IC: DH The Purity of Sacrifice

[Bennosuke]

"And the Credit Guild has come down to the underhive, and climbed through the vent system to come... investigate? To clean up our problem?" Sare asks, her voice rising with incredulity.

[dojango]

"Lemmie put it this way... we're all lucky you stole the stuff offa clan Tora and Sabay. Those idiots would have used the stuff in public and brought down the whole hive on top of them. There are people upstairs that would rather see everyone down here dead in order to destroy that stuff. But that would be bad for business, ya ken? So the credit guild feels that if the stuff were taken to the priests of mars all discrete-like, so's they can see it's all destroyed, maybe there won't haveta be a bloodbath. Cause that means, ya know, blood and suffering and death and worst of all, no quarterly bonuses for upper management."

[Bennosuke]

"Hmmmm..." the woman says with hesitation.

But Sola speaks up, her voice rising with frustration, "Sare, just open the damn door already!"

There is a moment's pause, then the sound of several large bolts being drawn back, and then the big metal door swings open, revealing a wide hallway. A woman clad in tattered leathers, similar to those worn by Sola stands defiantly in the hallway, a hand on a rusty looking las pistol at her belt. Sare's dark eyes fit in an equally dark and beautiful face, though it bore an ugly ragged scar over one cheek. "Welcome," she says without a hint of warmth.

Sola shakes her head, but says nothing as she steps forward into the hallway. Pausing as she passes Sare, she says, "Is Big Sister around? I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Big Sister is 'round," Sare says flatly, her eyes remaining on the acolytes, her hand still at her belt, "and I'm sure she'll be wantin' to meet your friends.

[Wyndeward]

"Hmmmm..." the woman says with hesitation.

But Sola speaks up, her voice rising with frustration, "Sare, just open the damn door already!"

There is a moment's pause, then the sound of several large bolts being drawn back, and then the big metal door swings open, revealing a wide hallway. A woman clad in tattered leathers, similar to those worn by Sola stands defiantly in the hallway, a hand on a rusty looking las pistol at her belt. Sare's dark eyes fit in an equally dark and beautiful face, though it bore an ugly ragged scar over one cheek. "Welcome," she says without a hint of warmth.

Sola shakes her head, but says nothing as she steps forward into the hallway. Pausing as she passes Sare, she says, "Is Big Sister around? I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Big Sister is 'round," Sare says flatly, her eyes remaining on the acolytes, her hand still at her belt, "and I'm sure she'll be wantin' to meet your friends.

"Thank you for your hospitality," said Arl, without a hint of sarcasm as he bowed.

[dojango]

"Aye", says Luis. "Best be showing us to the, uh, problem, so we can get goin' and outta' yer hair."

[Bennosuke]

Sare barely even acknowledges Arl's reply, giving the man a slight scowl. "Anyways," she say with a shrug, "I guess yous should follow me." She gives Arl, then Luis, and then Xeros, her face softening as she eyes Marcella. Then Sare turns saying, "Follow me." She leads the acolytes down a few winding and increasingly poorly lit hallways, before stopping in front of a cramped iron doorway. Sare pounds a fist on the door, before a husky voice from inside invites her to enter.

Sare opens the door, and the acolytes are greeted by cold air and near darkness. The room is cramped, lit by a single bulb. In the corner, a waif of a woman with crude augmetics covering the right side of her face sits hunched over a pile of weapons. Before whatever terrible injury destroyed her face, Big Sister might have been beautiful, terribly terribly beautiful, but now between the shards of metal and glass, and the scar tissue, her countenance is a mask of pain and anger. She sits on a moldering cot, the dampness you can smell from the doorway, as her hands move reflexively, disassembling, cleaning and the reassembling one pistol after the next. The weapons are all crude tech, black powder or at best low quality stubbers, but Big Sister works on each one with the intensity of a surgeon in mid-operation.

Without looking up, Big Sister mutters, "Whose these... men Sare?" Somehow, the woman's question seems to wilt the hardened ganger, her words suddenly caught in her throat. Sare turns to the acolytes, desperate for them to speak up.

[BananaPhone]

Marcella


Finally, they were allowed in. Marcella entered through the door without any fanfare and with just a simple nod and muttered "thank you".

When they were brought to the moldy, cramped and damped interior of this...place, Marcella looked upon Big Sister with a passive expression. If she found her situation disgusting, she didn't show it.

"We're here to relieve you of a problem you have, with recently acquired weapons," the Psyker said, emphasising a particular word.

[dojango]

"Clan Elder," started Luis. "I am Luis Crow-Tooth of the Flint Bear tribe. We are body guards for this servant o' the Emperor. Who's tryin' to make sure the bad mojo gets fixed. Or at least, removed." he adds, waving towards Marcella.

[Bennosuke]

When Luis finishes, the woman on the cot finally stops what she is doing. A sneer, or maybe a grin spreads across her ruined half-mechanical face as she looks up, gently laying down the revolver she was working on. "Then why's ya dressed like guilders," she says, chuckling as if it was the punch line of the funniest joke she's ever told. But Big Sister does not wait for a reply, and says, "You's here for da bad stuff? Fine. Take it, we don't want it." She shrugs, not even rising from her corner of the cot in the dark room.

As if that settles it, she picks the revolver back up, and an oil soaked rag, and gets back to work.

[dojango]

"Great. Emperor's blessin' on yah. Let's get the stuff wrapped up and split up amongst our bags. We can trek it back to the train station." Luis drops his pack and starts pulling stuff out of it to make room. "Sola, kin you guide as back there through hidden ways? I'd hate to have those other bastard gangs ambush us and steal the stuff back just when we're so close to gettin' this stuff outta here."

[Bennosuke]

"Sare," Big Sister says without looking up, "please show these nice men to the war room and make sure they get what they came for." Her voice is stern and there is something ugly in the way she said, "men". Before Sare closes the door, something flashes in Big Sister's mechandrite eye, and she adds calling out to the group, "Just one warning, whatever you do, DO NOT open the boxes." With that Sare closes the door.

"Follow me," Sare says, still eyeing the group with suspicion. She leads the acolytes through a few more corridors. At several points they pass one or a pair of gangers; all women, most of them likely in their teens or twenties. Most all of them wear similar patched body suits and chamelion cloaks, and most all of them wear the scars of battles past. Each time the acolytes are greeted with scowls and threatening looks as they pass.

Sare finally bring the acolytes to a relatively large room, filled with boxes and makeshift shelves. Ammo, cobbled together weapons, and piecemeal armor are neatly organized throughout the room. But in the farthest corner, almost intentionally as far from everything else as possible, are two ornate plasteel chests. Both rectangular containers are about the size of a man's torso, and both sport a ghastly burned scar where what looks like a mechanical keypad had once been. Sare stops at the door and points to the two chests. "Take those and nothing else she says," her eyes fixated on the far corner of the room, a terrified distant expression on her face.

[dojango]

Luis picks up one of the chests, carefully, and puts it in his rucksack. "Grab the other one, Arl," he says. "Reckon they've sold us a ryder in a poke?" Once they're packed up, he'll turn to Sola and ask her to guide them out through hidden passages back to the train to the overhive. "And stay sharp, the vultures in the other gangs'll be circling."

[Bennosuke]

Both Luis and Arl are surprised by how light the two chests are, despite their size and what they are supposed to be carrying. As they begin the task of stowing the two boxes, Sola replies grimly, "Big Sister's right. Don't open those, whatever you do. Just keep em closed and destroy them however you can."

When the acolytes are ready, she instructs them to follow her and leads them through the winding tunnels of the underhive's respiratory system. The trip seems to take even longer on return, and you're almost certain you are traveling a different route. Still, Sola's path takes the acolytes back out the same entrance through which they had originally entered.

Once everyone is through, and the entrance has been resealed, Sola stops and says, "Are you sure you are ready to go back to the train station?"

But before anyone can reply, a familiar voice hollers from behind a trash bin. "You see, I told you there was something up! Them Guilders have betrayed us for those filthy Raptores!" Bail, Leetus and three other gangers clad in the tattered purple robes of Clan Tora come stumbling out from behind a small trash heap, like jester's out of a fool's car. The five of them are carrying a mix of rusty looking autopistols and stub revolvers, and stand together about twenty yards from the acolytes and Sola. Georgy stands at the front of the mob a wicked sneer on his face. "Light em' up boys! Don't give em' a chance to get away!"

That's when the firing starts.

(OOC: Starting combat. Everyone roll initiative. Please feel free to detail your first action. The gangers are too stupid to use stealth, so there is no surprise round)

[Wyndeward]

Both Luis and Arl are surprised by how light the two chests are, despite their size and what they are supposed to be carrying. As they begin the task of stowing the two boxes, Sola replies grimly, "Big Sister's right. Don't open those, whatever you do. Just keep em closed and destroy them however you can."

When the acolytes are ready, she instructs them to follow her and leads them through the winding tunnels of the underhive's respiratory system. The trip seems to take even longer on return, and you're almost certain you are traveling a different route. Still, Sola's path takes the acolytes back out the same entrance through which they had originally entered.

Once everyone is through, and the entrance has been resealed, Sola stops and says, "Are you sure you are ready to go back to the train station?"

But before anyone can reply, a familiar voice hollers from behind a trash bin. "You see, I told you there was something up! Them Guilders have betrayed us for those filthy Raptores!" Bail, Leetus and three other gangers clad in the tattered purple robes of Clan Tora come stumbling out from behind a small trash heap, like jester's out of a fool's car. The five of them are carrying a mix of rusty looking autopistols and stub revolvers, and stand together about twenty yards from the acolytes and Sola. Georgy stands at the front of the mob a wicked sneer on his face. "Light em' up boys! Don't give em' a chance to get away!"

That's when the firing starts.

(OOC: Starting combat. Everyone roll initiative. Please feel free to detail your first action. The gangers are too stupid to use stealth, so there is no surprise round)

Arl drops the arms crate and crouches behind it for cover as he unslings his rifle, snapping off a shot at Georgy!

Spoiler: Dice Rolls

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(1d10+3)[6]

BS = 49 + 10 (short range) = 59

(1d100)[13]

(1d10+3)[6]

[BananaPhone]

Marcella


By Ghazkulls green balls could we ever go anywhere without this rabble?! Marcella thought angrily to herself.

Narrowing her eyes, Marcella's mind moved to action - drawing upon the warp to cloak herself as her image seemed to melt into the air around her.


ooc:

Spoiler

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Half Action: Casting Chamaeleon, (1D10+6)[16], they're now at -20 BS to shoot her.

Half Action: Casting Spasm on Georgy, (2D10+6)[24], I forgot to do the z, sorry :(. But at 24, she can affect 4 targets total - Georgy and 3 accomplices. All four have to take Willpower tests or fall to the ground writhing about and dropping their weapons. And if they're carrying ranged weapons, the ranged weapons go off and may hit the nearest creatures (their homies).

[Bennosuke]

There is a crackle of energy in Marcella's eyes and the air fills with the smell of ozone as both Georgy and Leetus' bodies go suddenly rigid. Arms go flailing as if the two gangers were cloth dolls, as the two stumble to the ground. Both gangers' weapons discharge, one shot going off after the next, but as Georgy jerks sideways as he's struck by his companion's fire, twisting end over end as he stumbles to the ground.

(OOC: Leetus' shot actually hits Georgy, does 6 damage from a torso shot)

Watching the two lead gangers jerking to the ground like puppets loosed from their strings, Xerros steadies his las carbine. With surgical precision the Tech Priest fires on Leetus, the las carbine shrieking as a bolt of green energy strikes the prone hunched ganger between the shoulder blades. Leetus moans in agony as the blast scorches his back, tearing into his armor.

(OOC: 8 damage to Leetus after armor and wounds)

The two wounded gangster stumble to their feet as their companions begin firing at the acolytes. The tunnel is filled with thunderous reports, black smoke billowing into a cloud around the gangers. Xerros is forced to hurl himself sideways, narrowly making it out of the way of the oncoming gunfire.

(OOC: only one ganger scores a hit, randomly chose the target as Xerros rolling a D8, his dodge was a success)

Arl does his best to fold himself down behind the crate (though it's small enough to put in a rucksack it's probably not going to provide much cover) and snaps off a shot with his hunting rifle. The weapon was made for long range shots, and at such short range, the large caliber weapon is uber accurate; but the shell pings off of Georgy's flak vest.

(OOC: 2 damage after accounting for T and armor. It is Luis' turn)

[dojango]

"Run for your lives, fools!" shouts Luis as he pulls out his axe and charges Leetus.

Spoiler

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(1d100)[96] v. 54, (1d10+4)[13] for damage

[BananaPhone]

Marcella


Watching those animas drop down to the ground, their muscles seized and wretched, brought Marcella a degree of satifaction.

Stepping backwards towards the nearest cover, the Psyker continued to reach into the muscles and joints of the gangers and pluck the electrical strings that gave their bodies animation...


ooc:

Spoiler

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Half Action: Moving behind nearest cover.

Half Action: Casting Spasm once again on Georgy, (2d10)[2][8](10) + 5 = 15, so just another 2.

[Bennosuke]

Luis charges forward, swinging his axe wildly. Leetus stumbles back, blood spilling from between his teeth, but threatening with his pistol such that Luis can't directly charge in to get a clean shot and stifling the attack.

There is an explosion from the back of the group as Sola lifts her stub revolver and begins firing. "Die you kriffing cowards," she howls over the din of the battle, insane malice growing in her eyes. Her shot almost strikes one of the gangers, who just narrowly throws himself sideways out of the way.

Marcella moves sideways across the tunnel, ducking down behind a loose pile of garbage, her image shifting and shuddering under her psykic influence. She raises both hands and again both Leetus and Georgy collapse to the ground in a spasm of shock and pain. Georgy even manages to moan, "What in the Warp is going on?" between rictus clenched teeth. Again, both their weapons discharge, and somehow again Georgy is struck directly in the chest! The bullet hits with a sickeningly loud crunch of bones, and the ganger spasms one last time before going limp.

Leetus struggles to his feet as his squad of purple clad gangers continue to fire a hail of bullets at the acolytes. A shot whizzes through the fizzling image of Marcella, passing over where her real shoulder would be. A second shot whizzes at Arl.

(OOC: Wynward, it is Arl's turn again, but you must also roll a dodge for a single shot that will otherwise strike Arl in the chest for 4 damage, before factoring armor and toughness)

[Wyndeward]

Arl dives for cover!!

Spoiler: Dodge

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(1d100)[100]

Arl lines up a shot on one of the gangers, careful to avoid Luis

(Half action aim, half action attack)

Spoiler: Attack

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49+10 (short range)+10 (aim) = 69.

(1d100)[94]
[roll]1d10+3[roll]

[Bennosuke]

Arl dives to the side, but not fast enough. He feels a sudden sting as a stub round wings him in the shoulder. In the heat of battle, Arl registers the pain but it does not draw his focus as he lines up his own shot. The Feral Worlder fires his hunting rifle before he has set his feet. The powerful weapon crackles, jetting out a cloud of gunpowder, but the tracer round shows the bullet as going wide of Arl's target.

(OOC: Arl takes 1 wound)

Sola fires off another shot with her stub revolver, and clips one of the nearby Tora gangers.

Leetus' wide eyes move back and forth between Georgy's limp body, and the terrible Flint Bear standing over his corpse, axe in hand.

(OOC: It is Luis' turn, though of course others can post as well)

[dojango]

"Goodbye, Leetus," says Luis as he quickly draws his flintlock pistol. At point blank range, there's no way he can miss. There's a loud bang and a puff of smoke.

Spoiler

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(1d100)[19] v. 67, (1d10+2)[10]

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: For dramatic flair, I'm going to ignore the fact that this shot should be to the leg)

Luis' flintlock pistol cracks, spewing a cloud of black powder at Leetus as the shot takes the hunched ganger in the face. The man's face folds inward with the impact, his head thrown back as he is lifted for a moment off of his feet before falling on his back dead.

(OOC: Back to Marcella)

[BananaPhone]

Marcella


A little smirk creased Marcella's lips as she watched Georgy spin about in confused frustration, before the 'friendly fire' from his own team-mates sent him to the Emperor.

Feeling the heat of the bullet that passed by her, her mind no doubt saving her once again, Marcella continued her seemingly successful strategy of supporting her team-mates by disabling the enemy.


ooc:

Spoiler

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Half Action: Staying behind cover.

Half Action: Casting Spasm on the nearest ganger, (2d10+5)[10][2](12)

17, so she nabs 3 gangers this time. I think that's all that are left, yes?

[Bennosuke]

All three gangers fall under the power of Marcella's psyker abilities. The trio of purple clad Tora members jerk as if they were suddenly plugged into an electrical socket, limbs twisting this way and that, legs collapsing out from under them. Spasming fists cause stubbers to discharge, and as a bald ganger with a lazy eye goes down his leg buckles inwards impact. At close range the stubber round lodges hard into his tibia, and wrenches the shin sideways, pulling the man's knee apart. He shrieks out in pain as he goes down, unable to control his limbs enough to reach for his shattered leg. He contorts about on the ground like the other two, but falls unconscious within a few seconds while the other two begin to gather their composure.

Emboldened by his allies' success, Xerros rises from his cover, las carbine shouldered. The tech priest's crimson robes billow out around him as he strides forward, his weapons spewing bolt after bolt of laser energy. His shots strafe the tunnel floor, ripping into one of the gangers as he struggles to his feet.

As the two gangers rise, one of the two shrieks, simply turning and running. His companion, a boy with wild blonde hair and a tattooed face stumbles backwards but instead continues to fire at the acolytes; though his shots ping uselessly off the tunnel walls as he struggles to maintain his composure.

[Wyndeward]

All three gangers fall under the power of Marcella's psyker abilities. The trio of purple clad Tora members jerk as if they were suddenly plugged into an electrical socket, limbs twisting this way and that, legs collapsing out from under them. Spasming fists cause stubbers to discharge, and as a bald ganger with a lazy eye goes down his leg buckles inwards impact. At close range the stubber round lodges hard into his tibia, and wrenches the shin sideways, pulling the man's knee apart. He shrieks out in pain as he goes down, unable to control his limbs enough to reach for his shattered leg. He contorts about on the ground like the other two, but falls unconscious within a few seconds while the other two begin to gather their composure.

Emboldened by his allies' success, Xerros rises from his cover, las carbine shouldered. The tech priest's crimson robes billow out around him as he strides forward, his weapons spewing bolt after bolt of laser energy. His shots strafe the tunnel floor, ripping into one of the gangers as he struggles to his feet.

As the two gangers rise, one of the two shrieks, simply turning and running. His companion, a boy with wild blonde hair and a tattooed face stumbles backwards but instead continues to fire at the acolytes; though his shots ping uselessly off the tunnel walls as he struggles to maintain his composure.

Arl lined up his shot on the shoot and, muttering a brief prayer to the Emperor, squeezed the trigger.

Spoiler: Dice

Show

49+10 (short range)+10(Half action:aim) = 69

(1d100)[53]
[roll] 1d10+3[/roll]

[Wyndeward]

Arl lined up his shot on the shoot and, muttering a brief prayer to the Emperor, squeezed the trigger.

Spoiler: Dice

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49+10 (short range)+10(Half action:aim) = 69

(1d10+3)[6]
[roll] 1d10+3[/roll]

The bullet struck home!

Spoiler: Damage

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(1d10+3)[6]

[Bennosuke]

Arl's rifle cracks, and the ganger with the tattooed face stumbles back, the round panging off of his raggedy flak vest. He curses but doesn't go down till he is struck again in the chest by a shot from Sola's revolver. The bullet almost knocks the ganger off of his feet. He stumbles back a few steps before dropping to a knee, screaming in pain as blood begins to trickle from his mouth.

Sola shouts over the din of the battle, "If you don't want your cover blown, you better go after that runner." Even as she says it though she marches towards the injured ganger, getting ready to fire again.

(OOC: Luis' turn)

[dojango]

Luis gives out a wordless roar and charges after the fleeing ganger, swinging his axe. After all, it weren't just their cover, it was the lair of Sola's gang too they had to keep secret.

Spoiler

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(1d100)[97] v. 54, (1d10+4)[11]

[BananaPhone]

Marcella

Watching the gangers fall with relatively little damage received by herself and her comrades, Marcella came out from behind the trash-pile and hurried forward. Hearing Sola's plea, Marcella moved as quick as she could while her mind lashed out to seize the limbs of the fleeing ganger.

As she did so, Marcella became a blur, like a chameleon shifting against the ever changing background as her mind retain her psychic camouflage.

ooc:

Spoiler

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Half-Action: Move to keep pace with fleeing ganger.

Half Action: Casting Spasm on the fleeing ganger: (2d10)[2][10](12) +5 = 17.

As he's the last one left, I'll use the x5s above activation 7, to Increase the difficulty by 2 steps (so -20 WP penalty I think).