Begin pouring in the troops.

>>25138547
Unfortunately, the majority of your task force is too far away to be of any immediate assistance.

The Avenger gunship is still on station, and you are in the drop pod. You have also put the Shrike fighters on alert and they are ready to deploy to provide any air support you may require, the rest of your forces are hours away.

>>25138504
IT'S PURGING TIME!

>>25138571
Time to drop pod in for extraction, and have the shrikes on standby

>>25138574
I'm just waiting a minute for the usual crowd to shuffle in, I will start in earnest soon.

>>25138617
>>25138574
>>25138547
Let us begin then.

"Drop now!" you vox to the ship, and within seconds you are blasting away from the ship towards Tyrae below. Even as you fall you give commands for the Shrike squadron to launch and follow you in to provide whatever help they can.

Over the vox you can hear Kolchack attempting to reestablish communication in his usual calm voice, but he is as unsuccessful as you to raise Jager or his team.

Over the vox you lead your brothers in the pre-battle rites, your thunderous voices carrying even over the roaring fires of reentry. You ask for the wisdom to see the correct path and the resolve to follow it, and for the strength to save those in need.

A simple prayer, for simple soldiers.

After a few minutes of reentry the retros kick in and you slam into the ground, the pod unfolding like a flower, just outside the parking garage where Jager's team entered, its dark mouth gaping wide.

There are no immediate signs of hostility, how do you proceed?

>>25138731
our objective is the extraction of our team. Have the shirkes start shooting up random pieces of real estate to distract the Genesteallers while we retrace our men's steps a full speed.

>>25138758
Sounds reasonable to me.

>>25138758
"This is Smith to Hatchet leader, you are to provide covering fire to the extraction effort, commence attack runs in the vicinity of the target zone, try to draw their attention."

"Rodger Captain, Hatchet squadron is engaging, ETA to target is ten minutes."

You signal the marines to follow you and charge down into the tunnels, launching into the undercity in long powerful strides, covering ground quickly.

You easily remember the path that Jager's team took through the tunnels, the seemingly random turns and doors which led to the genestealer nest.


-----
Okay, our first real battle is coming up, do you want to keep it all roleplayed through the text, or do you think we should incorporate rolling for personal combat?

>>25138900
Either or. Good plans should be paramount, but the dice should have a roll.

>>25138916
I personally would only have very bad personal consequences if you have a bad plan and a bad roll, each can save the other to get a tolerably good result, but a combination of good pan and a nice roll leaves Hannibal Smith lighting his cigar and talking about how plans come together.

>>25138953
This I like.

>>25138953
I love it when a plan comes together.

>>25138953
Don't think you're invincible, just remember that a good plan is key and being lucky is nice.

Okay, roll out of 100, I will take the lowest of the first 2 rolls, rolling low is good.

Incidentally, how many people are here right now? Just so I know how long to wait to get responses.

Rolled 65

>>25139022
roll low, roll low!

>>25138953
goddamn.... we don't have any termies, do we...

see if we can find any remnant of the team. after that burn n' purge.

also: order a small detachment of guard (2 or 3 fireteams) to board a stormhawk or troop carrier and take station just outside the city. it may take a few hours, but we don't know how long we'll be in these tunnels.

communicate with the surface using the interface ASIS used.

Rolled 75

>>25139022
one more dice..

Rolled 91

>>25139048

our rolls shall bring fear to the hearts of the Unreasonable!

>>25139080
...apparently not.

>>25139060
You send the order to have several guard fireteams to board a Valkyrie and move to the city in case you need them, but the nearest city with a guard deployment is a little under an hour away, they are on their way however, and will be dusting off shortly.

>>25139112
>>25139022
Did Jager or his team have homing beacons built into their armor or on their person?

We must first see if we can detect them, and proceed along Jager's route, watching for a possible ambush.

We need to look for him and his team along the route they took in, and be on the lookout for signs of fighting or struggle that would indicate where they got ambushed and where they were dragged off to.

Also, tell Kolchak to set up an orbital strike beacon in case it's required.

>>25139048
>65

As you rush forward through the tunnels your enhanced senses pick up movement ahead of you, although you cannot make out who at this distance.

The figures up ahead, hardly failing to notice a half dozen marines charging through the corridor, turn to face you, their loyalties revealed when they open fire with lasguns, their shots pinging off your armor, doing little damage at this range.

Do you dive into the cover of the alcoves and doorways long the corridor, or charge forward to meet the threat head on.

You have a bolter rifle, bolt pistol with standard lethal bolts, and a shock maul.

Make your choice and roll.

>>25139184
no beacons are currently active, but the team was carrying them.

Rolled 76

>>25139200
Hand to hand with genestealers? Hell no! Get to cover!

>>25139200
you also have a few frags with you.

>>25139235
waiting on one more roll

>>25139235
Unless you want to go with the 76 someone roll please.

Rolled 72

>>25139260
rolling

>>25139248

use the vox: "Kolchack, we are advancing on the genestealer nest you found. meet up with us and prepare for extraction"

order our squad to take cover and have half advance to the next spot of cover while the rear rank fires. then the rear advances and the front provides cover (assuming we confirm the movement as Xenos).

Rolled 33

>>25139200
Dive into cover and use a bolter rifle to take them down.

>>25139357
>meet up with us and prepare for extraction
Kolchak is back up on the surface, though, in a different area and still in his own Valkyrie.
Making him meet up with us would force him to leave his own extraction point, and is pretty pointless.

>>25139365
we don't know they're Xenos. they might be our own, and we don't want to give away our position if we don't have to. i agree with going to cover though.

>>25139393
ahem... didn't catch that part. disregard >>25139357
and >>25139400

>>25139290
>72

You and your team dive to cover along the edge of the corridor, a flurry of lasbolts stitching their way up the rockcrete walls. You glance out of cover to see the enemy, you helmet optics cutting through the darkness.

You see a few hybrids firing with lasguns down the corridor, while a team of two appears to be manhandling a heavy stubber into place.

"Light them up!" You shout the chapter's battle cry as you and your brothers open fire, the bolts smashing great divots out of the walls down range. One of your brothers throws a grenade into the sentry post cutting off some of the fire.

It is slow going at first, the enemy is well entrenched, but Knight marksmanship is some of the best there is, and you clear the post without much more than a few minor divots in your armor, but it has cost you some time.

You proceed deeper into the tunnel system, straining your hearing for any sounds of Jager or his team.

How do you proceed, cautiously, or hastily?

>>25139357
Kolchack is in the Avenger they came in on, directing the team via vox, Jager is the team leader on the ground and out of contact now.

You vox the circling Avenger to stay ready for a hot extraction, and the Shrikes have started making their distraction runs.

>>25139469
fast.

Rolled 72

>>25139469
We need to proceed hastily, as time is of the essence for Jager and his team.

>>25139540
You charge down the corridor toward the central chamber where Jager was attacked. Luckily, you reach it without any further difficulty.

Arriving at the xeno nest, you see the place turned upside down, the hybrids are rushing about, most of them grabbing weapons or rushing into and out of tunnels, probably searching for Jager an his team.

You don't think they've captured any of them, at least from what you can see, none of them are down in the central town.

You also find the purestrain that attacked Jager over the vox feed, or at least most of it.

The left side of the creature's head appears to have been sandblasted off by Jager's SMGs, although the blood on its right claw makes you worry for the ASIS operative's safety.

Speaking of blood, you see a trail of bloody footprints after the fleeing team members ran through the puddle of blood the 'stealer left.

If you wish to track Jager's movements, roll to follow the trail of 'nid blood on the floor

Rolled 81

>>25139662
rolling

Rolled 28

>>25139662
Let's follow that trail.

And can we have best out of 3?
Best out of 2 feels punishing somehow.

>>25139662
they're good people, and good at their job... perhaps we should simply cause as much trouble here as possible, and hope they either get the hell topside, or find us. continue trying to vox them. take positions to fire upon the shantytown, taking advantage of any cover and highground.

also try contacting the Flame, see if they can bombard the area, but not quite yet. the fighters will be needing to return for rearmament and fuel, so we may need orbital cover later on.

>>25139717
very well, best of three

>>25139730
They are not aware of your presence and you are only seven marines, the others seem to think its wise to wait for the cavalry of just nuke them from space.

If you have an alternative plan please let us hear it.

Rolled 41

>>25139717
follow the trail

>>25139745
i believe i am out voted. unfortunately, we don;t have those guardsmen yet, so we can't split up.

proceed with tracking.

>>25139717
>28
You elect to follow the trail, your enhanced senses easily allowing you to follow the blood trail deep into the tunnels.

It seems that Jager had attempted to go back they way he came, but had to detour around the sentry post you just wiped out, they probably ran into it just as it was being assembled.

The path is thankfully clear, in no small part to the ASIS team, and you pass the occasional hybrid corpse and splash of blood as you proceed deeper.

Off in the distance you begin to hear the sounds of gunfire and combat, rushing forward you enter another large enclosed room, again housing more broken machinery.

In the distance you can see the ASIS team pinned down atop a small tower of broken metal, the 'stealers steadily advancing on their position.

Even from this distance you can pick out Jager, wreathed as he is in a fiery corona of muzzle flashes as he pours suppressing fire into the small horde of hybrids below.

There are approximately thirty to forty hybrids attacking the ASIS team, and their backs are turned, they have not noticed you. You do not see any purestrain forms present, but some of the hybrids are more, monstrous than others.

Rolled 65

>>25139974
cut them down

Rolled 31

>>25139974
Cut them down using bolter fire and plasma if any of our brothers have it.
Is the room large enough to use grenades?

>>25140026
Yes, you can use grenades.

>>25140026
One Knight has a plasma gun.

Rolled 40

>>25140026
Light Up the Night! squad shall advance to a position of cover, then continue to fire until the xeno bastards break or are exterminated. Ave Imperator!

Rolled 58

>>25140060
plasma dude can fire at larger 'stealers/any purestrain

>>25140049
>>25140060
Have the Knight with the Plasma Gun target the larger genestealers, and have the Knights use grenades to break up the genestealers lines as we fire from cover.

>>25140026
>31

You drop down to the chamber floor, rushing forward to cover, the Knights following in perfect unison, sliding into cover.

As a single unit you open fire, bolters and plasma fire streaking down range catching the hybrids in a deadly cross fire, taking them down before the brood mind can even assess the situation.

You advance by fire and movement, half the team covering the other half as you move up to gain a better firing angle.

The muffled 'krump' of a grenade sends a few hybrids flying, and by the time they realize you are there you are in amongst them, tearing them apart with point blank fire, and beating the survivors down with strikes from your bolters, in the end none survive.

>>25140185
Quickly make contact with Jager.
See if any of his team are injured.
We must hurry and return to the surface for extraction before the Broodmind can send reinforcements here.

Will we need to backtrack, or can we take an alternate route to the surface?

>>25140185

Jager looks, bad, but perhaps better than he has a right to given the circumstances.

He seems more or less intact, but is visibly shaking, and has dried blood over his face from a large gash across his forehead, a testament to how close the purestrain got before he took it down.

"Sir." He says his voice a little shaky, but growing stronger as he walks over, pulling himself up straighter.

"You came. I thought we were going to die in this forsaken hole for a minute there, that's what I get for doubting a Knight I guess."

Looking around, it seems that Jager has taken the worst of the injuries, although you notice that some of the team are nursing glancing lasgun shots, or moving with the soreness taking a shot to the armor leaves behind.

>>25140249
"I don't know about extraction sir, these tunnels lead up to a lot of places but I don't know where any of them lead specifically, even if we had a map so many of them are damaged or collapsed I don't know which might lead us out of here."

>>25140297
Check to see if any have wounds indicating a Genestealer implant, first and foremost. When we get back on the ship, we should do a thurough DNA analasys of all wounded members.

Also check the Guard, see if any of them have been passing out visiting civillian establishments, bars would be a good cover to implant people.

>>25140324
If we retrace our steps, we'd hit the post that we destroyed, but we should be able to get to get to the tunnels we used to get down here. That's the most sure way out, but has a high chance of meeting another genestealer patrol.

Different tunnels decrease the chances of hitting a patrol, but also decrease chances of finding a way to the surface.

I'm vote we go back the way we came, and double-timing it so that we get out before the Broodmind can react to us.

>>25140437
Agreed.

>>25140390

None of the team seem dazed or confused like the recently implanted, and you could do a full medical examination when you are out of the combat zone, but if you wish to wait and inspect them now you can.

Roll to inspect for implants, if more people chime in and say to inspect then we will do so, if not then its time to get out of here.

>>25140452
Time to get out of here.

>>25140452
We don't have the luxury of examining them now. We need to go before the Broodmind recovers and sends reinforcements.

>>25140452
>>25140526
>>25140499
You elect that haste is the more important virtue at the moment, and leave the room. Your pace is slowed somewhat by the ASIS team, as even at full health they could not hope to keep up with your long strides, but you make good time regardless of their injuries.

You decide to take the known path, following the path you took in up to the surface, passing the remains of the destroyed guard post on the way. You occasionally see flickers of light and movement down side passages, but no hideous mutants leap out from vents to attack you.

You are nearing the surface entrance you came in through, only a few minutes walk from the surface.

Roll.

Rolled 59

>>25140604
dice

Rolled 94

>>25140604
Knew that it was too quiet.

>>25140660
one more roll please, best of three

Rolled 28

>>25140722
dice

>>25140733
Yes!

>>25140733
that's more like it
>28

As you approach the surface you slow your pace a little, the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. The Knights Inductor are a very logical chapter, but right now you have a feeling in your gut that something is not right.

"Wait." Whisper's Jager, slipping into cover.

You stop and drop into cover along with him, after a few moments you decide to ask.

"What is it Jager."

Jager is breathing hard but concentrating, cupping his hand over his ear and taking a few deep breaths.

"There is something ahead, another patrol, I can't quite tell where, but they're around here somewhere."

>>25140847
Leaning out, you see nothing up ahead, but stilling yourself you can hear the faint sounds of movement ahead.

"Good catch."

Jager nods a thanks and gulps, raising his SMGs again and clicking off the safeties.

How do you engage? Also roll.

You get a bonus for engaging from surprise.

Rolled 49

>>25140933
knights try to draw fire, ASIS provides cover to minimize. similar with the genestealers we just dealt with, fire and advance. are those guardsmen we ordered on station yet? if so, get their valk down and they can attack from the other side. fighter support would be good too. then the 'nids will have three locations firing on them at once, and hopefully will break. also get everything ready for extraction, tell them to expect a hot LZ.

Rolled 88

>>25140933
We have the Knights arrayed in front, with the ASIS team behind. Advance with as much stealth as we can, throw grenades once we think they're in range, then open up on the genestealers with bolters and plasma.

Rolled 20

>>25140933
rolling

>>25141029
>>25140986
Come on roll #3, this is just not Captain Smith's lucky night.

>>25141062
With this >>25141054
maybe it is.

>>25141054
>>25141062
heh

>>25141054
>20

You and the knights move up slowly, the ASIS team taking up firing positions behind you to suppress the enemy, when you see it. You move smoothly out into the lowest level of the parking garage, when you see them, a group of armed hybrids on patrol, with at least two purestrains, you cannot quite tell if there are any more.

You take cover behind some abandoned cars, and nod to your brother Knight, who sights in with his plasma gun, carefully drawing a bead on the target before gently pulling the trigger.

The blast of starstuff takes the creature's head clean off, painting the wall with flash vaporized brain matter.

The other 'stealers turn to face you, frozen in shock for a moment.

The entire battle field is as silent as the grave, until it is broken by the gentle 'ping' of a grenade pin slipping from its latch.

"LIGHT UP THE NIGHT!" you bellow as you hurl the grenade into the mass of 'stealers, sending them flying, bits of hybrid bouncing off the ceiling.

The rest of the team shouts the battle cry as well, laying into the 'nids with all they've got sending them scurrying to cover.

>>25141221
Jager drops into cover with the rest of the team, your force moving up car by car, another blast of plasma reducing a hybrid to an unpleasant smear.

You finish obliterating a hybrid with a precise burst of fire when you notice something pinging off your helmet.

You look up just in time to see the roof above you giving way, the open maw of a purestrain coming at your face as it drops down from above, and it brought friends.

roll to respond

Rolled 42

>>25141341
Overwatch!

>>25141341
BRB I need to help the folks, should just be a few minutes.

Rolled 89

>>25141341
Rolling

>>25141424
back, it looks like a bit of a slow night tonight.

>>25141540
moving on if nobody rolls

Rolled 60

>>25141424
final roll

>>25141361
>42

You bring your bolter up and hold it in front of you, blunting the monsters drop before the two of you wrestle to the ground, writing this way and that.

After a few seconds of frenzied struggle, you manage to get on top of the creature while your squad mate shoots it twice in the head

Rising to your feet you look around, the Knights now engaged in a frantic close quarters battle against the purestrains which suddenly dropped down to attack.

One of your brothers is pinned beneath a creature as it rakes him with its claws, a sustained burst from your bolter cuts the monster in half, your brother is leaking blood from several rents in the armor, but is still alive.

Off to your side another purestrain is vaporized with a blast from the plasma gun, while at third is killed by three Knights, two tackling the beast and holding it down while the third staved its skull in with his shock maul.

There is only one purestrain left now, advancing on Jager, swinging forward to attack.

TBC

>>25141700
The creature swipes at the edge of its reach, Jager barely dodges, the claw nicking his trench coat, and knocking his right hand SMG away. Much to your, and it seems the 'stealers surprise, Jager winds up and punches the monster across the face, before unloading point blank with his remaining gun.

As soon as it is out of range of Jager, everyone in the room opens fire, reducing the tyrranid creature to something resembling chunky stew.

"Move it, the dropship is waiting!" You say as you bound up the ramp towards the gunship above. As you run you hear the distinct sound of massed feet pounding after you, like a distant tidal wave growing closer by the second.

You feel that they must almost be upon you by the time you reach the surface, rushing out into the light of day to the sight of the Avenger lowering its ramp, the pilot waving frantically from the canopy.

>>25141700
Aim for a part of it's body that will disrupt the momentum of the swing cause it to go wide our have very little strength). Use either bolt rifle if we have the time.

>>25141779
get in the dropship!

>>25141779
Use grenades to slow the horde/cave in the tunnel. That plasma gun might help too.

>>25141779
As you rush over, the copilot opens up with bursts from the chin-mounted multilaser, suppressing the horde behind you to the tunnel entrance.

You pile into the gunship, and it lurches off the ground as the ramp begins to close.

Looking out the armored window, you see a tide of hybrids and purestrains pour out of the garage, the great wave of dirty clothes and chitin barely failing to envelop your craft.

"This is Hatchet leader to all Hatchet callsigns, engage targets at will." You hear the calm voice again over the vox.

As you watch, the sleek shapes of Shrike fighters flashing by, firing rockets and crimson multilaser bursts as they strafe the enemy, those few who were not pulped flee back into the tunnel.

The Avenger noses up and kicks in the engines, and in a few minutes you leave the forsaken city behind you.

You have done it.

Destination?

Rolled 25

>>25141810
time to haul ass, then order orbital/airstrike on our position. everything we got. turn the area into a (larger) parkinglot. then level the city with the main guns of the Flame, and get our people to the medicae ward.

>>25141877
The capitol. We its only polite to talk to the governor before we start bombarding his planet from space.

>>25141877
We need to be dropped off at the Governor's Palace to brief him and the General of the PDF on the situation.
Jäger and his team need to go up to the Flame for medical attention and scanning for infection.

And we need to speak with O'Neill to start distributing medscanners.

Maybe call back to the Aprior sector for an emergency shipment of scanners.

>>25141877
The team we saved needs medicae attention, we also need to check them and have them checked for implants. No chances taken with that.

>>25141991
>>25141977
>>25141921
>>25141913
You decide to make a detour to the ship, to leave the ASIS team and your wounded brother in the care of the chiurgical staff there.

"All of you need to be checked for genestealer implants, and those wounds need examining regardless." You explain.

The ASIS team nods. At your mention of implants Jager shudders.

"Thanks for pulling us out of the fire down there sir." He says, trying to recover some of his composure, his usual flippant smile looking a little forced.

"I don't even want to imaging what might have happened had you not been there."

He looks out the armorcrys window at the upper atmosphere whipping by.

"I frakking hate genestealers." He mutters, perhaps to himself but you easily hear him.

He shakes himself one more time and huddles into his coat. Kolchack places a hand gently on his shoulder, and he relaxes a bit.

>>25141991
Oh, and record who was involved in this to make sure no one can skip their secondary checks with the medicae (I assume they have better equipment for this).

>>25142222
lets be clear, it is your desire to check them yourself in the shuttle? the ship is a few minutes away FYI.

>>25142194
Actually, now that we know there are genestealers on the planet, we should schedule everyone that's come in contact with the citizens for a genetic screening.
Prepare the genestealers PSA's, and call home for an emergency shipment of scanners.

And finally call the Governor and the PDF General to inform them of the orbital strike on that genestealer hive we are preparing.

>>25142268
No, we are not checking them ourselves, since we do not have the equipment or the training.

>>25142194
Lets let the medicea do their job, and call the governor about the situation.

>>25142284
You arrive at the ship a few minutes later without any major occurrences, Kolchack leading his people off the transport and directing them to the waiting security personnel.

While aboard the ship you load up a few crates of medical scanners and coordinate with the ship's archivist, asking her to prepare a broadcast of the Aprior genestealer PSA once you give the word.

Your wounded brother has been taken to the medicae, and the ASIS team is off to get their wounds mended and be checked for taint, Kolchack assuring you that he will oversee their tests himself, once he is cleared first.

Is there anything you wish to do or anyone you wish to speak to, or do you want to proceed directly to the palace to brief the governor.

>>25142268
Based on general chatter, we have neither the equipment nor training to do so. If we do, though (but it's slow), checking Jager might be worth it.

>>25142372
you are on the ship, since you were late I might be willing to retcon it a bit, although he is clearly shaken and very upset and an exam with everyone watching would likely not be appreciated.

>>25142367
Call up Colonel O'Neill and have him arrange for the JTF to begin scanning troops that went planet side.
Also send a notification to the Confessor, the Sister, the Ranger, the Tau Commander that this planet crawls with genestealers and to take extra precautions.

Then we should be ready to meet with the Governor and the PDF General.

>>25142372
No it wouldn't since the ride up would have been short enough to not matter.

>>25142372
don't do it.

>>25142463
>>25142444
Kolchack gives you a reserved nod of thanks before the gunships ramp clamps shut and you launch back towards the capitol.

You get your senior staff on the vox and brief them of the situation as you come back to the capitol, briefing them on the situation. After the general uproar on the channel dies down you give them the long and short of it, Tyrae is crawling with genestealers, trust nobody.

You order the genetic screening of all JTF personnel planetside, starting from the top down, using both the local tech, and your own scanners the JTF brought.

You proceed to schedule an emergency meeting with the governor, and your Valkyrie touches down on the governor's estate, the guardsmen greeting you as you step out.

How do you wish to handle your interaction with the governor, who do you wish to tell about the infestation at this point?

ahhh... i thought your shit was going to be ironic and funny.

I know the title was.

I had a dream about my uncle and my half brother. I was trying to move in with them and learn the construction trade, but they wouldn't get me a job working with them and kept trying to get me to move out. I told them if they got me a fucking a job that I would be happy to move out, but they said they were afraid that if they got me a job they would get fired because I would make them look bad by comparison.

>>25142663
It sucked cause I got turned down twice and had to move back in with my mother.

>>25142676
I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

>>25142611
At this point, of the locals, first the Governor and the General.
Then call in the leaders of the rioters for "a second round of negotiations", checking them for infection as they arrive.

We should consider that these people have not received the Aprior civil defense training and so will probably react with fear once told of the genestealer threat.
I think it would allay their fears if we first nuke the hive, then broadcast the PSA with information that we wiped out a major hive, followed up by the Confessor, Governor, and civil leaders in a joint broadcast that this alien menace will be rooted out and stopped.

>>25142689
I havent the faintest idea.

Are quests usually this slowmoving, I don't feel like a lot of people are participating. I haven't run one before so I dont know if this is normal.

I fell like the controversial nature of this quest is making a lot of people leave, at least that's my instinct.

Not that it will ever stop me though, so long as I have one player I will continue to post.

>>25142706
This sounds about right.

>>25142726
Eh, it varies from quest to quest. I'm having a great time.

>>25142726
I think part of it is that we sometimes don't know when you've finished exposition.
A definitive "what do" would help.

And yes, certain times things will slow down. And lurkers usually won't pipe up unless there's a major decision to be made, so there's that too.

>>25142786
Man has a point. Just wait till we get to an actual disagreement. Then Oh boy.

>>25142726

I'm lurking / trying to catch up.

>>25142706
a very reasonable way to proceed.
-------

You enter the palace itself, the palace guard and attendants looking surprised at you, they have never seen you in full combat load out, or covered in dust grime and alien blood.

You don't bother waiting for the doorman, throwing wide the doors into the throne room.

"governor." your voice booms from across the hall. "I bring grave tidings."

Governor Varan takes one look at your state, and orders all his attendants to leave the room.

You ask him to summon the leaders he spoke with earlier, and to your pleasant surprise they are already in the palace, apparently after the meeting Varan decided to keep them on as a kind of advisory council as they oversee the reconstruction effort.

You sit them down at the round table, your battle brothers standing watch behind you, and you lay out the situation their world now faces.

They react as you might expect they would, shock and dismay at the news, and grim resolve at the prospect of the likely years long struggle to root out the beasts, that is if they manage to beat them back in the short term.

Varan merely grimaces at the news, his knuckles whitening on the arms of the throne.

you brief them on the steps you will take to combat this threat they look slightly cheered, they have come to trust your judgement and abilities, and have confidence in your ability to sort this all out, even if they are still very worried.

The governor simply nods when you ask permission to deploy an orbital strike against the xeno hive on the coast. It doesn't look like he feels ready to speak at the moment.

You leave the palace and return to the base, speaking with some of your staff, already seeing the first personnel being screened for infection.

You lead what brothers remain at HQ in your evening rights, asking only for the strength to defend the citizens of Tyrae, before retiring, it has been a very full day, even for a marine.

Actions for the following day?

>>25142786
>>25142817
>>25142764
Thanks for the input, glad someone is enjoying this. From now on I will try to remember to have a prompt when I am ready for the players to do something.

>>25142855
you want the tl;dr version?

>>25142726
>Are quests usually this slowmoving
Not usually. You write really slow and not a lot happens per update, so it feels just kind of like a slow, plodding thing I occasionally check in the background rather than an actual quest I participate in. Its not bad, I guess, but its not that great either.

>>25143027
A lot of times I don't know what else to say in an update, I always feel like if I make too much happen then the players seem shut out, but the more I wait for player input the slow it all takes, responses can sometimes be slow in coming.

I'll try to write faster, today I keep getting called away by the family for little things, I'll try to keep up.

>>25142936
nevermind, ill just keep it moving

>>25143115
The next few days proceed in an uneasy calm. The news of the genestealer infestation has hit the locals hard, they went from massive rioting to knowing their world was under attack by xenos in the course of a day.

On the other side, it seems like a common threat has helped people band together much more effectively, united by strife they have come together against the xeno threat.

The Confessor makes almost daily broadcasts from the palace, calling for the people to stand united and strong against the depredations of the xeno. The Sisters of Reason wander the streets, forming impromptu prayer groups among despairing citizens.

Meanwhile, the guardsmen are hastily putting together public readiness training, and the Apriori PDAs play regularly.

You receive a medical report from the ship, all wounded members have recovered and the ASIS team is clear of genestealer infection. True to his word, Kolchack oversaw each examination himself once he was cleared of any taint.

All in all, things feel like the calm before the plunge, there is a feeling in the air like the static charge which proceeds the first lightning bolt in a massive storm, but the hammer has yet to fall.

Do you wish to make any new actions, or proceed as now until something interesting/disastrous occurs.

>>25143248
Have we blown up the city that they were hanging out in yet?

>>25143276
Institute a scanning protocol as well. Scan all of the nobility and the pdf, then scan the capitol and proceed to the other cities.

>>25143070
Its not a big deal, the writing style is simplistic enough to breeze or skim through even if I miss a few updates.

>>25143276

After receiving clearance from the governor, the hive was destroyed with a tactical nuclear strike launched by a Shrike.

Video of the city going up in flames has cheered the people immensely, and a popular propaganda vid starts with the mushroom cloud being overlaid with the Tyraean anthem, before fading to the PDF and JTF on the march.

>>25143387
cool then proceed with the scanning.

>>25143406

The scanning program has been implemented, but before you proceed, there is an important matter of policy to enact.

What do you do with those individuals who test positive for genestealer infection?

>>25143448
how much capacity for dealing with it do we have?

>>25143503
Limited, the main treatment facilities are back in Aprior, where with the help of Adelind and psychic specialists there is some hope for recovery, but that varies from case to case.

You unfortunately have no such specialists with you, so the best you can really do is contain them and keep them sedated until you could ship them back to Aprior to receive treatment.

>>25143552
Then kill the ones who are too advanced.

>>25143569
There is really no way for you to tell which ones might recover or not, or by more advanced do you mean more visibly inhuman?

>>25143594
I guess yeah. If we can't cure them here we'll have to kill them. I think.

>>25143638
very well, unless anyone disagrees this is the policy moving forward

>>25143387
The days stretch into a week, then two weeks, and still nothing has happened, at least nothing major.

The screening program continues, and has begun turning up positives across the planet. The JTF has worked with local authorities to set up public screening clinics, where anyone wishing to be free of suspicion could go to be checked out.

As expected, most of the people going through here are cleared, but they do turn up some infected, those first-gen individuals who have been infected by a purestrain.

These individuals are quickly subdued and shipped off to a secure medicae where they can be kept sedated until they can receive treatment.

This course of action surprises many of the locals, who expected executions on the spot.

However, most of the positive reports come from PDF raids on suspected genestealer lairs, many hybrids going down fighting rather than allowing themselves to be captured.

>>25143768
continue

>>25143665
No, we need to send the ones we can capture back to the Aprior Sector for treatment/dissection.

>>25143768
Leading the local effort to locate these lairs is Jager who, since his recovery, has been committing himself to his task with single minded ferocity, and has proven quite skilled at locating genestealer nests across the planet.

All in all, the situation seems under control, until the first reports start rolling in about a week and a half after your encounter at the coastal city. It appears that the screening clinics are being attacked, firebombed mostly. Public transportation is also under attack, as well as any major public building, bombs are going off across the planet.

It is as you start coordinating your response that the cities start lighting up, reports of sudden armed conflict flaring up across the planet.

It takes time for the reports to make their way up the chain to you, and they are garbled and confused when they arrive, but it seems that large segments of the PDF have turned their coats and are engaged in battle against the JTF and loyalist forces in their respective cities.

It seems that the sudden desertion was triggered by those units being slated for investigation by the medicae staff for genestealer infection, and rather than being found out, the infected units decided to raise havoc.

The capitol seems relatively secure, apart from a few terrorist style attacks which were swiftly contained the capitol is secure, but much of the world has been swamped in attacks, the thinly-spread loyalist forces hard pressed by the traitors, who are quickly joined by the genestealers in the civilian population.

>>25143904
Armored units with their Fenris tanks, and any Knight forces have become islands in the storm of violence, sheltering refugees fleeing to their compounds, but many lives have been lost, where the 'stealers have been beaten off they flee into the countryside and disperse, the battle has well and truly been joined.

What is your major strategy for moving forward here?

>>25143904

Regrouping might be a good idea, if we have the food and ammo reserves for it. Make sure the center holds, then methodically sweep outwards and entrench, Roman style.

>>25143925
Form an elite task force. Fenris armored units, knights and sisters. Rangers go in and identify major enemy concentrations, which we smash transferring to the next battle ground as fast as we can.

>>25143936
>>25143978
What of the civilians in the outlying cities, if you plan to pull in they will need to be evacuated.

There is the intercity rail system, the roads and normal airports, as well as your massive dropships.

>>25144026
never mind

>>25144026
I don't plan to pull in I want the knights and sisters to maintain a rapid operational tempo, hitting main genestealer concentrations with overwhelming force then rapidly redeploying.

>>25144026

That's the plan for now. It may look bad and it will be bad for morale, but it will preserve the most lives and allow us to relax rules of engagements.

>>25144077
You organize a fighting withdrawal towards the central capitol, securing refugee convoys as you go. It takes some doing, and is not without its costs, but you manage to get most of the civilians out in time. The knowledge of the fate that awaited those captured by the traitors is enough to hurry most of the people along. You secure the JTF along with most of the loyalist PDF in the capitol and begin fortifying for the inevitable siege.

If you can break the back of the traitors here, then it gives you a good shot at taking back the planet once you move out again.

>>25144087
>>25144080
I am going to be honest right now, but I think I am done for the moment.

I truly love doing this, but I have been running nonstop from monday night running this thing, I get back from work at 3:30, and am running the quest by 4, and I run it until I go to bed, then I wake up and run off to work to start all over again.

I enjoy this, but my brain feels like a fried egg right now, and I will not be able to perform my duties as an OP for tonight.

If anyone wants to hang around the thread and ask questions or have a general discussion I would enjoy that, but I cannot write anymore right now, I need to rest my brain for a while.

>>25144198
In fact, I may need your advice with something, I am somewhat concerned with the effects of a certain story element I have been planning for some time now.

>>25144198
Its fine.
>>25144224
go ahead

>>25144238
I have had a certain plot element in mind for a long time, something I have wanted to use in a game or story since long before I started this quest, but based on previous reactions I got in the first two threads I am worried that a lot of people will get upset.

As the writer, I think that it would add a layer of depth (trying not to spoil anything) but considering how The previous threads have usually devolved into hysterics at the mention of anything unusual I don't know if I should go through with it.

I still want to use it, but I am afraid my already small playerbase will get mad if I do, based on some things they said earlier.

>>25144348

In the meantime, thank you for a wel written quest!

>>25144386
I appreciate that, what with all the hate it gets I'm glad people are still having fun.

As for my dilemma, I think I will go through with my original plan and count on my questers being the levelheaded reasonable people they have been up to now and being able to deal with a little controversy in the name of storytelling.

thank you again.

>>25143978
This SOUNDS like a nice idea, but in reality, with the way that the genestealers fight and infiltrate, by the time they arrive the genestealers will have already accomplished their goal and dispersed.

>>25144478
For fucks sake, quit feeling so fucking sorry for yourself. Hearing you bitch and moan is a thousand times worse than any hater or troll you could conjure. The quest is alright enough but goddamn if your mopey personality isn't turning me off to the whole fucking thing.

>>25145071
The reason /tg/ can suck is because gentlemen lose their elegance. Don't lose yours, there are enough shut posters as it is.
>>25144478
Stay on course, ignore haters, watch your work for signs of stupidity or Mary Sue. Basic 40k ideas were designed by Jervis, try for 5e Necrons.

Also, remember that quests are a niche thing, so just make it awesome.

>>25145883
And you are so stuck up your own ass trying to be all pretentious and elegant that you are afraid to give honest criticism, lowering the quality of the whole board.

>>25144478
Storm, one thing for the next thread, we need to check the governor + advisors for infiltration. The governor's response was especially odd, and while they may be inclined to assume failure = execution, it may be helpful to trust in knowledge rather then assumptions.

Also, we need to try to reach out to some sections of the PDF that rebelled, they may have been scared they would be put to death instead of being sent for treatment. Obviously with assumption of a trap, but we may save a few.

>>25146056
I disagree with attempting to negotiate with the infected PDF. All Aprior research into the Broodmind shows that forcible treatment is the only solution, and that they cannot be negotiated with.

Just because we're Reasonable, doesn't mean we're stupid.
Quite the opposite, in fact. We negotiate when we know we can, and terminate with extreme prejudice when we know that we can't.

>>25145955
Thank you for the criticism. I haven't been with the quest for long, so I really don't know how Storm acts, assumed they hadn't done it before.

And I'll work on the pretentiousness.

>>25146123
Well fuck me, now to actually read the previous threads so I can actually post non-pointless info.

>>25138504
>SpecOps: ASIS task force, Eldar Ranger squad.

Heresy

Seriously?

One thing I've noticed, reading through after the fact, is that things seem pretty passive for the players (the battle worked pretty well, though), and a lot of the interaction with NPCs gets handwaved into "this happened, then that happened..." There is very little "voice" and interaction coming through. I don't know how much you're writing on-the-fly, but prepping a few "stock" lines (e.g. reactions to events or courses of action you expect to occur) for each major NPC might help.