Dealings at De Burgh

Dealings at De Burgh

Storm clouds gathered in the sky over the De Burgh star port as the crew of the Belgrave ran their third diagnostic. The aged ship had plied the space lanes for centuries, but now it languished in the spaceport waiting for urgently needed repairs.  As rain pattered on the view screen of the Belgrave washing the grim from the aged star ship YT-75 sighed with relief, she had been struggling to find the funds to get the Belgrave off the ground, but her luck had finally turned.  She had received a message from a perspective buyer for the sword that the crew had recovered.  The funds would finally allow her to buy the parts that Shino S had been badgering her for.

The port authority at De Burgh had been alerted to a black-market deal that was taking place within the port precinct and despatched two squads of the PDF to deal with the transgressors.

Corporal Teach led his troops through the squalid streets around the space port their boots getting clogged with rancid wet mud and detritus.  Neither he nor them wanted any part of the assignment they had been given, but orders were orders.  Teach signalled for quiet as they approached the target location.

Through the sheets of rain Lance corporal Read could just about identify the five targets that they had been sent to deal with.  Not waiting for full confirmation, she ordered her troops to open on the targets. Rackham brayed as he let loose with his auto-gun, his rounds were quickly joined by las-gun beams from the other members of his squad.  Two rounds from the fusillade slammed into Shino S, lifting the engineer off her feet with the impact.

Hearing the sounds of weapons fire Teach pushed his troops forward and soon their weapons were added to the deadly crossfire.  Bolt-gun, and las-gun fire streaked though the air hammering into the buildings around the crew of the Belgrave, but none of it found its mark.

Without a moments hesitation YT-75 and her client, Red Jackal, charged towards the PDF troops.  The regular planetary defence force of Dubris were no match for the two cybernetic super soldiers.  Corporal Teach raised his bolt-pistol towards YT-75, but his movements were snail like in comparison to the captain of the Belgrave.  YT-75 casually crushed the gun and his hand with her bionic arm.  As Teach screamed in agony YT-75 pulled out her handgun and shot the corporal in the chest.

Steam came off Wells` auto-gun as he poured suppressive fire towards the PDF soldiers.  The shots exploded around the PDF troops forcing them to keep their heads down.

During the respite offered by his comrade Mandrake dashed towards the limited covered of the comms tower firing wildly with his las-pistol as he run.  The wild shots from Mandrake`s las-pistol burnt three deep holes into corporal Read.

Rackham roared in anger as he saw his lover fall to the ground.  The beastman led the charge of his squad firing his auto-gun from the hip as he ran.  Shots flew past Wells as he faced down the enraged beastman. The master of arms brought his auto-gun up to his shoulder and pumped four shots into the beastman stopping the abhuman metres away from him.

A beam of sunlight shone into the square as a break in the clouds passed over the port of De Burgh.  Private Silver looked nervously at Wells she had no wish to die in this slum. The master of arms raised his gun into the air and spoke to the soldier “Take your wounded and leave the field of battle, soldier.  Enough blood has been shed this day.”

 

Exercise at Erith

The Bells of remorse, in the fortress monastery of the Wardens of Dubris, peeled in memory of Chief librarian Ainger.  As a sign of respect, the bells would peel once for every year that the librarian had served the emperor.  The loss to the chapter laid heavy on the Lord Warden`s shoulders.  In one disastrous mission he had lost both a friend and the chapter`s chief weapon against the demonic forces of Chaos and had multiple injured marines.  There would have to be a reckoning with the inquisitor for his part in the death of the librarian and the hurt done to his men, but that would have to wait there was a demon to be dealt with.

The Lord Warden turned the problem over in his mind.  The Mentor Legion was still conducting exercises on Erith.  The chapter was well-known for its use of experimental weaponry if they could be persuaded to offer their aid to the Wardens of Dubris the demon could yet be vanquished.

On Erith, a squad of Mentor Legion neophytes were being led through a training exercise by Sergeant Rorty.  The squad had been sent in blind, their task was to find and retrieve munitions from two supply caches in the southern Erith spore fields, but other than that they had no idea of they would face. 

 Thick clouds of spores obscured the neophyte’s vision as they headed slowly towards the supply caches.

A dark shadow floated slowly towards the group of neophytes in unison they opened fire.  The explosive rounds struck the object and it exploded illuminating the area around it.  The flash of light revealed the real danger the squad was in.  Writhing leaves topped with orange flowers protruded from a central stem were snaking towards the marines.  The leaves moved with lightning speed and before sergeant Rorty or initiate Taylor could react to the deadly flora the leaves had completely engulfed them.

For a moment the spore cloud thinned allowing initiates Cavell and Kirchin to see initiate Anscombe vainly trying to fight off four giant leaves with his combat knife.  The two marine scouts did not wait to see the outcome of the combat and they let loose with their weapons.  Their shots hit several times, but they had no real effect on the giant plant.

Taking careful aim with his sniper rifle Initiate Kirchin breathed out slowly and relaxed his whole body. As he was about to pull the trigger the spore cloud suddenly thickened spoiling his aim.  Through the spores the two marine scouts heard initiate Anscombe stifled cry as he was overcome by the Venus mantrap.

The Venus mantrap reached out with its leaves groping for the remaining marine scouts.  One of its tendrils wrapped itself around a Bimmiel landshark.  The ferocious predator lashed out at the leaf that was wrapping itself around it, but the landshark was soon stilled.  A second vine caught Cavell by his ankle as the initiate fell, he reflexively pulled the trigger of his bolt-gun blowing the leaf to pieces and freeing himself.   

Cavell and Kirchin pushed on towards their objectives without thought for the fate of their comrades.  They had their duty, and they were determined to carry it out or to die trying.  In their haste they did not notice the large floating sphere coming out of the spore cloud until it was too late. 

The sphere was covered in a myriad of sensitive papules as one of these papules brushed against initiate Kirchin`s arm the sphere exploded.  The explosion threw Kirchin through the air his body slamming into some rocks with a sickening crunch.

Cavell grabbed his fallen brother by his arms and dragged his motionless body into the supply shed.  There he activated the distress beacon and slumped down exhausted.  The exertions of the encounter had taken everything out of the marine scout.  His previous life on a hive world had not prepared him to fight enemies like these. 

What would the Tutors make of the squad`s performance? 

Outside, the Venus mantrap could still be heard, the slow quiet crushing of its captured prey, and the wild thrashing of its tendrils as it tried to gain entry into the supply shed.

 

Mayhem at Maison Dieu

Senior Arbites Paschal bleary eyed looked over the latest orders from the sector house.  She and her team were to head to the old Maison Dieu industrial area and apprehend any looters.  She had been on patrol for 72 hours, kept on her feet by a cocktail of stimulants, and the situation did not look like it was going to change any time soon.  The whole city had suddenly gone crazy; an eruption of crime, arson, assault, murder, theft, rioting.  It was as if something had infected the minds of the people coercing them into committing crimes they would never have contemplated otherwise.  

Paschal`s hand twitched as an urge to shoot Beech washed over her, his never-ending prattle was starting to grate on her nerves, the sooner this patrol ended the better it would be for her.

YT-75 did not like risking her crew out in the chaotic city, but she had received a tip off that a cache of jewels and coins had been hidden in a shipping container in the Maison Dieu industrial zone.  If the value of the jewels were half of what the rumours said they were she could deal with most of her creditors. 

Torrential rain poured down as the Arbites continued their patrol through Maison Dieu. The industrial zone took on a more sinister feeling in the reduced visibility, and the air itself was electric with the expectation of a thunderstorm.  Arbites Beech kept up a nervous stream of chatter as they walked through the neglected storage yard.

YT-75 felt uneasy as the crew were searching through the shipping containers, the oppressive atmosphere surrounding the storage yard made her skin crawl.  Leaving Shino S to continue the search for the cache YT-75 took cover by a crystal cluster and scanned for any trouble. 

Through the rain she saw two shapes moving and instinctively opened fire with her bolt-pistol.  The muzzle flash from her gun illuminated the area for a brief second as the shapes dove for cover.

Four bolt-pistols barked loudly as the arbites returned fire on YT-75, the rocket propelled rounds slammed into the crystal cluster she was using for cover and exploded.  Shards of crystal fragments peppered the ship`s captain, but she came out unscathed.

Hearing gunfire, the other members of the Belgrave crew rushed to their captain`s aid.  Mandrake charged through the mud of the storage yard letting loose with his las-pistol.  Deadly beams of light flashed through the air, one cut across Minto`s thigh and he fell to the group clutching his leg.

Bolt-pistol rounds and las-pistol bolts flashed though the air as the two sides blindly shot at each other. In this orgy of blind violence YT-75 was hit three times and slumped down over the crystal cluster, and Arbites Beech was cut down by Mandrake’s accurate las-pistol fire.

Wells rounded the corner of the shipping container, his flanking manoeuvre complete, and opened fire with his auto-gun.  The new danger from an unknown quarter made up Paschal`s mind and she ordered Broadgate to pull out until reinforcements arrived.

After a few sporadic shots the fighting ceased, and the crew of the Belgrave had time to regrouped.  Mandrake saw to YT-75s injuries as best as he could, they were not as serious as they could have been, with some aid she would be able to limp back to the ship.

 Shino S climbed down from the shipping container clutching an old hessian bag. Inside the bag there was a crudely made sword.  Its age pitted blade was kept in place with rusted wire that led down to a skull shaped pommel.

YT-75 was about to tell the crew to get back to searching when the sound of a siren broke through the sound of the rainstorm.

The crew looked at the sword and glanced at each other.  It was not the treasure horde they had been led to believe, but at least things had gone more smoothly than the last job.