Space Marines Freeform

[Lycan 01]

(OOC: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141895)


The Thunderhawk gunship shudders as it descends, setting the air around it ablaze as it breaks through the atmosphere of Regolon. Inside the Space Marine transport, a squad of Scouts from the Salamanders Chapter prepare for their mission. Through the windows of their vessel, they can see the vibrant glow of the flames wreathing their transport. It has a calming effect on many them, for their Chapter's creed involves fire and flame to an almost unsettling level. Some are even encouraged and emboldened, viewing it as a good omen for their quest. The Thunderhawk bucks violently once more, and then begins to steady its descent as the glow around the windows begins to fade.

A door at the head of the holding bay hisses as it slides to the side. Sargeant Vlorus, the leader of your Scout Squad, strides in from the cockpit, having finished his business with the pilot and navigator. "We've broken through the atmosphere, Scouts," he states, his red eyes burning with power and authority. "ETA 5 minutes. If you have any last minute preparations, need to recheck your equipment, or have sins to confess to the Emperor, you'd better do it now. Because once we hit the ground, there will be no time for distractions or doubts. Keep your wits about you, and the Emperor in your heart, and we will emerge victorious. This entire assault today hinges on our success. We cannot fail. We will not fail. For the glory of the Imperium, Scouts!" the Sargeant nods, a grin of anticipation spreading across his blackened face.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Scout Seth, En Route to Mission Dropzone

Seth closed his eyes, catching a few moments of sleep before snapping back to attention. Opportunities for rest might become a luxury in the near future, not that he needed to sleep much. The super-human implants in his spinal cord and brain allowed him to function for weeks without sleep, and he could remain fully aware of his surrounding while resting regardless.

Seth concentrated on the mission objectives. Tactical analysis has suggested that a heavy weapon might be needed on the team, should the element of stealth be lost and the squad become invested in a fire fight without support. Seth had volunteered to take a missile launcher in lieu of his normal bolter and grenades. He was a skilled marksman, and the targeting systems of the launcher would more than compensate for his relative unfamiliarity with the weapon compared to a bolter. Still, the choice worried him. It was a bulky, unwieldy tube, not well suited for tight spaces, acrobatics, or athletics. Nevertheless, Seth was determined not to let his armament become an obstacle. He refused to be a burden.
He would do his duty: follow his fellow scouts, keep a low profile, and be ready for any and all threats. Should the worst come to pass, he was their first and last line of defense should they come face-to-face with one of the dangerously advanced xenos hover tanks or heavy battlesuits. The filthy, vile, blasphemous technologies of the Tau were almost enough to make Seth gag with but a thought. Though using his missile launcher would mean that their objective was likely beyond their capability to achieve, the thought of blowing such unholy technology to bits filled Seth with a hungry anticipation.

He looked at his fellow scouts, strapped into their seats. If all went according to plan, the only weapons that would need to be fired were the sniper rifles scattered throughout the squad. They were more than a match for Tau infantry physically; any one of his squadmates could shatter a fire warrior's spine with a well-planted fist. They were faster, heartier, and stronger than the Tau, with a steadier aim and better discipline and training. But they were ten against a whole occupational force. Should they be discovered, their carapace armor and training would only get them so far against the advanced missile and plasma-based weaponry of their Crisis battlesuit squadrons. Fighting the Tau was different than fighting orks or tyranids; they fought with military precision and tactics that rivaled the Imperial Guard. Rather than fearing a deadly en-masse suicide charge, they would need to be wary of snipers, artillery barrages, coordinated assaults, and ambushes.

Seth grinned. Just another day in the Tenth Company of the Salamanders. Seth whispered under his breath.

"Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war..."

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius cleaned his sniper rifle as the thunderhawk took them to the drop point. As he cleaned it, he prayed to the Emperor. "The Emperor is my shepard, I shall not want. He is my guide, My weapon shall aim true. He is my master, and shall guard me from all harm. He is my cloak, I shall not be noticed. All hail the Emperor. Amen"

He looked too the other marines. His bionic eye zoomed in on each of them. They were all good men, and they would serve the Emperor well this day. The Tau, and their disgusting greater good, were no match for the emperor and his children. They were weak, and though they did take the city, they would fall now that the Salamanders were here.

Artorius put his cleaning kit away, and began thinking about the future. Though he was an able sniper, his true affinity was for machines. He loved constructing them, and repairing them, he loved to do it all. And his favorite machines were the machines of war, such as his Sniper Rifle.

"Today is a good day to serve the emperor..." He said aloud, to himself and everyone else in the hold.

[Goonthegoof]

From the mind of Castigus:

Emprah Emprah Emprah Emprah Emprah Emprah Emprah EMPRAH Emprah

FOR THE EMPRAH!

(His speech is red)

Castigus sat there and twitched, thinking about how much he loved THE EMPRAH!. He sat and thought of the coming mission- The filthy xenos didn't worship THE EMPRAH!. Not for the first time he wondered how that was even possible. THE EMPRAH! was everything, how could one help but worship such a being?

Turning his mind from the foolish heresies of those who weren't Space Marines, he went back to thinking about how much he loved THE EMPRAH!

[Lycan 01]

Um... Okay.

Let me just say that if you don't take this at least a little bit seriously, you'll more than likely take a pulse beam to the face. :smalleek: Very, very few Marines are actually the stereotypical "RAAARRR EMPRAH!!" beasts some people think of. In fact, they're very, very heavily monitored for such berserker tendencies, as they can be either a sign of genetic or psychological defect, or signs that the Marine is falling to Chaos, specifically Khorne.

Also, Red has been taken by your Sarge. :smalltongue:


Edit: Oh look, you're twitching. That's bad.


Sargeant Vlorus arched a concerned eyebrow in Castigus' direction. "Are you all right, Brother?" the Sargeant asks, slightly warry of the strange look in the Scout's eyes. "You seem as though something is bothering you..."

(Edit) As the Sargeant noticed Castigus visibly twitch, his eyes narrowed, and his hand slowly began to drift towards his plasma pistol. "Castigus... Why are you twitching?" he inquires, slightly worried.

[Dorizzit]

Desaan is calm. This is not unusual. Desaan is rarely angry, or happy, or sad. He does not know why this is. He does not question it. It simply is. Desaan has always found himself to be most peaceful before a battle. The calm before the storm, the quiet that always came before the Time of Trials back on Nocturne. This battle was more momentous than usual. This squad was being entrusted with a great duty. Failure could not be allowed. With the will of the Emperor, they would succeed. As the Thunderhawk flies ever closer to the drop off point, Desaan begins to intone a low prayer.

"I am armored by Faith. Unbreakable. Unyielding. Invincible."

While thinking, Desaan has been cleaning his sniper rifle. The massive weapon is nearly as tall as a human. Its recoil would shatter the arm of any normal man who fired it. He has never missed with it. Every shot fired from it had claimed the life of a sworn enemy of the Emperor. His fingers move with practiced agility over the familiar form of the rifle, clearing out even the smallest crevices. Finishing, he places the implement of justice at his side.

"The Fiery Will of Vulkan is my Shield, and the Righteous Anger of the Emperor is my Sword."

They were approaching the drop site. That is good. Soon, the holy justice of the Emperor would be delivered unto the upstart invaders. He slides his combat knife from its sheath, the gleaming steel of the blade shining menacingly in the low light of the Thunderhawk's passenger chamber. He wipes the cleaning cloth across the knife a few times, but it is a hollow gesture. The weapon has already been cared for.

"My hand is His hand. My life, His life. My blade, His blade. I cannot fail while He guides me."

Reverently, Desaan slides the knife back into its sheath, and picks up his rifle, laying it across his lap.

"Amen."

It is time.

[Falconer]

Scout Iago

Iago's eyes were closed in meditation, as he quietly recited the Prayer of Adulation to the Emperor.

"Oh Immortal Emperor! Have mercy upon us--miserable, and unworthy as we are.
Oh Master of the Galaxy! Protect your flock from the alien.
Oh Keeper of the Light! Guide our darkened path with your radiance.

We are your warriors, and we are servants to thee. We stand free from blindness of heart. Free from hypocrisy, vainglory, and deceit, but captive to hatred, malice, and anger. To the filth, the alien, and the heretic. By thy agony and bloody sweat, by thy Golden Throne and thy death, by thy destruction and re-emergence as the God of Men, you guide us.

Keep and strengthen us, we who fight for Thee."

Iago gripped his flamer tightly, a look of grim resolve on his face. He had always felt a sort of destiny was guiding his life. Some sort of purpose. This was his purpose. To charge forward, and slay the enemies of Mankind and the Emperor. To bring justice to the galaxy. And someday, perhaps millennia from now, bring peace. Some said the galaxy was nothing but darkness. Iago disagreed. There was always the Emperor. And the Space Marines, the Emperor's torchbearers, would bring his fire to the dark corners of the universe.

[AssassinKing]

Roy checks his gear to make sure everything is ready for combat. As the others say their prayers, he has a confused looking face as if he has never heard others pray out loud.

Replying to Artorius Any day is a good day to serve the Emperor.

Looking at Castigus when he said "For the Emprah" Roy was wondering if he had a concussion or something, maybe there is something wrong with his vocal chord.

After Roy hears all the prayers he wonders why they do it.

Sarge how much longer til we land and get to kill the alien scums?

[Randel]

Remmington

Remmington stays silent during their decent, his ears picking up everything around him. In just a few minutes they would be on the planets surface and be heading into battle, but as any good soldier knows danger can come when you least expect it. Best keep ready in case those filthy Tau try shooting them out of the sky before they land.

He closes his eyes and visualizes the map they were given. Being born on a factory world he's perfectly at home with underground caverns and the twisting corridors of civilization. These agri-worlds will be tricky with that... sun and open surface and such.

Can't wait till we get to the city and can get at least some decent walls around us, he thinks.

[Lycan 01]

Never taking his eyes off Castigus, Sergeant Vlorus answers Roy's question. "ETA 4 minutes, Scout. If we time this right, resistance should be light. They will likely be reeling from the spearhead assault against their lines several miles to the East. While they try to reorganize and mobilize to counter-assault, we should be able to slink through their lines. Recon shows they have several trench networks, with underground tunnels interconnecting them. We're either going to be sprinting across No Man's Land, or blasting our way through crampt passages. We'll decide when we get a better grasp of the situation..."

[Nehh]

Eltern looks up. "Understood. I made my last minute preparations before we even started." He looks back down again, and goes into a state that looks amolst rest-like.

[Goonthegoof]

Aww, but my favourite aspect of 40k is the sheer amount of ham floating around

I'm fine, brother. Just preparing myself for the mission ahead.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius Smirks. "So true brother!" He says with a hearty laugh "so true..".

[Lycan 01]

And one of my favorite aspects is the sheer amount of grimdark. :smalltongue: I'd heavily suggest you take this game seriously. You can still be a gung-ho zealot, but don't sit there twitching going "EMPRAH EMPRAH!!" insanely. That'll get your face melted off... :smalleek:

Now then... Lets move the plot along, shall we? :smallbiggrin:


Still looking suspiciously at Castigus, Sergeant Vlorus eases his hand away from the grip of his plasma pistol. "ETA 3 and half minutes," he nods. "Once we land, follow my lead, and-"

The Thunderhawk suddenly jerks to the left, veering sideways at a steep angle. The Scout Sergeant rocks with the momentum of the craft, keeping his balance with ease. His face awash with concern, he wheels about and shouts into the cockpit: "Status report!"

"We have picked up a pair of Tau interceptors," the tranquil voice of the Techmarine navigator replies. "The auspex shows them to be two Barracude-Class Air Supperiority Fighters, The pilot is currently trying to "shake 'em off" as they say."

Vibrant blue streaks of energy dart past the viewports along the right side of the Thunderhawk's transport compartment, and chorus of metallic pings echo across the top of the ship. "They are tracking us with their Ion Cannons," the Techmarine points out, referring to the blue bolts racing along their right side. "The Machine-Spirit of this craft is afraid. The Burst Cannons striking us cannon penetrate its armor, but the Ion Cannons would do great harm if they made contact. Let us hope-"

The ship suddenly jolts violently. Sparks erupt from various corners of the walls, and the compartment is suddenly bathed in an eerie red glow by emergency lights. Warning sirens begin to chirp and wail, and smoke begins to feel the ship. "What happened?!" Sergeant Vlorus roars.

"Engine Number 2 has been destroyed," the Techmarine answers in his usual monotone voice. "We are rapidly losing altitude, and our speed is dropping. The enemy craft are closing the distance between us. It is most propable that this craft will not reach the LZ intact, nor that we will all survive the landing."

"Oh Emperor..." Sergeant Vlorus muttered, his eyes going wide in stunned horror at the realization that they were all probably about to die.

[Falconer]

Iago's prayers are interrupted as the thunderhawk shakes violently from the blasts. He looks around, startled, listening to the techmarine. No. It could not be destined that they die here, in this way. That was not the way of fate.

"Please, brother techmarine! You know much of the machine-spirits. Surely you can convince it to go onward, or at least" he pauses a moment, a note of uncertainty in his voice, "at least get us out of this alive."

[Dorizzit]

Desaan rapidly assesses the situation. There is nothing he can do. He is no pilot, no techmarine. The Xenos would be confident of their victory here. They were fools. The Emperor would protect them. Bowing his head, Desaan begins a silent prayer.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius, a budding Techmarine, quickly begins trying to repair what he can, all the while calming the Machine-Spirit. "It's okay, Thunderhawk, It's Okay..." He whispered to the machine, as if it listened, "Don't crash, I'm just trying to help, don't crash..."
He tries to repair the thunderhawk by tweaking various pressure gauges, followed by many clanks of a ratchet he found in the hull, as well as quite a bit of talk to the machine spirit.
Roll to see if I actually repair anything?

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth curses under his breath.
"Throne..."
He grabs his restraints; his knuckles would no doubt turn white if there was normal pigmentation in his augmented, radiation-scarred skin. He warily eyed the bandoleer of missiles strapped down next to his weapon. If they were to be prematurely set off by a wayward explosion or fire... the thought did not bear dwelling upon. Seth grits his teeth, and waits...

[Lycan 01]

Sparks fly from various circuits and gauges as the Thunderhawk is rocked by another impact. Artorius is unable to make much progress, and what he does manage to fix is made worse by the damage the ship further sustains. "The Machine Spirit is terrified and in agony," the Techmarine states, responding to Iago's questions. "It will not respond to my influence."

A split-second later, an explosion shakes the Thunderhawk. Sirens begin to blare in the cockpit, and the craft begins to violently shift from side to side. Thick, acrid smoke begins to fill the compartment, and it is impossible not to be thrown from side to side by the turbulent motions. "We have lost aft stabilizer control. It is up to the skill of the pilot and the Will of the Omnissiah now," the Techmarine nods solomnly.

Sargeant Vlorus, hanging on to a ceiling handhold for support, turns back to face his Scouts. "Alright Marines, hang on. We're going to ride this out, and we're going to survive it. Its the Will of the Emperor!" The Scout Sergeant brandishes his plasma pistol in his free hand, and exclaims: "We will be victorious this day, brothers! The Emperor Protects!"

Shortly thereafter, the ceiling above Sergeant Vlorus is boiled away by an Ion Blast. The metal is instantly vaporized, as is the Sergeant's hand and forearm. The Thunderhawk's hold is filled with vibrant light as the the sunshine floods in through the ragged gap in the ceiling, and almost instantly the room depressurizes. Before the brave servant of the Emperor even has a chance to scream, Sergeant Vlorus is sucked out of the ship and into the skies outside. He ship's shuddering grows worse, and the sounds of metal groaning and straining echo through the craft. The sirens and warnings in the cockpit grow louder and louder.

Time is running out...

[Randel]

Remmington

Keeping a deathgrip on the nearest handholds, Remmington barely manages to stay inside the ship as the whole place rapidly depressurizes. Seeing the Sergent get sucked out of the ship after the Ion blast melts the ceiling, the scout mouths a brief prayer for him.

But death is no stranger for those who serve the Emperor and the best honor that they could give the fallen commander would be to survive this and make the Tau scum pay a thousandfold for this loss.

"No time to mourn. We will either land to continue this mission or we will join the Sergent." he say, matter of factly. He briefly gives the room a look over... maybe in the future they could have some way to airdrop individually. Maybe parachutes or some sort of glider...

Best not to worry about things one can't control. They will either survive or they won't and if they do they have a job to do.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth tightens his grip, and repeats his curse much louder this time, though over the scream of the wind and the alarms and sirens, he might as well be whispering:
"THRONE!"
Seth glanced to make sure his weapon and payload were still secured tightly. If he survived this, he might have to reequip himself on the fly, possibly taking weapons from the dead hands of his fellow scouts...
He cursed that the sergeant's precious plasma pistol was lost in the decompression. Such relics were worth more than his pathetic life, easily. Seth's teeth rattled, and for some reason his nose was beginning to bleed...

[AssassinKing]

Seth can you shoot the ships down with your rocket launcher or try to scare them off? Pilots can you slow down so Seth can get a better shot? He tries to yell loud enough for them to hear.
As he saw the Sargeant fly out he wondered who would now command the squad if everyone survived. Roy holds on to his equipment like his life depended on it.(Obviously it does.)

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth squints at Roy, straining to hear his words over the cacophony.
"IT'S WORTH A SHOT!"
With a whispered prayer to the Emperor for protection and Vulkan for strength, Seth tries to unlatch his safety harness... but it's stuck.
With a scream of fury, Seth rips the harness from the hull behind him, letting it fall to his feet. He rips the missile launcher and ammo bandoleer from their security straps. Concentrating with all his might, he straps the bandoleer and launcher to his back, and half-stumbles, half-crawls underneath the hole in the ceiling where the sergeant was sucked out. He clings to a vent in the floor for a handhold.
"WE NEED TO OPEN THE CARGO BAY, OR ELSE SOMEBODY GIVE ME A LIFT!"
He motions to the hole in the roof. Tears stream from his eyes as the wind lashes around his face...

[AssassinKing]

Fumbling with the harness because of the vibrations he just cuts it with his knife. Getting up to give Seth a boost up through the vent hoping he gets high enough to shoot the target. Before he gets him through he yells out Tap my shoulder once if you need another round and twice if you need to come back in after you take the shot or when you hit it!

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth grabs Roy by the shoulder. "It's been an honor, brother."
He undoes the safety on the missile launcher, and gingerly removes a krak missile from his bandoleer. He arms the missile, and loads it into the launcher with a satisfying clank. Then, he vaults up unto Roy's shoulders.
With his left hand, he grabs the white-hot, gnarled, jagged edge of the wound in the ship. Ignoring the searing pain, he gets an elbow up and hefts the launcher on his right shoulder.
Suddenly, he is in a different world: one of open, endless space, keening winds, and incredible visceral speed. He doesn't have time to take in the scenery. Seth spots the distant forms of the Tau fighters. Their loathsome, too-smooth geometry made his stomach turn. He prayed he had the skill to destroy such blasphemous machines. Squinting through the targeting reticule, the primitive machine-spirit of the missile launcher was struggling to achieve a lock with such fast-moving, distant targets. The weapon was designed for attacking tanks and infantry, primarily. Half-relying on the targeting system, and half-relying on his own innate reflexes and skill, Seth channeled all his hatred as he squeezed the trigger. With a flash, the missile streaked towards its target, leaving a trail of gray-white smoke in its wake...

[Lycan 01]

Due to the low altitude and the pressurization, the Scout Marines are able to move around and approach the gash in the hull without being sucked out. Hoisted onto Roy's shoulders, Seth takes the shot. The missile streaks towards the nearest Barracuda (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/6/62/Barracuda.png). As he watches the projectile arc through the sky, Seth notices something about the target.

Sergeant Vlorus is on the Barracuda. Somehow, the Scout Sergeant was able to grab onto the craft with his remaining arm, and claw his way towards the cockpit. Having gotten close to his target but being unable to attack since he's holding on with his remaining arm, Sergeant Vlorus has resort to spitting acidic venom at the canopy. (Yep, look it up. Ya'll can spit battery acid...) With the corrosive substance eating through their protection, the Tau pilots are understandably distracted.

While trying to shake the determined Space Marine off their craft, the Tau Air Caste pilots suddenly notice the missile streaking at them from the guy hanging out of the hole in the ship. Panicking, they try to bank hard to the right, in an attempt to dodge the missile and throw off Sergeant Vlorus. The Sarge looks over his shoulder, sees the missile coming, and grins.

But they are too late. As the ship rolls to turn, the missile strikes its now-exposed underbelly. The krak round punches through the hull, and detonates in the aft section of the interceptor craft, destroying its engines and detonating its generators. A series of blasts rip through the hull, and then the entire vessel explodes into a ball of fire and debris. The other Barracude pulls back to avoid the blast, but then returns to its approach on the target.

Seth notices the barrels of the burst cannons on the second fighter begin to turn. They're warming up to fire, and he's in their crosshairs.

[Nehh]

"Good job." Eltern states. "Get Seth back in and take us closer to the ground. The lack of oxygen makes it harder to concentrate up here. We can blow up the other ship."

[Goonthegoof]

All I got is a shotgun, in case people are wondering why I'm not doing anything yet, I'll take an action once one seems appropriate :smallbiggrin:

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth's heart swells with pride at witnessing the sergeant's brave sacrifice. Quickly, he taps Roy twice on the shoulder and drops back down into the Thunderhawk. He loads another krak missile into the launcher, and grins at his fellow scouts. "One down!" he says.
Although he was satisfied to have destroyed one of the xenos craft, Seth was still fairly certain they were all still doomed. There was maybe a sparrow's chance in the Eye that he could get another shot off, before the ship tore itself apart...

[Dorizzit]

Desaan looks up and nods grimly.

"Excellent. Even if we should die this day, the Xenos have payed for it with their blood."

[Randel]

Remmington

Watching his fellow soldiers shoot down an enemy craft through a hole blown in the ship, Remmington is filled with a pride.

"Yes, the enemy will think twice about trying to shoot us down. All they have succeeded in doing is giving us more opportunity to shoot them!"

He looks down at his bolter and frag grenades... Darn, if only I'd brought something heavier he thinks.

Can the Frag Grenades be fired with a bolter like rifle grenades (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_grenade)?

[Lycan 01]

The victory is short lived. Metallic pings echo all across the back of the Thunderhawk, followed by several resounding thumps. An instant later, an explosion of flame and molten metal erupts through the aft portion of cargo hold. A pair of (unnamed) Scouts are incinerated by the blast, and the compartment quickly begins to fill with choking black smoke. The ship begins to shake violently, and sparks fly from various points as gauges and circuits break and short out.

"Brace yourselves," the Techmarine advises coldly from the cockpit over the shrieking of countless alarms. "Impact estimate: 20 seconds."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth throws himself on the floor, wedging himself between a weapons rack and a damaged seat. He gropes blindly for handholds: he finds something hard and secure and metallic, and hangs on for dear life. His left arm is bleeding freely from a cut, and white-hot pain lances up his side from multiple burns. The world is smoke and blood and screams and fire, but all Seth can do is close his eyes and pray...

[Goonthegoof]

Castigus clutches his shotgun and crouches, praying to the emperor for a safe landing.

[Nehh]

"Right."

Eltern slowly and calmly crouches down, grabs a shard of some sort of metal, and stands up again. With his extra height he can just see out of the hole in the roof if he tries pulling his weight up a bit. With his free hand, he takes aim at the other craft and tosses the shard like a javelin, which arcs and glitters towards the Tau ship, before he jumps back down and rolling under a bench.

"Worth a try. Probably missed, though."

[Lycan 01]

What Eltern doesn't see is that the large sliver of blasted metal, the edges still white-hot from the explosion that rent it from the hull, lances through the sky with devastating strength and accuracy. Back by his superhuman strength, and aimed with his precision eyesight, the scrap-metal lance finds its mark.

Due to their close proximity with the Thunderhawk, and their intent focus on the target before them, the Tau pilots do not notice the white-hot javelin speeding towards them. One moment later, the spear crashes through the canopy, impales through the control panel, and explodes one of the pilots as it lances through him. Sparks and smoke fill the vessel's cockpit, and it begins to veer wildly from side to side before the control circruits begin to overload.

Though Eltern and his comrades did not see any of this, they hear and feel the massive explosion behind the Thunderhawk that occurs a few seconds later. The Thunderhawk shakes and rattles, and still continues its crash course to earth. But at least it is no longer under fire...

[Dorizzit]

Desaan stays strapped in as the Thunderhawk begins its descent. Clutching his sniper rifle close, he serenely closes his eyes and begins murmuring a prayer, which is not audible above the cacophony within the craft.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius curses under his breath, and gets to the floor. When he hears the explosion, he cheers. "By the Omnissiah, you are blessed!" He says with a smile, though it quickly fades as he remembers that they're in a falling vehicle. He makes himself ready to use his sniper rifle, and begins to pray for the Emperor to protect him and his comrades.

[AssassinKing]

Roy goes back to his seat and ties the harness on him even though it wouldn't help him much,also holding onto the seat as tight as he could hoping that everyone will survive, and not thinking about the probabilities of death or the consequences of failing the Emperor. Saying this loudly to help keep the morale up for everyone in the stormhawk "We will survive, the Emperor will protect us, We must not fail!

[Lycan 01]

The violent descend of the Thunderhawk finally comes to an end. A back-breaking impact jolts the ship,and sparks and Scouts fly as gauges and harnesses are destroyed by the forces placed upon them. Bodies are hurled into the air as the ship literally bounces from the impact, and then everything goes black.

You begin to awaken one by one. Some of you are still strapped into your harnesses. Others are crumpled beneath your seats. Amazingly, you're alive. Or at least, some of you are. There's no sign of a few of your comrades, specifically Desaan. The Techmarines are also absent - in fact, so is the entire front portion of the Thunderhawk.

The craft has come to rest on its side. The front half has been ripped away, and sunlight is filtering through the jagged hole left in the ship. Looking through the gaping maw, you can see a muddy, war-torn landscape outside the wreckage of the Thunderhawk. From your position inside the ship, you can also see the outline of a city in the distance. You can also hear sounds coming from nearby, but they're hard to make out through the ringing that still fills your ears.


What happens now is up to you. You may continue on your mission, look for survivors, or hold your position until rescue arrives. You may elect a leader, work together, or split into teams. The choice is yours.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth opens his eyes, completely disoriented for several minutes. He is prone, on the floor of the ship, which is now a wall considering the orientation. A half-smashed seat is pinning his legs down. With some effort, he pulls his legs free, and half-rolls, half-falls to the ground.
Although his super-reinforced bones and armor somehow spared him from any fatal injuries, his body is still afire with pain. His left arm is burned, the dark skin blackened in places, and seeping blood and pus. A deep gouge runs along the front of his arm, up into the palm of his left hand, from the jagged edge of the hole in the ship and the battering it took during the crash. He is bleeding freely from his scalp; he wipes the blood from his eyes, and squints through the smokey gloom. He is suddenly extremely thirsty.

For a few seconds, all he wants to do is close his eyes and go to sleep. But as the sounds of the world slowly filter back into his ears, and he notes the barren, war-torn look of the area surrounding them, he remembers that he is in a war zone, that he has a mission to accomplish; rest was a luxury he could not afford.

Seth gets to his feet shakily. The strap securing his missile launcher to his back snapped during the crash: the weapon is long gone, as is the bandoleer of ammunition. He spits blood from his mouth, and begins pulling some of his comrades from the wreckage (at least the ones who are still alive).
"Who's still alive? We need to gather the wounded, and whatever supplies we can salvage, and get out of here: this place will be swarming with xenos scouts soon."
Seth checks the pulse of a scout secured in a restraint, until he notices the two-foot long shard of sharpened steel punching through his chest, a pool of blood slowly pooling around his feet. He closes the dead scout's eyes, then removes the combat knife from his bootstrap, and secures it to his belt. He then walks over to a heavily-dented munitions crate, and pulls off the lid: inside he finds a bolt pistol in working condition, and a few extra clips. He takes these too, removes the pistol from the holster, and undoes the safety. Slowly, the pain of his injuries was fading, as the super-human healing properties of his body began to coagulate his blood and knit torn flesh back together.

[Randel]

Remmington


His vision slowly returns as he regains consciousness, a painful bump on his head as he finds himself lodged in a half-crushed part of the Thunderhawk. If that crash had been even a little bit worse then he could very well have been decapitated.

"Here." He says, hearing Seth calling out. Remmington flexes his muscles and begins extracting himself from the wreckage, slowly crawling out. Once he gets clear of the wreckage he tests his muscles and bones to make sure nothing is broken and then gets up.

He quickly gets his bolter and grenades in order, glad that the explosives didn't go off during the crash. He then helps Seth in his search to extract the others from the wreck.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

He opened his eye as his bionic one flickered back to life, readjusting its depth perception, before finally restarting. Artorius gets up half-blind, half-deaf, and half conscious. As the healing process began, cuts and gashes began closing, but the pain was still there. Artorius didn't mind, though. Pain was something that he was trained to endure. Pain was necessary. He found a sniper rifle laying close by, if it was his, he didn't know. He began searching for other things, things that would keep him safe at shorter distances. He found a bolt pistol, some magazines, and a Camo Cloak after many moments of searching. "Quickly, we must gather our things and complete our mission!" he said in a very hushed tone "I shall scout ahead in the underbrush with another brother, any volunteers?"

[Nehh]

"Ow."

"Ow ow aargh ow."

"Ooh."

Eltern slowly rolls out from under the bench, jumps to his feet and then falls over. Whilst on the floor, he looks back under the bench for his shotgun.

"Sorry, did you say something about continuing our mission? I'm missing my shotgun - although it must be under here somewhere - and until I find that I only have frag grenades and the scenery, and... I'm running out of both. Ack. It might also be a good idea to leave a sign for any of our comrades who wake up after us. I think I have a headache. Did I just say all that? I must have hit my head really hard." He then collapses again.

[Goonthegoof]

Lying in the numb haze of near consciousness, Castigus slowly opens his eyes but can only open one, which sees nothing but darkness. With the realisation that he has his eyes open and cannot see anything he begins to truely wake and as he does the pain he didn't know he was feeling begins flooding in. He attempts to get up but pain wracks his body as something digs into his eye, pinning his head to the floor.

Praying to the emperor to keep himself calm he gingerly moves his hands up his body to his head, trying to assess the damage. The rest of his body is fine and he can feel his trusty combat knife still at his side, but his helmet is a twisted wreck and something is pressing in on it, jamming part of it into his eye. He moves his hands up to the obstruction and tries to lift, but whatever is on top of him is too heavy for even his great strength to lift. He feels it shift a little, so with the aid of a brother he could probably lift it free.

Brothers, I am trapped! Is there anyone who can help me? he calls out as he struggles to lift whatever is pressing his helmet into his eye, though the sound is muffled by his wrecked helmet and the device that would normally transmit his voice is ruined.

I'm not incredibly familiar with the interior of a thunderhawk, so I'm not sure what would be heavy enough to pin him down in the ship. Maybe a dented crate? (by the way I don't mean the whole thing balancing on Castigus' face, I mean maybe one buckled part of it pressing in. Anyway, whoever sees him gets to decide :smalltongue:

[AssassinKing]

As they hit the ground Roy's harness got undone and he fell out of his seat towards the front of the ship as it stopped, luckily he didn't start falling out until it hit the ground. Roy tries to get up slowly but isn'nt able to because his head hurts so bad that he can't even think straight, so he just closes his eyes for less than a minute and tries to ignore the pain and gets up and is not able to walk straight. As he walks as if drunk he looks for his bolter and medi-kit. "Are you guys ok?" As he says the few words, he notices something wrong.....he couldn't hear himself. Roy sticks his fingers into his ears to see if anything is in them, but there was nothing.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth walks up to the obstruction pinning down Castigus, and lifts with all his might. He was beginning to think more clearly; the strength was returning to his arms and legs. He thanked the Emperor for the blessings of the flesh within him, that gave him such incredible resiliency.
"Come, brother Castigus. You can rest when you are dead."
He offers the scout his good arm, and helps him to his feet.
"We must needs be on the move, brothers. If you can't move, then stay here and die with honor: bring swift death to the xenos outriders. Emperor willing, mayhaps a rescue is en route. Tell any Imperial forces that we are not broken; we will continue on to our mission objective, and will not return until the Tau Ethereal lies dead. For Vulkan! For the Emperor! Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!"
Feeling strengthened by his piety and devotion, Seth tries to rally the survivors to action.

[Nehh]

"Nice speech you got there. Now please, brother, can you rally someone to help find my shotgun? I lost it under here when we crashed."

[Lycan 01]

As everyone's hearing begins to return, they start to recognize the noises in the distance. The rush of jet thrusters, the whirring of mechanical joints, and the heavy footfalls of metal feet. The information from your training and mission briefing floods back into your minds, and you realize what is rapidly approaching the crash site.

At least one squad of Tau Crisis Battlesuits are inbound. If you try to run now, you may be able to make it to cover and hide, or they may spot you. Alternatively, you can try to fend them off from the crash site until you come up with a better plan.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

"Scratch my last plan!" Artorius says with the sound of battlesuit footfalls coming closer "We must get to cover, so that we may surprise them and overtake them". He quickly begins to look for other things that might be useful in the debris.

[Lycan 01]

Scrounging through the debris, Artorius finds a pair of krak grenades, as well as a combat knife.



Just so we're clear on what everyone has, because some people have lost and/or discover equipment, please post what you've got in the OOC thread. Be specific. Don't say "Bolt Pistol and some magazines," because I don't know how many "some" is. :smalltongue:

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth nods. "Let's move, then."
He creeps out into the open air, on the side of the wreck opposite the sounds of the approaching battlesuits. He surveys the blasted, war-torn land, looking for a likely place to hide, and perhaps stage an ambush. The xenos battlesuits were terrible weapons, faster and better armed than the scouts were. In such flat, open terrain, they would have the range as well; they could linger outside the scouts' threat radius and pick them apart piecemeal at their leisure. Seth refused to suffer such an inglorious fate. At least the orks, tyranids, eldar, and traitor legions were willing to meet their foes in honorable close combat. Given the chance, the tau would blast them apart at a coward's distance; honor aside, Seth could not deny the tactical advantage of such a strategy. More and more, he regretted losing the missile launcher in the crash...

[Goonthegoof]

Wrenching his helmet off, Castigus notes that he can see the remains of one of his eyes on it. The other one is fine though, so he begins to follow Seth.

Castigus has one eye, one shotgun(20 shots), one combat knife and unswerving devotion to THE EMPRAH

[AssassinKing]

Roy finds his bolter, medi-kit, and 1 spare clip, and his smoke grenades. not know what was goin on he follows the remaining of the squad trying to figure out why he can't hear anything.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius follows Seth, knowing that he'd have a plan.

[Nehh]

Eltern hears some kind of mumbling through his helmet. He rushes down and finds the source. It's coming from a thin breach in the hull with feet sticking out. It's Castigus anyone else who's trapped! Eltern starts to shift the metal trapping him but hears the sound of the advancing Tau. He moves about the metal a bit more and says to Castigus the trapped guy "There. I made it a bit more roomy under there, so you can move. I don't think we can get you out before the Tau get here. You're well hidden under there though, and we'll be ambushing them as they get to the ship."

He looks about for his shotgun, but it still isn't there.
"Darn. Looks like we're leaving without it then." Eltern leaves the ship with Artorious and Seth, only to spot his shotgun some way away - right in the view of the advancing Battlesuits.

[Goonthegoof]

CockroachTeaParty's character already got me out, it's fine.

[Lycan 01]

For the Scouts outside of the ship, you can see the deep scar in the earth that the Thunderhawk gouged during the crash. The trench varies in depth, 30 feet deep in some places, and 5 in others. Various bits of metal and debris lie smouldering down its length, including a what looks like an engine. Outside the blackened trench, the rest of the world is bleak and war-torn. The earth is churned and ugly as far as you can see, pock-marked by shell craters, ruined farmhouses, and abandoned foxholes. The scorched husks of Tau and Imperial vehicles also dot the landscape, the scavenger-picked bodies of their enemies and allies strewn around them, forgotten and forsaken.

Inside the ship, you can hear the sounds of the approaching Tau battlesuits growing louder and louder. You don't have long before they arrive - you must make a choice to either defend the craft, or seek shelter outside the wreckage.

Also, you smell a strong scent of promethium...

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth makes a quick head count of the scouts still alive and mobile. He is not pleased by the paltry handful, but they would have to do. It was not like they had much of a choice.
Seth points to a nearby trench, deep enough to conceal them if they took care to make themselves scarce.
"Brothers, let us take shelter in that trench. Anyone with a camo cloak, risk peaking your head over the lip, and observe what the xenos do. Emperor willing, they'll move on. Our mission is not petty revenge; let the rest of the Imperial forces sort them out. We must needs focus on getting to the Ethereal, undetected, and killing him. Anything else is a foolish indulgence, jeopardizes the mission, and risks making our dead brothers' sacrifices in vain."
Taking the initiative, Seth dashes forward in a crouching run, vaulting the edge of the trench and crouching down in the shadows.

[Lycan 01]

(I assume you mean a man-made trench, and not the scar your ship left on the land...)


Dropping into the forsaken trench, Seth discovers it to be deserted and ill-kept. More than likely, it was first dug months ago when the Imperial Guard and PDF forces first attempted to hold out against the Tau invaders. Sure enough, there are a few corpses strewn about the trench, picked to the bone by carrion birds and half-buried in the mud, forsaken by both man and nature. A quick look at the weathered carapace armor reveals them to be fallen heroes of the Imperium. A few still hold lasguns and other weapons in their skeletal grasps - perhaps some their equipment still works after all these months?

The rest of the surviving squad, except for Remmington and Iago, drops into the trench behind Seth. Luckily for the Space Marine Scouts, they are not noticed by the Tau crisis suits, or so it seems. They're currently located on the opposite side of the crashed Thunderhawk - they're so close you can even hear them communicating, their garbled tongue even further corrupted by their equivalent of vox-speakers. They sound suspicious, and it sounds as though one is giving orders, or suggesting tactics...

[Mike_the_Mystic]

"Do you have a plan?" Artorius whispers to Seth "I only have 2 Krak Grenades, a Sniper Rifle, a Bolt Pistol and a blade, but I shall use them as you want me to..."

[CockroachTeaParty]

"Stay your hand for now, brother Artorius. Let us watch and wait. If they detect us, though, we shall attack. We must close the distance with them. Even in those blasphemous suits, they'll be slow and ponderous in melee. We might just be able to defeat them through brute strength. Save your grenades for larger vehicles."
Seth could claim no understanding of the xenos' scanning technologies. Could they detect them through the dirt? Could they hear them whispering at this distance? Was hiding an effort in futility? If so, they were wasting precious time, but Seth could only place his faith in the Emperor and Vulkan, and hope that the battlesuits would pass them by.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius nods silently, as to not give away their position with chatter.

[AssassinKing]

Roy slowly starts getting his hearing back. What's happening guys? Why are we hiding in the trench? All I have for equipment is my bolter, smoke grenades, and medikit, couldn't find any others.

[Goonthegoof]

Castigus crawls next to Artoruis and leans against the edge of the trench, waiting for his eye socket to stop bleeding. I have my shotgun and combat knife, my depth perception's probably shot so I'm going to try and get in close if we engage. he whispers to the space marine next to him. Pass the word on to anyone missing their ranged weapon that I'm happy to pass my shotgun on to someone who has a better aim than I.

[Nehh]

"I know someone who's missing a shotgun. Me. The one I had during the crash is over there." He points to a trench on the other side of the ship where his shotgun landed. "Now, tactics: they'll expect us to either still be in there, or to have left and be watching from a distance. We are, of course, the latter. I plan we get on top of the ship, and fast. That way we're not in the ship, but those who will soon get to guarding it while it is searched can't see us from a distance. We can drop down on them - those outside off the side, and those inside through the hole."

[CockroachTeaParty]

"That would be folly, brother Eltern. The xenos battlesuits are equipped with jet packs. They can easily observe the top of the wreck should they choose to do so. Besides, the hull of the ship is metal, and the slightest movement or shift of weight will make noise. Here in the dirt, our sounds are muffled, and there's a chance their scanners won't penetrate through the trench. Granted, if they approach via air, they're likely to see us. But this trench provides plenty of cover; if they wish to get close enough to burn us out, they'll be within charging distance. Let us wait..."
Seth listened carefully to the slowly increasing sound of the crisis suits' approach...

[Nehh]

"Hmm. We may need to revise that plan. A position above the ship still gives us an advantage, and is really where it would be a good idea to get. You think about it. In the meantime - is there any way we can get it so they won't see us from the air?"

[Randel]

Remmington

Remmington searched long and hard through the wreckage of the ship, finally managing to pry open a bent supply locker and pulled out a heavy bolter and a decent supply of ammo for it. He adds this to a number of other items including a camo suit and a case of frag grenades. This should help out with any xeno resistance they find.

However, he hears the sound of the Tau crisis suits flying overhead and landing. He quickly but calmly slips on the camo suit to hide his presence as much as possible... from this angle it would be impossible for him to leave the downed craft without alerting the xenos.

Damm... should have left sooner. I pray the others have made it to safety... though I may be able to give them a distraction.

As silently as possible, he feeds a chain of ammo into the Heavy Bolter and puts a frag grenade to his belt for easy access.

Emperor guide me. He prays before he steps out from inside the downed ship, gets a look at the closest tau mech, and hurls a frag grenade with all his might into it!

Then with one swift motion, he brings the heavy bolter up and lays a wave of heavy fire into the xeno, aiming to bring them down as quickly as possible... and at the least give his brothers a distraction.

Heh, space marines don't do subtle... keep thinking that, xenos. My brothers may surprise you.

Even if he falls in this gambit, its possible that the enemy will assume that he was the only survivor.

[Lycan 01]

Leaping from the wreck, Remmington hurls the grenade at the nearest Tau battlesuit. The towering exo-suit dwarfs the space marine, its orange armor glinting in the afternoon sun. Various alien markings and strange antenae show it to be the squad's leader. The metal behemoth turns to face the Scout, slightly caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Surprised, it does not have time to react to the grenade hurled at it, which explodes a few feet in front of it. The blast staggers the Tau battlesuit as the shockwave ripples through its internal systems and its pilot, and shrapnel pings off of its armor and leaves countless scars, gashes, and pock-marks. Its left arm is sheared off by the force of the blast, and a trail of sparks and electricity mark its path as the mechanical appendage archs limply through the air.

Before the Tau exo-suit can react, Remmington brings his gun to bear upon it. The Heavy Bolter roars, and a torrent of armor-piercing high-explosive shells crash against the xeno mech. It reels from the countless impacts striking against it, each successive hit blasting away more and more of its armor and circuitry. Eventually a few bolts blast their way into the cockpit, and the pilot goes from controlling the craft to decorating the dashboard with his innards. The exo-suit locks up, falls to its knees, and is then toppled over by its own lifeless weight.

Before Remmington can celebrate his victory, however, two more Crisis Battlesuits dash in from opposite sides of their fallen leader. The one on the Scout's right raises one arm, which seems to be equiped with some sort of flamethrower. The other Tau mech brings a cycling pulse cannon to bear, the barrels of the gun already beginning to spin rapidly as they warm up to fire. An instant later, a gout of flame and a hail of energy beams streak towards the lone Salamander.


For the rest of the squad, all they see is their brave comrade leap from the wreckage and commence his attack. They hear the blast of the grenade, the resounding thunder of the heavy bolter, and the clatter of shrapnel and bolts off of the Xeno suit's armor. A short moment later, they hear the metallic thud of the falling battlesuit, followed by the mechanical movements of its allies. The next sounds they hear are the whine of a pulse cannon and the fwoosh of a flamer.

[Goonthegoof]

After muttering a prayer to the emperor for Remmington, Castigus whispers to his brothers. Once they get close enough I saw we charge. We need to get those scum!

[Lycan 01]

Remmington is unable to avoid the attacks of the enemy exo-suits. In an instant, he is engulfed in flames, and pulse beams begin to bounce off of his armor and rip into his flesh. However, he does not fall. Instead, as he onyx skin begins to burn and char, he fixes his fierce red on eyes upon the enemy and snarls: "I'll see you in hell, Xenos! With my commander Sergeant Vlorus and my Battle Brothers by my side! We shall purge you from this life and the next!"

Flesh aflame, the Salamander staggers forward, still firing his Heavy Bolter wildly. The Tau Crisis Battlesuits hold their ground, and that is what proves to be their undoing. As the heat causes his Heavy Bolter to jam, the Scout lunges forward, wreathed in flames, and closes the distance between him and the nearest alien war machine. As he flies at his enemies, Remmington roars out: "DEATH TO THE ENEMIES OF MAN!! LONG... LIVE... THE... IMPE-"

The box of grenades slung over his back finally ignites, and instantly obliterates the Space Marine scout, as well as the adjacent flamethrower-equiped battlesuit. Shrapnel and hunks of burning machine are flung outward in every direction from the massive fireball, and Remmington's Heavy Bolter rockets towards the other Tau exo-suit. The semi-molten block of metal slams into the center of the battlesuits torso, and the force of the impact instant rends the machine in half. Sparks, globs of molten metal, and torrents of Xeno blood fill the air as the severed halves of the battlesuit are sent flailing wildly from the impact.


Back in the trench, the rest of the Scouts see the massive explosion and feel the earth shake beneath them as their comrade's life comes to a glorious end.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

"Now" Artorius says with a grin "Now our battle-brother is with the emperor, and his sacrifices will not be forgotten, slaying three battlesuits in one swift blow...Genius!". With that, he jumped up from the trench and ran quickly to the wreckage, and then crept silently parallel to the broken hull, making sure not to touch the super-heated metal. He poked his head slowly out from the edge to see the damage: Bits of metal, a half of a battlesuit and other carnage strewn around the clearing. It was beautiful. He made a silent prayer as he crept back to the others and told them what was happening.

[CockroachTeaParty]

"Brother Remmington has bought us some time. We need to move out, and reach our objective. Without vox contact, navigation is going to be more difficult. We can start heading in the direction the Thunderhawk was going before it crashed. Once we reach the city proper, we'll have to either intercept enemy intelligence or get back in contact with Imperial forces."
Seth leaves the trench and approaches the scene of the carnage.
"We should gather what supplies we can, then get moving. No doubt enemy reinforcements are on their way. We had best assume the battlesuits got out a warning before they were destroyed; we need to move quickly. If our presence is confirmed, all may be lost."

[Goonthegoof]

Castigus leaps out of the trench and follows his brothers to the scene of destruction.

[Nehh]

"Ahahaha. That Was Awesome. Shame he can't help us on the mission now he's with the emperor."

Eltern slowly gets on one knee, then into a crouch, before unfolding his tall frame.

"I'll grab my shotgun and start walking to the city then. It's just over there. Or perhaps it's over there. Hmm."

He walks to his shotgun and picks it up, before heading towards where he thinks the city is. "Anyone else coming? I think we need to search the wreck first. There may be maps or files or stuff in there saying where we're going."

[Lycan 01]

Near the craft, all that is left of Remmington and the battlesuit he destroyed is a massive, smouldering crater. Inside the ship, you also discover Iago's body. He was killed when the ship crashed - his organs ruptured, and his head was ripped off during the impact. Its quite a mess in there...

From the other side of the Thunderhawk, you can see the city in the distance. You can see the outlines of many tall buildings through the haze, and your superhuman vision allows you to see the outskirts of the city only a few miles away. If you start soon, and don't run into trouble, you should be able to make it into the heart of the city within the next three hours, which would leave you about three more hours before nightfall.

[Nehh]

"Okay - change of plan. To the city!"

Eltern starts walking.....

[Goonthegoof]

Works for me.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

"The Emperor Protects" Artorius Says as he runs in the direction of the outskirts of the city.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth presses on, following the rest of the squad. The lack of usable cover had him ill at ease. Out in this blasted wasteland, any xeno sentry or flier could spot them as clear as day...

[Nehh]

"Is that all of us? We seem diminished in number."

He looks around.

"Four left."

He looks around again.

"Men, keep your guns at the ready. They will no doubt carry on attacking us."

[AssassinKing]

Roy puts his thumb, pointer finger and middle finger on his chin while the other two are curled up as if he was thinking. I think we should go around to a different side of the city, because they xenos are going to send a recon of some sort to check the crash site, so we should try to avoid them until we get to the city, that way we don't risk anymore of our men, and we need to save our ammo for the worst scenarios. Anyways it's just an idea.

[Randel]

O'Mally

Far from the crash site, there are bits and pieces of twisted wreckage littered across the landscape. One of those bits of wreckage starts to move.

"Ugh... what 'append? ...Dark."

O'Mally's legs start to wave in the air as he tries to pull himself from the ground, its a difficult task since he seemed to have landed head-first into the ground and had a piece of still smoldering fuselage land on his backside. Anyone heading in his direction would hear moans before he finally frees his arms enough to lift himself out of the ground, shrug the molten slag off his back and flop onto the ground.

At this point he looks like hell... his armor has numerous gashes on it and the back of it was nearly melted off from the burning metal that landed on him. His left arm hangs limply from its socket from where his Heavy Bolter had gotten snagged on something as he had flown out of the ship. Fortunately, like any Space Marine worth his limbs he had maintained a death grip on his weapon which is still locked in his left hand. His face however is a mess of gashes and rocks that got lodged in his head as he crash landed into the ground, aside from the gravel scraped across his skin there is a rather large rock jammed into his forehead with a trickle of blood, only his eyes look undamaged... though that may be because he had his right hand covering his eyes when he landed.

In short, a Heavy Bolter survived a crash due to its superior Imperial construction along with a mess of ammo and two grenades. There's also a decent set of arms and legs to carry it and at least one functioning eye to aim it.

"Sergeant Vlorus? Wait... our mission!" O'Mally looks around the wreckage searching for his comrades and manages to spot four moving figures. He limbs after them for a bit before stopping to pop his left arm back into his socket.

He wasn't exactly sure what their mission was about... or his name... or why he had such a splitting headache. Wait, that headache was what he gets after things explode and he blacks out... yeah, that's what its about. But the figures up ahead are his allies... if they look like humans... if they don't look like humans then they must be the Xenos that he's supposed to kill. Anyway, only thing that matters is to find if those four are his allies and then get order from them if they are.

Damm, its a miracle I landed on that explosion. Good thing I survived my head!

If his allies spot him, they will see a wounded but still-moving Space Marine running with a limp toward them. His armor gashed and filthy, his body covered in gashes and blood, a Heavy Bolter hanging in one half healed arm and nasty looking rock jammed into his forehead with blood running down. Probably a concussion and brain damage but muscle memory should keep his arms and limbs fighting for the Emperor!

[CockroachTeaParty]

"By the Emperor's mercy, look! Brother O'Mally!"

Seth trots up to O'Mally's wounded form and gives him a shoulder to lean on. He helps him limp back to the rest of the squad.
"Thank Vulkan, it looks like you kept that heavy bolter intact. We've got heavy weapons, at least. How in the name of the Eye did you survive?"

[AssassinKing]

Holy Terra! You look like hell right now. Roy starts to see if there are any major wounds to patch up, He takes out the rocks lodged in his head. Is your leg alright?

[Nehh]

"Quick, get him up to date on what happened. I'm glad you came back: that's another person to fight with. As I was saying to these people, we were rather diminished in number. Five left."

[Randel]

O'Mally

O'Mally accepts Seths help gratefully, his augmented body already knitting itself back together now that he's up and about. He flexes his leg abit, it looks like it had just gotten some muscle damage from the hot wreckage he was underneath, after a minute or so his limp is healed enough that he won't slow the group.

"Survive? Not sure... one minute I was on the ship heading to ... our mission... then stuff happened... lot of smoke and explosions and I made sure to keep my Heavy Bolter secure for the mission... crash landing happened..."

O'Mallys brow furrows as he tries to remember what happened after that, blood trickles from the wound where the rock was before the blood rapidly congeals and the wound heals up. From the looks of him, his head has gotten plenty of damage over the years and his brain has healed just enough to keep him fighting while his skull has tried growing thicker to protect whats left.

He shrugs "There was an explosion and I woke up over there headfirst on the ground. Everything important seems healthy." He flexes his arms and legs, he seems in working order now. "I'm alive and ready to fight for the Emperor." he nods.

[Lycan 01]

Without warning, pulse beams begin to whine past you and strike the ground around your feet. About 100 yards away towards the city, you spot what appears to be a squad of Tau Fire Caste Warriors. Their armor is a vibrant orange color, except for the one in the center, who's shoulder pads are dull white. They're all armed with long-barreled weapons, though a scant few appear to have shorter, stubbier guns. It appears that the Fire Warriors were sent to aid in the search, and now that they've spotted you, they're advancing towards an abandoned trench 10 or so yards in front of them.

As for your own position, there is a trench network off to your left, and a small forsaken sandbag emplacement to your right. The obvious choices are to either take cover in the trench, take cover in the emplacement, or charge across the war-torn battlefield directly towards them.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth draws his knife and bolt pistol. Rage surges through his veins. He lifts his dagger towards the xenos scum, and bellows his fury.
"FOR THE EMPEROR!"
He begins to charge the enemy position, kicking up dirt with each furious stride.

[Goonthegoof]

Castigus begins to head over to the trench to take cover, nut sees Seth charge towards the Xenos And post word for word what I was planning to say :smallbiggrin:. As Seth reaches him, Castigus turns towards the enemy and charges, matching Seth's pace. As he runs he starts blasting at the Xenos with his shotgun but between his irregular motion from running and his ruined depth perception, nothing hits. Tossing his gun away he pulls out his war knife and grimly picks up speed.

[Randel]

O'Mally

"Xenos... in bright orange armor. That's good, easier to see them." O'Mally slings his Heavy Bolter into position, makes sure that its loaded with plenty of Dakka... erm, bullets. Yes bullets, that's what he meant (good thing nobody heard that).

He steps to the side to get a clear shot of the Xenos without hitting his allies and lets loose with a few waves of rapid bolter fire, carefully aiming and sending nice cutting horizontal lines to hit all the bright orange dots moving towards them.

He doesn't seem concerned that he's standing up in the middle of a firefight or even bother yelling, just aim at the orange dots and shoot until they fall down. Maybe should see about ear protection... are his allies yelling battle cries for the Emperor or are they telling him to find cover? Oh well, just fire at the orange dots...

[Lycan 01]

While O'Mally fires his Heavy Bolter past them, Seth and Castigus race across the scorched earth towards their alien foes. Pulse beams zip past them, a few glancing hits ricocheting off the Scouts' armor. The stubbier weapons a few of the Tau soldiers carry have underslung grenade launchers, and the alien troopers kneel before lobbing pulse grenades towards the attacking Imperials.

The Fire Warriors rush towards the trench in front of them. About half of them leap into it and take up firing positions, while the rest of the squad goes to ground on the ground behind the trench and continues to fire. As one leaps into the trench, a stray bolt from O'Mally's hail of fire strikes him in the face. His helmed head explodes into a cloud of purple and blue gore, and his body flails wildly in the air before splashing down in the muddy trench. One down, nine to go...

[AssassinKing]

Roy charges at the tau as fast as he can until he gets in range with his bolter and tries to ill one with one bullet and move on to the next enemy and put a shot in them.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth does his best to dodge the deadly energy pulses. A few lucky shots scorch his armor plating, each impacting hitting like a sledge hammer. As the distance closes, Seth begins to let loose with his bolt pistol. Each shot kicks like a mule, as deafening thunderclaps fill his ears.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Only a few yards remain between the trench and the scout. Only a blind fury fills Seth's mind; there is no time for tactics, no time for strategy, no time for mercy: every ounce of his being urges him on with an insatiable bloodlust. It was time to get some killing done.

[Lycan 01]

Sparks fly off of one Fire Warriors shoulder as a bolt glances his armor, while another one shrieks as a one of Roy's shots tears through his stomach and internally eviscerates him. Since he was actually approaching them and inflicting losses upon them, the Tau soldier with the white shoulder pad gestures at Roy before firing upon him. A few of the other Fire Warriors nod, and begin to fire the pulse rifles on Roy in particular, as well. One Xeno armed with the grenade-launching weapon also lobs a pulse grenade in the Scout's direction.

Another Tau screams as his arm explodes in a shower of gore, courtesy of Seth. Several of his comrades shift their focus, and begin firing upon the approaching Scout.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius, wearing a camo-cloak, was at least a bit camoflaged, and even more so when he barrel-rolled to the sandbag entrenchment. He was almost invisible when he pulled his sniper rifle out, and began pinpointing the "Eyes" of the fire warriors, a perfect target. "Headshots" He whispered with a smirk "Headshots for the Emperor..."

[Randel]

O'Mally

O'Mally notices the squad of Xenos concentrating their fire on Roy, in return the heavily armed Space Marine charges forward, his gun laying suppressing fire over the Tau firing at his allies. He starts moving toward one of the trenches, ready to hop down into the trench to get some amount of cover during the fight.

[Nehh]

Eltern, who's not quite as willing to get shot as his comrades, brings out his shotgun, drops behind the sandbags and rolls out the other side, before dashing in a path taking him about to the side of the trench, before continuing round the back. He stops there, and looks for any other trench systems to safely regain his concentration in.

[AssassinKing]

As Roy is charging and kills one of the enemy, He realizes he should have taken cover instead of brutal close combat. As the pulse guns speed past him, some shots missed and few went through the torso spilling blood. He tries to keep pushing forward but then, He started to black out just as there was an explosion right in front of him, throwing shratnel into his face and all over his body, and the explosion itself was able to throw Roy into the air and fly backwards. a few seconds later he awakens and sees and feels blood all over his face. Roy tries to see if all of his body was still in tact, but the blood was everywhere, even in his eyes blinding him from everything. I.....I have failed the.....the emperor. Roys passes out again not knowing if he is alive or not. After his eye lids close he sees a sudden white back ground, nothing more, But something was appearing closer and closer. Roy....You must keep fighting!. after the weird scene, he tries to get back up, but he can't, he is too weak.

[Nehh]

Eltern, from behind the enemy, watches Roy go down.
"They... got Roy. They got Roy. How dare they get Roy! He will not lie unavenged!"

Seething inside, Eltern raises his shotgun and charges from behind.

"SNEAK ATTACK! For Roy!"

Aiming his shotgun at the white-armoured warrior's head, he pulls the trigger.

Boom.

It hits, but from this viewpoint Eltern can't be sure if he hit anything vital. To make sure he gets a kill, he chucks a frag grenade in afterwards.

[Lycan 01]

The Tau Fire Warriors maintain their defenses, countering every bolt with at least one pulse beam. A small cheer goes up amidst their ranks as Roy falls, but that chear ends when a hot-shot las round lances straight through one of the alien soldier's helmets. His body drops limply in the trench, and before they can react another sniper shot tears through the body of a Tau holding a pulse carbine. Realizing that one of the Scouts is sniping at them, several of the Tau begin to duck and try to find better cover. The white-paldroned Tau barks orders at them, but he is silenced mid-command by Eltern's point blank shotgun blast. With a shriek, he is hurled backwards as chunks of his armor and flesh are blown away, and the morale amongst the rest of the alien soldiers instantly shatters. The ones on the ground outside the trench leap to their feet and begin sprinting away from the conflict, while the three Fire Warriors still in the trench scramble to bring their long-barreled pulse rifles to bear on the Salamander in such close quarters. The grenade then explodes, obliterating one of the aliens and throwing another against the wall, stunning him. The third manages to shrug off the blast, and is able to bring his rifle to bear on the Space Marine Scout. He raises his weapon, and prepares to fire...

[CockroachTeaParty]

As the majority of the surviving Tau retreat, and the last one in the trench brings his rifle to bear against Eltern, suddenly Seth leaps down into the trench on top of the alien soldier. Screaming his hate, Seth plunges his dagger deep into his chest, twisting with brutal strength before pulling the blood-slick blade from the lifeless corpse. He then begins firing his bolt pistol at the retreating Tau, his teeth grinding with anger.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

As the tau retreat, Artorius begins firing his Sniper Rifle at the closest of them.

[Lycan 01]

The combined fire of Seth's bolt pistol and Artorius' sniper rifle swiftly ensure that there are no survivors.

Well, except one. Sprawled out in the mire of the trench floor, one Tau soldier lies groaning, his left arm a ruined stump thanks to a stray bolt round. He probably won't last much longer, though he might be useful for information. Or at least, he'd make a nice punching bag...

[Randel]

O'Mally

As the last of the bright red orange Xeno are felled by his allies, O'Mally stops firing and approaches the reaming Xeno and the exploded remains of its fellows.

Seeing it squirm, he determines if it is a threat or not and lowers his weapon if it looks safe. After a quick glance around to see if there are any other Xenos in the area he says aloud.

"Need Information."

He then looks at the bloody remains of the fallen Xenos and singles out their Captain wearing the Orange and White armor. He locates its head (or whatever is left of it) and then pulls out his combat knife and jabs it into its skull! With a quick prying motion he rips off the top of the Xeno captains skull and watches its still warm brains slosh in it head. Without saying a word, he reaches in and scoops out a chunk of Xeno Captain Brain meat and eats it!

O'Mally stands up, his left hand holding the Xeno Captain by its neck and his right hand occasionally scooping out its brains to eat. His implanted Omophagea (http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Omophagea) analyzes the alien brain matter and lets him 'digest' its mind and knowledge. Hopefully this will give him a better idea of what the Xeno... the Tau are doing in the City and what sort of defenses they might have in store for them.

He glances down at the sole surviving Tau Orange... Fire Warrior and looks him over. Maybe they could question it or otherwise get info from it. He glances at the Tau weapons.

"Their weapons... should we grab them? We could use more ammo." he says to his battle brothers.

O'Mally concentrates as he digests the Taus knowledge, seeing if he can tell what other resistance they might have in store.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth wipes alien blood off his dagger before sheathing it. At O'Mally's words, he kicks one of the xenos rifles away in disgust.
"These apostate weapons were not made with the proper supplications to the God Machine of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are tainted, blasphemous things. To use them, even against enemies of the Emperor, would be a great sin."

[AssassinKing]

Fortunatly the grenade landed far enough that the shratnel didn't dig in all the way into his skin, they were hanging out of his body as if he had spikes all over the front of his body. He becomes concious again. Then Roy starts picking out the pieces one by one, it is a difficult task because of all the pain of moving, but he pulls through the pain. Roy starts with his arms, then his face, then his torso, and at last his legs. He tries to stand up, but it seems imposible to him, so he starts to clean as much blood off his face as possible to lose his blindness, as he wipes the blood off he can feel his face all swolen and huge. The body starts it's recovery stage and stanches the wounds."How is this possible?" he whispers to himself. Am I dead? Roy tries to get back up again but staggers, but manages to get up. So he searched for his bolter. As he looked around, he saw his comrades at the enemy trenches where they charged towards.

[Nehh]

"Well, if we can't use them we need to get rid of them. That way, the enemy can't use them either."

Eltern surveys the landscape.

"Well, let's collect up our survivors and go. Once you've finished over there, of course."

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius gets out of the sand bags and walks over to the others. "What do you think we should do with him before we kill him?" Artorius asks them all in a low voice.

[Lycan 01]

(Sorry for the delay, been busy and stressed out...)


O'Mally devours a handfull of the Tau squad leader's brain matter. A few moments later, visions and thoughts flood the Scout's mind. In an instant, he has a clear picture of the Tau strategic map, a firm grasp of their equipment and tactics, and a complete understanding of their language and culture. Visions flash though his mind, and he sees images of Tau soldiers marching in rank, soldiers swearing oaths, dead Guardsman strewn along empty streets... and then one last sight stays locked in the Scout's mind: a blue-skilled Tau clad in flowing white and yellow robes, a golden staff in hand and a cheering crowd around him. The Ethereal...

[AssassinKing]

Roy starts walking towards the squad. Are you guys ready to go? or what. The xenos slowed us down enough as it is.

[Dorizzit]

Limping slightly, a pained looking Desaan approaches the group. His Sniper Rifle is swung across his back, and his normally grim face is even more dour than usual. He raises a hand in greeting.

"Brothers, I am sorry that I could not assist in this battle. I was thrown free in the crash, and my leg was caught underneath part of the cockpit that took some time to shift."

He looks around.

"Where do we go from here?"

[Randel]

O'Mally

"Mmm... brains." O'Mally says half-consciously as the images flood through his brain. He quickly shakes his head back to full awareness and wipes a bit of bloody drool from his lips.

"Okay, I'm getting an... ugh." The Imperium Scout makes a face, a feeling of disgust makes its way across his features as he chokes down the bit of brain matter and rubs his head.

"Xenos... all those filthy... ugh. Now I know why we don't eat brains..." The flood of images of those stinking blue skinned... frog things talking and marching and... and that Greater Good thing they keep babbling about.

He drops the body of the Captain and wipes the combat knife off on the captains leg armor. He then walks up to the remaining Tau who is wide eyed with terror and fear.

"Anybody have any plans for this one?" he asks his battle brothers. If nobody objects then he quickly twists the remaining Taus neck and rips its head from its body.

He tosses the head onto the ground and readjusts his equipment to make it easier to carry. "I was able to get some information out of that Xeno Captains filthy brain... most of it disgusts me but I now know enough about their military deployment and methods to help us take out their precious Ethereal."

When everyone is ready to move out, O'Mally leads the way, using his newly digested knowledge of their enemy to avoid any more unnecessary battles before they turn that Etheral xeno into dead meat.

Hmm... the scout thinks it over... if they were to capture the Ethereals head and bring it back to the Imperium then would their victory be greater? Maybe some more knowledge of the enemy... we could extract that creatures knowledge for the Greater Go...

No! The God Emperor of Mankind is all! We must not be tempted with Hersey! Kill the Ethereal as their mission commands and be done with it.

Better lay off the brains... to much thinking...

[Lycan 01]

O'Mally now knows that there is a break in the Xeno lines, and travelling through it will bring the squad to a desolate part of the city's downtown. Navigating through the shell-ravaged wasteland will eventually bring the squad to a cluster of office buildings. The Tau HQ is several blocks from there - a vantage point from atop one of the office buildings will give the squad the perfect shot at the Ethereals.

If you start moving now, and don't hit many obstacles, you should arrive just before evening, with the sun setting to your backs.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth jogged double-time alongside his fellow scouts, keeping to the shadows, trenches, and cover provided by debris. The closer they came to their objective undetected, the better their chances of success.

[Lycan 01]

The squad regroups, and begins to journey towards the city.

They are able to navigate the Tau battle lines, and soon the Scouts find themselves in the city's shelled-out downtown district. Where buildings once stood, there are now only craters and mounds of smouldering rubble. A few scattered walls still stand, and even the occassional building can be spotted. Strangely, though, there are no signs of the Tau...

Eventually the squad finds themselves walking along a deserted street. Along the right side of the street, jutting from piles of rubble, there is a scorched and bullet-riddled wall, ranging from chest-high to several feet over their heads. One the left side of the street there is a massive mound of rubble almost as tall as the Salamanders, with a few mangled cars jutting from beneath the pulverized bricks and mortar. There's also an overturned van in the middle of the street.

Its quiet. Too quiet...



(EVERYONE ROLL A D20 WITH THEIR POST.)

[CockroachTeaParty]

Communicating via hand signals, Seth motions for his squadmates to take cover behind the wreckage. He peers over the top of the rubble, trying to get a better view of the area. His instincts betrayed a feeling of unease...

[roll0]

[Nehh]

Eltern brings his shotgun out in front of him, and scans the landscape.
One of his hands checks his armour to see how intact it is. It's still in one piece. Good.
[roll0]

[Dorizzit]

Desaan was assigned to be the rearguard for the journey. This is a position that pleases him. While the scout squad moves over the strangely empty enemy terrain, he moves with grace an precision, maintaining a modicum of stealth at all times and crouching a bit to reduce cover. As the squad reaches and enters the abandoned street, Desaan stays back, noting the nearest cover before sweeping the wall and rubble pile with his sniper scope, searching for any signs of the Xenos.

[roll0]

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius pulls out his sniper rifle and falls slowly stalks to a wall, blending in to the side.

[roll0]

[AssassinKing]

Roy brings up his bolter ready to fire at any threat. He looks at the buildings for any sign of life.

[roll0]

[Randel]

O'Mally

With cat like tread, O'Mally leads the way.
So his brothers can make the Tau all pay.
Through a war zone, Heavy Bolter in hand.
Digested thoughts help him to lead the scouting band.

Come, fellow Space Marines!
Help defend our nation,
from Xeno infestation.

For the Imperium!
We'll blow the Tau to Kingdom Come!


O'Mally makes his way through the rubble strewn steets with his Heavy Bolter at the ready. The thoughts and instincts of the Tau Captains brain helping him to navigate the place. Though it may have affected his mind a little.

[roll0]

[Lycan 01]

Roy dies before you hear the sound of the shot. Without warning, the Scout's head explodes, sending hunks of torn flesh, fragmented skull, and smashed brain matter flying in every direction. The force of the impact is so powerful that everything from the base of his neck up is completely pulverized, and his body actually cartwheels sideways wildly from the impact. His bolter clatters to the concrete, and his body lands on the street with a pulpy smack shortly afterwards. A brief moment later, you hear the echo of a rifle in the distance.

The noise is strange, though. It is neither thunderous like a solid projectile weapon, nor electronic like a las weapon. Instead, it is more of an echoing metallic clacking sound. Instantly, you recognize it as a Tau rail rifle - you're being hunted by a sniper. But since the rifles don't have muzzle-flashes, and the noise echoes through-out the desolate wastes, you have no way of telling where the shot came from.


There are two buildings of immediate notice. To the left of the street your on, across a parking lot filled with abandoned and destroyed cars, sits a half-destroyed church. Most of the sanctuary is destroyed, but several empty windows still remain. The belltower is also intact, towering over the church and the surrounding landscapes. To the right of the squad, beyond a field of rubble, debris, and half-standing walls, sits what looks like an old hospital. A few stories tall, many of its windows have been busted out, and there are several dark portals from which death could come.

Taking cover would probably be a good idea... but which direction should you take cover from?

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius says a silent prayer to Roy and tries to find his murderer through the scope of his sniper.

[roll0]

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth flings himself low behind a pile of rubble; not the best cover, but it would do for now. Roy was dead, no question there. The scout had done his duty well, but to be laid low by a cowardly sniper's attack... Seth ground his teeth in fury.
"The sniper dominates this corridor! If he's got vox contact, the enemy could be upon us in a matter of moments! We need... we need..."
Seth begins looking for any likely entrance into the city's sewer system. It would be darker and slower going than the streets, but they could avoid the sniper and perhaps evade any xenos reinforcements.

[Nehh]

Eltern grabs some of the rubble from the ground and piles it up to make a makeshift barrier on each side of him. It's not enough to block a bullet, but if he ducks down the sniper shouldn't be able to see him in there...

"Right."

He grits his teeth and starts pulling up clods of earth to make a hole in the ground inside his small construction.

"Okay, i'm watching this thing carefully. If the wall falls over, then the sniper is going for me inside here. We can tell where he is generally because the wall will fall away from him. Although of course, he may not shoot it. That's why I'm using the chance to try and dig out of here."

[Dorizzit]

Still at the rear end of the street, Desaan's eyes widen in outrage in horror as his brother space marine is killed. The current circumstances are nightmarish; the sniper has excellent cover from two angles, and there is little way to determine where he is. Thinking quickly, Desaan barrels towards the pile of rubble on the left side of the street, ducking and taking cover where he can, before diving into the broken debris. He ignores the hard impact of the rubble, and quickly burrows into the mound until he is completely covered by it. Lying on his belly, he carefully unslings his Sniper Rifle and waits.

[Lycan 01]

As the rest of the team takes cover, Artorius scans the buildings for signs of the sniper. He's unable to catch a glimpse of anything - perhaps he's looking in the wrong place, or the sniper is smart enough not to show himself after taking a shot?

At any rate, it is now dead quiet, aside from the macabre dripping sounds coming from Roy's dead corpse.

[Randel]

O'Mally

Hearing the gunshot and seeing the body of his combat brother fly through the air, O'Mallys enhances photographic memory quickly looks at the spectacle. He sees the spray of blood from the exploding head, seeing where the majority of the brain matter splatters (and therefore which direction the exploding round origionated from) he then examines how the body spins, trying to determine where the force that sent it flying came from.

Then, after seeing the handywork of the sniper, O'Mally turns around to look at which of the buildings looks like it would most likely be the post of a Tau sniper.

He whips out his Heavy Bolter and keeps an eye on both of the buildings, his eyes wide and looking for the slightest hint of movement or flash of light that would give away the sniper.

[Lycan 01]

The round that struck Roy was fired from a rail rifle. Faster than any other propellant-driven bullet, the projectile is instead propelled at incredible speeds by energized magnets. As such, the force that it exerts on impact is extremely substantial, to the point that flesh and bone are pulverized inches from the area of impact.

Judging from the amount of matter destroyed, the round probably struck him several inches above the eyes, at the direct top of his forehead. The energy displaced was still enough to destroy everything down to the base of his neck, and send his body spinning wildly.

However, an educated guess would say that the shot might have come from the building on the right, since his head was slightly turned more in that direction at the time of his death.

[Nehh]

"The building on the right? Got it."

Eltern moves some of the rubble shield so some more of it is facing that building before continuing digging.

[Randel]

O'Mally

He sees Desaan burrow into the mound for cover and watch for the sniper. "I think the round came from the building on the right... but I'm not 100% positive." O'Mally holds up his Heavy Bolter, keeping an eye on both buildings as he backs away to get some better cover. Right now, he's concentrating on giving his brothers some cover fire if need be while letting Artorius look out for the sniper and the others look for a route out of there.

O'Mally looks at the buildings particularly the one on the right, calling upon his enhanced eyesight and digested Tau knowledge to help locate the sniper.

[roll0]

[Lycan 01]

O'Mally sees a bird.

Now he's hungry again...

[CockroachTeaParty]

Spotting a sewer entrance, Seth looks to his fellow scouts.
"Brothers! There's a sewer entrance in the middle of the street over there. Should we gain entry, we would be safe from the sniper, and likely able to proceed a great distance undetected. The option exists; should we need someone to open the lid, I volunteer myself. If I can pry open the lid, the hole should be easy enough to slip down. I'll risk drawing the sniper's fire, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. I cannot ask for a better death than sacrifice in the name of furthering the mission!"

[Randel]

O'Mally

Hmm... someone needs a sewer entrance opened up?

In the middle of the street?

While a sniper is on the lookout for us?

Where they might die a heroic death for the greater cause of the mission?

...

...

*faint burning smell*

...

"Brothers, stand back while get that sewer entrance open! It may come at great cost but I shall do it for our mission!"

O'Mally Looks at the sewer entrance and swings his Heavy Bolter around and after a moment of aiming let loose a stream of armor piercing exploding bolter rounds. The torrent of Heavy Bolter ammo is meant for ripping into enemy armor and vehicles and now its ripping apart the entrance to the sewer (and a fair bit of the pavement keeping it in place).

After a few full seconds of firing, O'Mally stops and looks at his progress.

"Is it open?"

He is briefly reminded of his days in combat training where his superior officer repeatedly berated him for using heavy artillery to open up locked doors, making doors in solid walls, and opening up locked supply crates (that crate full of MREs wasn't so bad aside from the bits of metal people got in their meals. The supply crate of frag grenades however was another matter).

[Lycan 01]

The manhole is open now. Technically speaking, the street is open now, since even the metal lining around the sewer entrance has been rent and blasted down to the concrete surrounding it.

[Nehh]

Eltern hears the noise from inside his construction.
"Hello? What are you shooting at? Have you found the sniper? Are you going to reply? Are you even alive? Is it safe for me to come out? Have you turned into a mime artist while I was in there? Am I going to have to come out and check? What's wrong with the world? Are you having a nice day? Is it obvious that I'm starting to run out of breath? Shall I just stop asking now?"
Eltern stops asking anyway, and takes a nice lungful of air.

[CockroachTeaParty]

"Good thinking, Brother O'Mally, though I fear that ammo could've been put to better use... No matter! Into the sewers, brothers! Brother Eltern! We've created some cover! FORWARD! MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

Hoping the dust and smoke from the bolter blasts will provide some concealment, Seth leaps from his cover and runs towards the hole in the street...

[Dorizzit]

During the distraction caused by the Bolter, Desaan thinks. If brother O'Mally's information was correct...then the sniper would have a clear view of the street, still. As his brothers went for the sewers, the sniper could well show himself trying to hit one. And if Desaan went last...a plan forms. As Seth breaks cover and runs for the sewer, Desaan pokes his sniper rifle out of the pile of rubble, aiming it towards the right hand building. He sweeps it slowly, searching for any sign of the sniper.

One mistake.

That's all he would need.

((And obligatory dice rolling: [roll0]))

[Randel]

O'Mally

"Better to sacrifice ammunition than soldiers of the Emperor." O'Mally says as he follows his brothers toward the manhole.

He walks a bit slower but still always on the move, his Heavy Bolter lifted upwards as he scans both of buildings for the sniper and being ready to provide cover fire if he sees anything... or at the very least provide a tempting target for the sniper to give Desaan a better chance of taking out the xeno.

[Nehh]

Eltern peeks his head out over the top of his construction.
"What were you doing out there? I thought we were under attack for a while."
He brings his shotgun to bear on the buildings facing the other way as well, just in case of an attack from behind by ground units, or more Battlesuits that the sniper may have called in.

[Lycan 01]

From nearby, a loud roar splits the skies. An instant later, a trail of grey smoke streaks from the belltower of the church on the left. Its a missile!

The rocket thunders through the air, leaving a cork-screw contrail in its wake. It impacts the overturned van up the street, instantly causing it to explode into a ball of flame and debris. The burning chasis of the vehicle flips violently, twirls on its back bumper, and then winds up on its side a few feet to the right of the sewer entrance. Aside from the roar of the flames and the clatter of metal, the area quickly falls silent.

[Dorizzit]

Desaan hears the screeching of the rocket and reacts long before it hits the pavement. Whipping his sniper rifle back into the rubble pile, he tenses his body and prevents the impact of the rocket from moving him too much and disturbing his placement. After the noise calms down, he smiles unpleasantly. Intimidating? Certainly. Tactically sound? Not at all. The Xenos had just given away his position. The first, and last, mistake it would make.

Still smiling predatorially, Desaan slowly brings his sniper rifle around and gently pokes it through the rubble, aiming straight at the bell tower from whence the missile came. Sighting it easily, he waits. If the tau shows itself again, he'll take a shot.

((Rolling for success: [roll0]))

[Nehh]

At the sight of the missile exploding, Eltern leaps from his construction and skids , before making towards the manhole cover at a dead run. When he catches up with Seth he slows down a bit.

"Seth, O'Mally! You have the heavy weapons! Destroy that belltower!"

At this point Eltern turns and gets to the ground so he can see through the open manhole. "D'ya think it looks safe down there?"

[Randel]

O'Mally

Seeing the Missile launch, O'Mally brings his Heavy Bolter to bear and opens fire on the Belltower, both at the position where the attacker shot from and any structural supports holding up his floor.

[Lycan 01]

Heavy bolter fire tears into the belltower, shattering stone structures and splintering wooden support beams. O'Mally's attacks rake the tower from side to side, and Desaan scans the ravaged structure for signs of life or movement. The tower begins to sag, and after a few more seconds of fire the structure gives way. With a loud roar, the belltower begins to tumble and collapse. As it crumbles, Desaan catches a glimpse of something falling. His enhanced vision, coupled with the scope, reveals it to be a Xeno missile launcher, as well as what looks come a cogitator system and an antenae.

It was only a distraction...



A short moment later, the mechanical clack of a rail rifle once again echoes from nearby. Almost instantly, Desaan's left arm explodes in a shower of blood and a mixture of pulverized flesh and bone. The round struck near his elbow, and the transferrance of force destroys his arm all the way up to his shoulder joint. The impact throws him violently to the side, and his rifle clatters uselessly to the gore-drenched rubble. However, the Scout is not dead yet, and the clotting and regenerating agents in his bloody quickly set about to staunch the bleeding. However, the shock of such an impact and the near-instantaneous loss of a limb have probably more than shaken him a bit... Not to mention the fact that the sniper probably still has him in its scope.

[Dorizzit]

Desaan growls in frustration as his arm explodes. A man might have cursed, or curled over in pain, but Desaan was not a man. He was a Space Marine. His only thoughts were righteous anger that the Xenos filth had escaped his scope for so long. Logic, however, quickly overrides his fury. He could do little to serve the Emperor as a corpse. The Sniper would still have him in its sights. He keeps a tight grip on his sniper rifle. He would not be the one to lose the weapon. Desaan rapidly considers his very limited options. Coming to a decision, Desaan rolls over and onto his feet, pieces of rubble cascading around him as he extricates himself from the pile he had been using for cover. Using his momentum, he springs backwards, twisting in the air and diving into the open manhole.

[Lycan 01]

A second gunshot cracks through the air, and Desaan hears the high pitch whine a projectile streak past his head as he dives through the air. A fist-side hole is blasted in the street a few feet away from him as the stray shot strikes the ground. He then falls into the hole down to the sewer, plumeting into darkness...

[Dorizzit]

Twisting in the air, Desaan pulls his feet underneath his body. He slings his now nearly useless Sniper Rifle over his shoulder and whips his Combat Knife out. Landing in a crouch, his eyes rapidly adjust to the darkness. He sweeps the area around him, searching for any signs of danger.

[Lycan 01]

Knee deep in sewage, Desaan discovers the sewer below to be a wide high-vaulted passage-way with small walkways running along either side. There are a few flickering lights evenly space every few meters along the ceiling, casting a dull orange glow down the length of the dimly-lit sewer. There are no signs of life or movement, as far as he can tell.

[Dorizzit]

Desaan quickly pulls himself up to one of the walkways, pressing himself against the wall. He continues to look around, trying to confirm a lack of immediate danger.

[Lycan 01]

There are no signs of life or danger. No sounds, no movement, only an overpowering smell of waste and rot.

There are, however, a few scattered marks on the walkway Desaan is standing upon. They appear to be scratches, like those made by a claw or talon...

[Nehh]

Eltern watches Deesan from his place looking down the manhole.

"Like I said, do you think it's safe down there?"

[Dorizzit]

Desaan looks up.

"It appears to be safe, Brother Eltern!"

[Randel]

O'Mally

Hearing the shots of the sniper rifle, O'Mally swings his Heavy Bolter around and opens fire on the snipers location, while rushing towards the open manhole (or ripped open street) to leap downwards. That pesky sniper had distracted them for far too long and its death would best be done after that of the Ethereal.

O'Mally leaps down into the sewer and finds himself knee-deep in filth. A minor annoyance, the claw marks on the walls are more worrisome.

[Lycan 01]

Seth makes a break for the safety of the manhole as well, leaping down into the dank darkness below right after O'Mally. Eltern soon finds himself alone in the middle of the street, while Artorius is still lurking behind cover nearby. Unassailed by O'Mally's cover fire, the sniper siezes his opportunity to attack, and a supersonic round rips through the air right past Eltern's head. Its obvious that the next one won't miss...




(Seth, O'Mally, Desaan, Eltern... Is that everyone? Oh wait, we're missing Artorius. I wonder where Mike is? :smallconfused: )

[CockroachTeaParty]

Seth ignores the horrid smell as best he can, although his enhanced sense of smell makes this more difficult than usual. Relieved to be out of the sniper's fire, he feels a burning anger at the sight of Dessan's arm-stump. "For every life they take, for every limb they steal, the xenos shall pay, Brother Dessan. Xenos Exterminatus, Xenos Morgulis, the Emperor Protects, amen."

[Nehh]

"Ack!" yells Eltern. Surprised by the round, he grabs the edge of the sewer he's peering into and pulls. He falls right into the sewer.

And lands face-first in sewer muck.

He gets up, wipes his visor clean, takes a step back and asks "Was anyone hit by that? The round went through the hole I just came through. You probably noticed."

[Mike_the_Mystic]

Artorius, still cloaked, slinks silently to the hole that used to be the area around a manhole, and drops in.

[Lycan 01]

Somewhere in the building on the right, a Tau sniper is swearing profusely.


The entire team has now made it into the sewers. Desaan's wounds have stopped bleeding - his shoulder is now a large scabby stump, but scar tissue is rapidly forming to heal over it. The rest of the team is in good condition.

The sewer stretches on for what seems like forever, with various side passages randomly built into the walls. There are also strange scratches on some of the walls and stone floor of the walkways along either side of the sewer.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Letting his eyes quickly adjust to the gloom, Seth begins moving in a direction concurrent with their original route. Although he doubted they would have a straight march there, it would be easy enough keeping his orientation thanks to his photographic memory.
He couldn't help but wonder what had made the claw marks on the walls... some kind of animal? A monster? A feral servitor? Whatever it was, Seth kept his bolt pistol close at hand.

[Nehh]

Eltern hears a noise behind him. He turns round and looks, but it was only more dust falling in through the street.

"Phew."

He then thinks of something.

"Brother O'Mally, remember to wash your hands before you eat anything else!"

[Dorizzit]

Desaan looks first one way, then the other.

"We should get moving. I'd offer to take point, but I'm not exactly in peak condition right now."

[Randel]

O'Mally


"Brother O'Mally, remember to wash your hands before you eat anything else!"

"Don't worry, I think I'll keep away from any more meals until after this mission is over... that last one left a foul taste in my mouth."

...

"Though rest assured I shall wash my hands in the blood of the enemies of man!"

[Lycan 01]

Speaking of previous meals, O'Mally still remembers the direction the team needs to head in order to get to their objective. The Northern tunnels will lead you to the business district of the city. However, the claw marks seem to continue on in that direction. The small paths to the West would probably lead you to the business district as well, though they would take longer.


---

North is faster, but possibly dangerous. You'd likely get there before sunset.
West is safer, but slower. You'd either get there just before or during sunset.

[Randel]

O'Mally

Considering his digested information, O'Mally speaks up.

"The North path will get us there faster, but its more dangerous. The West path is slower but should be safer... personally, I'd recommend the safer West path and see if we can just move extra fast. No need to waste ammunition and limb on some savage beast when it would better used to destroy the Ethereal."

[Dorizzit]

Desaan narrows his eyes at O'mally's last sentence, but nods in agreement.

[CockroachTeaParty]

"So be it. Let us away, brothers."
Seth follows the team along the Western path, ever-alert for hidden dangers...

[Nehh]

"I vote we go faster, personally..."

Eltern shrugs at his companions and walks down the west path with the group, letting his long strides quickly catch him up with his companions.

[Lycan 01]

The team heads West.

A few hours pass. No enemies or threats are encountered, nor anything else of interest. The squad eventually reaches their destination, or so they think, and they soon ascend onto the city street above through an open manhole. The streets above are dim, and desolate. Most of the buildings here are still intact, and are mostly 2-3 floor shops and stores. However, looming up a few blocks over, outlined against the sunset, is a tall office building - your final destination.

Hopefully, someone remembered to bring the climbing gear...

[Randel]

O'Mally

O'Mally looks at the tall office building and pats his suit to see if he brought his climbing gear... unfortunatly, he can't find it. "Hmm, I must have forgotten it in the crash."

He approaches the side of the building and looks up the sheer wall. After a moment of reflection he shrugs, fills his mouth with acidic venom and then licks the side of the building. There is a momentary sizzle as the acid eats a hole in the side of the wall big enough to stick ones hand in.

O'Mally grabs the new handhold and hoists himself upward, then licks the wall again to dissolve a new handhold and after a few seconds grabs that and repeats.

The Space Marine slowly but steadily makes his way up the building by burning handholds in the wall with his tongue.

[Nehh]

Eltern follows O'Mally to the tower, but instead walks, knife in hand, into a stall next to the tower. Getting low to the ground, he searches for something ropelike. O'Mally's handholds would be easy to climb up, but whilst climbing he wouldn't be able to hold anything. Eltern's idea is to tie his shotgun to his arm. He can always pull the trigger with his teeth, but he can't aim the gun with them!

[Lycan 01]

O'Mally quickly begins to ascend the building with his ingenius idea. Eltern is able to find some electrical wire, which will more than suit his plan.




(Sorry for the delay. Where's everybody else? :smallconfused:)

[Randel]

O'Mally

The Space Marine continues his steady climb until he reaches the top of the building. Quickly hefting himself to the roof, O'Mally stealthily looks around to make certain that the Xenos hadn't installed any blasphemous security systems on top of this building.

If none are visible, he quietly makes his way towards the edge of the tower overlooking Tau HQ to verify that they can see the Xenos headquarters from this position.

When the others finally reach the top, O'Mally will have a report for them.

"Awwl kwear... tha thenos commawnd thenter is jutht ovew thew. Thew bwood thall fwow wike watew thith day!"

He blinks for a moment and licks his teeth with his raw and swollen tongue... oh well, sacrifices must be made to attain victory.

[Nehh]

"Right. I got you."

Eltern ties the shotgun to his arm, and starts climbing O'Mally's handholds.

"Keep an eye out for me, OK?"

[Dorizzit]

Desaan waits for the rest of the squad to ascend before he attempts the climb himself, not wanting to endanger anyone else if his body proves to frail for the challenge. Almost any human would never have even tried, but Desaan was not human. He warily begins climbing using the pre-made handholds, pushing with his legs and using his hand to steady himself. It is a long, hard climb, and by the end only his faith in the emperor and a massive adrenaline rush keep him from falling. Wearily, he climbs over the side of the top and lays there for a few seconds, panting, before standing up.

"What now?"

[Lycan 01]

(Sorry for such a long delay, guys... I kinda got caught up with some personal stuff and other games, and this one just slowed to a crawl. Lets see if we can at least get it wrapped up... :smalleek:)


From the top of the skyscraper, the Scouts notice a cluster of lights in the distance. Further examination reveals them to be what looks like a mobile command center. Several Tau vehicles have been parked, tents and portable shelters have been set up, and squads of Tau soldiers securing postions.

But the most notable thing is the Tau in flowing robes, with an extravagant head-piece and a fancy staff. Surrounded by bodyguards, he's waving his arms around and giving orders - and not paying attention to the threat that lurks several blocks away atop an abandoned office building.

The time is now. Death or glory, Scouts!

[Randel]

O'Mally

His tongue raw from the climb upwards, he looks to the others. To take out the Ethereal they would need a long-distance weapon. A sniper rifle would be ideal but with their sniper injured it could be a problem. Eltrans shotgun couldn't hit across the distance.

O'Mally ponders it for a second before looking at his Heavy Bolter.

"Desaan, the honor of killing the Ethereal should go to you." he whispers. Perhaps if Eltran helps prop up the rifle then Desaans skill with the weapon and the Emperors will would give them a quick and silent victory. If not...

"You put a bullet into the Ethereals skull, then I'll open fire and turn everyone else in the room into red mist. Sound fair?"

[Dorizzit]

Desaan

Desaan nods gravely. All of his training, all of his countless hours of preparation had lead to this moment. It was now that he would prove himself...or die. He was ready. He had to be.

Bending down on one knee, Desaan sends a silent prayer to the emperor, unslinging his sniper rifle and checking it over carefully for any damage that might hinder the clarity of the shot. Satisfied, he lifts it and points it towards the Ethereal.

"Eltern, help me steady this so I can get a clear shot."

[Nehh]

(Sorry for the delay - i thought this thread was dead.)

Eltern places his arms under the sniper rifle's barrel to steady it.

"Right. This is your chance. Tell me if you need me to move."

[Dorizzit]

Desaan

Desaan nods his thanks to Eltern, then begins to aim the rifle at the Ethereal. This was it. The final strike. Here, the mission would be decided, for good or for ill. The years of training Desaan had gone through, the blood, the sweat, the prayers and lessons, all had been for this moment. Now, he would become a true Space Marine...or he would die, his record one of failure. As he works, Desaan mentally intones a short prayer.


We are the Emperor's sword. By his might we were born, by his will we were given purpose, by his righteousness we are given strength. Our arm is his arm. Our will is his will. Our victory is his victory. We know no fear, no hesitation.

Desaan finally gets a good feel for the rifle's movement in Eltern's hands. He experiments for a few seconds, then, assured of his control, he moves it closer to the Ethereal.


Our cause is just and our bodies are strong. Our enemies are many, but their fall is inevitable. With bolter and cannon, we will topple their fortresses. With fire and sword, we shall purge them from the galaxy. With the Emperor's light, we shall erase them from existence. We are the Space Marines.

Through the scope, Desaan targets the Ethereal's head. He waits a few seconds to make certain that the gun is steady.


We will hunt down the enemies of mankind. If it takes a day or a century, we shall track them. No distance is too far. No planet is too dangerous. No matter what stands in our way, we shall find them.

Desaan's hand tightens around the sniper rifle's grip.

"And they shall know fear."

Desaan pulls the trigger.

[Lycan 01]

The Ethereal turns to say something to a Tau officer. Just as he does, a high-velocity las round catches him just below the left eye. In an instant, the entire left side of its skull is vaporized, a shower of gore, sparks, and ash exploding from its shattered head. The ceremonial head-dress it wears instantly catches fire, and the ruined face of the Tau leader goes slack for a moment before the dead body topples over violently.

Dead silence. All the Tau freeze. Even those who did not witness the death of their leader lock up, as they somehow sense the death of their commander. After a few short moments, chaos erupts. Some Tau begin to shout orders, giving contradictory commands to their Fire Warriors. Some fall to their knees, screaming and crying as all their hope is suddenly ripped from them. A few even draw honor blades and slit their own throats, their fanatic loyalty leading them to still follow the Ethereal, even in death.

As the Tau forces below you fall apart at the seams, all of your comm-links roar to life as a high-strength burst of information is messaged to you. The stern, booming voice can only belong to a Space Marine. "Tau resistance has all but evaporated. They're surrendering en masse, and our forces are quickly crushing whatever resistance they still have to offer. It can only be assumed that you've completed your mission. Proceed to or remain at the Extraction Point. Hold position until the Valkyrie arrives. ETA 3 minutes. The Emperor Protects, Marines."

[Randel]

O'Mally

"Remove the head... and the body EXPLODES INTO A BLOODY MIST OF GORE AND BONE FRAGMENTS!!" O'Mally laughs before he lifts his Heavy Bolter and sends a massive volley of heavy fire into the room where the now dead Ethereal lays. Bolter fire rips through the walls, the Ethereals corpse, and the filthy blue flesh of the Tau officers in the room. Within moments the entire room and all the officers in it are reduced to tatters. There shouldn't be enough of the lot left to reconstruct into anything more than rat food at this point.

"Now then, I believe its time to make our extraction point." O'Mally says. He swivels the gun around, locates the door to the stairway down, and shoots the lock off before kicking the door in.

He turns to Eltran, "Think your shotgun can lead us out of here?" As much as he would love to lead the way himself, he gets the impression that using a Heavy Bolter to take out any Tau Soldiers they may find on the way down may bring the building crashing down on everyone.

[Dorizzit]

Desaan blinks after he strikes, almost unable to believe his success.

We did it.

He watches mutely as O'Mally fires upon the remaining tau, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. Slowly, the full realization of his success reaches him. He pumps his remaining fist, an exultant grin on his face.

"Brothers, victory is ours."

Desaan looks over at O'Mally and nods.

"Eltern should lead. I'll take rear guard, since you can't defend yourself as effectively while carrying your Heavy Bolter."

He draws his combat knife.

"Let's get moving."

[Lycan 01]

The Tau are in shambles. The majority of their remaining command have just been shredded by O'Mally's bolts of righteous fury, destroying whatever hope they had of recovering or striking back against the attackers.

The Extraction Point, you all suddenly recall, is the top of the building you're currently on. There's no need to flee, unless things get to hot for the dropship to pick you up. And that doesn't seem likely, since the Tau are currently "spazzing the frak out" as some would say.

[Nehh]

Eltern grins.

"Right! This is a SUCCESS! Now, to keep things running smoothly - O'Mally, feel free to, uh, use that Heavy Bolter of yours on any Tau on the ground who looks a bit threatening. Avoid the building we're standing on, please. Oh, and keep an eye out for Tau snipers. Oh, and where's Seth? Apart from all that, we're good to go.Also, have you noticed how often I seem to use the word "Right" to start speech? It's quite odd. I need to stop talking for so long. This is unlike me. Must be the excitement or something."

Eltern then stops talking and keeps a look out for the dropship on the verizon, making sure to keep his head covered in case of any Tau resistance.

[Randel]

O'Mally

O'Mally smiles and almost laughs with malicious glee. He wanders to the edge of the building to look down at any other groups of Tau who look like they could use some explosive bullet death rained upon them.

The leader dead, his officers extra-dead, the Tau military broken down and in tatters, and they are all ready at the Extraction Point to go back home.

"Nothing could go w..."

O'Mallys mouth shuts close before those words could come out.

Lets see what were those words again... "Pride cometh before a fall?" "When you think you're full of luck, in the bullocks you'll be struck. It's bad luck to be you!" or was it "Just when you think things are going all right then the universe invents new ways to set itself on fire moreso..."

Yeah, that's the one.

"You know... it was kind of sad we had to blow that Ethereals brains out. It would have been so much better to eat his brains and use that knowledge to destroy their faith in their foolish 'Greater Good' and doom them all to destitution and collapse their society from within." he lets out a sigh. "Yup, that would have been much better."

When the others give him strange looks he looks apologetically. "Sorry... just I've heard it said so many times not to get ones hopes up or things will suddenly turn worse."

He thinks about it and then turns back to fire his Heavy Bolter at one of the parked Tau vehicles outside their ruined command center. "Die Xeno scum! This is for our brothers who fell when our ship crashed!" A vehicle explodes as its fuel tank ignites from heavy fire and several weeping tau secretaries are shredded and ignited by the shrapnel and burning fuel.

"This is for our Captain who died while spitting acid in the faces of your fighter pilots. He had only three centuries of Xeno killing left until retirement, you bastards!" an ambulance filled with wounded Tau soldiers is ripped in half with heavy weaponry.

"Emperor help me... I swear I will keep killing Tau women and children until the day I kill one who happens to be a loved one of that stinking sniper that got away!"

...

"Yeah, better keep an eye out for that sniper." O'Mally turns around and patrols the building to look at the other nearby buildings for signs of a Tau sniper... preferably one weeping tears of blood after feeling its precious Ethereal getting shot down or seeing it mate get shredded by exploding bolter fire while next to an ambulance. "Yeah... that'll show that Xeno what happens when you snipe one of our brothers. They keep going and blow the brains out of your holy Ethereal. Your attack on us is responsible for the death of your leader, Tau Sniper! You couldn't be more responsible if you had shot the Ethereal yourself!"

[Nehh]

Eltern nudges O'Mally.

"Hey, leave some of the killing for us. We don't want that sniper to take all the credit... "

[Lycan 01]

After what seems like an eternity, the familiar roar of an Imperial engine splits the sky. Screaming from the star-filled skies, a Valkyrie dropship descends towards the rooftop. However, ground fire begins to lance up at it, enery beams and tracer rounds stitching a glowing pattern across the sky as the Valkyrie fires back at ground resistance. However, the landing zone is still to hot for it to come to a complete stop. Though it decreases its speed slightly, it by no means slows down, and flies directly across the rooftop only a few feet overhead.

However, hope is not lost! Several steel cables drag behind it, sparking and bouncing across the rooftop in its wake. As the Valkyrie flies past the building, the length of the cables on the roof quickly begins to dwindle. There's only one chance - you've got to jump for it!

[Randel]

O'Mally

O'Mally quickly slings his Heavy Bolter across his back and then rushes to Desaan. "Onto my back, Brother!" Letting the one armed sniper get a grip on him before the heavy muscle bound Space Marine rushes to grab onto one of the cables.

The combined weight of all his gear and his fellow Space Marine is great... but the unstoppable power of his augmented body and will, along with the undying faith in the Emperor makes such a load feel like nothing.

O'Mally grabs ahold of the cable and hefts himself upwards, raising him and Desann up to the dropship.

[Nehh]

Eltern, without so much weight on his back, quickly scrambles up the cable beside O'Mally. He keeps his shotgun tied to his arm for the moment - it could come in handy.

[Dorizzit]

Desaan, his equipment and gear already secured to his body, is put into a moment of indecision as the cables are dropped onto the roof. He is at a severe disadvantage from his lack of an arm, but never the less he has to at least try. He is figuring out the best way of gripping one when O'Mally interrupts him.

He runs towards O'Mally and does as his Brother-Marine asks, wrapping a powerful arm around the larger Marine as he jumps. When O'Mally grabs the cable, Desaan squeezes tighter with his legs as O'Mally climbs.