The Red Terror

The Red Terror was a red-carapaced Tyranid Ravener that destroyed a Catachan company on Devlan before being killed by veterans. A Ravener is a tunnelling Tyranid organism, and this individual was distinguished by its colouring and by a swallowing reflex. On Devlan it consumed the Catachan company one fire-team at a time, and the engagement was recorded in an after-action report.

Imperial records treat the original creature as dead. Its death did not end the name: later sightings are treated as recurrences of a pattern that the Hive Mind can reproduce whenever required. Hive Fleets retain successful biomorphs, that is, organic forms that have proved effective in combat, and the Red Terror is regarded as one such form.

Among Imperial Guardsmen, the name is applied to any red blur observed in a trench. These identifications are sometimes mistaken, and in some cases the trench is already empty.