Crucible (40K)

[Imperial Overlord]

Hmmmmm..... Orks starting an orbital bombardment while thier landing craft are making craters in the ground.

Sounds like normal operations for orks.

The "orbital fire" is occurring where the heavy landers have grounded. Guess again.

[Grimnosh]

Hmmmmm..... Orks starting an orbital bombardment while thier landing craft are making craters in the ground.

Sounds like normal operations for orks.

The "orbital fire" is occurring where the heavy landers have grounded. Guess again.

Considering the flight skills (or lack thereof) of some ork pilots, landing craft can be a part of an orkish orbital bombardment.

Hence the craters.

[Imperial Overlord]

Two Thunderhawks touched down in the landing bay. Bullet craters scarred both their flanks, but the tough gunships were mostly undamaged. In the distance a third Thunderhawk could be seen, lurching through the air with smoke trailing from one of its engines. Chapters serfs and servitors rushed to attend to the craft as the third Thunderhawk entered the bay.

It had received more severe punishment than the other gunships. The front canopy was obscured by webs of cracks and holes had been shot through both wings. The crew compartment was punctured and the left engine produced more smoke than thrust. Still, it had managed to fly home.

Terminators began disembarking from the rear ramps, four of the hauling the metal pod by the crude handholds that had been cut in its sides. "Take it to the Master of the Forge," ordered Nihlus Cataran as he descended from the lead Thunderhawk. "Tell the Master of the Forge that it requires immediate analysis."

Behind him Toth Arianocus staggered down the debarkation ramp. He stumbled, but a Terminator caught him by the left arm before he fell. "Easy brother."

"Thank you brother," the Chief Librarian replied.

Nihlus Cataran turned back, facing the Chief Librarian. He removed his helmet, revealing dusky skin and epicanthic folds around his eyes. His head was shaven and his cheeks were marked where the claws of a dying genestealer had rent his flesh. "Should you seek an apothecary brother?"

"I will be fine," Arianocus replied. "I just need rest and I am Astartes. Rest can wait."

-----

Two new picter screens, another data engine, and several more snaking cables marked the strategarium. "Repeat to the others what you told me," ordered Damien Exacles."

Toth Arianocus addressed the rest of the command staff. "My brothers, the Orks have been deliberately lured here as part of a sophisticated operation. The brain of a powerful warboss was acquired and deliberately kept alive by what appears to be Gaun technology so that it would act as a psychic signal and lure to bring this Ork horde down on our heads. This attack is not a coincidence or bad luck. It is a engineered strike at our chapter, using expendable greenskin proxies."

"I have trouble believing this," said Zarien Cadril. "Not even the Chief Librarian knew where the Chapter Master was going to place our fortress-monestary. How could they even know of our founding? We cannot be infiltrated by Scolex class meat drones. And even if they could, they would not have enough time to prepare and carry out such a plot."

"Someone did," replied Damien Exacles. "Perhaps the Gaun used warpcraft to discern our founding and location. Perhaps they merely changed targets when they learned of our existence, having already set the plan in motion and intending to use it somewhere less promising. Perhaps they have new, more effective infiltrator drones. If there is an intelligence leak of some kind, it must be plugged."

"A thought Chapter Master," said Ares Kahere. "The Martian ship is very late."

"That has occurred to me as well," replied Exacles. "The warp disturbance interferes with our communication and so we know nothing of the Mechanicus ship's fate, but it could have been intercepted or destroyed by our enemies. We know too little. That must end. Master of the Forge?"

"The technology is indeed Gaun," replied Antaeous Drakon. "A life sustaining and psychic amplifier apparatus make up the bulk of the device. Stimulator circuitry and implants were in place, keeping the Ork brain active and useful. We may take some solace in the knowledge that the xeno must have suffered greatly. That is not all. A stasis field of unquestionably Imperial design was incorporated into the pod, presumably to ensure that the pod's contents survived the crash intact."

"Undoubtedly looted or stolen," said Cadril. The Scout Master dismissed it with a wave. "The xenos don't have the capacity to create stasis fields and so used one taken from us."

"Quite possible," replied Antaeous Drakon, "but another possibility occurred to me. Was the stasis field the only piece of stolen technology? The Gaun are the greatest threat to the Imperium to lie in the Charybdis Reach, but they are not the only threat."

"Chief Librarian?" Exacles asked.

"A valid point," replied Toth Arianocus. "The pod must be thoroughly examined to determine it's origins. Other investigations must be undertaken as well."

"Neither of which we have time for at the moment," said Damien. "Our manpower demands grow, not shrink. Our first priority must be to survive this onslaught." He gestured at the largest pict screen.

It showed the towering bulk of Mount Dorn near the top of the display. To the south was jungle and to the west and north were more hills and mountains. Plains sprawled to the east. Five glowing green blotches formed a crescent from south to east on the map. A sixth spot glowed a dull orange near the southern horn of the crescent.

"The Orks first wave succeeded in landing in six places. Our Chief Librarian has succeeded in scorching one zone." He pointed to the orange blotch on the map. "The other five have been reinforced by additional waves. We have no orbital imaging, but our sources do suffice for this. Given their positions, the Orks are likely to advance on foot through the jungle from the south and by vehicles from the east. They will converge on our location, attacking and besieging us."

"Chapter Master," said Antaeous Drakon, "did you say that the Chief Librarian singly handily incinerated an entire first wave Ork landing zone?"

"I did."

"The Ork ships," said Toth Arianocus, "were shoddily built and filled with volatile fuel and munitions. The effort was draining, but within my capabilities."

There was silence for a moment. "The Sword Bearers have long been reticent on relying on the power of their Librarians," said Damien Exacles, "and adopted a policy of constraint. That is not the case with us. Our Chief Librarian has strained himself to the limit and it is now up to the rest of us to blunt the approach of the xeno tide. Time is short. I want solutions within the hour."

[White Haven]

...Bad...ass. Dammit IO, now I've got to find a way to top that for sheer 'you did what?!' in Rogue Trader. Well played.

[Imperial Overlord]

"Bold," said Damien Exacles. "Deathwatch?" He looked up from the hololithic display table and locked his gaze with his First Captain.

"Aye Chapter Master," replied Nihlus Cataran. "Killing genestealers in hand to hand combat covers a warrior in glory, but you need only do it once to be filled with the desire to find an easier way of killing them. I read several books and the contents of more data vaults on the subject."

"As did I," replied Damien Exacles. "The question of if it can be done remains." He shifted his gaze. "Master of the Forge?"

Antaeous Drakon met his Chapter Master's gaze. "Possibly. We lack the appropriate munitions, but I may be able to improvise something appropriate."

"Those munitions would have been delivered by the Mechanicus vessel," growled Marhkus Damien. Grim nods answered him.

"Master of the Forge," rumbled Nihlus Cataran, "I have a thought. I once fought a boarding action-"

"Yes," replied Antaeous Drakon. "That is what I was thinking. Generating the necessary yield is the problem. Big isn't a problem, big enough is."

"Large enough to justify the First Captain's plan?" asked Damien Exacles.

"Yes, I think so."

"Then it is approved. First Captain, you have command of the southern thrust. Markhus, you will lead the eastern. Deploy your companies in full, take what equipment you need. Secure a forward battle line and then fall back and evacuate when the techmarines have completed their work. Master of the Forge, all resources are at your disposal. We deploy at your mark."

"With respect brother," said Marhkus Exacles, "that cannot be. The jungle limits the sourthern Orks, but Ork vehicles are already being deployed from the eastern landing zones. Unless we secure a deployment zone and repel the Ork vanguard, the plan will fail."

"You're right. Take whatever reinforcements you require."

"Fourth Company will suffice, but we'll need additional troops to police the techmarine deployment zone. Servitors and earth moving equipment will also be useful."

"That we have. Our scouts can police your second line."

"That should suffice," said Marhkus, nodding.

"Airpower," said Ares Kahere. "We're depending on Thunderhawk transport and we are badly outnumbered."

"Fortunately they don't appear to have much in the way of airpower," said Toth Arianocus. "Or at least many aeronautica. I suspect that they have many fighta-bomba spacecraft."

"Two of our companies on a guess about their airpower," said Ares Kahere.

"A guess and the fact they could muster only a small force to escort their landing waves," replied Nihlus Cataran. "A force that took very heavy casualties from ground fire and just four Thunderhawks. Chapter Master, there is risk but there is more risk in not executing this plan."

"I agree," said Damien Exacles. "Prepare to deploy. May the Emperor be with you."