flames.

Blind Walker role

We surprised the gators, but we weren’t prepared for them. It was their damned bokor that caused all the trouble, him and his wretched beast. I’ve seen the gator beasts in battle before, and they are terrible, but this monster was a new one on me. It looked like a blackhide or at least it had started life as one. Its head and back were covered in a mess of candles, and its eyes had been replaced with red gems.

I’d seen gator magic before, and it’s dark and potent, but I also knew killing the bokor would put an end to it. We had a couple of trolls with us, and I sent two impalers after the shaman. They were close and when they threw their spears, I thought for sure that’d be the end of the bokor, but that weird blackhide appeared out of nowhere, and the spears hit it instead. I didn’t think the lumbering thing could move that fast, but that wasn’t the worst of it. I saw spell runes form around the blackhide, and the spell, a plume of acid mist, melted half my kriel warriors. At that point, we’d had enough, and I ordered a retreat. The gators were banged up too, and they let us go. Thank Dhunia for that.

—Champion Durok Hammerfist, Hardstone Kriel

The blind walker serves its bokor in combat, primarily acting as a conduit for his magic and as a reliable countermeasure against enemy attacks. The creation and ownership of a blind walker also imparts some measure of prestige, as it demonstrates an advanced ability with the necromantic arts. Other gatormen may tread warily around a bokor with a blind walker at his side.

The blind walker serves its master in both offensive and defensive roles in battle, and while it is more specialized than other gatorman warbeasts, it is no less deadly when paired with a powerful bokor.

A blind walker is still a formidable opponent in melee. Its claws are strong enough to rend steel and tear fleshy

We found something mighty strange in the swamp today, so strange I don’t know what to make of it. We came to one of the larger peat islands, where we often stop to stretch our legs a bit. It’s usually empty, but today it held the gigantic corpse of a dracodile surrounded by a dozen dead gatormen. We circled the island to make sure everything on it was truly dead, then went ashore to have a closer look.

There were eleven gatorman warriors and one of their shamans or bokors. I recognized the bokor; he’s quite a big thing among the gatormen in the Bloodsmeath, powerful and feared. All the gatormen had been killed by the dracodile, either slashed to pieces or crushed to death. None of them had been eaten because the dracodile’s snout had been sealed shut with strong ropes. Odder still, there was a mass of wax on the dracodile’s head and what looked to be candles. The dracodile itself had died from more wounds than we could easily count: cuts, burns, bites, you name it.

Whatever the hell those gatormen were trying to do with that monster, it didn’t work, and it got them all killed. I tell you, though, something about the situation unnerved me, and I have a terrible suspicion that if the gators had succeeded, we’d all be in a lot of trouble.

—Captain Fenris Kane, the riverboat Mudraker

enemies to pieces. The ropes that bind its muzzle rob it of the blackhide’s powerful bite, but this is a necessity, as the hollowing of the creature’s mind and soul makes it susceptible to inhabitation by powerful spirits of the swamp. The ritual of binding its muzzle prevents this. More important than raw physical power is the blind walker’s function as a conduit for necromantic magic. A bokor can channel spells through the creature’s body, dramatically extending the range at which he can affect his enemies. This is facilitated by the candles and brazier that form a direct link to the blind walker’s life force, some of which must be used to enact the channeling. Using the blind walker as a vessel for magic drains away some of its life force, and the brazier and candles can be seen to gutter slightly when a spell is unleashed from the creature. Careless bokors can even kill their blind walkers if they are too reckless with their channeling ability.

Many bokors prefer to use the blind walker’s channeling powers to surprise foes and may submerge the creature in the swamp—its candles cannot be extinguished this way—to launch magical attacks at enemies before they are even aware of the danger.

Blind walkers are also imbued with powerful defensive abilities that can be the difference between life and death

for their masters. The ritual destruction of a

portion of a blind walker’s soul and mind dampens its natural

fury. This allows a bokor to transfer his injuries to a blind walker even if it is fully enraged, an impossible feat for other warbeasts.

Finally, the bokor’s ritual devouring of the blind walker’s eyes grants its blind walker an almost precognitive awareness of threats to its master, and it is driven to interpose itself between the bokor and anything that might harm him. Many an enemy has rushed to deliver a killing blow to a gatorman bokor only to have his attack strike a blind walker that suddenly appeared between him and his intended target.

ConClusion

The blind walker represents an important and disturbing development among gatorman bokors. The augmentation of living creatures to act as vessels for necromantic magic has wide-reaching implications. If it can be done with a blackhide, might it also work on other gatorman warbeasts? Or, worse yet, what if such augmentation could be performed on even more potent creatures?

Often, the more civilized races of western Immoren are quick to dismiss gatormen as simple, savage brutes. If the terrible power of the blind walker is any indication, this is a grave mistake.

17

effectively have a pseudo arc node now—and it’s secured on the hefty frame of a heavy warbeast.

With its large base and open fists, the Blind Walker is an unstoppable force in regards to its channeling capabilities: Should the enemy try to bog down the Blind Walker with small-based infantry models, it can easily trample them and then use its animus. And if the enemy opts instead to try and tie up the Blind Walker with a light or heavy warbeast, the Blind Walker can use a two-handed throw to toss the pesky foe aside and use its animus again. The best part is the Blind Walker can use its animus after determining if its power attack of choice worked as intended, so there is no inefficient use of fury points. The Blindwater Congregation’s newfound access to the channeling ability really allows some of the more arcane-focused warlocks in the pact to be aggressive with their fury spending without putting themselves in danger. Calaban, the Grave Walker works particularly well with one or even two Blind Walkers in his battlegroup. With a pair of well positioned Blind Walkers and Calaban’s Grave Door ability, the warlock can turn a couple of enemy models into channelers and unleash a torrent

of arcane hell on his feat turn, all while remaining safely behind his front lines.

Glutton for

Punishment

Prematurely rushing the Blind Walker into position to channel spells during battle can often lead to an early and unnecessary demise. Like many channelers and models with the Arc Node advantage, the Blind Walker should not be thrown into the front lines without considering its survivability. In fact, it is best to keep the Blind Walker in close proximity to its controlling warlock or the other important solos in the army to take full advantage of its Shield Guard ability. There are many arcane-focused warlocks in the Congregation that greatly benefit from having a model with Shield Guard nearby, especially those who prefer to lead from the rear of their army. One model in the Congregation’s arsenal that definitely appreciates a bit of ranged defense is the Sacral Vault battle engine. Thanks to its huge base, it is not difficult to keep the Blind Walker in Shield Guard range of the Sacral Vault while also using the Vault’s enormous size to block LOS to the Blind Walker. But

Blind Walker taCtiCs

By Will Hungerford

Unlike the other heavy warbeasts brought to battle by the Blindwater Congregation, the primary function of the Blind Walker is not killing the enemy by fang, claw, spit, or tentacle. Instead, this tormented creature supports the warlocks of the Blindwater Congregation in a variety of new and exciting ways. No beast released for the Congregation to date has opened up as many new tactics and strategic opportunities as the loathsome Blind Walker.

When You’re rite,

You’re rite

One of the Blind Walker’s most powerful abilities is its animus, Rites of Power. This animus allows the Blind Walker’s controller to channel spells through it for the meager cost of d3 damage points per spell channeled. That’s right, the warlocks of the Blindwater Congregation

some models in the Congregation do not necessarily need a Shield Guard to protect them. Bloody Barnabas, for example, can use his own Swamp Pit spell to protect against enemy ranged attacks. In an army led by a warlock who has his own abilities for protection, such as Bloody Barnabas, it would be best to position the Blind Walker near any solos or light warbeasts that need the additional layer of protection.

Regardless of where the Blind Walker is positioned within an army, as long as it remains within its controller’s control range, it can provide even more defensive support with its Empathic Transference ability. Given that the Blind Walker’s animus costs 2 fury points to use, and that it will often want to charge or power attack on the turn it becomes a channeler, the ability to transfer damage to the Blind Walker even while it is full on fury is invaluable to any warlock.

BiG and BeefY

Between taking damage each time a spell is channeled through it, using Shield Guard to protect friendly models, and acting as a solid transfer target through Empathic Transference, the Blind Walker can soak up a ton of damage very quickly. Luckily, the Blind Walker weighs in at a hefty ARM 20 with 27 damage boxes.

To really make sure the Blind Walker sticks around long enough to get the job done, consider using the Bull Snapper’s Spiny Growth animus for +2 ARM—it even increases the efficiency of the Blind Walker’s Shield Guard ability.

The last thing to keep in mind is that unlike the Blackhide Wrastler, the Blind Walker does not have Snacking, which means it will need to rely on its controlling warlock to heal any damage dealt to it. This can lead to some unfortunate order-of-operations issues in which the Blind Walker will be unable to use its animus to channel a key spell at a crucial time due to a crippled Spirit. Currently, there are no ways of healing the Blind Walker in a Blindwater army without the warlock doing it. So, be sure to keep a close eye on the warbeast’s Spirit aspect and to proactively heal damage when extra fury is available.

19

COLORS USED

Cryx Bane Highlight Exile Blue

Gun Corps Brown Ironhull Grey ’Jack Bone Menoth White Base Menoth White Highlight Meredius Blue Morrow White Ordic Olive Quick Silver Rucksack Tan Thamar Black Traitor Green

1

PaintinG the Blind Walker

By geordie Hicks

For this article, I decided to present an alternative method for painting a Blind Walker. Rather than the usual greens used to paint the studio gatormen, I chose a palette intended to represent a desert-dwelling gator tribe. I tried to stick to browns, oranges, and yellows to communicate this desert theme. The candles were painted blue to make the model more interesting and to complement the reddish-orange color of the scales on the Blind Walker’s back.

The first step is to prime the model. Choosing a primer color means thinking about the colors you are going to paint over it. For bright (saturated) or light (value) colors, white primer is usually the better option; however, having black primer in the shadows means if your coverage isn’t perfect, you won’t end up with glaring bits of white showing through your basecoat. So, I chose to first prime black and then apply a lighter coat of white over the top. This technique is known as zenithal priming, and it tends to leave black primer in the recessed areas while keeping the majority of the miniature’s surface primed white.

steP 1 – PreParation

steP 2 – sCales and skin

1. Next, lay down the three largest coats of base color. I chose to work with an airbrush for this step. For the underbelly scales, I chose Menoth White Base. The back scales and spiny growths were sprayed with Bloodtracker Brown. And for the regular scales, I wanted a yellowish desert color, but I didn’t want things to be too saturated, so I mixed together Traitor Green, Rucksack Tan, and a little bit of Menoth White Base.

1a

1b

2

3

4

2. Touch up the back scales and spines with Bloodtracker Brown using a regular brush. Next, mix together Ordic Olive, Bloodtracker Brown, and Brown Ink to create a dark shade, and use it to glaze over the back scales and spines to create shading. Use the tip of your brush to create speckles of this color over the regular scales as well. This adds some additional texture and interest to the model.

3. Next, highlight the back scales and spines using a mixture of Bloodtracker Brown and Menoth White Base. Make sure to leave some of the base color underneath these highlights.

Apply a final highlight using thin lines of pure Menoth White Base. This highlight may look extreme, but this is the desired effect. When painting using only a few steps, it works best to really push the contrast.

4. Shade the yellowish scales with a mixture of Battlefield Brown and Beast Hide. Concentrate the shade on the underside of the scaled portions of the model, but make sure the whole surface gets at least a light coating to help fill in the cracks.

21

steP 3 – ClaWs, teeth, and Bones

steP 4 – roPes

1

1

2

3

2

1. Next, give each scale a highlight of Menoth White Highlight on its upper edge.Basecoat the claws, teeth, and all the bones on the model with Menoth White Base. Then shade the bones with Cryx Bane Highlight, and shade the claws, teeth and underbelly scales with Traitor Green mixed with a bit of Menoth White Base.

1. Basecoat the ropes with Thamar Black. 2. Add some Coal Black to your Thamar

Black, and apply it to each raised bump of the rope, leaving the Thamar Black in the cracks.

3. Take a drop of the previous mixture and add some ’Jack Bone to it. Use this color to apply a small dot to highlight each bump on the rope.

2. Now, add some stark highlights to these areas. Use Morrow White for the bones, and use Menoth White Highlight for the teeth, claws, and underbelly. Using different colored shades and highlights will help distinguish different materials that have the same basecoat color.

steP 5 – Candles, Brazier, and talismans

1. Basecoat the candles with Thamar Black and basecoat the flames with Menoth White Highlight. Use Cold Steel to basecoat the talismans.

1

4

2

5

3

6

2. Highlight the candles with a mixture of Bastion Grey and Thamar Black, leaving pure Thamar Black in the recessed areas.

3. Begin coloring the flames by glazing them with a thin coat of Meredius Blue. Concentrate the glaze toward the tip of each flame. Paint the skulls in the brazier next with Thamar Black.

4. Do a second glaze by adding some Exile Blue to your Meredius Blue glaze, concentrating on just the tip of each flame. Use this color to glaze around each flame as if the light from the flame is being cast on the surrounding areas. Then, glaze a bit of Menoth White Highlight back into the lower portions and crevasses of the brazier flames, including inside the eyes and noses of the skulls. Add a dot of Menoth White Highlight to the bottom of each candle flame.

5. Glaze each silver area with Ironhull Grey. Try to leave the base color showing on the raised portions.

6. Add a darker shade of Ironhull Grey and Thamar Black. Next, line under the raised edge of each talisman and beneath the raised details on the brazier. Use this same shade color to add thin, dark lines to separate the different materials on the model. Then shade in the eyes and nostrils, and the lines between the teeth to divide each one.

23

steP 6 – Gemstones

1

2

3

4

1. Basecoat the gemstone eyes with Coal Black.

2. When painting gemstones, it is important to remember that the light shines through the stone and collects in the bottom of the gem, opposite the light source. Paint the first highlight of Meredius Blue plus a small amount of Coal Black in the bottom left corner of the flat facet. Use this color to also pick out the raised edges of the stone.

3. Apply a second smaller highlight of Meredius Blue with a drop of Menoth White Highlight to the same areas, leaving some of the first highlight showing through.

4. Now, paint in reflection dots at the top of the gemstone using a final glinting highlight of pure Menoth White Highlight. Also apply a highlight to the bottom corner, the area where the light would collect.

At this point, the model is nearly complete. Make sure you give it a look over to see if you missed anything or if anything could use a small improvement. If the yellow scales look a little too flat, add some more shading. You can increase the definition by first glazing a shade of Battlefield Brown over the scales and then using this color to fill in some of the lines between the scales. I added some glinting highlights on the metal using Quick Silver and used a couple glazes of Beast Hide on the scales in locations that looked too flat. The scales still needed more detail, so I used a dark shade to divide each back scale and applied a thin glaze of pure Bloodtracker Brown to make them look a little redder. Once you are pleased with the details, you just need to base and matte varnish your model to complete it.

DeaDly

Protocols

a

No Quarter exclusive excerPt

from

level 7: the JuDas Protocol

This April, devotees of the LEVEL 7 board games will learn more about the Ghin, the nefarious Dr. Cronos, and the military forces that stand against these aliens in the new novel LEVEL 7: The Judas Protocol by author Nathan E. Meyer. At long last, the evil experiments the Ghin have conducted on their human victims in the secret laboratory known as Subterra Foxtrot will come to light as the U. S. government initiates the Judas Protocol, intent on wiping out of existence the Ghin “allies.” The Special Ops outfit known as Disco Team is to go in, eliminate the duplicitous Ghin, and erase all evidence of their horrific activities.

But the Ghin might not be so cooperative as to just lay down and die…

The following excerpt comes from the beginning of LEVEL 7: The Judas Protocol, available as an ebook in e-pub, Mobi, and PDF formats this April from Skull Island eXpeditions.

Available at https://skullislandx.com/level-7/the-judas-protocol, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and drivethrurpg.com April 2016.

25

Macau Special

adMiniStrative region

The yacht rested, low and sleek, on the indigo waters of the South China Sea. One hundred eighty-seven-feet long, the fifty-million-dollar craft even had its own helipad. La

Femme Mako was inked across its prow, implying French

ownership despite flying a Panamanian flag. The luxury watercraft was neither.

The Lady Mako was the polished gem of the United States

Navy Special Warfare Command’s clandestine fleet. She served as a high-end signal intelligence platform, communications node, and covert operations launch pad. Her fourteen-man crew comprised veterans of both the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen and the Marine Corps FAST platoon security personnel. A member of the CIA’s Special Activities Division Air Branch operated the MH-6 Little Bird helicopter lashed to the helipad.

The vessel represented a combined-service Special Access Program, classified to the highest level of operational secrecy. Because of this, the commander was used to dealing with Tier One JSOC operators whose missions he was never allowed to know the details of.

It seemed Major Joseph Hernandez existed in a category all his own. He looked the part of a hard-edged skull-stomper, and as a platoon leader in the 75th Ranger Regiment, he’d logged extensive tours in the Middle East and southwest Asia, operating at the tip of the special ops spear.

What he did now as an operative of the Scientific Advancement Agency was so secret that it existed outside any known bureaucratic or administrative designations. Hernandez sat alone in the yacht’s stateroom. The large cabin was soundproof and as loaded with electronic and surveillance countermeasures as the White House Ready Room. On a 72-inch HD screen, the face of his Command and Control Deputy Director of Operations, Brigadier General Atticus Fallows, displayed no emotion as he outlined an assignment not only illegal but with the potential to start a war.

“Our window is small,” Fallows explained, his voice cold. “We want a clear message sent. Acts of espionage against

our agency will be met with extreme and lethal

counter-activities. Always, every time, no exceptions.”

“If you don’t show me what I’m looking for, how will I recognize it?” Hernandez asked.

“We are not sending images of Ghin materials over satellite communications,” Fallows said. “Lieutenant Williams will utilize the Guidance and Accuracy Module in the Psychotronic Amplification Suit. He’ll recognize the uniqueness of the device’s signal frequency. There will be no mistake.”

Hernandez nodded. “This still doesn’t explain how the Chinese Ministry of State Security obtained Ghin technology in the first place.” It struck the commando as ironic that the Ghin themselves were referred to without code. He suspected the term was so alien that it would be assumed to be a coded term itself, should it ever be intercepted.

Fallows stared at him. The deputy director had a hatchet-blade face with an aquiline nose and skin pockmarked by acne scars. His eyes were a cobalt shade of blue that burned bright when angered or became inscrutable shields when professional discretion was called for. What those eyes were not, however, were windows to his soul. If Brigadier General Fallows possessed a soul, he kept it as safely concealed as any of the thousand other secrets he guarded, Hernandez imagined.

“The original transfer of this item into Chinese hands is information outside the parameters of this operation.” Hernandez allowed his face to congeal into an expressionless mask. He nodded curtly. “Understood.” Fallows leaned toward his camera lens. “The clock is ticking, Major,” he said. “And as always, when dealing with items under the auspices of our SAA activities, the sensitivity of the mission overrides all other concerns.” “Understood,” Hernandez repeated. And he did. He understood perfectly. Under no circumstances were there to be any witnesses.

“One last thing,” Fallows said, leaning back. “There has been a recent opening among the GEV personnel. Give me an honest assessment of your pilot after the mission is completed. She’s under consideration.”

Fallows cut the connection.

An interagency transfer from the SAD to SAA? Lucky her, Hernandez thought. If she proved capable and made the jump, she wouldn’t realize her mistake until she was in too deep to ever get out.

It was exactly how Fallows had gotten him. ***

Half a world away, Atticus Fallows turned to face the other being in the office with him.

The creature stood eight feet tall, with spindly appendages that belied the inhuman strength it possessed. The alien’s head was a taupe-colored gourd, swept back around a sloped skull that protruded grotesquely in the back. Although generally humanoid in shape, the creature’s eye were black pits, its nostrils simple slits, and the epidermis of its face a mask of deep seams and furrowed wrinkles. Fallows hated being this close to the thing. It smelled...

other. The scent wasn’t even animal-like but so utterly alien

26

to human olfactory senses it caused a persistent sense of unease. The stink was so unique it proved impossible to utilize military dogs for security at the facilities where the Ghin were quartered. Both they and their puppets, the things that served the Ghin, drove canines insane with their unhuman stench.

“Major Hernandez is justifiably curious about how a Ghin artifact ended up in the hands of Chinese intelligence, Dr. Cronos,” Fallows said.

“As you indicated to your soldier,” the being replied, “it is an internal matter.” With an efficient motion, Cronos sat down across from the SAA mission controller. After all the years since Roswell, Fallows still found it disconcerting to hear English from the vocal cords of a creature unintended by evolution to utter human speech.

The general scowled. “You have a lot of leeway with us,” he said, “but when you start dropping your toys so they end up in the hands of foreign powers then I think the matter has moved a little bit beyond ‘internal.’”

A long moment of silence followed.

The creature was unreadable. Fallows had conditioned himself through years of meditative study to betray nothing, not only by his expression or his body language but also by his thoughts. The telepathic capabilities of the aliens were a constant and feared uncertainty.

“At this time, my attention has shifted to Subterra Foxtrot,” Cronos said. “There was an experiment conducted there deemed necessary to our research. It is plausible that during its execution this device could have become compromised through a mishap.”

“Oh, Jesus, tell me it wasn’t the Fear Hunter.” “No. The accident was more mechanically related.” “Or perhaps Dr. Thoth gave it to the Chinese,” Fallows shot back. “Is that also a ‘plausible’ scenario?”

Cronos folded long, twig-like fingers together and placed his hands in a lap covered by a long white lab coat. “I have not ruled out that possibility. However, I remain relatively certain this was an unfortunate misadventure.”

“Relative is not a metric I enjoy,” Fallows said. “Certitude is the metric I embrace.”

“Then make certain your unit is successful,” Cronos said. “Disco Team will recover the item,” Fallows replied, “or they’ll burn the whole damn island of Macau to cinders.” “Then we have certitude.”

“For now, Dr. Cronos. We’ll see how long ‘now’ lasts.”

Subterra bravo,

level 7

In a laboratory deep underground, in Subterra Bravo’s Level 7, Dr. Cronos turned away from the screen before him. This facility was a place the few human beings who knew of its existence dubbed Nightmare Alley. Dr. Cronos’ dissatisfaction was readily apparent to the scurrying figures around him, his servitors—the creatures urban legend had termed Greys. To a human, his emotions would have been unreadable.

The research center held all the trappings of an operating room. Strangely, given the immense financial commitment needed to put such a clandestine facility into operation in the first place, the chamber seemed neglected.

The lights were dim, the floors and walls dirty, the equipment dingy. Experts familiar with the technology would have noticed the models in use were not the latest incarnations or leading-edge applications. Other items and devices were so foreign in design and structure their use or meaning would be indecipherable to any human observer. Overall, the chamber gave off a sense of decay that belied its level of activity.

On the operating table a woman whimpered. Her belly was round and swollen in the third trimester of pregnancy. Her terror was palpable as she watched the tall alien. Cronos’ servitors milled around her, excited by her terror and pain.

Her name was Sandra Banks. She was twenty-two years old, and this was her first baby. She knew it was going to be a girl, and she was going to name the child Alyssa. The pharmacists had warned her the pill wasn’t a guarantee; still, she had never thought of Alyssa as an accident. Her little girl was a “surprise” as far as Sandra was concerned. And no matter what that son of a bitch Tristan thought, she was happy when the test came back positive. She even saved the stick, though he told her it was gross.

Tears streamed down her face, and occasionally, one of the little alien creatures reached out with a rusty scalpel or a jagged fingernail and casually sliced her skin. The filthy sheets of the old hospital bed were stained scarlet, crusted with older blood in stiff patches of crimson and black.

Out of my way, Cronos mentally commanded his underlings.

They scattered to obey. The Ghin stood over a tray of instruments. Fingers like spider legs grasped a five-cc syringe with a long, sharp needle.

Sandra sobbed. It was a hoarse, animal sound. What humanity remained in it was shredded to fragments. Since she’d gone from traveling down the highway to inexplicably losing all memory before ending up here— she didn’t know how long ago that had happened now— she had done nothing but scream and plead. She thought

27

she was done begging; she understood how useless her pleas for mercy were. The big alien seemed pitiless. Cronos turned around, and Sandra saw the syringe. She had already undergone an amniocentesis at her gynecologist’s; she understood exactly what that long, thin needle was for. She saw the viscous, black fluid inside the syringe barrel and grasped intuitively, immediately, that this alien, this thing, wasn’t going to be taking a bio-sample.

This monster was injecting something into her, into her baby. She’d thought she was done begging.

She was wrong.

Sandra screamed as Cronos drew closer. The monstrosities at his command milled around in a sort of inebriated ecstasy, as if her terror were a tangible stimulant for them, some kind of powerful drug they were addicted to. Cronos’ movements were as smooth and methodical as an android’s. Her pleas did not move him, and her shrieks did not excite him. His focus was intent as he swabbed her swollen abdomen with a cold disinfectant and then a conductive gel. The overhead surgical lamp lit her up like a performer on a stage.

Cold, inhuman fingers steadied the quivering flesh of the struggling woman.

“Please,” she sobbed. “Please, not my baby.”

“Understand this,” he told her. “You are saving an entire species with your sacrifice.” There was something horribly wrong with the sound of the monster speaking a human language.

“Screw your species.”

Imaging, he mentally instructed one of the creatures.

One of the drone-like servants stepped forward and ran the oval head of an imaging wand through the gel smeared across Sandra’s belly. On an old, battered screen a picture of the fetus sprang into view. The baby was curled up, seemingly asleep, appearing to suck her thumb. Cronos eyed the image. Then, he expertly slid the needle through the woman’s taut skin and into the placenta. On the screen the needle appeared, a foreign intruder into what was supposed to be a safe, comforting environment. Sandra’s screams reverberated off the walls as she struggled against the leather restraints. Her body lurched under Cronos’ grip. The alien turned its dark, cold eyes on her. They were the dead, gleaming eyes of a marine predator. “Move again and the needle could pierce the baby’s heart or brain,” he said.

Sandra froze.

She froze out of fear for her baby in this helpless position, as cold fingers of dread slid into place around her pounding heart and squeezed.

After a moment, she slowly turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears slid along her lashes, but she didn’t make a sound and did not stir.

Cronos returned his mechanical gaze to the image on the screen. He mentally seethed at the state of his laboratory, at the out-of-date equipment he was forced to use. Still, his research had to continue or the repercussions would be severe.

He had to find a cure.

On screen the needle slid into the baby, and Cronos pushed the syringe plunger down, injecting the baby with its contents in one smooth motion. The baby started kicking. Only after the needle slid free did Sandra allow herself to sob again.

Cronos had tired of the human’s bleating. Sedate her, he commanded one of the servants at his feet. The diminutive clone immediately jabbed a needle into Sandra’s arm hard enough to make her jump. Then it depressed the plunger, and the human fell silent, her breathing heavy and slow. “Dr. Cronos,” a voice said in the alien’s own language. “Don’t do this.”

Cronos turned to the second table in the room. One of his own kind, a Ghin, lay on the table, strapped down like the human. His skin was blotchy, his body too thin. Open sores dotted the alien’s limbs, leaking thin rivulets of clear fluid. Picking up a second syringe, Cronos approached the alien. “If they discover what you are doing—” the Ghin began, and then it coughed, spraying blood and mucus into the air. It choked. “If they find out—”

A wave of psychic pain slammed into Cronos, staggering him. The dying Ghin’s agony had amplified its mental abilities, but Cronos’ mind was strong, the strongest of his kind, and he pushed the psychic assault aside.

“They will not,” Cronos said as he approached the table, the syringe held ready to begin the second stage of his experiment.

***

South china Sea

Operational countdown was running fast.

Two FAST platoon Marines armed with H&K MP-7 PDWs stood guard outside the reinforced doors of the stateroom as Major Hernandez gave his operational briefing. Inside, the remaining four members of his unit, the commander of The Lady Mako, and the MH-6 pilot were seated around the table.