If I was the DA Chapter Master I would the bluff, get the entire DA chapter and the Unforgiven together and tear the strike force appart. I would advice that the strike force attacks without going over to the DA and tell them all about the plan. Ever read A Game of Thrones and the part between Eddard and Cersei in the godswood? Don't tell your plan to your enemies ahead of your execution of it.

It sucks for the DA, but attacking a Watchstation is pretty stupied so they pulled it over themselves, by their own hands.

Minotaurs? It's the Space Wolves who are traditionally the ones to call on when you need a Chapter wiped out.

Gurkhal said:

Thus dooming your Chapter and quite possibly the whole line of Unforgiven to Excommunication Traitoris. But hey, once the combined might of whole Imperium comes down on Dark Angels and their bruised survivors limp into Eye of Terror at least they won't be alone there... the first half of the chapter has been there since Horus Heresy.

Its not a bluff.

Polaria said:

Yes it is a bluff. You said yourself that under no circumstances would the Inquisitor allow things to go to Excommuniction Traitoris or start a major civil war, which will damage the Imperium even more than allowing the Dark Angels to roam freely. Its a bluff because the Inquisitor would not dare to let it grow further, and his strike force is actually trying to attack DA forces that know they are coming. That should constitute as self-defense for the DA, since no one else is aware of it's reasons, and will hardly make it easier to throw the traitor sign on them.

You've already kept the Chapter Masters of the other Chapters in the dark, are you going to come to them after you've already been beaten in a, in the eyes of outsiders, unprovoced attack on the DA, come to them and try to sell them that it was really the DA that started? That could be a tough sell.

The DA can look forward to alot of **** no doubt, but in no way dooming either themselves or the Unforgiven.

Gurkhal said:

The problem is that as Inquisitor I will not go to Excom for a measly few Deathwatch marines killed in situation where it can be kep under wraps. At that point its just a few DAs attacking DW. It can be all dealt with and explained away with few bad apples inside DA. If they attack an Inquisitorial task force its a whole other thing:

This task force is not directed against Dark Angels chapter, its warrant is to pursue, catch and interrogate a number of unknown traitorous elements who have attacked an Inquisitorial installation. Its been documented that the attackers used Dark Angel livery and have Dark Angel geneseed markers, but its has not been established that they are sent by the Angels or in any way connected with the current Chapter leadership. Inquisition has approached Dark Angel chapter master and asked for their assistance for investigating the incident and catching the traitors. Notice that the task force had not moved at all before I met with Dark Angel Chapter Master. Its not attacking. It just is there. There are really just three possible outcomes:

1) I come back and say its all been sorted with the Chapter Master and he has agreed to help us in locating the traitors. The task force moves in to help them. If the Dark Angels attack the Inquisitorial task force under these circumstances then they have broken their word, publicly incriminated themselves and been exposed as traitors.

2) I come back and say the Dark Angels are not willing to help us in locating the traitor. I publish the Excom order written on the "unknown traitors wearing Dark Angel livery and having their geneseed markers". After this the task force moves in to capture the traitors. If the Dark Angels attack the Inquisitorial task force under these circumstances then they have publicly incriminated themselves and been exposed as harboring traitors.

3) I do not come back. Interrogator and Task Force Commander opens the Excom order and publishes it along with the farewell letter explaining why I went there to try to sort the thing out under wraps. At this point I'm dead or captured and the thing is completely out of my hands. If the Dark Angels attack the Inquisitorial task force either preventively or in "self-defence" makes no difference at this point. They are exposed as traitors.

Now considering the fact that Dark Angels are not traitors and do love their secrets the Chapter Master has, unless he is completely insane, guessed this might be coming after they got caught with their attack on Watch Fortress and is prepared to negotiate as long as things are kept under the wraps. There is just no way they can sort this out by simply killing everyone at this point. Astral Claws is a good example of what happens to a chapter that tries to keep its secrets by escalating amount of killing. It starts with killing a few guys, proceeds to shooting at whole fleets and neighboring chapters and before you know it you find yourself in Eye of Terror worshipping Khorne with a nice little tentacle growing out of your forehead...

This paints a different picture than the one I imagine in the last post so I’ll make new comments

Polaria said:

Polaria said:

Polaria said:

Polaria said:

Polaria said:

He has to be pretty insane form the start to send in people with his own colors flying to attack an inquisitorial station on very dubious grounds. Agreed he can sort it out by killing everyone, but he can still sort it out, or at least burry it, by avoiding to have anything pinned on him or any of his boys. But like I said, to openly attack a Deathwatch station with their own colors and without making sure 1000% that not a single trace will be left behind or anyone will have any reason to even suspect anything – he’s got to be more than a bit unhinged or far too stupid to have gotten the job in the first place.

Gurkhal said:

Yeah, I fully agree on that this would be pretty stupid move on the part of Dark Angels. Which brings us to the original problem? Why were they attacking the station in the first place? To get a Dark Angel battle-brother out of there? Why couldn't they just call Deathwatch that something interesting had come up with this guys records and they need the guy home to sort it out?

Yeah I agree. Would they even need to give a reason for wanting their guy back? I figured it could just that they said: "We want our boy back now, here's his replacement." I shouldn't have to be much harder than that.

I must agree with Polaria. the exsistence of the Fallen is such a secret that they do not tell all their own brothers. Only the Inner Circle knows. To openly attack a Watchstation would only point to something odd. It would raise the question: Why do the DA attack? The DA would need a very good reason to do that. I think the DA would try to find proof he is a Fallen and if it is one of their own request he returns home for some honour or something, and then easily remove him. If it is someone from another Chapter or if it is a Black Shield they probably would try to implicate the marine as a renegade or have him send on some suicide mission by a DA Watch captain.

Don't even need to be on a suicide mission, just send him somewhere that the Dark Angels can pick him up without hazzle.

Would agree on that one.

Fabricate a situation for extraction, best with a loyal Darkangel, preferably of the Ravenwing or an unforgiven, at his side. Later:"the enemy attacked us, Brother<<insertname>> was sucked in by a chaos cultist sorcerer. But i was abel to cleanse the heretics with my blessed bolter. Hope there are no others cells on the Planet. Emporer Protects."

to make it simple. Explain everything neatly, use jammers, bodys and the like. Helps if the conspirative brother is the apohtecarie and gives credit to the "corrupted" bodys.

This enacts roleplaying, fits a secretive and highly paranoid chapter, especially the they tend not to tell most of their brothers the truth.