Wrath and Duty 10

<StaffenGM> The xenos have been annihilated -- but in their wake is rubble; smoking, molten and glassy ground,
<StaffenGM> And puddles of pellet-strewn gore.
<StaffenGM> Priad emerges from the smoke; the Lieutenant General thrown over his shoulder, bound and immobilized.
* Invictus stands near the entrance to the building.
* Draco continues using the sensors from the defense platforms to monitor the situation.
<Priad> Once within the perimeter of the castle, Priad lowers the PDF commander down by her armor and tunic and drops her on the ground unceremoniously. "I would advise you to stay put, your xenos friends nearly killed me and my patience is worn thin." The new patched holes and dents in his armor pay testament to that comment. Some of the recently mended wounds look quite vicious.
* Invictus see Priad with the Lieutenant in tow and makes his way over to him, his armor with damage marks from the hit he took from the Tau commander.
<Priad> "I see I wasn't the only one blooded by those xenos filth."
<Invictus> "No you weren't brother, the filthy xeno's weapon almost cut through my armor, was lucky the wall took most of the hit." He looks at the Lieutenant, "I see you were able to apprehend her."
<StaffenGM> For her part, Koby is keeping quiet.
* Herbert leaves the Janissaries to reform and post up along the fort, and joins the other Astartes.
<Herbert> He approaches the traitor, slowly.
<Herbert> "You and your conspirators have already failed. The Emperor's wrath has descended upon this miserable rock, and nothing can escape his retribution."
<Herbert> "What remains is but detail. The way it ends for you."
<StaffenGM> Lieutenant General Koby closes her eyes, and continues to say nothing.
<Herbert> "The coup you were preparing for. When was it to take place?"
<StaffenGM> The Lieutenant General does not respond.
* Herbert unsheathes his blade.
<Herbert> With the flat of his weapon, he strikes the traitor on the arm.
<StaffenGM> The Knight underestimates his strength; those present can hear bone crack.
<StaffenGM> The Lieutenant General falls over, squirming, wincing yet biting through the pain.
<Priad> +Some willpower on that one.+
<Herbert> "Brother Priad," Herbert points his blade to her.
<Invictus> +Indeed.+
* Priad nods before taking a knee and straightening and sitting the womanup. He then repeates the question to her, though he does not injure her, merely keeps on hand squeezed around an arm.
<StaffenGM> Koby continues to resist with impressive tenacity.
<Priad> "Impressive, but futile." Priad shakes his head.
<Priad> +I don't suppose we could find one of her adjutants or senior officers to interrogate instead?+
<Invictus> +I highly dough that with all the vehicles Draco destroyed.+
<Draco> +They were in the way.+
<Herbert> +Brother Draco. The prisoner requires encouragement. If the traitor's own safety is a matter of no concern to her, perhaps that of her fellow mortals will enlighten her as to the situation.+
<Draco> +Firing at the city? Any particular structure, you want demolished?+
<Herbert> "Brother Priad's way. Or mine."
<Priad> +Regardless, time is of the essence, brothers.+
<Herbert> +Begin with the hab-blocs.+
<Draco> +Firing. Brace yourselves.+
* Herbert looks directly at the prisoner
<StaffenGM> In the distance, a crack of light pierces the sky, rendering another section of the city as vapor.
<StaffenGM> The Lieutenant General, however, seems completely unconcerned. Her eyes remain closed to the situation.
<Herbert> "Reveal the location of the traitor Gage, and your end will be swift."
<Draco> +Kill-team Leader, the Traitors are surrounding the Castle.+
<Herbert> +Discourage their behavior. Invictus. Organize the defense, and report what you see.+
<Draco> +It appears they are attempting to cut you off.+
<Draco> retcon
<Invictus> +It will be done.+ He then moves to gather the defenses.
<StaffenGM> The Lieutenant General, eyes still firmly shut, finally stammers out, "417 Capital Way. District C. Tir Ganon. 22301."
<Herbert> "End this," he calls to Priad as he exits to assess the situation outside.
* Invictus makes his way up to the top of the wall around the castle.
<StaffenGM> As Herbert and Invictus inspect the perimeter, they find that there is not, in fact, anything at all in the immediate area.
<StaffenGM> The surrounding buildings block off vision of the city at-large.
<Priad> "May the Emperor show mercy upon your damned soul, Lieutenant-General." Priad unsheathes his astartes blade and decapitates her in one swift motion, almost like a surgeons deep cut.
<Invictus> +Draco are you sure, we see nothing at the moment.+
<Priad> He cleans the blade on her tunic and sheathes his weapon before he directs some of the Jannisaries to dispose of her body and rejoins the bulk of the defense.
* Herbert orders the jannisaries to rearm themselves with what is left at the fort.
<Herbert> "Put the rest to the torch."
<Draco> +They are made a defense perimeter in a 10 kilometer radius around the castle. They are keeping out of line of sight.+
<Herbert> "Now," Herbert sheathes his sword once more, "We hunt the traitor minister Gage."
<StaffenGM> The Company Captains begin organizing parties to scour the Castle for any munitions. The men are rearmed, and once it is made certain that this is the case, the additional munitions are taken out to the yard.
<Herbert> +Clear what you can. We will punch through and proceed to our next objective.+
<Herbert> +Find a route to 417 Capital Way. District C. Tir Ganon. 22301.+
<Priad> While all of this is going on, Priad looks after his wounded brothers.
<Draco> +Kill Team Leader, there is a problem with the information. 417 Capital Way. District C is registered to Lana Koby, a PDF Lieutenant General.+
<Draco> "According to the scans, there is little PDF activity there."
<Priad> +Can you find a way to access the addresses for the other targets?+
<Draco> +According to the machine, Minister Odilus Gage is located in a maximum-security emergency bunker. Location: under the Central Ministry.+
<Draco> +The bunker also has Public Minister Serhiyev Galden and Planetary Governor Grigol Stueck hiding in it.+
<Priad> +So annihilating it straight away is out of the question.+
<Invictus> +Well at least we know where two of our targets are located now.+
<Herbert> +Then we breach the bunker.+
<Priad> +Simple enough.+_
<Draco> +We have a new problem: A Xenocraft. It survived the orbital system attacks.+
<Priad> +Do you have any additional info on the vessel, brother?+
<Draco> +Some sort of Tau capital ship. It's shielding absorbed most of the lasers from the grid.+
<Draco> +It is bigger than Inquisitor's vessel. It was moving faster too and slipped into the hole in the network. Prediction: It is here to get the Ethereal.+
<Herbert> +Then that is our new priority. We must mobilize at once.+
<Priad> +Indeed brothers.+
<Herbert> +Draco, with us. We will need to reconnect the defense grid as necessary to ensure the xenos movements are blocked from any attempts at extraction. Once they are locked in, we will turn our attention to the hunt.+
<Draco> +Understood.+
<Priad> +I will organise the Janissaries then.+
<Herbert> +They are to guard the orbital defense link with their lives, Priad. Make this abundantly clear. I will scout ahead.+
* Herbert fires his jump-pack, propelling himself ahead of the kill-team.
* Draco unhooks his MUI from the machine and says a short prayers of thanks to its spirit. He gets his missile launcher and mets up with the rest of the Kill Team.
<Priad> Priad brings together the guardsman officers and relays to them their orders. They are to hold the line, whatever it takes, whatever the cost. Until further orders. He presses upon them the importance that the castle be held in the kill-teams absence. Once he has the oaths of all the officers present he helps them organize and make use of their defensible positions and resources.
* Invictus readies to move out as he waits for Priad to finish giving orders to the Janissaries and for Draco to come out of the building.
<Herbert> +I have encountered the enemy positions. Stand-by.+
<Herbert> +Artillery and other support weapons clutter the streets along a perimeter. We will have to be swift in our advance. I shall provide a distraction for your approach.+
<Priad> +Perhaps we could soften that peremiter with Draco's new ortbial weapons before we move in?+
<Herbert> +We haven't the time. We will punch through a single point with overwhelming force, and proceed before they can regroup.+
<Priad> He shrugs to himself, his armor hissing in places. +We're ready to move to the target area whenever you're ready, brother.+
<Draco> +Negative. I have detached myself from the Cogitator's Machine Spirit.+
<Herbert> +Draco.+
<Draco> +You require my assistance, Leader?+
<Herbert> +A prolonged orbital bombardment will not do. However, severing the perimeter with a blast will alert them to reinforce a possible breach from which we may emerge. Make what appeasements you must to the machine-spirit to get this accomplished. When their reinforcements inevitably do move onto that point, I will commence the assault here. You are all to join me at my position.+
<Draco> +Understood.+
<Priad> "Brother Draco, if you please."
* Draco runs back to the central control room and reintegrates with the machine.
<Draco> +Kill Team, There was an abandoned Russ from the battle. We could use it with one of the Janissaries pilot it."
<Priad> +Good thinking.+ He switches to the Jannisary comm-channels and requests they provide a guardsman who can pilot a Leman Russ.
<Priad> Once provided he escorts them to the battle tank and brings it around for the kill-team members to ride.
<StaffenGM> The orbital laser falls in the distance, sending up a mushroom cloud of dust.
* Invictus makes his way with Priad to the Leman Russ.
* Draco fires the laser from one of the platforms to provide a distraction. He disconnects again and runs to the courtyard. He boards the tank.
<Priad> +Guardsman proceed!+ He directs the guardsman piloting the battle tank, giving instructions on where to turn from Draco.
<Herbert> +They have begun to mobilize in reaction to the strike.+
<StaffenGM> +Provisional Leman Russ team reporting: temporary designation Leodex, moving to target.+
<Herbert> +Understood. Report when ETA reaches five minutes or below.+
<StaffenGM> The tank dutifully lurches forward, moderately faster than an Astartes on foot, even with the displacement of three Astartes riding atop the hull.
<Priad> "Not the worst ride I've had." He comments to his brothers.
<Invictus> While riding on the tank, Invictrus then summons up the powers of the warp and creates a force dome to protect them as the approach the line.
<StaffenGM> The Leman Russ's engine sputters.
<Priad> +Brothers, keep your helmets on.+
<StaffenGM> +My Lords, we seem to be struggling to maintain engine performance for some reason.+
<StaffenGM> You can hear the mortals coughing over the comms.
<Priad> +Guardsman, make your way back, as fast you can.+
<Priad> "We run from here, brothers."
<Draco> "Understood."
* Priad hops off the top, and starts towards the rendevous with Herbert, Bolter clamped in his hands.
* Invictus nodes in agreement and as he get off of the Leman Russ his focus switches to running and the Force Dome dissipates.
* Draco leaps the off the Russ and gets his bolter and missile launcher ready.
<StaffenGM> As the Kill-team slips away from the Leman Russ, it suddenly lurches forwards again.
<Herbert> +Traitor guardsmen aiming high-caliber weapons in your direction. Be on alert.+ Herbet transmits as he descends on the PDF line
<StaffenGM> +Leodex, confirming return of engine power.+
<Priad> +Your orders still stand, guardsman.+
<StaffenGM> +Acknowledged.+
<StaffenGM> As Herbert mulches the officer, the crewmen on the Basilisk he landed beside run for their lives.
<Herbert> Neutralizing one of the artillery pieces, Herbert launches himself at a second.
<Priad> Leading the charge for his brothers, Priad pushes himself to the limits of his speed. He turns the corner and keeps moving towards the enemy.
* Invictus follows behind Priad pushing himself as fast as he can.
<StaffenGM> And Priad and Invictus run headfirst into the crossfire of two different emplacements.
<StaffenGM> One of the AA vehicles turns its turret down the street and opens fire at the approaching Astartes.
* Invictus gets hit by one of the gun emplacements.
<Priad> The large caliber rounds whine and spit past the hulking armored figure of Priad. He doesn't break a sweat as he continues to stomp forward.
* Invictus gets hit by one of the multilasers the shots punch through his armor and causes him to drop to the ground in pain.
<Priad> Las rounds spank off of his holy armor, one of the rounds finding it's mark in one of the patched holes. He grunts in reaction but keeps moving.
* Invictus gets hit by one of the multilasers the shots punch through his armor, the damage done is sever but his suit's pain suppressant kicks in, he is still knocked back a bit.
* Draco runs around the corner and into the PDF, barreling into it. HE SCREAMS FOR "THE MACHINE GOD."
<StaffenGM> The remaining Basilisk turns its gun towards the street corner which Draco just charged...
<StaffenGM> And fires with a deafening crack, followed immediately by a blast which makes all present doubt the ground beneath their feet,
<StaffenGM> Instantly killing the PDF troopers,
<StaffenGM> And bringing the building collapsing into the street, and Draco.
<Herbert> Seeing the damage caused by the third artillery piece, Herbert moves in to engage, descending on its crew.
<Priad> Given the new obstacle in front of them, Priad sighs to himself and looks to Invictus aand does what he can for the Ultramarine.
<Invictus> "Thank you Brother Priad, he gets up and begins scaling the ruble of the building making it almost to the top.
* Draco rolls over an fires at the SPAA with a Frag missile, damaging the turret.
* Herbert finishes off the crew, shredding them with a flurry form his chainsword and ceremonial blade.
* Priad starts the process of climbing up the destroyed building, his armored gloves digging furrows into the rubble as he pulls himself up.
* Invictus looks over the rubble of the building, he then reaches out with his hand, summoning the power of the warp as he pushes his power, lightning shoots out at one of the SPAA's, causing it to explode. He then takes cover again inside the top of the rubble from the building.
* Draco fires at another enemy vehicle and blows it up.
* Herbert finally turns his attention to the remaining traitor PDF, dropping on the formation, descending with the Emperor's wrath. A squad's worth of mortals are annihilated as the Astartes punches through them, the panic among the ranks resulting in the breaking of their formation.
<Priad> The Apothecary climbs down the rubble, or sort of slides down it and moves forward once back on the stable, solid, ground.
* Invictus sees the last remaining vehicle, he again musters up his strength as lightning shoots out destroying it causing it to now be a smoldering wreck.