and longevity, becoming healthier than he was before. The offspring of any victim is born as a Hybrid, an evil creature exhibiting characteristics of both Genestealer and host species. The Hybrid similarly passes on its genetic profile to its Purestrain parent. This cycle continues, with each new generation of Hybrid resembling the host species more closely. By the fourth generation, the offspring is barely detectable as an alien saves for a few giveaway signs, such as unnaturally sharp teeth and a purplish tinge to the skin. This fourth-generation procreates conventionally and can result in either a Hybrid, a regular member of the host species, or a Purestrain Genestealer, the only way Purestrains can reproduce. All generations are linked in a psychic community, so Purestrains, Hybrids, and hosts conceive of themselves as constituents of the same brood. How Genestealers carry out their reproductive process is of exceptional danger to the Imperium, as whole planets can fall to the Genestealer threat; the affected humans look and act no different from usual, and the hosts are incredibly secretive about the insidious curse they bear. Indeed, the first an external agency may know about the presence of Genestealers is once a whole planet has been affected by the curse, requiring total cleansing and repopulation. Imperial authorities are thus extremely keen to terminate the Genestealer menace at the source before it can affect any nearby planet. The way Genestealers came into contact with humanity was through using Space Hulks. These are spaceships of human origin that have become lost in Warpspace, either through a malfunction of the ship's Warp Drive or as a consequence of traveling in a medium as uncertain as Warpspace. The human occupants having died, Genestealers and their Hybrid brood move in, settling down to hibernation until the drifting Space Hulk comes into contact with a species riper for infiltration and domination. So thus, it is that whenever a Space Hulk is detected in the proximity of a human planet, the stalwart warriors of the Space Marines are detached to rid the Hulk of its Genestealer cargo, preventing any chance of another planet falling victim to the Genestealer curse. Such is the combat prowess of the Genestealer that only the Terminator squads have met with any success. That is the player's status and mission: rid the galaxy of the Genestealer menace once and for all. Gameplay In the initial stages of the