The world of Bheta-Decima is falling apart, and errant warbands are battling to make off with valuable loot before the whole planet falls into anarchy. Sprawling seaborne platforms that once rang with industry and hummed with technological secrets now echo with gunfire and screams – and it’s time for two new Kill Teams to square up in the next upcoming expansion.
Kill Team: Termination finds a band of Hernkyn scouts from the Leagues of Votann facing down Astra Militarum troopers infected by a Genestealer Cult amidst the glowing plasma coils of a power generatorium, pitting grizzled Kin efficiency against the mad fanaticism of the Brood Brothers.
We’ve seen the Hernkyn before in Warhammer 40,000 – but not all of them are Hernkyn Pioneers, with the luxury of a high-speed hover-trike. Known as Yaegirs, these footbound frontiersmen spend most of their time ranging far ahead of their Kindreds, protected from the elements by their distinctive greatcoats and packing an assortment of powerful, flexible weapons to fend off opportunistic predators.
The Hernkyn Yaegirs expect to find themselves fighting up close and personal, so they’re slinging bolt shotguns and an arsenal of pistols, plasma knives, and other in-your-face weapons. When more firepower is called for, the combination of a magna-coil sniper rifle and an adaptive payload missile launcher can solve pretty much any problem – silently or otherwise.
Their hunting and tracking skills will be in high demand on Bheta-Decima, as a sinister band of treacherous turncoats level their lasguns for the Four-armed Emperor. As Genestealer Cults spread throughout a society, from the lowliest peons to the halls of power, entire regiments of a planet’s defence forces can fall under their sway, creating units of sleeper soldiers known as Brood Brothers.
These highly trained soldiers combine the equipment, training, and access of Astra Militarum squads with the fanatical zealotry and alien instincts of a true Genestealer Cultist.
Like many under the thrall of a Genestealer, however, their single-minded devotion often requires careful direction from higher up the chain of command. It’s not uncommon to see superiors from their Broodcoven joining the fight personally – up to and including the Patriarch themselves, should a mission be deemed sufficiently important.
In this area of Bheta-Decima, power relay stations still flicker and thrum with energy as kill teams fight to claim bounties, secure intel, or simply escape with their lives. Massive plasma generatoriums form the backdrop for these vicious clandestine operations – the solid metal frames make for excellent cover and convenient Vantage Points, but such ancient technology isn’t always reliable, and some missions turn them into outright hazards.
These aren’t dinky little metal boxes, though – they’re over twice the height of a normal human, and can even hide the Patriarch from view. A good set of climbing equipment means that Yaegirs will have no trouble finding a good shooting spot from atop a generatorium – even if they’re liable to get nosebleeds from the unexpected altitude.*
Kill Team: Termination will be out later this year, so in the meantime, head back to our hub for more announcements from the Warhammer Preview Show at AdeptiCon 2024.
* There are no actual rules for operatives spontaneously suffering nosebleeds. Sorry.