Chapter 4 - First Blood
At the edge of the system, the Valorous lies in wait. A patient hunter, concealed in the asteroid belt just short of the jump point with its reactors powered down and running silent.
"I don't like this, sir. We've been here too long, maybe the information was inaccurate or maybe the convoy has already passed through."
"No Captain, the information was perfect. There's no reason the governor would lie about that, he would gain nothing. The convoy may have already passed through but I doubt it."
"I also still think we take an unnecessary risk by waiting in its destination system. If we aren't fast enough the system fleet will tear us apart."
"Then we must simply be fast enough. Waiting here, just at the edge of their destination is the only way we can be sure of a catch with our limited fleet. This is the one place they have no ability to avoid, because it is where they are going. Similarly, this is the last place they would expect trouble, for all the reasons you are hesitant for us to stay. And so, a less careful captain may power down some of his weapons to spare his reactor 'unneeded' strain. And that will be his undoing."
"And if the captain is a careful one?"
"Nothing changes. We'll win anyway."
"Commodore," a cry from across the bridge calls out, "we have them! Several ships reverting to realspace exactly as predicted!"
"Numbers and classifications?"
"Five cargo haulers, a single light cruiser. Dauntless-class, the Fang of Retribution. They're running on low power, just as predicted."
"See Captain? This won't be a problem at all. Less guarded than I expected, but one never complains about their good fortune. Have the Rapier prepare torpedo tubes, targets along the Light Cruiser's trajectory. Divert power to engines and shields, all ahead full."
"Aye Commodore."
"Commodore?" Auirme begins to inquire hesitantly, "are you sure about this? At this present course, we'll ram them."
"No we won't, because before we do you'll angle the ship downwards seventy degrees. We'll go right under them."
"But they will just rotate their ship to… oh!"
"You get it now? If they rotate to bring their guns to bear on us, they'll expose their blind spot to the Rapier. They can't stop both of us."
"Commodore, they've spotted us and are powering weapons and locking on."
"Stick to the plan, the shields will hold."
The ship slices through space, with an Imperial Cruiser's signature lack of grace or elegance. The loyalist firepower, while more than adequate against your average pirates, simply splashes off the shields of a similar sized ship, causing ripples and bursts of colour to flash out across the shields. A battle such as this could last for hours with no real effects, the two are simply too evenly matched. K'Von however, has a plan. At his command, the Valorous dives sharply, just short of ramming the loyalist craft. At the same time, with the kind of coordination that comes from years of experience, the Rapier swings around to fire a volley of shells into the aft of the cruiser and to send a lance beam spearing into the engines of one of the transports. The cruiser, caught between the hammer and the anvil, flounders. Gripped by panic, its captain hesitates before making a decision of direction. That indecisiveness proves to be his undoing, as the volley of torpedoes fired earlier from the Rapier slams into the cruiser, bypassing the void shields and burning holes into the hull. The renegade fleet pours their firepower into the cruiser, and the void shields, already stretched to the limit by the internal damage and external pressure, collapse. With the catastrophic yet dazzling beautiful flaring that accompanies a void shield collapse, the cruiser's hull is laid bare. Thirty minutes later, the battle is over. The cruiser drifts, broken and disabled in space, a once proud vessel of the Imperial Navy laid low. On the bridge of the Valorous, the mood is jubilant. A victory at last, and one bought without much blood to boot. The air is still thick with tension; every crew member knows that the defense fleet will be here soon and, if they are caught in the open, there will be no way the Valorous makes it out in one piece.
"Commodore, the Rapier reports good hunting, four of the five transports have been boarded and captured. The fifth managed to destroy itself before we could seize control. Damage is minimal, but that maneuver we pulled off reportedly put some strain on the engines, it may need some proper repairs once we return. The convoy was transporting..."
------------
[ ] [Cargo] "... raw materials, on its way to a refinery world."
[ ] [Cargo] "... weapons and vehicles, likely for supplying an armoured Militarum regiment."
[ ] [Cargo] "... ship components, specifically for power generators and void shields."
[ ] [Cargo] "... low security prisoners for incarceration on one of the penal labour worlds."
[ ] [Cargo] "... Astartes-pattern power armour and equipment. Nothing we can use ourselves, but it could be worth something."
------------
"Very good Captain, very good. We've done well today. Prepare the ship to leave."
"Leave? But what of the enemy cruiser? It's disabled but it isn't destroyed, are we simply to leave it here?"
"Well of course. We need to leave behind some sort of mark, to let the Imperium know who it is that has bested them here and who it is who shall best them again in the future. This will be the first of many marks I shall burn into this sector, until the whole Segmentum knows my name. We can't do that if we destroy all the witnesses. Unless you, or anyone for that matter, have a better idea?"
"Well, we could board it. Another light cruiser would be a great addition to our force. We may not be able to fully crew it immediately, but we won't be getting many chances as good as this to expand our arsenal. Also, we could-"
"-Yes we must board that ship, and slaughter the lapdogs aboard!" interrupts Thume, "that craft must be taken and dedicated to the dark gods, so that they may reward us with their gaze."
"I do not care for your gods, Thume, and i have no interest in your rituals."
"Ah but they definitely have an interest in you, Commodore. I have seen it, you have attracted but the tiniest portion of their gaze, but it is enough that anyone blessed with sight may see. We all serve their designs, even if we cannot yet see where we fit in."
K'Von feels his skin crawl slightly, Auirme unconsciously fingers the aquila hung around her neck before speaking softly, "sir, not everyone aboard that ship needs to be an enemy. I'm sure that many of them could even be convinced to support our cause and-"
"Shut up, both of you," he waves his hands at them in a vague manner, "I'm thinking."
A brief moment of silence, before he clicks his fingers. "That's it, we're..."
----------------------
[ ] [Action] "... leaving."
This option will anger both Auirme and Thume, but may well allow K'Von's fame to grow. Leaving the ship's crew alive may backfire however.
[ ] [Action] "... boarding it. We could use another ship."
This option will anger Thume, but will please Auirme and add a new ship to the fleet. It will be heavily damaged, especially the power generators, and severely lacking in crew.
[ ] [Action] "... boarding it. I will humour your 'gods' Thume. For your sake, I hope your beliefs turn out to be grounded."
This option will anger Auirme, but will please Thume and cause the enemy ship and crew to be sacrificed to the Chaos Gods.
--------------------
Intelligence Report: Chaos Cults
Commodore, our network of informants and spies throughout the fleet has picked up on an unsettling phenomenon. Chaos cults have begun springing up, alongside shrines and other impromptu places of worship. Sacrifices have been reported to take place, but so far all victims have been willing. These cults have not broken the ship's peace, nor have they moved against your authority yet. What must be done?
[ ] [Intel] Fight fire with fire. Start setting up more shrines and preachers for the Imperial Cult, our sanitised version of course, and try to prevent more crew members from falling to this heresy.
[ ] [Intel] Infiltrate them with our own agents, find out as much information as we can before making any moves.
[ ] [Intel] Crack down on them. Extreme measures must sometimes be taken to purge the rot. Ban these cults and raid their meeting places.
[ ] [Intel] Let them be. They are not bothering anyone, merely exercising their newfound religious freedoms. Focus on finding actual traitors.
-----------------
When voting, pick one [cargo], one [action] and one [Intel].
Well here's our first taste of actual combat. It isn't as much or good as I had hoped to write but I've been rather sick recently and just wanted to move the story along. Little has changed since the last threadmark in terms of the OOB and Characters, so I won't bother posting those again.
"I don't like this, sir. We've been here too long, maybe the information was inaccurate or maybe the convoy has already passed through."
"No Captain, the information was perfect. There's no reason the governor would lie about that, he would gain nothing. The convoy may have already passed through but I doubt it."
"I also still think we take an unnecessary risk by waiting in its destination system. If we aren't fast enough the system fleet will tear us apart."
"Then we must simply be fast enough. Waiting here, just at the edge of their destination is the only way we can be sure of a catch with our limited fleet. This is the one place they have no ability to avoid, because it is where they are going. Similarly, this is the last place they would expect trouble, for all the reasons you are hesitant for us to stay. And so, a less careful captain may power down some of his weapons to spare his reactor 'unneeded' strain. And that will be his undoing."
"And if the captain is a careful one?"
"Nothing changes. We'll win anyway."
"Commodore," a cry from across the bridge calls out, "we have them! Several ships reverting to realspace exactly as predicted!"
"Numbers and classifications?"
"Five cargo haulers, a single light cruiser. Dauntless-class, the Fang of Retribution. They're running on low power, just as predicted."
"See Captain? This won't be a problem at all. Less guarded than I expected, but one never complains about their good fortune. Have the Rapier prepare torpedo tubes, targets along the Light Cruiser's trajectory. Divert power to engines and shields, all ahead full."
"Aye Commodore."
"Commodore?" Auirme begins to inquire hesitantly, "are you sure about this? At this present course, we'll ram them."
"No we won't, because before we do you'll angle the ship downwards seventy degrees. We'll go right under them."
"But they will just rotate their ship to… oh!"
"You get it now? If they rotate to bring their guns to bear on us, they'll expose their blind spot to the Rapier. They can't stop both of us."
"Commodore, they've spotted us and are powering weapons and locking on."
"Stick to the plan, the shields will hold."
The ship slices through space, with an Imperial Cruiser's signature lack of grace or elegance. The loyalist firepower, while more than adequate against your average pirates, simply splashes off the shields of a similar sized ship, causing ripples and bursts of colour to flash out across the shields. A battle such as this could last for hours with no real effects, the two are simply too evenly matched. K'Von however, has a plan. At his command, the Valorous dives sharply, just short of ramming the loyalist craft. At the same time, with the kind of coordination that comes from years of experience, the Rapier swings around to fire a volley of shells into the aft of the cruiser and to send a lance beam spearing into the engines of one of the transports. The cruiser, caught between the hammer and the anvil, flounders. Gripped by panic, its captain hesitates before making a decision of direction. That indecisiveness proves to be his undoing, as the volley of torpedoes fired earlier from the Rapier slams into the cruiser, bypassing the void shields and burning holes into the hull. The renegade fleet pours their firepower into the cruiser, and the void shields, already stretched to the limit by the internal damage and external pressure, collapse. With the catastrophic yet dazzling beautiful flaring that accompanies a void shield collapse, the cruiser's hull is laid bare. Thirty minutes later, the battle is over. The cruiser drifts, broken and disabled in space, a once proud vessel of the Imperial Navy laid low. On the bridge of the Valorous, the mood is jubilant. A victory at last, and one bought without much blood to boot. The air is still thick with tension; every crew member knows that the defense fleet will be here soon and, if they are caught in the open, there will be no way the Valorous makes it out in one piece.
"Commodore, the Rapier reports good hunting, four of the five transports have been boarded and captured. The fifth managed to destroy itself before we could seize control. Damage is minimal, but that maneuver we pulled off reportedly put some strain on the engines, it may need some proper repairs once we return. The convoy was transporting..."
------------
[ ] [Cargo] "... raw materials, on its way to a refinery world."
[ ] [Cargo] "... weapons and vehicles, likely for supplying an armoured Militarum regiment."
[ ] [Cargo] "... ship components, specifically for power generators and void shields."
[ ] [Cargo] "... low security prisoners for incarceration on one of the penal labour worlds."
[ ] [Cargo] "... Astartes-pattern power armour and equipment. Nothing we can use ourselves, but it could be worth something."
------------
"Very good Captain, very good. We've done well today. Prepare the ship to leave."
"Leave? But what of the enemy cruiser? It's disabled but it isn't destroyed, are we simply to leave it here?"
"Well of course. We need to leave behind some sort of mark, to let the Imperium know who it is that has bested them here and who it is who shall best them again in the future. This will be the first of many marks I shall burn into this sector, until the whole Segmentum knows my name. We can't do that if we destroy all the witnesses. Unless you, or anyone for that matter, have a better idea?"
"Well, we could board it. Another light cruiser would be a great addition to our force. We may not be able to fully crew it immediately, but we won't be getting many chances as good as this to expand our arsenal. Also, we could-"
"-Yes we must board that ship, and slaughter the lapdogs aboard!" interrupts Thume, "that craft must be taken and dedicated to the dark gods, so that they may reward us with their gaze."
"I do not care for your gods, Thume, and i have no interest in your rituals."
"Ah but they definitely have an interest in you, Commodore. I have seen it, you have attracted but the tiniest portion of their gaze, but it is enough that anyone blessed with sight may see. We all serve their designs, even if we cannot yet see where we fit in."
K'Von feels his skin crawl slightly, Auirme unconsciously fingers the aquila hung around her neck before speaking softly, "sir, not everyone aboard that ship needs to be an enemy. I'm sure that many of them could even be convinced to support our cause and-"
"Shut up, both of you," he waves his hands at them in a vague manner, "I'm thinking."
A brief moment of silence, before he clicks his fingers. "That's it, we're..."
----------------------
[ ] [Action] "... leaving."
This option will anger both Auirme and Thume, but may well allow K'Von's fame to grow. Leaving the ship's crew alive may backfire however.
[ ] [Action] "... boarding it. We could use another ship."
This option will anger Thume, but will please Auirme and add a new ship to the fleet. It will be heavily damaged, especially the power generators, and severely lacking in crew.
[ ] [Action] "... boarding it. I will humour your 'gods' Thume. For your sake, I hope your beliefs turn out to be grounded."
This option will anger Auirme, but will please Thume and cause the enemy ship and crew to be sacrificed to the Chaos Gods.
--------------------
Intelligence Report: Chaos Cults
Commodore, our network of informants and spies throughout the fleet has picked up on an unsettling phenomenon. Chaos cults have begun springing up, alongside shrines and other impromptu places of worship. Sacrifices have been reported to take place, but so far all victims have been willing. These cults have not broken the ship's peace, nor have they moved against your authority yet. What must be done?
[ ] [Intel] Fight fire with fire. Start setting up more shrines and preachers for the Imperial Cult, our sanitised version of course, and try to prevent more crew members from falling to this heresy.
[ ] [Intel] Infiltrate them with our own agents, find out as much information as we can before making any moves.
[ ] [Intel] Crack down on them. Extreme measures must sometimes be taken to purge the rot. Ban these cults and raid their meeting places.
[ ] [Intel] Let them be. They are not bothering anyone, merely exercising their newfound religious freedoms. Focus on finding actual traitors.
-----------------
When voting, pick one [cargo], one [action] and one [Intel].
Well here's our first taste of actual combat. It isn't as much or good as I had hoped to write but I've been rather sick recently and just wanted to move the story along. Little has changed since the last threadmark in terms of the OOB and Characters, so I won't bother posting those again.
