Battle for Selgrix

[Pachamama]

Selgrix-surface Imperial command post/ Landing zone

Xerxes looked at Vink.
"Because out there you fought honorably and showed bravery. The very foundation of the guard is Honor and bravery and servitude to the god-emperor of mankind" he said taking another chunk of meat.
"This sure is better than our army rations" he added.



Aboard "Starslayer"-Bridge

The bridge crew fought with the ships controls. Using the maneuvers thrusters and auxiliary engines they tried to keep distance and keep their shields between  themselves and the chaos warship.
The gunnery mates kept firing the main batteries while the anti-fighter weapons tried to shoot down the advancing small craft.
The Adeptus Mechanicus sealed off entire sections of the vessel releasing the atmosphere to kill all unprotected intruders.
The shadowy figure in the background moved across the bridge towards one of the control stations.
he pulled out a Las-pistol and aimed it at the Adeptus head.
"Time to end this charade" he said and melted the man's skull. there was a short scream as the Mechanicus head burst in flames and his eyes popped out due to the laser-beam boiling the fluid in his skull.
"In the name of the emperor I hereby cleanse this vessel from your form heretic."

After that he ordered. "Disengage this mans console Master Mechanicus then try and restart the systems. the shields should come up. We are not yet out of surprises."

Aboard "Starslayer"-Control Room/ Entrance to the Astronomican.

The chaos marines having dispatched most of the guardsman left the remaining attackers to the heretics. They turned their attention towards the door of the inner sanctum and started to work on a break-trough.
Lemes shoulder hurt from the Laser weapons hit. His flesh had been burned but his anger about one of their own betraying them and the ship kept him from loosing his consciousness. Chainweapon in hand he stabbed at the traitor , both rolling across the floor.
While his left hand pressed against the crewman's face, his fingers trying to gouge out his eyes, his right hand came up hitting the heretic on the shoulder.
The chain cut into the mans flesh searing trough muscles and sinew finally biting deep in his bones nearly severing the left arm off.

[Bara]

"SHIIIITTTTT!!!!"

The Culist bit the loyasilt, and then threw him with his one remaining aim. Taking his bolt pistol, he aimed for his head, and fired. Then, a lasblast hit him. His eyes went back into his skull, and he fell down. He would not fight any longer in this battle. or the next.


*Selgrix, Ground*

Vink and Xexrves stood side by side, as the commander gave the briefing of the next mission.

"This will be a simple recon. We have reports of our new Local Scouts of some kind of large Emmey force. They could be Chaos, or Tau. They have taken over a large trading post, and has made it into some kind of damenioc sturce. Our Tech-Priests say that they could have over 1/4 of the plaent under there rule. We must see confirm these reports. The Emperor Protects"

Vink picked up his scoped rifle. He looked at it and smiled. He had made these rifle himself, using what ever spare parts he could find in the wastes. Most people had these kind of rifles, and the general term for it was a Waste Rifle. They were easy to make, and ammo was cheap. But, each gun was spacial. They had a long range, and could rip off a unarmored limb in one shot. He cocked the lever and looked at xexrves. He had his bolter. He turned to his Squad.

"Alright. I want 1st sqaud up front. If you see any trouble, i want you to fire a flare, then find cover. We will move up, and support you. 2nd squad, i want your mortars to be ready to pound the emeny when ready. Xexrves, you want us to follow you, or you to follow us?"

[The Empire]

"HA! So much for cultists!"

"Let's quit playing around now brothers, let them know the power of the dark gods!"

Apostle Ymer fiered his combi-melta at the door to the Astropath's cells, melting both locks and hinges, the door falling to the deck with a resounding clang.
Without hesitation, two of the word bearers accompanying him threw a couple of frag grenades through the door, letting them detonate before stepping inside, spraying half a clip of bolts each, saturating the room and moving on to check if there was anything left alive or in state of possible repair.
The three quarters of the squad that had not been needed inside the navigation central arrived shortly there after and took up overwatch positions where they could flank anyone trying to get to the navigation central.

Down in the hangar bays, the battle was fierce, many of the lesser deamons were beeing cut down by the grey knights as fast as they manifested and a dreadnaught had been released from his insanity. Seeing this new threat that definitely needed dealing with, lord Ahriman focussed his powers on a single knight. His chants rose and fell, all the while accellerating in pace until they reached a crescendo and stopped.
From the sorcerer's staff, a strange cloud seeped forward, engulfing one of the knights, hiding him from view while he started screaming. The screams were becoming ever louder but at the same time more and more warped. Eventually, the cloud dissapated to reveal a horrible sight to the knight's battle brothers. The sanctified armour was no more holy, it's pauldrons and plates were twisting and writhing with leering, agonized faces, the helmet had opened, revealing it as fused to the knight's own face, the visor instead beeing part of an unnaturally large maw filled with razorsharp teeth. Where the sides of the breast plate should be, there was now a series of extra limbs ending in sharp claws dripping with venom and long fleshy spikes protruded through the back-armour. Flailing and howling madly, without any resemblance of sanity, the thing charged it's former brothers, each slash of it's claws cutting serious gashes in the armour of anyone too slow to dodge.
In the other end of the hangar, a dreadnaught brought one of it's chainfists crashing into a knight, severing him in two without any visible effort before continuing towards the next, cutting a bloody swathe of death through loyalist and heretic alike, seemingly without distinction.
Focussed on ranged combat, the oblitterators took up position on as high ground they could, morphing their bodies to form lascannons and multimeltas to rain hot death upon their ancient enemies from above.

[Pachamama]

"Starslayer" - Astronomican

The wordbearers had secured the office and were storming the Astropath's cells to find them-empty.
Also the frag grenades and the bolter fire had done considerable damage there should have been at least some remains of those inside. Torn limbs. burned bones or other ghastly parts of organic matter.
The only thing inside the corridor was a metallic cylinder with some dents and scratches from the weapons effect.
And a voice from the speaker system. "Welcome to your doom."
At the same moment with a deep hum the  melta bomb powered up its microwave emitters sending the deadly radiation about the room starting to heat up the traitors armor making it melt and crack from the thermal shock.

"Starslayer"-Hangar

Grand Master Gallus stepped forward while one of the battle brothers released his fallen comrade from the taint of the warp, cutting him down were he still transformed.
"In the name of the holy god-emperor who is my master may his spirit protect me, may his hand guide me , may his strength be at my side." Continuing his chant he pushed his force halberd towards the magician releasing its powerful psionic energy's upon contact with the sorcerer. At the same time two more Grey Knights., Horrors and cultists still hanging on to their  armor turned towards the mage swinging their force weapons, attacking him from three sides and connecting with his unholy form. They released all their anger and despise at the traitors and the unholy end of on of their brothers trough their weapons channeling their energies. The Knights were willing to die to bring down this enemy.
The remaining knights started to chant and raise their voices.

Meanwhile as the assault had been hampered by the Knights the guards made their advance. Dreadnoughts, infantry and land raiders made it trough the gap pushing back the advancing chaos forces.
A missile salvo stopped the rampaging dreadnought while the armored units cut a swath trough the enemy.
The infantry stayed behind the armored line firing from las-guns, throwing grenades and firing missiles into the maelstrom of bodies.
The entire hangar had turned into a bloody mess of fire, shrapnel and screams.
Also the havoc around him could not hurt the sorcerer Ahriman it severely hampered his concentration as the corpse of a cultist was flung at his face by an nearby explosion and his form sprayed by numerous shrapnel.

"Starslayer"-Bridge
The Adeptus Mechaniucs were working as fast as they could trying to restart the systems to circumvent the sabotage done by the traitor.
Two men were in the process of removing the corpse while some technicians disassembled his control console to make sure that it was no longer connected to the ship in any way.
As they dismantled more and more of it they found the systems and circuits inside to be shaped in strange forms , some of the wires looking more like living veins than cables.
The Inquisitor stepped forward, immediately calling back the technicians and beginning the chant of purity. Two tech priests appeared by his side lighting incense and falling into the chant supporting the Inquisitor who started to melt away the console with his las-pistol.
"Success" one of the men called out.
"Systems are coming back on line we have control and power of the shields. Engines are restarting."
As the las pistol melted away the brain.like lump sitting in the middle of a nest of cables the ships controls returned.

"Dismantle the wall" Inquisitor Strax said. "We must make sure that we get all of this out."
"Once we severe were they connect with the regular systems we will be safe."

ooc I am not loosing this ship without a fight. The knights will concentrate in bringing down Ahriman as he is the source to the daemons powers a if their leader falls they will not press the attack.
The knights will use their force weapons and the "Holocaust" power . The latter will be used to incinerate anything around him and separate him from his forces, creating more room for the knights to maneuver.
The land raiders and dreadnoughts should take care of the obliterators and enemy dreadnoughts.
I may have another surprise but first I will see how this battle is coming.

[The Empire]

Using their teleporters, a large number of oblitterators managed to get close enough to most of the land raiders to score fatal hits with morphed twin-linked meltaguns.
Ahriman was furious, blocking the halberd of the knight with his own force weapon while fiering a series of deadly inferno bolts from his pistol directly at the knight's head, tearing his head and part of the backpack coolant exhausts clean off. A chaos marine was hit by an overshot bolt and died like his armour had been made of paper.
Though initially blocked from moving by the mass of own troops in front of them, the last chaos dreadnaughts pushed through the debris near the breaches and entered the fray, catching the overconfident loyalist forces in the flank.

With the nearest space around him clear, Ahriman could concentrate enough to foresee the outcome.
He sent out his thoughts to the oblitterators and then vanished in a purple haze only to reappear on board the Voice of Despair, his personal battleship that just exited the warp along with the surviving oblitterators. Leaving the Word Bearers to their own destiny, Ahriman's ship re-entered the warp and was gone before the loayalists could react.

[Bara]

OOC: Wonder wheres pach....

Vink led his small squad around the Junk hill. There were many of these. Collected over the years. Most people like them, gives them some metal to work with, And, cover when two Bands meet, and there trading doesn't go well. Vink looked through the scope. Hills, a burned out harvester, a small fire left going, and a small tint of glass.

Oh Shit

The Rocket barley missed him, the junk pouring down.

"What the.."

Vink could barely finish his senctce before anthoer Rocket flew over his head. He quickly ran to some cover, and he tried looked for the shooter, and bullets were flying everywhere. He took small a unlucky soldier, his head was turned. He solwy began to turn his head. Then, Vink called up Xexveres on his Vox-Caster

"Damn it Xexres, what the hell are you doing? You almost got a rocket stuck inside my head@"

"That was you? God, im so sorry"

"Yeah, just make sure that that doesnt happen agian"

"Got it"

Vink and his platoon got up, and walked toawrs them. Nobody was hurt, they resumed there Combot Patrol. A few timkes, they saw some bands, and they lleft them alone. He climbed to the top of a hill. A small trading post, with a Tavern.

Perfect...

"Xexerves, I'm going inside that village for a few minutes. If i dont come back when the sun is midway, i want you to call in a air strike there."

Vink took him, and a few others into. His cloak was swriling about in the wind. He kept his kinfe on his back, and he held his shotgun. He walked through the village, and enterd the tavern. It was the best place to hire Mercines, and others. Milita fighters were there, always looking for more money. Gladiators, who fought for money, visted there often, maybe selling himself out to a passing band. Off Worlders, the ones who survied the wrecks, carrying there fancy wepons, that could pirece even the best armour.

"Anybody here want some extra Galacs?"

Almost everyone turned around and looked at Vink.

"I will pay each who joins us 25 Galacs"

Whispers were heard around. That wasnt chump change. It was 6 months pay for most workers. Then, 40 men stood up.

"We'll join."

"Good, you all will be paid every month."

They left the tavern. They crossed the hill, a motley lot. Some had Wastlerifles, others had Axes. Some had a bolter, and some had a Flamerthrower.

"Xexrves, where you want to go?"

[Pachamama]

Selgrix-Ground

"Where did you get those men?" Xerxes asked.
He walked close to Vink and looked over his shoulder from time to time.
"I mean can you guarantee for their loyalty? I wonder."
He pulled out a map-display.
"We will go to Sierra-16. This outpost reported an attack by Tau units. We should approach from this valley between the debris piles, that would give us cover until we are close to the outpost.
I want your men to take up positions on those hill. Take the rocket launchers.
I will take one man and advance to the outpost."
Also keep our snipers ready. From the last data the outpost send  the enemy should be around here."


"Starslayer"-Bridge

"We have regained control of the ship systems" a crewman reported.
"Well done. Fire main thrusters on the port side" Captain Armand ordered.
"Bring her about on present course."
"But Captain that will.." the helmsman began
"..make us crush into his superstructure. I know." the Captain ended the sentence.
The helm started to complete the captains command the mighty vessel swinging about faster than it could with only manuevering thrusters. Despite the inertia-dampers the crew felt the force of acceleration.
The dreadnought swung about, the proximity of both vessels leaving little time to react.
It's bow section crashed into the chaos vessels superstructure, shearing it off and bringing the "Starslayer" on top of  her enemy.
"Upper manuever thrusters on full power. Press him into the atmosphere. Disengange gravity controllers. Let him feel our weigth"

"Starsalyer"-Hangar

The moment Grand Master Gallus died he released a flash of psionic energy and on leaving the mortal plane supported his brethren in their battle.
The grey knights finished their chant and released the Holocaust. The fiery maelstrom consumed what stood around for several hundred feet. The psionic fire left only the sorcerrer and his chaos marines standing.
The same moment while he had killed Gallus and before the other two marines were able to connect with him the sorcerrer dissapered in a flash of purple and was..GONE. Gone together with most of his army.
Only the word bearers and rubric marines were left behind, the former ones turning towards their chaos brethren and cutting into their ranks..
The Grey Knights turned towards there treacherous brethren and released them of their mortal form.

ooc: Sorry but I was attacked by the greater daemon of laziness.
The last few days I just couldn't get myself to do much.
Happens  a lot around Christmas. This time is mentally not the best of the year for me.

So I am going to loose this battle but I will take as many of the chaos forces with me as I can.
If that is possible there will also be a teleport shield put up around the bridge.

[The Empire]

OOC: I suggest you re-read my previous post. Ahriman left the system and the other chaos forces upon forseeing the outcome, that character is way too special to succumb in such a petty conflict so he jumped ship and won't be present anymore...

Abandoned by their belived allies, the word bearers in the hangar bays that survived the psykic blast turned on the rubric marines left behind by Ahriman, releasing the trapped souls by shredding their armour with bolt and power weapon. None of them paying any attention to the new shudders and groans from the ship that was supposed to be dead in space until the hull beneath them was ripped open by the two capital ships' collision and they were sucked out into the void.

The marines in the dreadnaught's superstructure slowly fought their way towards the bridge, unaware of what transpired a mile below until they heard the collission warning sirens start wailing when they, decimated to only two dozen marines, reached the final blast doors.

[Pachamama]

ooc: I have edited the post according to your information.
Sorry but I must have overlooked this.

"Starsalyer"-Hangar

With the hangar bay being shredded to pieces and the air escaping into the void, massive doors closed sealing air-ducts and passageways.
The Grey Knights escaped the havoc by teleporting into the ship.
So they concentrated at the jump they still were dispersed all over the vessel.
"Report and reform" Brother Graxus ordered his fellow knights.

"Starslayer"-Bridge

The impact was tremendous. The entire ship moaned like a wounded beast as the two vessels connected.
Even so the inertia dampers prevented the worst many crewmen were injured and killed, being thrown around by the forces of the crash.
"Disengage main drive. Stabilize position" Captain Armand ordered.
Atop the chaos barge the maneuver thrusters fired, bringing the dreadnought to a halt.
The upper thruster firing and exerting her full weight against the enemy the "Starslayer" trapped the chaos ship between her hull and the planets gravity.
With her bridge destroyed the chaos barge started to sink towards the planet.
Circling the world below the vessel entered the atmosphere it's outer hull beginning to glow as shield failed due to massive damage.
"Captain, we have another vessel inbound. Another chaos ship" one of the seekers reported.
before Armand could answer or even look at the screen a new message came.
"It's gone. The vessel warped out."


"Starslayer"-Bridge outer bulkhead door

"They are behind the door" Brother Captain Yankus said.
He had taken position with the second squad. So they were still shaken by the death of Grand Master Gallus they concentrated on the task at hand.
The losses suffered by the Grey Knights in this battle had been severe, but they would see to it that those losses weren't for naugth.

[Bara]

"Got it"

Vink looked at his Mercs. As with most peolpe on Selgrix, they will be ture to there word, as long as you are to yours. As long as they will be payed every 3 months, then they will fight as long as they can breath. Vink looked at the map agian. It wasn't too Far Off, maybe a mile of so. He spilt the  Mercs up into 4 groups, and told them to keep there spacing. They walked on, maybe for a hour or so, then reached the valley. He put the rockets coverin g the only entrace and exit to the outpost, the valley, while the mercs were scarrted about. If anybody came, they would have to face them. Everyone.

[The Empire]

Breaching the bridge blast door in a shower of flames and molten metal, the chaos marines stormed in, boltguns, plasma guns and heavy bolters spitting death as they charged through the breach and onto the bridge.
The first three through the blasted door was cut down before they knew what hit them, their following squad members taking the fight up close and personal with their ancient hated enemy. Power axe and chainsword clashed with force glaives, both sides matched step by step in reflexes, strength and determination, the fight carried on, the only differences were the grey knight's superior weapons and psykic abilities against the Word Bearers greater numbers, either advantage taking it's toll on the other side until the great vessel joined it's dark nemesis as an ever growing glow on the skies above Selgrix.

The last order of the chaos captain as he realized the evasive manouvers weren't going to be enough was to abandon ship. Because of this, a number of assault craft and antiquated drop pods inferior to the dreadclaw class now made their way towards the planet surface, attempting to reach Artemis' primary LZ, a few dozen miles away from where the two formerly space-borne behemoths was destined to crash.

[Bara]

Vink looked up towards the sky. He saw that these drop pods were coming down.

"Probably just more Imperials..."

He looked through the scope of his waste rifle. He began looking around, secarhing for Emeny. He then heard a massive Explsion. He looked up, and two ships began to crash down, maybe 50 miles away. Then, he was force off his feet. He was thrown off the pile of scarp that he was using, and he saw a peice of metal land right next to him. He ran towards anthoer hemp, while others were hding. Vink saw Xexerves, and quickly pulled him behind the pile.

"Whats going on?"

[Pachamama]

Sorry I won't be able to post much before new year. Work is piling up and it's the "Nightmare before Christmas"
Emp, the troop transport send a signal to the Inquisition before it went down ( a few posts earlier in the topic). Could you give me a idea how long it would take them to send a ship?   
I have no clear idea about how fast WH40K ships travel. i only read that the time is inconsistent due to the "Immaterium" 
Any idea how to resolve this?

[The Empire]

OOC: I won't be back online either until after new year, The 'Immaterium' of the warp is tricky indeed, travelling from one system to the next can take everything from a few weeks (As it would in the Star Wars universe) to hundreds of years and that goes for communications too. It is far from unknown that distress calls from fringe worlds arrive at a more central system and when the support forces sent out arrives a few weeks later, the world is empty with no human life having existed there since a thousand years earlier. Take a randomizer with numbers from 0.1 to 500 and a preference for lower numbers, then you do that twice, add the result and that's the time in months it takes for the investigation forces to arrive.

[Pachamama]

ooc Thanks for the Info Emp. Reinforcements will arrive in 116 month or 9 and a half years. Leaves us enough time to slug it out on foot.

And merry X-mas and a happy new year to you all.