An idea for a SpaceHulk type game for the Guard players;
Helsgasp
In a dimly lit room you sit, it is the main briefing room on broad the Imperial Navy Dauntless Class Light Cruiser Repulse.
Before you is the Regiment commander, the ships Chef Tech Priest and the ships Captain. Why they have called you here you don't know but you know it wont take long before they say why.
General Sorral looks you in the eyes and is the first to speak;
“You and your command is to be sent to investigate a strange distress call from a Research station far on the Segmentum Tempestus/Ultima Segmentum border, just with in the light of the Astronomican called Helsgasp.
“As far as we can tell from the date indexing the distress call was cast just over one hundred years past. We have sent a request to the nearest Adeptus Mechanicus Forge world regarding information about the world and the station in question.”
Chef Tech Priest Kilovolt head clicked as it mechanically twisted under his heavy hood, his voice was a vox implant;
“The only information that my brethren could gleam from the grate Info-depository is that Helsgasp is recorded as a Dead World orbiting a G7IIV star and the station was only populated by a hundred or so Tech Priests and a small Guard garrison.
“All other information as to its use and purpose is lost or damaged beyond retrieval.”
Sorral;
“Ordinarily as you know the Adeptus Astartes would deal with this kind of call, but the closest ship with any Space Marines on board is well over three months away or already engaged in other operations so it falls to the Capitan of the Repulse to respond.”
Captain Woosel stood up and walked over to the grate armored viewing port, the visceral energies of the warp flickered all the colours of the spectrum as it interacted with the reality stasis drive fields;
“We are as we speak en route to this Helsgasp, but the universe being what it is we have received a priority one alert call from the adjacent sectors battle feet concerning an Ork filled space hulk. As you know this takes precedent over the Helsgasp situation for this ship is needed there. There for we have devised a plan.
“We will dispatch four Avis Lighters with a full compliment of troops as well one Tech Priest per Lighter to the planet. Each of the Lighters will land at the four main docking ports which are to our knowledge is built to the SCT stranded, this means that it is over ten miles from the docking ports to the main complex. where upon planet fall you are to gain entry to the station, make your way to the main Command and Control center and ascertain what as befallen there.
The Repulse is to proceed to the aid of the fleet in destroying the hulk. If all goes well we shall then return for you in no more than a months time, or as soon as it is possible.”
Tech Priest Kilovolt;
“You are to guard my personal at all costs, with out them you will be unable to use the stations sacred computer systems as only we who blessed with the gifts of the Machine God can understand its ways.”
General Sorral glares at Kilovolt;
“To that end I'm opening the whole of the ships armory to you and the other squad commanders, if your going to be there baby siting these...Ahem...guarding the Priests then I want you ready for any thing and every thing as the distress call said some thing about 'the beasts are free'.”
Four days later;
All gos to plan, the Repulse drops out of Warp by the planet and the four Avis Lighters are dispatched moments later, then the Repulse jumps back into the Warp set on course to the Fleet.
When your Lighter pilot voice Voxs the station the only thing he get at first is static, then a sound like screaming fills the cabin from the vox unit. Then all felths brakes lose.
The ride down to the planet is a bumpy one as the Avis Lighter's machine spirit starts to fail. With some skill and a lot of luck the pilot manages to get the Lighter down on the landing pad of the station in one piece. It takes awhile for the auto-docking systems of the station to latch on to the craft but soon a hard seal is detected on the airlock.
You hear over the long vox coms that the other Lighters had the same problem on descent. Some thing is not sitting well with you.
The Tech Priest that your team is assigned to protect queries the stations machine spirit and it says the whole of the station is running on stand by power, but, that is all that it is willing to tell him.
The air lock is opened and a faint foul smell fills the air. The Priest is unwilling to leave the craft until you have secured the assess corridor and the last of the lock down doors.
You lead by example and you are the first off the Lighter, you take a second to get used to the feel of the stations gravity-plates, the distant rumble of the atmospheric-scrubbers then you move to the first of the lock down doors.
Your team spread out along the corridor in text book fashion, always covering you as you move forward. As you and your team pass threw the second lock down door and close it after them the stations auto defense guns come to life and target the Avis Lighter, your Avis Lighter!
A fire storm of heavy Turbo Las fire engulfs the Lighter. The laser beams rip threw the crafts armored hull as if it was nothing more than dried parchment. You can feel the blasts ripple threw the corridor. Then the Lighter explodes as its main fuel tank is hit. As it is destroyed the corridor decompresses. Fortunately for you and your team are past the emergency lock down door so you are saved from being blown out into the hard vacuum out side.
There is now no way back only forwards into the station, maybe one of the other teams Lighter is intact, maybe there is a shuttle, maybe there are supplies like food and water so that you can wait for the Repulse to return.
What ever you do it will be done deeper in to the station, you hope and pray that there is nothing in there that your mates and your Lasgun can't handle....
