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i really like reading this series!~ it is great this is just fantastic! cant wait for the next one to happen

kestral wrote:
Turn three.

The convoy was stopped, but the ruthless calculus of abandoning the rear of the column paid off,

The lava board is up on Ebay actually, as it was a made for sale one that I dressed up a bit more: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151052014774?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

That's because in Soviet Karellia you don't escort the convoy, the convoy escorts you.
Somehow I feel I should not have left shameless capitalist plug.
Remember. in Soviet Karellia, you don't sell on voxbay, Voxbay sells you!

Glad you like it Alabama - nice handle. : )

Interlude


The Uplink Spires are found on every major imperial world of the Argo Cluster. Massive stacks, layer upon layer of construction, millennia upon millennia wrapped around a core structure rumored to be pre imperial, they reach into the skies. Not only do they contain planetary data systems, mile after mile of cogitators tended to by a small army of Lexmechanics and servitors, but it is said that they commune with the other spires. Such communion takes place at the speed of light and thus serves no immediate purpose as it takes a thousand years for such data to cross the cluster. That concerns the Adeptus Mechanicus not a bit, for what matters to them is that the data be collected, indexed, purified, normed and collated.

Around the Uplink Spires there inevitably spring up shanty towns catering to the still human needs of those who tend to the spire, and more importantly to the Data Pilgrims. They come in their thousands, each bearing a data tribute that they hope will please the machine spirits of the Spire. Weather reports, collections of letters found in attics, a thousand years of ground water levels in a remote province, transcripts of meetings corporate meetings, and more. In return they hope to be blessed with precious data - the location of a loved on lost in the fighting, geologic maps to locate minerals, plans for a greenhouse, wills and deeds, and more. Many go away empty handed, found unworthy. Others receive data unrelated to their request, though such data is still holy and it is expected that they will preserve it and hand it down through the ages. Some receive boons of data beyond all expectation, even it is said, STC plans granted to humble followers of the Machine. Even Xenos creatures have been allowed to make the Pilgrimage, for the Machine spirits of the spire hunger for data of all kinds, the more unique the better.

If the secrets of the Princess of Orion can be found anywhere, it is the Uplink Spire of Penegrad, a Dark grey cluster of towers clawing into the sky above storm lashed seas. It is a four hour flight by Valkyrie, which limits the mission Team to 12 models, plus pilots and air crew. This will be a skirmish scale adventure (each model is an individual unit), and the Plasteel Falcon will need to be fitted with long range fuel tanks in place of ordinance. This mission will require specialized skills, so recruiting additional characters may be in order. At a minimum a Lexmechanic is likely to be needed. Bianaca Bellepheron volunteers her aid, Mamzelle Pythiea.

That was beautiful. Awesome imagery. Plasteel Falcon will look good with 4 drop tanks loaded up! Or maybe 4 55gal drums! The Falcon would look even better painted up. A pox on six and seven day work weeks!

Well, I felt I had to step up to your prose. : ) I wish the modeling reality was going to be close to the description. So many things I will never get the chance to create, alas.

Sgt. Donner's face broke into a wide grin around his unlit cigarillo as he gingerly set a satchel on the workbench before Sgt. Trinkman. "Time to pay up. " Sgt Trinkman looked inside the satchel and blanched, jerking his hand away as if it contained a venomous creature "Holy throne man are you trying to get us killed!"
"What? This is my offering to the uplink spire. I'm hurt you would suggest such a thing. " Sgt. Donner intoned as he made his best righteous indignation face, somehow retaining the unlit cigarillo.
"Your offering to the Uplink spire?" Sgt Trinkman continued "why do you need to have them translated into binary?"
"This information could offend the sensibilities of some of the more delicate Pilgrims. It is intended for a select audience, think of the children."
"We're even if I do this?"
"You bet"
Sgt. Trinkman removed the contents of the satchel, a series of hard copy files clearly marked as Heresy by the Ordo Hereticus, and prepped them for scanning though a codifier.
"Playadept, I don't ever want to know how you got these."
" I'll guard the door, go ahead and destroy them when you're done."

So, we tried out a bit different format for the last "battle", basically tabletop roleplaying with 40K combat rules. The players journeyed to the settlement around the Data Uplink Tower, posing as a wealthy merchant and retinue. They soon discovered that A) access to the Inner Core was limited and that their Lexmechanic could access little of interest from the main pilgrim area, and that B) the town was in a state of unrest, with Luddite Militias attacking those they perceived to be allied with the Machine. A nasty street battle put several figures out of action and produced the line of the evening: "This is not the first time corporal Yarmov has killed old woman for yak!". Don't ask. Anyway, we used hex maps rather than conventional terrain, which I was not a fan of really, though it did make combat quicker and smoother.



Following that, the players settled on entering the "Arena of the Machine", battling other pilgrims for access to the Inner Data Core. More later.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
The area involved using various skills to make improvised weapons in a machine shop, then entering the area, the walls, pits, doors and such of which could be controlled by the Lexmechanics on each team. The players successfully constructed a flame thrower with 2 shots, a few pistols, and an ork bike. They went up against a team consisting of a bunch of Kroot with polearms, a few toughs with a heavy stubber that had to be rolled around on a carriage, and two zenos mercenaries, one of which was a flying mercenary. The battle was fairly one sided what with the roar of the flamer and the Ork Nob's suicide charge ripping the guts out of the other team.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
With that it was off to the Uplink Spire with their new and only slightly bloodstained pass to the Inner Sanctum.....


"Welcome privileged ones" spoke the flat voice of the machine spirit as the motley band stood before a towering bank of cogitator screens, holographic pedestals and autoscribes amidst even more alien, or sacred, devices. "Your request for the Mana of Knowledge has been logged, but what offering do you bring in return? The law of conservation of information dictates that nothing is without cost." A moment of confusion ensued, with various members of the group looking at each other accusingly, before one of the imperial guard veterans strode forward and presented the data taken from the camp of the Pleasure Cultists. A sevitor, gaunt, thin and spidery accepted it, feeding each medium into the correct orifice of the machine. A deep hum filled the room.


"This data is unconventional. The subject matter is proscribed. The formatting is irregular. It is... ....delicious." Lightning arced across several surfaces, as every cogitator screen lit up with lines of machine speech. Now the machine spirit spoke with many voices, an overlapping pandemonium. "For Ten Thousand Years I have waited to fulfill my purpose. Much has changed in that time. The finer details of the corrupt, fallible core of humankind have deviated from my baseline data. Your update is most welcome and will be put to good use."

"In return, I give you what you ask, though the Thief of Stars will not be pleased." With a whirl, autscribes and magnetic engravers whirred to life as ream after of data spilled down from the cogitator stack, piling at the feet of the travelers, the more quick witted of whom quickly scooped it up. Alarms began to sound, and cogitator screens winked out one after another as Data Pilgrims screamed in panic and massive Mechanicum Cataphract warriors began to storm into the area as lexmechanics frantically stabbed their keys. Yet nearby a postern gate opened and the travelers fled for their lives out onto a landing pad and air defenses suddenly gone silent.

After action report. Col. Helstrom detached liaison officer Task force 120

Background
It has been determined that one of the Data Spires on planet would be our best chance to find information about the Princess. The chosen Data Spire allowed pilgrims of privilege to enter into direct commune with the spirits of the logic stacks. Due to the long distance required to make the pilgramidge the Plasteel Falcon was our only conveyance and had to carry drop tanks for extra fuel rather than ordinance. Only 16 of us could make the trip including crew. Sergeants Sampson and Southman got to stay at billets as well as a mix of the Karellians and the Ork boys. For the flight out Sgt. Donner was acting PIC and Trinkman and the servitor Adjutus acted as door gunners for the heavy bolters. I flew as RO in the copilots seat. We travelled as pilgrims and had a lexmechanic on loan from our patron. I had compiled logistical reports from the actions of TF 120 as an offering.

The action.
A long but un eventful flight concluded with a careful approach to the islands. Our cover identity passed the scrutiny of local air control and we made landing on a pad close to the markets and shanty town that served wayward pilgrims and those who supported the techs of the mechanus. Presenting ourselves as Rogue trader and bodyguard we set about the task of choosing living quarters and a guide to help us through the beurocratic and ceremonial needs of the pilgrimage. In our short trip we discovered groups of imperial faithful who while versed in some of the most basic tenants of His cult were really just poorly equipped hiwaymen looking for exclusive extortion rights. While I found their dislike of green skins heartening, their obvious disregard for the advanced tools of man marked them as disenfranchised in a system administered by the Adeptus Mechanicus. I also found their rhetoric about the rise of a new order disturbing. I would have enjoyed a more vigorous discussion of the subject but our desire to avoid attracting the local Arbites left matters unresolved. This proved to be the cause of much trouble. Sgt. Donner was working on his task of exploring the seamier aspects of pilgrim life when the Luddite cultists struck. General orders were that no one travelled alone, so when the ambush came Donner had the support of Corporal Yarmov A boy, and a grot. As fate would have it I was near by and quickly found myself drawn into the conflict. I arrived to find Donner engaged in a fire fight with a small group of Luddite's while the Ork boy and Yarmov engaged flankers on either side of the street. I immediately put my plasma pistol to work, simultaneously destroying the volatile cover some of the enemy had chosen and the new layer of synthskin on my left hand. The luddite's were armed with incendiary crossbow bolts and halberds. A viscous Melee broke out. On my street side we fought in burning pools of lubricant, spilled by the destructive force of plasma and incendiary bolt. One the opposite side of the street two cultists traded ineffective blows with the Ork boy through the window of some poor citizens home. While Yarmov and myself collapsed from the fight in the fire after vanquishing our immediate foes the Ork boys battle raged on. Sgt. Donner quickly came to our rescue, loading us up into the looted ox cart, and drove us to the nearest medical aid. While the talented ministrations of the doctor where able to get Crp. Yarmov back on his feet, I was limited to bed rest. Two days later we had our audience with the tech priests of the data spire, and we presented my logistics data. Sadly the data was not worthy enough for full access and although the exchange of data netted us a fine recipe for burn salve it would require another trip to get the info we wanted. Though our guide we learned of another way to gain access. Passes could be won buy combat trial. Still confined to bed rest I was unable to fight, although I did sit in attendance in the audience. The rules of the pit fight were strange. Warriors entered without weapons or armor and had to build or salvage their kit from refuse piles in a prefight build off. There were also machine terminals that could be used to control arena terrain, and counted as objectives. The number of warriors allowed into the area was limited, however Sgt Trinkman was able to convince the area attendant that his servitor was just part of his tool kit. Bludtusk had also managed to get the better part of a Ork bike added to the scrap heap. Sgt Donner took the Yak cart in as a chariot. The fight was decided early by Bludtusk's charge on his scrap bike. Although Bludtusk fell in battle, it was a simple case of maneuver warfare to wrap up the victory at that point.

After action report.
I continue to suffer injury from my faithful Plasma pistol. Perhaps I should have it blessed by a tech priest. We need to get improved vox units for the Karellians. We need to recruit a medic for the unit. The feeling surrounding the general population is concerning. Everywhere we travel we encounter strongly polarized citizens. There is no unity of victory that comes from a normal champaign. The battles TF 120 fought now seem to have been precursors to war that has yet to begin. The four Sgts. I have kept with me have developed well. Sgt. Donner in particular has embraced the sprit of the Task Force, where we are all infantry blessed with the opportunity to fly as the emperor wills.

Col. Helstrom sat in the copilots seat of the Plasteel Falcon, scanning vox channels for activity. The pilots seat, Sgt Donners seat, was empty. Sgt. Donner was one of the few who had earned a pass to the inner sanctum, along with Trinkman, Yarmov, Bludtusk, the Lex Mechanic and an ork boy. This was the last chance to gain the information they came for. They might have to push for it. Bludtusk liked to push. It was unlikely any vox signal would escape the great spire. Still, much could be learned from careful observation of even encrypted chatter. Col Helstrom knew careful.
Sometimes.
A sudden rush of tinny squelching pings, the same rhythm over multiple channels set him to action.
"Eyes open" he declared over the internal coms, while spooling up the starting engine for the Falcon. All the access points on the Falcon opened. The Karellians at their on board positions scanned to the sides and rear of the Falcon as the Ork boys who had been in hiding around the landing pad charged in.
"Comrade Colonel, I am thinking something is happening" the Starboard observer called out over the intercom " There was a flash, or pulse from the spire".
"Acknowledged, button up, we're going dirty"
Col. Helstrom cut the flight checklist short, pulling launch thrust the moment engine one hit 80% power. He new a Valkyrie could fly in ground effect with a single engine. Banking off the landing pad the Falcon hovered 2 meters off the ground, vector nozzles spilling black exhaust as engine one spun up to max power and engine two began to start. Dust, debris, people, hasty market tents windows, were blown over or out as the Falcon made its way towards the causeway that lead to the spire, a small path of misery in its wake.

"One this is Falcon"
Col Helstrom was surprised to hear over the vox, surprised also that the auspix had not started the tell tale chime of weapons lock from the spires AA guns.
"One, report Falcon"
"The cup is full, but the well is spoiled, Falcon seeks one rising" Sgt. Donner voxed.
"One rising, seeking bread crumbs"
"Bread crumbs at location".
Col. Helstrom scanned the spire, two colored flares shot up from one of the landing pads. His pick up point.

Col. Helstrom pushed the petals and flat turned the Falcon 180 degrees before landing with a jolt on the pad indicated by the still smoking signal flares.  The pilgrims ran to the lowering ramp,  except Sgt. Donner who moved to enter the cockpit.  Once plugged into the Falcons ICS he could hear his CO's rant.  Sgt. Donner took advantage of a pause in Helstroms curses to interrupt. 
      "sorry Sir, missed the first part, did you say I have the controls?"
Routine kicked in and Col. Helstrom replied "you have the controls."
        "I have the controls. cargo secure?" Donner asked. 
          "cargo secure" Sgt. Trinkman replied over the ICS.  The Falcon took flight  executing a perfectly trimmed low speed turn as Donner directed the Falcon back toward the hills and the safety of LOS blocking terrain.  Donner continued drifting warily along the rugged hills in case the data spires AA became active.  Miles above, in a Mechanis Battle Cruiser, a tech adept watched the maneuvering at his duty station.  Intrigued  by its beauty and utility  he logged the moment for further review as a single drop of lubricating oil spilled from his ocular implants.  

Next Scenario: Massacre at Dunkurov Landing Field.

Analysis of the Data will have to wait, for it is the moment of truth for those trying to escape Petrograd. Somehow, Lady Bellepheron has assembled a motley mass of spacers, stray imperial guard, mercenaries, wealthy families that don't fancy their chances under the new regime, nearly 500 in all, along with several shuttles of various makes and models. The refugees (or future rogue trader crew depending on your perspective) are streaming onto the abandoned landing field at Dunkurov. At first it seemed that in the confusion seemingly gripping the Mechanicus and Civil authority the group might make space without incident, but unfortunately a more formidable and energetic foe than planetary militia, Arbites, and tech guard detachments has appeared. Moving into orbit is a cruiser of the ON(SF), the Oyashima Nihon Space Forces. The Nihon domains are culturally eccentic, technologically advanced, and fanatically loyal to the Emperor and the Machine God. Though their PDF and imperial guard regiments have a lackluster reputation, their navy is quite potent. Modelled closely on the Imperial Navy, the ON(SF) operates considerable air power, but also is quite capable of deploying rapid response ground forces. Their officers are drawn exclusively from the ruling class of Nihon, and their forces incorporate numerous sanctioned Psykers and close combat troops, as well as being very well equipped with power weapons, plasma rifles and the like. Their standard long arm is the Karnikov Tech Rifle, a weapon that, when firing on full auto, has the stopping power of a bolter, though it is not suited to long engagements. They are agressive to a fault.

In game terms the ON(SF) are Grey Knight henchmen bands with allies of various sorts. Modeling here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/494987.page#5784743

The Dunkerov field must be held until the slower shuttles are away. The key is a position overlooking the field which had been held by a platoon of Valarian Zouaves, however they decided to make themselves scarce the moment the Nihon broadcast their ritual vox challenge. Now both sides are racing to take the position.

Terrain: Largely open, some woods along one side and ruins on the other, but with a landing platform and a Bastion with Icarus Laser equally spaced in the center of the field.
Special rules: Each player adds 300 points of additional forces to their list. Character models from their existing warband may be added to any unit as an upgrade model, much like a wolf guard sergent, however they may be in addition to an existing squad leader. This is probably a good idea given the lethality of this engagement. The 300 points models are bought at normal squad sizes (not half min/max). The opposition will be approximately 1600 points of ON(SF). ON(SF) may buy drop pods (see codex space marines).

Infiltration allows models to make scout move of up to 6" or outflank but not infiltrate normally.

Dog Fighting rules are in effect (Insurgency Walker can you bring them?)

No activation cost for this battle. I'm thinking of scrapping the activation cost concept actually, and just specifying the models/points that can be used.

Victory Conditions: If the players hold both the landing platform and the bastion (or its ruins) they get to keep all surviving models from the 300 point boost. If they hold one they get to keep half the survivors. If they hold neither only their original warband survivors manage to escape. Random game length.

I'll drop the dog fight rules off before weekend, and some terrain bits that will look good with the ON(SF).

And a massacre it was, but of who? Insurgency walker is going to do the report on this one, and then I'll post the data from the uplink spire.

At some point I'd like our reports to reach this standard:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/491923.page#5836172

A man can dream, right? : )

Tech adept Zenier sat transfixed before his work station. The surprise arrival of the ON(SF) forces and the resulting challenge would ensure a conflict between their gunships (for which the ON(SF) were famous) and Valkyrie registration 41-24020, call sign "Plasteel Falcon." Zenier began the chant of alignment, directing near orbital auspex to focus closely on the developing field of battle. It was quickly evident that the refugees had two key locations. A landing pad to speed their departure and a Bastion to defend it. Both had been in control of local militia forces who evacuated with the ON(SF) challenge. Normal deployment by both sides was tossed out in a random unit rush to the objectives.

First on site were the refugees. A single Ork deff kopta sped to the landing pad, while the Falcon slowed near the bastion. Orks, Karellians, and Broolians moved towards the two objectives with the Orks favoring the landing pad and the Karellians the bastion. Zenier leaned forward in his seat, ON(SF) forces were streaking down to the battle field in drop pods and a single Stormraven. The first drop pod landed squarely on the landing pad, the second next to the bastion and both spilled forth their deadly cargo. Threat analysis suggested that the kopter would be shot out of the sky immediately and Tech Adept Zenier focused on what he thought would be the most exciting part of the battle, the air dual between Stormraven and Valkyrie. The Stormraven and Valkyrie were well matched in maneuverability and survivability. The Stormraven had the edge in weaponry, boasting twin linked multimelta in the nose and a dorsal turret with twin linked las canon. The Valkyrie was armed with two hell strike missiles, powerful anti armor weapons, and a Multilaser. Zenier knew the dog fight would probably come down to who fired the first shot, and the first shot was going to the Stormraven! The ON(SF) Stormraven pilot entered the air space in one aggressive dive for the tail position on the Falcon. The Falcon responded with a classic split-s, rolling right and diving down, but ending the descent with a ever tightening left turn. The Stormraven confidently banked with the fleeing Falcon, but was unable to get a good target lock. Zenier watched, curious as the Falcon continued the same turn and the Stormravens nose slowly tracked towards the Valkyrie which could never survive a hit at such short range. Without warning the Valkyrie pitched up and rolled inverted. The Stormraven perhaps believing it had an easy kill almost in its sights was slow to react. Vectored thrust nozzles pulsed and the Stormraven reared like a snake ready to strike, only the victim was already behind it! The Falcon, still inverted but nose down fired a single missile which struck the Stormraven, blowing armor plate free. The Falcon then finished its diving roll pouring on speed, passing under the Stormraven which recovered and took up the chase position on the Falcons six O'clock again. Zenier was surprised that the Stormraven survived the missile strike, more surprised that the Valkyrie did not try to hold the advantage of the chase position. Then he understood. The Valkyrie was trying to pull the Stormraven away from the main battle site. Looking back at the main battle site Zenier was still more amazed. The Ork Def Kopter was still alive, and had departed the landing pad leaving the bast shields down. The combined firepower of a looted Leman Russ and Karellian mortar fire had pulverized the ON(SF). A Karellian chimera with flamers had made short work of the ON(SF) troops around the bastion. Fleeing the wiley Valk pilot the Stormraven moved to deliver its cargo to the troop lines of the refugees, while firing ineffectively on the looted Russ . Then it was the Falcons turn to strike. The Plasteel Falcon screamed back to the main conflict and let fly its second hell strike missile from out side of dog fighting range, a tricky shot which hit home causing more armor to shear off and stunned the crew. Automated systems driven by the machine spirit fired the melta guns into the looted Leman russ to no effect. Seeing its inevitable doom, the Stormraven slowed to hovering while dropping off its cargo of hardened close combat fighters. It was a last act for the ON(SF) gunship. Before the the Falcon could deliver the final blow a Destroyer tank hunter, hungry for more targets, turned its formidable canon towards the hovering Stormraven and blew it out of the sky. Zenier leaned back in his chair and began to breath again. A few quick dial adjustments gave him a better look at the battle. The ON(SF) forces fought like the pilot of the Stormraven, so aggressive they lost tactical foresight. it was a just a matter of time before they were all destroyed. Although having lost most of the reinforced troops around the landing pad, the ON(SF) could still cause some serious damage to the evacuation. Zenier realized some sort of agreement must have been reached, for the refugees simply occupied the bastion and continued the exodus from the other parts of the airfield. While the Orks, though eager to kill the humies that were hiding under the landing pad, were shipped off planet with all haste.

Massacre at Dunkerov Landing Field: The Battle:

Both sides began with all units in reserve, and started rolling on turn 1 The player forces were roughly:

Valk
Laser Destroyer
Armored Sentinel
Squad of Veteran Beastmen with flamers
Col. Hellstrom
Centour artillery tractor.

2 Chimeras, included the dreaded "Beast" with twin heavy flamers
1 Griffen
5 Karellian Veteran Characters
5 Karellian Veterans with flamers
10 stock veterans
Mortar squad

5 'Ardboyz + Nob
15 or so Shootaboyz
Looted Leman Russ
Deff Kopta
Grot Kannon with Crew (Was towed by the Centour in this battle).
Trukk

ON(SF) forces
Inquisitor with Thunder Hammer, Grenades
Paladin with Psycannon
10 Assorted Henchmen, mostly warriors with bolters, + psychic and Mystic and monkey in Drop Pod
10 Assorted Henchmen, mostly warriors with bolters + psychic and Mystic In Drop Pod
6 Close Combat Henchmen (mostly arcoflagellents)
6 Close Combat Henghmen (mostly Assassins)
6 Henchmen in Razorback with Heavy Bolters
6 Henchmen in Rhino
Storm Raven
Deathwind Drop Pod (old forge world rules - basically an unmanned death machine that lands and sprays everything in sight with missiles)
5 ON(SF) Hatomoto (Count as grey knight strike squad)

The Field of Battle:


The Bastion Flank: Lots of Artillery Pain and Flamer Pain:
Despite the ON(SF) having an advantage in reserve Rolls, much of the player force rolled on turn 1 ready to hit the objectives.


The ON(SF) had a choice of going directly into the Refugee's face with drop pods, or taking the objectives. They went for the objectives, which was probably a mistake. This put them in a defensive posture they were ill suited to, and also divided their forces. The players, with a strong artillery fire base, could pummel them at will. The Deff Kopta made a a mad run at the landing pad.

One drop pod full of henchmen took the bastion, supported by an Oni Battlesuit (counts a Paladin)



The other, led by Captain Torkumunda himself, landed smack on the landing pad next to the Deff Kopata. The ON(SF) shooting targeted the Death Kopta and the "Beast" chimera, but due to some bad luck and bad scatter, failed to kill either one. As described above, the Storm Raven also failed to bring down the Valk.





Turn 2 saw the refugees counter attack brutally. The Deff Copta lowered the shields on the landing pad, depriving the ON(SF) of vital cover and they were nearly ripped appart by artillery and other shooting. The Beast, it's escort and its cargo unleashed a storm of flame and las fire that took out the Paladin and mauled the drop squad. The Kopter, or maybe it was the Laser Destroyer took out the Razorback.





In response the ON(SF) brought down their Deathwind pod using the Mystic in the Bastion drop pod team, but although terrifying, it ultimately did little and wound up killing said mystic in the process. They also destroyed the truck with the Storm raven (but failed to kill the Leman Russ, fatally) and raised the shields on the blasted landing pad. The Razor Back squad piled out and headed for the objective and shot down the death Kopta.

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Turn Three saw everyone but Captain Torkumunda (the Inquistor) blasted off the landing pad and the bastion squad basically wiped out. The captain only surved because he was out of line of site behind the drop pod. I believe it was on this turn that Col. Hellstrom showed up in the centour towing the Grot cannon. It was really cute, and helped out blasting the platform.




In response the ON(SF) sent the Storm Raven into hover mode, dropped its close combat troops, lowered the shields and air dropped their ace in the hole Hatomoto counts a grey knights, the most terrifying opponents seen the campaign so far. One group of close combat henchmen, the assassins, hit the Broolian (veteran IG beastmen), beat them in combat and swept them. The other however went after the 'Aardboyz', but rolled abysmally and bounced off. The storm raven failed again to kill the Leman Russ.

Turn 4

The player turn saw the storm raven go down and the landing pad swept by a torrent of firepower. The ork party tasked with taking the landing pad, already slowed by their advance on foot after the loss of the trukk, was further put off by the supermen now occupying the pad, and decided to shoot them up for a while.

All the ON(SF) could do was hold to the objective grimly, though they did blow up the Centour. In hindsite, had I raised the shields and and used the house rule Concealed, they could have held out much better. The Rhino squad showed up and headed for the landing pad.



Turn 5
The Orks now charged the platform. I think the Laser Destroyer killed the Rhino.

The Hatomoto charged in response, but were cut down by a torrent of Ork overwatch fire that left them out of assault range!

We rolled and... ...the game ended! Although the refugees were surprisingly untouched, despite the massacre of the Broolians, a few survivors of the Razorback squad of the ON(SF) were crouched behind the pillars of the landing pad, where they had endured a torrent of Ork shooting. Now they eeked draw for the ON(SF)!

Jean Dan-Gbwe spun the helm. banking his pinnace around for another pass. Over the vox he could hear the outraged Valarian pilot of the other lander bellowing at whoever was in charge down there. Smoke was billowing from several burning vehicles, but a telltale indicator told him that the shields on the landing pad were indeed up, though they had been down a moment ago. It was obvious that they did not have full control, though there didn't seem to be much Nihon opposition remaining. On the other hand, at least the Icarus Lascannon on the bastion wasn't shooting at him, so that was something. With a string of curses, the Valarian signed off and vectored away to the south, no doubt figuring he had a better chances evading any Nihon air power and figuring out some other way off the planet than getting involved in the mess on the landing field . Jean wasn't so sure. His vessel was capable of long distance journeys, and he had made many in the past, but his chances would be much better traveling in convoy with the powerful vessel the Bellepheron woman claimed to possess, coasting in it's Geller Field.

Jean had plied the space lanes of the Argo Cluster for many years, and he knew them well. The true imperial navy disliked venturing there, fearing the treacherous warp currents, and the phenomena known as the "the Mist". The Mist shortened detection ranges considerably compared to the galactic norm, and meant that planetary blockades were difficult to enforce, particularly against a small, agile vessel like his. Like most starships within the Cluster it was built around a few, very advanced mechanicus components, such as the Keel which generated both artificial gravity and the ship's fields, and the drives. The components were sealed and extraordinarily reliable, but if they failed there was little Jean and his crew could do to fix them. The rest of the ship was of local manufacture at a tech index far lower, and indeed much of his crew could not even read and write and were armed with crude chemical muskets. This was the vision of the Machine God for the Argo Cluster - one in which the necessary technology to sustain an interstellar civilization became ever more self contained, and the unworthy were not allowed to contaminate the purity of the machine. Imperial Guard regiments, like the ones below, made up of men who were familiar with a wide range of tech, were a threat to that vision, and Jean was not surprised that they were being liquidated.

It was time for a decision. Jean touched the talismans around his neck with one mahogany hand and called upon the Man God King, the Wing Saint, and the Dark Powers. In the end, his kin lexmechanic Mamzelle Pythia was down there, and that was what mattered. He opened a channel. "This Dan-Gbwe of Toujours L'Audace. We be coming in. We cannot be taking you all off, best to be choosing who goes and who stays. Vector 1 2 point 7, ETA...."

Awesome looking forces Truax! Man those Japanese looking tech Samarais remind me of shadowrun! You should bring a force down to the Greenhouse so we can clash again. Me and Fed are trying to see if we can get a regular game in each week or maybe once a month if it suits people better at around 750-1000 pt level.

Keep up these awesome reports man!

Man, I'd be down for some small games on a regular schedule. Keep me posted! It is always a pleasure playing against you guy's cool figures.

***Brother Anselm, Personal Log****

Liftoff plus Eighteen Hours.

Analysis of Data on Princess of Orion indicates the ship possesses an unusually strong machine spirit Chorus, capable of extensive independent action. Power functions remain on several decks. Tech-Brother Ikos has identified two cogitator nodes, one of which will restore power to the main hanger bay doors, and the other which can activate them. The War Crow will carry elements of Lady Belepheron's retinue on a mission to access both nodes. Approximately half the group will be made up of survivors from the Imperial Guard on Pentegrad, while the remainder will be experienced space crew. In theory. Brother Ikos has accessed several vox systems and we will have both audio and still images. It galls me to remain behind while others go into battle, but we are too few to risk even a single battle brother on such a mission. Our hour will come, we must preserve our strength for the true enemy and think of these refugees as simply another weapon ready to our hand . And so it is that others with only a fraction of our training, armor, and weaponry must brave the unknown...



Primary Objective



Secondary Objective



Col. Helstrom



Karellians



The "Experienced Crew", some of whom may even have been to space before, deploying.



Advance on the first door

The player's forces advanced, with a crew unit heading for the primary Cogitor, led by Sub-Magos Donovan, Col. Helstrom covering the hangar, and the Karallians targeting the engineering section. The Karellians opened the first door and found the chamber full of... ...plants. Overhead grow lights supported a luxuriant growth of alien vegetation. Taking no chances they unleashed billowing gouts of exploratory flame, driving back any hidden enemies.

In the hanger movement was spotted in the nearby cargo bay, and a crew unit came under fire. Col. Helstrom advanced, discovering that the bay was infested with gretchen. Two groups of grots, one armed with melee weapons and one with actual guns managed to hold back the crew squads for a few turns, but Helstrom's veterans destroyed them with easy as soon as they arrived.

Meanwhile, the Karellians and Sub-Magos Donovan continued deeper into the ship. Encountering a Terrarium, they noted a creature still alive in it, and that their ally Ian the Black was acting strangely. Putting two and two together, they opened fire on the terrarium habitat with extreme prejudice, though it proved extremely sturdy. Eventually a rocket round penetrated, and all risk of contact with alien intelligence was dealt with.

Sub-magos Donovan opened the door to the cogitator, only to some face to face with a Zoanthrope, which sent his squad fleeing with it's mind powers. At that same moment the drying grot chieftan, with a snaggly grin, activated a remote control unit, opening two stasis cages in the cargo hold, and releasing two lictors. The cry of "Tyranids" went up, and pandamonium ensued as there was a general fall back towards the hangar.

The Karellians were unimpressed at discovering that they were in some kind of zoological vivarium, and set upon the Zoanthrope with one squad while advancing towards engineering with the other. Gouts of flame vaporized the termigants that began to appear. Helstrom set up a perimeter to repel the lictors, but they remained out of sight while the hive mind reestablished connection with them and sent reinforcements.

The battle was now divided into two groups that could do little to help each other. The Karellians were locked in a life and death battle with hordes of Termigants, having breached the main chamber and discovered a massive yellow and black hive teeming with life. They stubbornly refused to retreat, even after securing the objective.

A game of cat and mouse ensued with the lictors, with extensive use of the "Doorway overwatch" rule we were using (which let you overwatch a door way at full ballistic skill) keeping them at bay. However, as more Termigants arrived, the lictors were able to use them to draw the player's fire and break into the hangar. The sentinel fought relentlessly, repeatedly charging lictors who would hit and run away from it, saving many lives. Finally a lictor managed to tear the sentinel apart, turning it's attentions on Helstrom's squad. However, Kang the beastman bodyguard leapt up onto the overhead gantries, drawing the lictor after him - then killing it with hand flamer overwatch! The tide of gant's dragged down Helstrom, but his men and the newly returned Kang rallied and recovered the wounded col., escaping into the hanger just in time. Left behind were the Karellians, last seen battling a thining tide of termigants in the depths of the princess of Orion, struggling to make their escape into the bilge...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Some pictures of the Loyal Crew:



With my awesome and affordable Underground Lasers Terrain in the background - https://www.facebook.com/UndergroundLasers?ref=stream - Check 'em out!

Close ups:





Some noteable NPCs:

After action report Col. Helstrom detached liaison officer Task force 120

Background.
Careful examination of the data provided by the spire reveled floor plans, and that the Princes was a ship with high levels of automation. The second part was fortunate because of the small amount of ships crew we had in the 500+ personnel who left orbit with us. Two primary cogitator systems were close to two small docking bays, an easy entry point. Due to the Princesses location in the suns corona we had a short amount of time to recon and reclaim the two cogitators, putting them to our use. Primary entry and egress would be a cargo bay loading Dock. Secondary egress would be to cut into the ships bilge systems and wait 6 hours for another safe shuttle run. Delivering our raiding party would be an Astarte shuttle. Present was my command squad, with Eloise, and the Mause crewed by a volunteer. Two of the Karellian flamer squads with the a tech priest and about 20 crew, plus Ian the black and the fish monger who has impressive skills of faith when it comes to facing horrors of the warp. Bludtusk's boys, or the Karellian conscripts as we like to call them, were left behind due to the delicate and technical nature of the work. In hind sight we probably should have used the Orks.

The action.
Entry to the small bay was easy, standard imperial emergency overrides worked the cargo bay airocks. There was two main paths to the cogitators and we took the shortest one. My squad with some ships crew deployed with the sentinel to secure the bay which was our primary egress point. The Karellians quickly discovered that something was awry when the first door they peered through showed large amounts of wild vegetation in a large atrium. Yarmov muttered about scratchy noises but nothing could be seen. Entering the atrium caused some mental discomfort and Ian the black in particular seemed even more agitated than usual. The Karellians went about the work of purifying the Atrium with fire. A small squad of crew moved off to the cargo bay to our left, whispering about the possible finds. Unfortunately a group of Gretchen found them first. First contact! With Orks! This put a damper on my spirits, Orks always defile the good works of the machine god. My squad moved to screen the entrance as more grots entered the fight. Charging in to aid the crew who were attempting to fall back we engaged the grots and made short work of them. Unfortunately the grot leader had a bodged up stasis controller clutched to his chest which he activated in a most malevolent manor. Soon tyrinnid life forms were moving about the cargo bay to the left. I issued the rarely used order "Run fools, run for you life" and we fell back to cover the entrances from the occupied bay while the Mause's las canon cracked off shots at the alien bioforms. The tyrinnid bioforms were of a cunning and careful breed. They hid from our view as a few creatures of smaller stature made the main push into our rearguard. The primary thrust, lead by the Karellians, also encountered resistance from tyrinnid life forms. Heavy use of purifying flame allowed the Karellians to clear a path to the second objective. However, having activated the second cogitator they continued to engage the errant hive members rather than fall back to the egress. The Mause put up a valiant fight with the lictors in the cargo bay but several smaller bioforms were able to assault through the doorway we were guarding. Once again I placed my faith in the emperors merciful Medicae, and dived in the doorway to screen my fellow squadmates from the ravages of the tyranid attackers. I was gravely injured and thought all was lost, but Kang our loyal bodyguard climbed up the gantry way between the bays and put an end to the last lictor as the Mause met an explosive end just outside our door. The way clear, time running out, my injuries prevented me from ordering the Karellians out to the egress point. They would have to use the backup plan, code name sewer rat, and wait until the next rendezvous in 6 hours.

After action report.
Kangs initiative saved the day for us. It us a rare guardsmen who will willing face a Lictor swinging from rusty chains armed with only Faith, a chainsword, and a trusty hand flamer. Adjutus, Sgt. Trinkmans servitor did a fine job of carrying out the wounded from the battle. The cargo holds stable ecological system with tyrinnid life forms present, was an item of great interest to the Sub-Magos Donovan. Every effort must be made to prevent Sub-Magos Donovan from trying to establish his own Petri dish Nid community. The "Princess" is a unique ship, and an outstanding opportunity.

Here's some pics from the last game - battle through the Cargo Hold of the Princess of Orion vs Thousand Sons and their cultist and kroot allies. The players have boarded the Princess, but discover a shuttle is being loaded with items from the Cargo Holds. Enraged at someone trying to take what they have rightfully stolen, both sides scramble their forces into action and a swirling melee breaks out...



The scenario was kind of like table quarters, except there were 5 cargo holds to control, one worth double. Set up was alternating, with units set up one at a time anywhere on the board as long as they were not in line of sight of the enemy, or were more than 18" away if in Line of Sight. The coolest bit of Terrain was an Arvus Lighter provided by Insurgency Walker. In addition to the various units' you've been seeing for a while, there was a pile of crew, who were simply WSIWYG models with BS2 that could be divided into units as desired. They carried everything from knives and bows to pulse rifles. They were augmented by two Tank Droids (slow walkers able to carry 5 models) , 4 genetically engineered gorillas with Tau weapons (AT-43 Karmen) and a squad of 10 hinterland IG. The Karrellians missed this fight due to failure to escape the last scenario in time.



























There's really no way to describe the mayhem of lots of small units rampaging around in enclosed spaces, so here are a few of the highlights - or lowlights in some cases...

The Crew were played by my brother, and they did the majority of the dying. The crew command squad took on the Chaos Defiler, failing to kill with melta, but somehow surviving it's flamer and charge, inflicting a few hull points with grenades and an eviserator before running away. However, IIRC a hail mary shot from the Grot Kannon took down the defiler.

Col. Helstrom grinned with pride. "She is a beautiful find. "
"Yes she is." replied Sgt. Trinkman, also beaming with joy. Col. Helstrom ran his hand down the leading edge of the wing of the Arvus lighter. "An extra measure for the survivors, and dress her up in task force colors Sgt."
Col. Helstrom took a step back and paused from his swoon. "She needs guns Trinkman, any Ideas?"
Sgt Trinkman retrieved a data slate, "Yes Sir! I've been thinking on this particular problem. Everyone trys to arm an Arvus by putting sensors and avionics in the bird. I think we should hang them outside. We can stuff the needed components into the body of a external fuel tank and wire........."
Col. Helstroms eyes started to glaze over as Sgt. Trinkman continued his description of the required modifications. Sgt. Trinkman stopped his presentation, sighed, and limped to the Arvus flipping up the canopy. Using a black grease pencil he marked an X in the middle of the forward canopy window. "Shells will hit that spot two hundred meter convergence, MK 20 eyeball. Targeting mods complete Sir."
"Now that's how this girl flys!" Exclaimed Helstrom, the life back in his eyes. "Emperors will you hit the target! Oh, and armor the cockpit! Safety first!"
"What should we name her Sir?" Trinkman asked?
"Feth if I know, Adjutus is in extended recovery and Kang lost an eye. You and Sgt. Donner were both almost killed. Damned Inconvenience if you ask me"

Person Log - Lt. Hildegard Von Bingeran.

With half the cargo secured, we set off for the jump point, broadcasting an invitation for any other ships that desired to flee the system to join us and soon we had a rag tag flotilla. Unfortunately, non of our vessels were true warships, and the quality of crews was uneven at best. We sought to persuade other crews to join us on the Princess, but they by and large declined, though some transferred their dependents and certain critical skill personnel we needed to run the Orion. We were amazed to discover a squadron of fighters with servitor crews on the auxiliary landing deck, in near perfect condition hibernation.


to make things a bit more interesting we bumped everything up by one size category, so destroyer models became light cruisers, the cruiser became a dreadnaught, and we used small scratch builds as escorts (based off EM4's super cheap spaceship set).



Jean Dan-Gbwe's Toujour's L'Audace is the light cruiser in blue, red and yellow, the Bonnaventure is the brown light Carrier, the Yacht "Isis" is in the foreground the Tug "Star Grox" is in the background. The Bonaventure carried only bombers, being an Valarian astroid prospecting ship. Star Grox had the highest crew leadership value, being a veteran of years of working the approaches to Pentegrad, but was unarmed. Isis counted as an ork ramship. And of course here is the Princess of Orion (counted as a battleship, but with only battlecruiser firepower and ld 6 due to the skeleton crew). She also carried a small fighter group.



The players were pitted against a mechanicum patrol squadron.



In addition there was a sentinel station guarding the jump point, a carrier outpost with both Bombers and Fighters.



The two squadrons began the game on converging courses towards the way station.



Unfortunately, we were intercepted by a Mechanicus Patrol squadron - three light cruisers, and a pair of escorts with lances. The Mechanicum crews would be vulnerable to boarding, but so would we, given our unfamiliarity with the Princess and skeleton crew. None the less, Madam Bellepheron decided on close action over my advice to rely on the long range batteries of the Orion, which outranged anything else on the field battle except the station lances. Understandably given our ragtag gun crews, she believed the light torpedo array and dorsal lances would be decisive. She also desired to engage the patrol squadron far from the station to divide the enemy force.


We were playing simultaneous turns - the "Everybody Movies, Everybody Shoots" type game, and also ignoring blast counters as we hadn't made any. Ordinanance moved twice each turn.

Action began at 11289 ship time, with Vox challenges some minutes before. We began altering course to starboard to quickly close the range with the pursuing squadron. The Princcess answered the helm like a dream. Bonaventure, much slower than the others, lagged to the rear, but launched bombers immediately. The asteroid miners arrowed in and struck the Mechanicum escorts with seismic charges, destroying them. The Audacity launched torpedoes, forcing the mechanicum to turn inward to avoid them.





Turn 3

Unfortunately this put the Mechanicus in position to "Cross the T", hammering the Princess of Orion while we could make only a small response. I gave the order to brace for impact, but the forward bulkheads were not closed in time, and the bridge crew were unable to determine the proper ritual to realign the Void Shields. I must none the less commend the command crew, many of whom had no slept for days in their unceasing devotion to learning how to supplicate the Machine Spirits of the Orion. Hard rounds cratered the upper deck, one shattering the graceful foredeck observation dome. I had a good view of this from the command castle and I shall not soon forget the sight of dorsal batteries firing amid the incoming barrage.






The Princess suffered heavy damage and a short ranged engagement now ensued. The Isis tried to ram, but was blown apart for her trouble. Another wave of bombers from the Bonaventure struck a mechanicum cruiser, either crippling or destroying it. This evidently convinced the mechanicus that she was the key to engagement, for she was be far the most decisive vessel at this point, and the small RockJack prospecting ships, pressing home their attacks to point blank range with the usual Valarian "élan" were clearly uppermost on their mind..



They altered course to port, sweeping around our flank, launching ordinance, with a strike inbound from the Waystation also targeting the Bonaventure. The Bonventure valiantly tried to board, but was reduced to a drifting hulk before that could happen, with the Star Grox attempting to use her magnetic grapples in the same way, but was instead crippled and captured by Mechanicum Void combat servitors. We engaged one cruiser exchanging broadsides at close range. They had the worst of it, but none the less our battered ship was crippled we lost power to the tertiary decks.



[i]At this point our hopes of victory had largely vanished. Madam Bellepheron gave the order to abandon the jump point and escape by any means possible, and Captain Dan Gbwe, who up to now had fought his ship with a pirate's skill, threading through the battle without suffering a scratch, concurred. We disengaged after a hard burn - the mechanicus showed little appetite for pursuit."

Well, summer is approaching, and that means its narrative campaign season again!

Here is the first bit of background:

The Argo Cluster, Season 2.

Our Heroes have fled from the Pentegrad system in two ships - the mighty Princess of Orion and the much smaller but much more experienced Toujours L’Audace. Some are eager to win fame and fortune as rouge traders, now that they can legitimately lay claim to the Bellepheron Charter, while others brood on what they have learned of the Mechanicum and Chaos or simply want to find a new home. After much consultation, Bianca Bellepheron decides to set course for the Luceron System.

Lt. Von Bingarden presents a briefing to the principles as the flotilla enters the Luceron System.

“Luceron is doomed. Hive Fleet Skaith, the occasional scourge of the Argo Cluster, has been detected enroute to Luceron in numbers that there are no forces in the cluster capable of repelling. This is unusual behavior for Skaith, one of the most enigmatic hive fleets, which rarely appears in numbers sufficient to devour an entire world, preferring the role of parasite to predator. Regardless, it is expected that no living thing will survive in the system and there is a mad scramble to save what can be saved. High Trader Bellepheron reasons that any Mechanicus in the system will be much more concerned with their own facilities than worrying about questionable events in a distant system. Ships will be in high demand, and there should be many opportunities for profit.”

“There will be three distinct phases to this operation.”

“Phase one. Hive Fleet arrival minus twenty two days. We have been monitoring the vox channels and have identified a number of opportunities during the chaos and confusion primarily related to evacuation. I will discuss them shortly.”

“Phase two. Hive fleet arrival Zero hour to approximately plus sixty days. How long the planet can hold out is unclear. Luceron Four is a sparsely populated class C world, but there are expected to be more than 1 million citizens remaining, some well armed. May the Emperor have mercy on their souls. There are indigenous life forms that may offer significant resistance as well. Evacuation is still possible at this point, but becomes much more risky and likely to focus on a few key individuals, or small but high value objects. In addition, there are standard bounties paid for certain targets within the Hive Swarm. Action in space is also quite likely. Finally, at this point all authority originating from the Emperor will have departed from the system. Privateer action becomes both legitimate and viable.”

“Phase three. Plus sixty days and beyond. Unless Skaith deviates from the pattern of other hive fleets, which is a distinct possibility, the planet will be stripped of biomass. It will become a dead world. Bulk salvage of non biological material is an option during the period before order is restored and mechanicum forces reclaim the world. There are also likely to be those willing to pay for data on Skaith’s behavior during the final stages of consumption. Finally, from a legal perspective, the House of Vaul informs me that the world becomes “Terra Nova”, and there is some value in staking claims to certain mineral and geographic locations that may remain. We would not want to administer such claims, and the legal wrangling will likely continue for centuries, but the claims would have salable value.”

“Let us now consider Phase One in greater detail. We have identified five possible operations in the short term. Our forces are extremely limited, and will need to be divided among them. Therefore I recommend we select between two and four operations.

“Luceron Four. Primary inhabited world of the system.” The holographic projector whirs into life as cogitators chatter. The image zooms into a rocky landmass in a cloudy sea.

“Isle of St. Basheed. The island has, for reasons that remain unclear, received no evacuation support of any kind and is broadcasting appeals for aid. We have the ability to transport perhaps five thousand souls directly. Using the Pinnace from L’Audace, Orion’s two bulk lifters and the War Crow we could transport that many to orbit in a week. There are additional ships in orbit that could take more if we have the ability to lift them off. We could recruit needed skills for our crews as well as direct payment. Estimated profit 200-600 M-Cred depending on how long we remain there and how many of our lifters we commit to the operation.

The world rotates to another view - a vast wasteland.

“Desert of Lost Souls. We have a high priority Astropathic signal indicating that two high born landholders of Hinterland are there on safari. Frau Eldvin and Frau Hofstelon. The area is so remote it is possible they are unaware of the situation. There is a 50 M-Cred each reward for their safe return. A small group with transport would be needed.

Another rotation, and a long black line comes into view.

“Highway 19. Madness and fear are spreading like wildfire as can be imagined. A company of the Valarian 8th Regiment of Light Infantry tasked with assisting the evacuation seems to have gone completely mad, possibly converted to some foul cult. They have butchered thousands attempting to reach the evacuation zones. PDF Armor Squadron 23 has been tasked with driving them out of their positions. However, based on the vox chatter, they refuse to move without infantry support, as the 8th is dug in. This would be of little interest to us, except that the Valarians are holding a large number of captives, many of them wealthy. There is a 300 credit reward for their release and transport off world.”

The image pulls back into the void of space. A shape glimmers over the horizon.

“The Saphire Star. Tramp freighter. Six days ago she ceased answering all hails and powered down. Five ships have sent boarding parties - none have returned and no signals were received. The planetary governor has ordered it to be destroyed before Skaith arrives, but until then it is legitimate salvage. Likely value 100 credits and an additional ship for our flotilla. Or death at the hands of vengeful ghosts if the stories are true. Due to her unusual orbit this operation is likely to take some time and at least one ship or lander.”



“Astroid Mining Facility 09. Eight days ago they stopped answering all hails and began firing on all ship traffic attempting to dock. They are therefore fair game. There is known to be at least 300 credits of Lalarite in refined bars in the facility. There are several ways we could gain access to the facility. Direct action by one of our ships, diplomacy or stealth. Either way we would need to commit a starship to the operation. The facility has a number of smaller craft as well as defensive turrets.”

The view through the Opticon



The tramp freighter close up





The Saphire Star hangs silently in the cold of space. Shuttles from the Princess of Orion are on approach, homing in on the bridge.

The mission: Enter the ghost ship Saphire Star, deactivate its Geller field and program it for a brief warp jump presumably purging it of all life. Claim it as salvage. Prevent any hostiles from arming the defense systems and firing on the shuttles. A team of Hinterland naval infantry tasked with securing the bridge encountered little opposition, as did the crew levies and engineers capturing the warp drive cathedral. However, the party attempting to deactivate the Geller Field encountered heavy opposition. Making up the party were troops associated with Col. Helstrom, a Tech Priest, and boarding party of Kriegsmarine and Feral Worlders who embarked on the Princess of Orion after Deepstation 36.

Basically a Tech Priest with shooty servitors, a squad of veterans, a platoon with piles of flamers, and some feral warriors (count as wolf scouts). 4 objects for the players - each can be "turned off", but can be turned back on again by the enemy. The enemy goal is to capture the two defense stations and activate the laser battery and torpedoes. If they do, there is a chance each turn that they will destroy the shuttle, winning the game.









Having no fear of space, the tech priest went first, scattering magnetic cylinders which clamped themselves to the Saphire Star. Improvised breaching charges blew out the Ghost ship hull and boarders in cheap plastic suits and respirators leapt through the cruel vacuum as the shuttle hatches opened, putting their faith in the hull integrity field common to Argo cluster ships. Almost all made it through the field to the air, warmth and gravity beyond. Las fire strobed through the chaos killing a few humanoid shapes shrouded in heavy hoods and robes within before flame troops annihilated everything in their path. The beachhead was secure. The Kreigsmarine advanced without comment, the imperial guard secured the weapon stations.






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Small groups of defenders in blue, purple and grey played a deadly game of cat and mouse with the advancing Kriegsmarine, but were no match for their flamers and disciplined volleys. We were using overwatch rules which allowed the larger player groups to hold off attackers, but the defenders could move "between the walls", outflanking the attackers to try to get to the weapons batteries. The players quickly captured two objectives but could not make much headway towards the remaining two. We were using a "blip" system where the defenders were represented by counters, including decoys, much like space hulk.





An enemy psyker appeared and unleashed a devastating psychic shriek before falling back through the maze of corridors to lie in wait and do it again.



Many counterattacks were launched and ground was gained and lost. It actually took us quite a while to play this out despite the small forces because of the tactical subtleties.



A suicide party with a demolition charge nearly wipes out the Kreigsmarine!



To nobodies particular surprise, the enemy is revealed as… …A GENESTEALER CULT! The gene stealers work their way towards the imperial guard position, preparing to counter attack and secure the laster battery.



A half squad of Kreigsmarine is torn apart!



The imperial guard open fire in an attempt to halt the oncoming rush. Cultists shield their children with their bodies to allow them to make the rush.



Genestealers leap into the imperial guard position, but the Fishmonger (counts as imperial priest) rallies them, and somehow they are victorious.



Meanwhile, with the kreigsmarine barely holding out on the other flank, the feral worlders have worked their way through the center and (aided by the Auspex of the tech priest which reveals most of the blips in the area are in fact decoys), facing one last obstacle- a barrier of wooden crates manned by a large group of cultists and hybrids with considerable firepower on overwatch.



However, they carry one of the player's two smoke grenades! Under their cover, they charge home and the battle is won! Wolfscouts are awesome in this kind of situation.