The final fall of the hive was sudden. Rumblings, general discontent and the occasional act of random violence seemingly giving way to madness and destruction overnight. Most were caught unawares and sucked into the maelstrom of chaos that ensued, the lucky losing merely possessions or territory, many more losing their lives.
The Arachnateks were not caught off guard, somehow their patron – pleased with their recent conquests – had sent them electronic whispers, warnings of the hive’s imminent demise, weeks before the event. Giving them chance to plan. As a result they managed to relocate the bulk of their equipment and the more important elements of their hive activity, days before their old settlement was consumed by the conflagration of the hives collapse.
This left them well placed as one of the more powerful players of those gangs left struggling to claim new territories and seeking new means of power, in what remained in the aftermath of the destruction. Ulric identified a still functioning sector of Manufactorm as a key strategic point and vital resource area, the sole problem to their use of this area being its occupation by the zealots of House Cawdor.
Ulric lead a small team into the tunnels around the sector, determined to drive Cawdor out and claim the territory for the Arachnateks. A fierce and claustrophobic battle ensued – a deadly game of cat and mouse through the broken underbelly of the hive. The religious fervour of flamer, flail and autogun set again the discipline of las and plasma.
Luckily, discipline carried the day. The controlled fire and tactical manoeuvring of the ‘teks, through the confined spaces of the battlefield leaving the Cawdor “Saints” crippled. Many of their fighters being downed to injury or slain outright. The ‘teks suffering barely a flesh wound in exchange. Seeing the tide turning against them the Saints fled the battlefield, leaving Ulrics gang to claim the territory, and the vital resources it controlled.
