Apocalypse (Game Thread : Closed, Dead)

[Lunar Templar]

Urd shrugged "Who knows, but seems it's passed now" she said to Dante as she just sat there.

The last of them started to come around and those that we're up now where discovered to be dead. She could only shake her head in disgust, they'd have lost less people if they'd simply dug in and fought over relying on another genocidal weapon. With nothing else to do for the moment she remained seated, waiting to do something that didn't smack of cowardice.

 

[Athol]

Lith

"We're all still accounted for?"

"Ya, can't get rid of me that easily, love." Lith called from where she was sitting. She was slumped in her seat, and partially sunk into her armour, her feet propped up on a pair of charred bodies. "So, obvious question I know..." She said after a moment. "But how we planning on getting off this mud ball?"

[hr]

Egerion

He'd spent the past little while since he'd re-awoken thinking back on what he'd seen. How long has it been since I last saw my hands? He thought, as he stared down at the massive metal constructs that now served as his limbs.

"Egerion, I would like to speak with you if you wouldn't mind."

"Hmm? Well since I do not appear to need to stop Sister Helena and Inquisitor Draco from killing one another at the moment, I believe I can spare a moment or two. What is on your mind little one?" The young Enginseer seemed different, more sure of herself, and yet still almost childlike. Perhaps she managed to speak with Lady Kura while we were out.

 

[mcpop9]

"Well, first of all, i won't have my handiwork being broken." she said and got a life, setting it up underneath the dreadnoughts arm, then disconnecting it. Setting about disassembling it, she had the arm back down to the core with the chainsword. She then began rebuilding it with purpose, a fully live fingered hand beginning to take shape.
"Secondly... well... i haven't exactly gained the same consciousness, but... i've missed you over these years. Well... a part of me has..." she explained, working on the hand. "I... remember mars... not everything, but bits and pieces. i don't know why i remember things from a past life, but.... i just do."

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Day Five - Update of the Driseadian Warzone
A black mist had engulfed the planet when archangel fired, coating everything it touched in a black ash like substance.

Local men and women ran through the streets in their gear through the night trying to outrun the walking corpses that were waking through the hours.

Orks choked and died as the gases neutralized their fungal physiology, their equipment lying to rust and their spore offspring dying from the chemicals slowly disintegrating them.

The Tyranids through the night briefly managed to fight the gases before succumbing to them. They choked on it and their organs began to liquefy as the full range of chemicals interacted with their anatomy. Their breeding pools on the other hand sat underground waiting, carefully sampling the chemicals, preparing themselves to unleash upon the world.

The sororitas and imperial guard facilities on world that had managed to shut themselves in were reeling from the psychic shockwave unleashed upon the planet.

The mechanicus facilities and personnel that had failed to evacuate had shut themselves in, in advance and followed protocol. Spared from most of the horrors outside.

The fleet in orbit remained silent for the night.

As dawn broke it would be noticed that the sky would be filled entirely with rapidly shifting red clouds with the black soot like substance being pulled in by winds. On the ground, storms of the soot were covering the lands, still toxic.

The Party
The Air purifiers began reactivating throughout the night, making the facility safe again, though the base itself hadn't been breached. The emergency lights that had casted a red glow on the hallways shutoff as the standard lights reactivated. Doors and bulkheads began lifting but the door to the keep remained welded and so did the entrance to the facility itself. The med-bay door though undamafed would refuse to open, odd gurgling noises could be heard from inside though.

Communications to the outside would reactivate in time and mostly be distress signals once active.

The surviving locals currently remained silent, if their lifesigns were to be checked it could be noted that their bionics were offline, their vitals spiking constantly in odd ways, and their brain activity constantly shifting between dead and completely active.

 

[Athol]

Egerion

While the survivors rested, Egerion waited and listened hoping to make contact with the Fleet, or more specifically with the Justice and Glory. While the others rested, or went about their assigned tasks, he swept through vox channels, trying to make contact; unfortunately he only found cries for help from the planet, never any calls from above, until eventually...

"*bzzt*...is the Fury Fall...*bzzt*...Micus. Respond on ch*bzzt*ero six alpha, repeat, this is th*bzzt*...all, calling Captian Eg*bzzt*...Respond*bzzt*zero six alpha, repeat..."

THAT got Egerion's undivided attention. The Fury Fall was one of the Thunderhawks aboard the Justice and Glory. If he could contact it, they would have away off this dying world; unfortunately between static interference, and the sheer volume of vox chatter, the base transmitter couldn't raise the gunship.

Unable to do anything at the moment, he broadcast a Priority One alert to Sister Helena, Inquisitor Draco, Field Tribune Arcor, and Enginseer Sana. "All personnel to Captain Micus at once, all personnel to Captain Micus."

 

[mcpop9]

It didn't take long as sana was sleeping in the corner of the room and was awoken by his voice. Coming out of her area, she slowly walked up to egerion with a yawn, her body waking itself up with a soft clicking from her mechandrites awakening in her back. Cracking her neck, she stopped infront of the iron giant.
"Yes Ege?" she asked him, looking upwards.
[hr]

Solara and lith were talking in the mess, the sisters watching over them. "Well, guess we should get going." she said to Lith, knowing that despite her not being requested, she'd want to know anyways, better to have it first hand. That's when Momaru walked back into the mess and approached Helena.

The Terminator was still carry Mara who was currently not in the med bay, obviously. "Sister Helena, i'm going to need a detachment of sisters from your group. As of now, the med bay has been compromised by some unknown entity." Ru said, setting mara down on the table. "You have more pressing issues with Captain Micus, i'll lead the sisters in the clearing of the Medical bay. I shall also require a flamethrower as not to damage the medical equipment like my bolter would." he explained to her.

 

[sage42]

Helena stood against a wall, her arms folded. For a change her mind was not entirely on her duty to watching over the Witch. No her thoughts were primarily on Mara. She lived, and had that been the only thing Helena would have been overjoyed. But something troubled her. Helena wanted to be there when Mara awoke. My duty comes first, no matter my personal feelings. May the Father guide my actions. Her thoughts were interrupted by the Priority one message that come over her comlink. She lifted her Bolter from it's resting place on the wall. She noticed the Witch stir as well. Likely she had been called as well. Before she made it out of the mess hall, Lord Momaru approached her.

"Sister Helena, I'm going to need a detachment of sisters from your group. As of now, the med bay has been compromised by some unknown entity. You have more pressing issues with Captain Micus, i'll lead the sisters in the clearing of the Medical bay. I shall also require a flamethrower as not to damage the medical equipment like my bolter would."

Helena nodded, she had hopped to assist in the med-bay, but once again her duty kept her away. "Very well m'lord. Trakand. Give Lord Momaru your Heavy Flamer, you'll take my Hand Flamer as a replacement." he said handing the Sister her Hand Flamer. "I can spare fifteen of my nineteen Sisters m'lord." She waved a hand behind her at the mess hall. Most of her Sister were gathering behind her. She picked three of the closest Sisters as well as a Chiurgeon. "Your four are to come with me, everyone else go with Lord Momaru and assist him with the med bay." They all nodded. "Now I must be off m'lord. If you'll excuse me." She said walking past Momaru and to join Lord Egerion.

Moments later she had joined Engiseer Sana with Lord Egerion. "Yes M'lord?"

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Whilst others were in the Mess Hall eating and chatting amongst one another, or down by the Medical Bay getting prepared for whatever lay beyond the door; Dante meanwhile, after getting some proper rest and something to eat, was in a room where the passed out locals from the other day had been moved to. Given he was the only prescribed telepath in the base, he was had been given the questionably useful task of keeping an eye on the brain activity of those that were still unconsciousness.

To say that it was an exciting job would be a severe understatement, a medical servitor was there when Dante arrived, a communication saying that it was here to maintain the vital body functions of the people so that they wouldn't need much work done to them whenever they decided to wake up, if they ever did wake. Looks like he'd be here for a while it seems given how the brain activity of those still out was rising and falling, albeit at consistent intervals of every few minutes.

 

[Athol]

Lith

"Well, guess we should get going."

"Right." Lith replied, falling in beside Solara as they left the mess. As they passed, Lith overheard Sgt. Momaru talking to the Sisters; reaching over, she placed a hand on Solara's shoulder. "You find us a way off this shit hole...I'm going to lend a hand." With that she stepped away from Solara, reaching the Sisters and the Marine, as Sister Helena left.

Part of her wished she'd grabbed her plasma gun or lasgun from where she'd left them last night, even though she knew that they wouldn't be that good for this kind of clearing operation. "Ma'am," she said nodding to the Chiurgeon, before turning towards Sgt Momaru. "M'lord." She could see and feel the Sisters contempt, but she chose to ignore it. Falling in beside the other three Sisters, she waited for orders.

[hr]

Egerion

He had hoped that the Field Tribune would be spared the same fate as his troops, but since he had not responded, even via vox, Egerion had to assume the worst. So be it. Seeing that Sana, Sister Helena, and Inquisitor Draco were before him, he began.

"I will get straight to the point. I just received a badly garbled, but still identifiable signal from a Thunderhawk assigned to the ship that brought me to this world. Enginseer Sana, I need you to boost this bases transmitters as much as you can so I can contact the craft. If I can reach it, I can relay an extraction order through it to the ship in orbit, and we can withdraw."

"Sister Helena, Inquisitor Draco. Since your people both seem to be unaffected by whatever has subdued the local forces, I will need you both to see to evacuating any and all personnel that can be saved. That said if there is any sign of xenos infestation, or chaos corruption, they are to be left behind. Inquisitor, in regards to your Eldar 'pet' I am willing to make an exemption, so long as it behaves itself; but if it causes any problem, you go out the airlock along with it, am I clear?"

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

The Med Bay
As the med bay was opened it would rapidly become apparent what the noises were.
Standing at the far end of the room, were the two disemboweled and brain dead tech priests feasting upon the skitarii that had been healed earlier by Solara. Their organs exposed and falling from their chests. Blood coating the floor between the cots they previously sat upon and their current position. The occasional moan would come from the skitarri, though it was unclear whether or not he was alive.

The ghouls were so intent upon their meal that they hadn't noticed the door opening behind them.

Dante
The minds and bodies of the locals seemed to be stabilizing over time, irregularities slowly evening out and brain activity slowly becoming more consistent with less time shut down, though their minds were still for the majority clouded.

The occasional thought did spark through from their minds, mostly tinted with paranoia and horror.


Arcor eventually had a powerful breakthrough at one point, broadcasting an image and a series of words to Dante near him.
The contents of the image could be best described as a long angular hallway covered in unknown spiral-like runes with chitinous dog like creatures running through it.
The words were simply "They don't stop. Sanctuary found in Ninety One and above. Ninety and below are their home. Suicide is only escape."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"They don't stop. Sanctuary found in Ninety One and above. Ninety and below are their home. Suicide is only escape." A voice spoke out to Dante, which caused him to return from his meditation that would help regulate those that were still in an unconscious state. This was definitely an important breakthrough with regards to the condition of the locals, and would need to be reported as soon as possible. Dante stood up and turned to the Medical Servitor.

"Servitor. I need you to maintain the vitals of these people, especially that of the Field Tribune; as he has just given me some valuable information. Understood?" He asked, to which the Servitor responded with a series of whistles and beeps. Whether that was an acceptance of orders or not, Dante wasn't sure at the moment. The pskyer then made haste to leave the room to search for Solara or any of the others. It took him several minutes of frantic running up and down the grey and featureless corridors, but eventually Dante found Solara, along with several of the other authority figures having a discussion. He waited patiently for their to be a lull in the conversation before entering.

"My humblest apologies to you all for interrupting what is no doubt an important conversation, but I figured that you'd want an update regarding those which are currently unconscious. Just a few moments ago, I received a message as it were on the mental plane from the Field Tribune. It sounded important."

 

[Lunar Templar]

With every one being more or less busy, Urd took to the cumbersome task of pulling the upper half of her armor off, to get in and after the offending component causing a critical irregularity in how the suit handles all the heat build up. She already knew where the part was, the suit had told has as much, the issue was getting to it as all the primary cooling systems where on the back between the wings and that stuff was packed around the main plasma unit, so lots of hot and cold, which is why she wanted the tech priests help, but she found a pair of tongs to help her out here, hence her just doing it her self over waiting.

 

[Athol]

Lith

Lith was standing between, and behind, two Sisters with Flamers. "Fuck me..." She muttered, seeing the techpriests. Raising her laspistol between the pair, she opened fire into the ghouls; once they'd collapsed, she shot the skitarii several times, until he stopped making noise. "Warp damn them, that's no way to die."

Shaking her head, she looked to the Chiurgeon. "You may want to torch'em...just in case they change their minds about staying dead."

[hr]

Egerion

"My humblest apologies to you all for interrupting what is no doubt an important conversation, but I figured that you'd want an update regarding those which are currently unconscious. Just a few moments ago, I received a message as it were on the mental plane from the Field Tribune. It sounded important."

Egerion turned his attention to the newly arrived psyker. "No apologies needed; any update on the status of our colleagues is important. What was this message?"

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"No apologies needed; any update on the status of our colleagues is important. What was this message?" Inquired Egerion as he turned to face Dante.

"Well the message came in two parts. The first was more visual, almost dream-like. It consisted of a long, seemingly endless hallway covered in spiral shaped runes that I have not encountered before; and there were insectoid dog like creatures running through this hallway. These creatures looked like the Tyranid Termagants, though I can't be sure."

Dante then stopped to think for a moment on how best to articulate the message that he had been given.

"Afterwards came an actual message. The Field Tribune spoke, saying; "They don't stop. Sanctuary found in ninety one and above. Ninety and below are their home. Suicide is the only escape." Not actually sure how to interpret that last one, though at a guess, I imagine the numbers are co-ordinates maybe? I can only assume that he was referring to the Tyranids when saying 'their home'."

 

[Athol]

Egerion

The massive dreadnought stood silently as Dante gave his report. "They don't stop. Sanctuary found in ninety one and above. Ninety and below are their home. Suicide is the only escape." He repeated back after a moment. "Well that certainly seems ominous."

The great war machine rumbled with his version of a sigh. "Well there is nothing we can do at the moment. Thank you for the message Dante, and please keep watch over the Field Tribune and his men...perhaps one of them may send you a less cryptic message."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Well there is nothing we can do at the moment. Thank you for the message Dante, and please keep watch over the Field Tribune and his men...perhaps one of them may send you a less cryptic message."

"Tis my pleasure and duty." Spoke Dante with an impish looking grin and a respectful bow afterwards. "I'll keep you informed of any relevant developments in situation m'lord, as you say, perhaps one of the others will provide me with something a little less nonsensical and more coherent in nature. Good day." He then added before disappearing from the room.

 

[sage42]

Helena nodded to to Egerion before she turned to her sister's. "You all heard Lord Egerion. You two," She said pointing to the Chiurgeon and one of the other sister's. "You'll come with me to speak to the officer's first. You two will go to the civilians and start getting them ready. Should any show signs of possession terminate them on sight." Her sister's nodded and two of them left for the civilian wing of the base. Helena gave a bow to Egerion before turning to leave herself. Before she reached the door Dante came through with a message from the Field Tribune.

It was troubling to say the least. Perhaps it was the right thing to glass the planet. A shame the Witch and her whore weren't out there too. No matter, the Emperor didn't guide me to have an easy life, he guide me to fight and that is what I shall do. She thought before leaving. Hopefully her commanders aboard the fleet would find taint on the witch. And appoint Helena as her executioner.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Chiurgeon that Lith spoke to grimaced has the medbay door opened. It seemed the demon's had reached them after all. A shame. "You may want to torch'em...just in case they change their minds about staying dead." The Chiurgeon scowled. this woman enjoyed stating the obvious almost as much as she enjoyed taunting them. Without bothering to respond the Chiurgeon nodded to the sister's with the flamer's. They fired first igniting the ghouls with the Emperor's Holy Flame. Those who held regular Bolter's followed suit, taring hole's in the burning creature's.

They held their fire when the bodies dropped, watching and waitng, making sure no other ghouls waited within.

 

[Lunar Templar]

After a bit of finagling and cursing, and wisely removing the Plasma core, Urd got to the offending components and removed them. The good news, it was on of the Imperial parts the suit had and not one of the Eldar parts, and they did have an abundance of Imperial parts in the room. The bad news was she looked have a rather large amount of searching ahead of her to find the part she needed. Urd just sighed and set her self to digging through the stuff to find what she needed.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

The Med Bay
The med bay was clear, no evidence of more ghouls presenting as the burning and perforated corpses sat on the ground and table.

Dante
The minds of the locals went quiet, their thoughts now amounting to the equivalent of background static.
A duo of sororitas soon entered the room and begin testing the three remaining locals.

Medicae Tests
No outward signs of possession showing.
Diagnostics of Bionics reveal that the vitals are running at basic levels required to sustain life and the non-vitals are shutdown.
Vitals are showing anomalies, but relatively stable.
Brain Activity is showing anomalies, but is relatively stable
Holy water test had no reaction.
Puncture test had normal reaction for skitarius.
Artificial psycrystal reaction was a pale purple with golden flecks, immaterium exposure, unrecognized signature.

Anyone with a vox
A burst of a blaring tone came over the vox and the rest of the signals cut out before a woman began speaking.

"Recurve Pattern Defense Systems are being deployed around space ports worldwide, rapid evacuation is recommended through these points. Anyone who has been exposed to the gas or particles is to be immediately quarantined if possible, if not they are to be left behind. Psy and Chem Corps are being moved in for mop up and are treating anyone on the ground as hostile. Local mechanicus is suspect of treason, assume the armed are hostile."

The same blaring noise played again, and the vox chatter continued.

 

[mcpop9]

Momaru walked into the med bay and inspected the corpses, well, charred piles of flesh in room. He looked over the sisters and Lith, nodding in appreciation. "What you did was mercy. May their souls rest at peace now." he statred and personally went around to each corpse, making sure they were dead.
After he was done, he looked around once more. "Ladies, ready your flames, i want all of this room serialized by fire so whatever pathogen turned these skitarii is good and gone." Sgt. Momaru Ordered and soon heard the message over the radio. "Keep your flames at the ready afterwards, we may need to sterilize the rest of the locals as well." he said before turning and standing wait at the door.

[hr]

Sana nodded and it wasn't long before she was able to get some rudimentry connection established. Not perfectly clear, but enough so that they could communicate stability. She called out over the vox to egerion. "Ege, i have the comms unit working now. it's not perfect, but it'll do." she said to him over the vox.
[hr]

Solara had met with the Eldar, Titania, and Titania filled her in on the status of everyone's conditions. "Great..." she said, biting her lower lip. "Follow me back to the Ancient one." she said and made her way back to Egerion, hearing the broadcast along the way. "Titania filled me in with what she could feel from everyone. It's not a taint of chaos, but it doesn't bode well. As much as i hate to say it... we're going to have to leave the locals here to their fate or end them swiftly now." she said, her gut in a knot over the words she just spoke of. "Being able to transport more than what our current group is, isn't possible in any sort of efficient manner..."