Welcome to the Guard!

Game Master Swordwhale

Notch answers, None here, Sarge. Though Thud here can petty efficiently immobilize people they tend to need more fixing afterwards.

Thud hefts his shield and starts reciting the only litany he's been able to learn so far, EMPRAH POTEKS. EMPRAH POTEKS.

Sorry Sarge. Only thing I can take care of is my Stubber here. Simmins says. He looks out the window and sighs.

Great place to get ambushed. Sure we can't just stay here and set up a killzone Sarge?

"Well medic Tivnan, looks like you don't need to spare the bandages, since you got a spare kit ready to go then."

Reaching into his pack and retrieving the monoculars that had been issued to the squad, Cormaeg turned to the others.

"set up a little cover around us while I scout the road a bit.
As for staying here, I doubt it'd take too long before we'd be listed as awol or Kia'd. So no, we've got no choice but to press on as soon as we deem it safe."

Kneeling down in front of the window, Cormaeg begins a slow scan of the area.

Thud nods and tries to remove an inner wall
str vs 66: 1d100 ⇒ 99 - 3DoF
But he grips drywall the first time and it pops free without the desired effect.
str vs 66: 1d100 ⇒ 89 - 2DoF
The second attempt gets ahold of a rotten beam which results in a vertical hole in the wall.
str vs 66: 1d100 ⇒ 75 - 1DoF
But the stubborn Ogryn keeps trying and manages to destroy half the wall in the process. Thankfully, it's not an exterior wall or load bearing.
str vs 66: 1d100 ⇒ 7 8 DoS
Finally, he switches walls and gets a good group on some sturdy frame steel. The wall groans as he tugs, then something gives and the entire interior wall rips free! He varies it over to an exposed bit facing the road and makes it not-exposed.

Simms is more than glad to slap his Stubber on the new nest and brace it that way.

Do we have a map?

"Remember, 15 minute intervals for check-ins. Who's in charge of voxing back to command?" she reminds the squad in case they had somehow forgotten or selectively chosen to ignore that detail of their mission parameters.

"In the army, it is an unwritten rule that anyone who asks that question has just volunteered."

Seeing as how his back is turned, it is impossible to tell if there is any humor in the Sergeants face, and his gravely voice betrays nothing.

"R-right...Roger that, sir."she stammered back Good thing I took the time to study the Imperial Code Manual...

Krish discreetly smiles at Monia good-naturedly, having been in that situation a time or twelve, himself.

"Understood sir. May I suggest Thud carrying them? He's going to need most of that pack judging from our last mission. He does not seem to have a concept of 'dodge' or 'not getting hurt'. Not that it seems to be to his detriment tho."

Thud hears his name used and looks up to give Leni a huge, horrifying, and perfectly genuine smile.

Taking up the viewport in the upper floor, MacCommon surveys the 'Third District Shop Street'. It runs straight for at least 500m in each direction. Both sides of the double-pave street, shops line up side-by-side similar to that one you are in. Two floors with one or two windows in the upper floor overwatching the street and either an open entrance or a door coupled with a large (mostly splintered) glass window at street level.
In the distance, at the end of the street, you can make out flat steel walls and what looks like hatches - the size of a baneblade, probably intended to control the in- and outgoing traffic.
The complete area has seen light combat and heavy looting if you are any judge. The burned-out civilian vehicles on the street, the many-holed impacts on several of the shop walls and signs of wanton destruction are quite clear in that regard. The two ways of the street is bisected by a hip-height wall intended to prevent car accidents. It's mostly intact but was broken in several places by what is unmistakably the heavy tracks of an armoured vehicle.

Your stand wavers for a short moment as someone (it can only be one, really) dislodges a full wall below you, forcing you to refocus ... and just then you notice movement out of the corner of your view before you can really readjust the binoculars.
A quick readjustment comes too late though and you cannot catch it in the minute to follow.
It was near a well blasted shop no more than a hundred meter down the road in the direction your guides deemed the right way.

*** Below ***
After several attempts, finally Thud'dr brings down the most part of an internal wall and places it before the big window and exit with a ground shaking *thud*.
Dust covers most of you and the noisy PDF girl grimaces as she washes of a mouthful of the decade-old dust.
Notch sneezes loudly.

Leni swaps out her lasgun pack for a completly fresh one, then pulls down her preysense googles as Thud works the wall. She flips the googles' switch as the wall cracks and waits for the usual - that being a crazy greenskin rushing in because why not?
Overwatch on the hole where the wall used to be. Semi-auto fire on anything not-quite Thud-sized but bigger than a person rushing in like a mad...thing

As the Ogryn rips the wall and turns, something ... amorphous fluidly falls out from behind and above ...

Awareness+30 vs 56: 1d100 ⇒ 32

Lenis finger twitches nervously but does not trigger the gun.
"NO danger! Stay your fire! Just shop merchandise."
With that she focuses back onto the hole, past the avalanche of toys.

Thud'dr must have broke through a wall that disconnected shop room and its storage room.
Its a dark 3x3m room full of boxes filled with child's toy and other small tokens and very dusty.
Nothing moves inside and probably hasn't for quite some time.
Towards the ceiling you detect a small door and a latter leading down to your level.
It probably leads up to the first floor where MacCommon is on lookout.

"Hmmph, there was movement out there, near that burned out shop. It's in our way though..."

So let's burn through it. Notch suggests with a shake of his heavy flamer.

After a quick translation, Thud reaches up and parts the ginormous slab of dysfuntional metal secretly named Duty's End (he still hasn't mentioned that, though he does remember it for some reason the Emperor only knows) and pats the hilt. Scared no Greenie.

"Right, listen up squad.
Olways, you'll set up here by this window and supply cover, while Krish guards your back.
The rest of the squad will advance towards the building with movement, going from cover to cover.
I and Thud will take the front, while Tivnan and Monia provides short range cover.
Any questions? Good, because there won't be any answers.
Move out!"

Thud picks his shield back up and moves to the door with his evicerator in his other hand. At the signal he exits and makes for the building. The cover here won't do much for his huge frame, so he suppliments it with his shield. He stays close to the sarge, mainly because Notch is and he doesn't want to leave his "Lit'le Un" behind.

As movement comes into the squad, Yuri (the PDF team leader) asks in a deep, matter-of-fact voice:
"Ahh, were you want us, Sir?
Stay back and setup or walking wit you?
Tose childs need half a min'te to set up the tube an we cant hit targets closer tan 50 met'r.
30, if you feel like bendink some regulat'ns."

Guess the consensus is a bunny-hop-from-entrance-to-entrance, slowly approaching the area where the Sarge saw movement, right?
You keep this sight or cross the street, or split up?
Movement was on the opposite site of the street.
***
Hah, Cormaeg posted while I wrote up this push post ^^

Yes Sir, Sarge! Setting up to cover your behinds.

Is there a broken window overlooking the street on the first floor that Simmins can set up in? Somewhere he can shift the stubber around a bit? I'm assuming he will keep his cone of fire just behind the advancing squad right? Height advantage gives a bonus?

yes, the window cormaeg used can be used as a gun nest - it's glass is long story since gone.
Once the group gets close to where cormaeg saw movement, your field of fire gets quite narrow though and targets inside the buildings will be very difficult to hit but stuff on the street should be well in sight.
High ground gives +10 on anything on street level and no penalties against targets on first floor (for about half the way, then it's getting more difficult).

Turning to the Pdf, Cormaeg motions for Yuri and then points out the window.
"See the debris on this side of the road? You'll follow us to that point and set up cover from there.
We'll take it from there."

We'll move as one unit to the debris on this side, then we'll leave the Pdf there and bunny hope to the other side.

We're not on a timer as long as we check in every 15 minutes right? If we clear out shop to shop than Simmins could move up and get a better field of view at some point maybe.

The squad takes position and once simmins gives the sign, the larger part advances quickly to the burned out vehicle 30 meter from the toy shop where Simmins, Cort and Krish wait.
You pass a shop that still displays greyish clothes bearing the sign of the Administratum but seems to have plundered at least once. A dead, well decayed human body lies between several turned cloth stands and large bloody footsteps are preserved within the store. A small metal cash box was opened (obviously with brute force and something blunt). A few thrones still in it.
Crossing the road feels horribly. Everyone awaits to hear the sudden bang of a shot, the pain of a bullet or the fearsome warcry of Orks.
But nothing happens.
From behind the burned-out wreckage you can hear the metallic clicks of a mortar being make fire-ready and can see Yuri peeking through the wreck with his historic stubber rifle trained at the upper stories on your side of the road.
Carefully you follow the road further, passing a carved-in shop which (judging by the sign above the entrance) once was an apothecary of some kind. Brown sludge covers the floor and most of the ceiling has come down at some point, warning everyone from entering.
Then you have reached the civil vehicle that crashed against the wall of another shop.
Somewhere around here was the movement.
What now?
I described the shops as if you took a short 360' around its innards from the door.
Do you want to search any of them further or press on towards the movement-area?

At the first white car on the map?

Krish forts up by Simmins and waits.

Thud stands by, shield up, and waits for directions.

"Thud, you and me will take the lead from here.
The rest of you, remain here until the count of 60, or if you hear the sound of combat, then join us."

Drawing his chainsword, but not revving it up yet, Cormaeg motions for Thud to advance.

Thud aligns his shield (roughly) with the door of the shop, takes a deep breath, and charges!

”Understood Sir.” Monia replies as she slides into cover with her staff at the ready; it was mostly there to steady herself on when traversing he uneven terrain and block swiped from greenskins-come-too-close.

Note to self, be very, VERY clear about my orders to the big one from now on.
Can't fault the enthusiasm though I suppose.

Cormaeg quickly follows Thud, after overcoming the surprise at the unexpected charge.

Leni shakes her head at the sight before she turns around and checks the street for anything coming at them from a direction without charging orgryn between them and the baddies.
She first sweeps with just her eyes, then she does another take with the preysense googles switched on.
All with her lasgun raised and from a place with as much cover towards the street as she can find.

60.. 59.. 58..

2d100 ⇒ (45, 23) = 68

Awareness (per 26): 1d100 ⇒ 49

"Contact!"

awareness <1: 1d100 ⇒ 68

Thud lifts his evicerator and attempts to hack their cover to bits!
str?vs 66, WS vs 51: 1d100 ⇒ 42 - at least 3 DoS.

damage roll, if needed, rending, pen0: 1d10 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 = 12

With a mighty roar, Thud'dr lets his new weapon crash down against the wooden desk, causing splinters to fly wide and forcing the enemies back.
It is the first time the Ogryn (and Cormaeg) gets a more or less clear view of their attackers.
They are way to small for Orks, but bigger than gretchins and squiggs ... so they are very likely human!
But why are they attacking you?

Thud is very confused by what he sees. There is no WAAAA or repeated fire or wild charge against him. The suprise at the lack of counter attack causes him to stop for a split second. The humans are very, very lucky he wasn't in the throes of a battle rage at that moment or their insides would likely be on the walls already.
Guys?? he says.

Outside Leni and the others don't know anything about the attackers, so she
naturally assumes it is orks and acts accordingly.
"Okay guys, I think Sarge ment '60 seconds are up NOW', no way they want a
minute of private fighting with Orks in close range."
She packs her gun and enters the now enlarged doorway, hugging the left wall and scanning into the room through the sights of her lasgun.

Monia just readies her staff before her as she ducks into the room following Leni, sticking to the right where the medic went left so that they might better cover the entirety of the room once the "signal" was given for them to join in.

The cloaked figure stumbles back from the splintered desk, and works the slide of the shotgun to chamber another round, the little bit of face you can see is full of fear.
The scarred man is looking past Thud'dr and notices the two guardswomen entering the shop together. A flash of surprise crosses his face but he calls out to you in a rather panicked voice.
"Help us! Help us kill that Ork!
Please!!! In the name of the Emperor!"

The hell?

"Stand down! Thud, stand down."

Striding in front of Thud, Cormaeg points at the people and speaks in a clear commanding voice.

"Sergeant Cormaeg MacCammon, Serenus 1st, identify yourself!"

Can you roll me command there, please?
Let's see HOW commanding you are xD

Thud is Very Confused. Why had friends shot at him? Humans!
Grumpy Grey Face told him to stop, so he does, though the shield stays up. He didn't want to get shot yet. Again.
Oh! Look! Lit'le Leni! He waves with his sword hand and accidentally tears the central light fixture out of the ceiling.

"WAHHHH!!!
It's gonna cleave us in two!!!!"
*lol*
That doesn't help.
Cormaeg takes a -10 to prevent the humans from shooting the 'Ork' some more.

Leni goes in all professional just like in training, hugging the left wall and aiming into the room hovering her finger over the lasgun trigger ready to give cover fire.. Then seeing the scene of the friendly orgryn waving while holding 2 humans at bay with his shield she stumbles over hear own feet. Face.. well helmetplanting into the floor.
"Gnnhei Shud.. Owwww"

"Thud, can you stop waving your eviscerator around? You're scaring our new...uh...friends...?" Asks the Psyker as she rounds the the corner hearing the unidentified mortals beyond shout in fear and panic.

"Are you OK Leni?" Monia asks as she keeps herself at the ready; these might not be Orks but she's faced her fair share of Human enemies already and it pays to never let your guard down until they've been verified as friendly.

Hopefully she wouldn't have to use her powers here because being in such close proximity to the now-pious Ogryn...well...one could never be too safe or know what might scare the abhumans.