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Cormaeg gives the Captain a brief salute and a nod.
He then turns to the assembled troops, both his own and the ragged survivors.
"I won't waste too much words here, but now is indeed the time, the time to bring the wrath of the emperor down on the head of these misbegotten xenos!
Now is the time for blood and wrath, now is the time for revenge and justice!
For the fallen! For Humankind! FOR THE EMPEROR!"
EMPRAH PROTEK! Thud roars in responce. He, again, didn't understand most of that, but he sure was inspired!
*** Assembling the Troops ***
The echo of cheers and martial outcries, pledges of vengeance and retribution together with the Ogryns powerful voice causes a massive echo rolling around the chamber, filling each and everyone present with a powerful feeling of purpose and confidence!
*** Stairs, nothing but stairs! ***
As the cheers finally died down, the assembled group heads out and at first follows the same way the vox-group took before. That is: a very long flight of stairs, followed by another, somewhat shorter one. You reach the same big reception-hall with the destroyed desks and cogitator work benches and the many exits. This time tough, the hall is not entirely empty. A trio of Gretchins look horror struck as more and more 'hummies' fill the hall and immediately try to flee towards one of the staircases towards in the middle of the room. They make for a (very) brief targeting practice and are shot to bloody bits within heartbeats. The locals cheer at this easy victory.
Captain Martins grins ambivalently but does not mention the encounter as she addresses Cormaeg.
"We have to make a decision, Sergeant.
There are two ways I know of. The one the enemy mostly uses to get to us, is that one.", she points at the staircase the Gretchins tried to reach. "After a long series of stairs, it leads through a series of high scribe offices and auxilia rooms, before getting to a mechanical stair which brings is up to the h as scribe office. The other way," she points at the very last exit towards the end of the hall, "goes through the archive chamber and the large elevator which was once used to transport lorries stuffed with paper from the offices above to the looming archive chambers - and the other way round. The elevator is broken down of course but one of my men was once a manial worker assisting the tech priests in its maintenance. He told me of a trick. There's a winch hidden behind a side of the elevator for manual operation of the lift. Normally a Servitor is used to operate it but with our numbers and that Ogryn, we might be able to operate it ourself. If that does not work out, we can climb the maintenance ladder in the shaft. That was the way I escaped the greenies back then."
"Sarge, I'm all for trying the elevator an' ladder. I mean I'm not saying that I wanna get close to the big ork, with 'is armour, claw and flaming eye, but our locals say 'e 'as a bunch of boys with big guns, 'an corridors don't 'elp us none with tha'. I got one last charge, maybe we rig the main way to go bang if they attack, as a loud warning like, an' sneak up the lift shaft. Though, might be better if we leave a sentry or 2 to set it off, less chance of them grots fiddling with it. "
Adge rummages through his pack as he talks, coming up triumphantly with his last demolition charge
Don't seem smart to fight through ork prepared defenses room by room. Much rather be on the other side of that Sarge. Simmins puts in his penny worth of thoughts before shutting up.
"Willing to risk another elevator are you Olways? Seems Cutler agrees with you.
And lucky for you, so do I."
"Right, I want Thud and Notch up here with me, Then Olways and Cort.
After that, we'll place the Captain and the first two groups of volunteers.
Then Medic Tivnan and her newly appointed assistant as well as Maggy and her Crew.
Then the two other groups of volunteers along with our newest squad members.
No sense in risking the vox operator or sniper getting into close combat."
"Of to the archives then, big room I take it, possible there might be xenos in there to fight, so stay sharp eh?"
One of the locals snorts at Cormaeg's last words.
"You have no idea how big, Sir.
It makes up half of the spire by itself.
Six dozen double-stores of nothing but shelves, narrow walkways and cogitator banks."
*** This be a large hall, allright? ***
The now quite large group falls into the marching order and passes through the reception hall and follows the furthest-back exit. A series of corridors later, you are faced with a blasted-open door large enough a Leman Russ battletank could have driven through without incident. Then you enter the archive chamber.
The local trooper did not lie - this is the single most gigantic room you have ever layed eyes on. The floor level is littered with overturned desks, scattered cogitator banks, long dead servitors and heaps upon heaps of ripped books, splattered paper and splintered data crystals and data pads. The room spanns easily two hundred meter to each side, half a kilometer from the door to the opposing end and you can't even make out the ceiling. Rows upon rows of shelves are arranged along the walls and in tight, pillar-like groups and go up as far as you can see. Everything is interconnected by a mind-boggling network of walkways, rails and ladders. The air is thick with paper dust and the smell of rotting paper and corrosion. In fact, it is so thick with dust, that it makes you cough and every sound you make to sound dampened.
Through the coughing and shuffling of the troops around you, you think you heard some grunts from up and left.
Looking that way, you struggle to find a source for the noise but can't pinpoint it to a location.
Still, you are quite sure that you are not alone in this massive library.
Holding up a fist to stop the troops following, Cormaeg is about to turn around when he realizes Thud probably won't understand, so he quickly reaches out to grab the Ogryns massive arm to stop him as well.
Then he makes a shushing motion with his finger against his lips, and points in the general direction of the noise he noticed.
"We are not alone in here..."
Simmins nods and then sets up where directed, pointing the stubber in the direction indicated.
"Well, I do hope we don't have any more field operations to perform but having a sterile place to perform examinations is always a good thing. No use making injuries worse by just taking a look at them. Which - of course - means that we first have to _make_ it sterile again. So let's wait with the slacking until after the cleanup"
She takes out two one-time cleaning cloth from the medkit and throws one to Krish.
"Medicing isn't always about the glorious life saving after all. Sometimes you're just the one person in a team of mud-wrestlers trying to keep things clean."
They will however pack up the field hospital before moving back out to do more soldering of course.
Leni stays with her group, with the medkit close at hand but with her lasgun IN hand. Orks tend to respect lasfire to the face rather more than a stern talking to from a medical cross bearer.
Thud halts and starts looking around. He brings his shield up, ready to intercept any fire that may sprout from the darkness.
simple failure
Falling in as rear guard, Adge regularly checks his auspex as they advance. As the column halts, Adge pockets the device and raises his rifle, slipping from the column and into cover.
The squad scatters into cover, which is followed by half a minute of nervous waiting, with nobody able to see or hear anything beside the breathing and occasional ruffle of his/her squad-mates.
Then, with a horrible screeching sound, a small lorry-like thing swings into view, full thirty meter above ground level, moving along the metallic rails criss-crossing between the high shelves.
Expecting an attack, your trigger finger is a bit loose and you fire at the lorry as it comes into view!
The local soldier who spoke up earlier - and you suspect to be the source of the intel about the elevator - let go of his held breath.
"'s only a CAT.
'lil thingies da scribes used ta fetch stuff from high-up shelves.
T'ere be all kinda mini-thingies for that task, ya see?
Da scribes be ta lazy ta climb to the upper levels."
Thud roars at the thing running on the rails, but he doesn't have his ripper out, thank the Emprah.
The very soul of calm under pressure, Krish simply watches the device as it heaves into view. He places one hand on the massive Ogryn's shoulder (or perhaps elbow...), "It is okay, Thud. That device poses us no threat."
Thud is too simple to be embarrassed. He puffs up his chest and huffs at the contraption. Any time the squad wasn't attacked was a win in his book.
Simmins holds fires with nerves of steel.
Like Thud, Cormaeg reacts badly to the sudden movement overhead.
Also like Thud, he is spared from too much embarrassment due to him holding a melee weapon rather than a ranged one, though the sound of a reeving chainsword probably tips people off anyway.
Unlike Thud however, Cormaeg refuses to be embarrassed, as no real harm was done, and he refuses to show that sort of weakness in front of his squad.
"Let's move on then, but keep your eyes and ears peeled. You never feel safer than a moment like this, and that's when an ambush would be the most devastating."
simple fail
2dos
Hearing movement at the front of the column, Adge snaps off a shot. Instinct naturally draws him to lead the moving target and his short blast of light strikes something important. Realising his error, Adge raises his hand and breaks the camouflage provided by his cloak. "My apologies, feelin' this be more of a shoot first type o' job."
With all that tension building Leni snaps arround as movement comes and loses a shot in the general direction of the incoming... thing.
She seems stunned for two heartbeats before she blinks, sighs and puts down the lasgun.
"could've at least hit the thing" she murmors.
Much louder she asks "CAT? How is that a cat? Someone show me the bright guy naming a bucket of bolts 'n screws after a race of gracefull fluffy felines and I'll CAT him alright"
A full half of the assembled force reacted in the expected manner to the sudden appearance of the CAT: more or less hasty snap-shots are fired at the poor device which is blasted off its rail by the half a dozen hits and tumbles down, crashing against various shelves repeatedly, causing nearly as much noise as the gunfire itself.
Slightly ashamed, the group continues their venture through the vast room, noticing CATs and other even weirder-looking contraptions several more times. Even more worryingly than those is the fact that at two occasions you become witness to bookslides: short but lethal-looking curtains of falling books, falling from dozen if not hundred meters above, crashing to the ground with way to much force for comfort.
You make it two-third through the 'archives' without incident and just got sight of the elevator installed at the very end of the room...
Following a barely visible movement high up above to the right and left, you see tiny green dots milling around on the shelves, rails and ladders, at least a hundred meters above you.
Thud proceeds with his shield above his head to catch any chance books that may fall at him. He proceeds apace toward the elevator, dreading what might be inside...
Apparently being around books give Simmins eagle eyes to go along with steel nerves and he nudges Sarge. Sarge.. high up above to the right and left, there's tiny green dots milling around on the shelves, rails and ladders, at least a hundred meters up.
"Well, at the moment, consider ANYTHING green as a potential hostile."
Considering that everyone is already on alert, Cormaeg doesn't feel anything needs to be said, beyond merely passing the word along so everyone is aware of the potential danger.
Thud brings his shield down a bit to peer up into the darkness, but he doesn't stop walking. Maybe more cats? he asks.
With the general crash of firearms, Adge feels less embarrassed about his 'light fingers', but resolves to be less edgy. As a result he manages to resist the impulse to squeeze the trigger at various other surprises.
4dos
Spotting a slight movement moments after Simmins, Adge checks his Auspex and following the blips, identifies the small green dots. "I'm guessing grots sarge, hope they don't notice us an' inform. Worth going propa stealthy for a bit?"
With the aid of the enhancers you are able to discern several purple-painted Orks working on some of the rails and shelves of high above you.
As you are watching, five Orks are pulling hard on a metal-rope which is fixed to a particular large stack of data crystals... And soon enough, it topples over, causing hundreds if not thousands of the fist-sized data crystals to fall down towards you!
Soon enough, you hear a swiftly raising noise that sound as if a full train-load of scrap metal and glass to topple over and break apart. Looking up, you see a glittering mass of objects raining down from high above - accompanied by the cruel laughter of Orks!
Your handheld auspex does not reach that far up to get a proper reading on them, but you get three blips of lifesigns close-by. One is at ground level, appearing to be twenty meters to your left behind a high shelve. The other two are twenty meters above one slightly left, the other slightly right.
Thud bellows, To ME! and raises his shield high, but not on his arm. He holds it to the side, trusting in his own thick hide to take the brunt of the falling crystal for him!
- woo! that's 3 dos!
- 6 dos
- 3 dos
Notch ducks under his buddy's hunched torso, making room under the shield for as many as possible.
Having instinctively gone for his Auspex, Adge realises it lacks range, about to reach for his Magnoculars instead he stops as he spots 3 blips on his Auspex.
Unable to pinpoint them too closely due to the impending sound of the falling debris, Adge races from the threat, gasping out the contact on the squad net as he moves. "Possible ambush... 3 contacts low level plus those high ones.....One left, 20m, ground level.... Other 2, 20m up, slight left and t'other slight right."
Edit:- for location roll
"Emperor curse you xeno filth!"
"Take cover, and then let them feel the emperors wrath, before they try something else!"
Leni quickly ducks under Thudds shield.
"And todays forecast is metall-y with a chance of Xenos scum."
And now lets see if we can make them pay for that.
She gets down on one knee and raises her lasgun. She can't see anything through Thudds shield but she wants the lasgun ready once he lowers the shield.
Knowing he has little to no chance to escape the falling debris, Krish does the next best thing. Reaching for his power, Krish draws the spirit of steel into his flesh.
Krish's skin takes on a metallic hue similar to brushed steel as he crouches with an arm over his head.
Thud'dr: Stands his ground and offers cover for his lil'uns in a heartwarming manner. His body is hit by a handful of books, the unprotected skin needled with crystalline fragments of former memory crystals and at last, a full wooden shelve comes crushing down on this big, unmoving target. His Ogryn physiology is up to the task, only the bookshelf is causing considerable pain to him.
Leni: Finds cover under Thud'dr s shield and gets ready to return fire.
Simmins: Slowed down by the Stubber, he and Court are caught in the open and are soon showered with falling books (not that bad) and a hailstorm of splintering data crystals which leave small but profoundly bleeding wounds that hurt like hell. Court dodges the worst, but can show off a bleeding splinter wound in his left arm as well.
Cormaeg: Easily side-steps into the cover provided by the squads Ogryn.
Krish: Calls forth unnatural power to stand firm against the falling debris.
Lucky: finds a nice overhanging shelve to the right where the falling debris can't possibly reach hit him.
Ashora: Sprints out of harm's way together with fire team four.
Fireteam #1: Finds shelter under a slightly overhanging, high shelve towards slightly to the right - where they are soon join up with Lucky.
Cpt. Martins: Is caught far off safety and dancing around wildly cursing to evade the worst of it... Is struck at the shoulder by a book but looks unimpressed ... dives under a mass of data crystals ... then vanishes out of sight under another bookshelf! As the dust settles you see her cursing and trying to get her legs free from the shelf but failing. Her face is chalk white.
Fireteam #2: Was also near Thud but hurry to the backline to get out of the area.
Fireteam #3: Was closest to Thud. One is quickly grabbed and hauled into cover, the others scatter and rush under various still standing desks.
Fireteam #4: is caught at the edge of the ork-made bookslide and hurries out of the danger zone as fast as they possibly can manage.
Orks #1: -
Orks #2: Three Orks with purple paint in their cruel faces appear atop the very same shelf that provides cover to fire team 1 and @Lucky, twenty meters above them! With mad laughter, all three produce ork-grenades and drop them onto those below! They explosives clatter to the ground with three omnious *clanck*s!
Orks #3: With a creak, four purple stacks of books are falling out of a shelve to the left, twenty meters above ground to revealing Orks with large-barelled guns, which they set up and aim towards the Imperials below!
Orks #4: Laughing madly, a mob of eight Orks blast through a cogitator bank to the left with their charge, the foremost two look like they just had hit a metal wall head on and don't appear to know what is happening around them and are soon wrestled aside by those following behind.
Pen:2, R, Bleed(1)
Pen:1, I
Pen: 4, I, Concussive(10)
Ridiculous! And this is not even the final battle against the boss!
Filled to the very brim with righteous indignation and near apoplectic level of rage, Cormaeg brandishes his chainsword with a roar of fury!
"KILL THE FILTH!!!"
And then, contrary to all logical expectations one could have based on his anger, Cormaeg instead springs to the aid of the Captain.
Grunting in pain Simmins tries to ignore the persistent sharp pain in his neck as he moves towards the medicore cover near him and with Cort's help, sets up the stubber to aim at the 8 orks rushing towards them!
Thud takes the hits from above and knows that he's reaching the end of even his superhuman endurance. The bookcase splinters over his head and he instantly starts suffering from a splitting headache. He growls to sarge, Ouchies ouchie, sarge! but doesn't hesitate when he hears three tell-tale *pink*s of grenades. He spots them immidiately and sprints toward Lucky! Move! He bellows! He takes his shield, holds in inside-forward and lunges to the ground on top of the grenades, using his shield to take the brunt of the punishment!
Having committed to an action, Cormaeg experiences that strange sensation that sometimes happens in battle. Where everything comes into sharp focus, where the mind works at almost lightning speed and increased clarity.
The first thing to deal with is the unknown, then what is right in front of you.
"Everyone, keep the enemy off trooper Kail and Cutler!
Trooper Kail and Cutler, focus fire on the enemy high above us!"
Good, that is one thing taken care off. Next thing is to block the enemy at ground level, and the ones above with guns.
Then the 'nade tossers.