Overview

Atesh Sapik So much for keeping his head down and mouth shut. Cursing himself for letting his smart mouth run away from him, Atesh moved to flinch from the pulleyman's blow before he was shoved back. He took the opportunity to wipe his nose clean and, having listened to the veteran prisoner's mutterings, turned back to face the same direction. Sapik checked over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being watched too closely, and leaned in to whisper: " 'When the day comes'. Why not today? Why not now? Let's scrag'em and take their job! The boys up top don't care from whom the ore flows, only that it flows."

I admit it's possible that the prison runs the mines 24/7, but I'm assuming the work is conducted during an 18-ish hour day shift with a 6 hour allotment for sleep during night time hours, in which case the guard force will be at its strongest during the daylight hours when the workforce actively needs to be patrolled. If this is the case, then fewer guards will be awake and fewer will be active within the facility during nighttime hours. Again, I could be completely wrong, but putting aside the guard shifts, the northern approach just has the shortest distance from perimeter fence to another structure for cover & concealment from the other towers. I doubt the armories are within pre-fab barracks and are instead within the main complex, so even if I do have to wade through some off-duty guards they will ideally be unarmored and bearing only rudimentary or light arms.

Indeed, welcome @Aknoby I am tempted to take out the dark kin with my Diresword, just to see what “soul-destroying” effect it has. Otherwise @Black Cohort can immolate him…

However, at night time, most of those guards would be asleep, and the few awake were unlikely to be armed or armored. Plus, the barracks themselves provided cover from visual acquisition from the surrounding towers. It was probably the best out of four bad options. Unless they have a good set of shift rotations. Early Shift, Mid-Shift and Late Shift

Obadiah Prisons are, by definitions, first and foremost designed to keep people inside from getting out, and with good reason as lots of the people inside always wanted to get out. Now here he was, trying to break in. He inspected every inch of the facility from his vantage point to the west. Inside the wire, the western & southern approaches were wide open with a long distance to cover. The eastern approach had even more active guards because of the extra towers around the landing field. The northern approach was, at first glance, likewise a bad place for infiltration; the barracks there were likely to be bustling and filled with people. However, at night time, most of those guards would be asleep, and the few awake were unlikely to be armed or armored. Plus, the barracks themselves provided cover from visual acquisition from the surrounding towers. It was probably the best out of four bad options. Obadiah backed off from the ridge and began making his slow way around, circling to the north of the complex. He'd wait for the wan green sun of the system primary to set behind the rocks, and then begin his move.

Good, good. Can't wait to meet this fine space-elf!

Onboarding Aknoby is almost complete and I will do the intorduction of his character into the game as part of the start of part three post in the next few days.

Correct. Very smart question. We'll say we started the game at midday, so by the time you've moved up to your current position, 2 or 3 hours have passed? Note: in the Data thread, Mazer described the Ithyca-II star as green, small, main phase.

@Lysimachus So if the facility is to the east, I assume I'm approaching then from the west (left side of the map)? Also, what's the sun's position in the sky? Midday, near dusk, middle of the night?

Atesh: The pulley-man's boots are indeed newer and cleaner than the ruined footwear worn by most of the prisoners, but the rider does not seem at all pleased to have it pointed out. “Purcha…?” His eyes narrow angrily and it looks as though he is about to swing down off the casket, when someone else bumps against you, shoving you away from the shaft and back into the darkness of the work gallery. Once far enough from the glowering pulley-man, the dirty newcomer mutters, half at you, half to himself. “...new or something? Those -kissing pulley-boys go up top and scrounge all sorts from the pigs, but they'll beat you blue if you say so much as a word about it! Leg-riding scum. Oho, but they'll get theirs when the day comes… can't come soon enough…” Obadiah: You move east to the far end of the valley, where you can just make out the warder patrol still following the dusty trail southwards. Extrapolating from the slight curve of the path suggests that it might form a loose circle around Dante's Barrow. Given the roughness of the ground, and the dawdling pace the mortals are setting, you can estimate that it would take them several days to complete the full loop. Of course, they might not be the only patrol unit currently making this circuit. Onwards to the east you can see that the uneven terrain begins to drop away slightly from your position, allowing you your first full view of the infamous prison mine. Perhaps four or five kloms away, the massive processing plant is still clearly visible, as are the various subsidiary buildings and other smaller structures. Immediately noticeable are a series of squat, octagonal towers - perhaps ten metres across and twenty tall - that form another, slightly elliptical ring around the Barrow. Guard posts, likely equipped with rooftop heavy weapon nests. Though it is hard to see clearly at this distance, it seems logical that you would find a perimeter fence of high, heavy mesh running between the towers, enclosing a flat area approximately one hundred and fifty metres wide on all sides of the prison. Within this enclosure, your eye is drawn to several areas. An open rectangle to the east, again fenced and surrounded by more guard posts and a single taller control tower. A landing field. Waiting on this field are a series of shuttlecraft of varying size. Some, larger and proudly coloured in Mechanicus red, are obviously bulk transporters waiting to be filled with processed ores. A few others, dark blue, seem to be dedicated prison vessels, perhaps bringing in new penal workers, or carrying warder shift changes to and from the surrounding hab-towns of Penitence. To the north, a series of long semicylinders, laid out in neat rows. Pre-fab guard barracks, from the look of them. Beside these shapes there is a smaller landing field with another prison shuttle standing ready.

Atesh Sapik No obvious signs of an escape attempt to join appeared, nor any indicator of invasion or other distractions, blast it. Still, the Crow commanded change and offered a clear path out. Atesh mentally focused on a mantra in praise of the Great Changing Crow and became entranced by what hazy light filtered down the shaft. Light came from flame, whether that be great flaming balls that were stars or a small candle, and flame had always been Atesh's way. At the sound of the pulleyman's harsh query, Atesh flinched as though worried at being struck and threw up his hands to ward off any blows. As tiring as the act was becoming, it was still too early to shuck the mummer's show. After a moment to recognize no blow had come, Atesh called out, "I, uh----I was just admiring your....boots! Did you purchase them locally?"

Enkush: GM: You detect the same as Kur-Dawa with a better understanding of the rad weapons - there are obviously Mechanicum Skitarii Vanguard within. Uldyssian will realise this at the same time.

Obadiah Muscles lock in place, and hidden behind the layer of rip-stop cameleoline, the Mantid doesn't move a millimeter. He's just a part of the landscape, another uninteresting rock. Calculations fly through his mind; he can certainly kill all four of the patrolling guards without suffering any great injury...but mere slaughter wasn't his task. And it was near-impossible to get all of them without any one voxing a contact report back to their headquarters. And besides, the insertion was supposed to be covert -- a missing patrol would make infiltration much harder -- and so he waited patiently for the patrol to pass beyond sight. Only once he was confident they were out of eye-line did Obadiah start moving again. It ate up valuable time, but speed was the antithesis of stealth. Finding his one particular needle in the stack of needles inside was going to be hard enough, but exfiltrating with the heretic -- and, in particular, finding something that they could pilot out of atmosphere for pickup -- was probably going to require the abandonment of stealth. His steps slow but steady, Obadiah continued to make his indirect approach to the smokestacks.

Ha! Yes, I have learned!

Atesh: (OOC: I won't ask for an Awareness test yet, as what you can see is fairly familiar/self-evident?) When you reach the great casket and tip in the load of loose ore that you have gathered, it is a drop in a much larger bucket. A steady stream of workers continues to move past you to add their contribution as the casket moves upwards with snail-like slowness, but you pause, looking along the tensioned steel cables that lift it into the darkness. One of the pulley-men balances atop the casket, watching as the human dregs fill it with ore. It is an envied position, working the mine's transport system, even with the added dangers caused by the unavailability of the grav-conveyors. Food is more plentiful and of marginally better quality on the higher Decks, and there is even the rare opportunity to leave the confines of Penitence's crust and feel the weak sunlight on one's skin. Some on the lower levels never see Ithyca-II from the day they arrive at the Barrow until the day they die. The pulley-man notices your upward stare. “Oi, wot you lookin’ at?” Obadiah: You move with skill and speed through the broken terrain, slipping easily from cover to cover. As you move closer, the tips of the chimneys of Dante's Barrow gradually begin to show above the stony horizon. Awareness: Success As you cross over from one valley into the next, a sound catches your enhanced ear. Voices. You freeze, and watch. There, at the far end of the valley. Raised voices, more than one. In loud, careless conversation. Movement. Humanoid figures, a quartet walking in casual file along a just visible track that crosses the valley mouth. Tan fatigues, black flak vests made grey by dust. Carapace helms with heavy visors, but hanging from belts rather than worn. Three men, one woman. Bullpup lasguns, swinging from carry straps. Stealth vs Opposed Awareness: Player wins. One pauses to look along the valley, seemingly directly at your position. Then he moves on, blissfully unaware. It appears that whoever commands the warders of the Barrow is sensible enough to order regular patrols of the outer perimeter. However, it also seems that the attitude of the common troops does not fully match their chief's vigilance. Certainly there is no indication that they are aware of, or searching for, an infiltrating enemy.

Yes @Lysimachus has slowed down. He doesn't post at Plunder speeds anymore.

Enkush He approached the Mechanicum Complex and slowed as he crested the dune and drove downwards a ways. He stopped, his bike idling and he listened. He tried to ascertain any signs of survivors or noospheric presence. Who killed Bambi? ++Scouting right side if you want to take the left++ Kur-Dawa voxxed.

I was thinking this might be a spot I'd make an awareness check for any other signs of an emergency or change of circumstances like booms or shouting...?

I edited them into the my post.

Atesh Sapik Atesh struggled another loaded bucket of ore towards the pulley-gang. He was starting to tire of------- Deep underground though he was, a chorus of caws interrupted his thought process. He almost dropped the bucket with the sudden migraine that accompanied the psychic message, and blood started trickling out of his nostrils. The Great Crow is calling. That can only mean that change is coming. Atesh continued his trip to the pulley, now listening closer to his surroundings.

If that is your first move, then yep I'd say one each of Stealth and Awareness would be appropriate. Due to the terrain being uneven and with a reasonable level of cover, I'd say a +10 to the Stealth test would be fitting. If you want, add them to your IC post and we'll see what happens!

@Lysimachus let me know if you need me to make any Stealth and/or Awareness tests during the foot approach to the facility.

Obadiah Obadiah kicked himself free of the last scrap of the "hatch" of the capsule, a sour look curdling his features. He doffed his helmet for a moment, and took a deep breath of the dry, dusty air of this forsaken place. The smell was surprisingly clean for the most part; at this distance, he only caught a whiff of the acrid, burning-prometheum smell from the mining complex. There was a bit of a metallic taste as well, just a hint of iron in the back of the throat. It reminded him of the taste of aerosolized blood. He knelt in the tan dust, curling the cloak around his form as he did so. The cameleoline material immediately picked up the colors of the terrain around him and shifted, slowly, from its neutral color into a patchwork of red, brown, and khaki. He replaced his helmet, sealing away the ferrous-tasting air, and pulled the cloak's hood up over the top to hide himself as completely as possible. He double-checked Silence -- the 50cm blade was still nestled snugly in its sheathe strapped to his plastron -- and unslung Fate's Eye. He went through a functions check to ensure the rough landing hadn't jostled anything, then reloaded the magazine. With one last look back at the scrap of his insertion vehicle, he began making his slow way across the desolate landscape towards the plume of black smoke. He kept his head on a swivel, eyes constantly scanning for signs that his arrival was noticed.

There are thousands of mining sites spread across the arid surface of Penitence… but Dante's Barrow is one of the largest and most infamous. From the air, the outer structure appears like a monstrous metal hand reaching out from the rocky landscape, finger-like chimneys releasing billows of heavy ore dust into the atmosphere. However, just like a colossal giant attempting to claw its way free from its burial place, the vast majority of the facility is hidden beneath the ground. Below the processing plant, a huge network of mines digs deep into the ore-rich planetary crust, mile after mile of shafts and levels where thousands of workers labour to satisfy the Imperium's rapacious hunger for raw materials. These workers are not paid freemen or willing volunteers, however. They are convicted prisoners, the lowest of the low, heretics and traitors, cowards and criminals, brought in from across the Inca Sector. For the payment of their grievous sins, they will labour here for the rest of their pitiful lives. To ensure that this price is paid in full, the vigilant guardians of the Adeptus Arbites keep watch all around the prison complex, ready to defend the Barrow from enemies without and within. Atesh: Since your arrival at Dante's Barrow, you have found yourself assigned to the work crews mining deposits of lithium and kalium down on Deck 10. Life here among the prison gangs is hard, cruel and often brief. The tunnels in which you are forced to work are hot, dark, cramped, and stink of human filth. The atmosphere is one of casual violence, unapologetic self-interest, and bitter resentment against the Imperium in general and the prison warders in particular. This hatred has been sharpened in recent months, after the discovery of something at the lowest level of the Barrow. In a matter of days, Deck 13 was brutally culled of many hundreds of prisoners and then shut down entirely, declared off-limits by secretive Imperial forces. Wild rumours, each more fantastical than the last, continue to fly between the other levels about what was found, but no-one knows for a certainty. The grav-conveyor system has been locked down on all other Decks so that the ‘Impies’ can travel up and down freely and quickly. The miners are instead forced to use an ancient and crumbling apparatus of pulleys and baskets that bring ore up through narrow, twisting shafts to reach the surface. No concession has been made to production quotas due to this hazardous change. But these things are beneath your notice… except perhaps as a means to an end? Your concerns are far greater. The Great Crow has spoken in the quiet whispers of the dark. Tchar says that the time has come for you to leave this place. You must obey. Obadiah: Ahead of you, a seemingly empty vista of rocky hills and valleys, covered by sparse scrub and a few stunted trees. Behind you, thin wisps of smoke rise from the crumpled shell of your ‘covert insertion capsule’. A rather ironic designation for what appears to be an old saviour pod covered in a thin coat of reflective black paint. Similar in shape to the drop assault transports used by the Astartes, in size it is much, much smaller - so much so that deploying even a single Space Marine and his equipment was almost beyond its capacity. But at least you have safely made planetfall. Your mission can begin. Easier said than done, of course. Iorek Redfang's coterie of mortal witches couldn't even tell you who your target was. A figure they had seen, in flames… but not burning, somehow made of fire? Nor could the seers explain much as to why the Red Corsairs would want this ‘firebrand’ either, just that they did. However, the witches were able to locate the burning figure on Penitence, their divinations unerringly pointing towards Dante's Barrow. And thus you are here. It was decided that a lone Astartes, skilled in covert actions, would have just as good a chance - if not better - as an entire squad of mortal troops to successfully carry out the retrieval of the unknown asset, and procure transport to bring him to high orbit where a Corsair ship could collect them. Off to the east, several kloms distant, you can see a thick column of black smoke rising from behind a rock scarp, a sure sign of heavy ore processing.