Before Heavens Gate - Alastair Raper

Syphinium mining has ceased on Sokora. Captain Ashton has been sent down to find out why. But when Delta Company finally land on the surface, they know something is wrong when they are greeted with silence and dust. It is up to Ashton and his team to find a way back before they are overrun by the things that killed the planet. Hauling a local priest along the journey, Ashton senses there is something very wrong with the planet, and as his headaches get stronger, he soon realises that hell is a lot closer than anticipated. When Captain Ashton's troopship arrives at the planet Sokora, he expects to find a thriving mining colony. Instead, he descends into a world of ash, ruin, and an eerie silence. The mission: uncover the mystery behind the sudden halt in Syphinium production, a vital resource for the Core Systems. But as Ashton and his Delta Company navigate the devastated landscape, they uncover a horror far greater than they could have imagined-an ancient evil unleashed from beneath the planet's surface, and a fanatical priest who claims it's all part of a divine test. With other companies falling silent and thermonuclear blasts lighting the sky, Ashton must lead his soldiers through a nightmare to discover what truly happened to Sokora and if they, too, are destined to become another casualty of a celestial war.