Five disc speeders scoured the empty city of Karyaes Tellanii, searching for their quarry. The city had been abandoned many ages ago, most of its population falling to the plague of the witches. Now, few beings could survive on the planet at all. The crews of the disc speeders had precautions against the disease, as did their companions on the ground.

Unfortunately, there was one being on the planet who was immune to the plague entirely.

The disc speeders were slim mechanical creations, with solid hulls of titanium and strong pulse cores to power the engines and weaponry. Built on each side at the midsection was a large vertical disc, housing two of the speeder’s ant-grav coils. A third disc, horizontal instead, was fixed to the hull above and a short way back from the view canopy. This was used to keep the speeder in the air, while the vertical discs ensured directional control. A thin tail reached back behind the speeder, slipping out between two circular thruster tunnels. A single four barrelled shard cannon was fixed to the underside.

Squadron Command Kalimk searched the skies before scrutinising the sensor display. He was determined not to allow the target to escape as it had done on the ruined world of Tellept. It was a sneaky creature, managing to evade all of his efforts. A planetary sweep of Novrass Kiantei had turned up no results, yet Supreme Command Degette was adamant that the creature had come to this world. Therefore a more localised search was required, and Degette was underestimating nothing. The entire army had been transported to Novrass Kiantei to find and destroy the target. They’d managed to find trace of it in Karyaes Tellanii, and so it was in the deserted city that Degette was focusing his search.

As the disc speeders turned from one wide street into another Kalimk glanced down to the ground and saw the gathered forces of the Miscallan mercenary platoon. It was a formidable army, some two hundred men in total. Even from the height of the disc speeder Kalimk could see the foot soldiers organised into their hunt teams. They were tall beings, hidden away in their heavy armour, suits of emerald metal that kept the soldiers safe from the poisonous atmosphere. They each carried a sturdy shard rifle; weapons that fired heated spikes of metal at an enemy, roasting them from the inside.