~~ Derelict Ship ~~ @High_Adept_Zeth | @TechCaptain | @PorOborosCain | @EvicusDasan1 The Adeptus Mechanicus forces finally arrived. The hangar was overly extremely secured and finding out what happened could finally begin. The craft obliged with being investigated, but the Adeptus Mechanicus members could feel it's ... Discomfort about it within the buzzing of the primary engines. An enthralling sensation, though also quite indicating possible dangers. ~~ Polar Rescue Mission ~~ @CommissarGaunt | @Vulpas | @seabass | @TechCaptain | @Colapse The fight was over, the shadow subsided, finally victory was achieved and the scattered Arbites forces finally regrouped on the High Justicar and the rescue forces. But their peace was literally shaken away as an earthquake shook the ground of the earth and the ground where the superstructure rested within vanished into a giant sinkhole as something else emerged from it. A metallic tip at first, simply growing as the elongated shape pushed itself out. Eventually the entire length of the structure came into sight. Roughly 5 kilometers long and roughly 150 meters in radius it launched straight into space. The primary engine emitting a bright blue light as it pushed itself further and further into orbit, apparently heading straight for the Durandal. With imminent evasive maneuvers the tragedy could be avoided. Now it was though up to Captain Oswald to either destroy the vessel or to let it go wherever it intends to. Scans immediately revealed roughly 1 million lifeforms. Upon more accurate scans and cross-reference with the Deathwatch database which Jannika somehow possessed it was revealed that they were HH007's, as they were eventually categorized as, named after 'Hammerhead' due to their head shape, as well as 007, the Deathwatch Station that discovered them. Notable was that while they were a subterranean species they were highly advanced in technology and relied on overgrown moles to dig tunnels for them. They were thought to only have existed on the planet they were found on and thought extinct. Old reports indicate furthermore that they were heading for the Eye of Terror. But why did these activate? And where did they get the cloaking technology from? Spoiler: Visual Aid for aliens:
<Orbit of Ven II> "EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" Jannika shouted as the scanners picked up strange energy readings which eventually turned out to be an alien ship! The records she took after the destruction of "Angelfall" showed her that these alien species had contact with the Deathwatch in the past but they were thought extinct, so maybe this was some piece of their empire that managed to avoid the judgement of the Emperor. Either case, they already attacked the forces on the ground so it was clear if they were hostile or not. Since the weapons were already primed due to the fact Jannika expecting to hear the news from the ground of imminent need of orbital bombardment while her two escorts were even now powering their broadside batteries, the girl-captain would, after the maneuvers were over, slowly turn "Durandal" around and open fire on the ship of the Hammerhead aliens...
~~ Orbital Fight, Orbit of Ven Primaris ~~ @Colapse | @PorOborosCain | @matt23 The Durandal started immediately pursue as the craft, firing upon it. The frigates received the orders immediately and had no problem evading as they were much smaller and more agile than even their formation's flagship. Together they started firing, but there was only so much they could do against it's void shields that it also appeared to possess. It further accelerated, leaving the Durandal only be able to flank it and only give it one broadside of it's weapons. Even worse, instead of fleeing... It was now straight heading for Tus Primaris... Flight route and speed indicating it would hit full-frontal, or at least near the now-established colony of the Imperium.... ETA: 10 minutes. And unless the vessel could be re-directed from it's course, there was nothing that would save the colony.
Renald looked up as the Alien ship became naught but a dot in the sky. The Noosphere was lit up as reports came in of sighting the vessel heading for Tus Primaris. He got the information from the Noosphere on these creatures. These creatures were encountered by the deathwatch back in Millenium thirty-three. However, that was not what his focus should be on. There was excessive damage to several machines. Many of the Leman Russ's were filled with holes through the armor plating. Renald moved to begin work on assisting with mending the machine spirit's pain.
@TechCaptain @Colapse Gale and his knight were almost tossed back as the Ship left the earth His Reaper chain sword entered the earth to help keep his knight up, Gale was struck by it size and suddenly realized it was ship as it left the moon. "Not Good." Gale said as he began attempts at Sending a message out to the ships Likely Jannika and the others on the Durandal had seen it. He watched as it went through space trying to figure out where it was going. Accessing the Vox net he sent out a alert on the Imperial Vox net of a Unidentified ship Rising from Ven II. "Lieutenant how long Until we are able to get everyone to the Lander and back into space?" Gale asked trying to figure how long it would take to treat the wounded and the wrecks and get them back to the Durandel.
@Colapse @PorOborosCain A vox was quickly opened from Captain Vogel to Mathius, "Captain Mathius this is Captain Vogel. We have just picked up a signature that has left Ven II and is heading directly towards you. It would appear that the cruiser Durandal is currently engaging it but the signature is not slowly. Orders?" A smile appeared across Mathius' face as he picked up the vox horn, "Hold your positions on patrol. I do not want our eyes to come off the edge of the system. I will pull off orbit from Tus to engage. Captain Mathius out." Mathius knew the Admiral's battleship had things under control here, so Mathius moved Fist of Vengeance from orbit and set a course for the coming signature. Based of the readings, his plan was to come to the opposite flanking side from Durandal and first using it's Nova Cannon then using it's power flanking batteries to, hopefully, finish it off.
Scout Force Victor Alpha - Ven II, Anomaly When the suprise lifting off of a ship happened. The shock made the Tanks slow to respond but all the Tanks did fire upon the ship. Every tank was for itself firing round after round into the massive stucture. The lieutenant responded on the vox over the Cannonfire. "Sir Gale, it will take more time to get back on the ships than get to Frozen Salvation. The Chimeras and the Atlas with the downed Tank are already on their way. " And true to his word those vehicles were making their way back to base. The rest were heading to the Superstructure to explore whats left. @Vulpas @seabass @Uriel1339 @Colapse
Renald used the vox to add to the conversation, "I will accompany the rest of the way. It will be worthwhile to make note of the extent of how many more enclaves of these creatures we should expect. That is of course, if there are any other area's for those xenos to hide."
Reckoning Hour - High Orbit over Tus Primaris Operations Room (Earlier) - @PorOborosCain "Admiral, so good to see you!" Saul exclaimed, as he withdrew his data-drite from the hololithic porjector's console. He turned to meet Tockman, bowing his head in greeting. "While I'm glad you already informed your men to be cautious, you must understand that we must observe every precaution. Who knows how long that vessel has remained dormant. The Machine spirit may gone without proper appeasement for some time, which could make it quite irritable, as I am sure you are aware" he warned. "That said, I will depart shortly with a team of adepts to ascertain the state of the vessels systems" Saul declared. "Though not my primary purpose, I know my way around a cogitator, just as an y adept would. Furthermore, I will have a team of Adepts with me to assist" "Under normal circumstances, Magos-Errant Reinald would have lead this team, however he is so indisposed at the moment, leaving myself as the remaining senior representative of the Adeptus. I assure you, I will do my best to prevent anything untoward. Hopefully, I will be able to commune with the vessel and secure it for salvage operations, possibly even return it so service, Omnissiah willing" Saul concluded, before making his way towards the exit. "Wish me luck, Admiral!" Saul added, as he departed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derelict Vessel - Low Orbit over Tus Primaris Hanger Bay (Later) @TechCaptain | @EvicusDasan1 As the rust-red Mechanicus shuttle touched down with a flare of afterburners, a cloud of dust was kicked up from the cold deck of the hanger bay. They landed in proximity to the navy fighters that arrived some time earlier. Saul wasted no time disembarking, as the soldiers and navy personnel had waited long enough for them to arrive. Clad in a Hazardous Environment Suit, Saul and the other adepts marched down the loading ramp and meandered their way around to find Wing-Captain Durhan. Twenty Tech Guard and a dozen Electro-priests followed in their wake, all the force they could muster from the remaining Mechanicum assets on the Reckoning Hour. As it was, the only Adepts Saul could find were Junior or Tertius grade. They were not the best, but they would do. They had to. Saul rendezvoused with the Wing-Captain and LTC Holdoff Daggermoon, the ranking Harkoni officer. Saul thanked them for their patience and handed them each a dataslate containing the ship's layout. "Gentlemen" Saul greeted, nodding to each of them. "Saul Haxx, Mechanicum Executor. I will be leading the Adepts down to the Engineerium. We will examine and ascertain the state of the vessel's systems. Once everything is secure, I will report back to you our findings". "In the meantime, Wing-Captain Durhan, I suggest you and your Armsmen secure the Bridge and Officer's Cabins. Once we have proven the ship's subsystems as correct, you can bring the communication system and auspex online, then establish comms with the Reckoning Hour" Saul requested, as he handed the man his dataslate. "At the same time, LTC Daggermoon, I ask that your men secure the gundecks, armoury, crew quarters and munitions silos. If someone or something is still alive, capture it if you can, terminate it otherwise. We don't know what happened to the crew, so be cautious" Saul warned, handing Lieutenant his dataslate. "There we have it gentlemen, good luck!" Saul conclcuded, before making his way to the rear section of the hangerbay. The Tech Guard were opening the sealed bulkhead hatch as he approached. It opened with a audible hiss of pressure balancing. Though the life-support system was still functioning, Saul wouldn't trust the oxygen on a derelict vessel to save his life. They all had void capable suits on, in case of sudden depressurization or possible radiation exposure. Who knew what state the plasma core was in? Let alone the state of the warp drive. As the hatch was locked open, the Tech Guard flooded the passageway with the lights from their lasrifles. Nothing but darkness, dust and grim silence greeted them. "Here we go . . " Saul said to himself as he stepped through into the gloom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derelict Vessel - Engineerium Several Hours Later (Now) The massive armored blast door that lead to the Engineerium rose before them like the monolithic wall of an ancient fortress. Their lumen beams criss-crossed over it's surface, checking for any obvious breaches. There appeared to be none. Their hadn't been any evidence thus far, as they had descended through several decks to reach their destination, of the ship's crew or their fate. No bodies or bones. No traces of blood or any traces at all for that matter. It was all so very confusing. Saul tried not to dwell on it. One of the Adepts inserted a mechadendrite into the access console to the right of the blast door. His interface determined that the last time the panel had been accessed was to seal the chamber. That had been . . .some time ago, it seemed. No matter, they had to go inside one way or another. Saul nodded to the Adept. The command was entered and the door rumbled into life. The groan of rusted metal and poorly maintained hydraulics filled the passageway, as the massive blast door parted down the middle, gradually widening the distance bewteen the two door halves, as they slowing pulled apart and settled into their alcoves within the bulkheads. As the noise subsided, only dust and the gentle hum of the plasma core greeted them. It seemed nothing had disturbed the chamber in some time, as the dust was heavy on deck. No traces of disturbance. The Tech Guard and Electro-Priests entered first, panning their lumens around, hunting for traces of movement. They found none on the main level. The Tech Guard and Electro-Priests broke off into trio's, with two Tech Guard and an Electro-Priest each. They climbed up the ladders and ascended the stairwells to inspect the raised gantries above. Saul and the Adepts proceeded to the base of the Plasma Reactor. There they found the primary access cogitator. It was a massive device, encircling all the way around the base of the reactor. A myriad of cables fed into to, connecting it to . .well . . everything. Saul approached the console that the senior Magos would have occupied while on duty. The seat before the terminal was thankfully empty. The Adepts set about lighting incense and pacing around the chamber, uttering canticles of appeasement and offering prayers to the Machine God. Saul took the empty seat, adding his own binaric prayers to the din. Above he could hear the heavy footfalls of his protectors, as they search the walkways for signs of life. Saul took a deep breath, before extending his data-drites into the cogitator. Willing the Machine Spirit within to commune with him. Saul filled his auto-receptors with platitudes and prayers of condolence. Hoping that the venerable vessel would be cooperative . . .
<Void Battle against ugly aliens> @PorOborosCain @High_Adept_Zeth @TechCaptain @matt23 "Cut power to the broadside batteries and power up the lances!" Jannika grinned as she communed with the Machine Spirit of her ship. As it was appropriate, she named her Juno, following the trend she learned early in her career. To be honest, this ship was perhaps the worst one she had honor to command, a vessel only two thousand years old that had meager service record, most of it being during the fights of the Gothic War. Its Machine Spirit was a calm thing and Jannika didn't need much persuasion to make it do her bidding, even when she forcefully changed the ship's name. Slowly, Durandal turned around and took position right at the rear of the speeding alien ship and it was obvious that the Xenos had advanced tech and were able to outrun this Cruiser, however their idea could perhaps work with some other class of the ship but not with the one relaying heavily on lance weapons. As the power was fed into the dorsal lances, Jannika took time to send a fleet-wide message in order to warn the rest of the Imperial forces. "Attention loyal servants of the Emperor, this is Captain Oswald from the Strike Cruiser Durandal. An enemy ship has just launched from the darkness of Ven's second moon and is en route to hit the colony on Tus Primaris. I was able to identify it as the vessel of a hostile alien race thought extinct. Apparently, someone failed to do their job and few of these critters ran away, making it our primary objective to see this through. I advise utter and total annihilation of this ship before it reaches the colony. Suffer not the alien to live. Jannika out," she finished and sent the message, hoping that the old admiral will not relay different set of orders. "Nah, the old guy is good," she said to none in particular as she watched the consoles, feeling the energy being pushed into lance weapons. When the weapons reached the point of being ready, she would use them to open fire on the alien ship and hopefully do enough damage for other ships in the fleet to get the job done.
