Kalidar War - Crossing the Ozymandian Basin: Oblivious to Brasslock's ordeal, the armoured column on Mars Triumphant had finally reached the outskirts of the Ozymandian Basin. Ranging ahead, a mixed detachment of Chimeras and Leman Russes was tasked with finding a way through the extensive mountain range delimiting the Basin, one practicable for the passage of the far-larger Baneblade. The task proved a difficult one and for an entire Terran day the formation had to stop to let the scouts do their work. The sandstorm was still unleashing its fury, complicating their search.To those well-versed in geological studies, the barrier range around the Ozymandian Basin told its story. The mountains had not been formed normally by the shifting and grinding of tectonic plates but in a far more violent manner. In Kalidar's youth, roughly a million Terran years before, a gigantic meteor had impacted the planet, flash-melting the rock and forcing it into new shapes.The rapidly-cooling rock had thrust up into mountains while inside the crater the Lorelei crystals had been compressed by the heat to a purity never encountered before -- hence its potency. The scouts finally discovered a passage through the range, a canyon carved out a fault in the rock by Kalidar's potent sandstorms. The wind howled inside the canyon, casting an eerie song that unnerved the tired men in their machines. The Imperials were tense already, for the canyon-pass climbed steadily, and a single wrong maneuver was likely to end with a fall of several hundred metres -- a grim prospect.As the Baneblade was the widest engine of the convoy, Mars Triumphant had been positioned at the head of the advancing column. At one particularly narrow passage, the weight of the Baneblade was so great that the super heavy tank slithered, part of its right track hanging precariously over the void. Through the skill of its driver, Mars Triumphant recovered its footing, but one of the Leman Russes was not so lucky.Tank Five had been caught up in the miniature landslide caused by the Baneblade's weight. In its eagerness to escape his fate, the driver of the Leman Russ gunned his mount's engine, the tank's tracks spinning ineffectually in the sand. The tank's weight gradually dragged it to the right, down the slope and into the canyon. With a metallic bang, the right track went over the edge, the tank balancing precariously over the precipice.Too panicked to hear the orders yelled through the patchy Vox or by his tank commander, the driver revved the engine to full power, the left track causing Tank Five's weight to shift ever so slightly, sealing the Leman Russ' fate. It tilted over the edge, the rhythm of its fall marked by a series of loud metallic clangs quickly carried away by the storm's fury. Incredibly, one of the tankers survived the fall, but the convoy had lost one of its battle tanks even before it had reached the most dangerous part of its journey.Having descended into the Ozymandian Basin proper, the exhausted crewmen were given a small respite when the Imperial column set up camp. Tankers in thick protective gear erected airlocked tents so that the 150 crewmen could get their first proper night of sleep in weeks. The column's attached Enginseers checked the remaining vehicles for any damage caused by the storm and were relieved to notice that all remained fully operational.Yet when the crewmen emerged from their tents on the next morning, many were hollow-eyed and tense, casting nervous looks above their shoulders. The Imperial expedition had had but a foretaste of the baleful exposition to the vast quantities of unrefined Lorelei-crystals beneath the Ozymandian Basin.The further the column trekked into the Basin, the worse these manifestations of the so-called "Ghosts of Kalidar" became. Conversations which had died over the course of their journey suddenly came back to life, the tankers and infantrymen reluctant to go to sleep. Soon, these ghosts manifested themselves even in the middle of the day.Having taken the lead of the convoy, Captain Exertaxes guided the vehicles under his command to the next waypoint on his map. As second-in-command, Honoured Lieutenant Cortein, aboard Mars Triumphant, had been issued a copy of the force's itinerary by Exertaxes. He was the fist to notice when Exertaxes' Command Chimera veered off-course, quickly followed by some of the Leman Russes.On the Vox, Exertaxes was mumbling something about seeing the spires of Elidia -- which was entirely impossible as it was located on Atraxia. Disoriented by the Lorelei-induced visions, Exertaxes drove his Chimera straight into a patch of quickdust.Immediately taking command of the formation, Honoured Lieutenant Cortein organised an adequate rescue. He dispatched two of his own crew -- amongst them Lieutenant Bannick -- to fetch the column's Atlas Recovery tank and tow the rapidly sinking Chimera with its heavy crane. The sudden activity on the Vox-network had had the benefit of making the Leman Russes stop shortly before being swallowed by the quickdust themselves. Both battle tanks were now quickly reversing away from the quickdust patch as the Atlas carefully drew nearer.Bannick and his colleague were outfitted with special sand-shoes designed to spread their weight over a larger area of sand and thus avoid being swallowed by the swiftdust. Battling against the raging wind and the heavy weight of the Atlas' tow-chain, the two men approached the sinking Chimera: the rear of the armoured personnel carrier was protruding at a 45° angle, its turret and front-section already swallowed by the quickdust.Panicked troopers were trying to escape the sinking Chimera, not realising that by opening the rear-hatch they were allowing more sand to slip and thus accelerating their rate of descent. Worse, the press of the quickdust was hindering the door from opening enough to let them exit. Likewise, the rushing sand prevented the door from closing as well.With the tow points already sunk too deep, both men resolved to attach the guide-line and the towing cable through the grab handles. Although it was hard work, the two men finished quickly. Soon the Atlas' powerful engine laboured to pull the sinking Chimera out of the quickdust.Standing too close to the sinking tank, Bannick's crewmate was sucked in. The rappelling line linking the two men together tensed, the loader's heavy bulk now pulling Bannick down with him. "Cut the rope!" pleaded the doomed crewman, but Bannick refused.With a screech of tortured metal, one of the grab handles suddenly gave away, narrowly missing Bannick's head. The sudden lurch of the Chimera caused Bannick to lose his footing, and he too fell down into the quickdust, his legs almost instantly swallowed by the sand. Both men quickly vanished beneath the tawny grains, but through their valiant efforts they had saved the lives of the Chimera's occupants.With a heavy heart, Honoured Lieutenant Cortein ordered the convoy to drive on.