Eisenhorn

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

"THAT WASN'T A REQUEST FOR YOU TO PROVE ME RIGHT YOU BASTARDS!" The moment the heavy bolter opened up, Stukov roared at the assaulting weapons team as he ducked down and went for solid cover, finding himself right next to the Celestian behind the curiously placed metal barrier. They had room to move, at least, though trying to cross the open ground to get into the apartment building, fight his way up to the right floor, get through the barricades, and clear out the nest would take too long. Even if he was just sprinting up floor after floor, they didn't have the luxury of time to let the heavy bolter chew away at the cover. That meant he had to skip all that running, and he had a plan. It was an Emperor damned bad one, mind, but sometimes that was the primary option. Glancing over at where Smiles ended up, he spoke loud enough to be heard over the heavy bolter fire.

"I can't get an angle on them from here, get me up there Smiles. I don't think this barricade will hold long enough to run in and up six flights of stairs. We can cut off anyone trying to escape from two directions then." Stukov was bracing himself, her method of travel was never pleasant, never would be he suspected, but none of those heretics would be ready for an irate, shotgun wielding armsman just appearing and slamfiring the shotgun and clearing out the room. His other options were firing his naval pistol, and hoping to land a hit, try and long arm a grenade up there, or just praying one of the other squad members could silence the gun from down here. Or charge in and fight his way up to the nest, but a heavy bolter would chew through a barricade in relatively short order.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Stukov kept an ear on the situation, though the statue seemed to revert back to what it should have been, one dedicated to the God Emperor. That was...peculiar, but not completely foreign. The warp was deceitful and tricky when not properly controlled, and he lowered the shotgun from aimed to a low ready, scanning the surroundings carefully, looking for the slightest thing out of place or otherwise wrong. He'd rely on gut instinct as well if it came up, though he much preferred trying to pick out trouble on a ship. Urban wasn't too bad, though this was a far cry from working through a hiveworld or the like as well. Moving back away from the statue, he would turn after satisfying himself that he couldn't spot any impending trouble and nodded to the soldier. "Thanks for the cover, mate. Let's regroup and figure things out, that blast probably spooked anyone too stupid to run from the sound of us touching down."

Moving back, while continuing to do regular glances around, waiting for the sudden crack of weapons fire to finally open up after the explosion, he moved to the rest of the group, offset enough to hopefully avoid clustering up into a nice, juicy grenade target. Seems that Celeste was alright, her armor soaking most of the blast, though the comms seemed to have indicated her systems fluctuated. Might want to get that checked, he thought, but didn't say it out loud. Though once she was done addressing the psyker, he chimed in, turning to scan while he spoke to the Celestian. "You were closest, but my gut says that was meant for lighter targets. Smiles foiled that one, but given what it did to you, would have wrapped me around a tree. No doubt there's eyes on us, but I have a feeling there was an expectation that would be enough. Now that I said it, watch, they'll open up..."

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Stukov kept a stern expression on his face as he kept the shotgun trained steadily on the one who tried to leave early in the first place. Keeping the weapon steady, he listened to the information as it was pretty much spilled out as fast as she could manage. A bunch of nobles were gathered up and some warp spawned abomination was hiding under the illusion of their power was spouting some rather bold claims about two of the Chaos Gods leading to wonders unknown. Typical offers of power, prestige, and whatever else these nobles would want. They apparently feared being executed for reporting what happened, and chose to hide out in their comfortable gardens and just let the problem fester. Still, Celeste decided to have them arrested by local forces instead of summary execution, and that was a notable restraint from a Bolter Bitch. Granted, he'd learned to restrain his commentary until necessary, but he fell in line as they departed from the first pair they'd interrogated. If they were smart, they'd stay put, running now would just put them even further on the radar.

Once they were out of earshot and begun discussing daemons and their forms, Stukov would give it some thought, given his experience. That Throne damned purple haze had came over quite a few junior men, forcing them to either put down the lucky ones, or have to abandon the unlucky ones, so the idea of a disguised one seducing the nobles with promises of expanded wealth wasn't terribly surprising. "Smiles has a point, its a coin toss which of these bastarding chaos servants are more cunning and deceitful. Mix the two, and that's going to be the worst kind of trouble. Now, as for this woman who's...oh hell!"

The statue was secondary, the coal black eyes of the woman had him swinging the shotgun up, racking a shell but, unfortunately, he was nowhere near inhumanly fast enough to prevent the events from occurring. Bracing himself to get thrown, instead the fast thinking that Smiles showed buffered those not wearing power armor, the remaining force causing his longcoat to billow in the wind, though that meant Celeste was launched with enough force to buckle a tree in two. Rapidly unloading his shotgun, sharp eyes would see him loading specially marked rounds, and those that knew him well would note that was probably buckshot that he'd sought blessings for just to handle daemonic trouble. He also barked out orders, clarifying on Smiles own declaration, assigning specific people to specific roles. "Cogs, Kid, get to Celeste and check her over. Power armor should have absorbed most of that, but she'll need help. Smiles, cover me and keep an eye on the surroundings. Throne willing this was an isolated attempt, if not be ready to repel hostiles."

Making sure one of the blessed shells was racked and ready, he advanced on the statue and, well, very unfortunate remains of the waiting warp bomb of a woman. More concerning was a statue openly dedicated to Khorne, who normally the servants didn't rely on trickery like suicide bombers, that was the tricks of Tzeentch mainly, in his experience. He was looking for any signs of further trouble outside the very obvious, that a Khornate statue was here, and a target had just warp bombed with enough force to launch and possibly incapacitate a senior Sister of Battle.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Stukov cocked an eyebrow at the mention of 'combat robots', since that was well and truly beyond his measure of understanding. He wasn't about to go asking how she secured that kind of help. Gunship support was a positive thing too, so he would take that for what it was. Next was his question and, sure enough, there was no solid idea or intel on what was going to be awaiting them. No other safe houses or forces on hand, so it was just them, the tin cans if things got bad enough, versus whatever was going to be waiting for them in the city itself. Great news there, he thought with a sarcastic tone, but didn't say it out loud. His job was to kick in doors and kill heretics, not complain or think too hard on how the powers that be got their toys.

Sure enough they were off again, with little fanfare, boarding he strapped in again and immediately dozed off, the transport's movement and shacking seeming to do nothing to interfere with his ability to rest. Old habits died hard, and getting rest whenever he was in a position where he couldn't do anything wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Eventually the slowing transport woke him up from his dozing, shaking his head briefly as the restraints released and he was on his feet, heading off the transport in close step after Celeste. He noted the smart ones legging it the moment they saw the heavily armed squad touch down out of relative nowhere. Definitely not subtle, and odds were at least one of them was already alerting the local heretics of the rather sudden arrival. Still, Throne willing they would nail at least the first target before things got hairy.

Speaking of, he checked his data slate when Sis chimed in over the comm, memorizing age, appearance, various details for this specific person of interest. Walking in step with Celeste, Stukov was scanning the information being processed over the slate, glancing around routinely as they moved. He spoke just loud enough for Celeste to hear without him screaming for all to hear. "Right, let's move quick. Kick the door in, grab her, extract what information is usable, and deal with her from there. At least one of those who ran is probably raising the alarm, so clock's ticking as it were."

Veritas Lux Mea

Ansgar Staudinger

"BASTARDING PIECE OF SHIT!" Ansgar roared as he lobbed another broken piece of electronics at the modest pile of scrap that was currently in the center of the engine room. He'd at least been considerate enough to start the pile, that had of course came from him lobbing a piece of broken machinery in that direction, away from their temporary pilot and navigator. He was digging through the running engines and finding the parts that were completely shot so he could finish putting together a manifesto of parts and replacements he would need, starting from ideal and running down to workable. He didn't expect any of the ideal replacements to be practical, given their recent luck, but a man could dream damn it. At least he was about as far from family as he was going to get in this universe, which was a small mercy at least. The comm buzzed and he caught something about meeting down to prepare for docking. Fuck.

He crawled and disentangled himself from the engine and side stepped the pile, all but storming down to the cargo bay before pausing, he thought, out of sight and taking a deep breath. This was going to be an annoying argument, since no doubt the Lass wanted him to relax and unwind, and that was just not an honest to god option. Steeling himself mentally, he walked down into the cargo bay proper. He still had his protective overalls on, somewhat more singed now than before, and he made a point of unzipping the top, all but drenched in sweat from the work he'd been doing, and tying it off around his waist to at least get a brief breather before returning to the engine room. "Hope this won't take long, Boss, I've almost got the engine room's part list together and then I can start preparing to get invasive systems replaced, including the bridge. That's a lot of work that can't wait, and that's before the replacement parts start arriving."

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Stukov offered a nod to the rest of the group as they filed in to begin the briefing, and he turned back to focus on the briefing once it began proper. The longer the brief went along, the more trouble he expected this mission to be. Sure, it was probably their best approach since none of those present were exactly going to be, well, able to undertake quiet or subtle operations easily. Crossing his arms, he was about to speak up with Smiles beat him to it, asking if there was backup when it came to rapid response forces. A squad of stormtroopers on standby would be a huge relief should things go poorly, being able to have an escape option is always good.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Smiles. Having an escape option in terms of backup would be extraordinarily useful. How much resistance are we expecting from these individuals that we're...paying visits to? Element of surprise should be on our side for the first few, but bad news is one of the fastest things in the galaxy. And for heretics? An inquisitorial retinue is some very bad news indeed." What would concern him would be that, should the first of those visited would already be ready for them, that would give away the fact that someone high up in the chain tipped them off that trouble was heading there way. Nothing that couldn't be sorted out with a shotgun, just need the right ammunition. Still, he was waiting to hear the word on any potential backup, as well as the targets in question and their readiness for intrusions.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

<Snipped quote by Eisenhorn>

A fair point! ;D

I mean, isn't he a pure fighter type character whilst also being one of the weakest members of the group?

@Rithy

I mean, in a group with power armor, mechanicus augmentations, defensive fields and the like, he's just a dude with some halfway solid armor and a shotgun. I'd say he's got luck on his side, but luck only holds for so long!

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Given Stukov's track record? Probably him. He needs them cybernetics to really start throwing his weight around!

The Emperor's Duty: A Warhammer 40K RP

The conditions of the augmentation among those who bore even junior titles was a sorry thing indeed, however, the Magos did not interfere with the rituals and soothing of machine spirits present, allowing the foundry personnel to handle their operations. Moving down into the depths of the foundry, it was clear that production had been undertaken regardless of orders, altering mission parameters appropriately and noting the subtle details and specifics of the rituals. The lack of proper attire was also noted, though given its a hiveworld foundry and a far cry from the glory of the Omnissiah's explorator fleets, let alone the Forge Worlds themselves, it was likely a byproduct of their resources.

Finally, they reached the most secure depths of the foundry, and the weapons were brought forth for his personal inspection. The subtle clicking and ticking of built in counters would announce what these blessed munitions were before even visual data could be collected and gathered. If such munitions had been known to be here, instead of mere melta munitions, Vanugard forces would have likely been tasked with deployment. Still, the weapons would surpass any dreams the Inquisitor might have had, though she likely would have preferred melta torpedoes instead. It was...unlikely the location being secured could safely store atomics, given the ticking of the counter already, and inspection would commence with such things in mind. He was no Vanguard, but radiation meant little to the Magos who had so little flesh left. "Praise be unto the Omnissiah, such blessed munitions will serve well."

"How soon can the blessed atomics be prepared for relocation? Reports and plans must be made to accommodate these armaments, and what status is your foundry in?" Once sufficient information and time tables could be gathered from the Foreman, the Magos would have to see to contacting the Inquisitor and ensuring she was aware of the new development and resources that had been put at her fortunate disposal. Should the shielded depths of the foundry prevent communications, the Magos would relocate as necessary to inform the Inquisitor of current goings on and status of the foundry mission. The mechanicus forces present had not proven heretical in nature, despite their lack of augmentation, and would prove useful. Doubly so should the foundry be able to remain secure and continue producing munitions and armaments for the Omnissiah.