[DW] Blackthorn/Swordhand: Episode III - The Sundered House

[Commissar Molotov]

"As I said, they have yet to appear on our auspex arrays. I would have expected the machine-spirits to have divined their location at this range, although their sight could be clouded."

[Dosjetka]

Vaidan listens to the various questions and answers before pitching his own.

 

"How will we be deployed onto Syndalla and by which means will we be extracted once our mission has been completed?"

[Commissar Molotov]

The Interrogator interjects here.

 

"Such matters will depend on the circumstances as we find them upon our arrival. This vessel has the facilities to land us via shuttlecraft, as well as a functioning teleportarium."

 

The import of this news is not lost on you; such a facility is rare indeed, especially in a craft this size, and even in your own chapters the arcane rites of teleportation are typically taught only to the Terminator elite.

[Slips]

Solastion watches the proceedings in silence as he watches his squadmates ask their questions. He wondered if they had received any delayed astropathic communiques since translating in-system but they might have not been here for long enough. He eyes up the interrogator noting his slightly deteriorated state and scowled ever-so-slightly.

 

Its only at the mention of teleportation does Solastion perk up. "A Teleportarium? Do we at least have Teleporter Homers and Beacons? Without either of these using such arcane means of transportation is a risk I am not willing to undertake. But it is good to know that we have access to one..."

[Steel Company]

"I agree with brother Solastion, teleportation is risky with out solid intelligence of the area we would be appearing in. Out of the available options I would favour a shuttle." Tyber cut himself off before going further, due to the blatant fact that this ship lacked landers such has Stormbirds or even Thunderhawks.... let alone armoured vehicles to ride in with.

 

"Speaking of the area we are heading, have you been able to do any perlimanry scans or make contact with the target world?" He finished with a redirect of the questions.

[Commissar Molotov]

"Our astrotelepathic choir has yet to establish contact with Syndalla." The Captain seems uncomfortable with the lack of information he has to provide you. "We are actively scanning as we approach, and my crew stands ready to defend itself should the world have fallen from the Emperor's light."

[Steel Company]

Tyber's left eyebrow twitches down slightly, only the briefest of moments before he says "That is well and good Captian, let us hope we do not need to call on your gunnery teams to provide close support, while we are down there."

[Xin Ceithan]

++++ Simulus Data Recovery... ++++

++++ Recovery: ...failed +++

+++ Rerouting. Link up....pending+++

++ Calibrating ++

++ Calibrating ++

[Commissar Molotov]

Captain Dimitar nods at Tyler's comments.

 

The Interrogator addresses Vaidan.

 

"We must ascertain the status of Inquisitrix Lythea and her investigation. Once we reach orbit, I can attempt to contact her. The writ issued by your Watch-Captain affords her authority over your Kill-Team."

 

"And if she is dead?"

 

The question, perhaps predictably, comes from Vârvost. Ryken's face seems to twist at that.

 

"Then we must do what is necessary to cleanse the world."

[Slips]

"Is this vessel properly fitted to perform an Exterminatus should it become necessary?" Solastion asks as the Interrogator says that they must do what is necessary, a grim and dark look on his face at the mention consigning an entire world and its population to death and Final Sanction.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Slips

[Commissar Molotov]

"This vessel has no access to cyclonic torpedoes or virus bombs," Dimitar replies. "Such weapons would be carried on larger capital vessels, those under order from the Inquisition. And, of course, the fleets of the Astartes." 

 

"Should Syndalla's situation be untenable, we will have to send an astropathic message to the Segmentum Command and to Watch-Station Azurea. We will need a fuller deployment - perhaps the Astra Militarum, or to petition the Adeptus Astartes for aid." Ryken responds. 

Edited June 25, 2018 by Commissar Molotov

[Steel Company]

"We must ascertain the status of Inquisitrix Lythea and her investigation. Once we reach orbit, I can attempt to contact her. The writ issued by your Watch-Captain affords her authority over your Kill-Team."

 

In a moment too quick for most humans to see, Tyber seems to chafe under those words before setting his face to a neutral look.

“Captain, even without such munitions, I am sure you batteries mounted on this ships would be enough to render most space ports on the world to rubble within moments. All we would need to do is prevent anything from being able to get off world, while we await reinforcements.” He says before turning to look at his brothers, as if looking for confirmation from those that are more skilled in void warefare.

[Mazer Rackham]

Akkad kept silent a moment, despite the words pushing at his lips.  He did not like the choices, but he mentally shrugged, the options boiled down to having his atoms scattered into a ferrocrete wall or being shot down in something that would provide less protection than merely placing a Munitorum pattern, thrice Mechanicum blessed bucket on his head.  He was interrupted from his irreverent train of thought by Tyber's continuing tactical appraisal.  He nodded, looking the big Marine in the eye, a trace of appreciation there.

 

Akkad has Tactics: Void Combat

 

"Tyber is correct. That is how a blockade would work." Akkad began matter-of-fact, closing his arms across his chest and leaning his weight back on his right leg,"...however, this vessel - redoubtable as she is -" he broke off to nod deferentially to Dimitar, "is only one ship.  Maintaining a patrol orbit and enforcing a blockade could be difficult without advanced sensor arrays or control of the planet's own monitor auguries."

 

He sighed through his lips, thinking.

 

"We are also unaware of any privately owned surface-to-space vessels, there may be some that do not require a Starport."  He spoke to the room, making it clear that this was his thinking and not the detraction of another.  He looked at them in turn.  They were doing it again - nothing wrong, but not looking at the trench in front of them, but the fortress beyond.  He took a steadying breath, once, twice.  The lack of information was bothering him, as was the lack of planetary communications to the ship.  Where were the defence patrols?  This indicated that the Watch Captain considered this low-tier and yet, sufficient for their plate.  They were going in blind.  It was not the Navy's fault, but blame slid less easily from Ryken.  Daon was utterly convinced the Interrogator knew more than he was saying.  He tapped the holosphere with a quicksilver shod finger, the light splaying off its polished embellishments at crazy angles.

 

"We can worry about Exterminatus later.  There are...other ways to solve that problem."  His words and face were dark and it was not the fault of the shadowed room. "My biggest concern is that we only have two options for insertion and neither are optimal." He fought down a smile at the image of Sabaan with a bucket on his head. It wouldn't change his voice tone...

 

An idea took root in his mind.  He wanted to see what the others had to say before he voiced his notion.

 

MR.

[Steel Company]

Tyber sighed at hearing Akkad's words, quietly muttering so low that only a fellow Astartes would hear, "What I would give for a Stormbird or even a Thunderhawk..."

 

After a deep breath, a thought crossed his mind, thinking nothing wrong with it he inquired, "Why not make the planetary command center our drop location? Those of us with jump packs can do a high orbit insertion, while those with out could do a combat disembarkation after we had secured a small enough LZ."

 

Again he found himself wishing for armoured support, a Razorback, a Sicaran... even a Rhino would do at this point.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Steel Company

[A.T.]

"If the governor has not been compromised such a move might be seen as unprovoked attack, without communication of our coming we might face those loyal to the Emperor."

 

Until their adversaries made a move the extent of the sickness here would likely remain unknown, unless someone below had managed to leave warning.

[Commissar Molotov]

"My lords, if there is nothing further then I will leave you to your preparations." The Captain nods respectfully towards you all. "As I said, we should be in position around Syndalla within three hours."

 

As you turn and prepare to leave the strategium, an officer calls out, unbidden.

 

"Captain! We have a contact on the auguries!"

Edited June 26, 2018 by Commissar Molotov

[Dosjetka]

+ Placeholder +

• Vaidan finds everyone's outlook too pessimistic;
• Explains that 1) restricted options are to be expected as they no longer have access to their Chapter armoury and 2) despite the apparent lack of options, these two suit their mission quite well: either a "surgical strike" deployment via teleportation (assures his brothers that he is sure the ship's crew are properly trained and will ensure minimal risks) or a "shuttle" deployment outside of any urban area followed by reconnaissance/infiltration on foot;
• Surprised by Tyber's almost casual mention of a Stormbird, a Great Crusade-era aircraft that is seldom (if ever) seen these days, and makes a mental note to ask him about this legendary vehicle some other time;
• As the call rings out, Vaidan's training and experience kick in and he momentarily takes over: orders the shields to be raised and is about to order the crew to their battle-stations before he realises his mistake, shuts himself up, and apologises for his breach of protocol to Captain Dimitar.

[Commissar Molotov]

The Captain seems to pay almost no attention, allowing this breach of etiquette to pass by unremarked-upon. And yet, in his clenched jaw and steely gaze as he commands his crew, Vaidan perhaps feels a small token of embarrassment. Dimitar points at a subordinate, echoing the Novamarine's command: "Void shields to maximum! Resolve that contact, now!"

 

To one side, a robed Mechanicum adept turns, metallic hands steepling beneath his crimson robes. His augmented voice comes not from his throat, but from that of a vat-grown haemonculus beside him, and with a harsh squall of binaric chatter beneath. ++METALLURGIC ANALYSIS SUGGESTS ADHERENCE TO BLESSED STANDARD TEMPLATE CONSTRUCTS. IMPERIAL. IMPERIAL."

 

"Size appears consistent with two system defence vessels, Captain," another crewman responds, "but they aren't moving."

 

"Get them onto the display!" Dimitar barks.

 

There is a moment, a long moment, before the Captain's command can be carried out.

 

You see a dark and unforgiving starfield, the distant light of Syndalla's star, and what looks like a metallic glint, harsh where the starlight is soft. A moment later, and overlay filters and analysis grids are run over the image, magnifying and highlighting what is unmistakably an Imperial vessel. It adheres to the metallic cruciform shape that even the Voice of Thunder does, though it dispenses with the dagger-like prow common to Naval vessels, instead having a bulbous nose daubed with heraldic patterns. It is not unheard of for the nobility of Imperial worlds to contribute to the system defence forces, all in the hope of embellishing their names and their reputations.

 

The vessel seems to tumble lazily in the void, and it soon becomes increasingly apparent why. You see the through-and-through blast of lance-fire, punctuating the ship in the way one might core an exotic fruit. This is a dead ship. No fires rage; no survivors wait to be rescued. The ship still bleeds into the void, a hazy and indistinct cloud of debris and what must be the remains of bodies, but it long ago ceased to exist in any meaningful way.

 

++He said there were two.++ Varvost's comment comes across your internal vox, and his voice is guarded, not draped in sarcasm. He is on edge.

 

And then you see it.

 

As the ship drifts in space, you see the second ship behind it, suddenly illuminated by sunlight. You see deep shadows thrown across the crenellations of the hull, the many clusters of sensor arrays and macro-turrets. Red brackets appear around it at the Voice of Thunder's machine-spirits determine the threat it poses, before turning white.

 

This second ship is dead too. It bears the hallmarks of battery-fire. Statues of saints attached to the hull for good passage have been pounded into rubble. Rents and gashes have been torn along the hull.

 

These are the marks of human weaponry. Imperial weaponry.

 

"These two vessels... they destroyed one another." Dimitar says.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Commissar Molotov

[Steel Company]

++ Brother Sargent, we should board those hulks to search the logs for what happened. I am sure that Brother Sabaan could coax out the information from the machine spirts of those craft.++ Tyber said over the squad’s vox network.

 

The thought that there might be some unknown traitorous craft out there, skulking around, stalking them could not escape his mind.

[Mazer Rackham]

Vaidan's discomfort was palpable as Dimitar took over, but like the professional he was, he paid it no heed.  Akkad had literally been about to open his mouth to shout the same thing.  He clamped his jaw shut and reflexively sent an impulse to maglock his boots to the deck as the drama unfolded before them.

 

"These two vessels... they destroyed one another." Dimitar says. 

 

The Astral Claw took a moment to examine the pict-relays of the human ships, paying particular attention to the heraldry.  He only half-heard Tyber's vox message.

GM: I would like to make a Perception/Intelligence check to see if I recognise the Coat of Arms? Possibly from the intelligence reports/Inquisitor investigation Logs we have already received?

 

MR.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Mazer Rackham

[Commissar Molotov]

The mind of the Astartes warrior is no less a weapon than the holy bolter or the mono-edged combat blade. Each of you can call to mind notable enemies you have vanquished, campaigns of triumph, and the bruised skies of a hundred worlds. This is to say nothing of the hypno-indoctrination from your own Chapters and those darker secrets revealed to you upon taking up the Watch.

 

The transit to Syndalla has given you ample time to absorb the briefing data provided to you by Watch-Captain Diocles and Interrogator Ryken. As your eyes play over the shattered hulls you recognise them as belonging to Houses Vortis and Qurn; minor if influential families that have bolstered one another for centuries through a series of tightly-plotted marriages. These two vessels were allies; they should not have come to blows, and the violent delights of the nobility would typically (and pragmatically) halt before inflicting such expensive damage.

[Dosjetka]

+ Placeholder #2 +

• Vaidan acknowledges Tyber's suggestion but (at least for now) decides against a boarding action for the following reasons: 1) the two carcasses pose no direct threat to them and 2) any losses at this stage of the mission (i.e. before making contact with the Inquisitrix or what's left of her) would be unacceptable and irreplaceable, throwing the entire mission and potentially their very survival into jeopardy;
• Also brings to attention that whatever managed to turn two crews against each other and drove them to mutual annihiliation should not be underestimated;
• However, you get the impression the Novamarine is trying to shackle his own curiosity and that he could be swayed if the right arguments are presented to him.

[Xin Ceithan]

Sabaan had thus far followed the exchange in silence. The ongoing lack of detailed information was frustrating but he was beginning to expect it. Captain and Crew of the Voice of Thunder were certainly attempting to operate at tolerable levels given their limititations to the basic human form and Imperial craftsmanship. The Techmarine was beginning to acknowledge the centuries of experiences in the aloof snugness of the Avernii and the decision of their ancient brothers to no longer rely on such imperfect solutions.

Well, the wise leader does not expect perfection from the imperfect. His memory core related the citation to an ancient Terran war leader of Old Earth. He would have embraced the virtues of Medusa and the Primarch, no doubt.

 

Following their training exercises, Sabaan had also begun to access subroutines of the Calculus to better represent deployment at sub-optimal levels of engagement, supply and reconnaissance data. Along with these, he had created a sub-cluster of references and simulus simulacrum from his experiences as a newly forged scout among the Dorrlok. Had the old bastard not been above such petty concerns, Sabaan assumed his patrol clade leader would have been proud.

 

While we absently recorded the squabble of the assembled killteam, Sabaan thus waited for additional data to form a rough estimate.

He agreed that the lack of a dedicated assault craft was unsatisfactory.

The notion of a working teleportation engine was intriguing. He would have to look into that. At the very least, it offered options of intrusion and extreaction that should be worked into their otherwise limited arsenal. Sabaan had rather limited experience with such arcane marvels, mostly related with the preparation of brothers assigned to spearhead boarding operations during his fleet service but it was an additional resource to be integrated.

The apparent dichotomy of a working teleportation matrix vs the lack of assault craft still puzzled him. It deformed the Calculus at crucial interactions and seemed highly illogical even at the apparent limited resources at the disposal of the Deathwatch. Unless there were factors to be considered that had not been revealed to them. The elements of their Inquisition allies would have to inspected more closely...

 

The sensor contact shook Sabaan from his calculations. He let his optical array wander over the imagery and began to assess STC patterns and displacement values. He estimated firing solutions and referenced damage from weapons fire to post combat effects from debris and drifting. Imperial weapons. Nominal allies, dead to each other's weapons. Not a recent fight. He reached the conclusion 4.56 Seconds before the deck officer voiced his opinion.

An unwelcome feeling of cold crept up his spine. Fratricide. TREASON. After his experiences on the Watch Station and their training exercises, Sabaan had optimized the positioning of his bolt pistol and combat blade on his Warplate. His hands went towards the weapons as a vox echo of +REMEMBER ISTVAAN+ drifted through his mind.

 

"I second the notion of investigating the derelicts." The metallic rasp of his vocalized betrayed none of Sabaan's discomfort. "We might be able able to acquire more recent data concerning the disposition of local Defence forces and possible corruption among them. This might be even more advisable if there are orbital Defence structures still active along our approach vector." The rhythmic hiss of the respirator was a constant backdrop. "Maybe we can even acquire a more sturdy means of making planetfall while we are at it." Another respirator hiss. "Or at least secure something we drop onto their heads if the locals have fallen from the Emperor's light."

[A.T.]

Atratus peers intently at the sensor readout of the second ship, searching for lance weaponry. While not impossible that the two had destroyed one another there was the possibility of planetary weapons or a third vessel.

 

"Can you determine if the bridges of each ship remain intact, captain?". Should there be taint in one of the crew it would be those at the very top most likely to carry it, and confirm suspicions of the xenos threat here.

[Slips]

”Investigating these vessels pose a risk I’m also unwilling to undertake at this time. If this is a genestealer infestation than what we see before us” he gestures to the pict feed of the vessels ”it might be symptomatic of the larger infection. At the very least, we should assume that either one - or even both at this time - of these houses could be tainted.” he states.