Editing Lyster Larrey (section)

===The Raid on Luna===
The Gene-Cults of Luna were a party apart from both the Terran Warlords and the Martian Mechanicum, insular and content to ignore the squabbles of both. They were also regarded as the greatest repository of information on genetics anywhere in the Sol System, to the disgust of the Ordo Biologis who had long envied and coveted their lead in genetic research.

With his work of the Thunder Warrior giving Larrey enough importance to place him within the inner circle of the Ordo Biologis, Larrey now used his newfound influence to press for an expedition to Luna to try and recover as much material as he could from the Gene-Cults there. The Selenar would certainly not expect an attack from Mars, being preoccupied with Terra just below them. They could surprise the Selenar, break in and in a single day equalize the gap between the Ordo Biologis and the Selenar in knowledge and understanding.

With the threat from Terra growing by the day and the potential for knowledge that could help neutralize the Thunder Warriors and safeguard Mars, his request was granted. It took over a year to muster a powerful enough force to assault Luna but in 780.M30, a mighty force including a single Ark Mechanicum, the ancient and powerful ‘Omnissiax’ and two Mechanicum War Arks, supported by dozens of Kraken Servitors and Martian Cruisers was dispatched to Luna.

Luna’s defences were tough and several ships were lost attempting to force a landing. But the sheer might of the Omnissiax and its Temporal Rift cannon ground the Selenar defences into ruins. Larrey and a powerful force of Skitarri, Cybernetica and Praetorians, with a maniple of Warhound Titans of the Legio Tempestus landed upon Luna and forced their way into the Gene-Forges of [[Pallas Eugenesis]], considered the foremost practitioner of the art and thus the foremost target for the Martians.

As the Martian forces broke into Pallass forge and reduced her defences the furious Selenar counterattacked with both the Selenar Pavisiers and Luna’s own answer to the Thunder Warriors: The Selenar Ironclads, gene-modified superhuman soldiers every bit as fearsome as the Thunder Warriors. Their bodies were thick with muscle and armored with subdermal plates, and they were filled with implants that increased their speed and stamina, helped them heal quickly from light wounds and could even keep them going after receiving mortal wounds just long enough to bring down their killers. 

The Martian troops found themselves surrounded and cut to pieces though the Cybernetica Robots proved resilient and able to deal with the Ironclads, foreshadowing their enhanced ability to cut down Astartes during the Rebellion over two hundred years later.

The distraction caused by the Mertian Forces was Larrey’s plan all along.  Even as the Martian forces drew the Selenar defences upon them, Cydonian Tech-Assassins secretly dispatched by Larrey found their targets and swiftly secured them, before retreating to the waiting Martian Ships. The Titans and Cybernetica swiftly followed, and once they were embarked the Martian fleet cut and withdrew, leaving the remaining Martian troops on Luna to their fate.

Though most of the Martian assault force had been destroyed, many dozens of data slates and Selenar gene-wrights were captured, as well as the bodies of several Ironclads. Larrey considered the action a resounding success. There was more than enough material to study for years to come. Once safely back on Mars Larrey busied himself with the new trove of data and even began to experiment with creating genetically modified super-soldiers himself using criminals normally condemned for Servitorization, though these experiments were only on a small scale and not sponsored by any within the Martian Mechanicum.

The success of the Selenar Raid also gave Larrey the credibility and status to become elected as ‘Biologis Prime’, the supreme head of the Ordo Biologis. His election was celebrated across the Ordo Biologis as he had done more than any to make the Ordo Biologis acceptable and even celebrated within the ranks of the flesh-hating Mechanicum. So Larrey could well bask in his success.

What Larrey did not know was that the ‘quantum leap’ the Selenar material had provided had not completely closed the gap between the two. What was worse was that Pallas had secreted a Selenar Assassin of her own who had been able to steal and send back to Luna areas of Martian research that had eclipsed the Selenar’s own work, thus keeping Luna comfortably ahead of Mars in the field of Biotechnology.

Oblivious to all this, Larrey’s work on learning how to counter these gene-bred enemies that all of Mars’ enemies were now fielding in bulk was more productive. He knew that the best weapon was to target their enhancements directly and neutralize them, thus defeating them while allowing those unmodified to advance safely. His finest creation was of a nerve gas specifically keyed to the additional organs of the Thunder Warriors and Ironclads, shutting them down and leaving those troops crippled and unresponsive while the Skitarii, Thallax and Cybernetica could freely advance without anti-gas equipment required.