You descend into the depths of the station, clutching your sword and pistol to your side, keeping up a stern pace and projecting the appropriate amount of heroic resolve as is expected of an officer. Shoulder-mounted lights are switched to maximum intensity, bathing the hallway before you in light, and supplementing your helmet's augmented vision modes.
This reminds me John Ringo's work, where he had one young officer that likewise tried to project a stoic and determined expression...he got asked about his constipation by his men.
At your side, Vox-Trooper Primevére Cartier holds up a hand as the heavier equipment on her back picks up a distorted signal, she works her craft and ensures you receive a clearer message from Void-Sergeant Philip.
"Mutant masses charging up the central passage. We are laying down suppressing fi- Take cover!" The sound of autogun fire and the zzap-crack of las weaponry was transmitted over the vox. You hear the thump-thump of the quad-mortar on the rapier sending out a steady stream of frag rounds into the tunnel. "Be advised. Mutants are bringing firearms to bear."
May the skadoosh be with you men, for we go into equally perilous environs.
You grit your teeth and continue on. You are closer to the Astartes than the docks. A true noble stays the course once committed. The words of your mentors, instructor, tutors, and etiquette-savants resound in your head.
Not wrong, once you start something in battle, if you hesitate you die. it is why making sure you have done as much as possible to make the right decision beforehand is important.
You turn to Jean Claude, the former family servant turned Vexilla bearer. The man's backpack has the symbol of the first section embedded onto the back, a large steel banner with a Gothic '1' engraved into a metal scroll set into a circular seal. "We continue. Our path is set for us, and we will not dawdle!"
Forward! For Glory and a new age!
Also nice we have a manservant that's working with us. Bit of familiarity and comfort.
The sound of bolter fire in the distance echoes from down the hallway, interspersed by a mechanical hiss and a sound akin to a lasgun but slightly different, that you do not recognize.
After several minutes, the sound of frag explosions dies down behind you as the advance continues. The Solar Auxilia behind you move through the dark carefully, Lasrifles sweeping the hallways and clearing each entrance with consummate skill. There are few mutants in your path, and those few that skulk within range are immediately shot the instant they appear. You smile at the efficiency of your troops.
Yeah, sounds like Rapier was pretty busy but if they weren't bringing out the phosphex, then this is hopefully something they can handle. Am glad we didn't bring them if only because I do not like the look of what we're going into.
The hololith on the helmet's display shows you are approaching a large open space. You see the markers of the Ninth Legion pop into life. You raise your sword and begin to break into a jog, urging your soldiers to follow you, not slowing down when you begin to hear the screaming and guttural roars of the mutants and the Astartes they are fighting. Chainswords revving, bolters blasting.
Say what you will about our boi, but he does not lead from the rear, although depending on if our troops like us or not...that has its own risks >.>
Either way, seems like the spez marines are veddy busy.
As you enter the room the first thing you notice is just how damn many corpses there are. The floor is covered with blood, enough blood that it is flowing like the gutters of Pars. The Astartes have left carnage in their path. A waterfall of blood is pouring down the gangway into the room below.
Ah, good to see that Paris has never changed if the gutters of Paris are still a nightmare for anything short of a Gelatinous cube. Seems like the proto blood angels are really diving into their job here...and also seems like it wasn't that hard for the mutants to lead them into a trap.
A swarm of mutants are crawling along the walls of the central chamber, lowering themselves, or leaping down as they rush towards a raised dais in what looks to have once been an audience chamber where presentations might have been given. The remaining Astartes are being assaulted by a tide of mutants. They are punching through their targets, ripping them apart, fighting against venomous jaws, jagged pincers, acidic spit, tentacles, and more eldritch attack methods.
Ah, so not only are the space marines being hit by heavy weapons...but they are also caught out in the open like I figured and put in my terrible map. This isn't good and as risky as this might be, I am glad we came because this means the threats here are more likely to be dealt with rather than coming to face us after killing the spez marines.
"Merde!" You yell as you see the ones leading the mutants.
A very succinct summary of the subpar and supremely sorrowful scene.
Three massive humanoid forms sealed in suits of thick hammered plates, forms crackling with electricity, and large glowing devices sticking out of their flesh. They are as tall as the Astartes, but with none of the grace. Fleshy mass is bulging out from the gaps between their plates, and you can see the meat squirming. Your stomach turns. They are firing into the melee with a myriad of bulky guns unlike any you have seen before, some arcing with lightning, others glowing with orange and blue lights.
They haven't spotted you yet and you take the chance.
Okay...so they were NOT teams of heavy weapons users on something like a machine gun, and sadly we are dealing with armored and most likely shielded if the crackling is any indication.
The armor is far from perfect though as we can see, with a lot of exposed bits for our guys to shoot at, but I'm worried that the combo of what armor they have and the shields will slow us down enough that they will get some shots off.
"Gun them down!" You command, raising your Volkite Serpenta and firing it at the largest mutant. Two sections of Solar Auxiliar form up, forming a double line and opening fire, lasbeams scything through the mutant chaff that tries to divert towards the firing line. Dozens of mutants perish, taking shots meant for their masters. The mutants for a moment are hidden by a cloud of blood steam and exploding organs.
Fuuuuuuuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Okay, so my hope that we'd be able to potshot and ambush the heavy weapons before the battle registered us and adjusted was dashed and soundly. The chaff being something that will automatically take the hits meant for things like the heavy weapons explains why the space marines are in such a risky situation even with the swarming...they outright cannot get to the heavies before dealing with the chaff.
Sparks. Cracking in the air. Screaming. One of the Astartes on the dais below lets out a scream.
Your armour registers ozone. A chill runs down your spine.
Shields.
Yup, shields, between the chaff, the armor spots and the shields, they lasted long enough to return fire...
This is exactly what I was afraid of if we focused fire on the chaff units, willingly or otherwise. The heavies now have the chance to turn and open fire on us...and at this point we gotta hope that this allows the Space Marines to turn the tables.
Two bolts of yellow energy shoot through the smoke, each hitting an Auxiliary, and the one behind them, scorching holes in the wall twenty metres behind the line. There isn't even a scream before their suits crumple to the floor, liquid pouring out of all the mouth grills.
A vehicle-grade gravity cannon charges up.
Eight members of the Third Section are instantly crushed into a ball the size of your fist.
Ooooh...oh this is rough. Ngl, I am REALLY glad we didn't bring Rapier, they are extra squishy and unless they managed to wipe away ALL the chaff in one go (unlikely) or use phosphex, which would kill us all...these heavies would have shredded them.
A bolt of lightning shoots out, scything through four men of First Section and another seven from Third Section, turning them into burnt husks. Void Sergeant Jeane nearly drops her lasrifle in shock. The sergeant you'd reprimanded just exploded next to her and covered her in burnt meaty gore. She turns to face the mutant and shoots, her lasbolt scoring the plate around its heat and burning a neat hole.
Well...at least the guy didn't have to suffer through either paste or wine...
Leaving aside that morbid observation, looks like the heavy armor isn't enough to keep out 'even' lasguns, so it really is just the chaff that are keeping them alive in the face of space marines and now us.
"Keep firing! Their shields are buckling!" You yell, as the barrier around one of the mutant cracks and it is riddled with lasgun blasts, stumbling back but refusing to die, its armour glowing from the impact. You fire your Volkite Serpenta into its chest, setting the lead mutant alight from the inside out.
The armour crumbles, the occupant reduced to a scorched husk.
Haha! I am SO GLAD that the weapons middle class origin won, ye GODS this Volkite weapon rocks!
And yeah, definitely a case of layered defenses.
But still, one down two to g-
Then it stands up and takes aim at you, cold lifeless helmet lenses staring at you.
OH C'MON!
"Abomination!" You scream.
YES! YES IT IS! PURGE IT WITH RIGHTEOUS FURY!!!
A grey shape slams into the armour, picking it up and swinging it into a mutant whose shields popped. The Revenant Legion have leapt up to the mutant leaders and are laying into them. Eight Space marines swarm over the mutant leaders, chainblades tearing through flesh and fists grabbing onto armoured plates and ripping them free.
Okay, well turns out we did in fact clear enough chaff and tank the heavy weapon attacks enough for the space marines to finish the job.
Ngl, While it did work, it also went about as well as it could have and was as bloody as I feared it would be if we didn't get to finish off the heavy weapons first.
This is why you always go for the high threat enemies first if possible, because we got lucky with not getting shrappe'd by the heavy weapons.
I think if we'd switched 3rd and Rapier section...they'd have died if rolls were not changed.
You've never seen anything move as fast as the Space Marines. Their speed and power is magnificent. They tear into the leading mutants, even as your Auxiliaries shift their fire to the rest of the chaff. It is a magnificent sight to see the Astartes in all their glory.
And deeply horrifying. Nothing so big has any right to move so fluidly and so fast.
They are magnificently horrific. Especially in the pre sanguinius days, when their humanity was more of an afterthought in battle.
Sergeant Khorban rips the head from the last of the mutant leaders and holds it up in triumph. The mutants wail and attempt to run, their determination, finally broken. Your Auxiliaries continue to fire, gunning them down as they run.
When the fighting ends, the Revenant Legion wastes no time. They immediately begin to crack open the skulls of the largest mutants and reach for the seals of their helmets. Each of them is a giant of ceramite and muscle, a demigod of war created to conquer the galaxy.
At the very least this seems to be a complete wipe for the mutants, which, as bloody as it was for our side, removes a crapton of chaff units and 3 VERY dangerous leaders/heavy weapons from play in the overall campaign. This will have trickle down effects.
And they are beautiful. Their features angelic and their hair almost as long and blonde as yours. Which makes what happens next all the more revolting. The transhuman supersoldiers eagerly cannibalize the fallen foe without caring in the slightest about your presence.
As your sections look on in horror, dumbstruck by the sight, Sergeant Khorban looks up at you, his mouth wet with brain matter.
I mean, after all that physical exertion, I too would get the monchies...Also I have "Brains" by Voltair playing in my head.
"This one knew of an atmospherics station one level down. Consolidate your forces and follow me. We will flood the inner habitation levels with your destroyer weaponry."
"Our orders are to guard the hangar." You say hesitantly.
...Is he suggesting what I think he's suggesting?
@Mayto Correct me if I am wrong, but I am getting the impression that Khorban wants to use the station to spread phosphex throughout the areas of the lower and inner habitation to essentially purge the enemy before our forces need to engage them. is that the correct tactical and strategic take here as our character would understand it?
Because if that is the case...if this is a chance to hit the enemy where it hurts early and fast...we could annihilate the enemy and save a lot of lives and more on our side.
He stares you down, eating another chunk of brain. There is a feral hunger in his eyes as he licks his lips."Irrelevant. Other landing sites have been chosen already for the primary assault." He eats another chunk, his eyes fading over for a moment. "I have the access codes for a concealed hangar near Atmospherics. It is guarded by wretches we can deal with easily."
Your Vox-Trooper chimes in. "Second Section and the Rapier Section report that the hangar is clear. They are requesting orders."
Okay, glad they made it...because we just got put in a very difficult choice. Idk how large this area we're invading is, but even if this one we can hit isn't the only one, that's still a large section of their forces we can remove in the immediate area, making this point much more effective as a point of invasion.
Following the Marines would be risky, but it might be just what you need to start your career. You imagine the praise and accolades that could result from successfully leading a small force and breaking the enemy defense. You wouldn't lead anyone intentionally to their deaths like a techno-barbarian warlord, just into a dangerous situation.
The right and the duty of an officer!
I mean, the praise and accolades are nice, but I'm just thinking of the effect this can have on the campaign and that it could make things easier, even a little bit, down the line. The less troops the Imperium looses early on, the more they have to use against later threats, and the snowball begins...
Your troops are staring at you, awaiting your next orders. Even in full void armour, it is clear that many of them are still shocked by what happened, and although none are letting it show, they'd clearly prefer to return to the hangar. Disobeying a command from a Space Marine Sergeant, while perfectly legal, could be reported for review
What wil you do?
On the other hand, the troops with us have taking a bit of a beating (to put it mildly) and this could drain their morale further. Not to mention this could have issues with our interactions with the brass and space marines down the line...We are walking a fine line here.
[] Attack the Atmospherics
You will work with the Marines and attack the Atmospherics, bypassing defenses and flooding much of the station's interior with Destroyer Weaponry.
A reputation as someone ready to sacrifice his troops starts to develop among the men.
A reputation as someone able to get results starts to develop among the brass.
This is...honestly really tempting if only because this represents a chance to hit the enemy and hit them HARD thanks to the space marines surviving and essentially giving us an opportunity that we did not know of before.
This means we need to take advantage of it if we do not want it to go to waste...however this means keeping on with our troops which can as we see have an effect on morale. On the other hand, depending on how much QM says this can impact the campaign and battles at large, this could be very much worth it and allow us to take it easier later on.
It's another "Is it worth the risk?" question and...unless QM provides reasons to think otherwise...I feel it will be.
Forces:
-First and Third consolidated Lasrifle Section. You are in command of this Section
-Second Lasrifle Section. Led by Void Sergeant Amélie Beaufort
-First Rapier Destroyer section. Led by Sergeant Philip "Pip" Bernadotte.
*No Destroyer weaponry will be used in the engagement, instead it will be used to destroy the station.*
-one Legionnes Astartes squad.
(Two wounds remaining)
You are attacking.
So we got essentially halved on the troops we took with us (or one got mauled and got absorbed, six of one, half a dozen of other) but the rest of our troops that we left behind came in clear.
We will ALSO be fighting with space marines by our side
as we should have been from the start so that will make a difference as well.
[] Return to the Hangar:
You will return to the hangar and concentrate all your forces around the entrance to resist another assault until command pulls you out or gives you new orders.
Your soldiers will appreciate the concern.
Your decision will be reviewed by the brass.
On the one hand, gives our troops a morale boost and gets us started on relations with them...on the other hand, if it turns out this is a major chance that could affect the battles and campaign...Even if our decision is totally correct in a legal military sense...that we turned down the chance and left the space marines to try alone...that could still sink us. Because then the case could be made that if we had taken that chance, men, materials and more could have been saved by those reviewing us.
Not to mention, if we don't take the chance now, it might well end up leading to us needing to fight more later and our men having to go through worse. Taking the break now could risk us having to fight harder in the future.
(You have taken losses and will be working with reduced troops until reinforced, at which point all sections will be restored to their full strength.)
(The following options have only one engagement area each, and you will not need to distribute troops.)
Okay, so we're going all in on whatever we choose to do, there are no half measures...good to know, and good to know we will be getting fresh troops when we're reinforced.
The wider campaign.
Day 1 of the Neptunian Purgation campaign.
The fight for the habitat continued as our Imperium unleashed its reserves upon the habitant. Two hundred Astartes were deployed at the northern pole of the habitat, with ten thousand of the Verdyn Chemical Engineers in support. Meanwhile another force was being prepared for a landing at the Equatorial docking cradle, intended to provide a coup de grace and push to the heart of the station.
Oh...oh depending on Mayto's answers...that second landing could come to us. Idk, might be me overthinking how valuable the info the space marines got was in terms of what opening was exposed. But I really like this section as it's showing us the campaign as a whole and hopefully the effect our actions have.
All forces were deployed to the most succesful landing sites in order to widen the breach, thereby taking pressure off the rest of the station.
Sub-Tercio Delta, Tercio Primaris, Sub-Cohort Quintus, reported the first engagement with the Gene-Patriarchs without a complete loss of Auxiliaries.
-7th Verdyn Chemical Engineers Cohort Regimental Diary
So by this logic, our landing site wasn't very successful
@Mayto ? And would this station we can sabotage change that? If so, would we know IC how much or be able to guess? (I dont want to ask for info we dont know IC but i also dunno how much we would know IC either)
The other outer habitats of Neptune came under a righterous assault as the Imperium tightened its fist. Five million terran Solar Auxilia spearheaded by a half a million Saturnyne veterans and ten thousand Astartes attacking every outlying habitat and ship at the same time to stop the enemy from consolidating a defense.
Okay so so far we are still facing their outer defenses, and the easier these are to take, the better the campaign will go as a whole, especially with the mutant fuckery we're seeing.
It was in these early engagements that Imperial forces first encountered definitive proof of the existence of the Neptunian Gene-Patriarchs, finally uncovering the tech-caste by which the Neptunian reaver fleets kept their technology operational.
Yup, we faced three of them, they are both ugly AND nasty...like a spinster on your wife's side of the family.
The Gene-Patriarchs are a caste of Neptunians descended from pre-Age of Strife scientists and their descendants who endured the degeneration of the other Neptunians through a strict program of eugenics and genetic engineering, eventually becoming a ruling caste through maintaining both intelligence and much of their technology.
So they're the ones that kept themselves in a semblance of humanity, albeit not a pretty one.
They ruled over thronging billions of sub-sapient mutants, selectively breeding them for a variety of purposes such as weapons, beasts of burden, and livestock, and were kept in check by a caste of Thrallmasters that had enough intelligence to allow for hypno-conditioning the knowledge needed to command their lesser kin.
-Bestiary of the Solar Reclamation, submitted to the Imperial Court, 789M30.
I am getting some hard "All Tomorrows" Vibes from these guys in the way they essentially turned the former human inhabitants into entirely new species of...yikes.
