As the mining world of Kotir-8 falls to the hive fleets of the monstrous alien tyranids, the arrival of a force of skitarii under Alpha Vanguard 6-Friest seems like an Omnissiah-sent miracle to the planet's battered survivors. But as the radiation-soaked skitarii vanguard hold off the tyranids, their true motives for arriving on Kotir-8 come into question. Are they there to save the people of the planet - or do their Adeptus Mechanicus overseers have something more sinister in mind?

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As if the prospect of skitarii vanguard fighting against a tyranid horde wasn't enough, The Zheng Cipher also reveals the cold, calculating nature of the Adeptus Mechanicus and how the radiation-soaked vanguard can spell doom for enemy and ally alike.