My players on a Metritech raider have met with Lord Winterscale about taking a bounty. They were told that a light cruiser hull class called the Cruelty of Fate was taxing his income and he wanted it taken out and he would pay...pay far beyond anything that they would have ever expected.

Once they agreed, they discovered through investigation that this was in fact a strike cruiser of the Black Legion.

They intercepted the ship outside of Lucien's Breath and attacked. They got behind the ancient vessel and expected to blow it away. Suprise, it opened up a bay and revealed a keel weapons battery. It strikes the raider and knocks out the Void shields and takes out the auger array. This allows the Black Legion to perform a hit and run. Several marines run rampant amongst the crew, taking out their murder servitors whilst they lay frozen while the second in command plays on the bridge with the players and officer npcs. They didn't manage to hurt this marine beyond an npc managing to run him through with a force sword, but the sword was jammed in the armor and he was dropped point blank by a storm bolter. The marine is contacted and he drops the force sword on the floor before retreating as another cruiser had started laying mines in front of the strike cruiser. A man at the Observatory Dome watches as the Cruelty of Fate begins to make it's escape, and screams as another cruiser enters the fray by launching a salvo of torpedos that a couple strike home.

Wounded with their prey escaping, the players are contacted by a friendly ship that helps with medical staff and repairs. It's a Lady Chorda ship. A Winterscale transport happens by and informs the players that there is a warp transponder on the Cruelty of Fate so they can track it. Their ship is repaired and the crew soothed. They learn two things. The Cruelty of Fate has been following a trail of what appears to be maps across the Expanse to some unknown end. And that Lord Winterscale and Lady Chorda have a wager on their mission with the stakes being Lucien's Breath. Winterscale is betting that they die trying, Lady Chorda says they will live and destroy the vessel. Chorda sent a ship to lay mines, Winterscale sent a ship to hit em with torpedos.

The players offer a good chunk of cash to the Captain of the minelaying cruiser to help them corner the Cruelty of Fate and destroy it. So both ships track the Cruelty of Fate to an outlying world of the Undred Undred Teef. Here, the Cruelty has made mince of a Ork Fleet and is rounding the world. They are targetted by three Ork vessels who liked seeing "softer" targets. Once two out of three ships are down, the survivor decides to flee. They chase the Cruelty of Fate until it hits a geosync orbit and open fire. They manage to take out the strike cruiser's manevering thrusters (-20 to Man), but it finishes it's objective and torches the Ork world for good measure. During this battle, the ally cruiser takes a solid broadside and is torn open. They chase the Cruelty to the systems jump point where it escapes to the Warp. Instead of giving chase, they head back to help their ally (as they can track the ship) and end the session there. They do know that with the tracking device, that the Cruelty of Fate has set course for the Processional of the Damned. It is here in the ancient graveyard of the Expanse that the final battle will take place.

Thoughts? And no...no matter the outcome neither Lady Chorda or Lord Winterscale intend to honor the results of the wager. The loop holes and the macro-cannons will be brought to bear to ensure this. Of course, it may ignite a new war between the two traders. Also, Lord Winterscale will still pay and basically laugh at the players if they are insulted by his attempting to murder them in order to win at his wager or that he wagered in the first place. If they attack? It will go very bad for the players...

We picked up where the cruiser that has allied the players has decided to skip repairs and help get right on the trail of the Cruelty of Fate. The Explorator called a meeting. The plan was to take warheads from the Jovian Missile Battery, board the Cruelty of Fate, and set off explosives to destroy their Void Shield Generator. He came up with a different plan. He had used part of a lance, a small generator, and a tripod. They would board the surface of the Cruelty, bolt the lance into place, and fire it on a timer to pierce the generator. During this time there was discussion about how they were tracking them as it was said a Warp Transponder had been placed on the strike cruiser and so they knew where they were going. Problem is? No such device exists and no one knows how the info is being sent, but as it has been accurate so far? It was left alone. To help with the boarding, the Explorator designed two new Power Suits and a Battle Suit (he only has one of each) and a self-installing MIU unit to be able to control them (borrowed two power suits and a robot battle suit from Rifts with modifications somewhat for balance...I can post stats if someone would like them.)

Outside of the Processional, they had caught up with the Cruelty of Fate. The strike cruiser kicked out a Thunder Hawk on a direct course for them. When it was shot down, it exploded into being a great demonic vessel from the Warp. Not a possessed starship, but a daemon in it's shape. (See Hammer of Black Destiny in House Rules).

The ally cruiser (bigger ship) is quickly hit by several Hit and Run Strikes and is quickly destroyed. The Explorator modifies a salvo of Jovian Missiles with the capacity to banish it and it was gone...back to the Warp.

Once inside the Processional, they realized that the Cruelty of Fate was using a sorcerer to track down what they had sought and so their Astropath extended his powers and found it first. They boarded an ancient derelict and seized a metallic scroll case bound shut with psychic powers.

The Cruelty of Fate demanded they turn over the device in exchange for a swift death. The Rogue Trader agreed and sent a shuttle...that landed on the surface and began putting the tripodded lance into place. The Black Legion in exchange, rolled out an artillery piece right below this lance. As the players escaped back to their own ship, both weapons fired to cause a rather large explosion on the Cruelty of Fate.

Not knowing the extent of the damage they had just caused, we left off with both ships side by side with 1 VU between them and it's Initiative time. If they took out the shields and win initiative? This battle could be over in a single turn. If not? It could go very ugly for the players as the Cruelty of Fate has more than enough weapons to vaporize a little raider at this range.