Difference between revisions of "Category:Down Time Fiction"

E13

Attack Drukari Base Cerastes,Dunrega, Von den Totten, Rexus, Lupus, Kasputin, Borovich (Success)

In a dark corner of space, surrounded by the shattered remnants of an unformed world a Drukhari base sits in shadow. Spread across multiple asteroids the base provides refuge and rest to a fleet of vicious raiders who revel in the terror they spread around the civilisations in striking distance. The denizens of this base are used to being the predator waiting to rush the herd and cut out the choicest meat, but with the arrival of the Arkangel Fleet it is time for them to see and feel what it is like from the opposite side.

It begins with ships of the Cerastes and Dunrega Dynasties creeping quietly into the system, gently probing for information and mapping the layout of the asteroid field, finding the best places for the rest of the assault to form up and prevent any of the Xenos from escaping. Disaster almost strikes immediately as The Fist of Ichadon stumbles onto an entire fleet of raiders on their way out the system; a fleet the advanced scouts had warned was heading for Arkangel space. Lord Captain Slate immediately turns and in an attempt to act as if assaulting the fleet was the original intention draws them into a running battle all the way into Arkangel space.

Refusing to allow a single ship to dissuade them, the Drukhari gleefully attempt to swarm the Durega ship whose careful manoeuvring and judicious use of its overpowered macrocannons keep the battle running for weeks. Weeks the Van Den Totten Dynasty made good use of. Erupting from the Empyrean amongst the Drukhari fleet, a positioning made possible by the constant coordination and plotting sent by Lord Captain Slate’s astropaths. The mighty Imperial warship The Nightfall burst forth, the energy bleed from the translation alone destroying or crippling dozens of the raider vessels even before point blank weapon fire overwhelmed the shadow fields that normally wrap the Aeldari ships in a cloak of protection. As each field overloads and shuts down, Lord Captain Sev unleashes her shock troopers upon the Drukhari, and now these dark and cruel Xenos gain firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to be hunted and terrorised by black clad remorseless killers. Very few have time to recognise the irony before having their life taken from them. In the end only a handful of the raiders get the chance to flee, their assault on territory

As the Dunrega act as bait and draw the fleet away the Cerastes complete their investigations and hand over to Lord Captain Rexus who carefully primes the jaws of the trap. Setting up artillery and stormtrooper outposts across the edges of the asteroid field which make it difficult for Drukhari vessels to defend the base or flee when the attack goes in, all is in readiness.

Like the calm before the storm, a quiet tension fills Valhalla’s Regards as it awaits the arrival of their allies. If they are noticed before everyone else arrives they will gladly assault but plans are made for a reason, and this success is greater if the plan is followed. Conception of Hope, Zoya’s Triumph, and The Frank Exchange of Views soon arrive however and the time for the assault arrives.

Multiple fighter and bomber wings launched by The Frank Exchange of Views lead the attack, and guided by the emplaced stormtrooper outposts, precision strikes take out the anti capital ship defence weapons allowing the cruisers to approach in relative safety and bombard directly. Drukhari vessels use shadow field technology to hide their location and coupled with speed and manoeuvrability most weapons struggle to land a shot, a base however, has none of these protections. Their best defence is that none know where to attack in the first place and careful scouting and planning has taken this strength from the defenders.

Troops of the Kasputin dynasty that while they are no longer of the Astra Militarum in name, in spirit they still are, assault in a manner that would make the commissariat proud. Borovich landing teams may have less discipline but no less ferocity and there is still an echo of tactics any officer of the Imperial Guard would recognise in how they fire and manoeuvre across the field.

It happens suddenly, all at once the xeno ships which had been putting up a strong if forlorn defence attempt to flee. Only to discover that between Lupus Astra Nova fighter wings and the emplaced stormtroopers there is nowhere to go, it looks to all as though none will escape this punishing assault by the Rogue Trader ships. For whomever is in charge of the Drukari capture or destruction seems to not be an option and in order to make an opening a several corvette sized vessels attempt suicidal ramming attacks to clear a path for the largest of the Drukhari ships to flee.

The Suicidal ramming attacks take the Rogue Trader ships by surprise and Valhalla’s Regards chose to protect others before itself was struck a glancing blow. The damage, though minor, is lasting and forces the ship to give way just far enough for a Drukhari cruiser named Otbaunir Kotar to escape to safety.

With the departure of their leadership, organised resistance within the base soon falls apart and the ground forces quickly overwhelm the defenders. Before long the Drukhari base is in Imperial hands and loot can be claimed. The time spent by the stormtroopers before the attack wasn’t wasted as they are able to point out the locations of valuable resources to their Lord Captain ensuring a quick and efficient stripping of the base. The only potential problem occurs when in the process of clearing anything valuable the search parties find that the slave pens are nearly full. It seems the timing of the attack caught the facility between delivery cycles and thousands of humans who claim membership in the BMTF and The Font are found locked in cages. A decision on what to do with these refugees is now in front of the Captains Table.

Defend Arkangel against Orks Victoria, Alexander

Space churns and twists in a spot not too far from Arkangel. Sensor warnings flare up on ships belonging to the Alexander and Victoria Dynasties. Something is coming and it's certainly not friendly. With a screech of realspace being wounded on a fundamental level the immaterium opens up. Coils and tendrils of madness and entropy made manifest reach out into the cold dark and find nothing.

With a cough made through destruction of baseline reality and physics a number of ships are vomited out of the warp and into the prime material. Each one has flaring, oversized orange and red thrusters and they accelerate to full speed almost immediately. Every ship seems like it was made as an insult to the Omnissiah, ramshackle and disorganised, bodged together from the carcasses and pieces of anything that the crew could get their grubby hands on. In fact one of the forerunner ships seems to have an Aeldari Solar Sail mounted onto the top, so maybe they are attempting to insult any God that looks in their general direction.

There is no formation or any form of strategic backing to the Ork ships as they careen forwards into what is hopefully a fight. At the very front is a massive ship, the prow hammered and melted to the point that it looks like a giant fist flying through space, the word "GROT HAMMA" is hastily painted on the flank of the vessel in a multitude of bright, garish colours. Smaller vessels soar ahead of it and screams and cries of excitement and joy blast out on all vox channels, adding a sonic assault to what should be a silent display.

Like a blade through the shadow of the void, The Glorious Endeavour cruises forwards, light sparkling across its hull like a fresh golden sunrise and setting its gunports into deep shadow, as though it were a great beast sleeping, eyes shut and claws retracted. A lone ship with no allies was simply too juicy a target. Especially when a message cut through the vox traffic to the Ork ship, insulting the Captain, everything he stood for, even his boss, almost perfectly crafted to entice him into blind, reckless rage.

With a roar of fury, Captain Squigbyta orders a full ahead and even slams his hand down onto a giant red button, sending the engines into overdrive and causing the fuselage of the Hamma to groan and squeal as though it were in pain. It was already growing closer to The Glorious Endeavour as the Imperial vessel's weapons started to cycle up and charge.

Then another message came through the vox to Squigbyta. A code signal, traded for and given as a deal with a freeboota. A signal to treat the ship as an ally. The ship that was such a juicy target, so perfectly set up to be crashed into, to give them a glorious fight and some prime loot! The realisation of the fact he had just become prey hit Captain Squigbyta like a torpedo, knocking him and his assault off course.

Or perhaps that was the actual torpedo striking the belowdecks of the Grot Hamma. Generators cycling to full power another ship came screaming out of the shadow, weapons charged and flashing death into the void. Torpedoes shredded metal and vented oxygen into space, decompression tossing green corpses out like gory confetti. The Pride of Victoria had snapped shut the jaws of the trap.

The Victoria Dynasty, masters of xenology that they were, had carefully crafted this plan to ensure maximum Ork aggression and to be certain that when the fighting began they were as confused and off-balance as they could be; maximum effect for minimum effort.

This was all the signal that was needed. The weapons of the Alexander Dynasty roared fury, casting out plasma, laser and torpedo. Caught between the might of two grand vessels of the Imperium, these ragtag ships were nothing more than salvage to be had and wreckage to be made.

The Grot Hamma burned and couldn't arrest its momentum, it listed to the side as its reactors were struck, plasma blasting out as an impromptu side thruster causing the ship to roll. The Glorious Endeavour slid past it smoothly, unleashing broadsides into the dying vessel, stripping its hull away like a hunter strips the hide from a kill.

A smaller ship, the Dakka Dansur bled gas as it was sliced open with lance fire from The Pride of Victoria, the cuts almost surgical in precision. It wasn't enough to just win this engagement, it had to be decisive, to show that facing the Pride of Arkangel was a fool's errand. The imperial ship didn't spare a second glance at the Dakka Dansur as it bled to death. It cut through expanding vapours and plasma runoff and sank its fangs into the next ship. The jagged darts of torpedoes laid waste to the ship easily and by the time it was done, The Glorious Endeavour had finished off the last of the Ork Raiders. Other than small amounts of return fire crashing against the shields like waves against a fortress, the imperial vessels were none the worse for wear.

With their kills fresh, just like the predators they were, they set about feasting, gathering salvage to trade away or use.

E14

Defend against Ork raid Dunrega, Von Den Totten, Cerastes, Kasputin (Complete Success)

The swarm of asteroids sped through the dark directly towards the Ork fleet which had just ripped its way back from the space between madness and divinity known as The Warp. The Warboss fleet commander aboard B I G R E D pondered the poor luck of stellar navigation and considered if his peoples gods were with them on this mission. Unfortunately for him it wasn’t luck or fate that had set up a situation that would force his Ladz to split up, it was the clever planning of a Lord-Captain of the Arkangel Fleet.

Arriving several days earlier, The Conception of Hope had come to drop off weapons and supplies to support its allies who would be taking the fight to the Orks while it was dealing with another pernicious alien threat elsewhere. Originally choosing the scattering of rocks as a convenient anchor point to leave the supplies, the thought of what an asteroid storm would do to the Ork fleet brought joy to Lord-Captain Cartwright’s heart, and if the Orks were quick enough to avoid massive damage it would still enact the plan Lord-Captain Slate was working to while massively reducing the threat to his ship.

So now these natural missiles flew toward the Ork invaders, and hidden in the shadow of the sides facing away from the ships, temporary anti ship batteries were mounted. Suddenly being shot by the asteroids they were frantically dodging would likely help instil the panic required by the ultimate plan. The Conception of Hope went off on the next part of its mission eagerly looking forward to hearing how the plan went, and how its allies made the most of the situation.

B I G R E D reluctantly sent the order for the fleet to scatter and make their way through and around the oncoming storm, the Warboss Captin fully aware reorganising his forces was going to be a pain with all the independent personalities leading the ships he was meant to be boss of. As the ramshackle fleet chaotically pushed through and around the rocks before them, the ambush was struck.

The Spayce Skimmur was a nimble and nasty little ship and chose to flaunt its manoeuvrability by flying through the centre of the rock storm before suddenly being ripped apart by the hidden weapon batteries. The Boolet, a massive ship hardened and designed for ramming tried to smash its way through, single use torpedo strikes pushed it off course making it collide with an asteroid abeam rather than prow first, pulverising the relatively softer ship behind its massively armoured prow. While the violence was ongoing within the rock field Lord-Captain Slate took advantage of the natural aggressiveness of the Ork race by bombarding several ships from long range before withdrawing in apparent fear.

The Neboola Wyzrd, Dakka Dansur I1l, and The Sneeeki Boi pursued as fast as their oversized engines could spew plasma behind them. Ignoring the orders from B I G R E D to return to the fleet, “Cos there iz a Plan, Dumnuts!” they flew eager for battle, battle they received but not in the manner they expected. Like a knife in the dark the Blade of Mortis unleashed hell upon the Ork ships at point blank range as they overflew the place it had been waiting, acting like a hole in space. The ship may not have a shadow field but the ancient twisted ship, looking like it had been constructed by some engineer version of a Drukhari Haemonculous from parts of other vessels, moved and attacked with the same vicious style; brutally disabling engines and weapons before sending over squads of black armoured death troopers to cripple and destroy them fully.

Seeing the plan fall apart around him with multiple ambushes B I G R E D’s Warboss Captin decided fighting to the death was not the best use of his time and turned the last of his fleet in an attempt to break back into the warp and come back later, however the Champions of Humanity had one more surprise to drop on him; flashing in at incredible speed was a third mighty vessel of the Arkangel Fleet.

The Astral Stranger might not have the firepower of a ship of the line her size would normally carry but she was still a whole lot of ship and her surprising speed allowed her to jump in and out like a flyweight boxer, jabbing and stunning her opponents as they tried to generate warp bubbles, preventing them fleeing the trap. Coached by His fellow Lord-Captains on how to give insults in a way that would truly strike the Ork psyche vox messages were transmitted from The Fist of Ichadon to B I G R E D insulting and challenging its commander, its crew, its air recyclers, it’s puny guns, everything that Lord-Captain Slate could think of until B I G R E D changed heading and faced him.

Leaving Gas Guzzla to the untender mercies of The Astral Stranger, the Warboss faced The Fist of Ichadon. Personal authority on the line as none would follow him were he to back away from such a challenge, B I G R E D set course for destruction or glory into the teeth of the massive macro canon barrage. Perhaps if the repeated ambushes hadn’t caused earlier damage, or if the Captin had kept his cool in the face of vicious insults he could have won the one on one, but before he could close with his opponent the crimson hull of B I G R E D broke under the unrelenting pounding from the oversized shells.The spine of the ship snapped with an agonising groan all watching could hear in their mind as though sound was somehow transmitted through the empty void, and B I G R E D became two ships for a moment before the reactors within went into overload and B I G R E D became a big cloud of superheated gas and debris instead.

Seeing this destruction the invader’s ships continued their futile attempt to flee as the merciless vessels of Arkangel continued their assault. They knew the only way to properly secure this system was to act like surgeons and allow none of the Ork infection to remain lest a new growth begin.

E15

When Angels Cry Dunrega (Complete Success)

It was a pretty normal day in Arkangel, all things considered. Sure she'd had to carefully reposition some preachers that were getting in the way of moving bloody cargo and she'd stopped two of the dockworkers from putting up another tag of the bloody Slugger but in all honesty morale was pretty high. Elaine gave a soft sigh and ran her hand over her head before putting a stamp on a cargo manifest and putting it back into an envelope.

It was getting into the night cycle now, the lights beginning to ebb low and she was looking forwards to heading back to her hab and getting a solid five hours of sleep before her shift the next day. Just as she was clearing away the rest of her desk, there was a knock at the door to the tiny cramped office she was entitled to as the leader of the Union around these parts. She gave a grunt to come in and the door cracked open, the head of one of her boys poking in, a large stony faced Ogryn by the name of Garth.

"Alrigh' boss, got some gangs 'ere sayin' they's got a permit to sees ya." He gravelled and Elaine's eyebrows furrowed.

"They say who it was from?" She returned with a frown.

"No... Didn't 'hink ta ask, lemme che-"

As Garth turned back there was a grunt, the sound of metal hitting flesh and then a loud pop that filled the air with the scent of blood and ozone, fragments of bone spattering against her desk and the wall like pieces of shrapnel. Garth fell back, missing his head and two figures pushed through the door.

Decked out in black and yellow and hazard stripes, there was a thin, wiry looking man with a blazing yellow mohawk and a shorter, stocky woman whose dreadlocks were dyed various shades of red, pink and purple. The woman was cleaning off the powerfist over her left hand that was currently coated in sticky, burned blood. Elaine spent a moment in shock before standing up, pulling open a drawer on her desk.

Before she could even reach the laspistol there was a roar that was utterly deafening in the tiny room and her left leg was blown out from under her as a bolt shell took her in the knee. She screamed and dropped as the wiry man leaped over the desk and immediately stuck her with a shot of Coag, stopping her from bleeding out before he tied up her hands. She only managed to hear the woman speak into the vox for a moment before there was a meaty thud and unconsciousness took her over.

"Get the party started."

Across the docks of Arkangel, a small-scale gang war broke out.

The dock workers weren't weak people but they were massively unprepared to be attacked by the most vicious elements of an underhive gang that had been released with distinct instructions by a very ruthless man.

Windows were shattered and any of the workers that attempted to fight back found themselves on the receiving end of chainblades and bolters, combat blades and autoguns. Strangely the gangers weren't looting anything and they were leaving the servitors and various pieces of equipment completely intact, not even giving them a second glance, instead focusing entirely on hunting down and killing the dock workers wherever they could get their hands on them.

Although this was mostly a ruse to hide their true intentions. Focused, driven hit squads of well-armed, utterly cruel gangers were breaking into offices, snatching up any and all leaders of the Union and dragging them away to a warehouse deep within Arkangel, a location almost forgotten about except to people that needed a dark place to take some prisoners.

Even the ones off-duty weren't safe as their doors were kicked down and they were kidnapped while they slept, waking up to steel-shod boots and bags being pulled over their heads. Any resistance was met by broken bones and painful, if non-lethal wounds, from blades and small calibre rounds. There was a lesson that needed to be taught and it needed all the ring-leaders alive for it.

They were all awoken to a cold splash of stinking water inside the warehouse, tied up and left on the floor. The gangers surrounding them didn't have a single ounce of mirth on their faces, simply staring at them with cold indifference; like they weren't even people, just targets, just part of the job.

When the Council came to survey the results, they were met by a smiling woman with multi-coloured dreads who escorted them to a meeting with the surviving dock workers. Before leaving she offered the Council of Angels a parting gift; a series of custom-servitors, only implanted with the barest minimum of commands and intelligence, all of them designed only for cleaning and to ensure things stayed spic-and-span. This gift was given in full view of the remnants of the Union, making it clear that they were under new management.

The uneasy looks among the various workers as they recognised the faces of the servitors did a lot to keep everything quiet and moving quickly. If people got in the way, they got removed, everyone at the meeting would be reminded of that at every opportunity whenever they looked at the servitors.

The simple, casual brutality sent a quieter message; even the Council wouldn't be safe if they decided to cross the wrong person.

Convert Svartalf vs Khir Alexander (Success)

Finding people who disliked Maugur Khir was not difficult. In the years he’d exerted his malign influence over Svartal station he’d systematically bullied, harassed, scared, hurt and terrorised just about every single faction on board. The trouble was no one trusts anyone on Svartalf so it was functionally impossible to put together a coalition to go against him as Lord Captain Maxilillian had discovered. He'd been basking his head against a brick wall for about 2 weeks solid. No matter how many councillors and their attendants she schmoozed, how much military analytical data showing that Khirs Cabal were absolutely over committed, no matter how many “Gifts” and offers of hospitality he gives, most of the movers and shakers of Svartalf just do not want to play that game. It made sense he reasoned…what with the heads on spikes and the flaying.

Maximilian sat in one of the myriad Bars off the main concourse of Svartalf Station. This was the single busiest street in the labyrinth of steel that made up the station proper. “Fuck it” he said to no one in particular and downed his drink. Looking at the freshly scarred wounds on his hands. He walked out on the concourse, grabbed a waste barrel, flipped it over and climbed on top. He straightened up, pulled his shoulders back and in a voice that barely sounded like his own he announced, “Hark! Listen and understand! You good people, you humans, lost children of Terra! Heirs of the Star Father and God-Emperor! I see your suffering! The God Emperor sees your suffering! Too long have we lived in fear! Too long have these foul Drukhari terrorised us! These ancient creatures see us as lesser, treat us as their food, their playthings! They smirk as they say that their Empire spanned the Galaxy when we humans were discovering fire. Well to this I say, we have yet to reach our peak and your empire is naught but a bitter memory! A story to be told! Your blood spent, you are the last of your line! Humans, Children of Terra look not at your feet but look aloft to the stars, our destiny, your birthright! Understand that The God-Emperor is the fire in your heart and the steel in your hand! The God-Emperor gave his life and the life of his Sons that we might inherit the Stars, not these godless monsters! If you wish to see the Tyranny of Khir Come to an end, if you wish to see his Kabal trampled into the Dust then I am your ally; The God-Emperor is your ally!” A sizable crowd had gathered, dumbstruck at Max’s words, on the busiest concourse of a station home to untold millions, somehow you could've heard a pin drop. Max could scarcely believe what he’d done, he just…let go and it happened. He realised his wounds had started bleeding again. He realised the crowd's attention had slowly shifted to huge screens over the concourse that projected news of various new events on the station in the sector. In huge letters a message scrolled “Arkangel Fleet victorious over Drukhari Raiders. The Arbour of Righteousness has been liberated.” A fire burned inside Max as he turned to the crowd and bellowed “Ave Imperator!”

It took several hours to quell the riot that Max started on Svartalf. When it was done, Khir was still an Iron councillor. He still had allies, he was still feared. But his aura of invincibility was gone. The great and the good of Svartalf saw how little stood between them and the mob, how quickly they could turn. This filled all of them with a deep dread. The people of Svartalf saw something different. They saw a man ready to stand up and fight a terrible foe. They saw someone willing to give his life to help them. When he spoke they saw a man ascendant.

They saw Man Ascendant.

Convert BMTF to leave Arbour alone Alexander (Success)

Gunboat diplomacy was a very ugly phrase though Lord Captain Blair as he sipped tea, impassively sizing up the BMTF “Captain”. He hasn't introduced himself as a Captain, he had said he was the “Vessel Executive Director” or some such foolishness. But he was the Captain of the vessel that the “Pride of Victoria” was currently playing chicken with. Gunboat diplomacy was the phrase this “Captain” had used. Which was poppycock of course. For a start the Pride of Victoria was a ship, not a boat. Also at this range the guns were not this fellow's problem unlike the torpedo batteries. Those same batteries that he knew Europa would be cycling excess atmo through to ensure they all appeared on scanners. Or perhaps he meant the Fighter Bomber formations that Artemisia had been buzzing them with for the last 45 minutes? Once again, those were void attack craft, not boats. And they were sent as part of this diplomatic mission, a show of respect. Pageantry to show this “Captain” how important the Victoria Dynasty thing he is. Adelaide spoke in even tones, “You must accept our sincerest apologies Director, according to our Astral charts and the transponder idents from the closest star cluster, we are in Arbour space?” There was a deeply uncomfortable pause. Lord Captain Blair summoned every ounce of self control and discipline to not smirk as Adelaide went in for the kill, “Unless you, Vessel Executive Director, are claiming this…as BMTF space?” There was rumble through the Pride of Victoria, and proximity alarms sounded, as right on cue, Lord Captain Maxillian Alexander's vessel “The Glorious Endeavour” translated from the warp, its golden hull twinking against the crackling energies emitting from the Warp.

He sipped his tea slowly, he let there be a beat of silence in the air before he spoke.

“I think it's very unfair to suggest this is Gunboat Diplomacy. For a start these are ships…” said Lord Captain Blair in his most reasonable tone.

E16

War By The Numbers Dunrega (Success)

The Orks never were the most subtle and even if their ships didn't spew out energy readings like a broken reactor it'd be easy to find out exactly where they would be coming from. Their ramshackle and snarling vessels cruised through the void, weapons already loaded and armed, they knew a scrap was coming up and the greenskins within were starting to get antsy.

Brawling was common until some of the Nobs came around and got them back into some semblance of order. They were completely unaware that they had already been picked up on sensors and they weren't going to get the fight they were hoping for.

In the far distance, The Fist of Ichadon woke up. The plan had been sent out some time ago and everyone aboard knew what they needed to do. They'd fought the Orks so many times now it was starting to get a bit stale and they were more than happy to finally be rid of the bastards should this work. Macrocannon batteries slid out from cowlings, mass-reactive shells being loaded into them with practiced ease. Thrusters roared to life and The Fist turned, its weapons roared and spat out shells despite the range.

Most went wide but a few splashed against crude shields or blasted off chunks of scrap metal from various Ork vessels. Instantly they were on full alert and the frenzy started all over again. Afterburners ignited and the ships blasted forwards, baying for blood. Two particular ships pulled ahead, slightly larger than the others and with much larger thrusters; Big Blasta and Dakka Dansur I!l.

All of the ships started blasting out fire but none of it came close to damaging The Fist of Ichadon who continued to move in, weapons firing. Deep clunks ran through the midships of the Imperial vessel and fighter-bombers were released, diving in like birds of prey, missiles and bombs lashing out to destroy weapon ports, thruster nacelles and even strike craft bays before peeling away to return for rearming.

The Orks were both furious and gleeful, they were going to get a proper scrap and against a big ship from that Arkygel Fleet they'd heard about! So it was time to get smashing.

With a quick manoeuvre, The Fist of Ichadon turned and... Ran away. Surprise warred with indignation and bone-deep unnatural fury within the Ork ships, who found themselves firing into empty space and forced to shut off their afterburners so they could actually turn around and try and get into a proper fight. Big Blasta even blew a portion of its munitions to force a near impossible turn at the cost of a chunk of its midships vaporising but that let it come around and get ready to fire an unreasonably oversized prow lance.

Then space folded and three smaller ships flashed into what was previously empty void. They were sleek and decked out in blues, purples and whites. They immediately identified themselves to The Fist as allies and marked themselves out as Twist of Fate, Kurnous' Jaws, and Wrathful Skies from Craftworld Tel'Sharr.

The three Nightshade Destroyers unleashed a volley of torpedoes and then danced away, solar sails allowing them to execute graceful arcs that pulled them away from the Ork vessels to keep in line with the game being played by the Dunrega vessel.

Some of the torpedoes were blasted out of existence by Ork weapons and the volume of fire even caused them to manage to clip Twist of Fate through its holo-field as the destroyers moved away but enough struck to send a fresh wave of rage through the Orks. The strike bays on Dakka Dansur I!l and the prow lance on Big Blasta were wiped out in detonations of blue-white energy.

The majority of the ships still attempted to chase down The Fist however, weeping out waves of fire that splashed against the shields yet could not penetrate them. Occasionally the imperial vessel would turn and blast out a scathing broadside to break a smaller ship over its metaphorical knee before continuing to flee.

The Aeldari ships danced around The Fist, scything in to unleash torpedoes before retreating once more. Wrathful Skies took a heavy shot near the prow that destroyed some of its torpedo tubes and it bowed out of the fight, flickering away while wishing a fine day of dancing to the remaining combatants.

The rest of the battle was slow, frustrating, but effective. One cannot sustain maximum fury and energy forever and even Orks will grow tired after long enough. Being harrassed by broadsides, blasted apart by torpedoes and having chunks torn off them by strike craft, the Ork flotilla eventually just burned out as they were picked apart. Dakka Dansur I!l simply turned and left, deciding to go somewhere else for a better fight and The Fist of Ichadon was subjected to a vast amount of insults through the vox before the Orks were summarily told to git gud and get fucked before communications were cut.

As the fight drew to a close, the Aeldari sent warm regards to the crew of The Fist before turning and vanishing. The day was won and the imperial ship hadn't even taken damage beyond a bruising of its shields.

Victory wasn't always flashy but that was just the way The Fist of Ichadon wanted it.

Convert Svartalf vs Khir Alexander (Success)

Mhaugir Khir knelt in his private sanctum, a spartan chamber of polished obsidian. He was using every ounce of his inhuman willpower to maintain his focus, his control, his breathing. He had lived a hundred mortal lifetimes and he was being outplayed by a rabble of Mon’Keigh, of primates. His lungs slowly filled and he envisioned his hatred as a black ichor slithering through his veins. “I will master my Rage as I master myself” he intoned, the sharp cadence of the ancient Drukhai incantation echoed on the smooth glistening walls. In a single fluid motion he stood and drew his klaive and took stance III of the “Flower of Flesh and Blood” martial form. Slowly his body moved through each strike of the form, perfected through innumerable hours of practice and thousands of lives taken. His breathing was measured and controlled, his heartbeat perfectly in time with his movements. His body had muscle memory older than the lifetimes of men. For all his rote precision his mind rushed and roared like a storm wracked sea. His web of spies had reported a great deal of disquieting information. His once iron grip on this station and this sector were slipping. While his raids on The Arbour had been extremely successful they had come at great cost, he could not quickly recoup the losses to his Kabal. As the form continued the speed of his movements increased. His klaive whirled in the empty chamber, each stroke delivered with enough force to bisect any human who stood before it. His mind was as polished as his blade, his near eidetic memory remembering every name and every face of Arkangel’s Captains table and their crews. In extreme,surgical detail he envisioned the horrors he would inflict upon these dung hurling chimps. The one who attempted to converse with him using a clumsy approximation of Drukhari Etiquette would have the tongue torn from his mouth. He would kill another's lover before their very eyes, eat their heart and drink their tears like spring water. He would sign his name on charter using their blood. One in particular would be spared to the very end; however, one had earned his special attention.

He was a blur of sinew, wraithbone and seething, frothing, utter hatred. His muscles, tendons, nerves, and weapon were now as one. Every movement was a finely honed expression of sadistic intent. With every lethal step he thought of one Mon’Keigh. The colour of his eyes, the sound of his voice, his grunting primate voice, his foetid animal stink.

As his rage reached its crescendo, he turned about and swung his Klaive and felt the unmistakable sensation of his blade slicing through flesh. He closed his eyes and stood still as he was drenched in gore. He trembled slightly and listened to a symphony of carnage, warm blood ran down his body and spattered on the floor, the slithering sounds of entrails escaping the body. He opened his eyes to see a frantic terrified gaze, he savoured the helplessness of that begging stare. More than anything Maugur Khir hated the sounds Mon’Keigh make with their mouths. Their voices were somewhere between belching and retching, even their screams had a certain vulgarity that he could not abide. All of his personal stock would have their vocal cords removed prior to use so he could savour their torment in exquisite silence.

He turned from his victim, as they sobbed mutely and summoned one of his attendants with a gesture. A pale bald headed Drukhari entered and bowed silently. “We must conserve our strength” he seethed. “Cut our losses on Svartalf for now and be prepared to withdraw if the time comes. Gaius should keep them busy for now at least.” The attendant stood and moved to leave as quietly as he entered but was stopped dead in his tracks by Khir making direct eye contact. His eyes, black as the void, staring stabbing into him. “Bring me everything you can find on Lord Captain Maximillian Alexander” he smirked mirthlessly. “This creature shall be taught a lesson, I shall teach it the Philosophy of a Blade.”

E17

Defend Arkangel Kasputin (Crit-Success)

Where there was even the possibility of a fight happening, the Orks would be there. Sometimes that took a little bit of patience. At a far distance from Arkangel, three Ork vessels dropped out of the warp, crackling arcs of deep purple lightning spraying against their hulls. All of them lit their engines immediately and began advancing. They knew Arkangel was somewhere in the distance and if they flew far enough they'd hit that great station and they'd get the fight they wanted.

Sure the fight against Arkangel was getting kind of boring, and the Boss said there were better fights to be found elsewhere but one last go of it wouldn't hurt would it? The thought of that started to hype up the Ork warriors within the three vessels; Lotza Led, Tha Squigazauras Rekz, and Great Green Stabba. Though none of the ships were particularly impressive they were all heavily armed and full to the brim with angry, eager gitz.

As they came screaming through realspace, one Mekboy on board the Squigazauras noticed a strange blip on their sensorium suite, although any techpriest looking at it would swear it was actually some form of sonar. Though when he brought this to the attention of the kaptin, he was summarily dangled over the edge of the bridge platform by his ankle, told no less than fourteen times that he was just a sniveling git that didn't want to fight, and that it was obviously just an asteroid before getting tossed aside.

So it was that they continued their advance.

So it was that they sailed past their so-called asteroid.

So it was that The Conception of Hope woke up from its feigned slumber. Its weapons flared into life and it struck the small group of Ork vessels like a fox in a henhouse. Lances flashed outwards, ripping open the hindquarters of the Stabba, spilling orkoid bodies and reactor gasses out into the void and causing the ship to immediately begin listing. The macro-cannons spouted death, punching holes into the flank of Lotza Led.

The Ork vessels hadn't even ignited any shields but they weren't quite done yet. Squigazauras was supremely out of position and attempted to pull itself around but Lotza Led completely ignored any defensive measures and instead fired all of its available cannons at the Hope. Solid shells sparked and flashed on the void shields of the Imperial vessel and in their fury at being blindsided, the raging Orks even fired some of their boarding torpedoes.

The still raised shields of The Conception of Hope resulted in those torpedoes doing nothing but leaving more bodies in the void as detritus.

The Imperial vessel knifed through the group with next to no resistance and immediately began bringing itself around, leaving Lotza Led aggressively trying to bring itself around while wounded and Tha Squigazauras Rekz only just managed to bring some of its weapons to bear, however they were fired into an unharmed series of void shields which held under the inaccurate volleys of shells.

Lances recharged, they slashed out again, carving through the Rekz's mid-decks, igniting several ammunition dumps and blowing out clouds of shrapnel from the Orky ship. A wave of macro-cannon shells finished the ship off, tearing the vessel in half before The Conception turned to finish the job on the others.

In the last moments on board the Squigazauras, the previously tossed around Mekboy could be found laughing uproariously at the captain who lay dead; impaled on a metal beam. He managed to call the corpse a git at least once before another ammunition depot ignited and blasted him straight into the void.

The two other wounded vessels did not last much longer against an unharmed Conception. A few more salvos and another flash of lance-fire and it was done. Three burning wrecks and nothing more was required.

As The Conception of Hope turned to head home, a trio of sleek, elegant vessels flew past. They were Aeldari destroyers but they recognised easily when their assistance wasn't needed and turned to head back into the Webway. They did send their regards however and congratulated The Hope on its fine hunting before vanishing.

Defend Arbour Kasputin (Success)

Tranquility was always measured in moments. The void was still, the empyrean ebbed low and beneath the majestic shape of The Conception of Hope, the world of Verdance rotated languidly. A planet of rolling plains and gentle hills, fewer oceans than there were massive lakes and gurgling rivers that fed the vast amounts of farmland across the planet. Though Verdance wasn't a breadbasket world, it was a major textile supplier for The Arbour and its loss would cause some particularly unpleasant supply issues.

Stillness could only ever last so long. Space bubbled and frothed, arcs of sickly green energy spilled out from a point beyond Verdance's twin moons. Luckily the storm was small and short-lived, spitting out only a pair of Ork vessels, just as Arkangel intelligence had hoped for. However both of them were connected via heavy chains to what looked like asteroids bristling with gun emplacements and engines. This wasn't to be just a space battle, the Orks wanted something more. These were Rokz, filled with vehicles and warriors, ready for the first step in an invasion.

The Conception wasn't alone however and with some quick commands, the nearby troop carrier Fastidious turned and began moving to station. Within its holds, alarms sounded as the 1st Kasputin mobilised. Sergeants pulled their squads together and handlers moved their Scalebeasts into specially crafted transport shuttles to get them safely down to the surface. If the Orks got through, they'd find some particularly sharp teeth waiting for them.

Thrusters cycling to full power, The Conception of Hope started to advance, ready to pick off the Orky vessels before they could even think of attempting to land. The Imperial Vessel wasn't quite ready however for the enemy ships to detonate emergency charges on their flanks and suddenly veer to the side, whipping the rokz forwards whereupon they immediately fired their boosters and rocketed towards the planet, shattering the chains that had been used to drag them here. Bringing itself around on an emergency heading, The Conception managed to blast one of the 'asteroids' to pieces and damage the second but it had put itself wildly out of position as the two Ork combat ships began to advance on it.

There was no time to destroy the other rok, that was now up to the 1st Kasputin to deal with planetside. The Conception had two ships to contend with first. The first of them, Zappa-Kapow, had several large metal rods sticking out of its skin which began to draw in brilliant green lightning that flashed out like a hammerblow to scrape along the Hope's void shields, weakening them to dangerous levels. The other foe, Tha Meen Green Masheen, hits its afterburners and closed the distance, releasing shotgun blasts of shrapnel from massive prow-mounted cannons.

The lances of the Imperial light cruiser flared into life, white-hot energy scouring the prow and some of the starboard decks of the Zappa-Kapow as it tried to turn away from the beams, while the macro-cannons spat death at the Green Macheen, forcing it to turn aside and bring its weaker broadside weapons to bear, at least for the moment. The Conception had suffered for it however, the repeated shrapnel blasts had scored its armour and destroyed some of its point defence systems but it was still combat capable.

Coming around, The Hope managed to fire another blast of its lances into the Zappa as the Ork ship unleashed another lightning blast that heavily scorched The Hope’s prow, while the lances of Imperial vessel seemed to hit some kind of additional fuel source causing the engines of the Zappa-Kapow to flare blue sending the ship simply screaming away, seemingly unable to slow down or stop for the moment.

Now there was just one ship left and some extra fire to trade, damage would be taken but there would be no orbital support for the Orks, or Imperials, this day. The rest of the fight would be decided on the ground.

On the surface of Verdance the rok had slammed down into a cotton field like the fist of an angry God. It mostly shattered on impact, spewing out some unfortunate Orks who hit the ground in messy stains and scattering chunks of stone, dirt and metal across the massive field. There was already a frenzy going on as the Orks within got to work, grots unlatching doors and rapidly repairing what vehicles were left. It wasn't long before a fairly sizeable group of boyz, led by a few nobz, appeared and several wartrukks and a couple of Killa Kanz followed out behind them.

They weren't going to get far however as the cavalry arrived. From over a close-by hill came the first of the chimeras, painted in sharp sections of tan, green and grey. Behind them was a squadron of Sentinel Walkers armed with autocannons with slightly sour looking pilots as the final members of the advance force loped up the hill next to them.

Riding on large, two-legged raptor-like lizards, the Scale Riders of the 1st Kasputin looked almost hungrier than their mounts to bite into the Ork force. Each lizard was a slightly different colour with barely noticeable patterns across their scales, though each had also had warpaint applied by their riders to make them stand out from one another.

A moment later, a lieutenant's head popped up into the pintle mount of one of the Chimeras as he turned to look at the rest of them.

"They're disorganised for now, we got here in time. Now we just need to hold them for the rest of the lads to get here. Orks are nasty buggers so we're going to hit them hard and then pull back, don't get bogged down. Able, Baker, Charlie Scouts..."

At that two of the groups of Scale Riders turned, perking their heads up.

"Get inferno tips on your lances, you're hitting the boys out front. Dog Scouts, get melta tips on yours and take out those Kanz. Easy, I want your clankers dropping hell on the heads of those trukks, take them out or keep them blind, I don't care much either way. The rest of us are on containment, you know the drill, lets get to it chaps."

There was a chorus of affirmatives and a tense, charged energy to the air as the Riders changed the tips on their Lances. With preparations done, it was go time, though by now the Orks had spotted them and were already pulling around to try and charge their positions.

The 1st Kasputin wouldn't give them the chance.

The Chimeras charged and split, multi-laser turrets whining as they flashed out squealing beams of light at the Orks, grunts, curls of smoke and the thuds of bodies hitting the ground being the result. The Scale Riders charged directly ahead, overtaking Easy squad's Sentinels as they moved in, the first three squads of them gliding into a tightly drilled formation to cover the fourth squad who wouldn't be hitting the main force.

The lines closed in and the Orks were torn between who to shoot, some of them trying to fire at the Chimeras while some others tried in vain to take down some of the riders before they got too close, the shots were wild and inaccurate and any that came too close deflected off the hardened scales of the lizards.

"LANCES DOWN!"

The cry rang out and as one a bristling, moving wall of lances lowered into position just before they slammed into the mob of Orks. A rolling click sounded as the promethium charges on the lance-heads detonated, small explosives pushing them forwards into a burning, scouring wave of flickering red and orange death. Orks screamed as they burned, flailing into one another and simply spreading the scorching promethium around. Any that still stood after the lances were met with sharpened teeth and claws as the raptors leaped on them, tearing out throats and cleaving through skulls.

A few seconds of fighting the bewildered, and oft-burning, Orks and a hole had been punched through for the final squad of Riders to get through at the trio of Kans standing behind the main mob of Orks.

The lizards moved in, hunting in packs to surround and leap at the Orkoid walkers. Melta lances punched into steel coverings and buzzsaws tore riders apart but with flashes of extreme heat and spikes of molten metal punching inwards the Kanz had been torn apart and left to burn and melt where they stood. The Scale Riders pulled back as the Sentinels tore apart the last of the trukks with sustained autocannon fire, firing their lascarbines while deftly controlling the Lizards to pull them out of harm's way.

It was just the clean up left, and a whole swathe of land to burn to prevent the Orks from coming back but tranquillity would be restored.

If only for a few more moments.