[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (RPG IC)

[Mazer Rackham]

++ NARRATIVE TIME ENDS ++

++ STRUCTURED TIME BEGINS ++

 

+ Initiative Order +

Restal = 13

Alpha 2 = 11

Scourge = 9

Falk = 7

Nicios = 4

 

GM: As Restal has resolved his turn, I have rolled Reaction for Alpha 1, and he has Failed. The large pistol round tears off Alpha 1's Left Arm, in a shower of gore. He's dead.

 

Alpha 2:

Actions:

Spoiler

FAB Restal

BS: 11 Pass, 2 DoS = 3 Hits.

1 : Restal, (12 Dam, Pen 0) 2: Scourge, (No Dam, Ricochet = Scatter/Miss) 3: Nicios 7 Dam, Pen 0)

Alpha 2 uses FAB Move to clear his position at the tunnel mouth.

 

The rounds his and snap towards you, proving the weapon is suppressed.

 

Scourge [ ]

 

[Necronaut]

Scourge:

 

The report from Restal's firearm was like the starting gun at a race, and Scourge pounded down the sloped hallway at a dead sprint, heedless of the projectiles filling the air around him. He had charged gun nests like this in his many years of service with the Penal Legions, but rarely were they downhill; he reached terminal velocity quickly, aided by the servo-musculature of his ramshackle power armour. His was the charge of a madman; his was a forlorn hope. 

 

He noisily sucked in fresh oxygen and gritted his teeth, his destination lit by distant muzzle flashes through the slits in his visor. The sound of his breathing was drowned by the immense racket produced by his augmented stride. 

 

WHUD WHUD WHUD WHUD

 

The God-Emperor protects, the God-Emperor protects… !

 

 

Full action: Run

Edited May 16, 2023 by Necronaut

[A.T.]

Falk

 

"Clear the kill zone". Pausing only a moment to assess casualties from the opening burst of fire Falk breaks into a run, placing the armoured warrior ahead between him and incoming fire as best he could though unable to match his pace. For the best perhaps given the storm of bullets directed at his companion.

 

Only two men, could this be a base of operations? If so any number might be rousing beyond - they could not afford to advance cautiously and surrender the initiative despite the danger.

 

Full action run

[Machine God]

Tunnel of Death:

 

His shot connected with its target, taking his arm off at the shoulder.

 

Target fell, but the other one fired back.

 

Three suppressed shots sprayed in his and his colleagues' direction.

 

Fortunately he was sufficiently hyped to dodge the shot that came his way.

 

 

 

[spoiler}AGL 35 +0 (Dodge) = 35. Result: 01, Pass 3DoS[/spoiler]

 

 

 

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

Incoming fire!

Spoiler

(Reaction) Dodge test

Target - 32

Roll - 30

Result = Pass

 

Full Action

Run

Following Falk, Nicios rasped out a cry, "Stand down in the name of the Inquisition!"

[Mazer Rackham]

The Murder Tunnel:

 

ROUND 2:

 

+ Initiative Order Remains +

 

The figure no longer haunts the end of the tunnel. There is no reply to Nicios' demand.

 

GM: Unless Nicios makes a Hard (-20) Fel Test, that is. (He's got to believe you. You may gain assistance but I need this narratively as well as mechanically).

 

Restal [ ]

[Marshal Valkenhayn]

Solomon:

+First to understand. Second to remind you.+ comes the gruff response, Solomon's battered face plate as grim and scarred as the human features beneath.

+My life does not belong to Inquisitor Locke. It does not belong to you. I am a servant of the Emperor of Man. My death will come when he wills it, and not before.+

At the edge of the screen, his hand has curled itself into an armored fist beside the cut off stud. Never having raised his voice or altered the blunt directness of his tone, he stares through the blank lenses of his mask at the apparently young Inquisitor.

+If you can cure Lady Gwynne, do it. Even if you unleash this Golem on the Tau you will need a way to destroy it. Your lust for power and recognition has made enemies of people who should be your allies. You know better.+

[Mazer Rackham]

The Shuttle:

 

"And, thankfully, your betters do know better," Inquisitrix Galleus replies, archly. "What belongs to the Emperor belongs to those who wield it in his name. Tell me, does your shotgun tell you which direction it will fire in?"

 

She studies you.

 

"Yet your brain is not quite as blunt as your helmet. Interesting. Very well. I shall supply you with orbital clearance and co-ordinates. With Lord Locke's signature of course. You will meet an agent aboard Kerberos, who will provide the antidote. Inform no-one of your destination. If you choose not to comply, well, that is your choice."

 

She grins, but it's rich in nasty.

 

"Of course, the Emperor would be disappointed if you should turn your back on one of his instruments, and I would have to inform his Lordship of your...disloyalty."

 

A string of co-ordinates and clearance codes filters into your navigations cogitator.

 

"I am sure you know better, Master Solomon."

 

The link cuts, leaving an afterimage of a floating smile.

[Marshal Valkenhayn]

Solomon:

Remaining silent in the face of Inquisitrix Galleus's petty malice, the veteran sergeant brings his left hand up to grasp the glint of metal at his chest, bringing his ticking time piece into sharper focus as he lifts it to check the time. A second glance confirms the inflow of data into the shuttle's navigation systems, and a third that the connection has been cut.

Very well.

Rising from the control throne, the warrior ducks into the passenger compartment and unbolts the hatch, emerging out into the upper Ward to check the area around his craft. As he does so he sends a subtle click through his commbead, alerting Bardas with the ping before requesting a blunt +Status?+

After a single circuit of the shuttle, the sergeant returns to the hatch, resting a gauntleted hand upon it while considering the way forward.

Schemes. Plotting. Backstabbing. Behaviors that should be beneath one as elevated as Galleus, and yet the manipulative woman seems to revel in them. But that is not his primary concern. First, the safety of Lady Gwynne and proper insurance against the Golem. Only once this task is done can he address the second.

And so the Breacher steps through the hatch and retakes his throne, beginning pre-flight preparations with a quiet efficiency. Whatever plot he has been made part of, he will simply have to rely on faith and the evidence of his loyalty to see him through. After all, The Emperor Protects.

[Machine God]

The Tunnel of Death:

 

Kerr Restal

 

Scourge, Falk and Nicios had charged down the tunnel.

 

Nicios had called out to their assailant to stand down, however he had fled.

 

Kerr Restal holstered one of his Carnodon's and checked the scanner.

 

 

[spoier]INT 33 +0 (Tech Use) +20 (Auspex) -20 (Hard Difficulty) = 33. Result: 23, Pass 1DoS[/spoiler]

 

 

He walked down the tunnel to catch up with the team.

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Machine God
Name

[Mazer Rackham]

Tunnel of Death:

 

Restal:

 

The Prosecutor-augur reports the signal is constant, and plots the origin as stationary.

 

It registers the space beyond the tunnel as a broad, cuboid section of the hive, with ancillary ducts threading beneath and around it to the right (from your facing).

 

Your team-mates charge ahead of your casual march.

 

GM: (OOC) note that the Prosecutor is a signal auspex, in that it orientates (by giving general map layout of hard surfaces and direction) a persecution or hunter force in areas where LoS is not possible, overwatch is unavailable, or security cameras are not emplaced. It can lock onto different signals, but it must know what they are.

 

Alpha 2: Actions

Full-Action: ?

 

Scourge [ ]

[Necronaut]

Scourge:

 

On he ran. The muzzle flashes ceased almost as soon as they had started, a short cry of pain indicating the assassin's shot had found its mark by some miracle in the distant darkness. The second gunman disappeared back into their redoubt, offering no further resistance. Scourge was over halfway down the length of the hall and there was no telling what awaited him: maybe an empty chamber, maybe one filled with innumerable guns and hot lead ready to shred the plates of his armour. It mattered little; he would live or he would die today by the God-Emperor's will. 

 

His ceramite greaves pounded the flooring beneath them. On he ran. 

 

 

Full action: Run

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Necronaut

[Mazer Rackham]

The Tunnel:

 

No further shots hiss past into the dark.

 

Falk [ ]

[A.T.]

Falk

 

A trap or a call for help? They were committed either way but even as he ran he continued to seek out any sign of what awaited them. Whatever it was it would seem that Scourge in his haste would discover it firsthand soon enough.

 

Full Run

Awareness test: 7

[Mazer Rackham]

The Tunnel:

 

Falk:

 

Above the dull, ponderous thunder of Scourge's advance, you hear the clunk, clack, chunk of a heavy mechanism. Through your lenses, you can make out recent trad patterns on the plasteel deck. They are more apparent, and thicker as you close on the entrance.

 

Nicios [ ]

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

Nicios slowed, following his companions more slowly. While there weren't any side passages that he could see he didn't trust the enemy falling back so easily. So far their foes had not been quite so concerned about their own well-being. A trap was very, very possible.

 

"'Ware for traps!"

 

He called out to Scourge as the man ran ahead.

Spoiler

Full Action

Move ahead (not full run, more of a wary jog)

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Tunnel:

 

ROUND 3

 

+ Initiative Order Remains +

 

The earlier noise of the mechanism now begins to resolve into a grinding squeal of poorly maintained metal-on-metal. Those with photo-contacts can see the tunnel mouth begin to ever-so-slightly narrow, as metal teeth begin to slide from steel gums on either side. A brief look behind reveals the same, as the slope begins to disappear. Those without contacts can feel the tremble, the shudder of machinery which is counterpoint to Scourge's heavy sabatons thumping rhythmically on the deck.

 

Restal [ ]

 

The Halls of Judgement:

 

Reynard:

 

After five minutes of creeping forward, clinging to cover and shadow, you can hear the booms of shotguns and sharp shots of the personal weapons of the non-uniformed Judges. The smash of pellets on metal, replied to by lasfire and the unmistakeable sound of blades chopping into meat, and metallic blurts of binharic. The voxcaster erupts once more.

 

+Incursion in B..tion 3! Anyone ava...ble, respond! Repeat, in...sion in B..tion 3!+ There's a pause. +He..! We're dyi..+

 

The panic is real, before it is brutally murdered with a blurt of static.

 

Bastion 3 is located between the two other bastions, and now the method becomes clear in the madness. Bastion 3 is directly below the Panopticon, and now the Judges are spread thin, far from the true attack. The enemy has revealed the real target - and it is nothing less than the nerve centre of the entire precinct.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

It was a full invasion… and a sword thrust aimed directly into the heart of the Adeptus Arbites and the loyal forces of Damocles. Aimed at Locke himself?

 

Abandoning his planned reconnaissance - he didn't need to see it with his own eyes, it was clear from the chosen target and the sounds of binharic that the Golem was orchestrating these attacks - Reynard turned and ran for the closest stairs. The Panopticon had to be defended, held. If it fell the entire Hive would not be far behind.

 

As he raced up the stairwell, he opened his vox.

 

"Haldane? What is happening? Is the Panopticon defended?"

 

He frowned, starting to pant as he sprinted upwards. How big a force was invading? Was defence even possible?

 

"Can we hold, or do we need to get Locke and Gwynne to the Voivode?"

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Halls of Judgement:

 

+Reynard? Thank the Throne,+ Haldane's cool is translated into the grim resolve the Arbites are known for. There is tension, yes, but it is tempered by discipline and the harsh experience of realities on the forefront of Imperial Law. +The bastards are everywhere, and sections of the Halls are completely cut off, wait a second - Emperor's numb arse cheeks, man! On the left! There!+

 

A bolt pistol cracks, the telling explosion painfully close as it tumbles down the vox, accompanied by bass shotgun throats.

 

+We're falling back to the Panopticon now, but we're going door to door,+ he speaks over the battle. +Hyronimus is inside with the Praefector - +

 

Static for several heartbeats.

 

+Get Lady Gwynne to the Voivode, round up whoever you can - and pray we're no- +

 

There's a sharp cry, then static returns.

 

GM: You may narrate your flight to the infirmary, including being chased by the murder servitors, and end your post outside the infirmary door. Since the precinct is locked down, and the patient is high-profile, your electoo will only give access to the holographic keypad. A Hard (-20) Security Test will be required to gain entry (you can shut it behind you without a test).

 

You should narrate and Test BS etc accordingly, performing three Dodge tests, and using the results to inform your post.

 

Any Queries in the OOC, as per. Please note that this is not Structured Time, and therefore Initiative does not need to be rolled. I will call for it, if appropriate.

[Machine God]

The Tunnel:

 

Kerr Restal

 

His colleague's were running forwards in front of him. He hoped that they could see the way.

 

The tunnel was narrowing and he could hear the slipping gears off of cogs.

 

Images of closing mouth's filled his thoughts.

 

 

 

[spoier]Full Action: Charge to catch up[/spoiler]

 

 

 

He charged after them to provide support, of course he checked the Six.

 

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't men that they aren't behind you.

 

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Tunnel:

 

Alpha 2: Actions

Spoiler

Full Action: ??!

 

As you begin to get closer, you can the hear vox squelch and pop. The signal bleeping on the prosecutor augur changes from a steady signal to an almost melodic chirping. Similar to the warning tones of a distress beacon in the Guard, or the Arbites, it is quite obviously a distress cipher.

 

As Scourge closes with the passage opening, a clatter announces a grenade. It explodes with a magnesium flash of headache inducing light and a snap-crack of teeth loosening pressure.

 

GM: Gents, this a Photon Flash Grenade on a couple of Steroids. You will all require a Toughness Test, or you're Stunned. Photo Visors/Contacts only make you immune to Photon Flash if they're Good Quality, and I checked your sheets, and they aren't marked as such. People behind Scourge (ie, using him as mobile cover) will still have to test because of the enclosed space. Photo Contacts aren't earplugs, and you can be deafened stunned as well as blinded stunned.

 

Scourge [ ]

[Necronaut]

Scourge:

 

Scourge barely heard the clatter of the grenades as he barreled forward to the terminus of the narrow passage. He ducked his head and attempted to shield his eyes, but too late! 

 

 

Toughness Test: 41

Toughness Test: 1d100 84: failure, 4 DoF

 

1 FP reroll… 

 

Toughness Test: 1d100 44: failure, 0 DoF

 

So close, yet so far…

Edited May 20, 2023 by Necronaut

[Machine God]

The Tunnel:

 

Kerr Restal.

 

He heard the bounce of a grenade, then boom! His photo-contacts compensated for a lot of the flash and Scourge's Bulk helped too.

 

A bit of confusion like a nightclub on full tilt.

 

He was lucky.

 

 

 

TGH 34. TGH Check = 34. Result: 33, Pass

 

 

 

[A.T.]

Falk

 

With arm already up to shield his face from gunfire Falk instinctively adjusted his gaze and posture as the grenade came in, years of training as a rookie and a more recent ...refresher course with the snipers had him ever on watch for such things.

 

It was only a prelude to the true attack however.

 

Toughness test: 26 = pass

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

"Understood. On my way!"

 

Reynard wasn't sure if Haldane would hear his reply, but he hoped the Proctor would know that his message had been received. Whether he could fulfil the Arbitrator's request was another matter… but he would try.

 

He hurried along corridors and up staircases, trying to select the quickest, quietest route towards the Infirmary. Several times he passed through scenes of recent battle and slaughter, through wisps of fyceline smoke, past bodies in bloodied carapace plate or ruined amalgamations of flesh and machinery, servitors akin to those the cell had faced before.

 

As he approached the Infirmary, the fighting finally caught up with him. Just ahead, a pair of beleaguered Judges held their position at the junction leading to the secure medical area. Swarming towards them were a trio of the vicious servitors, stalking forward with wicked blades gleaming.

 

Heroic rescues weren't Reynard's style, but he needed to get past the freakish attackers as quickly as possible. Plus perhaps he could commandeer the two Arbites to assist him? He didn't allow himself to stop and think any further, but instead pumped the action on his combat shotgun and threw himself along the corridor. At the sound of running feet, one of the constructs turned, lashing out with its long grappling claw.

 

Spoiler

Dodge Test: Ag50 +10(Dodge+10) = 60, Roll: 46, Pass.

 

Reynard ducked under the flensing blades and moved into point blank range. He had a sudden sense of deja vu, remembering the thing outside the Sanctum. That had been three against one, of course, and this was three on three… but at least this time his weapon held substantially more than two shells.

 

Spoiler

SAB: BS41 +10(SAB) +30(Point Blank) = 81, Roll: 37, Pass with 4DoS. 5 Hits

 

A storm of solid shot perforated the first servitor, and some of the pellets even went past into the second. As the first crumpled, the second also turned away from its assault on the Judges, wicked claws flashing with deadly intent.

 

Spoiler

Dodge Test: Ag50 +10(Dodge+10) = 60, Roll: 86, Fail. FP Reroll: 57, Pass.

 

More by luck than judgement, Reynard barely avoided the blades. But his rush had at least divided the enemies' attention allowing the two Arbites to double team the third machine-beast, blasting it with shotgun fire. The second creature slashed out at Reynard again.

 

Spoiler

Dodge Test: Ag50 +10(Dodge+10) = 60, Roll: 52, Pass.

 

The strike went wide as he dodged aside. Then the shotguns spoke in unison again, and it toppled, emitting a final scream of binharic cant. Breathing heavily, Reynard nodded to the two lawmen.

 

"That will have been a call for reinforcements. Pull back to the Infirmary with me, maybe we can block the door?"

 

The first Judge, a grizzled veteran, shook his head.

 

"Door's sealed. Automatic security lockdown of all key areas within the Halls. We couldn't get in, or work our way around to the other entrance, so we figured this was the next most defensible position."

 

Reynard grimaced, suddenly hearing sounds of machine movement some distance behind him.

 

"Maybe I can get us in? Better than waiting here, I suspect."

 

After a moment the veteran nodded and they hurried along the final stretch of corridor towards the Infirmary. A heavy plasteel door and frame blocked their way, but at least his Inquisitorial electoo granted access to the keypad. Unfortunately, he didn't know the code…

 

"If they come, hold them off. I can do this."

 

I can do this.

 

From a pocket he withdrew one of the items he'd purchased recently, a small electronic device with several wires fitted with suction pads or tiny data-spikes. Quickly he opened a small maintenance panel beside the pad and attached the multi-key. He listened for a moment, watched the display on the pad flicker and change. A moment later one of the shotguns fired at something further down the hall, followed immediately by the second. Reynard did his best to ignore the noise and the stink of the blasts, the clatter of metal being struck by a hail of shot, the sound of their foes pressing forward regardless.

 

Come on, come on, come on! Open damn it!

 

Spoiler

Security Test: Ag50 -20(Hard) +20(Multikey) = 50, Roll: 28, Pass.

 

With an audible click, the automatic lock released.

 

"Go, go, go!" Reynard yelled, ripping out his key and barging the door open. The Arbitrators followed, the final man almost falling through the portal in his haste. Behind him, Reynard could see a mass of red robes and bloody, curving finger-knives barrelling towards them. A sudden moment of inspiration hit him. Pulling another object from another pocket, he twisted its top, jammed it into the maintenance box and shut the little hatch. Then he slammed the security door as hard as he could.

 

The locks re-engaged with a wonderful, satisfying click, even better than the first. A fraction of a second later, something struck the other side with a dull, heavy thud.

 

Reynard let out a long, slow breath of relief and slumped down against the wall. Then he grinned weakly. He almost hoped the enemy tried to open the door with the same trick he had used. He'd pay good money to see the look on their face when the primed frag grenade, its trigger mechanism suddenly freed, toppled out of the maintenance hatch.

 

Edited May 20, 2023 by Lysimachus