Vrusk, please give me a forbidden lore: xenos (Challenging) and a forbidden lore: Mechanicum (Ordinary) test. Both need to succeed
While Vrusk was examining the Xenos' systems for weak points and ways to slay the hibernating Tau en masse, and some his brethren were urging to press onward, the whirrs and whistles of drones were steadily increasing. They had not, as yet, made any attack. Yet the marines' tactical displays were now making out 8 distinct targets, all moving freely in all 3 dimensions, dodging in and out of cover. If there was some group of operators behind these mechanical sentries, they had not yet mustered up the courage to open fire and potentially kill their sleeping brethren.
The other brethren were able to finally examine the pods themselves closer. Most of the tau were just about 5 feet tall. Slighly bulbous heads with triangular eyes, flattened nose and mouths with pronounced lips. Some of them, maybe a different caste, was larger, more to the tune of 6 feet. These had a red tinge to their skin, and some sported tattoos on their faces and hands - maybe the warrior caste?
The space marines exited the plasma duct in an orderly fashion, stepping over the burned carcass of two Tau technicians. Now that they cleared the breach, they could finally make out more details about their surroundings.
They had exited the plasma duct not in a warehouse, or a hangar - but in the hibernation chambers. The hall was cut into corridors, each containing long rows of stasis pods. Hundreds, if not thousands of them, all softly humming. Each of the pods emitting a light blue light, and holding a naked Tau body, eyes closed and hands put lightly to the sides.
This was a sanctum for the infidel tau, a place where they retreated to for their year, decade-long journeys among the stars.
Walkways above the marines made a second level accessible, which seemed much like the first - and higher still, the high-pitched whine of Tau battle drones could be made out - not quite attacking yet, possibly due to the very vulnerable position the Tau found themselves in.
The charge blinked twice, three times... and detonated. Immediately there was an immense den as the conduit was flooded with the artificial atmosphere. Iris shutters sealed off the paths forwards and backwards about 50 yards away. This passage was, for better or for worse, out of commission.
Beyond the breached bulkhead, the space marines could see a large room. Possibly a hangar or warehouse structure - the smoke of the detonation obstructed even suit sensors to some degree. They could make out that their breach was on ground level, and hadn't been expected.
Tau voices shouted in alarm, and the lights in the adjecent room turned up to an extremely bright setting.
Vrusk monitored the situation as the kill-team processed down the low corridor, ever watchful for changes - but sadly, he recognized the problem too late. Magnus' power armor had, like many of his brothers', taken some puncturing shots. The cement used in field repairs usually was good enough for preventing further damage, but the ionized gas somehow found a way to seep inside, and cause havoc in the sanctified control systems. The servos were seizing up, and unless something was done, and soon, there was a chance for total failure.
The kill-team could breach a bulkhead about 20 yards ahead, but they had only covered half of their projected route to the core. They could attempt a field-repair inside the plasma conduit - or they might soldier on, and hope for the emperor's blessing
{ooc]Sorry for the somewhat delayed response. Major thunderstorm disrupted internet connectivity yesterday[/ooc]
Without further discussion, the kill team began to follow the route the acolyte had laid out for them. It was easy going for the first part, but when they entered the maintenance sections, the subdued decor and meticulous cleanliness gave way to functionality. While not as harsh as an imperial vessel, here a duct became a duct and a bulkhead a bulkhead.
The plasma conduit was more akin to a small tube, forcing the emperor's chosen to lean over, and made any progress slow and painful. Sensors began to show an atmosphere unsuitable for human life - 80% argon, 20% neon at extremely low pressures. Residual energy readings were high, but not threatening.
The acolyte could not help but chuckle, seemingly totally unbothered by the slaughter of the other collaborators as it occurred. "If you would be so kind, I will meet you at the engine room, mylords. I don't think I could weather the full-argon atmosphere and radiation levels in the plasma conduit nearly as well as your power armors should. In fact, I doubt they would be very conductive to my health."
With some more motions on the console, she affected a dimming of the lights in the control room, and several runes appearing on displays. "This code taint will keep them off your trail for at least two hours."
The Acolyte let the awkward pause pass, then returned her attention to the plan the marines were developing. "I will prepare the route for your tactical displays, mylords. In essence it means breaking into an engineering tunnel here. It will be a tight fit, with just 6 feet of ceiling space, but you will be able to breach the ancilliary plasma conduits here. While you make your way, I will rig this control room to interfere with ship sensors, so you should be safe. You follow the conduit for half a kilometer, then open a hatch to one of the main maintenance corridors, here. That opens directly into the reactor chamber."
"I will make my own way through the ship. I should be able to use the main corridors unmolested. I do not possess a combead, though - so unless you have something portable and unobtrusive, I will not be able to assist."
She slowly moved to recover her weapon. "Now, all that remains before we can get going is cleaning up the witnesses." She remarked, motioning to the last remaining human crewmen.
The Acolyte nodded, and swiftly brought up the Schematics Vrusk was already familar with again. With a few more taps, a green line appeared on the display. "This is the route I would suggest. It evades most of the major thoroughfares, and is hard to close down. Your power armor should protect you from low-pressure atmospheres and ionizing radiation."
Another schematic appeared, as she created a hololithic display of the route. "This is the reactor room. The two major pillars provide energy by a plasma conversion reaction. Pretty similar to what our ships would use, but using cursed xeno principles. Still, melta charges should disable the plasma seals, here. You will likely have about two minutes before the ship desintigrates. The closest escape pods will be here." She displayed a path, about 200 metres in length."
1d100 ⇒ 35 Scruitinity, 2 DOS to beat
Spoiler:
The Acolyte definitely meant to say more, but something, maybe respect for the Astartes, kept her tongue in check.
The room, stuffed with exotic technical equipment as it was, did not have much to hide in the way of secrets. It was a simple hollow, again without decorations. The only visible point of entry was the door the kill-team had entered through.
Anatasha replied to Magnus' question without obvious fear, but displaying proper respect for the emperors chosen. "The situation is bad. This ship has just short of 3 thousand Tau aboard, with just above five hundred belonging to the Fire Caste. Their stasis-cycles ending only now. We have been in the system for three weeks, which means the thawing cycle is just reaching its maximum rate. Planetside, from what I could gather we are looking at a classic stalmate. The rebels have the majority of the populace behind them, as well at least two cadres of fallen arbites. The PDF is split right down the middle. The governor has an edge in his personal guard, though. They are ruthless, and their notoriously unrelenting approach is enough to cause the rebels to plan around them."
She pushed some highlighted areas on her panel, and added "This ship needs to be removed from the board. My master's orders were originally ... different, but given the circumstances, I will aid you as best I can." With a dry smile, she added. "Reserving an escape pod for me would be appreciated, my Lords."
"Five full years, Mylord." The acolyte replied, while already looking over the console she had recently taken cover behind. "I infiltrated Kal'shorna'pai, or more properly Vardina III, with the express purpose on gathering information about the "Diplomacy" going on here. You are my first imperial contact since landfall."
Camaels power swept away the Tau crewmen like a tidal wave washes over a sandcastle. They did not stand a ghost of a chance.
The woman placed her gun on the floor, slowly and carefully, and stood with her hands raised to be easily visible. "My name is Anatasha Valkry Josmakon, Acolyte to Inquisitor Helzkann." She kicked the gun away from herself, letting the contraption clatter along the floor. Upon closer examination, the weapon turned out to be a folding construction, very fragile but almost impossible to detect.
"May i infer by your presence that you have come to put a stop to this insanity?" She asked, her high gothic rolling of her tongue better with every passing word, as if she had to get back to the language with some effort.
The gunfire behind the door turned more one-sided, with only the occasional heavy thud breaking the barrage of pulse-fire.
With their leader in pursuit of the Tau survivors, the five marines left opened the door to quickly discern the tactical situation. It turned out to be complicated. They saw some kind of engineering center before themselves, cogitation engines with complicated, indecipherable displays and purposes beyond comprehension. A small band of Tau civilians had begun to circle a particular waist-high console, keeping a single human woman suppressed with pulse-pistol fire. Four more air-caste lay hunched over consoles or slayed on the floor.
The surviving Tau did not adequately defend against attackers from the sole door to their room, fully focused on that single target.
The woman wore a grey uniform, much like the uniform on the three auxiliaries the marines ahd encountered just after the breach. She had short, cropped hair and wielded a pistol of sleek, fragile design. Its seemingly makeshift nature suggested the weapon could be folded together and disguised as some ornament or article of clothing.
Three other humans, dressed much like the gun-wielder huddled in a corner.
The Kill-Team split up with the wounded, and their apothecary giving chase to the Fire Caste survivors, while the wounded remained close to the door they had just conquered.
The Fire-Warriors were swift in their relatively light armor, and had made good on their escape plan. The skan of Brother Vrusk could only just make them out - they were moving at full speed, and scattering.
Inside the room, something strange was happening - Nikeidas could make out the characteristic high-pitched whines of pulse weapon discharges - but that was not the only sound. There was the characteristic low grumble of a solid projectile weapon - a heavy thud punctuating each discharge. Whoever the lone shooter was, it was unlikely to be a Tau weapon being discharged
Just a headsup - three times using first aid equal three full rounds - which would mean you neither respond to the fighting in the room, nor give chase to the fleeing Tau.
The two remaining Fire Caste continued to discharge their pulse weapons at high rates of fire, but their wavering conviction and lackluster lust for battle resulted in a near-miss at the closest.
Camaels unleashed psychic power tore down the battlesuit, and tossed the two Tau warriors violently against the walls, as the Blood Angel ancestors tore through mind and body of the Xenos alike.
The Kroot facing Elias did not give up so easily. He seemingly deliberately left open an avenue of attack, and when the finely-honed instincts of the dark angel lured him into exploiting it, attempted an underhanded maneuver that would have pierced Elyas' armor from below. Yet as skillfully as the xeno executed its ruse, as pathetic was the actual attack. Elyas' sleeve deflected the blow almost without trying.
1d100 ⇒ 49 Elyas attack
Elyas could not quite return the favor, his blow falling short of connecting by inches.
Adalricus targetted the kroot with another volley of bolts, and finally felled the xenos.
The two remaining Fire Warriors were retreating at full speed now, abandoning the lost ambush. At the same time, gunfire could be heard behind the bulkhead this ambush had defended. Foregoing the chase might allow the Fire Warriors a chance to set up a second ambush - but whatever battle was joined behind the door would play itself out without Astartes intervention.
Magnus's blast erupted in the only clean group of targets left - the Tau
benefitted from still being covered by the massive bulkhead, so the ammunition of of metalstorm clip could only reach small areas. Only one splinter penetrated the Taus armor.
With Camael collapsed on the floor, the tau warriors immediately switched to the next target not already tied in melee - the rapidly-closing Elyas.
While the Tau warriors continued to rain a storm of energy pulses down on the Emperor's finest, the battlesuits seemed to go through some kind of reconfiguration. The small-caliber carbine retracted, and another contraption took its place.
1d100 ⇒ 10 - 5 Degrees of success, but only 3 hits due to ROF (Head, Head, Arm)
1d100 ⇒ 93 Dodge Magnus
3d10 + 2 ⇒ (9, 9, 4) + 2 = 24 (Felling 2) - 25 - 11 Wd - 11 Left
3d10 + 2 ⇒ (10, 6, 3) + 2 = 21 (Felling 2) - 23 - 9 Wd - 2 Left
3d10 + 2 ⇒ (5, 10, 5) + 2 = 22 (Felling 2) - 22 - 7 Wd - Critical 5 Arm
The emperor's retribution followed swiftly, as Elyas' chainsword connected with the body of the Kroot. The alien grunted in pain as its primitive body-armor was torn asunder by the chain, and its flesh exposed. Another strike like this, and it would be history.
Its counterswing was wickedly targeted, but the primitive weapon failed to penetrate the protective aegis of Elyas' power armor.
Just as the battle was beginning to look grim for the defenders of Mankind, Adalricus scored a telling hit. His boltgun barked in rightous fury, and the first of the Tau Battlesuits collapsed, its wearer torn apart inside his own armor.
The Kroot originally engaged to Elyas tried to strike the marine again,
but Elyas skillfully evaded the blow. Moments later, the xeno was brought down by Brother Vrusk.
The Tau soldiers retreated back into the rooms they had emerged from, to remove themselves from the chance of being engaged in melee
1d100 ⇒ 1 - Hits
1d100 ⇒ 3 - Dodge Elyas
Aetheros - 14
Nikeides - 12
Vrusk - 10
Fire Warrior 1 - 10 (15 Dam)
Fire Warrior 4 - 10
Magnus - 9 <-- Current initiative
Fire Warrior 2 - 9 (8 dam)
Fire Warrior 3 - 9
Camael - 8
Battlesuite 1 - 7 (12 dam)
Kroot 1 - 6
Elyas - 6
Adalricus - 6
Camael, after looking over things again, it seems i forgot your unnatural toughness. So you don't have Critical 11, you in fact have 5 wounds left. Sorry for the messup, as you probably realize I am still learning the system.
Now, in order to avoid a rewind, you're still down for this turn only. The shock temporarily overloaded your power supply. Next turn, you can again act normally. In a way, its probably going to save your ass, since leaving you standing would have had a good chance to push you into the same territory I mistakenly had you in.
As Camael began to sprint down the last paces towards the battlesuits, they showed no sign of letting up their barrage of plasma. Yet as Camael passed to double doors to his sides, they suddenly sprang open - revealing more enemies that had lain in wait, in keeping with the Tau doctrine of the Patient Hunter. There was a pair of lightly-armored fire Warriors in each of them, and a hawkish Kroot, which swiftly joined the battle.
Battlesuit 2: Full Auto
1d100 ⇒ 87 - No hits
Kroot 2: Charge at Camael
1d100 ⇒ 70: Miss
Vrusk: Move, then attack Kroot 2
1d100 ⇒ 83: Miss
Fire Warrior 1: Full Auto Pulse Rifle at Camael
1d100 ⇒ 13 - 4 Hits on Body
Camael: Dodge
1d100 ⇒ 20 - Attack Neutralized
Fire Warrior 4: Full Auto Pulse rifle on Camael
1d100 ⇒ 10 - 4 Hits on Head, Head, Arm, Body
2d10 + 2 ⇒ (8, 3) + 2 = 13 - 14 - 8 = 6 on Head - 14 Wounds left
2d10 + 2 ⇒ (8, 7) + 2 = 17 - 17 - 8 = 9 on Head - 5 Wounds left
2d10 + 2 ⇒ (8, 8) + 2 = 18 - 18 - 8 =10 on Arm - Critical +5
2d10 + 2 ⇒ (6, 8) + 2 = 16 - 16 -10 = 6 on Body - Critical +11
Camael, you may want to consider burning a Fate Point here.
50% chance of ammo explosion - >50: Boom
1d100 ⇒ 49 No explosion
Camael's armor ended punctured in many places by the weapon pulses, and one of the hits hit his armors internal power array - overloading it, letting the battle-brother collapse in a heap.
Initiative Order:
Battlesuite 2 - 14
Nikeides - 12
Kroot 2 - 10
Vrusk - 10
Fire Warrior 1 - 10
Fire Warrior 4 - 10
Magnus - 9 <-- Intercepting turn here - do something
Fire Warrior 2 - 9
Fire Warrior 3 - 9
Camael - 8
Battlesuite 1 - 7
Kroot 1 - 6
Adalricus - 6
While Magnus still approaches the newly-discovered position with caution, and most of the Kill-Team try to find cover, Brother Camael charges forward, either already caught in the momentum of battle, or receiving the vox transmission too late.
Camael found a side corridor, just shy of 6 feet wide. Like most of the ship, its walls are relatively bare except for a finger-deep engraving. Just at the end of that corridor, 10 meters from the intersection, and past two sliding doors, two tau soldiers in battlesuits awaited him. These suits stood about as tall as a space marine in power armor, but unlike the glorious imperial armors, they were relatively delicate things
Init Order: Tau2, Camael, Tau1. Other members enter the fight on round 2
Tau 1: Aim and fire
Tau 1: Full-auto 1d100 ⇒ 44, 2 hits
Camael dodges: 1d100 ⇒ 96
Damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (9, 3) + 4 = 162d10 + 4 ⇒ (4, 3) + 4 = 11 - a dud and 2 wounds
Two of the plasma bolts pierce the santified armor just below the aquilla, stinging but ultimately not hurting camael much. The blood angel closed in on the aliens, firing his bolter.
1d100 ⇒ 92
Yet while the shells of his weapon only exploded in the wall, showering the battlesuits with dust, he still was exposed to the plasma fire of the two xenos
Tau 1: Aim and fire
Tau 2: Full-auto 1d100 ⇒ 89, no hits
With Camael committed as he was already, there was little clevery trickery still left as an option
If you haven't already, please roll initiative. You know the Taus scores. ;)
The kill-team advanded through the corridor rapidly, only taking the absolute minimum in precautions required by the Codex. This behavior had an unexpected reward when they secured a bulkhead, and crossed it. Adalricus has just barely crossed that threshold, when it shut violently, and the characteristic clicking sound of mag-locks falling into place drove home the point that a way back was locked off.
The new corridors were not much different from those that came before, but somewhat larger. They stretched as far as the sensors could carry - probably one of the main throughfares of the frigate. Smaller satellite paths intersected it in regular intervals.
Challenging Tech Use (Auspex Required):
Spoiler:
The third intersecting passage shows significantly elevated energy emissions. Possibly from the Tau battlesuit technology. Possibly an ambush, or defenders scrambling to dig in
Elyas grisly work on the human collaborator produces plenty of screams, pleas for mercy. The man was breaking up, pleading for the Astartes to relent. Yet getting anything useful out of him was going to take at least a little more time. At the same time, Adalricus was calling for haste. A decision would need to be made.
A shipwide communications system activated. "Gona fah, tarkis mo Sarona pal erios fah Rus Miao. Shes hegto sarh. Hoi-ta-feahl veam toal. Exals to mant Dec’taa."
Linguistic: Tau
Spoiler:
Alert. Intruders on Sub-Deck 19c. Human Battlesuits. Bulkhead sealing procedure begun. Time to evacuate: roughly 41 seconds
The human survivor merely glances at the huge marine. He is afraid, Magnus can pick up the all too telling scent. He is afraid, but also very much aware he is a dead many anyway, cooperating or not. "Enough." he defiantly hisses, slowly leaving the braced position he instinctively took. "There is us, there is the fire caste, there is more firepower here than needed. And if you kill me, it does not matter."
Adalricus' first foray into the ship is telling. Some sort of alarm must have been raised, even though not by blaring sirens. Several traces of hasty flight can be seen - dropped supplies, items left behind. The corridors seem deserted probably not for long - a puddle of reddish-green liquid is still spreading from a dropped canister.
Surprised as they were, the three did not stand a chance against the space marines. Two of them were torn to shreds as the mass-reactive fulfilled their grisly purpose to perfection. The one crewmen who escaped a direct hit dropped low as well, covering his head.
Magnus' call for a status request was answered by the comms officer aboard the vessel. "Drop pods faced planetside anti-air measures. We seem to have surprised the enemy. No sign of fighters or interception. Now heading to warp point Farthis for system exit." the vox blared.
Vrusk had trouble making much sense of the schematics. The alien ship was just too... heretical. But he could pin down their point of entry, the sensor center they had to destroy by simple geometry. They would have to cross two main corridors, going close to 150 yards if they took the most direct route. A more circumspect approach would require further knowledge.
Adalricus re-evaluates the presence of three humans. They are indeed humans. Baseline, no visible mutations or cybernetic augmentations. They wear nondescript beige overalls, and are armed with laspistols, which they have drawn, but not attempted to fire at the Space Marine boarding party.
Angrael considered Aetheros' arguments for several agonizing seconds, before lowering his eyes back on the tactical display. "Very well. Hangars, prepare Thunderhawks Mu and Nu in addition as a diversionary strike. Launch drop-pods at deep-strike positions Fides and Coaleth as we cross the ecliptic plane. "You shall have your diversionary dropships, and your pods. But we must remain on schedule to reach Parsai."
The rites of preparation were well-practiced and drilled beyond conscious thought - receiving arms and ammunition, prayers and oaths of the moment, final equipment checks... It seemed to just pass by the marines in a familiar blur. Before a quarter of the hour had passed, battle sirens blared across the ship, and they entered the boarding torpedos. The miniaturized strike craft were ejected with a mass of decoys, and sped up to ramming speed.
The impact nearly cracked the torpedo hulls, but helmet displays showed all of them had managed to breach the enemy craft in rough proximity, emerging into a corridor on the startboard side of the vessel - somewhat off from their intended target, if Angraels schematics were to be believed.
The corridor was about 10 feet wide, and almost the same height. It was lighted by dim, reddish-hued lighting, more than enough to operate at full efficiency, but still reminiscant of a sleep cycle. There were no decorations or motivational icons on the simple, beige walls.
Three humans stood at the end of the corridor, las-pistols drawn but not leveled.
In the twilight of the briefing room, it was hard to place the elder marine's emotions. "Drop Pods, additional dropships and shipborne assaults are all resources we are hardly in a position to give freely. Double Ammuntions are granted, but I would need to hear a compelling case for any further expenditure here. We literally have no idea what awaits us in Parsai."
You can roll a charm test to present a convincing case. I wouldn't recommend Intimidation, but its your choice. Whoever takes the shot here takes it for good - no retries, no second chances for another marine, so you might want to coordinate in the discussion thread
A red light flashed in the briefing room. "Mylords, we are beginning translation in ten minutes." The subdued voice a serf from the bridge crew of the Lux Imperator announced.
Keep in mind that you would need to be famed for Terminator Armor, which is still quite a ways off.
Angrael gave the discussion on extraction tactics an approving nod. "We can deploy up to two thunderhawk gunships. They could hide behind the moon until needed, and extract you from the disabled Tau ship. Taking control of a Xeno landing ship is potentially adding an element of surprise, and allows you to bypass the surface-to-air defenses. Keep in mind that xeno machine spirits are said to be mean and uncooperative at the best of times."
He focussed on Venulf for a short moment. "Let me remind you - the rebel spokeswoman is a primary target of the operation. In order to restore order on Tekor with any kind of speed, she must be killed."
"The planet has an orbital defense network. Unfortunately, it is inoperable, due to its special layout. All firing decisions are issued by the government, from the central command in the capitol. There is a fallback meant to guard against treachery, though. This fallback means that if a majority of habitat controls reject a firing order, it is not executed. The same applies in the reverse as well, so the habitats cannot fire against a central veto." Angrael explained, and added. "Since the habitat landing platforms are defended rather heavily, there is not much air force or oversea ship traffic. Each hab maintains a small fleet of submersibles, which are acting as breach-craft."
The display returned the the Xeno ship. "The ship itself is well defended. We expect at least a company of troops still abort. Fire caste warriors, with a sizable detachment of Kroot. Fortunately, once you infiltrate the maintenance tunnels you should be able to evade their vehicles and heavy battlesuits. My suggestion for a direct assault would be boarding torpedoes close to this section." An aftern part of the ship came into zoom. "It is close to one of the central nodes of their sensory systems. If you could destroy these systems, you would be able to proceed from tunnel to corridor with them having to track you down in small squadrons."
Adalricus' suggestion to torn the Tau vessel against groundside targets gave the Flesh Tearer a grim smile "Tempting as that thought is... no. The crystal formations are very susceptible to environmental toxins. An orbital bombardment might ruin a century worth of crops. In fact, a high-priority secondary objective is to avoid major damage to the ecosphere."
After the Cryptguard had departed the Lux Imperator aboard one Thunderhawk gunship, the ship returned to the Warp as soon as it could, its engines propelling it through a temporary tear in the material world.
Again, the voyage through the immaterium proved easy, almost suspiciously so. The wildfires of savage emotions seemed to have cooled to embers. A day before their estimated arrival in Tekor.
Once again, the briefing room was cast in half-darkness, allowing the flickering images of the hololithic table to be seen better. Again, Brother Angrael stood close to the projector, and awaited the newly-formed Kill Team. This time, however, he was alone.
"Welcome, my brothers. We are about to enter Tekor, and will exit the warp at the jump-point designated 'Theta Eagle'." He motioned towards the hololithic display, which shifted to display a map of the small system. The jump-point was located above the ecliptic plane, about halfway between the two planets. "Our best intelligence shows a Tau frigate here." A red dot appeared orbiting the oceanic world. "We know the Tau already deployed some warriors and battlesuits to aid insurgent forces. We assume the bulk of their forces is still aboard."
The display shifted, and now displayed rough, incomplete schematics of the ship. It was somewhat shorter than the imperial Swords, but comparable in pure combat prowess. "The frigatte must be scuttled or otherwise neutralized. A direct assault may be satisfying, but is also an extremely high-risk approach." The display highlighted some critical systems - power generation, central air reprocessing, munition storage.
"Planetary control is contested right now. Planetary defense forces are cracking down on the rebel settlements, but the rebels are organized, and have struck the infrastructure of the loyal habitats." The ship returned to a mere blip on the map, as it cycled towards the planet. The five settlements were highlighted. These habitats were more akin to small hives, with a trade section close to the water surface, and a larger harvesting and manufacturing section close to the seafloor. Slowly, three of them turned red.
"Fighting a war of attrition against the rebels is likely both costly and fruitless. Behead the menace. The three rebel "Councilors", as they call themselves must be eliminated - but most central is a woman named Korrah Fei, who has been leading the "Deepaz Vil" habitat. She is the spokeswoman of the rebels, and by all appearances the Tau Liaison. She has accepted two xeno bodyguard. These Xeno seem to be Kroot mutants, with extraordinary size and precision.
"Your primary objectives are to eliminate both the Xeno ship, stopping any reinforcements, and Korrah Fei."
"You are confident, and experienced in your own chapters" The Black Templar replied, with a stony smile. "You will need to look beyond that. Each of you is an expert in a way of conducting battle, but already you have failed the first test."
His eyes held a brief challenge. "You have failed to ask questions. Three worlds, all of them important to the Imperium and the Deathwatch. All under attack from three different directions. How likely is this, in your estimates?"
He let the words sink in. "We know your particular enemy has long had designs. Still, The sheer synchronicity should trouble you." He nodded his head again, a strange gesture. "Brother Angrael made sure you got first choice of the missions this time precisely to see how you would act, what you would discuss. Do not expect such luxury in the future."
Shortly afterwards, the Cryptguard finished their briefing, and headed for the hangars to prepare for their departure. Angrael likewise exited the Briefing room, looking over his brother and the recent inductees. "Alexandr, have you initimidate the recruits again?", to which the Black Templar only replied with a steel-toothed smile.
The transit buys you another 2 days of downtime. I will put up the briefing tonight, which will include requisition info
The commander nodded. "I see you have decided. Very well. Me and my brethren will see to Parsai's troubles, and the Cryptguard will remain here on Andrais." The Astartes saluted in assent.
It seemed the "Cryptguard" kill-team was the larger of the two other teams, featuring five Astartes, while Angrael and his Sanguine Brotherhood stood only three veterans tall. The commander dismissed Angrael dismissed the two other kill-teams, and began to brief the Cryptguard in more detail.
One of the Brotherhood lagged slightly behind. A grizzled Astartes, whose armor wore the marks of the Black Templars. "Your first mission as brothers of the Deathwatch. It is a huge step. Are you ready?"
please use a character alias. Otherwise it gets quite confusing who is talking.
"All of them, brother" Angrael replied with a cold smile. One team will depart once we reach the system and travel to the planet via thunderhawk. The lux imperator will depart again for Tekor. We will deploy a second thunderhawk with another kill team, and then head to Parsai.
The Lux Imperator cut through the Empyrean like a blade, swiftly and with no regard as to what it crossed. The destroyer was making good time to its destination, since the warp had turned to a comparative calm in the last few months.
Deep inside the ship, a most illustrious meeting took place. Brother Angrael, of the Flesh Tearers was a veteran brother of the Deathwatch. Hero of the Imperium. Personal friend to two inquisitors. And simply not least the commander sworn to end the troubles of the triplet systems, as they were commonly called. Large even for a space marine, his black armor covered with mementos of engagements won and wounds sustained. His face was almost unrecognizable as human, merely a thin whisp of skin stretched over bone, a mess of burn scards with only the merest hints of a nose, ears and lips. His left eye was an ominous red cybernetic, while his right one was merely an empty socket.
With him, a full twenty brethren of the Deathwatch stood. The accomplished "Saguine Brotherhood", and the enigmatic "Cryptguard" were chosen for this mission alongside your "Sacramentum Vis".
Angrael looked severel. "Welcome my brothers. We have much to discuss. As you know, the systems we are heading to are all valuable. Valuable and under attack. We have now been able to determine two of the threats we will face. With a motion, a primitive hologram filled the air. "Andrais is under assault by Eldar raiders. These pirates have outmaneuvered the PDF and stationed imperial guard forces several times, each time taking slaves and critical supplies. We suspect them to have a base somewhere in the system. One of our teams will deploy to coordinate with Major Cymbial. Another swift motion replaced the system schematic with a picture displaying an aging woman in an imperial guard uniform. There was nothing beautiful about her. Heavily scarred and with the right half of her head replaced by cybernetic augments, she could probably have passed for a servitor, if she put her mind to it. "The purpose of this deployment is twofold. You are to protect a purposefully underdefended target, in the hopes of drawing the pirates out. After breaking their speartip, follow any clues uncovered and neutralize their staging area. This mission requires speed, discretion and no small amount of stealth.
Another motion, and the display changed to the ocean world of Tekor Prime. "The situation on Tekor is dire as well. Tekor is governed by a council of the five major settlements, overseen by governeur Hanz Miser." A portrait of an aging, hawk-like aristocrat intograted into the system display. Then, three of the settlements turned red. "A faction of three settlements decided to abandon the emperors light, and throw in their lot with the abomible Tau. These xenos have been sending "diplomats" for the better part of a century. We thought their advances soundly rejected, but it seems they fell on fertile soil with some of the subaltern structure. Civil war and heresy are rampant in Tekor. The xenos are out to abuse that weakness. A scouting vessel is already in system, and unloading troops to aid the rebels. Our mission is again twofold - behead the uprising by eliminating the renegade councilmen, and capture or destroy the xenos vessel."
A shadow fell across the face of brother Angrael. "We have lost all astropathic contact with the Parsai system two hours ago. No messages were received, no sent messages confirmed since that time. Requests for aid have specified a mutant uprising in one of the dockyards, with significant infrastructure damage. Inquisitor Helzkann of the Ordo Malleus was en-route to the system. We have failed to reach him, or his entourage. Therefore, objectives are unknown, but likely include battle with the great enemy."
Feel free to discuss the relative challenges of each mission, and volunteer your team for one of them. :)
The news of "warp travel" were met with more or less blank faces - the brief explanation was seemingly not enough for them to make any connections or qualified judgements. Still, they politely took another few sips, and listened.
"So, your arrival here was an accident?" The one woman who had been identified as being affiliated with a different power spoke up. "Nevertheless, your arrival is perhaps the most major occasion since Fahrinstein. I think my Senk'alahi would question my sanity if i failed to formally invite you to a state dinner, in the capitol of the Khortian Dominion"
A slightly poisonous glance was cast from the leader towards her specialist - but she nodded. "Naturally, an equal invitation is extended on behalf of the Amitrian League. In case you require any supplies, we will make an effort to aid you in procuring them"
Radavel seems to have fallen of the face of the earth, so i stepped in. I'm looking for 2-3 replacement players. We only just started the game, and not much has happened yet. We have a captain, navigator and engiseer. So if anyone is interested and has an idea, get in while its hot.
The navigator once again focussed his otherworldly perception on the trio of woman, as they made their way from the hangar to the reception room. Now, closer to them and able to see their faces, he was able to glean more - but not necessarily anything reassuring. Not one of these woman had the expected presence in the sea of souls. They were all... muted, less vivid. As if someone had drained something essential from their very being.
The designers had done well in hiding the grit and dirt of the operations from this small refuge only fifty yards inside the ships interior. The room was well-appointed with a clean marble floor, several wooden tables, and tasteful decor by an imperial eagle and several small images of the faith.
The lord captain settled his guests and himself, and went through the few bits of information he had been able to glean so far. The leader was, for lack of a better word, a machine. She hadn't violated any rule of decorum or protocol, but kept her cards extremely close to her chest. The two younger woman also remained almost too calm.
The leader raised her glass slightly, and sipped from it. Her dusky skin flushed slightly, as she raised her voice to answer. "Thank you. For your hospitality, and your kind words. But I doubt you would be interested in me personally. So, I will talk to you about the Amitrian League. We are, by most accounts, the most powerful nation of Ard, both military and economically. We are governed as a republic, with a lower-house elected by the populace, and an upper house randomly chosen for life. Our mission was to explore the moon systems of Marthas, our outermost planet."
After short monologue, she took another sip, and shifted in her chair somewhat. "Now, indulge me. What does ship of your mass do here? Who did you get here - we detected no inbound trajectory of any object of your size. Is this some kind teleportation technology?"
The three woman saluted - a strange gesture involving presenting an open palm held outstretched before their chest, which was then raised up above their head. "Shel'tan Morisette Varo of the Amitrian League, and Shei Victoriana Geris." She motioned towards the third woman, whose overall displayed somewhat different colors "And our mission specialist, Sigrid Von, of the Khortian Dominion"
Awareness:
Spoiler:
The leading woman seized up the situation, and her eyes rested on the sharpshooters even at the considerable distance for just a moment too long to have overlooked them. Her compatriots seemed oblivious, though
Shel'tan Varo listened to the Lord Captains invitation, and after a moments consideration, replied "Gladly, Lord-Captain. We have no knoffle for your hospitality, but let us drink and let us talk. This historic moment requires more than rote procedure and military protocols."
Her gothic was off, in several ways. Tonal shifts and changes in grammar had rendered her sentences hard to understand - sometimes only loosely recognizable, in fact. In addition, there were several words totally unrooted in the familiar vocabulary, where only educated guesses could be made.
The two patrol craft approached the Proficio, one staying about 100 miles out, while the second approched the landing bay, performing a perfect spot-landing, even without the assistance of the larger vessels guidance systems.
The vessel was a small, elegant construction. Flowing curves, silvery metal alloys. The style was most reminiscant of Eldar technology, but significantly less advanced. No ship to ship armaments besides two bulky fusion bombs jutting almost like foreign objects from beneath the wings - which seemed more like a stylistic feature than something intended to support aerodynamic flight.
An iris airlock opened, and three figured exited the craft. Three woman in simple, blue jumpsuits. They were unmistakably human, if all of above-average height. All featured simple, crew-cut hair. The one leading the formation was about 30 standard years old, with the two tailing her being maybe five years younger. The leader had an air of authority about her, each movement composed and without haste.
Es'trisi send out his mental senses, in addition to the prying eyes of the machine spirits. The echos he receives are... unclear. Something is not quite right with the approaching craft. Not an outright warp entity, or active psycker. Rather something... lower-key. As if the souls of the people aboard the crafts were like washed-out paint.
Since you have upwards of 4 hours time to prepare, I'll let you summarize anything you want to accomplish until then. If you need any rolls done, please state them - but in order to maybe rouse some more players, I'd like to keep things moving
As the sensors started their analysis of the inbound vessels, some more facts became clear to the crew: These ships were not as slow as their primitive propulsion was suggesting. The ETA was settling in on somewhat over five hours - a significant achievement. They had pressurized hulls, so unmanned fighters were not likely. Other than that, the sensors produced heaps of difficult to understand data, that probably fe
Common Forbidden Lore (Mechanicus) OR Very Hard (-30) Tech use:
Spoiler:
The technical readouts were cryptic, and some things were hard to decipher. Nevertheless, these two crafts were interesting studies in heretical technology. Their power generators were, in a word, sub-par. Bulky fusion plants with low output. Their drive, on the other hand... better than it had any right to be. They were armed with two simple, fission-fusion bombs each. Each one of them would probably be deflected by a raised void-shield, but a good concentrated hit would punch through. Not totally helpless, but far from any serious cause for worry. Their own defenses, on the other hand, were close to non-existant. A single volley...
"There is a request for a meeting, Lord Captain", an officer reported.
"Captain - before you issue any more orders - you might wish to see this" the bridge officer's voice was somewhat subdued, as if the man had just either been shocked for his very life, or was trembling with opportunity.
Back on the bridge, the reason of that excitement soon became very clear. It had been a one in a billion chance. They could have ended up literally anywhere at all with that emergency translation. But as it turned out, they had ended up about a light-hour away from a binary system of two brown dwarf stars. There was a tiny planetary system of three worlds showing on Auspex. A lone gas giant, Methane and Hydrogen, on the verge of the frost line. But two habitable planets edging into the thin habitable stretch. A world of vast swamps, and the veritable jackpot. A temperate planet. About two thirds the mass of Holy Terra itself. Blue dotted with white and green.
"Captain... we got inbound vessels. Primitive fusion drives, from the looks of it. Two skiffs, probably some kind of scout or proto-fighter. Fusion drives, from our readout. No huge issue."
Sasha gruffly nodded, slipping down the rope she had begun to climb in the confusion again. "I'm fine. I think Henry's the only one other than you who got worse than a scratch."
She moved back towards the central dias, tried to figure the original diameter of the trap. "We got a ring, but let's examine the central column a bit closer. I doubt the rats'll be back anytime soon."
Tshilaba's magical manipulation was remarkably effective. As the inner, tighter pattern began to waver and expand before their eyes, the rats began to lose all semblance of coherence. The previously frantic shrieking wave fragmented, and became a torrent of rats all stumbling over one another, some braving the pattern they had learned to fear, others rushing into the ankle-deep water... whatever panic they had previously shared was lost now.
Zababa managed to pry lose the ring from the dead man's hand, just as Henry managed to produce the maybe least impressive jump of his life.
Despite the still-frantic shrieks and scuffling of the rats, the most present danger was dispelled.
You are facing a rat swarm. It acts at initiative 7 each turn
Henry and Misha heroically flung themselves against the rolling mass of rats, and their frantic strikes and slashed thinned out the horde somewhat - but it seemed for every dozen rats they slew, twice as many returned.
Tshilaba unleashed a magical assault he hoped would drive them back, but the rats kept on gnashing and gnawing on his friends.
Damage from the Swarm:
Misha - 2
Henry - 6
Please make a DC 12 Fort save
Zababa seemingly had the only vantage point that was not at arms length to a rat - they seemed to instinctively avoid the central circle of the chamber
Zababa examined the platform very carefully, and rummaged at the skeletal remains. Zababa was unable to fully ascertain what it had once been... it had either been a tiefling, or a twisted human. Whatever it had been, it had suffered, twisted and its bones locked in unnatural positions. Not a shred of clothing or flesh remained, all devoured by the ravenous rats.
The skeleton still held on a silvery ring on its right hand, the band clasping a single small ruby.
What had taken the life of the explorer came to Zababa more as inspiration than as actual knowledge. The floor tile was finer around the central platform, each shard smaller. The geometric patterns grew runic rather than abstract - some form of sorcery protected the platform. The heavy steps should be safe - but getting there was a risky jump, even with a running start.
Henry grew concerned, though. The cracks of the vaulted ceiling were slowly bleeding sand-like soil, and the water of the storm began to seep into the cavern. Worse, a high-pitched sound, like piglets calling for their mothers, began to rise. His fears were vindicated when, from an almost invisible hole, three rats emerged almost at the same time, followed by a gush of water.
Sasha reached the ground unhurt, climbing down the wet rock as if it was a rope. She took longer than the rope-climbers, but her self-satisfied grin as she reached the ground spoke all too loudly she considered to have "won" that challenge nevertheless. However, as their eyes adjusted to the even darker twilight, her reaction changed to surprise and wonder.
The group stood in a vaulted hall, its roof only cracked open at the gash, which split it relatively close to the base. In time, this gash would surely spell the end of the vault, as it would spread and ultimately rip the whole construction apart. The floor was even, and relatively sparse.. other than the floor patterns, which converged to a raised platform, which maybe was an altar or some kind of well at the center of the vault.
The floor was littered with rat droppings in almost even amounts. The rodents had seemingly taken a liking to this vault. Here and there, bones could be seen, most of rodents, but a few of larger animals, and one particular set seemingly humanoid in origin. The humanoid skeleton lay close to the platform, maybe struck down by some kind of ancient mechanism.
Tshilaba took an inventory of the entrances, and found two former entrances, other than their newly-made rift. To the east and to the west, meticulously aligned, there were ruined stairs, shattered and collapsed and grown through by roots. Probably indistinguishable from normal ground on the outside.
Sasha chuckled, and began her descend into the fissure. "Well, since you're so busy with rope and ladders and worrying, I figured I could just go ahead and look around."
She descended into the darkened cavern after the magical lights, which illuminated first a volume of relatively empty space, until they reached a floor about 30 feet below ground. Henry took a quick survey of what they could make out - which at this point amounted to a vaulted ceiling and a floor with geometric patterns intricately interwoven. The geometric pattern had an almost hypnotic quality to them, and Henry's trained eyes quickly determined them to be Azlanti. Probably created close to Starfall, as their empire reached their Zenith before being torn down brutally.
Henry considered the possibilities, and it made little sense to hide a dome underground - other constructions would have been as sturdy, but easier to construct. Probably the structure had originally been constructed on the surface.
With the rope in place, climbing down as much less a daunting task.
