Warhammer 40k Forum and Wargaming Forums banner

The Scouring of Arajo

7381 Views 88 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  Snowy
The Cadian gate, one of the greatest bastions of the Imperium; the stop-gap preventing the legions opf traitors and vile depredations of the realm of chaos from pouring into the realm of man. In the wake of the Despoilers thirteenth black crusade, Cadia is in ruin, after nearly ten millenia of war Abaddon and his minions finally set foot upon the world; but despite this it fights on, the people fight on against chaos.

Despite his many victories, the forces of the Imperium have managed to put a stop to Abaddon's crusade and push him back into the eye of terror, for now. In the wake of this though, the Imperium has been left reeling, countless worlds lost or destroyed; the plague fleet of Typhus, herald of Nurgle, has spread forth plague and disease that nearly overwhelmed the Imperial Navy. One of these plague, possibly the worst of all, the zombie plague, ran rampant through the systems of the Agripnaa sector, backbone of the Imperial Navy's ports within the segmentum.

As the Black Templars rush forth to reclaim the worlds taken in the wake of the black crusade, other Imperial commanders follow in their stead to reclaim the ports of Agripnaa. Even now, a vanguard of twelve regiments of the Imperial guard, a force of mechanicus vessels, and an element of Legio Magna ply the stars to the Arajo system to reclaim the ship yards and titan forge at the very heart of the system.

Eight regiments of the Imperial Guard have been committed to the reclaiming of Arajo VII, a mining world rich in materials used in the production of titan armour. It has been four days since initial planet-fall, the eight regiments splitting to take back the five space ports of Arajo VII and fanning out to search the outlying cities and mining complex's for survivors, or worse.


---

"Dammit all sarge, how much longer we gonna be traveling to this place?" Trooper Jeejo complained over the rumbling and shaking of the chimera. It had been fourteen hours since fourth platoon, the hard-liners, had been sent out along with the nineteenth platoon, the scarlet bastards, to seek out survivors or enemies in the mining colony of New Porleyo. So far, the Longknives had encountered large numbers of plague zombie's, victims of the plague, along with scattered pockets of cultists propagating the plague.

"Just shut up and get ready, we're here." Sergeant Rictor Brast called down from the top hatch of the transport, dropping down to the armoured interior of the cabin. The red light of the transport made the Brontian's dark features even darker. Picking up his lasgun, Brast calmly walked to the back hatch of the vehicle, seemingly undisturbed by its movements, borne from nearly a lifetime with the 17th. "Right, so for those of you who either forgot or never bothered to pay attention, and do speak up now if thats the case 'cause I've got a treat for you later, along with squad D and a pair of squads from the bastards we get the fun of checking the hab blocks for survivors. Adding to the, Lt Cohlan has assigned his second to accompany us, so you listen to me and him and don't rut things up." He said, nodding over to cadet Eli Quint as the chimera slew to a halt and he smashed the rune to drop the back ramp, the stuffy interior of the transport dispersing to a dry cold wind of the outside. "So load up and move out you dogs, lets get this done so we can link up with the rest of the 'liners." Brast shouted as he walked out of the chimera.

Eli; your last out of the chimera, the troopers of the squad filing out ahead of you. During the ride you hadn't really said much, then again most of the troopers hadn't either; but for you it would likely be mostly due to being an outsider to the unit. You quickly make way to sergeant Brast, he wasn't terribly pleased when Cohlan assigned you to squad C for this mission, but he had been far better than some of the others in the last few days.

[Your with Brast for now as he oversee's the squad entering the first of the hab blocks; squad C has six more to check out after this, each of the squads has seven or eight hab's to check out in this section alone. Any thing you want to say to the man? Maybe wonder why he's committing the whole squad to one building when he could split it and check out two or even three at a time?]

Serpio, Tine, and Jonas; You hurry down the ramp, following the motions of Brast to the first hab block, a three story unit of gunmetal grey and devoid of any light, and possibly any life. You run up to the side of the entryway, Tine kicking in the double doors while Serpio and Jonas cover.

[Not much to see initially, small hallway ending with steps to the next level with two doors leading to the main rooms of this level. You notice the left door is slightly open, do you approach with caution? Perhaps slowly enter, or kick the door in and rush inside?]


Tabitha and Alexious, Your right behind Serpio, Tine, and Jonas as they kick in the doors and rush inside, flood-lamps at the end of lasguns casting light into the dark room. The rest of the squad files in, you move over to the first living section, each of these levels is fitted with two, for a total of six in this block before the squad can advance to the next block and do the same all over again.

[Like Serpio, Tine, and Jonas you also do not seem much in the hall, moving to the right door, one of you to each side. How do you decide to enter? Any thoughts running through your mind, or things your saying to each other?]

[Obviously not to much going on; want an idea of what you all will do. Both with not loads handed to you, and with slight stuff from me. (Thats the stuff in these brackets you'll be seeing in updates.)]
See less See more
1 - 10 of 89 Posts
Dean moved by Sergeant Brast and Eli, lasgun stuck into his shoulder. He scanned doorways and passageways, as they passed through them. Sergeant Brast spoke with Eli, about what Eli had asked him. Personally Dean felt that it was none of his business at the moment so tried to ignore it. They ascended the stairs to the second floor, Dean still acting cautious. He signalled them to stop and Dean froze before taking a kneeling position, wondering why they had stopped.

"Colt, your with Eli here, take the left." Said Brast before two shots rang out and he disappeared back down the stairs. Dean barely got off a "Yes Sergeant!." Before he had left. He stood again and moved forward motioning for Eli to follow. Dean took a glance at the corridor in front of them. It was devoid of life. He turned back and saw the left door that Brast had been talking about. Dean could swear it almost looked like it had been bent out of shape as if something wanted to get out. He looked over at Eli, Dean was a little bit wary of Eli, an officer. "Any suggestions about how we are going to get in sir? I mean we could always try and break it down, but that wouldn't be very subtle now would it." He thought about who had fired the two las shots and why. It could have been a survivor. Or more likely it was a squad mate that had come across an unfortunate soul.
See less See more
Dean nodded to Eli, "Sir yes sir." He waited for Tabitha and Eli to prepare themselves before taking a step back. He powered his foot towards the door, and was satisfied as the door crumpled inwards. Tabitha and Eli rushed in followed by Dean to clear the room. There had been signs of struggle in this room, with blood trials on the walls. Furniture was smashed up and strewn all over the place. Dean moved cautiously through the room, to the next one. Here Dean covered his mouth from the awful smell. Two withered corpses lay their, nothing else. It was completely clear. Dean walked back towards the entrance when he looked up at the ceiling. It seemed that there was no ceiling but just a hole covered by something. It was a trap, and Dean heard someone bashing at the door. "Troopers moving on the third floor on the left side, don't go into the room. Stay in the corridor." Dean yelled up at them, hoping they would hear him.
Dean nodded to Tabitha praise. He was thankful that so far no-one seemed to be dropping through, which must have meant that they had been heard. "Thank the Immortal God Emperor they heard and listened to us." Dean said allowed, his flash light still pointed up at the ceiling. It must be survivors setting traps he thought to himself calmly.

Eli motioned for them to both fall in step behind him and called Brast on the radio telling him that the three of them were moving to the next floor. Dean wasn't sure about this, they should wait for Brast to acknowledge before they move off. He fell in step however and followed Eli. "Why isn't there blood on the stairs, its obvious that people were fighting here from the dead bodies we have seen and the fact that almost every room has been smashed up, and smeared in blood. Little strange don't ya think?" Dean voiced this to no one in particular.
Dean left the first hab, following the rest of the squad. The habs were indeed enormous and Dean couldn't help but keep a sharp eye out for anything that looked suspicious in any case. He was at the rear of the group and was one of the last to enter the new hab. This one was better lit than the other hab, and the squad moved about in the hallway awaiting their orders. Dean saw as a squadmate named Serpio tried to kick in a door, but it proved to strong.

Dean gave a little chuckle to himself before moving over, to see if he could help. “One of you,” he said,” set your Lasgun to low and lets cut our way through the door………………………….” He looked around as the rest of the squad quickly told him not too. Alright then, he thought to himself stepping away from the door. He heard Tine, another squadmate that he hadn't really had time to talk to suggest that they all combine their strength. "That may work, though we should still probably look for another way inside before we try to make too much noise." Dean suggested this as he looked down the sights of his weapon, flashlight pointed towards the hinges, examining them.
See less See more
Dean watched as Brast smacked Melak on the head, knocking his toothpick free. Dean supressed a laugh, Brast was a good sergeant, and would do a lot for his squad. He quickly divided them into teams and Dean found himself acting as a support role with Brast to Solamon and Jonas. He kept an eye out, scanning doorways before Brast told him to stack up on a door. Dean moved towards it and waited for Brast signal. He barged his way through and started to scan for anything.

Dean could see a pair of figures slumped against the far wall, it looks like one of them was breathing. Dean lowered his weapon, forgetting his training for a minute before he heard a very low taught sound, as if there was too much weight in the room. "Shit, this day just keeps getting better and better." Dean heard Brast yell out to him that it was a trap, before a pair of hands grabbed him and hurled him towards the door. Dean hit the frame and was knocked off his feet. He turned and watched as Brast fell through the floor. He quickly got to his feet and aimed his flashlight down. He heard and gunshot come from another room, and wasn't sure where to go. It was his fault that Brast fell, but one of his squad mates could be hurt or worse. In the end his concious won and he yelled down to Brast, "Sergeant if you can here me I'm coming down there." He knew this wasn't going to end well, but what the heck. He prepared to leap down the hole.
See less See more
Dean prayed to the Emperor as he dropped. That is until he got hit by something as hard as a wall. He smashed into the floor, and rolled to his feet raising his lasgun. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the guy he had impacted upon had already been dealt with by Brast. He had just saved his squad leader. Good choice dropping down he thought to himself as Brast smiled at him in thanks. He rushed over to Solamon and Jonas, who were being overwhelmed by the horde.

Dean smashed into a zombie, before attaching his bayonet. It would be best in this type of situation if he didn't shoot. Therefore he would have no chance of hitting a friendly. "Sorry I'm late guys,got attacked on my way down. Better late then never though I suppose." He spoke quickly as he reached the other two. He and the others were trying desperately to keep the zombies back but there were so many. Dean got knocked to the floor by one, which jumped on top of him, biting at him. Dean head butted it, thankful of his helmet before standing and shoving his knife through its throat.

Dean couldn't help but marvel how much it died like a wild animal from home. It thrashed around on the floor, as its vitals slowly poured out of it and pooled like a puddle next to its body. However there was no time to stand and watch, especially when his fellow squad mates were so hard pressed. He quickly rushed back towards the fight, the image of the dead still on his mind.
See less See more
Dean rammed his blade into the throat of a zombie, pushing it down under his weight. He stabbed it again through the mouth, just to make sure that it was dead. He quickly turned his attention to the rest, firing shots into them. He heard a crash behind him and turned to see Jonas pull a Flak Board off the window, not that it did much good. The light was pathetic and it looked like they would have to look for another way out. Dean heard Brast as he fired his shotgun and pointed his light towards the door.

It was heavily barricaded and Brast yelled over the commotion. "Don't just stand around like a bunch a ambulls, move that shit and lets get out of here." Dean immediately moved over to the door, and began pulling the heavy objects out of the way. Dean waited as Jonas kicked the door down, and they burst through into the first room. A body was lying there, and soon the others leapt down the stairs. They quickly moved out towards the last hab, having to cross a courtyard to get there.

As they were crossing the courtyard shots rang out. Brast quickly ordered the squad to find cover. Dean ducked behind the wall with Alexious, Serpio, and Felix. Dean looked over for sharp shooters but couldn't see any. What he did see was zombies in the main doorway of the hab. If Brast and the others moved forwards then they would be doomed. Dean looked over at the others. "Guys, there are zombies between Brast and the other hab. If they move forward then they screwed. I'm gunna make a break for them someone cover me."
See less See more
Dean had taken cover behind a car, and was unable to find anyway to start it to use it to protect his squad mates. In the end he stayed back, firing at the horde of zombies that moved towards his squad mates. Alexious was next to him firing wildly at the zombies and cursing at them. Dean looked at him, before standing and taking aim, he sighted a zombies head and let loose a trio of shots. Two missed but thankfully one of them managed to slam into its head, taking it down and out of the count.

The shooters had retreated as the rest of the squad lobbed grenades at them, meaning that it was safer for them to fire upon the zombies. Dean sighted another and fired a further 8 rounds, hitting it in the chest repeatedly taking the second zombie down, hopefully so it won't rise up again.
Dean leant out of cover, and let loose another volley from his lasgun. There were too many zombies for him to take out at the moment though. This was before he saw a flash of bright red, obscuring his vision temporarily. He ducked behind cover for a moment to regain his sight before he looked back out. The zombies were dead, he turned to try and find the source of this devastation, weapon still raise in case it was hostile.

He smiled as he found the source, slinging his lasgun on his shoulder and standing up. He nodded to the sentinel pilots that made up Reaper Five and Reaper Lead. These were the elite of the platoon, the lead was Hultz, an old friend of Brast. He moved forward watching the armoured forms of the sentinels. Hultz leapt from the cockpit and moved over to Brast and the sergeant from D squad and they began to talk.

"Wonder what they are talking about, new orders for redeployment?" Dean said to no one in particular. He stood nearby, staring at the sentinels. He was envious to say the least, they were the best of the best, and one day he would be one of them. If he lived that long.
See less See more
Dean stared as Brast Faust and Hultz conversed amongst each other. It seemed that their work was not yet done, and a shudder went down Dean's spine. He was not a coward, far from it. He would give his life in service to the Emperor and to his fellow squad mates, but fighting these things? They weren't dead but they weren't alive at the same time. They were living dead and creeped out Dean. He wanted to fight some real enemies of the Emperor, Orks, Eldar, even Chaos. Just not this, it wasn't right at all. He wanted to fight something natural to kill, not their own dead and citizens of the Emperor's realm.

Brast called over the squad, and they all moved over taking a knee without a word. The other Sergeants pulled back to their own men. Hultz spoke up, "Should the Emperor being feeling generous, maybe we'll find some survivors and no traps. Failing that, stay alert and keep an eye out, we still got four more of these blocks to search out and I am not gonna come and save your arses every time shit goes flying." Dean prayed for that to happen, to find survivors without any more contacts would be great, but he was quickly learning that nothing was going to be that simple.

"The Lieutenant's orders still stand, we go through the ten stacks split up between the hard liners and reapers and the bastards and bulldogs. After that, we meet up with the rest of the platoon at the town center, hopefully with some good news for the CO." Dean nodded thoughtfully at Faust's comment, he still thought that it wouldn't be that simple.

"Well why we wastin' what remains of the light then? Come on ladies, lets get a movin." He says before kicking Melak in the ass and getting him to head for the squad chimera at a real nice pace. "I swear Melak, if the quartermaster don't skin your hide I will. Ready up the heavy stubber we got, and don't you dare go losin' or destroyin' it or I'll save the commissars the trouble of punishment!" He turned to the rest of the squad "Well what ya waitin' for? Open invitation? Get the hell up and lets get movin'!"Dean smirked at Melak, to be fair he needed to replace his weapon, but it wasn't Melaks fault. He got up and moved over to his squads Chimera at a jog, waiting for the others to enter before he moved in to sit at the ramp.

"Melak, don't worry about it mate, I'm sure that Brast wouldn't call a commissar and it wasn't your fault anyway." He said to Melak as he passed him by. As they moved through the town Dean stayed in silence, brooding as he thought of what was going on here. They moved through the hab blocks one at a time, but there was nothing, not a trace of survivors. There wasn't a trace of zombies either nothing at all. Dean scanned dark corridors with his flashlight, searching but they found nothing. Just as they were about to call it a day when they received word from D squadron that they had found one malnourished child. No-one else had any contact with anything apart from the Bastards who had a brief firefight.

Melak spoke out to Brast, telling him that he would talk to the child at the HQ. Dean stayed quiet as they moved throughout the town. "This just isn't right is it? How can everyone disapear, even the hostile's." He voiced after some time walking back. It was getting late and he was trying to stay alert. He was sure that it wasn't over and did not want to see what would happen if he let his guard down for long.
See less See more
1 - 10 of 89 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top