# Deathwatch (Action thread 2)



## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

_As the forces of chaos push out from the Eye of Terror in the despoiler's thirteenth black crusade, another threat attacks at the flank of the Imperium's forces in the area. The plague fleet of Typhus, herald of Nurgle, has crippled world after world with plague and pestilence, stretching the Imperial navy thin as they struggle to cope with not one but two major chaos warfleets. This crusade has caught the attention of every being in the galaxy, but not every fight is to be fought out in the open or on the front lines. Some will be fought in the shadows or even behind enemy lines on the world's momentarily lost._


Amidst the endless space of the Belis Corona system, the strike cruiser _Sanctamonia_ moves in towards the world of Laurentix, one of the half dozen world's which had first been struck with an unknown plague rumoured to have been powerful enough to kill without any sign of symptom and then reanimate the dead; even those who had not died of this plague. Whether such a rumour was true was still unconfirmed but something had come from these worlds and infected the men and women of the Imperial navy, stretching the ships of the segmentum thin as they coped to deal with their own loss of manpower and the enemies lurking in the stars.

Hours after arriving in system the cruiser makes high orbit over the planet and two tear drops are shot out before the cruiser begins to break orbit and leave for another location in system. These tear drops were drop pods, the only things capable of breaching a world fast enough to avoid most detection, and any guns that might be manned by fearful inhabitants or worse. Within each pod, a squad of black armoured marines descend to the planet below, deathwatch; their mission, to retrieve vital information about the plagues in an inquisitorial station beneath the Basilica Imperialis.

Hurtling through the air, the pod of squad Kondro destroys a shanty building as its reverse jets kick in and rapidly slow the transport down. Seals blowing open, the marines release themselves and move to secure the immediate area before moving on. 

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y200/darkreever/deathwatchmap1.jpg

[If you look at the map in the link provided, we are the blue-ish square (small and hard to see I know, I'll try working on that) thats practicaly in the middle of a pleasure/mercantile district. With the first posts, give some idea of what your surroundings look like, once everyone has posted I will update this thread; including myself when I post again in a little bit.]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

The pod smashed into the ground with a teeth rattling jar. Tesai slammed his fist into the safety webbing's release and reached above his head to gather up his stowed missile launcher. He called out, alerting Kondro that he had made the drop with no problems. Grabbing a clutch of missiles, he waited as the drop pod flowered open to reveal the outside world they had landed on. 

Taking in his surroundings, Tesai quickly loaded the missile launcher. It was a simple precaution given that the squad had landed in hostile territory. Tesai moved from the drop pod and made his way through what looked like a cobbler's shop to the ruined wall that hemmed them in. He carefully looked over the edge, searching for enemies.  He was greeted with a terrible sight. From what he could surmise they had landed in what looked to be the merchant's district of the city. Burnt-out shops lined the marble-stoned street with small kiosks and overturned handcarts here and there. Broken glass littered the ground. Destoryed civilian vehicles lay in haphazard piles as if they'd been used for cover. Heretical graffiti marred the once pristene rockcrete walls with sigils that made his eyes water. 

Signs of slaughter could be seen everywhere but eerily enough there were no bodies. From the second and third story windows, sheets of what looked like flesh waved in the gentle breeze. The stench of filth and rot was all pervasive. The helmet filters of his power-armored suit were straining to purify the air that he breathed in. He found himself nearly choking as the toxins that weren't filtered out made their way into his lungs. His body began working immediately to neutralize them but the process made him slightly nauseous as they were removed and his body began to work up an immunity to them. 

Wary, Tesai motioned his brothers over to the cover of the wall. Opening his interal vox, Tesai spoke, "By the Emperor... What happened here?"


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Striding next to Tesai, Kondro looked at the scene of desecration before them. The very air stank of death and burned flesh, from what he could only guess came from hundreds of pyres of burning bodies. Kondro kept his helmet off, and it took everything for him to hide back wanting to choke down every breath.

_"The plague god has touched down on this world and brought death upon all of those who faithfully serve the Emperor. I've not seen anything of this magnitude, but the captain and I have seen some of this before."_ He answered the heavy weapon marine, his words reaching all of the squad through their vox.

Tearing his eyes away, Kondro looked back at the pod as the rest of the team made their way to the wall. Orders might be to get to the basilica, but he only hoped that they would have the chance to save some of these people if any remained.


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai nodded. Raising his missile launcher, he worked it left and right, using the ancient weapon's targeter to spot any potential hostiles. "Still no movement", he reported. He had found his body built it's immunity quickly to the toxins present in the air. It was still hard to breathe but now he was no long nauseous. He wondered how Kondro did it. To stand in this smokey, disease-ridden hell-hole without a helmet took a prodidgious amount of fortitude without choking but the Crimson Fist showed no outward signs of discomfort. 

It was quiet...almost too quiet. Beyond the sound of dripping water and crackling embers, little could be heard from their surroundings. Tesai had seen such things before. Many times he had found himself in similar situations and he knew full well that silence was a bad thing. Silence could mean many things. It could mean the enemy knew they were there and were planning an ambush. It could also mean that the conflict had been so terrible everything was dead. He knew that they would need to be wary. Unexploded ordnance, land mines, and traps..all were possible and often present on a battlefield such as this. Urban warfare could take it's toll on even the best of troops. Fortunately for them, space marines were adept in the close-quarter hell that urban environments offered. 

In the distance he could see fires burning. Great columns of swirling black smoke rose from the fiery pyres to the cloudy heavens above. Tesai could only guess what was burning. From the stench of fat and gristle that filled the air, he believed that it was tainted flesh. That so many bodies were being burned boggled the mind. He knew full well that many worlds in the Imperium were populated by millions and oft-times countless billions but the sight of the great blazes gave him pause. 

"How many would you guess brother?", Tesai asked, motioning towards the swirling smoke.


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

'Cough cough hack hack. Oooooooooooh another damn crash huh. Guys look at fortification Z it seems to be, alive."


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

Sicaro looked around the area the team had landed in. He could see damaged architechture that had once looked beutiful. How could they,these heretics and daemons do this and be happy. He didn't know the answer to this question. He looked at fortification z again and felt as if he would throw up. He took his binoculars and looked around. It seemed as if something was walking. No! It was running! It was a man! But what could he be running from but... "Tesai Kondro I see a survivor and he is being chased! take a look".(OOC reever you decide what area that he is in.)


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

OOC: I'm thinking that Darkreaver is waiting for the rest of group 2 to post before getting us in to any trouble just yet :biggrin:


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Turning to where Sicaro was looking, Kondro moved over to him and took the binoculars. Even with the enhanced body of a space marine, he could not see that far away even if he had been wearing his helmet. Looking through the lenses he saw what Sicaro had been talking about; fortification z, one of the fortified walls of the governers palace, had someone running away on it.

The captain had made sure to haul him aside before they had entered their pods; making sure he would hold the mission above his own feelings. He had promised the captain, but for now Kondro was in charge of the squad and cutting through the palace created a shorter route to the basilica then the one captain Sirius had told him to take.

Handing the binoculars back, he turned to the others before picking the bolter up off his chest, having let it hang by the strap up until now. _"We are going to head towards the palace and see if there are any survivors held up there."_

(Nate is correct, I am waiting for the others to post before getting us into a spot; however there isn't to much problem with seeing a person far off; it actually helps a bit because now any of the other four marines can respond to what Kondro has decided.)


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Coughing, Denoriel Hawkeye climbed out of the pod.
"Are you sure? Anything alive here will surely be tainted by the warp, or worse."

Grinding his spear to the ground, he grabbed the shield hanging on his back.

"I say we should make sure no warp-tainted being lives here. Sacrifices must always be made in the name of the Emperor!"

OOC: so 3 more need to post? aww, like thats gonna happen this week.
EERH! btw! can we even see fortification z? we are the blue square right? if the map is correct, (as i think it should be -.-) we look right into the palace. x might be visible, but z, nah.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Coran Vasterix was a long serving veteran in his Chapter. Also, being part of the Devastator teams, he was required to make sacrifices for the betterment of his Battle brothers, who usually land in by Thunderhawk. Landing in by a Drop Pod, and blowing away everything moving in the LZ was a habit. But he still hated it, after 50 years of doing it.

Looking around, he saw the desolate ruins of the Imperial Senate house a testament to the damage wrought by this Plague, a monument to the rest of the Imperium.

Taking point, the sniper set off into the ruins ahead of Tesai. Although the High Powered rifle was capable of punching through armour short of a Leman Russ, it would fall to the Missile Launcher to take the majority of such kills. Having extra eyes was important on the Battlefield. Sounding off, Coran flicked a quick warning at Tesai and the Captain, warning them that the Auspex showed contact with Team Alpha, under while the evilly glowing red mass showed movement of the potentially hostile forces milling around not too far away.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Turning to Hawkeye, anger flooded Kondro's senses; the serveants of the Emperor could endure anything as long as they had hope and a governers palace could very well be a bastion of such a thing as well as resistence. While the basilica might be the great Imperial church of this city, the true headquarters of the Ecclesiarchy would lie in the palace, and true faith in fighting the plagues that ravaged this world.

Taking a data slate off his belt, Kondro activated it and spoke to three of the squad, as Vasterix moved ahead to make sure the way was clear. _"The captain chose the path for his and our squad, he has us moving around the palace and into other sections of the city; this will end up costing us time that we may not have. We all know that this mission hinges on time, and going through the palace will save some for us."_ Shaking his head, it truly was taking all his will to keep his composure with his helmet not on; but he was a Crimson Fist and a son of Dorn, Kondro would not bow down to death and plague and show any kind of weakness.

Turning his head to stare right at Hawkeye, he knew that what Sicario had seen moving might no longer be a faithful citizen of the Imperium, but there was always some trickle of hope. _"Faith and willpower can keep one going even in the most bleak of situations Denoriel, as a son of Dorn and a Black Templar you should know that better than anyone."_ He said, not taking his eyes off Hawkeye when he spoke to the others, _"we will alter our plotted course and head for the palace fortifications. From there we will try and find that survivor and deal with that then, if we can find nothing or do no good then we will leave and proceed to the basilica."_

Kondro and Hawkeye were both gene-brothers of the same origin, but where Hawkeye would show an unwavering faith, Kondro knew that he himself displayed more of a stubborn loyalty to his own beliefs. There was little common ground between the two and Kondro did not like Hawkeye, doubting that he ever truly would; there was respect between them but no kinship that others showed.

Turning away from the others, Kondro put a hand to the bead in his ear and contacted Vasterix, having him hold position outside their landing zone while the rest of the team made their way to him.

Moving carefully out of the building they had crashed into, the four deathwatch marines linked up with their fifth member before he again disapeared as their point.

However the squad did not get very far from the landing zone before a rumbling filled the air. Staying in the shadows, the four marines watched as three half-tracks laden with people, or at least they resembled people, skidded around to the destroyed building. Twenty figures poured out, each wearing a bone mask, drenched in blood, and with the symbol of the plague god clearly cut, burned, or in some way inscribed on them; and without pause or orders they begin to search the landing site. Whispering into the vox, Kondro tells the others that they need to get away from here, no telling what else might come around if they got bogged down in a firefight. Though the mission was top priority, Kondro had already displayed that he was willing to allow something else to occupy his mind, will any of the others allow a chance to kill the enemies of the Imperium slip by?

Moving ahead of the squad, Vasterix was a whole two blocks ahead when the half-tracks arrived, and so did not know of them, though the sound of their engines did alert him to something in the area. Moving ahead down another backalley, Vasterix rounded a corner and nearly plunged thirty meters down. The mercantile and pleasure district might be in the same area but one was clearly above the other in all senses. Trying to vox the others, all he got was static; they needed to know that they could not go this way and if the vox was being interfered with then he would have to go back. Turning away, movement in the corner of his eye stopped Vasterix dead in his tracks. Five men, adorned with skull masks of bone and displaying symbols of Nurgle were at the mouth of the alley he had entered. They were in his way of the most direct route back, and there was no telling what kind of group this was other than enemies of the Emperor. Vasterix needed to get back, but would he risk fighting or seek out an alternate route?

[Our actions will each have some unique consequences; or at least I'll try and work it that way. Mordeth, just needed you and Vaz to post before I would move us forward, what Kondro said could have been responded to by anyone though. And you are right, we wouldn't be able to see z, so I changed it to the palace itself.]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai nodded. "I agree with the Templar on this. As I look around all I see is death and corruption. Even if we do find survivors untainted by the touch of the plague god, you know full well that having seen what they have, they must be dealt with. Further, how will we complete our mission if we are bogged down with survivors? And how long do you think they will survive in this?" Tesai asked, flourishing his hand to take in their surroundings.

"Faith may move mountains but it will not save those survivors from the ministrations of the Inquisition should we 'save' them. As a member of the Deathwatch, you are fully aware of this Brother Kondro. I fear it would be better to give them the Emperor's peace rather than allow them to suffer for their faith."

Tesai found his speech interrupted by the sound of rumbling engines. Moving into cover with the rest of his brothers, he watched as three local military half-tracks came to a stuttering halt before the ruins of the cobbler's shop their drop pod had landed in. Over the vox he could hear Kondro's whispered voice calling for them to avoid conflict. Quietly, Tesai responded, "Hai..it would be better to continue on before we are spotted."

Though there were twenty of them, they were but cultists. The four astartes could easily slaughter them but at the risk of being discovered and their mission compromised. Tesai knew that the mission held greater importance. Such traitors could be dealt with once they had achieved their objective.


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Glad to hear someone share his opinion, he nevertheless admired the Crimson Fist Kondro. Saving faithful innocents was as pure a goal as any. But they were the Deathwatch, and the mission had to come first.
Listening to Kondros whispered transmission, he silently agreed. Starting a fight when they just had landed was not a good idea, they should rather move around. Word of their arrival would surely spread soon enough, but until then they had the advantage.
Moving as silently as he could in his armour, he took care not to let his spear stick out anywhere.
"Wich way, commander?" he asked silently, making sure his tone was respectful as befit Kondros rank.

OOC: Btw... do we play along with deathwatch thread 1, or are we 2 seperate stories? Cause if we ever meet Solitare's Jedrah char, my char will most likely try to kill him for his folly xD (I mean, shouting to obvious hostiles, thats not even likely to happen :O)


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

_OOC - how far is too blocks? Seems a bit vague, and I can run around a city block in 30 seconds, if you're talking about a Skyscraper sort of thing._

- - - --
Slipping into the Shadows, the Autosenses of his armour turned up to maximum. Every little beetle and insect was as visible as a flare on the Thermal HUD of his helmet. He would know when there was trouble.

Lapsing into a state of calmness, the long serving sniper began the lengthy process of zeroing in. Suddenly, the scream of engines, and the rumble of tracked vehicles could be heard, along with the slight "swish" the tyres made as it ran over rubble.

"Bugger, Half Tracks". A vantage point would be a good place to start the mission from. The basilica overlooked everything, but it would be baby steps for the time being. A quick scan of the Auspex showed that Team Alpha were taking tentative steps, while the heretical soldiers of the Plague God, if the whispered codes into his Earpiece were correct, were massing nearer to the Basilica. Only a couple of mechanized forces were dispatched to investigate the crash sites. Awaiting further instructions was the Snipers Life, but he prefered to be ready to react - Spying a tower belonging to an old Pleasure House in the style of a castle standing lonely in the waste around it, the Marine set off at a loping run, keeping to the shadows - just in case...


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[Well one of the mainstays of the 40k universe is that everything Imperial is usually oversized and very gothic; so for this lets just go with this area's city block is the equivalent of three in real life. (That would be three by three, not three by one.)]

Tesai's words had bitten into him dearly; it was true that any loyal survivors they had found would slow them down in the end, and there was no way those people could be taken with them once extraction time came around. They would build up hope and then take it away; it didn't even matter what the inqusition would do once they took this world back, seeing astartes leave them to die would crush everything.

Two words shook him from thought: which way? Kondro did not even hear the final word as he looked at the other marines. He was in command of this squad, and even he had to admit that the success of the mission could save countless worlds of Imperial citizens. No matter what, he had to accept that.

_"We go in the direction Vasterix was heading; he should have returned for us when we did not follow."_ He said before slowly moving away from the plague soldiers. Opening a line to Tesai and Hawkeye, Kondro felt that someting needed to be said. _"Brothers, my choice for us to seek out survivors is a selfish one, even if it for good reason. Our mission is more important;"_ opening the line up to all three of them, _"we will keep our course to the palace. If we find any survivors, then we will either not engage with them or they will keep up with us at our pace. If they fall behind then so be it."_


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

"So be it", Tesai responded. From a pouch he removed a sling and carefully attached it to the missile launcher. Once he had completed the task, he silently slung the weapon over his shoulder and slowly began to move away, keeping to the shadows. Where Kondro led, he would follow. Kondro was the commander and in the Void Stalkers heirarchy, the commander's orders were followed to the letter. That was the way of the samurai, the way of the Void Stalker. Tesai himself commanded squads in battle. He knew the weight of duty and understood that without unswerving faith in one's leader there could be no victory. He knew Kondro was a veteran of the Deathwatch and that was enough for him. While he may not have agreed with Kondro's disregard of his superior's orders, it was not his place to question them. 

He also understood Kondro's need to seek out survivors. The Void Stalkers had a long standing tradition of defending those innocents caught in war. Even as they made their way deeper into the city, Tesai's brothers stood against the forces of the Despoiler on the planet of Malin's Reach in the Agripinaa system, bleeding and dying for a penal world few would have bothered to defend. While he agreed that the true duty of an astartes was to protect mankind, he was a realist. He knew full well that if they allowed sentiment to get in the way of duty, more than the survivors of this planet would die. 

It was a difficult task to weigh the worth of a single human life versus many. To save a handful, yet damn billions did not set with the Void Stalker. The scales of war were never fair. They rarely balanced to the side of the innocent as they were tipped to the favor of the bold and the vicious. Tesai knew this. He had seen it replayed over and over on countless different worlds. Had he made planetfall with the backing of his chapter to make war on this blighted planet, he too would have looked for survivors. Those untainted would have been taken from this hellish perversion of a world to the Void Stalkers home planet and seen to as they had done for thousands before. It was in the orphans of war that the chapter found it's future warriors. 

Part of him wished he was with his brothers now. To be seperated from them so soon after their victorious reconquering of their ancient homeworld of Kyo-to had taken it's toll on him. But duty had thrust him into this situation. He had been told that it was an honor to be chosen for the Deathwatch. He was the first Void Stalker to be inducted into the Deathwatch as for the previous eight millennia they had remained hidden from the prying eyes of the Imperium. 

Given previous circumstances, he had found it hard to fight for the Inquisition. Until a few centuries ago, the Void Stalkers had not even known the full extent of Inquisition. It had been but a fledgling orginization when their chapter's fleet had been thrown off course in a terrible warp storm that had tossed them to the far reaches of civilization 8,000 years ago. It had been the machinations of the Horusian Inquisitor Faustoz that had seen their fortress world of Acriacus VI burned in the fiery hell of Exterminatus so that he could make good his escape with one of the chapter's artifacts. 

Tesai cleared his mind of all thoughts beyond those of his current duties. He needed to be on his guard and prepared for anything. Unholstering his bolt pistol he quietly made his way through the rubble of another building as the squad slipped silently away from their insertion point.

As if an afterthought, Tesai opened a vox link to Kondro. "Commander Kondro, while the show of your constitution in this terrible environment is admirable, it would be a shame if one of the followers of the dark gods removed your head with a well-placed sniper shot. I recommend you put your helmet on. There is a fine line between bravery and fool-hardiness."


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Nodding at Kondros words, he simply said "So be it," and moved after Kondro. 
Taking a quick glance backwards tough, he spotted several cultists moving the same way they had come. They hadn't spotted them yet, and were most likely totally unawere they were there, but it would only be a matter of time.
"We need to hurry, hostiles are at our back."


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Coran had found his position atop the tower to be a pitiful sniper position. The only elevated platform was in clear view of the surrounding area, and would be too easy to bring down with as little as a mortar round.

Carefully making his way down, he spied a small squad of Heretics looking at the marks his heavy boots had made in the rubble. Cursing, and knowing that the sound of a Chainsaw Blade would only make more traitors come running, and possibly blowing the whole mission, Vasterix removed the weighty silencer off the Bolter, and flicked the shot selector to Stalker Silenced shells. He would have one shot, so loosened the combat knife in the sheath at his waist. 

Taking careful aim, he saw one bend down to examine the spot where he lay. Wondering why they never came up on his Auspex, he began to wonder, until the stench of natural decay came upon him. Having fought the followers of the Disease god, Nurgle, he knew the difference of Decay caused by fell witchery, and that which was caused by death. This was the latter, although the reanimated dead was nothing but fell witchery.

Squeezing the trigger oh-so-gently, the hairtouch trigger sent the emmisionless bullet through the neck of one, to explode in the chest of another standing beside the kneeling, the soft 'krump' as the miniature warhead exploded sounding wet as the insides of the second zombie turned to mush, fried and shredded.

The knife took out the throat of the third, the blood spattering on the 4th caused them to come alive. The overcharged Lasguns whined and the beams of light cut ribbons through the air, crimson arcs which sizzled and popped against the ceramite chestplate of the marine. Whipping out with his free hand, he caught the throat of a cultist. And squeezed.

The last one remained, the dead cannot make a noise, even when they are about to die. The reanimated guardsmen was beginning to run, but fell... Turning around on his back, the sight of the Angel of Death, the sight of the avatar of the Divine Emperor caused the eyes to burn out, such was the purity on this sacred world. Reaching down, Coran lifted the still living, blind puppet into the air... It would take one twist, that was all.

- - - - 
_OOC - its up to Darkreever if the heretic activates a homing/distress beacon or more of the dead puppets come near to Coran. If he's got off scot-free, then he makes his way back to your last known position, on the edge of the LZ._


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

(OOC so sorry not responding sooner I have been doing things with my star wars battlefront 2 clan.) Kondro who had been silent for the long period of movement now spoke up, adressing veteran Kondro he asked. Why do they do this? This place was once wonderful, even a foul xeno would agree. So why would these, these, bastards come and destroy it just to please some false and foul gods!"


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Holding the last of the five enemies, Vasterix began to squeeze; but even as he did the dead man brought both hands up between them. Not to try and stop the marine from killing him, but to push two objects closer to the sniper marine. Realizing almost to late, Vasterix dropped him and dived to the side as the pair of grenades went off, shreeding their holder and peppering the power armour with shrapnel. Pinpricks of pain flooded Vasterix nerves from his left leg and back where the bits of metal had pierced weakpoints.

Quickly getting up, a blinding pain in the back of his left knee forced Vasterix down on one leg. Three of the renaimated men, the one with the slit throat, blown out chest, and bullet wound through its neck had all gotten up and were firing off shots at him. Their aim was bad, but enough full power shots in the right general direction had scored a hit in another weak point of the power armour.

It looked as if nothing short of completely destroying the connection between body and brain would kill these enemies; and the sound of the las-shots had another effect. Beyond the sound of the fighting, the sound of a vehicles engine could be heard just before an armored transport wheeled into the mouth of the alley and another five enemy troopers disembarked, two of them holding a heavy bolter that they quickle began to set up.


Still making their way away from the crash site, the sound of gunfire broke the 'silence' for both the team and the troops searching the landing site. The troopers quickly piled back into their vehicles, likely to see what was happening.
_
"They are the serveants of false and pervearse gods Sicario, nothing they do ma.."_ Stopping mid senteance and realizing that the sounds of fighting were coming from the direction they were heading, Kondro could only guess that it was Vasterix; most likely forced into fighting. _"Move out now."_ He ordered before moving at a faster pace. Tesai was right about the helmet, but that would wait for now; if Vasterix was stuck fighting then they would need to get him and move on.

Charging past an empty street and through another side-alley. The team got their in time to see an apc move in through another alley and let out more of the troopers they had seen before. _"Tesai, kill the vehicle and stay hidden; those half tracks will likely be here any minute. Sicario, stay with him and provide cover fire, kill this apc and at least one halftrack before coming to us. Hawkeye, your with me."_ He ordered, taking his bolter in one hand and chainsword in the other, he flicked the shot selector to auto. _"As soon as Tesai fires, we charge in."_

[Not gonna be that easy Vaz.:biggrin:]


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

_OOC - Haha, didn't think so =) Still, thanks for the vehicle - faster movement maybe? =D_

- - - - -

Rolling to the side quickly, Vaz felt the explosions as fist size chunks of rockrete were punched out of the rubble floor. Getting up on one knee, he saw that the one Puppet he had 'killed' with the Dagger strike to the neck and base of the skull was the one true way to slay the dead.

Laughing as he realised the irony of the statement, he saw the minaret he had been standing on seconds before - it had seemed as if hours had passed since the Reconaissance - collapse in a dust cloud, the mudbricks landing on the Halftrack. The riding shotgun and driver jumping off to avoid being crushed, but the sturdy design kept the vehicele running.

A sharp splinter of rubble was lying by his knee. Hefting it, he sent it flying to decapitate another of the soldiers. Hefting his Rifle, and switching to semi auto, he sent shot after shot into the soldiers. Superhuman he may be, but there was only so much a crippled Marine could do against overwhelming numbers.

Emptying his first clip, he saw that he had killed another couple of the Nurgle Soldiers, and had sent body parts flying. Indeed, one particularly big soldier, who looked related to an Ogryn picked up its other arm which had been sliced off by the high velocity bullets.

"Shit happens, I guess.", mumbled the Scouting Veteran into the Vox. Vasterix wasn't out of it yet... Breaking radio silence, he called into his battle brothers "Squad Bravo, this is Coran signing in No more than 2 clicks bearing 162 from LZ, I repeat, Brother Coran 2 clicks 162 from LZ. Sign off if you copy, I repeat Sign off if you copy. Coran, over."

Looking up, he saw the gunner and driver were mounted again, and spooling up the drum on the Heavy Bolter. "I'd appreciate the cavalry to make an early, not so dramatic entrance, if possible" came the inevitable wisecrack of the Marine. Looking along the sights of the Bolter, Coran rested the finger on the trigger...


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai found himself a position with a decent vantage point of the fight. He unslung the missile launcher and activated it. Muttering the recitation of firing, he aimed the ancient weapon. A soft chime alerted him that the missile launcher's targetting system had locked on to the target. Tesai caressed the firing mechanism, sending a krak missile into the half-track's engine. The resulting explosion could be seen for blocks as the vehicle went up in a fiery ball. 

Tesai reached down to his side and removed a fragmentation missile, loading it into the launcher. He unclasped another krak missile as well and set it close by on a slab of ruined ferrocrete so he could load it if needed. Peering down the street the way they had come, he could see the scattered heretics heading back to their half-tracks with haste. The sound of rumbling engines filled the silent streets as they attempted to turn around and head in the direction of the explosion. 

Motioning for Sicario to move, Tesai brought the missile launcher up once more to his shoulder. His breathing slowed as he began the rites of aiming. He watched the range-finder on his helmet's HUD quickly count down as the enemy vehicles moved closer and closer. The streets were narrow thankfully and gave little room for fancy manouvering. Not that the heretics were bothering with that. They simply slammed on the accelerator and tore their way down the street, heading for Tesai's position. As they came into range, Tesai fired the frag missile into the lead half-tracks front end. While not made to destroy armor, they would do for what he wanted. A krak missile would have obliterated the lightly armored half-track, making it little more than a speed bump for the others. However, a frag missile had just enough power to destroy the front end of the vehicle, wrecking it's axle and sending it slewing down the street sideways, blocking the road with it's bulk. He was rewarded with a set of secondary explosions as the burning fuel cooked off the track's heavy bolter ammunition. Dull krumps and pwangs could be heard through the sound of screaming cultists as the half track went up in a blaze. The other two tracks were forced to stop as they couldn't make it around the ruined wreck that lay in the way. 

Tesai quickly loaded the krak round and laid the missile launcher down. Unholstering his bolt pistol he nodded to Sicario. "Now comes the interesting part..." Opening his vox, he messaged Kondro, "Enemy engaged. Awaiting orders."


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Following Kondro as ordered, he hefted is spear, and charged a mob that suddenly appeared from a corner, stabbing several down before they realized they were dead, but more kept coming. the mob had turned out to be an endless stream of mindless dead.
Reatreating slowly, blocking every attack with his shield, he spoke into the vox. 
"We have a great many hostiles around us. Any ideas?"


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

Sicaro, watching as the half-tracks took hits from Oda's missle launcher, smirked. Now he could get his vengeance for this world. Taking out a grenade from the special grenade cache on his power armour he tossed a krak greanade into a half-track as it got closer. The explosian turned the military vehicle into board with wheels. He then began to unload shots from his bolter into halftracks picking off enemy troopers. As he reloaded his boltgun he turned to Oda, who was furiously firing his bolt pistol and said,"Do the laws of the codex allow you to steal vehicles, because I used to do it all the time."


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai chuckled in spite of the situation. "Aye brother I think it does. But I don't believe it's called 'stealing'. I believe one calls it 'requisitioning' when they take one! Let us finish these as it seems our brothers are in need of assitance!"

Tesai reholstered his bolt pistol and picked up the missile launcher. Removing the krak missile, he replaced it with the rest of his missile cache and began loading a frag missile. Taking careful aim, he sighted down the street to the swirling melee taking place there. "Brothers, missile incoming! Move from the main street into the alleyway. You should be protected from most of the blast. Emperor protect you!"

With that, he fired the frag missile. Not looking back, Tesai set the weapon down and returned to the coming heretics below him. He pushed another clip into his bolt pistol and began shooting into the dwindling tide of heretics. He turned to Sicario. "There is one problem with your plan though brother! Lest we clear the wreckage of the first one, we would be unable to move one we captured down the street."


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Looking up just in time to see the missile decend, Gareth very quickly huddled down behind his shield and pressed a button, activating a medium-sized forcefield. The blast almost cracked the shield, but it held, and he was still standing, unlike most of his enemies. 
"Thank you brother, a most welcome assistance." he said into the vox.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Hearing several explosions through his armours auto senses, Vasterix realised he was alone, and would have to take as many of the heretics down as possible - it would be a foolish idea for him to try and take them all on.

Squeezing off a couple of shots, quick as thought, the Heavy Bolter gunner on the Centaur Half Trak was blown away his rotting brains spraying behind him to paint the wall 10 metres distant in grey matter, and all that was left of the driver was a red stain, his body utterly destroyed, the frag grenade attached to his chest detonating upon impact with the bolter shell. Seeing the Undead Half Ogryn start a lurching charge, tapping the dispensor on his Utility Belt, a frag grenade fell into his Palm. Noticing the Mouldi-charge strapped to his chest, the Sphere landed in a fold of cloth on the lumbering giants chest. 

Whispering a quick blaspheme, and prayer of apology to the Emperor Coran ducked behind the remains of the tower bricks, just as the plastic explosive utterly destroyed those puppets following the brute in the firewave. Surely those further away would have been caught.

Standing up, the crater that was once the vast creatures body was the size as if a mortar shell had hit, and all that was left of those nearest was a blackened twig. Feeling his leg begin to heal itself, the enhanced systems implanted in the Marines body speeding up the process hundred fold, he gingerly stood up. The high powered lasblasts and shotgun pellets had carved through the thinner rear knee armour in short order. Looking at the shredded bodies further on, he saw that the armour of the traitors used to be that of Storm Troopers, elite soldiers of the Imperium. That such men, trained in the same school as Commisars should fall from His grace worried Coran.

Staying for a few more minutes, and knifing those who were not burnt by the explosion in the throat, severing their heads with his long handled Combat Knife to make sure, he quickly gathered up available weapons, and other supplies, storing them in the half track.

Hopefully, that would be the end of them, thought Coran, as he loaded up the Half Track, and carefully twisted the wires in the stalled engine into life, whispering prayers of blessing and purity over the twisted and warped machine spirit. As the daemons in the vehicle became slowly exorcised by the strength of Corans spirit, the ignition became more respondant, roaring into life, the powerful V8 now willing to serve. Noting that the static at his end became clearer, he was able to fix a position on his Brothers, although contact was still unable. Flooring the accelerator, he bounced into the sharp alleyways, one point fixed in his head.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[Vaz, you do realize that the wreckage of the apc is in your way of getting out of the alley, and there is fighting between it and any of the halftracks.]

With every enemy near him dead, Vasterix started towards the apc only to have the heavy bolter open fire with another soldier as the lone crewman, two heavy rounds taking him in the chest while another hit his shoulder and a fourth his leg, the apc behind them exploded and incinerated both enemies, overheating the ammo and causing a smaller explosion. His power armour detecting the damage done, dispensed pain-killers that flood the system so that Vasterix could keep fighting as he saw other members of the squad coming to his aid.

The moment the missile hit the apc, Kondro was moving; bolter kicking in his hand as he put a burst of shots into the chest of one enemy and buried his chainsword into another, taking off an arm. Hearing Hawkeyes words over his own gunfire, Kondro lopped the head off an enemy before responding, _"Ignore them and move forward, if we engage they will kill our momentum and this charge to find Vasterix will be forfeit!"_ Shots rang off the back of his armour from an enemy Kondro thought he had killed, but despite having its chest completely blown out, it fought on; firing again on full spread with an autogun, one slug hitting Kondro in the face and destroyed his augmatic. Unloading his clip into his enemies face, Kondro revved his chainsword and swung around with a roar before Tesai's warning of the next missile rang in his ear. Hurling himself to the ground, the explosion sent heated shards of metal everywhere, one piece embedding into his cheek. Grabbing his helmet from its place on his belt, Kondro slammed it on, not wanting any of the others to see the damage that had been done; if he could go on fighting like nothing had happened then he could inspire others. None had seen his wounds yet, and if he had anything to say about it then none of them would until everything was over and done with.

Taking up the shield in one hand, Hawkeye swiped around with his spear and threw a half dozen enemy soldiers away, far enough for him to continue towards the ruined apc and possibly to Vasterix. Looking over at Kondro, he noticed that the squad leader had finally put his helmet on before a large ogryn like enemy opened fire at point blank with an autocannon it was holding like a normal gun. Many of the shots were deflected by the shield, but several bit deep into the power armour. Nothing else mattered, the order had been to get to where Vasterix may be, and this enemy was in the way.

Firing another missile into the enemies pouring towards Kondro and Hawkeye, Tesai was about to fire another shot when Sicario threw himself at the heavy weapon marine in time to save him from being ripped apart by heavy fire. Though the first frag missile had ruined a halftrack, the soldiers of the others had taken the damaged pintle weapon off and replaced it, before opening fore on the lip of the alley where the last two deathwatch marines had been. Heavy fire not letting up, eight enemy soldiers rounded the corner and charged into the alley, one perferated by the heavy stubber.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC - what the hell? I wasn't with the other soldiers, I went on and scouted ahead? There was no wreckage for me, having got nothing to destroy them... Or am I missing something?]


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[When you went ahead, the apc ended up blocking off the way you came, and ended up in front of the rest of the squad. We are talking a decent sized apc with little room between it and the alley for normal soldiers to fit through. The fighting for the rest of the squad is at the back of the apc, your at its front, and the halftracks are to our sides. Once you go over the ruined apc, there will be fighting right in front of you with other enemies at the remaining hal-track(s).]


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC - Ooooooh. Okay. I'll write that in tomorrow. Cheers for clarification]


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

Sicaro leaped down from the floor which he and Oda had been on. The fall would have killed a normal man but it merely stunned Sicaro; he opened his vox and sent a message to Oda, "Frag them until only one centaur is left. I can finish of the wreck." In the short time it took for Sicaro to send this message a horde of cultists had surrounded him. Thinking fast, he wiped out a frag grenade primed it and let it explode in his hand. The explosion flew him back into the building but most of the cultists were merely chars of coal now. (OOC so, anyone here played time crisis 4)


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Oda thanked Sicario for saving him and began returning fire once again on the heretics below. The sound of his fellow brother landing below had been his only warning that he was alone. His vox crackled as Sicario called on him to lay down fire to supress the tracks. "Hai brother. It shall be done!" 

Taking up his missile launcher, he slid another frag missile into the breech. With the constant fire from the foul worshippers of chaos ricochetting all around him, he took great care as he prepared to line up his shot. The muffled sound of explosion came from below and the fire directed towards him let up enough for him to take aim once again. Roaring, he fired the missile into another half track, the blast sending broken bodies and gore raining down below.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

*Flashback*

_Starting the motor had taken longer than expected, but with the proper litanies and devotions, the daemons inhabiting the machine had fled back to the warp. Pushing aside ruined bodies and piles of rubble, the half trak made its way back along the alley where Coran had come from.

The Chimera APC, emblazoned with the PDF forces insignia blocked the alleyway. The rugged halftrack trundled under the traversed gun, the Autocannon which would have ripped its way through the cover with ease, and cracked ceramite like an egg shell was luckily dismantled. The force of the explosion had burnt its way through the Optical Cameras, and a lucky piece of shrapnel had blasted itsway through the weak side armour, decapitating the driver and the gunner. With a prayer to the Emperor as thanks for this protection, he began to clamber around looking for a way through the immovable tank. The wall had partially fallen in on the APC, and would take hours to shift. And even the Marines enhanced physique would be tested sorely to lift the wall and the tank.

Seeing a blast door lying propped against a destroyed archway, probably part of an Arbites Safehouse. Runningover, and sending neurological signals to his armours machine spirit, the Fibre bundles inside the armour activated to battle efficient power, reinforcing his considerable strength. Picking up the 4 inch thick, 6 foot wide Metal plate as if it was just the weight of a heavy log, it was pulled over to the tank. Resting it against the side with a clang, Vasterix returned to the Halftrack, and revved the Engine. Full speed, he hit the ramp, and flew over the now heavily damaged Chimera, and hit the floor with a bone jarring thudd. It was then that he head the snap of a neck. Turning round, he saw a legless man pull itself up the rear of the track. Another of the puppets was lying in the road, his neck broken, the vertebrae sticking through the ruptured windpipe.

Bringing his attention back to the surviving cadaver, he picked up the autopistol lying in the seat at his side, and put a bullet in each of its eyes. It did nothing to halt the legless body, which carried on - it was certainly witchery which conjured these beasts, out of the grave or warp, it was not Corans job to find out, only to defeat it. Whipping the pistol across its face, he heard the cheekbone break. As he reversed the stoke, the possessed body leapt at Coran, punching his helmet so hard that the vision stuttered for a moment. Luckily, he was still at Battle strength. Sending the power to his arms again, he grabbed hold of the creature, and pulled its arms out its sockets.

To his surprise, the arms did not lie lifeless on the floor but against started towards him, grabbing hold of his ankles, the arteries growing rapidly like tentacles and tying themselves to the floor, as the now limbless traitor used its chin to pull itself along. Reaching down, he snapped the arms in half, freeing his legs, and stamping onto the head of the thing. Without any outward signs, Coran knew this battle was won. 

Getting back into the halftrack, he raced to the sounds of battle, Warcries from his brothers, the 'Krump' followed by the tingle of shrapnel as grenades and Missiles from Oda Tesai exploded among the heretics, and even the faint shuffle of feet._

Flashback Over.

As he reached the battle, a reinforced Rhino APC, the Arbites insignia splashed across its side, scratched in by chainsaw blades into the shape of the 8 pointed star loomed large over the small vehicle. The carrier, large enough to fit a dozen marines in, overshadowed the halftrack. As the tanks commander turned around at the new sound, he saw the lone marine. Shouting a warning, he manned the storm bolter, huge bolts ricocheting and destroying the alleyway.

Luckily, the recoil was too strong to give proper accuracy on the fast moving truck, and Vasterix was unharmed. However, the half track was not. The brake lines were severed by shrapnel, and he couldn't stop. Rolling out the side of the halftrack, he saw it explode into the heretical Rhino, the ammunition loaded rear annhilating both vehicles, the tank commander too late to jump clear, his body ripped apart by the blast. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw, or rather sensed a piece of debris flying towards him. He rolled, but wasn't quick enough to dodge the barrel of the Heavy Stubber, which did what its bullets to do, catching a glancing blow on Corans head. As his vision blurred, he saw the black armoured giants fight in indistinctive shapes, the tan and grey fatigues of the heretics only visible when blood came out of wounds inflicted by the Marines.

He felt, rather than saw the charge of several of the unengaged cultists, just before his vision darkened, the paincut out as his body attempted to heal the haemmorage.


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Reaching Vasterix position just in time to save him from the cultist rubble, Denoriel stabbed, swiped and smashed the enemies close to him, soon having cleared an area of anything moving. His armour drenched in blood, he looked on the still, but still alive form of Vasterix. 
"Commander, Vasterix has been injured. Orders? Hostiles are closing in rapidly, we don't have much time!"
A lot more enemies were appearing around them, but they seemed intent on removing the tank wrecks so their tanks could come trough. 'smart move,' Denoriel tought, 'but they should have attacked before I regained my strenght'.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Firing a knot of bolter rounds into the nearest enemy and taking the head off another; Kondro heard Hawkeyes words after having seen Vasterix join them from the other end of the ruined apc. "To me!" He bellowed over the vox as he trampled through enemies towards the ruined apc, firing another burst of shots at the heretic manning the heavy stubber firing into the alley Tesai and Sicario were holding in. Only one shot connected, and it did not kill, but it did blow the gunners arm off and keep him from being able to fire his weapon. Letting loose another volley, he took the other arm off at the elbow before swiping out with his chainsword again to thrust his nearest enemies away.

They needed to get out of here; fighting enemies that did not outright die would cause them to much damage and force them to linger for who knows what. Their best bet was to escape forward, even if they did not know what was there, it was better than being bogged down here. "Tesai, Sicario, make your way to me. Hawkeye, you do the same; I will cover you. Do not engage them unless you have to, just get Vasterix here. We have a mission and this fight will cost us time we do not have." He yelled again before clambering up the dead apc and firing bolts into the enemies near Hawkeye.


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

"Aknowledged!"
Lifting up Vastarix, a curse on his breath for the weight of his armour, he moved as fast as he could towards Kondro. Hopefully, the enemies were too busy cleaning away the apc wrecks to notice them slipping away.
"Commander Kondro, they are cleaning away the wrecks of the damaged vehicles. We should move as far away from here as we can before they succed."


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Ejecting the magazine of his bolter and ramming home another, Kondro switched his gun to single shot for precision aiming; a feat made harder by his ruined augmatic. Thanks to his armour, the pain was negligable; but he would not be able to take his helmet off in front of the others until after they had finished with this world.

_"Just move here Hawkeye, the wrecks being moved will become wasted effort."_ He shouted over the vox before a las-blast hit him in the pouldron. Turning against the momentum of the blow, he felt the muscles straining as he took a pot shot at his attacker and blew out its knee; not killing it, but forcing it down to the ground was better for now.


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai heard Kondro's order to move and acknowledge it. "Hai! On my way."

Taking the missile launcher up, he retreated back from the building's roof edge and made his way carefully across towards the side alley. He reached the edge and jumped, landing in a practiced roll, protecting the launcher from any damage. Tesai stood and edged around the corner. He pounded towards Sicario to help cover their withdrawal. "Come brother. It is time to move."

He grabbed a frag grenade and set the timer. Pulling the pin, Tesai let the grenade fly and took Sicario by the shoulder, pulling him back. The grenade exploded over the heads of the milling cultists, giving the two astartes time to retreat towards Kondro and the rest of the squad. It had taken but a matter of moments to reach them. As they reached the group, Tesai moved to help support brother Vasterix. Taking careful aim with his bolt pistol, he helped clear the way as they fell back before the heretic mob.


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

Arriving finally to Kondros position, he dropped Vastarix gently to the ground, and promtly shot some of the closest enemies. They died violently, heads blown off or large holes in the chests....
He rather disliked guns. He had no sense of using his own strength. Any fool could hold a gun.
Pushing these toughts away, he crouched down to take a closer look at Vastarix. 
"Seems its not fatal, commander, it has already begun to heal."


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

"Hawkeye, I will never forget this - I promise I will repay this kindness someday, but now, it's time to fight! Brother, we shall fight, side by side!"

While on the floor the advanced healing in his body was already beginning. The HUD on his helmet was showing the red warning signs of multiple hull breaches. The blast from the shrapnel had penetrated his lower leg, but the good news that his head had stopped bleeding was good. Rolling into a kneeling position, several lasgun shots peppered the ground where he had been lying, the high powered beams whining while they vaporised the dust. Looking around, he saw more of the undead soldiers, one of them picking up an ancient design of Heavy Flamer. Even though it was unwieldly, taking 2 men to carry the weight, if they weren't dealt with, the heat could even melt ceramite.

Holding his breath, he scoped along, did some quick mental calculations, and switched to penetrator rounds. The adamantium tip blasted through the head of one cultist, following it through to pierce the tank of promethium. It didn't stop there, carrying on to slice through the thin armour plating on Centaur carrier, fuel spilling out. Smiling, he saw the fire base of perhaps a dozen traitors blazing away with stubbers, Lasguns and even a grenade launcher.

He took another breath, and time seemed to slow. As the fragmentation grenade loaded itself into the launcher from it'sdrum magazine, Vasterix fired. The bullet sliced its way to the gun, the bolter shell exploding the barrel and grenade, causing all those nearby to get showered with shrapnel. All of the wounds caused would have been fatal to a normal human, but again they stood. However, some lay still, heads severed from their bodies.

Whispering to the Emperor to guide his shot, he saw the Pool of liquid under the half track, unnoticed in the chaos of the fight beneath the traitors boots. The puddle continued on until it met the hurrying Flamer carriers, the trial of promethium the path their death.

Flicking the shot selector to Tracer, he fired at the puddle. The bright flare on the end of the bullet set the flames alight. The Cehntaur exploded in a blossom of white hot flames, immolating the enemy there. Watching the flickering trail of fuel lead its way up to the running team, the fuel tanks on the back exploded, just as a the operator thumbedthe ignition. The blast ended the unlife of those few.

However, that was not the end of the fight, but those fighting turned to see the destruction of their comrades - hopefully, his Brothers would be able to take advantage
of the explosion to finally end this threat, before larger forces encircled them.


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

(Vaz I didnt save you, "Hawkeye" did.) Running along with Oda Sicaro had to restrain himself from letting loose with his boltgun. He hated these followers of Nurgle he wanted to kill them all, mission or no mission. He slammed one that blocked his path in the chest. If he had been fighting traitor guard he would not have cared about this blow. But when he did this he felt as though he was killing a civillian. They had to complete this quickly, before he lost all control.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC - Cheers, don't know why I put that, sorry]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

OOC: Many apologies for not posting much the last few days. I was out of town! So now, back into the fray!

Oda watched as the APC went up in a ball of roiling flames. Taking advantage of the confusion, he opened fire with his bolt pistol, spreading rounds into the quivering bodies that still attempted to stand after the fiery explosion. He slung the missile launcher of his shoulder and pulled out the tanto strapped at his waist and along with his pistol charged into the swirling mass of survivors. Long had he trained with many weapons. From katana to yari to kama. 

He was in his element in the thick of it. The pressing, mewling, crying, bleeding, dying horde seemed to move in slow motion as he began carving his way through those who still showed any sign of life. His feet and hands were simple extentions and weapons in their own right. The super human strength of an astartes combined with ancient forms of budo melded together as one as Tesai butchered everything in his path. He found himself stomping down on one of the cultists as it attempted to pull it's way up his leg, smashing it's head into a blood mess of brain-matter, rotting flesh, and pus. 

Snarling, he lashed out with the short combat knife, taking the head from another. Tesai shoulder blocked two into the raging inferno that had been the APC, following the hit with two aimed shots to keep them down. He turned on his external vox and roared, "FOR THE EMPEROR AND THE LION!", continuing his bloody rampage. He could feel the unaccustomed rage boiling it's way to the top. He did not know from where such emotions came from. He was samurai. Emotions had no affect on him...or they shouldn't. He wondered if the infection corrupting this world was the reason for the sudden urge for destruction as he fired another round point-blank into the chest of struggling cultist trying to wriggle it's way out of the fire that consumed the APC. Deep inside he hoped it was only a slip...

He forced such thoughts from his mind and reined in his emotions. Such outbursts were unseemly and he could not afford to dishonor himself in front of the others. Bringing his bolt pistol around, he fired once more, dropping the remaining cultist as it attempted to shuffle forward with it's autogun. Looking around him, he could see no more enemies but that meant little. Surely the fires from the burning vehicles could be seen. Even if they hadn't, the sound of gunfire and explosions would have alerted the heretics' forces that someone or something was fighting back.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

As they all formed on Kondro, something gripped at Tesai and he lunged forward to attack more. Rushing to the older marine, Kondro got to him just as the last of the nearest enemies were killed and hauled Tesai back. _“We are done with this fight brother, it is time we did what we came here to do.”_ He said so that they could all hear him through the vox.


Though Vasterix was able to move on his own, Kondro grabbed him by the side and hauled the marine up. He could feel the muscles in his arm tear and the indicator on his retinal display did little but to confirm it. Waving Hawkeye from helping, he used all his strength to get them both over the ruined apc and into the alley it had blocked off with the others close behind. Nearing the egde, he saw what Vasterix had found before and had been unable to warn them of earlier; that this alley ended in a sheer drop no less than a hundred meters deep and other ruined buildings below them.


Not looking at the others, Kondro shook his head as he had made up his mind. _“We jump from here.”_ Before grabbing Vasterix and hurling him forward down into one of the ruined buildings. If they jumped straight down to the road below, the fall would likely cause enough damage that they might as well be dead; but by doing this they might come out less harmed. _“That building is your target, now go!” _


[Alright, so everyone who isn't Vaz; time for you to jump and tell what happens when you land. Vaz, needed someone to give the others a target to aim for, and Kondro is going last; so just post the affects of Vasterix landing.]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

With a running leap, Tesai jumped to the roof of the ruined building below curling into a ball as he fell. The roof creaked under the impact of his landing but held, just. Rolling to his feet, Oda quickly checked to make sure the missile launcher had survived the trip. Satisifed that it was in working order he slung it over his shoulder and began to gingerly make his way across the tilted roof in the general direction of where Kondro had thrown Vasterix. 

Making sure he was well out of the way of the others, Tesai dropped down through the gaping hole in the roof created by Vasterix's plummet, carefully landing on what he hoped would be a solid floor. He breathed a silent prayer in relief as it held. The last thing he needed would be to fall through the rest of the building's floors to the ground. He seriously doubted that he would be in any shape had that happened. Tesai looked around to get his bearings, taking in the room. It looked like it had at one time been a domicile. "Probably for the owners of the shop below", he noted to himself as he crept towards the prone form of Vasterix. 

"Brother, how are you?", he asked, the concern in his voice filtered out by the mechanical sound of the words through the external vox. Tesai moved in closer to get a better look at the wounded astartes. It seemed Vasterix's armor had held and the fall hadn't taken too much out of the warrior. Still, one could never be too careful. He reached for the small medipack at his waist and began to check the astartes over for anything too serious. From above he could hear his fellow brothers making their landings.


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

Sicaro, rather than jumping used his grappling hook and after throwing it to the building swung in. He landed on the floor above the bottom(OOC 1 lower than vaxterix and oda) and survayed the broken windows around him, in the corner huddling was a man aiming a laspistol at him. "I'm not going to hurt you." said Sicaro "Promise me it said the man." So Sicaro promised and asked the man what he was doing here and if he knew any other survivors.(OOC Reever decide what the man's response is. If you don't want he survivor yet he commits suiciede)


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

(You do realize that the hook would not work given where you'd be throwing it from right? If you even had enough length for the hook, it would be far to much and you'd hit the ground below. Do try and leave such things like the man to me though.)

Turning away from the man, Sicario looked out the room for a way up before a las round hit him in the shoulder. Turning with the blow and ignoring the pain already being blocked out; all the marine could do was put two bolt rounds in the man's chest and send him flailing through the window he had come in through. Whoever he had been, that one had stopped seeing the Emperor's grace a long time ago.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

The fall had been a rush of blood to the head. The shock of falling hundreds of feet, freefall had been unnerving to Coran. It was like the drop all over again. Relaxing with the fall, he had stretched out, wind resistance catching him as turbulence buffeted him. Slight tilts of his arms, learnt from his days in the Assault squads back in the Chapter had seen him safely to the ground, although the landing on the weakened leg was painful, Vasterix would fight on.

Applying some Ceramite quick dry filler to the holes in his armour, he had closed up the hull breaches. Satisfied that the armoured shell would hold firm, in the face of even bolter fire, he would be able to help the rest of the Strike Team.

Still, it would not do to get hurt for a couple of hours til he healed fully.

Nodding to Oda and Sicario, he got up, and reassembled his Bolter, adding on the scope and the huge extension onto the bolter. All in all, the rifle was the equivalent of the rare Exitus pattern bolt rifle that was gifted to only the best marksman back in his home chapter. This customised weapon was just as accurate, but not at the extreme distances.

Hoping that the rifle would not be required to be used at anything over the 5 click accuracy boundary, he vaulted lightly onto the roof of a shanty house, the corrugated Steel alloy creaking and flexing dangeously, and gingerly stepped onto the crumbling dust brick of the former 'balcony', a throw back to luxury that was pointless in the slums - only creating a target for the thieves and murderers, and worse when the city was repopulated.

Punching down the masonry wall, he searched among the rubble, and found an old rag, seemingly made up on ceramics. Then he realised it was a crudely made ghillie rag, used by those without access to the Cameleoline stealth cloaks and fatigues. It spoke of gang territory. Throwing it over himself, and putting up a small fortress of dusty bricks around himself to break up his outline, he set up the monstrous 2 metre long rifle. 

"Captain, this Vasterix, set up and in position. Awaiting further orders. Just a warning as well, Brothers. I have found a camoflage throw. It is crudely made - this is either a gangers or civilians, but it suggests that the territory we are now in could be hiding any surprises - I do not need to tell you to stay aware, but from the last cultists, this could prove to be difficult. I will cover your approach as much as possible, but there are some occasions which I will not be able to cover. From the schematics I recieved aboard the 'Sanctamonia', and cross referencing with this brief overview I have, it seems as though this is our most direct route. It looks like it has been cleared, though - speaks of IED's and ambushes in some dileberate rubble piles. However, I have also mapped out the most indirect route. It is not as clean, and I will not be able to cover you at some points. I am patching through the suggestions to your datafeeds now. As before Captain, I am awaiting further orders, may the Emperor guide your hand. Over."


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## Mordeth (Aug 26, 2008)

running to jump off the building, Denoriel suddenly felt a searing pain in his shoulder, and was thrown of his feet, over the edge. falling trough the hole left by his fellow marines, he cursed, as the floor broke, and also the next, and the next, leaving him on the ground in first floor, badly hurt, his armour cracked several places and his body broken.

"Man...down..." He managed to say ironically trough the bubble of blood massing in his troath, just as several dark figures bent over him.

His last toughts in life before the bolter shell entering his head snuffed his life out, was a silent prayer for his fellow marines.

OOC: sorry about dying from you, but I have totally lost overwiew and sense of play in this thread. (also i find it tiresome...)


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Having set up the Auspex, he began to scan - the long range scan at first picked out nothing, but after the surprise earlier, Coran would take no more readings of nothing to be accurate.

Catching a quick blob of blue moving, he saw that the 1st team were moving quickly through the buildings towards the basilica - a darkened shadow, and a quick glint of light off a silvered shoulder pad just visible through the scope.

Then, at the same time, of hearing a curse and a huge crash as Denoriel dropped off the ridge, and plowign his armoured body through the buildings, he heard a bolter shot, echo out, and a mumbled prayer. The vox had gone quiet, then the blip, blip, blip of enemy contact came from the Auspex. _Beneath_ their position.

By now, he was sure that Brother Denoriel had gone to the Emperors Grace - a hardened brother, erspected by all, killed by foul traitors, by a bolt pistol shot to the head. _Executed_.

The Auspex hadn't defined the nature of their opposition, but it couldn't have been good if they could evade the senses of a marine. That meant daemon, or it meant traitor Marine. The bolt shot led Coran to believe it was the latter. "Captain - enemy contact. Believed to be Traitor Marines. I shall investigate the death of Brother Denoriel and slay any foul traitors nearby. May the Emperor protect us. Out"

SO sayign, he picked removed the barrel, and switching to burst fire, he removed the blackened combat knife from its sheath. Gun in hand, he descended the stairs.


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai's head came up with a snap as he heard the echoing report of a bolt round being fired. Over the vox he could hear Vasterix sounding off. Opening his own, he spoke. "I am on my way brother. We know not their numbers so be wary." Oda carefully peared over the hole made by the falling Denoriel. Below he could make out movement but he was unsure of the numbers. He knew it wouldn't be long before the traitors made their way up to see if they could find others. Setting his missile launcher aside, he removed his tanto from it's sheath. Slowly and silenty he moved back from the hole. With his empty hand, he removed a pair of frag grenades. Priming them, he made a quick count before dropping them down the gaping opening. 

Dull krumps could be heard from below along with the sounds of confusion. Oda made a running leap, bolt pistol and combat knife at the ready as he jumped down the hole. He landed on top of one of the traitors, the combined weight of his ceramite-armored body and momentum crushing the heretic under his heels. He rolled with the landing, coming up face to face with the traitor he had landed on. That he was not dead said that this malformed monster was much more than just an plague-ridden astates. Taking what little advantage he had, he charged in, bolt pistol blazing. He hoped that the others would make it in enough time...


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

When the last of his team had jumped, Kondro followed after; curling slightly to reduce the impact when he landed. Crashing through the roof, he slammed into the floor and the ground gave way beneath his armoured bulk and he fell further still. Hitting the level below, Kondro rolled onto his side and blacked out for a moment only to be awakened by a throbbing pain in his leg that his armours painkillers reduced.

His right leg was broken in two places in his lower leg, the armour locking up to allow him to move on despite the injury. Staggering to his feet, Kondro heard Vasterix speak to him through the vox, calling him captain for some reason despite him being only a sergeant. However before he had the chance to respond, a rune on his iris went from green to black and coldness filled him. They were astartes, and so when in a squad they were all able to tell the status of each other, and a rune turning black meant that someone was no longer with them. The rune that had gone black was Hawkeyes, and if something had felled him then Kondro would make sure all his fury fell upon it.

"_All of you shut up now and move to Hawkeyes location now!_" He yelled to all others while moving forward himself before another crash and the sound of bolter fire filled his ear. Someone had been moving before he had given the order and was engaging with a hostile. Jumping down a hole, Kondro landed near Hawkeyes body, a bolter wound through his helmet before his attention snapped to something more pressing. Tesai slammed into a figure clearly the same size, wearing an archaic damned mockery of astartes power armour: Death Guard.

It looked as if there were three, but in truth there was just one; and this one was clearly a champion. With four plague ridden arms and a bloated mid-section; two arms wielding a giant rusted blade while the others ended in spiked fists. Grabbing hold of his weapons, _executioner_ and _Deliverence_; the Crimson Fist charged in to aid Tesai.

[Sorry to hear that Mordeth; as for the others who are not with us, make your way to the fighitng.]


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC - Whoops - haha gotta learn to check back, forgot the ranks =D)

Stalking beneath the walls, he saw the first of the Plague Marines. Remembering an old comrade from the Iron Knights, he remembered something about how they were the toughest, if not the most skilled at fighting. Still, 10,000 years hatred and warring would make them formidable. A crash from above saw the black armoured form of Kondro slice through the air, landing through the weakened structure. He would be able to sort out that problem.

A grunted warning brought Vasterix' attention back to his predicament. A couple of scouts, former guardsmen by their uniforms must have been with the Traitor marine. They would not carry on to fight his brothers. He was too far away to immediately help with their fight, but he could stop reinforcements.

Stepping lightly down the last step, he sighted along the Bolter. Selecting the hellfire rounds, he took aim on the comms operator. The bolt slammed into the face of the traitor, acid eating away the visor and flesh of the guardsman. Remembering that the daemon possessed troops of Nurgle would not die so easily, he switched to his combat knife, the mercury filled weapon swinging down to behead the Foul heretic. Pus and Noxious gases escaped from the dead traitor. A small spit of it landed on his chest plate, the acid eating itself through the armour, until it hit the sign of the aquila, the Emperors purity stopping the Warp slime in its tracks.

Looking around, it seemed as if he had found a weapons stash, a hold point for the Planetary Defence Force. Seeing an untainted Chainsword, he whirred it into life, the mass produced chainblade of less quality than the specially made ones by the Chapters Armouries, made to fit the hand and fighting style of the wielder, razor sharp teeth sharp by human standards, but still be sorely tested by Ceramite and Adamantium.

The engine coughed smokily, until the ignition caught on. Starting through the buildings, he saw two others from the squad move out - an autopistol round slammed into his shoulderpad, pinging off, the only damage done to the paintwork. In return, the Bolter from Vasterix caught the cultist under the chin. The bolter shell passed through the tin helmet, the vial of acid eating away in seconds the warped musculature, and stripping even the bionically implanted plates away, leaving the deformed skull bare. The body dropped. It provided the distraction for Vasterix, as the lumbering form shifted, he threw the Chainsword with all his might into the carapace armour. The teeth cut down, leaving a ragged scar through the ablative jacket, until vitrilolic pus seeped down, eroding away the engine system. It pulled the sword out, and looked up in pleasure at seeing such a weapon do no damage, just in time to see Vasterix inches away from his face. Pulling the trigger, the burst shots spread into the face of the fallen guardsman, the enhanced regeneration too slow the stop 5 rounds of hellfire ammunition.

The joy of close quarter combat was upon him. He was a Marine, a strike force, shock and awe, terror tactics. He realised that the traitorous Night Lords had the right idea, before he brushed the though away as heretical. It was a joy to be doing what he trained daily to do, 22 hours of each Terran day was spent honing these techniques. He learnt his trade as a Sniper during his time as a Scout, and he damn good at it. But this is where a Marine belonged.

[OOC -EDITED: they are only cultists now. They're dead, coming to aid you now)


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[Don't worry to much about the ranks, though do keep in mind that by generating enemies that you want to fight you can end up screwing things up overall and force me to make hasty changes rather than better ones. Like deciding that we are facing seven plague marines when I mentioned there only being the one. We'll be having a tough time dealing with the one, let alone the other three you have generated and not ha Vasterix kill on his own..]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Oda found himself face to face with what could only be a champion of the foul Plague God, Nurgle. Truly this malformed beast was a devout follower of his dark deity. The stench of his distended body filled the room as Tesai and Kondro traded blows with the traitorous mongrel. It had been a long time since he'd found himself faced with a follower of the rot god but he knew full well of their prodigious fortitude. Blows that would have killed even an astarte brought nothing more than a chuckle from the plague marine's rotten throat. 

Rolling under the beast's guard, Tesai brought his combat knife around in a sweeping arc, laying open the bloated gut of the follower of Nurlge. He was rewarded with a gout of puss and black ichor as it spewed across his ebon-armored chest. The reeking stench made Tesai gag as he attempted to dodge one of the clubbed hands. He felt the blow catch his shoulder pauldron, sending him spinning across the room into a hap-hazardly made bulwark of broken furniture. Slowly, he stood, shaking off the blow the best he could. The creature's strength seemingly matched it's warp-fueled toughness making it a dangerous foe indeed. 

Bringing his bolt pistol up, Tesai aimed. He called for Kondro to move as he made to fire the weapon. Three rounds found their mark, opening mini craters across the plague champion's already open gut. Part of him wished he still had the missile launcher but it was too late to retrieve it. The battle was here and now and he couldn't afford to wish for something he didn't have. As he charged in, he hoped Kondro had a plan to deal with the beast.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC - changed to just heretics scouting for the Marine. Sorry for confusion).


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Ducking a high blow from the second clubbed fist, Kondro tried to bear his chainsword into the champion; but the rusted broad sword was there to block his own weapon. As the two weapons clashed, sparks rang off and some of the teeth of the chainsword flew out, embedding in both marines and eliciting a roar of anger from Kondro. _Deliverence_ was one of the three most prized things he possessed, and to have it damaged by a traitor was unforgivable.

Taking a step back, the sergeant made to strike again, but one of the fists caught him in the side of the head and sent him to the ground just as three rounds raked the plague marines wounded gut and Tesai charged in.

Rolling to his side, Kondro grabbed his bolter in one hand and fired a burst of his own into the champions back; cratering the older power armour as each round found their mark at close range but the marine showed no sign of notice.

As Tesai charged again, the plague marine moved forward and robbed the charge of some of its momentum, the two marines colliding before the pommel of the broadsword cracked into Tesai's helmet and put him on the ground.

At that moment, Kondro barreled into the champion to keep him from attacking Tesai; he would not lose a second to this enemy, not if all it took was his own life instead. _"Keep at him Tesai, the Emperors might is better fuel than foul magicks will ever be."_


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai found his feet as he wobbled up. The blow had taken quite a bit out of him and he knew they needed to finish the monster off soon. He stumbled over to where Kondro and the plague marine wrestled their way across the floor. Shaking his head clear, he came upon a plan. It would be risky and there was a chance that he might not survive. The squad was already down one as he weighed his options quickly in his mind. 

Seeing no other alternative, he pulled a krak genade from his belt. Thumbing the activation switch, he charged into the swirling melee. Taking the plague marine by his corroded shoulder pauldron, Tesai rolled the beast over, the closeness of the two making it hard for the heretic to bring is sword to bear. Shouting a prayer to the Emperor, he slammed the krak grenade deep into the traitor's ruined gut and roared, "A gift from the Emperor!" He pushed it in with all his might, tearing through the bloated, pus-filled intestines and vital organs that made up the heretic's innards. Seeing his chance, Tesai rolled, grabbing ahold of Kondro as he did, pulling the marine away with him. 

He could imagine the look of confusion on the plague marine's face as it tried to figure out what he'd pushed into it's foul, stinking innards. Reaching to his side, Tesai pulled a the remains of a table over the two as the anti-tank grenade detonated with a furious explosion. He breathed a silent prayer that that had been enough to killed the plague-infested follower of Nurgle...


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Tackling the plague champion, Kondro's vision was a constant shift of colour and fighting before something grabbed and hauled him away from the traitor marine. In an instant, he and Tesai were on the ground before an explosion rocked the ground and caked both marines in dust and filth. Standing up, both saw that there was sign of the enemy; instead there was a gaping hole in the wall and floor where it had been.

_"Thank you Tesai, even warp couldn't have survived something like that." _Kondro said before picking up his weapons. _Deliverence_ had taken minor damage, and Kondro shook his head at that.

_"Vaterix, Sicario, lets go, the grenade will atract others and we cannot afford to waste more time fighting everything this nworld throws at us."_ He said before jumping down the hole the grenade had created, boots creating craters in the ground where he landed while seeking an exit from here.

[Anyone feel free to find us an exit while forming up, or I'll do it next update.]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

OOC-Many apologies for taking so long to get back here! Been a bit busy lately lol! But, I haven't forgetten this :biggrin:!

Nodding in agreement, Tesai followed Kondro down the hole. There had been too many problems already and their mission had been side-tracked enough. Taking in their surroundings, Odo pointed to what looked like an entrance to the city's sewer system, the rusted grating making up the hole's cover slightly askew as if it'd been forcibly wrenched open. "Do we have schematics on the city's waste treatment and removal system?" he asked Kondro, hoping that the plans they'd been given were thorough enough to cover such things. "If so, we might attempt to use the sewers to continue on to our target destination without being seen. If we're lucky, they'll be clear of the heretics infesting this wretched place."

It was an option but it's viability would depend on many factors. Given the amount of corruption worming it's way through the planet, there was no telling what evil they may find in the depths below the city proper. In fact, given that most cults start in the deep, dark warrens hidden from the bright sunlight, they could easily find themselves face to face with even more enemies. Of course, there was always a risk with any choice they made. The sewers would keep them from the prying eyes above but would it cost them more precious time. Their mission was of great importance and should they be delayed longer, there was no telling as to if it could be completed in the given time parameters. 

Each of these problems surely weighed heavily on Kondro and the team's captain. Decisions were always two-edged swords, especially in circumstances such as the ones they'd found themselves in. They had already lost a man and their resources were dwindling in the constant fire-fights they found themselves locked in at every turn. But, they were astartes, and more than that, they were Deathwatch. They were the cream of the crop, the best their chapter's had to offer and Tesai doubted that his remaining brothers would be anything less than expected...


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[Glad to see that your still here Nate, though I'm not as sure about everyone else..]

_"Aye Tesai, the map gives us some idea of the sewer network; but only a basic one at best. We won't make it right to the Basilica itself, but we'll be close enough."_ Kondro said while weighing the options; Tesai was an older veteran who likely should have seen command of his own squad, so there was no doubt the other marine was also thinking about the problems with venturing down there. _"It will be more confined and any possible communication with the other squad could be cut off, but the sewers are not out in the open. Vasterix, Sicario, get down here and move out."_ He said before shouldering open the door to this building and making for the sewer entrenace.

[Gonna give it a day or two for the others to post, or else we'll have to do something else about their characters.]


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC - sorry about the length of time for me to reply. Real life constraints etc,].

Vasterix heard the order over the Vox system. His breathing and anger were returning to their passive levels and his adrenal glands literally shuddered to a halt.

The bodies of the traitors were already beginning to decompose, bones et al.

The order must mean that the traitor marine was dead. Best place for them,thought Coran.

Running back to his previous Sniper spot, he lugged together his abandoned equipment, and made his way down to Kondro and Tesai.

"Sergeant, the Auspex reports that the sewers are devoid of 'life' which can harm us, but then again, reanimated dead don't count. I don't need to suggest being ever vigilant, do I?" The moment of levity, mocking the favourite thought of all their training Sergeants, back on their respective homeworlds, was breifly over.

"Where's Sicario? It has been a long time since he reported."


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

"A moment, sergeant. I must get the missile launcher", Oda said.

Turning from Kondro, Tesai made his way back to the upper floor of the building from where he'd made his leap onto the plague marine champion and retrieved his missile launcher. Once again he removed the weapon's sling from it's pouch and strapped it on. After getting it ready, he shouldered the launcher and carefully made his way back down to the ground floor. 

As he passed the fallen body of Hawkeye, he paused. Setting aside his weapons, he knelt down beside his fellow deathwatch marine and turned his corpse over. He uttered a short prayer for the astarte. "It is a shame that his seed be lost to this terrible place", he thought to himself. While he could remove them, he had nothing sterile to keep the progeniods in. He sighed, knowing there was little else he could do for the dead marine. He rifled through the man's possessions seeing if there was anything he could take back with him on the off chance he should meet up with Hawkeye's fellow battle brothers. He found nothing beyond a small primer which he placed in the pouch where he kept the launcher's sling. It was such a simple thing but it had been important enough to Hawkeye that he'd kept it and Tesai swore that if he survived this he would see that it was returned to his chapter. Oda rose and made the sign of the aquila over the dead marine. Reaching down, he picked up his spear. It was quite different from those used by the Void Stalkers but it's heft was balanced. "Too fine a weapon to leave to some heretic mongrel", he snarled as he examined the spear. "I will see it returned as well brother."

Tesai turned from Hawkeye's corpse and moved towards the building's entrance. As he stepped through the shattered opening, he could see that Kondro was already making for the sewer's entrance, Tesai slowly made his way across the street to his position, his eyes searching the broken windows for possible hostiles. It seemed what little luck they had was holding as he spotted no obvious signs of enemy movement. He stopped before Kondro and saluted him with the spear.

On hearing Vasterix's report, found himself agreeing. He snorted a short laugh at his attempt at humor. Humor was a rare thing among most astartes but it was a welcomed respite to the recent sorrow they had seen. Oda thought for a moment. Opening his vox, he asked, "Can the auspex be recalibrated to search for movement along with life-signs? If so, it might be possible to avoid future ambushes should the tunnels be full of plague-zombies as it is certain the beasts will be on the move in their constant search for the living."

He also had a very valid point. Sicario hadn't reported in for a while now and Tesai found himself pertubed. He wondered the marine's wounds had been worse than he'd let them on to be. Pride was one of the few weaknesses an astartes could fall prey to. "Should I go see to him?", he asked Kondro.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[This will be assuming that Vasterix has not yet made it to us.]

_"No, that responsibility lies with me; wait for Vasterix to join you and then move on regardless of what happens to Sicario or myself."_ Kondro responded before turning back to the building; there was something more he wanted to do anyway. Making his way to the upper level, he found Hawkeyes body, noting that it had been moved from when he first saw it.

Kondro felt a mix of rage and sorrow; Hawkeye was a Templar, a fellow son of Dorn. His passing was a double wound because of this; kneeling down Kondro removed one of the marine's shoulderpads, the one bearing Hawkeyes chapter of origin, before standing up and opening the link to Sicario, a marker winking to life on his retina marking his location. _"Sicario, report in; we must keep moving."_

[Sorry Nate, didn't really give you much to do there, other than maybe opening the sewer entreance I guess. I'll update for us once you and Vaz are together (hopefully it will be all of us though.)]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Taking in his surroundings, Tesai carefully reached down and grasped the lid covering the sewer's entrance. He made sure to keep his movements silent and precise lest he alert any nearby to his presence. Silence was the key now. With all of the noise they'd made, it was a miracle that they hadn't been swamped by any more of the plague militia seemingly in control of the city. Gingerly, he set the rusted iron coverlet aside, making sure to place it on the ground as quietly as possible. He was glad for one thing. The entry point to the city's waste removal system was large enough for he and his brothers to use. "Thank the Lion for small mercies", he intoned to himself as he peered down into the murky gloom below. 

As he waited for the others to rejoin him, Oda thought back to the skirmish with the plague champion. Something didn't quite fit. Why would one such as he be alone and in the perfect position to ambush and kill one of their number? Chance? Fate? Being an astartes, he held little value or belief in either. Opening his vox, he called to Vasterix. "Brother Vasterix, ETA?" He hoped his fellow marine would make his way to the sewer entrance soon. He hated being this exposed. Oda also hoped that Kondo found Sicario. They would need as many as they could muster now that they were short one. The mission could be compromised should they take too many losses and Tesai knew full well one astartes could make the difference when it came to it. He wondered how the other team was getting along. There had been no contact between the two groups to his knowledge. With little more to do than wait, Tesai moved under a twisted awning covering the face of a burned out building and continued to keep watch.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

"T-Minus 20 seconds Brother, approaching from Southwest." Vasterix was keeping low, Bolter raised, Autosenses turned to maximum. The blow to his head from the exploding tank was a slight hinderance, the Comm net crackling gently, but otherwise a superficial wound.

Ducking behind the obliterated masonry, Vasterix saw that between him and the Manhole opening was an expanse of open ground. Cursing, he re-checked the Auspex. Again it came up blank. Remembering the older marines suggestion, he fiddled with the dials on the Auspex, the electonic signatures of the Marines double hearts Blazing like the stars of the night sky, while coming up blank for any hostiles. Hoping that this was the truth, after all, muscles did need the electronic signal to fire - the heart was a muscle after all.

Then, a faint pulse of red, North, about half a click of his current position. 

"Brothers, I have found contact. Weapons are Tight. Target is one, I repeat, Number one. Pattern is looping. Looks like a sniper, or watchman, probably standing on a roof. Tesai, I'll be across to you when I work out the walking pattern. Any news on Sicario, Sergeant?"

Having already lost 1 member of the squad was bad enough. They were small by necessity, and it was only enough to get the job done. If another was lost, then their mission would be almost over. However from a personal viewpoint, they were all warriors who came from completely different backgrounds, but all fought together against up coming ork warlords on Charadon, defeated Tyranids allowing wars to be won in a fraction of the time. Each one of them would have won themselves almost every medal in the Imperium, although they went without thanks. They had forged themselves a bond that would last a lifetime. For one of them to be lost was unthinkable.

Watching the Auspex, Vasterix saw that the wide loop of the path of the Sniper was nearing its Apex. Without a second thought or hesitation, the Deathwatch Marine leapt out into the open space, the Ghillie Rag providing a little protection from prying eyes, although it was more likely the movement would be seen than the actual marine. Landing 10 feet distant, the marine rose from the roll, a picture in his minds eye of the Sniper sighting along the rifle that could prove fatal for even an Astartes. Sprinting the last few strides, he dropped in exhaustion beside the previously invisible veteran, cold sweat running along his brow, although he felt no fear, the shame he would bring to his Chapter should he fall, while evading a Sniper, protocol or not was daunting.

Recovering quickly, he unslung his Bolter, snapped on the Silencer and Rifling, and edged round until he had a bead on the target. Sure enough, there was a heretic, but nonethewiser to the actions just taken place.

Breathing a sigh of what might have been relief, or maybe it was merely the exhalation of air from the sniper, not even Vasterix rightly knew. Nodding to Tesai, he set about covering the open expanse, while the older veteran covered the direction Coran assumed Kondro had departed in. The deadly accurate fragmentation missiles and krak missiles could bring down the walls on the following enemies, giving time for Coran to add his firepower to the volley, or to drop down the manhole.

Realising such wanderings of the mind could compromise, the Marine set to with his breathing exercises calming himself for the fight and flight, near or far, soon or distant... Damn, there I go again...


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Hearing Vasterix confirm an enemy about was a mixed blessing; it showed that Vasterix was still with them at the very least. Opening a channel, Kondro crouched low for a moment as he saw something through a broken doorframe. _"Tesai, Vasterix; proceed with the mission through the manhole now. Do not engage the enemy, I will meet up with you soon."

_[Thread update will be tonight, for now you two just get down into the sewers.]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Oda watched as Vasterix bolted from the cover offered by the building and into the open ground. He moved quickly and efficently, making his way across the expanse to the where the old Void Stalker waited. The astarte nodded to Oda as he entered. "Good to see you bother" Oda replied quietly over the vox as he continued to scan for enemies. 

The vox crackled in his ear as Kondro spoke. On hearing the orders, Tesai responded "Hai..order understood." Little more was needed. They were astartes and knew their job. Turning, Tesai tapped Vasterix on the shoulder and pointed to the open manhole. With that done, he slowly crept out from under the awning, his eyes alert for any enemy movements. Seeing none, he carefully removed the missile launcher from his shoulder and capped the ends with water-proof covers. Using the spear as a hook, he gingerly lowered the launcher to the floor below, making sure to set it down in a dry spot. He pulled the spear up and turned back to Vasterix. "Going in" he voxed as he dropped through the hole into the sewer below. The stench was appalling even for a sewer. Bits of detritus and what looked to be flesh floated down the sluggishly moving water flow headed for who knew where. Tesai moved to clear out of Vasterix's way lest the marine come down on top of him. 

He retrieved his missile launcher and began the process of checking it over. The weapon seemed in good order with no apparent damage to the targetting electronics. "Thank the Emperor for small mercies" he muttered quietly as he reslung the launcher over his shoulder. Touching the bead at the side of his helm he messaged the others. "Inside. Area secure. No obvious signs of hostile activity. Awaiting you Vasterix."


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

"I hear you brother". One last scout around and sweep of the Auspex showed emptiness, other than the one heretic and marine.

The vox began to fail for Vasterix, only the short range intercept was functioning, he would be relying on Tesai for the moment for any change of plan.

Drawing the manhole cover across partially, a quick infrared trip light was placed, just to warn if they were being followed. Patting his rifle, he removed his scope, and the suppressor, the Night Vision of the marine wouldn't be damaged by flare and fire, while being devastating to a man.

Moving to the end of the tunnel, where they joined with the main culvert, noxious gases,human and plague borne in the effluent, a quick scatter of loose stones drew Vasterix's attention. Seeing nothing, he checked the Auspex. The scan revealed a wolf sized creature hiding expertly in the shadows. Looking closely, he saw a huge, 3 eyed rat, snarling broken teeth and lashing its 4 tails in anger and fear. A bolter round through its centre eye proved that fearr well founded.

Seeing the direction of travel of the sludge, and the lack of footpaths, it seemed that the only way was to shimmy along the edge form culvert to culvert. Without waiting for any say so, the younger marine skipped lightly across the first, then jumped over to the second, nearly falling in baackwards as he lost his purchase on the simy stones.

"Nearly...Nearly... Brother, it seems that this is the way to underneath the Basilica. One of these Tunnels has to be a service channel, or flood channel. Got to be safer travelling along them. What say you?"


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Tesai watched with a small amount of amusement as the younger marine nearly slipped. He found himself liking Vasterix. Headstrong but without the air of recklessness that came with youth. He was a solid astarte, that much Oda was sure of. Taking his own turn at a flying leap, Tesai understood why Vasterix had had found finding a purchase mildly problematic. Effluent and a strange viscous slime covered everything. Turning back, he noticed the carcass of whatever the feline-like creature had been was already beginning to decay rapidly in the dank closeness of the sewer. 

Opening his vox, he called to Vasterix. "Brother, I recommend we check our suits for any sign of corruption or loss of integrity once I join you. We should also keep our helmets on given the amount of toxins in the air down here." 

Tesai made the final leap, scrabbling on the slippery stones for a grip. Reaching out, he steadied himself with the spear he'd taken from Hawkeye's body. He coughed out a laugh at the irony running through his head. "One false step and I would be the one taking the dive" he thought to himself. As he reached his fellow astarte, Oda took a close look at his armor. Small stress-fractures spider-webbed their way across both marines' armor. It was not surprising. Combat had a tendency to damage even the highest crafted armor, including power armor. Removing a small can of armor paste, he quickly sprayed the expanding ceramic polymer into the largest fractures before turning to his own armor. 

"Integrity green" noted Tesai as he looked to his fellow marine. 

Looking to the openings before them, Oda pointed to the farthest one. "It looks as though that line bears no pressure. A run-off perhaps? That would be the safest course I think. If the line bears no pressure then we won't have to worry about a gout of sewage forcing us back and would certainly be safer."

Slapping Vasterix on the shoulder in a friendly manner, Tesai gingerly made his way across the treacherous path to the opening and stepped in.


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## cco12 (Jun 30, 2008)

(OOC Im finnally back)

Sicaro jolted awake. He must have been knocked out in the meelee. It was all coming back to him, a band of traitors coming up and killing Hawkeye, almost killing him. He heard footsteps coming up the steps and lifted himself to his feet. Kondro walked into the room. Im ready to move out seargent, where to?


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

OOC: Welcome back bud!


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

As Tesai waited for Vasterix, he studied their surroundings with passing interest. The flow of water seemed to be dwindling through the pipe he believed to be their best way to continue on. This only reinforced his belief that it would be a safer option than the others. However, before continuing on, he wanted his fellow astartes to sweep the tunnel with his auspex. He mentally cursed himself again for not taking one before the mission had started. It was a small item, barely the size of a portable vox caster but it's scanning abilities would have been welcomed. 

Still, his kit had been limited to begin with once he'd chosen to take the role of heavy support. Pouches had been given over to the various bits of minutia one needed to keep the cantankerous missile launcher in working order. While the ubiquitous launcher was well-made, it took only a small amount of water in the wrong place or grit in the sighting apeture and the weapon's efficiency would be next to nil. The precise targetting matrix itself required constant upkeep lest the launcher's spirit become aggrivated and refuse to give its aid to Oda as its wielder. Of course, the power the weapon offered generally off-set the negatives associated with it and it was still very durable even with all potentially problematic systems that made it up. 

Turning, Tesai nodded to Vasterix and spoke. "Brother, any signs of hostiles on the auspex?"


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Walking into the room and seeing Sicario still alive and with him, Kondro lifted up a hand and made the wait gesture while looking to the ceiling. Half his view was taken up by an image from Vatsterix's own visor, showing the last location of the sniper.

This one was good, no doubt of that, but astartes were a world different. Jumping up, Kondro slammed and arm through the wood and ferrocrete and grabbed hold of something that tried to worm away before pulling back, and taking the snipers entire upper torso with it minus a head.

_"Now that thats taken care of, lets move Sicario; we need to meet up with Vasterix and Tesai in the sewers."_ Kondro voxed the other marine before turning to leave. Things were to calm after the alley and he didn't like it.


Looking back at the auspex, between brief flashes of static motion could be made out; a great deal of motion from whatever lived down here in the darkness. Moving forward, both marines come to a six-way junction that the auspex does little to help with; the thick rocrete walls playing hell with the device's ability to show the sewer layout.

[Sorry for the wait of update, I'll refrain from saying something like the next one will be soon, as every time I do that never happens. Sicario and Kondro need to get into the sewer, and Tesai and Vasterix need to choose a direction and/or work out how the other two can follow. Or they could just waut, your call in the end.]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

OOC: I think I'll wait for my companion to post first before I go all gung-ho. If he doesn't soon, I'll write something up to keep it going :biggrin:!


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

[OOC -Whoops =D Sorry =)]

Hearing his compatriot words, Vasterix checked the Auspex once more - several sweeps of the surrounding area, searching for heat, sound, heartbeat, and electronic impulses. As he started up a wider scan, he caught something that brought joy and hope to the Marine - Kondro was bringing up a second member of the Squad - Sicario was still alive!

"Brother, we have a friend with us - Sicario is still with us, ready to fight on it seems!" The smile was masked behind the forbidding black helm of the marine. It quickly changed to a set grimace, and the business like tone of when a job had to be done came into the syllables as Vasterix continued. "However, we cannot waste our time - they will be able to follow us, or if not, they will be able to reach the Basilica themselves by a seperate route. Personally, I reckon that we take that passageway - get out of this Emperor forsaken stench anyway. I have your back, Tesai - you're more used to this urban sneaking than me."

Reaching into his backpack, Vasterix picked up a couple of bolt pistols, the weapons he had trained with as an initiate into his Chapter. Slinging his rifle, he slammed home a Magazine into each, and checked the sight was true, the green laser visible only to the HUD on his helmet. 

Drawing his combat knife, the tempered Adamantium alloy sharp as the mind of a Librarian, he offered one of the pistols to Tesai.

"Just in case..."


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Nodding, Tesai accepted the weapon. "Many thanks brother. I am in agreement. We must continue on to our objective. To wait longer would only jeapordize the mission."

Tesai brought the bolt pistol to his side, the magnetic clamps built into his armor pulling the weapon tightly so it would not shift. As if an afterthought he began searching through his pouches. For several moments he rifled until he found what he was looking for; a small, blue replacement lens for the missile launcher's targetting system. "We need to mark which entrance we are using lest our brothers become lost or take a divergent path."

The lens was made of a very tough, diamond-like gem and would make for the perfect marker. With a few quick strokes, he placed a series of seemingly innocuous scribbles near the entryway of the tunnel they had chosen. On finishing, he placed it back into the pouch it had come from and continued on.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Seeing the veteran use the precious targeter as a Scribe-tool, Vasterix realised what it meant for the old marine to have Kondro and Sicarius reunited with them. Coran had been of the opinion that they would find themselves at the objective in due time, and putting signals would either alert the enemy, or slow them down.

But with that ingenious idea, the squad would be both in force, and able to meet up at the destination.

Tesai began his steady march up the passageway, following the tortuously winding path with a little struggle - the floor was slippy, the ceiling was low, and the corridor tightened inexplicably in some places.

For an hour or so, the steady path had been kept up - each Marine taking a slurp of gunk from the Nutri-tubes they were all equipped with. The timer showed that it had been nearly 3 hours since planetfall - the time taken during the fights and stoppages had only increased the sense that they had been there for a long time. Vasterix's mind began to wander - something praised back home in the Chapter, but when the mission was in hand, it was something that required full attention. He decided that upon return to the Cruiser, he would spend a week in fast in atonement for his laxity, cleansing his body and mind in the ritual combat practise.

Despite his best efforts, his thoughts on how to atone still caused his mind to wander, so simply just fiddled with the mechanism of his Bolt Pistol, for no real reason; the craftsmanship on it required no real effort to clean, and his knife was just the same - it had never needed to be sharpened or cleaned from the stickiness of blood. They were perfect weapons, the blackened adamantium of both an instrument of death against the enemies of the Imperium.

[OOC - sorry it's nothing too exciting - just looking to bump this up for a another go!]


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

OOC: Dark, do you have any planned updates in the near future or should we continue on as we have been? Either way works for me but if you have some ideas on what you want exactly, let us know!

Good luck and good gaming,

Nate


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

[Sorry, first it was break between quarters for school and now its the startup week thats holding me back when it comes to an update. I'll have something for you guys in the next day or so though, so just hold tight at the moment.]


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

As Kondro and Sicario exited the building, the sergeant couldn't help shake the feeling that something was not right here. Kneeling down to remove the sewer cover, Kondro heard his name called out over the vox before being smashed aside.

Rolling with the blow, the sergeant turned in time to see Sicario where he had been a moment before; part of a rusted blade impaling him through the chest, likely piercing one of his hearts and a lung. That attack had been meant for him, Kondro realised, just before the blades wielder tossed Sicario and the weapon aside.

Charred, wheezing, and pus oozing from its body, the plague marine from before stood there as its one remaining arm grabbed for the bolt pistol at its side. Kondro never gave it the chance of firing, whipping his own bolter up and pumping three bursts into the chaos marines head and pulping it. Champion or not, warp fueled or not, no space marine could take a dozen bolter rounds to the head.

Kneeling down beside Sicario, Kondro removed the marines helmet and realized at once that there would be no saving this battle brother; his face was deathly pale after only seconds and dark red blood dribbled from the side of his mouth. "It has been an honour fighting alongside you sergeant." He said weakly, before Kondro removed his own helmet and allowed Sicario to see what the others had not been allowed to.

The entire side of Kondro's face was covered in his own clotted blood, even now the wound from his augmatic had not healed. "Aye Sicario, it has been an honour. You have done your chapter and the deathwatch proud, I will look for you when I join you at the Emperor's side." Kondro returned, clasping Sicario's hand as the life left the marine.

Removing Sicario's shoulderpad displaying his home chapter, Kondro redonned both helmets before making to leave. Pausing only to hide a krak grenade of his own on Sicario's body. If anyone tried to take the marine away to desecrate him, the grenade would go off and make sure that never happened. Entering the sewers, Kondro fixed another grenade at the entreance before replacing the lid. The team had lost two more marines that he knew about, he only hoped the captain was doing better.


Vasterix and Tesai, as you both move forward gunfire erupts from ahead. Las-bolts and autogun fire pinging down the sides of your tunnel and occasionally off your own armour. Over the gunfire, you barely make out someone shouting the words: Come on you lot, lets kill these traitorous heretics before they do any more damage.


Hearing the sound of gunfire echoeing throughout the walls, Kondro started sprinting forward; he was a good deal behind Vasterix and Tesai and the thick walls were killing the range of his vox.


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

The sharp bark of autogun fire made a strange companion to the squealing whine of lasfire as they burned their way down the cramped spaces of the sewer. Hefting the fallen Templar's spear and his bolt pistol, Tesai roared as he pounded his way down the tunnel towards the barricaded troops who blazed away at the two marines. Oda found his blood up at the prospect of combat and was going to put the spear to good use on those fools who dared to bar his path. The sight of the black armored marine had a visible affect on those behind the barricade. There was fear in their eyes. It was the kind of fear you saw in those who knew that death was coming.

Bringing his shoulder down, Tesai smashed through the improvised firing cover and found himself amongst his foe. They scrambled back, moving to escape his reach. Something was different about these men though. They bore no outward signs of infection or corruption. There were no mutations nor were their any dark markings or sigils marking them as followers of the pustulent god of plagues. Still, they had fired upon he and Vasterix. Oda did not know whether they were friend or foe but as he made to strike, he heard the words of their commander. _Come on you lot, lets kill these traitorous heretics before they do any more damage._

He halted and stared at the quailing men around him. Stepping into the wan light offered by one of the many lumi-globe situated around the sewer's hub he made sure all could see the shining silver aquila that marked his chest. Oda also brought his shoulder pad around so they could see the inquisitorial engraved piece of armor bearing the script of those tasked with the cleansing of the canker that was xenos. "Drop your weapons" he snarled as he strode amongst them, "or face the righteous fury of the Emperor!"


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