Edge of the Void - Campaign Turn 3
Chapter 3 - A Helping Hand
It had been a profitable few days. Between the credits they had extorted from Brass and the gangers, and selling the concentrated reduction solution the crew had liberated from the storage yard to some less than reputable drug manufacturers; Tareefa’s pockets had been nicely lined with coin.
Such wealth was fleeting however, as she had spent the majority of it on some more advanced medicare treatments for Shai and Duke. She needed them back to fighting strength sooner rather than later. Tareefa had made a bit of a show of it as well, ensuring that both Shai and Duke felt indebted to the Captain for their treatments. Armsman Finn Solis meanwhile had obtained a broken Displacer from a passing junk merchant. If it could be repaired it would give the user the ability to make short teleport jumps. Repairing the item was well beyond the capabilities of anyone on a backwater like Drusaal. But to someone that had the resources of a Rogue Trader, it was an incredibly valuable find. Finn had given it to the Tech-Adept Gluvico to make the repairs. Gluvico, having just finished repairing the Auspex Servo-Skull that Finn had found previously, was eager to get started on a new project. The only bad news really, was that Drusaal United Mining had somehow found out about the materials that the crew had stolen from the storage yard and in a courteous yet stern message informed the Captain that they would no longer require the services of the Rogue Trader.
Tareefa was unperturbed, clients came and went as often as tides in the Warp, it was simply part of doing business. Besides, having made a name for themselves on Drusaal the crew wasn’t lacking for job offers. One in particular caught the Captain’s eye; it had come from the office of the Planetary Governor. Not explicitly from his Lordship himself it nevertheless presented the Captain with the opportunity to gain some influence with the man.
The job however, was dull busy-work. A large shipment of medicae supplies had gone missing some months previously, and while supplies had been re-established their distribution was slow at best. Slow enough that some portions of the lower city were close to rioting. Keen to avoid the outbreak of violence the Rogue Trader had been asked to oversee the distribution to these problem areas. The pay wasn’t terrible either, which was always a good thing.
And so Tareefa had accepted. Calling down a fleet of ground-vehicles from The Glorious Endeavour distribution had begun in earnest. Most clinics were grateful to finally get the supplies that they so desperately needed, a few were hostile to having been kept waiting so long, and fewer still had resorted to outright violence. Nothing that the Endeavour’s well trained Armsmen couldn’t handle however. After a week of managing the distribution from the Stormspite the Captain was practically climbing the walls with boredom. If nothing else but to cure her growing cabin fever Tareefa commanded that she and her retinue would handle some of the deliveries.
The Rogue Trader’s zest for getting hands on lasted right up until a dust storm rolled over Yamham-Mavit city and visibility was reduced to a few meters. This in turn brought traffic to a standstill, and so less than a kilometer from their final stop Tareefa, Gluvico, Finn and Guillermo made the remaining journey on foot. With rebreathers and goggles in place it didn’t take long for the crew to make it to Broadmarket Square. The clinic was in the centre of what would be a busy market square, the dust storm forcing both the proprietors of the market stalls and their clientele indoors.
Or at least, Broadmarket Square should have been empty. Shapes moved the swirling dust.
A band of Vigilantes stand ready to ambush the Rogue Trader and her crew.
Battle 3 - Broadmarket Medicae Centre
Seizing the initiative, the Rogue Trader orders her crew forwards. The Tech-Adept and Finn charge up the stairs to the walkway, hoping their elevated position might offer some advantage in the billowing dust storm. Peering through the scope of his hunting rifle, Finn can just about make out human shapes on the opposite side of the square. Through the dust the shapes wink in and out of existence, never long enough for the Armsman to draw a bead on, however. Meanwhile Tareefa and Crusader Guillermo, carrying the medicae supplies, make their way towards the clinic.
Whilst the Lord Captain makes her way towards the clinic's entrance, Guillermo skirts around the rear. Just as he is moving behind a ruined section of wall, las bolts pepper the opposite side causing Guillermo to drop into a fighting crouch with shield raised. At the other end of the alley a figure swathed head to toe in rags fires a lasgun from the hip, but with Drusaal’s unique reflective dust less than half of the shots make it to the wall before fizzling out. Not one to let the enemy dictate the flow of combat, the Crusader charges out from behind the wall and throws himself behind the corner of a building. Guillermo grins under his helmet as the ne’er-do-well with the lasgun yelps and the spray of las fire becomes even more wild. At the sound of las fire Gluvico and Finn dash forwards along the walkway, just as three figures emerge out of scintillating dust.
Seeing his las bolt fizzle in the swirling dust, the vigilante in the alley roars in anger and moves forward, las gun still firing on fully automatic. The leader of the band of misfits moves under the walkway, hoping to catch Finn and Gluvico unawares. The rest of his gang meanwhile moves down the stairs into the small square. Finn levels his shotgun and blasts at one of the figures in the square, who stumbles but doesn’t drop to the dust. Gluvico fares better, his oversized revolver pitching one of the figures into the dirt. They don’t get back up.
Guillermo and Tareefa are ambushed in the alley way!
Meanwhile in the alley, Tareefa lets loose a barrage of shots from her pistol at the thug bearing down on Guillermo. None of the shots hit home but they do distract the shooter, just long enough for the Crusader to burst from cover and charge the vigilante. His power sword falling in a great arc, but even with the distraction the vigilante jumps back just in time, the sword cleaving through armour but failing to cause any real damage.
The Lord Captain attempts to finish the wounded vigilante off but the shot from her exquisitely crafted pistol misses by mere millimetres. Incensed by the repeated near misses the vigilante goes berserk, charging at Guillermo and swinging the lasgun like a club. By ferocious dumb luck the lasgun connects with Guillermo’s helmet. But it matters not, the Crusader’s sword is buried up to the hilt in the thug’s chest. Hearing his compatriot die in the alleyway the gang’s leader turns about and runs past the medicae centre to the alleyway hoping to enact some vengeance.
Meanwhile, the two vigilantes at the bottom of the stairs move forwards and unleash their fury towards Finn and Gluvico on the walkway. Las bolts and hard rounds spatter up at them but neither find purchase. The Armsman and Tech-Adept are quick to react however, charging forwards and losing their own barrage down at their attackers. Gluvico’s shot at the stubber-totting vigilante goes wide but Finn’s blasts with this combat shotgun find their mark and his target goes down.
Finn and Gluvico take the high ground.
The gang leader’s designs for vengeance come to a swift end as he comes face to face with Tareefa’s pistol. He doesn’t even have time to scream before the Lord Captain puts a bullet through his skull. The sole remaining vigilante roars in anger, firing his stubber up at Finn and Gluvico. This time the rounds find their mark and Gluvico is pitched from his feet in a shower of sparks. The Armsman nevertheless keeps his calm despite the hail of bullets and his shotgun responds in kind, blasting the remaining enemy from his feet in a shower of gore.
For long moments the last of the gunshots echo and reverberate off the stacks and dwellings of the slums. Tareefa and Guillermo waste no time and burst into the small medicae clinic. Aside from a Med-Servitor that greets them with an automated greeting the clinic is deserted. Guillermo unceremoniously drops the pack of medicae supplies on a nearby desk and they both make their way up to the walkway. By the time the Rogue Trader and Guillermo get up there, Finn is already pulling Gluvico to his feet. Despite the larger calibre bullets, the damage is mostly superficial. A few rends in the armour and some smashed hydraulics, but otherwise no damage to the Tech-Adept’s organic components. A few days of repair and he would be as good as new.
Aftermath
After the scuffle at Broadmarket Square things had moved quickly for the Rogue Trader. The Planetary Governor was eager to make it known that hiring the Tareefa was entirely his idea. To show his gratitude the Governor had insisted that she stay at one of his Spire Estates closer to the centre of Yamham-Mavit city.
Ordinarily Tareefa would have politely declined were it not for two reasons. Firstly, being closer to the Planetary Governor would certainly open new avenues for profit. And secondly, if Tareefa did have to stay on dusty Drusaal then she’d at least prefer to stay above the dust in the upper spires. And so, the Lord Captain, her crew and the Stormspite had moved to more luxurious accommodation than they had been staying in thus far. As a courtesy, Tareefa had even left some of the listening devices sequestered in the estate intact.
The only dour note was that in repairing himself, Gluvico managed to inadvertently start a small fire that damaged the gun-cutter’s repair shop. Said fire was quickly extinguished but it did mean that the Stormspite would need some minor repairs.