Resilient 23

<Rosenkrantz_GM> IT IS THE 41st MILLENNIUM...
<Rosenkrantz_GM> After the ominous warning of the beastmaster greenskin you slayed, and knowing the Orks have begun an aggressive attack on the Krieger firebase you have taken the defenses on the depot as your main priority. For five days you have worked night and day to prepare yourselves for whatever may come.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Perhaps most concerning of all, you have yet to receive any comms from HQ.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Standing orders are to destroy the depot and all that is in it should a week go by in this state of comms blackout.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Preparing for the very worst, the Lieutenant has ordered the rigging of the promethium and heavy munitions to blow should the squad be overrun by the beasts.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> It is now just past midnight, and the watch shifts.
* Kass is dozing in one of the watch towers.
* von_Geyer takes up his position at the gate tower, voxing the psyker and each of their comrades for confirmation
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Rourke checks the lines leading to the improvised explosives for the tenth time, ensuring they are clearly marked as they lead into the position just behind the gates where their triggers have been set.
* Solomun is held up in the southern tower with Nappen: watching and waiting.
* Victrus_Macharius is dosing off in one of the two towers next the main entrance to the facility.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The Krieger Death Rider horse paces slowly about -it's as though the animal never sleeps.
* Raolin stakes out the middle north tower studying the forest intently.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The darkness around the facility can almost be described as having density, without a moon to shine light on the surroundings.
<von_Geyer> +Remain vigilant. Watch for the little ones - those are usually sent ahead.+
<Solomun> +Understood.+
* Hodor sleeps
* Kass starts awake, sensing...something out there. To the North or the West, something that shouldn't be out there. Movement? He puts a finger to his ear, +LT, I think I've got movement to my north and west. I can't pinpoint it in this crap light though.+
<Raolin> +Noise on the North tree line..could be the wind but I feel something is there+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Suddenly, to anyone awake, you hear... hammering? Tapping of some sort, strikes against wood.
* von_Geyer peers at the general direction with his magnoculars
<Rosenkrantz_GM> "YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
<von_Geyer> +Savant-Militant, to the gate.+
* von_Geyer moves to the gate
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The high-pitched scream moves towards you, waking you all. It flies above you, and ends in a thump against one of the promethium storage tanks to the South.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Then another...
<Rosenkrantz_GM> more and more.
<von_Geyer> +Check those Gretchin for bombs!+
* Victrus_Macharius is woken from his sleep, "What in the name of the emperor was that."
<Kass> "Fecking Emperor!" He says in astonishment.
* von_Geyer turns his flashlight and points it towards the storage tanks
<Rosenkrantz_GM> For a moment, the Lieutenant sees a skittering figure.
<Solomun> "Suicidal, aren't they? Let's go, Nappen."
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The Death Rider horse begins to get aggitated.
* Hodor wakes up and gets ready for combat
* Victrus_Macharius looks over toward the storage tank, he then grabs his las gun.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> You can hear the shifting ground all around you, with thumps and clicks against the metal structures.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> "Fuck, FUCK!" Gilliam screams
<von_Geyer> +Wake everyone up! Rourke, Avis, watch the towers!+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The cackle of the spiteful imps follows.
* von_Geyer pulls out his chainsword and pistol and runs in the direction of the storage tanks
<von_Geyer> "GIT DOWN ON DA GROUND, YA GROTS!"
* Kass attaches his flashlight to his lasgun and flicks it on before moving to Gillam. "Gillam! Hold on!"
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The clap of lasfire and its light shows you the desperate medicae assistant firing at what must be a dozen of these charging him wielding sharp blades.
* von_Geyer revs up the chainsword and charges
* Solomun sees the medic firing at little green xenos and runs in.
<von_Geyer> +I and the Commissar shall handle these! Everyone else to the towers, now! This could be a diversion!+
<von_Geyer> +Hodor, kill little thing!+
* Hodor runs towards sound of fire
* Raolin heads down from the tower towards the commotion readying his pistols
* Victrus_Macharius sees the others drop down to take on the imps, he stays up in the tower as ordered, turning to keep a watch to the outside of the wall
<Kass> "Goddammit. He stays in his position, shutting the light off to not make him a target and to get his night vision back.
<Hodor> "HODOR SMASH"
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Soon, Gilliam stops firing, in the dark you can barely see as he becomes overwhelmed by the attackers.
* von_Geyer revs his chainsword and furiously swings at the Gretchin. He cleaves one in half with an overhead swing, disembowels another with a horizontal blow, then brutally pistol-whips a third, caving its skull in
* Solomun conjures his energy and dives into the mind of the Xenos, suggesting them to attack their comrades.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Suddenly, the creatures begin to brawl amongst themselves, sreaking insults at one another.
* Hodor charges the nearest enemy
* Hodor sends 5 grot heads flying
* von_Geyer chases the scattering grots and manages to stomp one underfoot
* Kass hearing one of those blasted things stuck like a squealing grox, he flips his light on, and points it towards the noise. "That's right, scream you filth."
* Solomun tries to redominate the little green menace, but he fails while posing. He looks like an idiot posing in the field of the middle.
<Raolin> +If you have the situation under control Lieutenant I'm returning to the wall+
<von_Geyer> +Go ahead, Commissar.+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The single one of these green imps not controlled by the psyker throws dirt in the eyes of those possessed and turns to flee, seeking a way out through the improvised gate reinforcements.
* Hodor kills the last grots
* von_Geyer rushes the straggler and tears its head off with the chainsword. With a furious shout, he lobs it over the gate, shouting "ZOGOFF!"
<von_Geyer> +Status report.+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> "Fucking... gremlins!" Gilliam gets up with some difficulty cursing the attackers.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> He has ugly wounds along his legs.
<Kass> A lasbolt burns brightly as Kass attempts to shoot one of the little bastards. Alas the night has messed with his vision and he narrowly misses one of them as they skamper off back into the treeline. He curses and ducks down turning his flashlight off. +Contact north side, one of those bease got caught in a trap.+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Gilliam limps to the living quarters.
<von_Geyer> +Keep watch on all sides. It could be a diversion. Get to the towers, now!+
<Solomun> +Got it, heading back. ASAP.+
* Kass moves to the other side of the tower before he rises out of cover to look around once more.
<Kass> +Gillam still alive, LT?"+
<Victrus_Macharius> +Copy that.+ He continues to keep a look out, and quickly checks over the towers Autocannon.
* Solomun moves back to the southern Gate Tower.
* Raolin returns to his original position again taking up watch across the northern tree line
<von_Geyer> +He's wounded. Get to him if there aren't any targets in your line of sight.+
* von_Geyer takes his place at the gate tower.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> An hour passes, without incident. The forest returns to its peaceful silence. A silence you now know to be deceitful, hiding what you know is lurking just beyond.
<Kass> +They've run into the tree line, sir. I'll be back in a couple of minutes.+
* Kass returns to his post after patching up his comrade. +Gillam's banged up, lots of lacerations. I wouldn't have him do anything more than man one of the gun emplacements.+
* Victrus_Macharius has changed position over the past hour to the middle south tower with Ibram as ordered by the Geyer.
<von_Geyer> +That's what he's going to do. Savant, take Rourke to back you up instead.+
* von_Geyer racks the Autocannon and starts scanning for xenos
<Solomun> +Roger.+
* Raolin moves position based on the recommendation of the Lieutenant re-holstering his pistols
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Several more hours pass. Every occupant wide awake, and alert...
<Rosenkrantz_GM> From atop the towers, you can see the sun begin to filter through the thick woodlands, bringing color to the skies.
<von_Geyer> +Gillam, burn the greenskin corpses+
<Victrus_Macharius> +CONTACT SOUTH!+
<von_Geyer> +Where?!+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> A mob of gretchins charges out of the treeline straight at the gatehouse from the South.
<Victrus_Macharius> +Heading for the gate at a charge, there bigger the other ones.+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> They run in onimous silence.
<von_Geyer> +Fire at will!+
<von_Geyer> +Hold your positions. Commissar, Hodor, back us up.+
<Hodor> "Okay"
* Raolin mounts the Krieg Death Horse and spurs the war beast towards the gate
<Raolin> +On our way Lieutenant+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The masked beast stomps hard on the ground - its instinct for combat kicking in.
* Victrus_Macharius opens fire with the Autocannon, killing several of the gretchins.
* von_Geyer opens up with the Autocannon, blowing up the greenskins
<Rosenkrantz_GM> As they push onward, several of them fall into the punji pits, impaling themselves.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> You then hear the roaring of engines off to the west. Soon after, the war cry of the greenskins joins the cacophany as an all-out assault bursts through the tree line.
<von_Geyer> +Rourke, Gillam, double-time it to Yonova!+
<von_Geyer> +Rip them up, men! We have bullets for days!+
<Kass> +Main assault west side! Engaging now!+ This is emphasized by the loud booms of Kass' autocannon as he opens up on the nearest warbuggy.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The two shots that hit the ork vehicle strike one of the weapons, rendering it inoperable, and locking it in place.
<von_Geyer> +Everyone but Maccharius, to the western wall!+
* Hodor runs to wall
* Raolin reigns and wheels the horse about changing direction to the western wall
<Victrus_Macharius> +Understood.+
<Raolin> +On our way to you Kass. Stand firm in the face of these Xenos filth!+
* Victrus_Macharius continues to fire upon with the autocannon, tearing through at least twenty six of the small green skins.
<Solomun> +...Guys, there's something from the west! It's one of those Psychic Ork types.+
<Kass> "I'd have preferred not knowing that." He says to himself.
<von_Geyer> +Solomun, to the western wall, now!+
* Solomun snaps his fingers and try to remember the name. He says "...A WEIRD BOY. It's a bloody weird boy.+
* Solomun starts moving.
<Solomun> +Running as fast.+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The furthest of the tracked vehicles fires a pair of rokkits at the wall...
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The detonation is devastating, as the wall is blasted away, debris raining on the interior narrowly missing you. The breech immediately invigorates the greenskins.
<Raolin> +Solomun I'm on my way to your position. Start running this way.+
* von_Geyer swivels his autocannon around towards the orks on the western wall, but the recoil throws his aim off into the treeline
<von_Geyer> +Focus fire! Take down those vehicles!+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The vehicle Kass engages now fires off its rokkits, but the haphazard ork technology fails, as they turn abruptly up and to the left, landing beyond the treeline to the North.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> From just beyond the treeling, a powerful green bolt of energy crackles forward, passing not a meter above the wall, harmlessly at the heavens. While you have avoided whatever this was its power is undeniably fearsome.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The two greenskin groups charge to the breach, one of them losing a pair of its members to yet another trap!
<von_Geyer> +Enemy psyker engaging us! Yonova, shoot it as soon as it shows its face!+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Meanwhile, the southern assault comes to a halt, as the gretchins disperse.
<Kass> "God-Emperor have mercy." The medic intones in a horrified voice, eyes wide.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The north-most tracked ork vehicle's ammo supply of rokkits takes a direct hit and the vehicle erupts from within. Shards of molten metal are sent flying in every direction as the vehicle is reduces to a smoking crater.
<Kass> The SMO makes a wooping noise as he sees that warbuggy explode into molten chunks of metal.
* Hodor gets into the fray
* Raolin changes direction and urges the horse at full speed towards Solomun's position
* Solomun sees the Commissar in the distance and runs towards him.
<Victrus_Macharius> Seeing that the small greenskins are in full retreat, he and Ibram both bolt it across the wall, starting their trek to the south west tower to help in the fight.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The second warbuggy charges forward at full speed, dodging the improvised explosives, straight at the Ogryn!
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The vehicle slams into the Ogryn with horrifying force, launching him two meters back.
* Hodor gets hit by the buggy and is sent prone
<von_Geyer> +Commissar, to the breach!+
<Raolin> +After I pick up the psyker Lieutenant. That is the plan.+
* von_Geyer braces the massive gun and fires at the largest concentration of Orks.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> From beyond the tree-line, a large glowing Ork rises beyond the height of the trees, summoning another barrage of green lightning, this time at the tower on the north of this wall. Kass is able to dive into cover on time, but Gilliam...
<Rosenkrantz_GM> he combusts, the green energy overwhelming his mortal form. When it comes to its peak, the energy erupts from within, the guardsman exploding in a terrible fashion.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The Ork horde now reaches the opening, breaching the interior with two Nobs at the lead! Just then, "Big Mek Zagwizza" dismounts the vehicle he used to ram into the Ogryn, and lets out a terrifying warcry!
<Kass> Slowly blinks his eyes, standing from the sitting position he was just in from that green explosion. Dazed he asks, "Gillam?" He looks to and fro for his comrade. "Gillam?" No, God-Emperor no, not again. "GILLAM!!!!" He screams out in rage as he gets back on the autocannon emplacement. He yells out his sorrow and fury as he concentrates on killing as many greenskins as possible.
<von_Geyer> +Rourke, Avis, get to the medic.+
* Hodor gets up and shoots the mek
<Hodor> "HODOR SHOOT"
<Kass> Using his rage, Kass moves the autocannon upon it's mounted rail until it's pointing inwards towards the break-in of the west wall. He depresses the firing stud while aiming at the side of the warbuggy, hoping for it to explode.
* Raolin pulls the psyker over the saddle sideways then wheels the horse back towards the breach and the oncoming green tide
<Solomun> "Commissar, I'm about to make your mount 'invisible'."
* Victrus_Macharius seeing everything that is happening, they sprint forward but instead stop above the gate where hi heavy bolter is set up, both feel somewhat wore out from running.
<Raolin> "What"
* Solomun says an incantation and touches the horse, turning it invisible.
<Solomun> "Your horse is still here, just don't panic."
<Rosenkrantz_GM> "GET DEM 'UMIES BOYZ! TEACH 'EM STOOPID PALE 'UNS WHAT IT MEANS TO TA MESS WIF DA BIG MEK GARGMEK ZAGWIZZA!!"
<Raolin> "Turn my Emperor-damned horse back you damn witch'
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The orks all around respond with a terrible war-cry "WAAAAAGGHHH!!!"
<Solomun> "Give me a few minutes."
<Raolin> "Forget it psyker, we don't have the time. Just focus on killing the enemy."
* von_Geyer swings his autocannon round and clips one of the Boyz, killing him instantly.
<Solomun> "Understood. Get me closer, I WANT TO BURN THEM."
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The large, glowing ork pushes forward, waving its arms in the air, conjuring more bolts of energy. At its feet, a fat squig attached by a cable around its neck follows its master.
<von_Geyer> +Targeting the Wyrdboy.+
* von_Geyer swivels the autocannon towards him, then ducks
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The bolt barely misses the lieutenant.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> One of the Nobs charges forward at the Ogryn, but his attack is parried to the side.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The second of the beasts charges right after, striking the Ogryn from his flank.
* Kass slows his breath, aiming the auto-cannon a little more to the right before firing another 3-round burst. This time he is rewarded with a mighty explosion, shaking the wall and courtyard. He watches as the area around the explosion is littered with ork corpses. "That was for Gillam you green bastards!"
<Solomun> "Son of a bitch, threw me off." He wipes the dust off himself.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The explosion is such that the bulk of the Ork horde disappears in the blast. The Nobs and Big Mek get thrown off several meters. As they come to, they realize that the boyz they brought along have been annihilated, or are now breaking. "COME BACK YOU SQUIG LOVING COWARDS! FIGHT DA 'UMIES!"
<Kass> Maniacal laughter echoes above the decimated ork force.
* Raolin spurs the horse past the Orks heading straight toward the filthy Ork psyker. The beast makes contact raking the weirdboy with it's talons
* Victrus_Macharius hopes on his heavy bolter, although exhausted, he pulls together all his strength, he takes aim and opens fire onto the Big Mek.
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Pieces of the MegaMek's body fly in all directions as it is torn into bloody gobbets by the attack, torso shredded by the bolter fire guided no-doubt by the Emperor himself. Blood and gore flies into the Ogryn, Big Mekk, and his companion Nob, fouling their sight.
<Hodor> "Hodor!!!"
<Rosenkrantz_GM> That instant, the Nob turns and breaks, running out of the breach on the collapsed wall.
<Victrus_Macharius> "YEA, TAKE THAT YOU GREEN FUCKER!"
* Solomun commands the broken Nob to kill his Weird Boy ally.
* von_Geyer opens his mouth to give a heroic speech, which is drowned out by the sound of his Autocannon
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The unstable powers of the mad creature betray it, as the energy around him becomes a crack of thunder and small mushroom of green smoke - launching it into the air far above the height of the walls... With a sickening thump and crack, it falls to the ground not a meter away from the commissar, breaking bones and parting its skull.
* Solomun controls the Nob and makes it commit suicide in front of the squad. Stabbing and hearting away till it reaches its heart with it's knife.
<Hodor> "Hodor get healing"
* Hodor gets directed to triage
* Victrus_Macharius lowers the heavy bolter looking over the mess, his mind racing and his heart beating fast, "What a fight, right Ibram?"
* Solomun turns off the focus on the invisibility power, making the horse visible.
* Kass lets out a sigh of relief before slumping against the emplaced weapon. He would mourn his comrade later. For now there was still work to do. The medic slowly picks himself up, gathering his kit before heading down to the triage he and his now dead comrade set up.
<Solomun> *Sigh* +Back on cleaning duty?+
<Rosenkrantz_GM> Without being given the order, Vitoria approaches the Lieutenant, mouth-piece in hand.
* von_Geyer takes it, then pauses.
<von_Geyer> "You have fought well, Vitoria. Whatever your past sins, you have earned your place in the Guard in my eyes."
<Rosenkrantz_GM> The jaded local nods.
<Kass> The SMO cleans and patches up the Ogryn. He even gives the big abhuman a sweet from his rations for being such a good boy during Kass' work.