[BC] The Blackest Heart (Part II) (IC)

[Lysimachus]

Hagga:

 

The job was almost done, but Hagga was… concerned. His fingers tightened reflexively on Heart-Eater's hilt. He hadn't drawn the blade at all.

 

It's all too easy.

 

He wasn't the only one to have noticed it, he was sure. Why would the White Tigress give up a serviceable starship in return for such a simple task? Why wouldn't she have one of her own crews carry out the mission?

 

Hagga wanted out of this system as soon as possible. When Kraggan voxed to say the final device was in place, he let out a long breath, then opened his own microbead.

 

++Rykaz to all crew on Opal station, relay this transmission if necessary: You heard the Magos. Anyone left on that platform, you have fifteen minutes until we disengage from the docking arm. Drop whatever you are doing, and get back aboard, now. Five minutes after we cast off, that place is gone.++

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Razor - Bridge:

 

'Bridge, this is Eisner, five compartments Starboard of the refectory,' he sounds out of breath. 'One of the Bomber crew just blew Corporal Jellicoe's head off with a compact hot-charge laspistol, and took off. My lads are in pursuit, but we have no idea where he's going.'

 

The line goes quiet, then Eisner comes back. The hard snaps of an overcharged laspack discharging battle a shotgun's throaty cough, both sounds cutting through the gasps of a hard run. There's an increasing savage anger biting his words.

 

'Bastard's killed another of my lads. Headshot on the move. He's heading for the upper armoury...got my bloke's shotgun.'

 

[Lysimachus]

Hagga:

 

Hagga grimaced, an odd half frown, half smile. The saboteur. Skilled, too, from what Eisner was saying. Pain in the ,... but at least it was a chance to kill something.

 

++On my way there now, will cut him off. Don't engage, just pen him in. Let me know if he changes direction.++

 

He took off running.

 

Edited April 8 by Lysimachus

[Mojake]

Varne

 

++On my way there now, will cut him off. Let me know if he changes direction.++

 

Varne didn't even look at the tech-priest as he bolted down the corridor, his voice echoing back to Kraggan in hard exhales, "I'll be back, Magos!"

 

++Hagga, approaching from port-side... fast as I can... we should take him alive.++ The Doom Eagle's arms pumped rapidly as he sprinted towards the refectory, he turned a corner and crashed through a short stack of materiel crates. He glanced down as he ran on, cursing in Gathii as he noticed the fresh splashes of crimson and chunks of red matter dripping from his armour. Nevermind.

[Lysimachus]

Hagga:

 

Hagga snarled. He supposed the infiltrator might have some useful information, at that. He had, however, also killed two of Hagga's Armsmen, and would have killed many more if the bomb had gone off. Cowardly dog.

 

++Aye, alive… briefly.++

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Razor:

 

+Eisner patching into vox, Tyrant's balls, he's quick! He's just made the upper armoury!+

 

The Staff is gasping the words now.

 

Crack, crack. Slam.

 

+He's killed Markris, and closed the door! Open up you bastard, and I'll only kill half of you! Bastard! He's in there, doing something - he's shot the light out, I can't see him!+

 

Edited April 8 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Hagga:

 

Hagga raced up through the ship, Eska at his side, barking furiously at anyone who got in his way.

 

He heard Eisner's message just before he turned a corner and saw the Staff hammering on the Armoury door at the far end of the corridor. Three. With a rage-fuelled growl, he charged onwards, drawing and activating Heart-Eater. He didn't think he'd need the sword to kill one mortal, but the flickering light the fires of her blade gave off might be useful.

 

“Stand aside, Sargeant!” he roared.

 

The veteran soldier saw the Astartes coming and ducked away, and Hagga hit the door with his shoulder like a power armoured battering ram.

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Upper Armoury:

 

GM: @Lysimachus make an Opposed Strength Test vs THE DOOR. @Mojake there is a port-facing door on the other side. Have any narrative approaching this. Note that from Hagga arriving to Eisner's last report it has been D10 (Eight) minutes.

Edited April 8 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Str71, Roll: 39, 4DoS +2 (Unn Str +4) = 6DoS

 

Dunno if it's needed or not, but is there any bonus for getting a run up? Edit: I suppose it's a Move and a Knock Down Action, which would be +10 on the test, so another DoS maybe?

 

 

 

Edited April 8 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

Armoury - Starboard:

 

Hagga:

 

The heavily armoured door gives a split second of resistance, then relents spectacularly to Hagga's charge. It is torn completely off the hinges, the jamb rendered into confetti, and goes flying through the armoury smashing to racked guns, stacked gear, and rips the ceiling fan off for good measure as it crashes headlong into the room with a deafening tympanic serenade, a kettle drum band which peaks with a great crescendo when the door slams into the opposite wall some thirty metres hence.

 

Your run up carries you into the room, a massive boulder of ceramite and anger filling the doorway.

 

Tottering, teetering things dancing on shelves, and vibrating along arming benches trinkle and tinkle down, to clatter in a strange and anti-climatic thunk.

 

Deadline is a miracle of invention. It combines three plasteel threads, more if the line was manufactured in a good Mechanicum forge. The threads are hundreds of metres long, and exposed to polymer rehyrdration, which saturates the plastomer compound in the alloy, making it supremely flexible and relatively light. It is massively strong, capable of keeping a slow-witted, two-left-footed voidsailor attached to his ship, or tying down a Chimera APC in a hurricane which would tear boulders from the ground, yet can be cut with a good, old-fashioned, high-powered lasbeam.

 

The other benefit of deadline is that it's generally invisible in the pitch black of the void, and in any darkness, really.

 

One can do wonders with deadline. There are several hundred metres in this armoury.

 

Several metres of it constrict around your legs, and the one sound out of all the tipping and crashing that caught your ear, was the pins of grenades that just popped out of the bombs stuck to the wall with repair cement, and threaded into the deadline tripwire you just popped. The grenade spoons clattering off your cuisses and cul are the only warning, and by then it is way, way too late.

 

GM: This counts as an Ambush and therefore gives Surprise. However, before I roll Damage, I will allow you to go Prone from your charge, and may attempt one Evasion. There are D3 (2) devices (Legion Krak Grenades). After that, you are in my hands. Since the blast is 1m, I will give you the courtesy of leaving Eska outside the room. The door failed by several DoF, giving you over 10 DoS, hence carrying you into the room.

[Lysimachus]

Dodge Test: Ag42, roll: 96.  IP Reroll: 25, 2DoS

 

OOC: Go for it, mate.

 

Edit: side point, Kraks in BC don't have Blast. Legion = 2d10+8 X Pen6

 

 

Edited April 8 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

Armoury - Starboard:

 

Your super-human instincts and reactions save you from one bomb, but the other, like the mighty Scylla, the whirlpool of violence merely pushes you into the path of Charybdis.

 

An explosive monster.

 

Legion Krak Grenade:

Dam: 2D10 + 8 = 16 + 8 = 24, Pen 6, Right Leg.

 

EDIT: As per discussion OOC.

 

GM OOC: Remember kids, chasing a talented individual who likes to make IED's, into a dark room, can be bad for your health.

 

GM OOC: You spannered that door though, dude. You put that er in rehab, son.

 

 

Edited April 9 by Mazer Rackham

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Obadiah:

 

He gently accepted the device from the Squat.  "Yes, I...ken."  The dialect was grotesquely unfamiliar, but he thought he had the gist of the comment.  He eyeballed the vox open and was about to report the discovery and disarmament when Armsman's Eisner report rang through instead, followed very quickly by Hagga and Varne's replies.  He let the vox link die so his next words went out through the emitter instead.

 

"Please tell me you've disconnected whatever functions as a detonator on this device," his rasped though the helmet's speaker.  "There's currently a bit of a murder going on aboard our ship concerning the man who placed this, and I really don't want him activating it while I'm holding it."

[Mazer Rackham]

Obadiah:

 

'Well laddy, we's got two problems there. Firstly, the bomb's already live, and secondly, we's only got three minutes to defuse it, before we're blown all tae hell.'

 

He watches you a second, grim-faced.

 

'Oh, Ah'm pullin' yer leg, son!' He guffaws, and is instantly serious. 'Naw, I in' mean it, dinnae drap that touchy , or we're dead.'

 

He sets about his work with a stern knit of his brows.

 

GM: This will take a few tests....d10 (7!):

 

Defuse 1:

Tech Use (+ has tools)

D100: Pass, lots of DoS.

 

'Alright, that's the transmitter disconnected. Problem is, he's gonnae know we're messing with his baby, now.'

 

Defuse 2:

Tech Use (+ has tools)

D100: Pass, good DoS.

 

Snips go forward, and bisect a few cables. The Squat appears to be sweating a little. 'Right. That's the primary trigger isolated. I need you tae pull out the primary trigger cap, and fer Ancestors' sake, don't let the bastard touch the sides. It'll want tae - it's magnetic, but I have to get ready to bypass, so yous gonnae dae it.'

 

GM: Obadiah must now make a Hard (-20) Agility Test to remove the cap without setting the device off. 4 DoF, and you might as well put your head between your legs...this will count as one of the Defusal Tests.

[Lysimachus]

8 hours ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Be advised, that's 3 times your armour value on that leg (minus the Pen), which means you're not Sealed anymore either

 

 

OOC: Can you specify where that is stated please GM? I cant find it in the Armour section, or the Injuries section, or for that matter the game rules in the Data thread?

 

Not sure why it hit his Leg, either. Hit roll? Default is Body, no?

 

Anyway...

 

24 - TB8 - 4(AV10 - Pen6) = 12 Wounds.

 

Hagga spends 1IP to regain d5+1(-2 Khorne) Wounds, roll: 5, 4 Wounds restored, now on 12 remaining.

 

 

 

Hagga:

 

The door crumpled inwards and Hagga sailed through into the chamber. As he landed, flat on the deck, he heard the ping of grenade pins being released.

 

Oh,  .

 

He did his best to shift away from the portal, lifting the twisted metal plate to cover his body… but it wouldn’t be enough. The blast of a krak grenade at close range hammered his body, leaving his lungs and hearts in momentary agony and his head ringing like a bell.

 

Hagga rolled painfully to one side, trying to catch his breath. Fury boiled within him.

 

 the information, I'm going to KILL that little .

 

 

OOC: Hagga doesn’t have the Frenzy Talent, but as far as I’m concerned he's no longer interested in interrogating the bomber, he's just going to pull the dude's arms out of their sockets, angry wookie style. So if Varne wants to ask questions, he might need to get in first?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by Lysimachus

[FabiusV4lcoran]

Atesh Sapik: 

 

Atesh found himself safely in the woods, but stuck.  While he wasn't a stranger to wandering the wilds of Crow's Eye, he knew nothing about navigating an Imperial Agri-world.  A now slightly-hostile Imperial Agri-world.  The corpsies had the nerve to let their stalks wither with inadequate drainage, and they had the gall to be upset with HIM over the ensuing conflagration.  Violence against messengers is a waste of effort, as the Elder used to say.

 

His rags were torn and dirty; nobody would buy him as a wayward medic.  He doubted very much that the sisters would let him flee unmolested.  

 

He attempted his vox bead, "Fellows; I appear to be stranded outside town.  Is there any assistance to be had?"

[Mazer Rackham]

Bounty:

 

GM: Lads, I'm going to move you on a bit, and suggest that Xerxes got to Grenz a little later, and gets Atesh's call some time after he has tested his scrapcode limits etc. There is no opportunity to stop the call to the Arbites going in, but it can be delayed. I will allow this on a Successful Hard (-20) Tech use Test by @A.T..

 

GM: There is little more to be gleaned from Bounty at this time, save for the soldiers camping out in Marchant Vale. To save time, I will advise that there is a platoon made up of House Jerall and remainders of House Padruk, making trouble out there for the 'legitimate' convoys. Tyro and his immediate subordinate (Isidor Cain) have been running the operation. We will assume that a bargain is struck, placing 150 men (Best Quality) under the command of the Party when they commit to the assault, with another 200 workers (so conscripts, Common Quality soldiery).

 

GM: We can also assume that Xerxes acquires a few back doors into some subsystems which will delay alarms, response times, and generate false reports. The real enemy here are the sisters and arbites, backed up by the ruling house troops (Good Quality). You can move to destroy or poison the crops after or during the full planetary assault.

 

GM: Any of the Players on Bounty are free to arrange help or interact with each other. You can do this narratively, but have your posts move to converge at the spaceport, where there might be a little shooting.

Edited April 9 by Mazer Rackham

[Lord_Ikka]

Crux'as

 

After speaking to Tyro about the state of Bounty's armories, Crux'as bowed politely to Lady Karelia.

 

"Thank you for your gracious hospitality my Lady. I will take my leave and head towards the Vale so that I can get the supply information from your man there. I have a limited window of time before I have to return to the Syndicate, so I must make this visit unfortunately brief. I trust my next visit to your planet to be much more...interesting."

 

The Smiler left the manor after a brief rest, moving purposefully towards his next mission.

[Mazer Rackham]

Obadiah:

 

Your fingers grasp the cap as instructed, but some kind of gel which suspends the detonator itself must have been transferred by the movement, because your middle finger slips, and the cap waywardly jolts to the left. It is the superhuman reflexes which save the day, however, and the Mantis Warrior's predilection for entering a strange, trance-like haze when focused.

 

The cap, now firmly in your hands, provokes a small sigh from the Squat. He gives you an appreciative glance, and then gets busy snipping and poking.

 

Defuse test:

D100: Pass, lots of DoS

 

'We're making good progress, just don't move, big man.' Pliers slowly offered dock with something inside, and the squeal of a threaded object scraping against unlubricated joins is enough to set teeth on edge. 'That's the main detonator out.' Snip.

 

'Now the reserve trigger and anti-tamper on that.'

 

Defuse test:

D100: Pass, JUST.

 

'Anti-tamper and tilt mech...oooh . C'mon, c'mon...got it.' Snip.

 

Thainn looks up at you. 'Alright, pal. We're down tae it. The problem is, the bastard's made all the wires red....'

 

 

[Mojake]

Varne

 

Fast approaching the starboard armoury, Varne heard the telltale thunk of krak grenades detonating in a quick pattern. Knowing that Hagga wouldn't waste such munitions on a single mortal opponent, he quickly put two and two together. 

 

+Varne to bridge, report status of all entrances to starboard armoury. Disengage locks on port-side entrance.+

 

As he rounded a corner, the way into the armoury came into view and he slowed to a jog, bringing his bolter to bear and drawing his chainsword. 

 

+Still breathing, brother?+

[Mazer Rackham]

Armoury:

 

Hagga:

 

The smoke and dust obscure your prone disposition, as do the rest of the overturned tables, duffels and everything else piled higgledy-piggledy about the room. Ammunition and explosives are strewn everywhere, and the reason is obvious. Deadline has been hurriedly laced around table legs, acetylne tanks, everything, so that whoever came through the door would cause a mess.

 

A clever little gambit - pursuit is befuddled, and you don't immediately realise what's missing....

 

Lying still and prone, nothing makes a further move to disturb your wrathful seething.

 

Varne:

 

+Bridge here. Door should be unlocked, but it's not responding. Some kind of explosion has blown out the remote access. You'll have to open it manually.+

 

GM: Complicated instructions, here lad. Turn the handle and push.

[Lord_Ikka]

Crux'as

 

The Smiler marched to the Marchant Vale. Not his preferred method of travel, but over the years he had been required to move enough times on foot to work out a ground-eating stride that could last for hours. His thoughts were filled with the slowly-coalescing plans to utilize all the resources that House Padruk had loaned them. Too bad for the two ladies that Crux'as didn't really intend to help them out long term; this was more of utilizing their prejudices and greed to get what the Corsairs wanted. The plantation fighters would be kept, cannon fodder for the cell, while the Vale fighters would be used to distract the Enforcers and PDF. The smile grew at the thought. Using others' weaknesses against them was just so enjoyable.

 

The musings stopped as a figure came out of the undergrowth near a river. Atesh, the mutated pyromancer, was in a less than pristine condition. His shoulder was wounded and parts of his robes had been charred, ripped, or dragged through the mud. Luckily there was still enough remaining to conceal the feathers. The psyker told Crux'as the story of the flames and chasing, confirming what he had already suspected. 

 

Blast this pyro-fiend. Couldn't he have waited until we return to burn down the place?

 

Still, he was a comrade, and the Smiler knew that the calling of the Gods could overwhelm almost anyone. This was just another puzzle piece to be slotted into the overall plan's workings.

 

"Let's continue to the Vale, they should be able to see better to your wound than I can. Then we can get off this backward world."

 

 

[Mojake]

Varne

 

Approaching the door and pushing it slightly open with his bolter muzzle, Varne peers through the slight gap in the door, immediately seeing the strewn detritus of the armoury. His auto-senses adjust to the gloom, but the prone form of Hagga is hidden from him behind the bulk of the door. He leans forward, tuning out the background noise and listening for the sound of breathing or movement from within.

  

Spoiler

Perception Test (Hearing):

• Difficult: -10
• Target: 29
• Roll: 23 (1 DoS)

[Mazer Rackham]

Bounty - Marchant Vale:

 

Crux'as & Atesh:

 

As the two of you wander forward, an odd couple of well-dressed merchant and vagabond wyrdling, you spot a pilgrim in his own ruffian raiment. It could of course be someone off-trail, taking in the spectacle of the greenery around him, whilst mesmerised by the terrible clouds of smoke wafting up into the air as the crops burned, but something about him gives you pause. He continues playing the hick, chewing on a long-spout pipe he no doubt has hewn himself from some exotic wood, and the vague scent of ragweed, a mild narcotic lesser than a lho-stick, and cheaper, since it was essentially free to anyone wanting to tear it off the ground, meets your nostrils.

 

'Hail fellows,' he begins, quite affably, 'we've been expecting you.'

 

Two very well camouflaged troops lift from hollows in the ground, folds where erosion and animals have gored out the earth. Their lasguns are not local issue, and have been modified with camouflage paint.

 

'Tyro sent the signal - or at least he did for you, Master Bardum. This fella is a stranger. Not going to have trouble with him, are we?' The man laughs. 'Of course not. Follow me.'

 

He leads off, with the two scouts falling in, one behind and off to the right, and one to the left, both some 20 metres from your little group. Close enough for action, distant enough to get a shot in. The Lookout continues.

 

'Be good to have some new faces, if only for a bit. I hear tell you're bugging out shortly, and I don't blame you. Bounty is lovely, but it can be dull.'

 

His urbane dialogue fills the gap of over half a mile before you reach a small encampment in the Vale. It is hidden in caves, and a natural fold in the ground between hills which gives cover from the air and orbital reconnaissance. It is exceptionally well laid out. The Lookout leads you through an assembly area where troops are receiving a briefing, complete with a model, into one of the caves.

 

A portable generator powers lighting and heaters, and the cave air is pleasant out of the sun, and no-doubt very charming in the cool evening. At a table, are obviously the leaders of the force, their gear a little better, or certainly better worn, with one broad-shouldered man with his back to you both. The Lookout calls to him, and as he turns round, his grim, weathered face suddenly smooths out and even creases into a smile.

 

'Well, well. I knew we would meet again, my friend. I see your fortunes do not seem to have changed much!'

 

It is the old hand from your prison, the pit of the strange Obelisk.

 

Sarge.

 

Edited April 9 by Mazer Rackham

[Machine God]

Kraggan

 

He wished Varne good hunting as he hurried away. Kraggan hoped that the previous owners of the Razor's Edge had not placed their Armoury anywhere near to the Engineerium. 

 

He moved towards the bridge and his pulpit. He voxxed the Bridge as he did so. 

 

 

++Helm this is Magos Kraggan, has the ship undocked from the Space Station yet? It really would be prudent if we did so

Post haste, some of Demolition Charges that I set were decidedly temperamental! ++

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by Machine God
Tidy-up