Rescue at Rutland

Loxley watched Quatermass as the academic excitedly examined the remains of the shrine of St Ymar.  The old man wittered to himself as he photographed, catalogued and collected various things from the shrine.  Loxley had not seen the academic this animated in the whole time that they had been on this expedition. Shaking his head Loxley sighed to himself, he would never be able to understand scholars. 

The moment of self-reflection was broken by the squawk of his vox-caster in his ear, the signal waxed and waned as the atmospherics played havoc with his headset. Loxley smacked the headset twice until the signal cleared up. “The LZ has been compromised the green skins are all over the place.  Whatever you did down there has stirred up a Bimmiel land shark`s worth of trouble.  Make haste to the secondary extraction point at CT16-2AJ, we should be able to rendezvous with you at 21:00 hours.” 

Cursing to himself Loxley helped Much to his feet. The young mercenary winced as he tried to stand the ruined stump of his arm had been wrapped in an emergency bandage but it urgently needed proper medical treatment.  Loxley tapped his headset “Professor, collect everything you can we need to get moving.  Our pick-up point has been changed; we are heading to the old watch tower at Rutland.” 

Nud Spittlespine cackled with glee as he watched the intruders walk through his territory.  Muttering to himself in excitement he slowly turned to his warband the gifts of father Nurgle made each movement an exquisite agony of irritation and pain as the pustules that covered his body rubbed and burst on his armour.  “They have trapped themselves, there is no escape from the old watch tower.  We shall show them the joys that only Nurgle can bring.”

From his vantage point on top of the tower Quatermass spotted the approaching forces before the other members of the expedition knew that anything was amiss.  The tower was surrounded by four groups of twisted, degenerate, creatures led by a chosen of the ruinous powers and his lieutenant.

The quiet evening stillness was broken by the tools of war.  Loxley`s shogun bark as he opened fire the impact of the solid shot sent one of the approaching feral warriors crashing to the ground. 

To his right, Herne the hunter took careful aim with his las-gun breathed out slowly and pulled the trigger of his las-gun.  The deadly beam of light was true and hit his target through the eye, the half-ork follower of Spittlespine staggered forward a few steps before he realised that he was dead.

Up in the tower professor Quatermass braced the heavy unfamiliar auto-gun that had belonged to Much the miller`s son and opened fire.  The weapon bucked in his hand as the professor emptied the magazine of the assault rifle hitting one of the approaching combatants.

The followers of Nud Spittlespine had never faced anything like these advanced weapons before and half of them faltered in their advance towards the tower.  But, even the sheer volume of death that was being sent out from the tower did not phase Nud Spittlespine, he was the chosen of Nurgle and these interlopers were destined to be offerings to his god.  With a roar Spittlespine charged towards Loxley and his men.

A ferocious melee broke out at the base of the tower.  Much the miller`s son desperately defended his section of the hedgerow against three feral warriors.  The situation was dire for the young mercenary he had three opponents to face and his reactions were dulled by the loss of blood he had suffered when he lost his arm.  Much fought like a cornered animal and held the attackers at bay.

Across the courtyard, Loxley and Herne were engaged in their own duals to the death.  Herne moved deceptively fast his ancient blade flicked out in a barrage of quick lunges cutting the follower of Spittlespine in several vital organs before they could get their guard up. 

Loxley raised his stub-gun trying to get a clear shot at Spittlespine, but a swarm of flies covered his face obscuring his view.  Raising his hand to his face Loxley tried to brush the insects away.  The brief distraction was all Spittlespine needed and he smashed Loxley in the skull with his filth covered mace.

A scream rose out of Much`s throat as he fell to three separate blows.  The dying sounds of the young mercenary finally spurred on the rest of Spittlespine`s warband and they surged forward.

Herne sensed that the battle was turning against the expedition and backed up the stairs to the tower ready to sell his life dearly to protect professor Quatermass.  Both Herne and Quatermass opened fire with their weapons killing two of the rabid feral warriors.

The chronometer on Loxley`s wrist chimed a warning and he told Herne to get up to the top of the tower ready for extraction.  The veteran warrior did not heed his leader`s order and instead burnt another hole through the skull of one of the advancing feral warriors. 

From the top of the tower Quatermass` spray and pray tactic was paying off as he mowed down another member of the warband with Much`s weapon.

The roar of the atmospheric shuttle as it approached the pick-up point momentarily distracted Nud and Loxley took the chance to break from combat.  The mercenary leader sent shots firing back at the champion of Chaos hitting Spittlespine twice.  The bullets did nothing more than irritate the chaos warrior and he was soon on the heels of Loxley.

The surviving members of the expedition looked down from the tower at the carnage from the battle.  Their eyes drifted across the bodies of the dead until they fell upon the form of their fallen comrade.  Much the Miller`s son would not be returning with them.  The sound of banging from the trapdoor brought them back to the present.  There would be time to mourn when they were safe.  They quickly boarded the shuttle. As it shot up into the air they saw the form of the chaos champion, Nud Spittlespine shaking his fist in anger.

 

Waylaid at Wycherley

Professor Quatermass looked over his notes, he had been looking for the shrine of St Ymar for years and now he thought he had finally found it. The location of the shrine had been lost when an ork invasion ripped through the sector four hundred years before devastating many once flourishing planets.  

After, years of searching through the archives on Dubris and reading long forgotten histories of the saints Quatermass had finally discovered the whereabouts of the shrine.  The shrine was on Wycherley, a planet that was once a centre of civilisation in the sector that had boasted places of learning, and prayer, but during the ork invasion it had become a focal point of the war.  The planet had undergone orbital bombardment, and virus bombing, but even these extreme measures could not dislodge all the orks, so the imperial forces had placed a blockade around the planet.  After, four hundred years of isolation the orks had regressed to a feral state, but even now the imperial forces still maintained the blockade around the planet.  

Professor Quatermass would have to launch an unsanctioned expedition to the planet to recover what he could from the shrine of St Ymar.

The ork warboss squinted his eyes as he looked up at the vapour trail of the landing craft streak through the sky.  He walked around his camp rousing his troops with physical violence and curses.  “Oi yuz get up! We`z eading out to stomp some eads.  Dat doodad woz eading to the ruins.” 

The ork warboss was the first to spot the humans and he bellowed to his men to get forward, but his voice was drowned out by the engines of the landing craft and two of them wandered off distracted.

The loud cries of the warboss alerted Quatermass and his mercenary bodyguard to the presence of the orks.  The mercenaries moved forward and engaged the orks at range.  Most of the shots went astray but Loxley, the leader of the mercenaries, hit one of the orks with a gas cartridge from his shotgun.  The ork clutched at its throat in a vain attempt to save its own life.

The orks rushed towards the small group of humans in front of them their love of war blanking out any thoughts for their own safety. The orks laughed as they saw two of their number being cut down by the combined fire of Loxley, Much, and Herne.

The roar of the orks as they charged made professor Quatermass jump and he realised that he was a little too close to the action for his own good.  In combat, Loxley and Much matched the ferocity of the orks with their hard earnt prowess.

As the last two orks charged into the fray Herne the hunter opened fire with his las-gun. Shot after shot hit the orks as they ran in, but the laser made no impact on the orks` tough hides. 

In the whirlwind of melee Herne`s sword flashed out and slit the throat of the ork that was engaged with him, Loxley emptied his stub gun into the ork warboss wounding the giant ork.  But Much the miller`s son was not as lucky as he parried the attack from one ork the second ork felled him with a powerful swing from his great axe.

Knowing better than to disturb their boss when he was involved in combat the orks engaged Herne.  The veteran warrior`s years of experience were not enough to stop the orks overpowering him. 

The ork warboss grinned to himself as he saw his boys take down another one of these humans. He was almost sorry that this entertainment would soon be over.  The moment of self-reflection gave Loxley enough time to reload and empty his stub gun into the warboss.  The ork staggered back as the bullets blew three holes in his stomach.  The ork warboss looked at his wounds and decided that now was not the time to die and scarpered. 

Seeing as the area was secure for the moment Loxley went to see what he could do for Much and Herne while Quatermass went up to the remains of the shrine of St Ymar.  What secrets were still hidden in the ruins? 

 

Kidnap at Kearsney

The Warlock focused his mind on the rune stones as they fell from his hand.  This small act would decide not only what action he should take, but perhaps the fate of all the peoples of the sector.  Ethereal tendrils drifted before his mind`s eye connecting each of the rune stones guiding the Warlock to the best course of action.  After several hours the Warlock broke his trance and spoke softly to the spirit stone in front of him.  “Awaken the Exarch, she will take three squads.  They must apprehend this man; he cannot be allowed to continue with his plans.”

Stepping through the webway gates the Eldar moved silently to their designated positions. These ancient warriors knew that the fates of many were resting on their shoulders, and they were determined to honour their craftworld.  They waited patiently for Baron Ironblood and Inquisitor Grilli to approach the ambush position.

The Eldar guardians stayed out of sight until they heard the scream, of the Banshee. The exarch`s signal spurred them into action.  They flicked off the safeties of their weapons and the air lit up with laser bolts and the whine of shuriken. Even though the Red Shadows, Baron Ironblood`s bodyguard, were caught flatfooted the deadly fusillade only hit one of them.

On the right flank the Black Major led one group of red shadows. She directed her troops forward with reckless abandonment.  Rushing the Eldar position without thinking about their own safety the red shadows mowed down two of the Eldar close assault squad.  The shock of the attack was too much for the Eldar and they fell back in confusion.

Inspired by the words of Baron Ironblood the second group engaged the Eldar on the left flank.  Their auto-guns barked with deadly efficiency killing two of the Eldar before they could reply in earnest.

The Banshee Exarch let loose a scream from her mask as she charged Inquisitor Grilli.  The wail emanating from the mask stunned the inquisitor and he before he could defend himself, he felt the bite of the Banshee`s ancient power sword.   

Stunned as he was the inquisitor was aware that the air was full of shuriken.  The shuriken cut down two red shadows, then three more fell to the deadly pieces of metal, and finally two hit Baron Ironblood.  The baron was blooded but not out of the fight.

Looking at the blood seeping from his wounds Baron Ironblood gritted his teeth and charged the Eldar guardians.  A moment of hesitation gripped the Eldar as they saw the cold fury in the baron`s eyes.  When they finally opened fire with their shuriken catapults it was too late the baron was upon them.  With two swipes of this power sword the Eldar guardians fell, beheaded.

On the right flank the Eldar focused their fire on the Black Major`s force, but the screams of their dying kith and kin threw their aim off.

Baron Ironblood moved around to attack the Eldar from one flank while the Black Major pushed her troops up on the other flank.

The baron expertly took aim with his ornate plasma pistol and fired.  The super-heated matter hit one of the guardians in the chest killing him and destroying his waystone.  The screams of his soul as it was devoured by Slaanesh reverberated through the warp to his craftworld.

The Black Major and her troops completed their pincer manoeuvre taking up a position to rake the Eldar guardians.  The red shadows poured fire into the Eldar guardian squad, their auto-guns shredded the hedgerow and the Eldar alike killing three more of them.

Inquisitor Grilli and the Banshee traded blows back and forth, but he could not match the weapon prowess of the Exarch. A cold sweat started to appear on his brow as he realised that was going to meet his end at the hand of this xenos creature, but fate was on his side on that day.  As a blow from the Eldar struck his displacer field it teleported him away from the Banshee, and in that moment of respite he opened fire with all three of his digital weapons cutting her down where she stood.

Having dealt with the minor nuisance that had interrupted their walk Baron Ironblood and Inquisitor Grilli continued their inspection of the agricultural lands on Kearsney.  

 

Blackout at Balfour

The control panel onboard the Belgrave lit up as the warning signal arrived from R20-H11.  The first mate looked over the message and shook his head.  He had never liked the job that the captain had accepted, but those decisions were beyond his pay grade.  Okunishi Blue flicked on the communicator. “The captain is in a spot of bother, and we need to mount a rescue.  I`ll take the bosun, the master gunner, and the surgeon to meet up with R20-H11, so Hanley, Wong, and DCL-74 meet me at the weapons locker.  We`ll knock out the power to the Iso-cubes and the rest of you can storm the place and retrieve the captain.”

The security forces continued their patrols around the compound unaware of the stealthy approach of the crew of the Belgrave until the load bark of R20-H11`s heavy stub gun sounded.  Rounds from the heavy weapon pulped one of the guards.

The sight of the battle droid galvanised the guards into action. They lined the brick wall and opened fire on R20-H11.  Their shots struck the droid multiple times but none of the rounds penetrated the ceremite armour of the droid.

Having only one target  the guards focused their fire on R20-H11 blowing chucks of the ceremite off of the droid.  R20-H11 ignored the damage being done to its chassis and sprayed the wall with heavy stub gun rounds.  The bullets dug deep into the wall sending a shower of debris over the defenders wounding one of the security officers. 

While the security forces concentrated their fire on R20-H11 the rest of the crew moved forward.

Okunishi, Wong, DCL-74, R20-H11, and Hanley broke cover and poured fire into the security forces.  Bosun Hanley`s auto-gun spat hot lead into one of the guards knocking them off their feet. 

The security forces resolve started to falter as their losses mounted, but they still fought like cornered animals.  Their combined fire hit Okunishi Blue multiple times.  At this dire moment, for the security forces, relief appeared in the form of reinforcements being led by Chastener Campbell. 

Shots punctured the foliage around DCL-74 as he administered to the wounds of Okunishi Blue.  The ship`s surgeon did not flinch as shots flew past him; all his focus was on saving the life of the first mate.

Auto-gun rounds, heavy stubber bullets and laser fire flashed through the air as Chastener Campbell urged them forward to the wall.  His exhortations to the Emperor protect his men from any harm.

Campbell barked an order for his men to engage the criminals in hand-to-hand combat.  Two of the guards rushed towards Hanley and DCL-74, but one never made it to their target as he was hit by multiple shots.  The remaining guard was greeted by the butt of Hanley`s gun, the blow cracked the visor of the helmet disorientating the guard, but otherwise leaving him unharmed.

An intense firefight developed between the two sides, but the crew of the Belgrave got the better of the exchange. R20-H11`s heavy stub gun shredded one of the security guards and master gunner Wong`s needle gun dropped another guard.

Chastener Campbell looked at what remained of his forces and realised that he did not have much chance of defending the tower.  So, he ordered the remainder of his men to fall back as best as they could.

After accepting the surrender of the final security guard and tending to the wounded the crew of the Belgrave set explosive charges in the control tower and blew it up.  The captain and the other members of the crew would shortly be back aborad the ship.

 

Betrayal at Burgoyne

The battle with the port security had left the crew of the Belgrave injured and wanted by the authorities. To find succour the crew headed deep into the underbelly of the city, but as they fled to the secret parts of the city the port security was always right behind them.  After three days on the run YT-75 finally realised that there was only one place where they could lie low, Studio-G the pleasure dome, regardless of the cost.  The pleasure dome, a den of iniquity, debauchery, and sin, but also a place where the authorities did not venture. 

YT-75 looked at her crew” I am going to place a call to War-sop K.  Now, before any of you raise any objections, I don`t think there is anywhere else we can go.  We have been on the run for days and the shingle pickers don`t seem to be tiring of the chase.  We need to disappear, and I am pretty sure that War-sop will hide us for a while, for the right price.”

Standing outside of Studio-G the crew of the Belgrave cursed to each other.  The doors to the pleasure dome were barred to them.  Mandrake caught a flash of port security authority in the corner of his eye. “Boss! It seems that War-sop got a better offer, the shingle pickers are here.” 

The crew of the Belgrave moved like a well-oiled machine.  Shino S herded the droid away from the danger, Mandrake rushed forward to a better position, while YT-75 and Wells moved into a clear firing position.  Wells and YT-75 mowed down two members of the port security, which was too much for the rest of the patrol.

No sooner had the first patrol of port security guards been dealt with than a second one had come out of its hiding place. YT-75 and Wells turned to face the new armoured threat while Shino S and Mandrake pushed forward. 

The port authority forces moved into better positions to try and surround the crew of the Belgrave.  Both sides opened fire at each other at the same time.  The air came alive with the tools of death their deadly paths destroyed whatever they touched.  Pieces of crystal were blown to pieces and the foliage being used for cover was shredded but neither side was able to find its target as shots ricocheted off cover and armour.

YT-75 quickly realised that her team was at risk of being taken apart piece meal and told them to regroup.  As the team pulled together, they laid down heavy fire to keep the security guards heads down.  Most of the shots missed their mark, but the engineer, Shino S, managed to drop an auto-gun wielding guard.

The heavily armoured port security guards ignored the covering fire that the crew of the Belgrave were laying down and marched straight towards them.  Their las-guns spat out deadly beams of light, two shots hit Mandrake, but the energy of the shots was ablated by his flight suit.  YT-75 was not as lucky as one laser beam burnt a hole through her thigh.

Unbeknownst to the beleaguered crew the final part of the trap that was set for them was sprang.  From out of the tower came War-sop K,and the bounty hunter team of Burn-knee G, and Naidora.

Shouting a warning to the rest of the team Shino S led the charge towards the newest threat with YT-75 close behind her.  Shots narrowly missed the engineer as she closed the range until she was at point blank range when Burn-knee G managed to hit her with a shot from his stub-gun.  A few seconds later YT-75 smashed into the trio of opponents. She lashed out at War-sop K with her bionic arm breaking his jaw and taking him out of the combat. At the same time, YT-75 let rip with her bolt-pistol at Naidora, but the rounds failed to penetrate her bodysuit.

The port authority security forces closed the net around the crew of the Belgrave and concentrated their fire on Wells and Mandrake.  Two laser shots smashed into Wells stomach and the master of arms slumped to the ground.  Mandrake was peppered by stub-gun rounds and las-gun bolts tearing his flight suit to shreds as he struggled to return fire.  And as if the misfortunes of the crew of the Belgrave could no get any worse a stray stub-gun round smashed into the back of YT-75`s right leg.  She collapsed from the shock and blood loss caused by the severing of her lower leg.

Shino S knew that the game was up and dropping her gun she surrendered to the two bounty hunters.  Burn-knee G and Naidora nodded to each other.  They had acquired the bounties that they had been sent out to collect.  They led the engineer and the droid away from the scene while the port security forces were left to look after the wounded.

Outside Studio-G the tall security bot stirred from its stationary vigil.  It`s head turned as it took in the unfolding scenes.  A small antenna extended out of the top of its head, and it let out a stream of incomprehensible sounds.