To say that Argyos was idyllic was an understatement. There were few obvious signs of war like there had been on Istvan III. No bombed out buildings, no ominous fleets in orbit, the trees and the ground were not set ablaze from the devastation of warheads. As he observed the dense forests and green hills that rose and fell like waves in the distance, Lyras almost considered it a shame to be bringing war to this part of the planet. The thought was quickly wiped from his mind when he reminded himself that the occupants of the port in which they were about to land, and indeed of the entire planet, were traitors to the Imperium. It was unlikely to find the men he had sworn to hunt to extinction, the turncoats of his former legion, but those who had sided with Horus and chosen to turn against the Emperor were no less guilty of treason and would be shown little mercy. However, his goal, and the goals of the other Astartes around him, was not to exterminate the population, but to neutralise the planetary governor during one of his sordid celebrations. The civilians he would spare, if they stayed out of the way, but the governor and his personal guard, the men and women who had raised weapons against Imperial forces, and therefore against the Emperor himself, were to feel his judgement, and the wrath of a dozen or more marines like him.

While there was no sign of battle damage among the buildings, there were signs that the planetary forces were prepared for war. Reports of a huge military parade stuck in Lyras' mind, the thought of the sheer numbers of traitors amassed in one place made him both wroth and gleeful. The port that they would be landing in, delivered by the Rogue Trader, was heavily fortified, but was not expecting enemy forces in the Trader's ship. They were able to pass the surface-to-air batteries and the patrolling aerial forces, at least one valkyrie and likely more, ignored them as they made their approach to land. There was a sizeable garrison, possibly two platoons worth, of Planetary Defence Force militia guarding the port itself, likely with a small, possibly squad sized, more professional force in supervision. Lyras was aware that former Solar Auxilia forces were present on the planet, but, in discussion with the other Astartes, surmised that the majority of them would be employed as close bodyguards to the governor and would not be the main opposition for a while, at least until they made it past the port. Along with the garrison, heavy weapons batteries were mounted on the rooftops of the buildings, lascannons and heavy bolters, supplemented with stubbers and other crewed guns. They were all pointing upwards, employed to protect the port from landing forces, but the Astartes had already landed.

The Astartes gathered in the craft had agreed that the first priority was to secure the port with brutal efficiency and speed. It was crucial that the garrison was neutralised and any electronic or physical means of alerting a larger force made impossible. To the individual Astartes that meant killing every man and woman present and destroying the communication systems in the port, whether with electronic pulse weapons or by physically smashing the port's dedicated power generators housed in a large building set to the side of the side of the landing pads. After that it was a case of securing armoured transport to deliver them into the heart of the governor's retreat in the countryside away from the port. 

Lyras had made suggestions as to how the governor should be eliminated. They had an array of variously trained and experienced Astartes among them. He and his former Emperor's Children brothers were trained to target and engage the enemy's champions and strongest forces. It was something Lyras excelled in, particularly if he could close into close combat. However, his men were small in number, and he made recommendations to the commanders of the other squads. The Chateau was heavily defended. Not in the same way that an Astartes legion would defend a stronghold, but it contained armoured vehicles, trained soldiers and numerous defences. To prevent the governors' escape would require more than simply driving an APC through the wall of his residence if he was able to escape by air. Once the port was secure they would be able to manoeuvre with impunity, and part of those manoeuvres would be to secure a perimeter around the Chateau, as well as a force to break down the gates and engage the forces from the inside. He couldn't order the commanders into any particular role, but he recommended that the World Eaters be among those who go through the gates once the APCs were secure, knowing that their penchant for bloody butchery would be ideally suited to the close confines of the Chateau's secure walls. His Emperor's Children would be accompanying them. He also recommended that the Raven Guard, and a few others, secure a perimeter around the Chateau and eliminate the patrols. There had been reports of foot patrols and vehicles around the Chateau which could envelop them if not dealt with. While not privy to their methods, he was aware of the Alpha Legion's ability to infiltrate and to subdue with a greater measure of stealth than more overt legions and suggested that the commander of those Astartes find some way into the compound while the main attack took place.

However, all that would have to wait. The fortified port would need to be secured before they could progress. Platoons of men needed to be neutralised, communications needed to be severed, aerial patrols needed to be grounded, and a dozen other things needed to be accomplished by the individual Astartes squads. 

"[b]Once we have disembarked, the priority is to secure the port and to disable their communications before they can bring a greater force to bear,[/b]" said Lyras over a commbead to the other squads, reminding them of what they had already discussed before the landing began. "[b]Strike hard. For the Emperor.[/b]"

Lyras and his men, four in total, stood at the rear of one of the crafts with their weapons drawn. A few moments after the Traders' crafts had all landed, each burden with squads of marines, the loading ramps began to lower. The garrison had not been expecting an attack from the inside, and their forces had their eyes on the skies, scanning for ships. Lyras, sword drawn, lunged forwards as the ramp dropped onto the metal landing pad and thundered towards the nearest armed man. A spray of blood coated the ground around him as he cut through a soldier armed with an autogun slung over his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and turned, fury in his eyes, to the next man, drawing his bolt pistol and loosing single rounds as he trudged thunderously towards them. Alypius, the surviving veteran sergeant of his company, belched a cloud of searing promethium over a group of men sat idly around an unloaded heavy stubber, surrounded by sand bags that offered no protection against the burning fuel. The raid had begun, and Lyras was confident that his loyal brother Astartes, be they of other legions, would be falling upon the garrison with unreserved wrath.