Those taking the direct approach move out onto walkway wide enough to take two people side by side, there is 42 meters to a platform surrounding some unidentified machinery and no cover. The platform has a strong looking wall of gothic arches decorated with skulls, (just part of the 40K vibe), and various pieces of equipment have been stuffed into any gaps to add to the cover. About a dozen people in ragged clothing are hunkered down behind it where they have an overview of the stairway leading down from this level and they have it covered by a variety of slug and las guns, including at least two heavy weapons.
.

Scarlet gave a soft huff and nodded to Gregory, taking point alongside him as her Refractor Field crackles to life, moving quickly down the stairs as her eye glowed, looking towards the Stowaways with a hint of malice as she outstretched her hand, before closing it, an invisible force seeming to start to squeeze the heart of her target directly.

---

Scarlet will be taking the lead up front, trusting in her armor, and once she has positively identified the people on the other end as enemies, she will cast Telekinetic Crush on one of the heavy weapons users.

Half Action Move (4M)
Half Action Focus Power succeeds on 2 DOS on a 52, opposed by the target's Toughness, a failure will have them take 8 Impact Damage. Simple Success to Grapple the target with Telekinetic Crush.

03:51, Today: Scarlet rolled 99 -- 2 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 77.  Focus Power.
03:52, Today: Scarlet rolled 52 -- 2 degrees of success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 77.  Focus Power Reroll.
03:52, Today: Scarlet rolled 10 using 1d10.  Charmed 9+.
03:55, Today: Scarlet rolled 8 using 1d10+3.  Crush Damage.
06:56, Today: Scarlet rolled 68 -- a simple success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 77.  Grapple, Substituting Willpower.

20:05, Today: Scarlet rolled 6 using 1d10+3.  Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 04:06, Thu 02 Mar 2023.

Vormav takes up a position behind the breachers and whoever else he can fit between himself and the enemy. The Heavy weapons were the real threat against the more professional grade armor of his comrades. He takes a long second to center his targeting reticule on the heavy weapon team and then with a though the Hellgun on his shoulder glowed brightly and spat out a triple burst of red hot las fire.

That the shots hit their mark was inevitable but through the glare of the las fire it was hard to tell if they had struck the man or the cover he was hiding behind.


12:33, Today: Vormav rolled 14 using 1d10+4.  Initiative.

Full Aim
Free Shoot
12:31, Today: Vormav rolled 45 -- 6 degrees of success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 105.  20 Full Aim, 10 Semi-Auto, 10 Short, 10 MIU.
12:34, Today: Vormav rolled 7 using 1d10+4.  Damage 1, Pen 7.
12:34, Today: Vormav rolled 12 using 1d10+4.  Damage 2, Pen 7.
12:34, Today: Vormav rolled 8 using 1d10+4.  Damage 3, Pen 7.

 Assuming some degree of tactical coordination from the Archmilitant is in effect, Jak moves to one flank of the assault force and levels his ornate bolter, choosing his arc carefully to combine a degree of care for the structure of the fin with an effective amount of suppression, trying to keep the heads of the enemy gunmen down during the course of the assault.

 Unfortunately, his care seems to be rather overcoming his desire to prevent fire from coming their way.

 ---

19:20, Today: Jak Tesla rolled 94 using 1d100 ((94)).
 Not sure that it matters what the rules are with a roll like that. ^_^

"SQUAD ADVANCE!" Gregory calls out over the squad voxnet. The column begins their advance, marching with even strides and taking their shots carefully, going for disciplined fire as they advance on the enemy positions. Napoleon would be proud.

Gregory is directly behind Scarlet. He notes the location of the heavy weapons emplacements and fires a gas grenade at the more dangerous-looking of the two. He doesn't expect to singlehandedly neutralize them, but anything that keeps the gunners from shooting at them  will help.

OOC:
Initiative 9, +2 for Weapon Master, total of 11.
10:54, Today: Gregory Asgard rolled 9 using 1d10+3.  Initiative .
Half action to move (4m)
Half action to grenade the emplacements.
11:01, Today: Gregory Asgard rolled 60 -- 1 degree of success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 70.  Grenade (includes Weapon Master), no range mod.

This message was last edited by the player at 08:06, Thu 02 Mar 2023.

The insurgents are ready, aimed and waiting for people to step out of cover, never the less Vormav manages to slam three las shots into the position before they have adjusted their aim.

A hail of las blasts and solid projectiles comes back in reply hits Vormav and everybody else as they emerge onto the walkway, a loud ‘buzz’ of a heavy stubber can be heard within the cacophony but the heavy las is conspicuous by its absence. The responding fire going into the position is instantaneous and devastating, Scarlet destroys one of the weapon team with the power of her mind, several others go down from lead and laser as the team and the troopers lead by Gregory move out onto the walkway.

The crash and shockwave of the macro battery firing is felt throughout the ship. In spite of its mass, its recoil absorbers and its gravity compensators, when 85% of the starboard macro cannons fire in unison the pious Lament shifts eight inches to port throwing the defensive position into chaos and sending two insurgents over the edge. One of Gregory’s troopers also falls off the walkway but is grabbed and saved by some of his companions.

With half the troopers sprawled on the ground and exposed out on the walk way there is a sudden ‘CRACK!’ from high above and a spray of blood from the head of one of them who twitches and slumps dead among his companions. There is another ‘CRACK!’ as a round sings between Vormav’s ear and the weapon on his shoulder and takes a second trooper in the leg.

Glancing up there is the briefest glimpse of something grey moving away and the shots cease, for now.

Most of you have taken hits, but nothing of any consequenc.

Apart from Jak, everyone is exposed on the walkway, the insurgents are in disarray but will get one more shot before you reach them if you go that way, the cover you have just moved out of is out of sight of the insurgents but not the sniper, the sniper has gone quiet and is probably just repositioning.

Please pass an unmodified Agility test or fall over, if your character fails by two or more degrees they will tumble off of the walkway, a situation I’ll address if it occurs.
.

The firing of the macrobatteries causes the ground to suddenly vanish from under Gregory's feet, and the brief feeling of weightlessness makes him glance down and realize that there's a foot or two of empty air where the deck plating should have been. However, there's no time to wonder what caused it; all he can do is find his feet as quickly as possible. Fortunately, there's a convenient handrail nearby; Gregory's foot finds purchase on it and launches him back into the middle of the walkway and into a half-crouch... just in time to see one of his men die. There's another shot, which seemingly missed, but he doesn't know where it went; only what caused it.

"SNIPER!" Gregory shouts over open comms. "Move move move take those fethers' position NOW! Does anyone have eyes on the shooter!?"

OOC:
22:11, Today: Gregory Asgard rolled 5 -- 2 degrees of success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 30.  Agility test.

As the ship shuddered, Scarlet found herself briefly lifted into the air, her eyes widening as she kicks out to regain her footing, but in the process ends up sending herself sideways, tumbling over the railing of the catwalk, a very colorful stream of crude language and curses coming from her as she fell.

08:32, Today: Scarlet rolled 89 -- 5 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 34.  Agility.
08:32, Today: Scarlet rolled 94 -- 6 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 34.  Agility Reroll.

The ship lurched and Vormav's feet came out from under him. Fortunatly he didn't stumble enough to fall from the walk way "Reasonably sure he is repositioning. Don't think we have a good way of getting up to him. But his range shouldn't matter for much in all this mess. If you could get your men to actually move their asses across this walkway it would be a huge help!"


12:13, Today: Vormav rolled 54 -- a simple failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 45.  Agility Test.

As Gregory looks up and sees Scarlet falling over the edge, he instinctively reaches out to try and grab her, but his fingers fall just an inch or two short. Undeterred, he rushes toward her for another try, but he only ends up falling short even more.

Dammit...

Hard decision time; try to grab Scarlet and expose his men to further fire, or have them carry on to secure the position that's covering them with automatic weapon fire. What does the Tactica Imperialis recommend?

Trick question - the Tactica Imperialis doesn't give a damn about individual lives, only sweeping victories. As such...

Hang in there, Scarlet, Gregory thinks as he joins the others in the push forward.

OOC:
06:42, Yesterday: Gregory Asgard rolled 70 -- 3 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 40.  Fat point reroll.

06:41, Yesterday: Gregory Asgard rolled 44 -- a simple failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 40.  Ag test to grab Scarlet.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:51, Sat 04 Mar 2023.

 Lifting the barrel of his bolter, Jak sweeps the upper reaches of the gantry for signs of the sniper, fully intending to shoot when he sees signs of the marksman firing - and while he would usually despatch Yasha to assist him with her auspex system, a different task entirely is assigned to her.

 The ornate servo-skull had been hovering next to the one which was previously carrying the lumen that was shot out, emitting a comforting string of binary but with Scarlet's fall, she chirps a short data-stream and flies over the edge, followed by the second skull, darting for the falling telepath.

 ---

 Jak is going to hold his action to shoot when/if he sees the sniper.

 Yasha and the second (unnamed) Servo-skull can't lift a human, but together they ought to be able to slow her down and steer her, turning a lethal plummet into a guided and somewhat broken fall onto a nearby, lower gantry. Hopefully.

Most of the troops scramble to their feet, aided by those who hadn’t fallen. One with a bullet through his leg is directed back to cover by his sergeant as the rest press on across the walkway, firing as they go and leaving the body of their dead comrade behind.

Behind the barricade the insurrectionists are in disarray, many had fallen when the macro battery fired, several had been shot, or had their heads psycicly crushed, they were choking in a cloud of riot gas and couldn’t see so well and troopers were baring down on the position, this was all to much for most and they tried to escape. Some moved around their platform out of sight behind the machinery in the middle and some went over the sides, scrambling down the steel trellises and pipework.

A few, perhaps made of sterner stuff, but more likely with nothing left to lose, fired back across the barricade, three shots ring out, one, a stubber misses, another stubber wounds but doesn’t slow one on the troopers and Gregory receives a las scorch on his stomach that doesn’t penetrate but will need polishing out at some point. More serious is the Heavy Las that rises up over the barricade and punches a hole in Gregory's chest plate close to the heart, that’s gong to take more than a bit of buffing to sort that out.

Scarlet falls four meters before reaching her first obstacle, a pipe that bends and splits under the impact and sending a spray of hydraulic fluid into the air, she continues falling but the first impact did slow her enough for Jak’s servo skulls to catch up and shunt her sideward onto a walkway two meters below this.

Meanwhile Jak, scanning the for any sign of the sniper catches a flick of movement on a gantry above and anticipates where it might next appear but it will be a hard, (-20), shot to pull off,

Melee with the four insurrectionists who are left next turn.
.

Scarlet growls and yells out, anger and defiance filling her voice in equal measure "Mother... Fething... Bastard!" She reaches her hand out and grunts in pain as she was shunted by the skull, her hand missing railing, but the momentum and angle of being shunted to the side was blissfully enough, letting her tumble over the railing onto the walkway after her body slams into it.Scarlet breathes hard after her ordeal, saying a silent prayer to the emperor, after a mild bout of blasphemy for putting her in this situation in the first place. After a few seconds of recovery, she pushed herself to her feet, ignoring her aching shoulder and leg as she works her way back up towards the rest of the group, swearing under her breath as she makes sure to keep a much more stable footing this time, just in case it happened again.

Ooc
Nearly ate shit.
Spent 2 FP, one for +10 and another for a re-roll (though regained one with charmed) and still nearly absolutely got fucked.

06:40, Today: Scarlet rolled 72 -- a simple failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 64.  Agility+30.
06:41, Today: Scarlet rolled 64 -- a simple success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 64.  Agility Reroll.
06:41, Today: Scarlet rolled 3 using 1d10.  Charmed 9+.
06:41, Today: Scarlet rolled 10 using 1d10.  Charmed 9+.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Sat 04 Mar 2023.

 The scorched-cut-rope-trailing Servo-skull and the rather more ornate Yasha hover around Scarlet, chirping concerned little sputters of binary cant, the latter flashing a rapid auspex-glow over her, no doubt in order to have something to communicate to the medicae when assistance arrives.

 Both skulls continue to hover close to her, no doubt with the intention of providing assistance again at need.

 Jak meanwhile, tracks and draws a bead on the flicker of movement before sending a single bolt flashing into the darkness overhead, but asides from an explosion against a metal strut, there's no particular result as he misses his target.

 He then relocates his position a little down the flanking hall before taking up his watch again.

 ---

 Yup, nowhere near him. Moving and settling in to try again.

13:53, Today: Jak Tesla rolled 82 -- 4 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 39.  Aim and fire.

Gregory staggers back as the powerful laser blast hits him in the chest; his heart feels like it's on fire, but he resists the urge to peel off his chestplate; this is most definitely not the time or place for it. Instead, he impels himself forward into a run, seeking to get into close quarters ASAP while reaching for his bolt pistols...

Vormav scanned the developing battlefield as things seemed to move at a blur around him. He moved in with the rest of their troops the breachers did a good job of screening him and he repaid their kindness by vaporizing their attackers with point blank shots from his much superior weaponry.

His pistol bucked and the air shrieked with the sudden increase in temperature. But the target dodged just in time and the melta shot left a glowing crater in the deck plating rather than in the man's chest.

His follow up shot with his shoulder mounted gargoyle mouthed hellgun gave the traitorous bilge slime just what he deserved.


Half Action Standard attack with Inferno Pistol.
13:40, Today: Vormav rolled 78 -- 1 degree of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 65.  Attack +0, Point Blank +30, Melee -20.

Free action Semi-Auto Burst with Hellgun.
13:42, Today: Vormav rolled 21 -- 6 degrees of success using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 85.  Semi-Auto +10, Point Blank +30, in Melee -20, MIU +10.
13:55, Today: Vormav rolled 5,12,8 using 1d10+4,1d10+4,1d10+4.  3 hits pen 7.

Those insurgents who haven’t fled, die. Most of those insurgents who have fled also die, some from falls, some from opportunity shots taken by the trooper, many from a group of twenty or so friendly troops who appear on a platform nearby but lower down.

++Captain Aase reporting Sir,++ comes over the comms link, aimed at Gregory but all can hear it, ++Sir, there is a large contingent of these bilge scum up ahead by that big sphere thing, I don’t know what they are doing there but a lot of tech priests have died trying to stop them.++

About eighty meters away, forwards of the current location, obscured by the machinery but visible to anyone who moves around the platform, there is a large, spherical device that dominates the heart of the fin. There are two platforms around it both swarming with insurgents, on the top platform they are centred around a closed hatchway which they are trying to open, on the bottom platform a similar hatch is still being defended by a small number of tech priests.

Gregory, Vormav and the remaining troops move onto the platform they have just liberated, wounds are thankfully light.

Some six meters below, half a dozen friendly troops peel off from Cpt Aase’ patrol and rush to Scarlets assistance, the two that help her to her feet enquire after her wellbeing while the other four for a defensive perimeter, facing out with weapons tracking across four different arcs.

Jak continues to scan the walkways trying to anticipate the snipers next move.

.

"Aase, good to see you. There's a sniper on the loose, keep your eyes peeled."

Now that the insurgents have been driven off or killed, Gregory has time to think about what to do next. First, he orders a headcount to take stock of their fighting strength. THen...

"Right, Scarlet," he mutters to himself. "Choirmistress Scarlet went over the side just now. Did any of your men see her?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:28, Mon 06 Mar 2023.

Scarlet is clearly visible on a walkway six meters below, being assisted by Aase' troopers and a couple of servo skulls.
.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:41, Mon 06 Mar 2023.

"Right, I see her. Enginseer Tesla is with us and I believe he can tell us more about that sphere. I'm thinking we should take a couple of minutes to catch our breath and plan our next move."

 Departing cover, but with both Yasha and the second, unnamed servo-skull floating back up to train their auspex systems at the overhead, looking for any resurgence of the sniper, Jak moves to join the group as he states, with unusual emotion "The only object matching that description in this area is the primary cogitator assembly. Any significant damage to it will result in the Pious Lament being functionally blinded. There is no time for delay.", adding as he moves forwards with the obvious intention of joining his brothers and sisters in the cult in their doomed defence of the holy relic "And as admirable as your relic is High Factotum, you will not direct the holy Inferno pistol anywhere near the cogitator. I trust this is understood?"

 ---

Eeek, technology in danger Will Robinson! We must immediately hasten, no number of lives lost is too many to preserve so much as one diode!

"Right, so don't shoot the big round thing, shoot everyone else. Works for me."

He glances at the heavy laser, wondering how to work it into their offensive...

Vormav, ever the logistics officer, looks over the bodies of the fallen for anything good, an autogun with sufficient ammo would be perfect. "Enginseer Prime, kindly bugger off and go teach your grandmother how to knit."

OOC, literally even an autopistol will allow us to suppressing fire the doors and stop the sieges.

Scattered among the bodies are the heavy laser, (much like a las gun but bigger and heavier), two las guns, one heavy stubber, (Ursid, slightly damages), two autoguns, one stub automatic and one autopistol. By some strange coincidence or quirk of fate the all have exactly half a full load of ammunition.

There is no direct route from the current position to the sphere, the options are to go left, climb up a couple of levels, cross a gantry then either climb up higher and move directly above the sphere or descend to either platform on the sphere. Alternatively, one could go right and descend a short way to where Cpt Aase and Scarlet are, proceed forward from there and the climb up to the lower platform on the sphere, or proceed beyond it to see what is happening on the far side.
.

...And it seems there will be no way to do it; not with all the moving they'll have to do.

"Seems like we're best off heading down to meet up with Aase and Scarlet before moving in to break the siege."

Gregory directs one of his bigger men to grab the Ursid and its bipod; currently it, the autogun and the autopistol are most valuable for suppressive fire. He senses Vormav is thinking the same thing, so he voxes, "See anything you like?"