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‘And you checked the remains of the dwellings, was anything taken?’ ‘Hard to tell, but no, I don’t think so. It looks like everything was burned to the ground rather than plundered.’ ‘Exactly my point. Why didn’t they take prisoners? Have you ever known eldar raiders leave people behind when they could be taken for torture and slavery? No, these aliens came to this place for one thing only – whatever was in that metal.’ ‘And what do you think that was? A weapon of some kind? Maybe something of holy significance to them?’ ‘That’s what worries me, old friend. I don’t know and I can’t even begin to guess either. I’m beginning to think that we may have more to deal with than a simple case of alien pirates.’ They returned to the foot of the hill and marched to the centre of the destroyed township. Rain fell in drenching sheets and Uriel welcomed it, allowing its cold bite to cleanse his skin of the evil sensation he had felt while standing at the hillside. What you must know ! GENETORIUM ! Most planets in the Imperium maintain a gene-pool of plant and animal species for terraforming, agriculture, resource management and other purposes. Native species are studied with a view to assessing their usefulness elsewhere, and introduced species are bio-engineered to adapt them for use in local conditions. The scientists of the Adeptus Mechanicus who run these establishments also monitor the genetic purity of the planet's population, and cooperate with the Inquisition in their task of rooting out mutation and other undesirable traits. |
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