Cog-Port Chapter 1.5:
A Failed Assault
BATTLE THE ARRIVALS
The Unseen Blades vs. Cruel Seduction
Arriving moments apart, the Escher mob slinked out of the murk in two and threes. Only suppressed by the long rifle of Umbra, Viper took the first kill, taking out Shade in the very first moments of the game. Ink desperately tried to rally his men, advancing under fire, pumping Bolter shells into any whip of neon hair.
Magik flanked left, followed by their juve Calisto, looking to close the distance. Viper cut around the corner and slammed a man stopper round into Ink, stopping his advance and while las fire kept her prey pinned, Magic cut down Shade. In the final moments Dusk charged fearlessly into close combat with Viper, the safety of his injured leader at the front of his mind.
Unfortunately he slipped on some chewing gum and impaled his toughness 5 hide on her power sword. Fucked, he was proper f**ked.
Winner: Cruel Seduction
BATTLE THE ARRIVALS
Patrol KB-7236 vs. The Wayward Sisters
Jalia watched the enforcer boat hurry away across the heaving sump sea. Beside her, Reckless Hate purred and wagged his tail expectantly. This, she reflected, was probably not normal behaviour for rat, but neither had been the strange squatting attack he’d made on the fallen lawman during the battle and that had been undeniably effective. She tossed him another finger and looked over the rest of her Wayward Sisters. They relaxed in the glow of victory, even those nursing wounds - even those nursing wounds they were likely to feel the effects of for some time - so For a moment, Jalia relaxed too.
The battle had started in the flicker of an eye-lid. Rina, her second, had met an enforcer representative to parlay. Then the man he gone for his gun, sending a blast inches past Rina’s ear. To her credit, Rina had reacted as a true Escher ought; her needle rifle had been in her hands and a dart in her enemies throat before the enforcer had even begun reloading his shotgun. From there it was all green foam, violence, and blood.
“Dead-eye” Dahlia had dropped another Enforcer with a pinpoint las shot, while Jalia, AJ, and the two new girls moved quickly up the flank. Their target the Enforcer’s mooring point. As they advanced, more lawmen appeared, but the sisters moved as one. Mav flicking spinning knives into the leg of one, before Jalia finished him with her sword edge. Another fell to the pair of them, Reckless Hate on his face before he could rise. That one had not stirred again, and Jalia thought him beyond anyone’s help.
Flicking a hand signal to Rina, the two sprinted forward while the last enforcer’s bolt shells exploded around them. For a moment, she thought they would push the enforcers away without casualties. Then in a moment, Mav was on the ground blood and splintered bone bursting from her leg. Rina turned and dropped the last enforcer with a perfect auto pistol round through his armour while Jalia overloaded the enforcer’s mooring computer, Reckless hate take a moment to unload himself over the boat.
Briefly, she had considered trying to finish every enforcer, but decided it was better to send a message. Let these ones return to their precincts and spread the fear, Emperor-knows-what plague too from those whom Reckless Hate had tasted. She didn’t doubt they’d come again, but the Wayward Sisters would be ready and waiting.
Winner: The Wayward Sisters
BATTLE THE ARRIVALS
The Moral Majority vs. The Smokers
“Harken to me my brothers! This day we...”
“I’m not your brother, I’m your cousin.”
“Shut up brother Ben, we’re brothers in...”
“I thought he was your son, Terry?”
“Yes, yes brother Scabbers. Point is, we’re all brothers in the light of Him On Terra.”
There was a general murmuring of supplication from the gang and Terrence ploughed on before there were any more interruptions.
“We’re about to face those thrice cursed Goliaths, the Smokers. Cursed for their sinful meddling with these perfect forms of ours created by Him; Cursed for their mixing of men and WOMEN! in their gang; and Cursed for their challenge to our possession of this tooth...”
“I ain’t got any...”
“SHUT UP BROTHER BEN!”
Sometime and bickering later, the Goliaths emerged from the sump. Algernon made the sign of the Aquila at their abominable forms - forms so crassly and grossly flaunted too! - and a second as their monstrous leader felled. Brother Hoogerwerf with a single blow.
“May this gift of frag strip away your abominable enhancements!”
He cried, firing his crossbow. The blast knocked the Goliath beast into the void at her back.
“The emperor will protect you if you reject your sinful ways!”
He called after her and then ran to a better firing position as more Goliaths emerged.
***
At the sound of the blast, Templeton and Enganno ran forward. Templeton stopping behind a barricade, his long rifle levelled and ready. Enganno paused only to let one of his rats scurry forward. The rat sniffed happily at what Templeton realised was the boot of a Goliath and then vanished in gore and flame.
Dripping in bits of rat, Enganno added his own bodily fluids to the marker the Goliaths had proudly used to challenge the Cawdor’s rule of this tooth. Templeton smiled with satisfaction before a roar signalled the attack of the Goliath champion who had born, apparently unharmed, the brunt of the exploding rat. He smashed Enganno into a crumpled heap then charged forward.
Templeton snapped a shot off, but achieved little more than checking the Goliath’s advance. He was about to run when a matching roar from the shadows announced the arrival of Brother Terrence. Chain glaive howling in harmony with his prayers, he set about the Goliath.
“I shall carve thine foul besmirchings of our perfect human form from thee!” Terrence screamed. The Goliath withstood several blows before finally succumbing. Terrence made the sign of the Aquila and he and Templeton withdrew to check on the rest of the gang
***
They found them in prayer, their guns smoking, having seen off a number of Goliath prospects and Gangers. Terrence nodded round at them.
“These teeth - NO brother Ben! - these teeth are ours. The emperor has decreed it! Through fire we light the way for those lost. We shall carve their sin from them and educate them to the error of their ways.”
Winner: Moral Majority
THE ARRIVALS
The Smokers vs. Lunatic Lumberjacks
It was a brutal show down between old rivals, The Smokers and the Lunatic Lumberjacks go way back, all the way back to Coppertown... But now, out on The Teeth these old acquaintances are Outlaws, and when you're an Outlaw nobody is a friend.
The brutal combat involved some heavy hand to hand action, Psyko the stimmer working his way through The Smokers ranks one by one, eventually taking out 5 of opposing gang with his Paired Pulverizers. The battle started well for the Lumberjacks, but then there was a turning point...
As The Smokers used their cowardly smoke grenades to stop the onslaught from the Lumberjacks, slowing things down. This gave them enough time to get into charge range and allowed them to secure some kills, most notably Bolt who after amazingly shooting into combat and not killing his own gang mate, got charged and murdered - decapitated in the end - with a Rock Saw...
By this time GypsyMoth had secured and defiled the opposing relic, claiming the victory, but wait... She is overconfident!! A bold scummer makes a break for it and runs for the Lumberjack relic, Bobby tries to intercept but isn't fast enough! The scummer makes it and defiles the Lumberjack relic... Resulting in an even trade between the gangs... Or was it.
Both gangs leave the battle thinking, man... That was intense...
Draw
BATTLE FORGOTTEN RICHES
The Unseen Blades vs. The Wayward Sisters
The moment Dahlia had the door open, Rina and Daphne were moving. Sprinting, they were through the door, swinging up into the open ductway and sliding through to the chamber beyond.
Landing on her feet, Rina barely paused in her rush for the abandoned crate and payday. The reason for her haste lay in the shadows in front and behind. Somewhere ahead of her were the Delaque of the Unseen Blades, currently living up to their names. Behind her was her gang queen, Jalia. Her orders had been to get the crates as quick as possible and get out, rather than risk a costly tussle with the Delaque and their various hangers-on. Rina, however, had absolutely no trust that Jalia and her rat would be able to resist shedding Delaque blood - and she had no desire to be in between carrying a crate when it happened.
Away in the shadows, the core of the Unseen Blades ordered their hired guns forward and picked up two crates for themselves. The gang were bloody and battered and orders were to get resources. So, they were quite happy to send the help forward - particularly the eerie, floating wyrd Thaetos. He was uncanny enough to unnerve even a Delaque.
In a second a door clanked open and a blur of pink and blue, trailed by a mangy grey shadow, exploded into the room. One of the hired guns fell immediately, emitting only a brief shriek before the rat finished the work of the Escher’s swords. A Delaque also fell before the woman vanished again, as quickly as she had come.
The remaining Delaque hastened their retreat but Thaetos, rising into the air surged forward, the air crackling around him and the shadows flickering with the whispers.
“Wait here.” That’s what Jalia had told Dahlia to do, and that’s what she was going to do. The screams from the room next door told her what was happening. She tightened her finger in the trigger of her las, it’s hotshot pack buzzing.
A grizzled gun slinger appeared at the end of the corridor and Dahlia had him down without thinking, but then something worse came. Dahlia had time to see an emaciated white frame float up out the shadows, time to realise it wasn’t a Delaque before fire washed over her. Screaming she hit the ground as the thing floated over her.
There was another rushing roar and Jalia, engulfed in flames came rushing from the room. She passed Dahlia then also fell to the ground. Before Dahlia had time to even think of offering help, Jalia ran back past her. Smoking slightly, but no longer ablaze. From the room next door came the unmistakable sounds of someone taking several toxin blade cuts, a pop, then silence.
Dahlia stood up again just as Jalia emerged from the room again, Reckless Hate trotting at her heels looking pleased with himself. The gang queen ostentatiously wiped blood from her sword.
“Well, that was weird,” she said, “but all cool now. Let’s go.”
Winner: The Wayward Sisters
ESCAPE THE BADZONE
Cruel Seduction vs. Patrol KB-7236
With the Escher and Enforcers both heading for the rumoured loot on the edge of the iron ore field, there was only going to be one result, even if ol' drunken Stu was pulling stories out of his arse.
To the surprise of all, four interesting crates were spotted in the ruins of a refinery, and both sides cautiously moved in, the scampering of stilettoed heels barely audible over the stamp of heavy boots. The boom of shotguns and bolters broke the tension, but the first casualty was the reckless juve who strayed too close to Captain Varian. Taking no pity of the downed 6 year old, he stomped on her head 'just to make sure".
The fight devolved from any sense of strategy into a near endless close quarters duel and a skeet shooting contest, fighters dropping on both sides more from bad luck and punches to the back of the head than clean kills and moments of heroism, but as the Escher closed in one rather cocky patrolman laughed heartily as stream of bolt shells glance off his armour.... then promptly fell off the platform and 66'd himself.
Patrol KB-7236 pulled back, leaving the ladies of Cruel Seduction to count their credits, and somewhere in the distance a rat called out to the night.
Winner: Cruel Seduction
LOOTERS
The Smokers vs. Lunatic Lumberjacks
It was time for another rival dust up... The Smokers were intent on stealing from the Lumberjacks, so much so that they brought every Tom, Dick and Harry along... Two random Juves and four Scummers to bolster the ranks...
It was a slow start with both gang manoeuvring carefully to get into position but then it all got a bit crazy, shooting here, shooting there and misses all around! Once they closed the distance on eachother it was all about hand to hand though! The mighty Stimmer Psyko taking the first steps and quickly eliminating a scum bag and a random Ratskin... But then the Rock Saw...
As the bold Ripper charged into the Stimmer he quickly made work of the large target, ultimately applying the killing blow (literally, decapitated him just like he did to Bolt...). NUTS, seeing this brutal slaughter and quickly reminded of what must have happened to his brother Bolt, got enraged and stepped in close, loaded the shotgun and let rip, inflicting a devastating blow... Sending good old Ripper to the doc, where the costs were just too high. A life for a life...
At this point The Smokers ranks were dwindling, eventually down to one last brave fighter who was still intent on getting some loot, a chase started. Bobby of the Lumberjacks hot on his tail. But then a change of heart, quick turn around and a charge! Bobby, taken by surprise was completely humiliated as he was taken out of action.
Shortly afterwards, GypsyMoth closed the gap and ended the battle. At the end, the Lumberjacks were victorious... But at what cost?
Winner: Lunatic Lumberjacks
THE TRAP
The Unseen Blades vs. Lunatic Lumberjacks
The hapless Unseen Blades suffered the indignity of being outwitted by the Goliath Lunatic Lumberjacks and trapped.
Sensing safety in numbers the Blades all huddled in one spot.
First to sense something awry was Shade who noticed the Goliath leader appear out of a hidden vent. Shade's consciousness was short lived before they were battered to the ground. Leader Ink, noting their Goliath counterpart leaving Shade unconscious, let fly with their meltagun and, to their surprise, when they opened their eyes they saw to a Goliath shaped outline in the dirt. Emboldened Ink set off round the perimeter melting Goliaths left, right and centre. All the while ducking rapid fire autoguns and pebble dashing Shredder shells.
Ink was left perturbed when the battle was done to note two Goliath bodies, still in physical form and not filling a slop bucket. Ink recalled that new ganger appearing out of the unknown with a plasma pistol who seemed fairly sure how to use it. That would explain the Juve covered in plasma but not the ganger with his head staved in from a blunt force. With the unknown ganger disappearing into the darkness once the fighting had finished Ink decided, like all good Delaques, that some mysteries were better left unsolved.
Winner: The Unseen Blades
BATTLE ARCHAEO-HUNTERS
Cruel Seduction vs. The Wayward Sisters
A half collapsed dome, a murderous automata, two groups of psychotic Escher and a vault full of Archaeo-tech....what could possibly go wrong?
Both leaders, eyes on the prize, closed in on the automata. 'Strange...' remarked Jalia 'someone seemed to have named him Punchy Pete!' and with that, the door opposite slammed open and all hell broke loose.
Dum Dum caught the first salvo, a vicious torrent of bolter shells taking her down, and a Death Maiden charged right in behind. The fighting was close, vicious and bloody. Five dead in rapid succession, Reckless Hate losing his battle with Magik only for her to catch a rock drill to the face. '66 sweetheart, game over' droned from Punchy Pete's Vox grill as he powered back down.
Explosions rocked the dome as hive scum started throwing satchel charges, and the gangs continued to trade, but while Jalia cut a swathe of destruction through Cruel Seduction, their numbers kept them in it. In the end The Wayward Sisters cut their losses and headed home.
Winner: The Wayward Sisters
THE ARRIVALS
Crytex Outriders (Carcharodons) vs. Lunatic Lumberjacks
The Goliaths looked at each other with pity in their eyes as they saw the Van Saar step up to "discuss" their arrival with The Jack... Knowing just how jacked up he was on Frenzon, they were already laughing about how it would turn out. But then the other Van Saar came from behind the structure and surprised them!
The battle started with a brutal onslaught from the Van Saar attempting to put down The Jack, but through his Frenzon (and their lack of ability...) he was still standing at the end of the first round, it was unbelievable. This gave him just enough time to destroy the Van Saar champion before getting taken out as the Leader rocked up and shook the rest of the unorganised rabble into shape.
From there it became a Van Saar dominated fight, with Goliath and Scummer falling with the Van Saar taking almost no casualties... Bar one, Roidy Rik... He was circling his prey from below, before deciding to climb up and massacre them. It was a slaughter, but a high plasma pistol shot took him right down to only 1 toughness with three flesh wounds. He wasn't going to let this stop him... He proceeded to the gang relic for the Van Saar, determined to destroy it, but alas, at the final hurdle the lone Van Saar left took him out...
It was a day which would be remembered by both gangs, it was brutal...
Winner: Crytex Outriders (Carcharodons)
GHAST HARVEST
The Unseen Blades vs. Patrol KB-7236
This cycle was turning out to be a rather good one, the sergeant mused.
Lennox (that’s Sarge to you) looked around the disused chem storage block. Probably wouldn’t use the word disused in the report he thought…. everything in this god forsaken shithole was disused. Especially the people. It had been a rough few weeks for the patrol. After a somewhat unwelcoming initial landing at Jetty 45376-D and its rat-infested docks, the Captain had redirected them all to 46753, across the bay. From there it had been an uphill struggle to control and keep the peace in the area, and with the rough seas and constant danger, the patrol had started to feel isolated.
Word had filtered through that some miscreants were attempting to harvest illicit materials at the chem storage plant. The patrol needed a win, and the Captain dispatched Lennox and some men to disincentivise the local community from undertaking such activities.
The action had been short, but intense. He would commend Patrolman 409 to the Captain for a textbook application of Enforcer engagement principles (“A Warning Shot is a Wasted Shot”). There had only been 4 of them…or was it 3 – Lennox wasn’t too clear what the floating sack of flesh had been. It had zoomed away pretty promptly once the bullets started flying. Maybe another mutated rodent. Either way, within a few brief moments 2 of the criminals had been put down – permanently - with the remainder fleeing. That was fine, the precinct cells weren’t ready for use yet and frankly Lennox couldn’t bear to think of the paperwork. Word would spread that the law was here to stay.
He signalled at 510, the newest member of the patrol. Let the rookie deal with bagging the evidence. Ghast was nasty stuff – and Lennox had no intention of getting near it.
Winner: Patrol KB-7236
TUNNEL SKIRMISH
The Circle of the Child of Soth vs. Lunatic Lumberjacks
The Lumberjacks were just out on a routine run of the borders of their territory when a new enemy appeared, a group of Helots shouting something about glory to Nurgle...
It was time to show them how glory is dished out in the Underhive, the first blows were brutal but then the fight descended into a series of terrible shots, aimed or not, all going left right and centre... But then it started falling in place with a nice group hit from a Shredder shot from Nuts' Combat Shotgun... It was all looking over for the Chaos Cult.
But then they rallied and turned the table a bit, taking out the big Stimmer Roidy Rik and gaining some confidence, but with this new found confidence the leader decided - it's time for a tactical retreat. He had other plans for how to better celebrate his deity...
As the Lumberjacks gathered their focus they thought, next time we see those guys I've got a feeling they will be bringing something nasty...
Winner: Lunatic Lumberjacks
SEARCH AND DESTROY
Crytex Outriders (Carcharodons) vs. Lunatic Lumberjacks
The Lumberjacks were sent out to check that their hidden supplies were still safe and sound, based on a rumour they had heard about some slimy Van Saar lurking nearby. As it turned out the rumour was accurate! A race to find all the loot started very quickly, the Outriders took a while to find their first crate despite investing a lot of people into searching... This was the mistake which gave the Lumberjacks their chance to find two boxes of loot and make off with it.
Some blows were exchanged in the process and one of the gangers from the Outriders crew fell, and he fell hard - 66'ed by the mighty Nuts from the Lumberjacks. Nuts was quickly dealt with though and the Kroot scummer who took him down even had the cheek to eat his eyeball right in front of him!
The dust settled after the scuffle and GypsyMoth made the call, they had enough to call this one a win so the Lumberjacks made a tactical retreat...