This is the moment when the lights go out.

Cade can clearly hear the entrance door burst with a small explosion.

y z

-------------------------------------------" Door "---

x ]

Entry DESK ]

]

-------------------------------------------" Door "---

w

w = Dral

x = Cade

y = Dammek

z = Asterius

Upper door: Captain

Lower door: Morgue

When Asterius pins him against the wall, Dammek lets out an involuntary squeak of terror and drops his lho stick (for the second time that day). He thought Captain Eyeball was a very clever nickname -- it also annoyed Asterius immensely, which until now he'd considered a nice bonus. He makes a mental note to lay off that nickname for a while. "Woah, calm down, Boss. I-I'll stop with the Captain Eyeball thing, d-don't you worry," he stammers.

As his brain scrambles for a clever retort, the lights suddenly go dark. Dammek is blind for half a second, but then his photo-contacts kick into action and resolve the scene around him in soft amber tones. The contacts are the one remaining relic of his smuggling days, and they served him well throughout his tour of duty in the penal legions. Once again, he is glad he bartered a month's profit for the lenses.

Even with the comforting vision granted by his lenses, the sudden darkness worries Dammek. On that fateful night when the Arbites raided his smuggling operation, they cut the power to the warehouse just before kicking in the doors. He was surprised and overwhelmed easily that time, but he would not go so quietly this time.

Dammek pulls his laspistol and sword from their holsters with uncanny speed and looks directly at Asterius. "I'm faster than you think, Boss. Now put me down -- I believe we have company."

[initiative = 5; rolled a 1+4 AgB. His reaction time is clearly slowed by being pinned to the wall ]

INIT 6 for the unknown intruder(s)

As the lights go out Dral thinks to himself that they may have power cuts in this part of the hive but then he hears the muffled explosion from the other room. Drawing his las pistol he steps to the side of the doorway leading into the front office.

[initiative = 8; AgB 3 + roll 5]

[Half action draw weapon, Half action move towards side of door]

As the lights went out, Cade's hand immediately went for his las pistol. Years of training in the guard had instilled a sense in him that this probably was not standard operation. Why would someone kill the lights unless they were going for the element of surprise. The explosion coming from the door confirmed his theories and Cade moved towards the desk to take cover, from the intruders he expected would be coming through the door at any moment.

[initiative 11 (rolled a 7+4)]

[Actions taken: Half action draw laspistol, half action walk towards the desk, will take cover behind it if reasonably possible to do in a half action move]

@ everyone: without any possibility to see in the dark, it results in -30 on BS and -20 in WS

On Dammek's turn (presuming Asterius releases him), he draws both weapons (Quick Draw) and cautiously moves into cover next to the doorway. If any targets present themselves, he fires a quick shot at them with his laspistol. [Guarded Action & half move to the doorway, use Desperado special ability to fire as a Free Action]

He also yells, "Captain Thrain, bring out the recaf -- we've got visitors!"

As the lights go out, I immediately shove Dammek to the wall next to the door frame, making sure he stays under cover and move myself to cover next to the other side of the door.

"You are a lucky one, punk. Almost like someone is watching for you."

"Tell you what: if you manage to leave one of the fethers alive for questioning, I'll cut you some slack... for now."

With that I silently curse my office for being too cheap to supply me with a night-vision cybernetic (for the thousandth time) and draw my flashlight with my right hand (I'm left-handed, and my revolver was already drawn), but wait a few seconds (until the next round) before switching it on.

I don't quite manage to resist the urge to chuckle at Dammek's comment to Thrain.

[init is 3 + AB3 = 6. Looks like I'm going to roll with the bandits]

I believe that, barring any (other) unexpected unpleasantness, we're now standing like this:


y z

Dammek can see 4 schemes, coming into the building (and gets a shot at them since this happened before his turn).

They wear flak armour and autoguns, firing on anything they can see, being about 15m from the desk.

As cade and the old officer are the first ones they getcaware of, 2 of them fire a full-auto salvo on each.

The first one would hit 1 time on cades right arm, the other 3 miss, though filling the air with bullets.

If cade cannot dodge, he suffers 9 damage to his right arm location.

(If someone is in cover, this counts for legs and body locations; if he hides completely and didnt move out in any way since his last turn, all parts are in cover. Since cade moved in his last turn - into the cover - only his body and legs count as in cover).

[bS Test -10 (Guarded Action), target number 24; rolled a 40 for 1 DoF]

Dammek moves to the doorway, laspistol raised. As the intruders barge in the doorway with auto guns blazing, he snaps off a quick shot as he moves into cover. The las-bolt flies wide and burns a hole in the wall.

[Needed a 51 to dodge with the +10 bonus, rolled a 9]

Cade hears the familiar sound of gunfire as he moved behind the desk and immediately ducked down to avoid it. He could practically feel the autogun fire whizzing through the air, narrowly missing his arm. Cade levelled his laspistol. In the dark it was very difficult to see, but he returned fire regardless, attempting to aim from the direction he was hearing the gunfire.

[Half action aimed shot needed a 26, rolled an 88 for 7 DoF]

Hugging the door frame Dral takes a quick peek around before ducking back. As he does so his photo contacts make it easy to pick out the attackers. As Dral ducks back he reaches into a pocket to grasp his psy focus.

[Half action to peek around, half action to get psy focus. Dral now has his Las pistol in his right hand and his psy focus in the other]

The intruders continue to fire on cade and the old guy behind the desk - 2 on each. They make a rather professional impression on you and seem to try to focus on targets.

The old guy fails to dodge and just the cover saves his life. The desk is totally destroyed with the 6 bullets who hit his direction though and leaves both him and cade out of cover as only a ruin remains of the desk. The old man is seriously injured and down to the ground.

If cade doesnt dodge, he is hit by 3 bullets (body, body, left leg), with damages of 5, 5 and 6.

Those of you who are able to see (Dral and Dammek if I am correct), perceive, that they wear some kind of uniform flak. Together with their tactical approach, they might be mercenaries or another para-military team. The way how they communicate in short code-words also underlines this impression.

The old officer swears loud as the bullets fly, takes his pistol out and shots in the darkness laying in his back. BS30, Darkness -30, close range +10, Standard attack +10 --> 20% [rolled 41 - 3 DoF]

Captain Thrain searches at his desk for a pair of photo-sense-goggles and puts them on - a stub revolver appears in his hands.

[As the action for the goons was already described, I'm assuming I'm at 5 initiative, acting just after them]

As I see the clerk get hit, I curse: "Fethin' Magistratum useless desks..." and switch on my stablight, as far away from my body as possible, in order to blind or distract our attacker. [a half-action].

[Full disclosure: I assumedon my last post that I had a stablight as part of my equipment (it is standard police enforcement equipment), but it wasn't written in my character sheet. As it is an Abundant item, I didn't see it as a problem. If you want, I may pay a Fate Point for it, "Fate" style, or edit my action, making the shot a miss].

With my other hand, I fire a shot at the attackers. [ BS: 37 - Stan. Attack: +10 Roll: 32 - a hit in the left arm. Take that, criminal scum! damage is 6, though.]

Your target fails to dodge, but the hit seems not to have harmed him very much.

As long as you blind them (due to the narrow corridor and their sensitive goggles you may blind all at once), they suffer from -20 to fire on anyone who is not you.

As long as you light them, attacks on them from your comrades and from you do not suffer the -30 for darkness.

One of the men shouts towards the others and points to Dral:

"There! He has it!"

[Dodge roll: Need 41, rolled 15 for 3 DoS]

Shoot! Cade backed away as the desk was blown apart, the gunfire whizzing by him. He began to make a tactical withdrawal towards the direction of the room he had seen his comrades go into. He knew better than to remain out in the open now that his cover was blown. The old magistratum? Unfortunate, but Cade could hardly afford to help him at this time. As he retreated, he noticed his adversaries lit up by Arbitrator Asterius. A small smirk crossed Cade's face as he fired at the target nearest him.

[Actions taken: Half action walk towards lower door, Half action shooting]

[shooting Attempt: Needed a 46, rolled a 50 for 1 DoF]

One of the men shouts towards the others and points to Dral:

"There! He has it!"

Did he just point at me... Dral gathers his will, his eyes bore into the mind of the fool who singled him out.

[Half action to get as much cover as I can from the door way]

[Half action - Hallucination - Focus power = opposed willpower test; WP 41 + 10 (PR2) + 10 psy focus = 61, rolled 13; 5 DoS]

After witnessing the results of Dral's power, I shudder, but make use of the opportunity to shout:

"LAWBREAKERS!"

"THE LAW IS HERE!"

"SURRENDER NOW, DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PREPARE FOR SUMMARY JUDGEMENT!"

[That was a 2 on the Intimidate check! The Emperor is with me!]

I point my gun at the closest invader, and Ready it for if he fires.

[if he does, I fire back, rolling 73 - miss, unless he moves to PB range during his action, in which case it's another hit at the arm, for 8 damage]

One of the men shouts towards the others and points to Dral:

"There! He has it!"

Did he just point at me... Dral gathers his will, his eyes bore into the mind of the fool who singled him out.

[Half action to get as much cover as I can from the door way]

[Half action - Hallucination - Focus power = opposed willpower test; WP 41 + 10 (PR2) + 10 psy focus = 61, rolled 13; 5 DoS]

The guy has no chance to top that (he has 3 DoF).

He desperately tries to remove a massive fanged worm he thinks is slowly winding its way up his leg. He shoots himself with his gun in his leg (therefore his next action is used up) and inflicts 8 damage on himself (2 after defence value).

Die other three open massive fire on Asterius who tries to blind them (and is like a beacon to them).

Due to your successful intimidate check and the impressive power from Dral (had a lot of DoS) they move with their second half action towards the entry door to flee.

The three roll (BS 37, short +10, full-auto -10)

24 --> 2 DoS --> 11 damage & 6 damage

67 --> miss

25 --> 2 DoS --> 5 damage and 4 damage

Asterius still may try to evade though.

[i roll a 34, moving my body behind the wall. That would be 1DoF but I got +10 for the cover, giving me a success. I am uncertain with the rules for DoSs we are using. Is that an evade or a partial evade? Anyway, if so, only the 11 manages to bypass my TB + Armour and the hit is a torso hit, protected by cover]

If there is time, I scream: "HOLD THEM!"

[i roll a 34, moving my body behind the wall. That would be 1DoF but I got +10 for the cover, giving me a success. I am uncertain with the rules for DoSs we are using. Is that an evade or a partial evade? Anyway, if so, only the 11 manages to bypass my TB + Armour and the hit is a torso hit, protected by cover]

If there is time, I scream: "HOLD THEM!"

With 1 DoS you'd have dodged 1 hit (but not 1 full auto attack). As the 11 is soaked by the cover, thats no problem though.

The cover was hit several times, meaning it slowly gets more and more damaged (started with 8, now has only 7 cover value left).

One of them shouts: "They have a psyker ! Retreat ! Retreat !"

[Full action to use Supressing Fire on as many enemies as possible (30 degree arc). They have to take a -10 WP test from the Semi-auto weapon. Rolled a 98 to see if I hit anyone, but the laspistol is Reliable and doesn't jam.]

Dammek winces as the intruders strafe Asterius, Cade and the desk attendant with autogun fire. He glances down at Lyra's empty stub pistol and steels himself. None of his allies were going to die today, not on his watch.

When Asterius bellows a command to hold the enemy, Dammek replies, "You got it, boss." He raises his laspistol and sends shots cracking past the heads of the enemy, hoping to drive them back and buy some time and breathing room.

[Full action to use Supressing Fire on as many enemies as possible (30 degree arc). They have to take a -10 WP test from the Semi-auto weapon. Rolled a 98 to see if I hit anyone, but the laspistol is Reliable and doesn't jam.]

Dammek winces as the intruders strafe Asterius, Cade and the desk attendant with autogun fire. He glances down at Lyra's empty stub pistol and steels himself. None of his allies were going to die today, not on his watch.

When Asterius bellows a command to hold the enemy, Dammek replies, "You got it, boss." He raises his laspistol and sends shots cracking past the heads of the enemy, hoping to drive them back and buy some time and breathing room.

WP-rolls:

10 --> passed

58 --> failed

17 --> passed

15 --> passed

Next:

- Cade

- Dral

- bad guys & Asterius

[if it is not critical, I allow for players to switch places as long as they dont act before enemies. E.g. if Dral is in the forum earlier than Cade, he could post. This could help to make posting more flexible and faster]

Things were really quite advancing. One of the assailants was screaming and shooting at his own leg... Cade nearly spared a glance in the direction of the door he had seen Dral pass through. Was it the effects of a Psyker? Indeed that was what their adversaries seemed to think, as, coupled with a loud bellow from Asterius, they were sent scrambling away, like vermin. Cade sneered at them, as Dammek attempted to pin them down with laspistol fire.

Cade heard one of them bellow to retreat. Cade heard that clear as day, and immediately pressed the advantage, his instincts honed in the Guard once more coming to light. Taking a moment to aim, he targeted the man who had been clutching at his leg and screaming.

[Aimed Shot: Need 56, rolled a 50 for 1 Degree of Success. I THINK that's a shot to the head (reverse 50 for 05) but I'm not 100% up to date on the DH2 rules for target allocation so if I'm wrong there, Gaunt is free to correct me]

[Damage: 6+2 for 8 Energy damage before reduction]

Emboldened at his colleagues steel nerve in holding the advance of the assailants Dral selects a new victim to test his mind against.

[Half action, Hallucination, Focus power = opposed willpower test; (WP) 41 + (PR2) 10 + (psy focus) +10 = 61, rolled 39; 3 DoS