Black Crusade 2E: The Argent Observatory (IC)

[PotatoGolem]

Zahariel looks at his sword for a moment before sheathing it. Thank you for another victory, old friend. He voxes the rest of the team. This deck is clear. Humanity triumphs. Do you require assistance on your level? I shall be there imminently

Before walking out, he nods to Cieli. You fought bravely, Sword Marshal. One mortal alone, accompanying an Astartes against a horde of beasts. I have not seen this many times in ten thousand years. You would have made a fine equerry, once... He stops, pensive for a moment, then shakes his head and continues. Treasure your victories, Sword Marshal. In triumph we grow stronger.

He looks at the armsmen, impassively. This cowardice, unfortunately, I have seen too many times. United, together, with me at your head, the daemons would be easily routed. Fleeing, you are fortunate not to be prey. Mankind has power, even when a man feels powerless. Do not forget that again. That you returned showed that there is hope for you yet. Do not disappoint me again. Come.

He strides out, taking his soldiers to aid Elisanth.

[Janwin]

As the furies swoop down and attack again, Amon simply replies without any emotion, "Of course, brother. Bad drugs."

He takes aim and tries to do what he can to eliminate more of the furies before they take Elisanth to the ground...again.

Spoiler: Actions

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Half: Aim (I feel like using Tzeentch to make them blast rounds with Elisanth caught in the middle of the pack is unwise)
Half: Semi-Auto Burst

Attack: (1d100)[51] vs TN 65 (BS 45 + Aim 10 + Short Range 10)
If hit (<65): (1d10+9)[15] or (1d10+9)[16] X | Pen 4
If (<45): (1d10+9)[14] or (1d10+9)[11] X | Pen 4
If (<25): (1d10+9)[11] or (1d10+9)[16] X | Pen 4

[Haval]

Heidric looks at Elisanth's wounds and winces. To Zahariel, 'We may have this cleaned up before you get here, but more guns are always welcome.' He'll continue shooting Furies while attempting to not wing Elisanth with plasma in the process.

Spoiler: ooc

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Half Action - Aim
Half Action - Semi-Auto

vs. BS 35 (+10 Aim) (+? Horde size)
(1d100)[66]
Rerolled to 11 with fate in the ooc

Any damage (1d10+7, Pen 8)
1st hit
(1d10+7)[15]
2nd hit
(1d10+7)[10]

[Gunhaven]

Paline took a few deep breaths as she heard the last of the Furies get sucked back into the warp, peeking around the corner to confirm the fact. She wasn’t one for speaking but she did mutter ”Well that was interesting... Not gonna be able to make it to other fires before they’re snuffed out” loud enough for the armsmen in the back to hear. With a shrug she set out down another hallway, keeping an ear out for combat and an eye on any discarded loot.

[Morovir]

Snarling at the wounds that he had taken so ignominiously from the furies, Elisanth lashes out at the winged abominations surrounding him.

Spoiler: OOC:

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All-Out Attack: (1d100)[72] TN 81 (WS 51 + 30 AoA)
Damage: (1d10+16)[24] Pen 6

[Destro_Yersul]

Zahariel

"Thank you, Lord Zahariel." Farrel slung her axe back over her shoulders, and saluted. The armsmen followed suit, though Zahariel noticed more than a few downcast heads. The men knew they'd be catching hell from Farrel later for their near desertion.

The sword Marshal was right on his heels as he left, waving for the men to follow. There was a maintenance passage not far from the entrance to the gun deck. Zahariel couldn't pick out any sounds of battle from above, not over the background rumblings of the ship, but hard vacuum meant he wouldn't be likely to hear anything even if the rest of the ship was totally quiet.

Others

Heidric had to be careful with his aim, picking off Furies on the edges of the group. He and Amon downed the daemons as fast as they could target and aim, firing, switching target and firing again. Furies fell, wings twitching, or were simply blown apart. Elisanth hacked into the ones near him, driving them back and away, rapidly coagulating blood leaking from rents in his armour. The daemons swarmed forwards, but their numbers were failing, several more cast back into the warp even as they caught up to Amon, scrabbling and biting at his armour. This time, there were not enough of them for an overwhelming assault, and the sorcerer was able to keep them away from the vulnerable joints in his armour with relative ease.

[Morovir]

Sensing victory was close, Elisanth pressed his advantage, sword licking out to neatly bisect screaming furies.

Spoiler: OOC:

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All-Out Attack: (1d100)[13] TN 81
Damage: (1d10+16)[21] Pen 6

[Destro_Yersul]

Pushing hard against the remaining furies, Elisanth was a whirlwind of flashing blades. His sword flicked out, neatly bisecting furies, then came back in, weaving through defensive patterns as he sought his next target. In the space of a few short seconds, the Legionairre killed every fury that remained in the deck. Hissing corpses dissolved into the aether, and then there was nothing left on the deck but the victors. It came at cost, though - Amon and Elisanth were both heavily injured, and would need time to recover and repair their armour during the remainder of the voyage.

[Haval]

'That's more like it.' Heidric will treat this as a learning experience. 'I can't say I've ever had reason to treat an Astartes' injuries but it can't be that hard. Would either of you like me to take a look?'

Spoiler: ooc

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Medicae tests if they agree

Amon vs. Int 42
(1d100)[71]

Elisanth vs. Int 42
(1d100)[50]

[Janwin]

Amon surveys the deck, making sure there are no more furies and then lowers his force sword and bolter.

"Very well."

[Destro_Yersul]

Treating the wounds of Astartes was more difficult than Heidric expected, at least. There were fragments of shredded armour embedded in wounds that closed more rapidly than that of a normal man. Amon and Elisanth would need some time to recover and repair their armour during the remainder of the voyage. Fortunately, it was time they expected to have. There was another solid week of warp travel before they arrived at their destination.

The bigger issue was repairs for the damaged guns, and the number of men that had been lost. The Writhing Doom was short on replacement parts, and could not be reasonably expected to win many fights in her current state.

[Haval]

'Well I'm sure it'll get better eventually.' Perhaps he could try again later. 'Assuming the Doom doesn't have more professional medicae aboard.'

To the others, 'Ships can always be fixed and crew can be replaced whether they're willing or not. It all depends on if we are willing to take a little detour or else we wing it and deal with the consequences.'

Spoiler

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In case there's a need

Common Lore (Calixis) to know where to go to fix a ship without going to the Mechanicus
vs. Int 42
(1d100)[53]

[Morovir]

Elisanth grimaced at Heidric's pitiful attempts at healing his wounds, instead listening to what he had to say for himself.

"You are... familiar with this region? Is there anywhere... that would be easy pickings... for repair and resupply? I would rather my first... stint as captain not end in... ssssuch ignominy."

[Destro_Yersul]

This area of space was far out on the fringes of Calixis, and there was nowhere nearby that Heidric could think of to put in for repairs. The closest world with even a chance of having proper facilities was Sinophia, and that world was a decaying shadow of its former self, filled with indolents squatting in the ruins of abandoned cities, wearing rotting finery and pretending to importance. Kulth was similarly nearby, but was also the middle of an active war zone, and likely to be extremely troublesome. Everything else was uncivilised or too low on the technology ladder to be of any assistance.

[Haval]

'Well, Sinophia can be fun. It used to be important but now it's rather falling apart because the Imperium doesn't seem to care to govern it any more. I assume there are orbital docks of some sort there that still work, and the people running it are likely to be nefarious enough to look the other way. Kulth might be an alternative, but there's apparently some secessionist war that's been going on there for a while now. Go there and I presume we'd either be dealing with the Imperium directly or crossing the lines such as they are to deal with the rebels.'

[Gunhaven]

Paline steadily gets more and more lost within the ship as she casually makes her way back to the bridge. From the dead she grabbed some random knick knacks, charms and the like, when they were ignored. Truthfully she wanted to get a handle of where the damage was and what all needed to be repaired through something besides cognitors, servitors, and the like. If she stumbled across the others before the bridge then so be it, otherwise she'd give her report once things settled down a bit more.

[Janwin]

"Repairs, while useful, are likely unnecessary for the accomplishment of our goals."

[Morovir]

Elisanth shakes his head, grunting at the pain even his Astartes physiology was struggling to heal, and sighs.

"Very well. We shall continue onwards, until we reach our goal, or the ship falls apart around us. Either way, it will be an experience to cherish. Oh, to relive such a time..."

He trails off.

[Haval]

'Oh I wouldn't be that pessimistic. Besides, if we need a reason for arriving on Janus, we can speak of our recent troubles as a reason for being there. We won't even be lying.'

[Destro_Yersul]

+++Chapter Two: Insertion+++

The crew made what repairs they could with the materials they had. It wasn't much - the gun decks would need serious work before they were able to function properly again, but the majority of the new holes in the hull were cut away and patched, and at last hull integrity and atmosphere were restored to the damaged areas. The warp drives were powered back up, and the Writhing Doom slipped back into the warp.

---

The ship broke warp at the edge of the Janus system. Preliminary scans agreed with what they already knew of the system. There were three planets, one tiny sun-baked desert world, a gas giant out near the edge useful for fuel refinement and possessed of a half dozen rocky moons, and their destination. Janus II was the only inhabited world of the three, a verdant world with hardly any orbital defenses. There was a single platform, and a small handful of system defense boats, any of which might prove a match for their heavily damaged transport. Their arrival, of yet, appeared to have gone unnoticed.

[Haval]

Heidric is on the bridge in the most comfortable chair he could find. 'Just because they have ships and defences doesn't mean they have to be hostile, although that would certainly come if they are able to get to know us.'

'As an actual fair fight might be a problem for us at the moment, I suspect our choice is between being open about our presence here and talking our way onto the planet, or else luring some of those ships away for a time so we can deal with them one at a time.'

'If they mine that gas giant for materials I have to wonder if they have anyone stationed there who could be encouraged to call for help if we asked nicely?'

[Janwin]

Amon suggests the obvious, "Perhaps a simple distress call might get their attention and indicate to them that we are of no danger?"

[Haval]

Amon suggests the obvious, "Perhaps a simple distress call might get their attention and indicate to them that we are of no danger?"

'Well I for one am very friendly. We'll need a reason to have been out in the warp though. Perhaps we were en route to the Spinward Front when we had our recent troubles. If they are curious enough that they won't leave us alone I suggest we introduce them to Zahariel. As a member of the esteemed Dark Angels his Chapter would at least be known to them, and who would prevent an Astartes from going where ever they feel like it.'

'Captain Elisanth and Amon may wish to consider staying out of sight on the off chance someone knows what you are.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"That's a point," Drake agrees. "Most of the crew are just renegades. We can pass for Imperial subjects well enough. It will be considerably more difficult for the Captain, and for Lord Amon. Specific information is bound to be tightly controlled, but the possibility is there."

The officer walked over to the auspex control console, and examined the readouts. "We'll likely be hitting the range of their scanners shortly. How do you want to play this?"

[Janwin]

"Quite true, Mister Drake. As such, you shall assume the role of the Captain of this vessel for this ruse. Lord Elisanth and I will remain out of sight."

He considers a moment, and then continues, "A plausible explanation would be simply that we don't know how we ended up here.
The Warp has a tendency to act randomly at times, and can disgorge vessels at locations they did not intend to go. The Lord of Change plans all paths, and the Warp does his bidding; and it is not in the capacity of mortals to comprehend its vastness."

"Thus, I suggest that we determine another suitable destination that we were intending to venture to and begin our hail by indicating we need immediate repairs and asking for the identification of the planet. When the planet is identified, appear irritated that this was not our destination, and then resign yourself to the fact that repairs necessitate a detour to the planet's surface. If you must, you may indicate that you transport a brother of the Dark Angels to our original destination, and it must be conducted with haste--in service to the False Emperor."

[Haval]

To Drake, 'You can never tell who might be watching.'

To Amon, 'In that case I would say we either claim to be from somewhere local so as to tell a better lie, or from somewhere on the other side of the Imperium that people have probably heard of. No one has time to check these things anyway.'

'I would say we call them first and see if they mind helping us after the Warp interrupted us. This system seems like a bit of a backwater, so actually fixing a ship might be beyond them, but once we're on the surface it hardly matters.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"They've got some SDF boats. They'll probably have orbital facilities for repairs. We can't actually land the ship, so we'll have to make do with whatever they've got." Drake took the captain's seat, and waved for the communications officer to hail the planet.

"Attention! This is Captain Drake of the chartist vessel Writhing Doom. We ran into some trouble during warp transit. What world is this?"

The reply came quickly, the pict-screen flickering to life to show a bored-looking woman in a uniform reminescent of the Imperial Navy, though not quite the same. "Captain, this is SDF Control, Janus II. What sort of trouble?"

"Damn." Drake was a passable actor, doing his best to appear frustrated by the news. "We were attacked by something big, and apparently blown off course. I've never even heard of this world. We were heading for Sisk. Do you have repair facilities? My ship is badly damaged."

"Not much, but a ship your size we might be able to work something out. Transmitting inbound vector coordinates. You have permission to enter orbit for inspection." The woman pushed a button, and the screen clicked back off.

Drake turned to look at Heidric and Amon. "Not sure I like an inspection. You may need to get to the surface covertly."

[Haval]

Drake turned to look at Heidric and Amon. "Not sure I like an inspection. You may need to get to the surface covertly."

'Do you have you'd rather they didn't know about? For someone who was recently in the Screaming Vortex I've certainly seen worse ships. But I suppose there's no sense in attracting attention if we can help it.'

'Getting from the platform to the surface shouldn't be that difficult as long as long as they have escape pods. The only question is how much of a mess do we expect to make on the way through.'

To Drake, 'Depending on whether the Captain can restrain himself a certain amount of voidwalking might prove necessary. Would you have any spare void suits lying around?'

[Gunhaven]

Paline cleared her throat and motioned vaguely towards the marines, saying "Us humans can probably pass among the rabble but can the Astartes? That'd be my greatest concern for inspections and the like. Otherwise I've done plenty of blending and I'm sure the rest of us have."

[Morovir]

Elisanth flings his hand dramatically to his chest, a look of mock horror writ upon his face.

"Why, master Heidric, you wound me with such accusations! I am the very model of restraint!"

He looms over Heidric, smiling wickedly.

"Why, if I weren't so restrained I would cut you down where you stand for your impertinence, and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Patting Heidric gently on the shoulder, he turns away.

"You have the bridge, Captain Drake. I have a date with the cold embrace of the void."