Eisenhorn

Warhammer 40,000: Tales of the Inquisition

The Inquisitor kept his silence while the trip went on, the various retinue members interacting with each other to some small degree or another, while he took the time to rest and meditate, since the opportunity for such moments of peaceful clarity would be unavailable for some time to come. Of course, while Sister Mary's interruption was a slight annoyance, he still resumed a feint smile as he listened to her words and suggestions, the smile fading into thought while the Interrogator responded in her own special way, and after a few moments, nodded in agreement. "Interrogator Cassius is correct, our job is not to slaughter those still loyal to the Emperor, even in the dens of Chaos corruption such as this. If sincere, it is a testament to their willpower. You may go and collect this information, but leave them alive. If we come back this way again, having underworld contacts will be useful." Xersus was not one to disregard information, and he had indeed taken into account the misgivings and comments given by the others prior to their embarkment, but the tunnels were the fastest option available to them at the moment.

With the surface of the world being fought over by Imperial and Chaos fighters, the ground forces stuck in trench warfare in many places, sieges being waged both directions, the surface and air were far more dangerous than the underground was, as risky as it was. As if the thoughts triggered it, the tunnel shook, the thunder of tanks moving across the field of battle, the distinct rumble of Battle Cannons indicating the likely hood of Lemen Russ Battle Tanks having been deployed was apparent to those familiar with the sound. The noise of dirt and stone falling on the roof of the Chimera, in small amounts, was unnerving but the tunnels had sustained far worse in the field of punishment, and held up readily enough despite this. A feint, reassuring smile was directed at the retinue by the Inquisitor, who rose to a half standing, half crouching posture, instinctively knowing through his senses that they were approaching their drop off point. "The Chimera can't safely take us much farther, we will be walking into a warzone, and the Chimera's are needed to move troops around the tunnels more than ferry us an extra five minutes walking into the fray. Make sure you have your gear, odds are you won't be seeing this Chimera again."

Sure enough, the Chimera halted, and the hatch dropped down, disgorging the Inquisitor and his retinue, while he dispatched orders, sending his senses out to detect the situation, while patching the Retinue, and himself, into the Guard communication network. Motioning for them not to broadcast, he spoke orders directly into their minds, all except the Interrogator's, for obvious reasons. "Alright, Atellus, Sten, Constantine, you are going to take the left flank, the Guardsmen there sound like they need some help. Sisters, Mary you do what you need to, Yoheved will go with Cassius and take the right flank." Turning to the Interrogator, he spoke her orders directly to her, making sure he wasn't broadcasting on the Guard channels, just listening. "Interrogator, take the Medicae and head to the center of the Guard positions, there are wounded that need his aid, and you will be free to disable your limiter at that point and clean up as you see fit. All of you, be wary for lesser Daemons that might have manifested, this raiding band bears the markings of Khorne specifically, from the Guard chatter, but anything is possible. Emperor Protect all of you. Regroup on me at the command squad's location, once I find them."

The Inquisitor drew his force blade, the masterfully built weapon glowing with the power of the Immaterium, channeled through the will of the Inquisitor's own powers, and he turned and led them towards the tunnel exit, the glow of the blade casting away the shadows that normally lurked outside the spotlights of the Guard vehicles. The Guard chatter was not good, to say the least, they had been pushed back to the tunnel entrance, and were in danger of being pushed back into the tunnels, which was not going to help the Inquisitor's goals in the slightest. So it was in his interest to save this Guard vanguard, and he broke into a jog as the dirty light of the hive broke ahead of them, the sounds of battle clear, moving steadily faster, power armor enhancing his speed, and he hadn't even tapped into the warp yet, and gave one last order before they reached the Guard position. "Other than avoiding friendly fire, do what you see fit in securing this beachhead." And not a word was spoken, but he gave a very specific order to the Callidus assassin alone through a mental thought. "Follow Sister Mary, and ensure that she follows my orders. Inform me if she doesn't, if you would be so kind."

The tunnel gave way to a courtyard, littered with smoking and ruined vehicles, both Imperial Guard and Chaos marked, several toppled Sentinels and blasted Chimeras providing cover for the Guardsmen. To the right was a host of chaos cultists trying to get close enough to slaughter the Guard in hand to hand, barely held back by flamers and heavy bolter fire, while the right flank bore hostile heavy weapons firing down on the Guardsmen there, who were attempting to hold back that assault. The battlelines to the front were the most severe, several Khornate Bloodletters were present amidst the more experienced traitors amongst them, although none would be ready for the assault from a Blank. A rise in the center of the Guard position was the Command Post for the Hive operations, a battle worn banner still flying proud in the fight, weapons firing down from this position as well while the surviving Captain dispatched orders and desperate requests for aid.

Inquisitor Xersus stormed up the rise, raising a barrier of energy in time to absorb several missile strikes, the weapons detonating several feet from the command post. The sudden intervention shocked them, only to see a fully Armored Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus stride past them, eyes literally ablaze with fury, and with a gesture of his force blade, sent several blasts of raw power into the enemy ranks, lashing through their armor and blasting them alive, a demonstration of what the Inquisitor was indeed capable of when roused to war. He did not descend into the melee, standing atop the hill, lashing out with psychic lashes of power against targets of note, leaving the Daemons to the Interrogator, while trusting his retinue to act as needed while executing their orders.

Warhammer 40K: Imperium Broken

Alright, took me long enough, but here be my own faction.

The New Macarthans

Name of Faction: New Macarthans
Species: Human
Leadership:
Imperial Ground Forces: General Alexander Sternfield

Admiral of the Fleet: Commodore DeGal

Planets:
- Thresha Secondus
- Hive World (Fortress World)
- 60 Billion
- Capable of producing a high stream of manpower, and a moderate amount of armor, weapons, and simple vehicle parts.
- 600 Million PDF Troops
- Garrison: 20 Line Divisions, 4 Armored Divisions, 4 Engineering Divisions, 4 Airborne Divisions, 4 Recon Divisions, 4 Grenadier Divisions
- Planetary Defenses: 4 Heavy Defense Stations, Void Craft Station, 8 Defense Lasers (Situated in the eight Major Hives)
-- Heavy Defense Stations: 25 Macrocannon Batteries, 15 Lance Batteries, Multiple Point Defense Systems, Uparmored Frames
-- Void Craft Station: 2 Fury Interceptor Squadrons, 1 Starhawk Bomber Squadron, Command and Control for Coordinated Defense

- Thresha Tertiary
- Agricultural World
- 6 Million
- Focused on high food output
- 600k PDF Troops
- Garrison: 10 Line Divisions, 2 Armored Divisions, 2 Engineering Divisions, 2 Airborne Divisions, 2 Recon Divisions, 2 Grenadier Divisions
- Planetary Defenses: 1 Heavy Defense Station
-- Heavy Defense Station: See Thresha Secondus

- Thresha Primus
- Forge World
- 6 Billion
- Replacement Parts for Macarthan advanced vehicles, strong production of weapons, body armor, basic armored vehicles, and supplies (Uniforms, engineering equipment, explosives, ect ect)
NOTE: Due to lack abandonment by Adeptus Mechanicus, production pales in comparison to true Forge Worlds, and lacks the templates to readily replace vehicular losses currently
- 60 Million PDF Troops
- Garrison: 10 Line Divisions, 2 Armored Divisions, 2 Engineering Divisions, 2 Airborne Divisions, 2 Recon Divisions, 2 Grenadier Divisions
- Planetary Defenses: 2 Heavy Defense Stations, 4 Defense Lasers
--Heavy Defense Station: See Thresha Secondus

Fleet:
- Battleships
-- Retribution Class Battleship: Vengeance of Dawn
-- Nemesis Class Fleet Carrier: Furnace of Spite
-- Nemesis Class Fleet Carrier: Herald of Storms

-Cruisers
-- Armageddon Class Battlecruiser: The Divine Twilight
-- Armageddon Class Battlecruiser: Warp Lance
-- Armageddon Class Battlecruiser: Gate Of Acheron
-- Gothic Class Cruiser: The Silver Blood
-- Gothic Class Cruiser: Potent Decision
-- Dauntless Class Light Cruiser: The Liberator
-- Dauntless Class Light Cruiser: Judgement Of Wisdom
-- Dauntless Class Light Cruiser: Hawk Of Astral
-- Defiant Class Light Cruiser: Hydra Imperative
-- Defiant Class Light Cruiser: The Travaller
-- Defender Class Escort Cruiser: The Guardian
-- Defender Class Escort Cruiser:
-- Defender Class Escort Cruiser: Guardian Of Exuberant

37 Escort Class Vessels

Army

Total Imperial Guard Forces: 200 Million

Macarthan United Divisional Forces

With the death of the Emperor, and his continued fight in the Immaterium, some of the laws and rules that bound regiments of the Imperial Guard fell. The size of the Macarthan United Divisional Forces (UDF) is deceptive, since a large portion is not, in fact, the original regiment, but the splintered and fractured regiments that limped their way to Thresha Secondus, and the other planets within their control, and were absorbed into the regiment, their vessels absorbed into the standing Navy. The core Macarthan forces form the, quote unquote, elites of the new formation, while the absorbed regiments broadly fit into several divisions beneath the main banner. Having grown massively in size, the Macarthan have their original regimental cores, but have outer rings of regiments that now bear the same name as their own.

Macarthan Line Divisions (Regiments 2000th - 500th)
Organizational Structure: 5,000 Command and Control, 60,000 Standard Line Guardsman,10,000 Heavy Weapons Teams, 15,000 Veteran Guardsman, 5,000 Support Personnel, 5,000 Weapon Specialists (Grenade Launchers and Flamers)
Vehicles Per Regiment:150 Chimeras, 5 Malcador Assault Tanks, 5 Malcador Infernus Tanks

The Macarthan Line Divisions are the major backbone formed primarily out of men and women raised from Thresha Secondus, the surrounding planets under Macarthan control, and from the shattered and lost remains of various divisions that trickled their way to the Macarthan banner, and now serve under it, lacking a better set of options in many cases. The standard fare being Flak armor and bayoneted Lasguns, with frag and krak grenades, the standard troops are more than capable of holding the line. The heavy weapon teams carry heavy stubbers or missile launchers predominately. The armor seconded to the Line Divisions is fairly utiltiarian, a large number of Chimeras supporting the movement of infantry, while the Malcador and its Infernus variant provide armored support without reliance on the dedicated armor divisions.

Macarthan Recon Divisions (Regiments 499th -400th)
Organizational Structure: 5,000 Command and Control, 30,000 Standard Line Guardsmen, 5,000 Weapon Specialists (Grenade Launchers), 30,000 Recon Guardsmen, 10,000 Ratling Snipers, 5,000 Support Personnel, 5,000 Intelligence Specialists, 10,000 Veteran Guardsmen
Vehicles Per Regiment: 5,000 Motorbikes w/sidecars (Dedicated to Recon Guardsmen), 1,500 Tauros, 1,000 Tauros Venators

Unlike the Line Divisions, the Recon Divisions are lighter and faster moving over all, rather than being equipped to hold the defensive positions that the Line Divisions are trained and equipped for, the Recon Divisions act as the eyes and first response units of the Macarthan forces, capable of moving thousands of men and munitions with the dedicated Motorbikes, the ones within the Recon Divisions usually have heavy stubbers on the side cars, while the Tauros and its varient, the Venators, provide fast moving punches while the standard infantry catch up, including a large amount of Ratling Sniper teams, which replace the regular Guardsmen for sniper duty, leaving them free to operate in other capacities in the field of combat.

Macarthan Airborne Divisions (Regiments 399th - 300th)
Organizational Structure: 5,000 Command and Control, 55,000 Paratroop Guardsmen, 20,000 Veteran Paratroop Guardsmen, 10,000 Support Specialists, 5,000 Pilots, 5,000 Techpriests
Vehicles Per Regiment: 120 Vultures, 60 Valkyries, 60 Valkyrie Sky Talons, 60 Vendettas, 60 Drop Sentinals, 60 Tauros

The Airborne Divisions are considered, generally, the first men with boots on the ground at any situation or hotzone. Equipped with Grav-chutes, las carbines, and other specialist gear that an airborne division would require to operate, Veterans are often seen dropping with modified Krak grenades tied into bundles, for even larger punches against armor, and are dropped with the regulars, to provide guidance on the battlefield. Fielding the largest amount of

Macarthan Armored Divisions (Regiments 299th -200th)
Organizational Structure: 5,000 Command and Control, 30,000 Armored Fist Guardsmen, 10,000 Veteran Armored Fist Guardsmen, 5,000 Support Specialists, 10,000 Techpriests, 40,000 Tank Crew
Vehicles Per Regiment: 200 Gryphonne IV Pattern Chimeras, 30 Gorgon Transports, 30 Malcador Assault Tanks, 15 Malcador Infernus Tanks, 10 Malcador Defenders, 10 Malcador Tank Hunters, 3 Stormblades

What the Armored Divisions lack in infantry strength, they make up for in raw, armored power. Since the Macarthan's could never get a hold of Lemen Russ Battle Tanks, they made do with surplus Malcador Assault Tanks, including variants acquired and built on the fly as needed. While slower and more cumbersome than its lighter, modern cousin, the Malcador retains the raw firepower and is more durable, and its variants inherit these traits, making the Armored Divisions slower to deploy and arrive on the scene of the war, but once they do, all hell will be broken loose. The Chimeras are a special pattern that fields Autocannons in their turrets, providing better firepower for the Veteran Armored Fist Guardsmen that ride within, while regular Armored Fist are relegated to Gorgons, for making the initial assault during the breakthrough actions against enemy positions and forces. To lay the final blow, Stormblades were found and made operational, and now are seen across the fronts the Armored Divisions deploy to, providing command vehicles for the most veteran, skilled crew and commanders.

Macarthan Engineering and Support Divisions (Regiments 199th - 100th)
5,000 Command and Control, 20,000 Line Guardsmen, 40,000 Combat Engineers, 20,000 Veteran Engineers, 5,000 Support Specialists, 5,000 Techpriests, 5,000 Vehicle Crew
Vehicles per Regiment: 100 Trojan Utility Vehicles, 50 Atlas Recovery Vehicles, 40 Hydra Flak Tanks, 5 Hades Breaching Drills

Not all battles can be won in rapid, mobile affairs, nor do they go unscathed. When the time for recovery comes of damaged and lost vehicles, and looting the parts off enemy equipment, or when the trenches need built, or a plan hatched to break enemy siege lines, the Engineering and Support Divisions are tasked with figuring out the logistics. From well planned and laid out trench lines, plotting paths for the Hades Drills, to setting up the Anti air networks their divisions are responsible for maintaining, the Line Guardsmen are there to defend the Hydras and other vital equipment, while the Engineers are trained in close quarters assault, favoring shotguns and grenades of all sorts to follow up on breaks in enemy lines. Their motor pool is, barring the Hydra Flak tanks and Hades Drills, support and recovery vehicles used for recovering friendly and enemy wrecks, to strip for parts or restore to working conditions and sent into war once more.

Macarthan Artillery Divisions (Regiments 99th - 50th)
Organizational Structure: 5,000 Command and Control, 20,000 Heavy Weapons Teams, 35,000 Artillerymen, 10,000 Support Specialists, 10,000 Techpriests, 20,000 Line Guardsmen
Vehicles Per Regiment: 400 Heavy Mortars, 300 Thudd Guns, 100 Earthshaker Cannons, 50 Medusa Siege Guns

When a line needs broken, a siege needs lifted, or an enemy just needs completely, and utterly obliterated, the Artillery Regiments are given their fire orders and coordinates. Utilizing static emplacements moved into place by the Engineering divisions, the frightening number of heavy ordinance can be focused into a series of kill zones or, for a single division, capable of focusing every gun on a single sector, for the sole purpose of leveling any and everything that dared trespass against them. The Line Guardsmen assigned to these regiments are generally little more than for show, since if the enemy reaches the Artillery Divisions, things are far too lost for a handful of Guardsman, relatively speaking, to do much good.

Macathan Grenadier Divisions (Regiments 49th - 2nd)
Organizational Structure: 5,000 Command and Control, 50,000 Grenadiers, 15,000 Veteran Grenadiers, 10,000 Stormtroopers, 5,000 Support Specialists, 5,000 Techpriests, 10,000 Vehicle Crew
Vehicles Per Regiment: 200 Taurox APC's, 120 Gryphonne IV Pattern Chimeras, 30 Crassus Armored Transports, 30 Hydra Flak Tanks

When the Line Divisions fail, where the Armored Regiments can't ride and the Airborne can't fly, the Grenadier divisions go to fill the gap. With equipment, training, and favor second only to the 1st Regiment, the Grenadier Divisions are equipped with the best hellguns, hotshot lasguns, frag, krak, melta, and other equipment they might need for a job. Also given some of the most useful transports and dedicated Hydra anti air cover, the Grenadier divisions are not there to hold lines, their job is to break through and do the impossible, where the regular Guardsmen fail, the Grenadiers and Stormtroopers are tasked with succeeding. The strenuous training and strain on equipment limits their numbers, compared to the massive numbers of regular Guardsmen, but their effect is many times that of their numbers, so it balances out in the long run.

Macarthan 127th Lancers Regiment (1st Regiment)
Organizational Structure: General Alexander Sternfield, 39 Honor Guardsmen, 4,960 Command and Control, 55,000 Veteran Grenadiers, 20,000 Heavy Weapon Teams, 5,000 Support Specialists, 5,000 Techpriests, 10,000 Veteran Vehicle Crew
1st Regiment Motor Pool: 200 Gryphonne IV Chimeras, 120 Armored Sentinels, 40 Malcador Assault Tanks, 1 Stormlord

The original Regiment that gave birth to the New Macarthan sector of space, the most skilled, lucky, and talented men are recruited for service into the 127th, and put through the most difficult, and intensive, training and screening process to ensure the utmost loyalty to their commanding officer, the Regiment being personally led by General Sternfield to turn the tide of battle when the moment is most critical, when its no longer advantageous for the General to remain back in the command trench and direct the battle any longer. While his best and brightest Grenadiers ride Chimeras into battle, supported by veteran Malcador Assault Tanks, Sternfield chooses a unique entry into battle. He, and his personal retinue of the 39 most skilled men within all the New Macarthan Regiments, ride into battle on a Stormlord, utilizing its nature to annihilate infantry and light armor by the hundreds, while the Malcadors take care of what the Stormlord cannot.

Background: The New Macarthans formation is built upon the blood and shattered remains of the regiments of the Imperial Guard, both before and after the death of the Emperor of Man. The original regiment, the Macarthan 127th Lancers, were thrown in first rate, front line activities with second rate, sometimes PDF rate, equipment and support, and expected to work miracles. Much to the surprise of their superiors, they not only survived, but pulled off the miracles requested and demanded of them. And not only did they manage this, they suffered abnormally low casualty rates, often times absorbing allied regiments who had been far too decimated to ever reform, slowly stockpiling better equipment and manpower under the noses of the bloated Administratum, growing larger than expected and fielding weapons and equipment that was a mixture of both first, second, and even PDF rate in certain cases, though the PDF rate equipment rapidly was phased out over the course of history prior to the Emperor's Death.

Of course, the Death of the Emperor changed the course of fate for the Macarthan 127th for, what many within the regiment consider, the better. The regiment was fighting Chaos insurgents on a death world, having devolved into open conflict with hundreds of other regiments of varying sizes when the Astronomican went dark, indicating the Death of its fuel, the God Emperor of Man himself. The pyskers present all died en masse literally moments later, not a single psyker surviving the backlash on this far flung death world, while the Chaos insurgents found their Dark Gods abandoning them to defend themselves against the Emperor's assault within the Immaterium. The Imperial Guard forces, obviously not having been relying heavily on the gifts of such beings, turned the grinding stalemate into a sweeping advance, scattering and crushing the heretical forces on the planet, and, having secured their immediate security, turned to more pressing matters.

A Death World was no place to survive for any length of time, for most men, and this was no different for the Macartha 127th and the other assembled Regiments. Taking charge, the Commanding Officer of the surviving Macarthan 127th Lancers, then Captain Sternfield, hatched a plan to get them all off the planet, and start a new haven for their battered and war torn regiments. Ascending to the fleet that brought them to this world, the Captain parlayed with the Commodore of the fleet, and after several days of negociations and discussion, it was agreed that a joint control over this new force would be shared, now General Sternfield, in recognition of his new level of influence and control, had authority over affairs planetside, whether military or civilian, while Commodore DeGal was tasked with all affairs Naval, both from defending her newfound space, or leading her fleets to the glories of war and victory.

The fleet embarked the regiments and set course for a nearby cluster of worlds, the Thresha triplets as they were known to the locals in the system, would prove an excellent starting point in both the minds of the General and the Commodore. The Governors of these worlds were weak willed, and quickly submitted to the demands and orders that were given by the sudden arrival of the Imperial Fleet, not having time to reman the now empty Defense Stations in orbit over such places. The arrival of the Guard regiments, now under the banner of New Macarthans, spread to the three planets, setting up a pseudo military law that was quickly conformed to, out of fear of the crack downs and retributions that would no doubt occur. The civilians quickly realized the Guard generally actually cared for their well being, on an individual level at worst, and generally were far more leniant and fair than their former task masters, which earned far more respect and effort than their prior lords would have ever earned.

General Sternfield made sure to send word out to the Regiments he knew of, which would spread beyond those. A haven for the lost Regiments of the Guard, a new task and goal for them, and a place where they would be equal to the armed men and women around them. Such a thing was quick to attract Regiments that, while strong, lacked the means or vision to form their own organizations and structures within this new, post Imperial era. Word was slow, at first, but would spread fast, granting both Sternfield and Commodore DeGal new troops, ships, and equipment to be organized. The sheer size of the Guard forces under the New Macarthan banner grew to the point of a giant that, if the time came to be fully mobilized, could bear a terrible hammering blow against any force in the Galaxy, even if it was not enough through virtue of some other aspect of war, ones that Sternfield was not unfamiliar with, and rarely deployed more than fractions of the massive New Macarthan Unified Divisional Forces at once, utilizing specialized taskforces for the goals as he saw fit.

Sternfield and DeGal both agreed that, while the Emperor may indeed be dead, fighting the last great war in the Immaterium, there was still work to be done on the material plane of existence. The New Macarthans made a name for themselves, coming to the aid of those Imperial servants that were in need, from Astartes stranded and surrounded, to Shrine Worlds besieged, in the local space around the Thresha Triplets, the colors of the New Macarthans were received and seen as a banner of relief and hope, a rare enough thing in this day and age. Finding a reborn Emperor or new holy world was not their priority, simply keeping the threads of society and order intact was a daunting enough task for the moment to occupy the General and Commodore for quite some time, before considering longer, more far reaching goals such as those.

Warhammer 40,000: Tales of the Inquisition

Alright folks, unless a majority votes otherwise, I'll get us moving into a battle proper then, since that seems to be the way things are angling anyways.

Black Crusade: Warhammer 40K Tabletop

Argh, got to love the site acting up, sorry about the triple post Dx

Black Crusade: Warhammer 40K Tabletop

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Black Crusade: Warhammer 40K Tabletop

Hmm, seems like it would be interesting, I'm in.

Warhammer 40,000: Tales of the Inquisition

Xersus addressed the questions and concerns of each member of his retinue as they asked, starting with the medicae Edwin, who's questions were fair enough and worth note, and with several button presses, brought up a side report, one with the seal of the Adeptus Arbites, chronicalling the history of crime and gang warfare in the hive they were going to be assaulting before too long. "The gangs present prior to the Chaos incursion have most likely already sworn themselves to some Champion or another within this warband, perhaps even the renegade Navigator himself. No note of any weapons of unusual qualities, the strongest weapons they had, last report, were stolen Heavy Stubbers from the PDF stationed there, and this was several months prior to this invasion. So we would be well prepared to be wary of such things, since the PDF stationed there were made short work of." With that, he finally turned his attention towards the commentary and questions coming from the Interrogator, offering her own unique outlook on things. First, to address, was the collar, and he gave her a bit of additional explanation on the device.

"You know me too well Interrogator, but the field is merely condensed around you. In a way, its even more focused being that close around you. Psyker abilities and sorcery will still fail to reach you, more so now than before, all it does is prevent your hindering of a wide area. You can disable it on a whim, there is a toggle next to the clamp that secures the collar, for fast deactivation on the field. As for subduing him, his eye is the source of his power. I have a means of blinding him, and should they fail, I'll let you enjoy blinding him the hard way. And the guardsmen are not the only force scouting for me. A detachment of Stormtroopers have tracked him to this hive, and will be giving a field update when we arrive at the Hive proper, and he has been tracked here through contacts within the Ordo Hereticus being helpful, for once. Between them and the Stormtroopers, we will know where he is, and consider this, a presence like his in the Warp is hard to hide from one psyker, let alone two. Once we are close, yes, we will split into kill teams and hunt him down." Having addressed Anna, he observed the interactions between the various members, noting the Confessor's interactions with the others, before thinking on the question posed by Atellus, and answering in kind.

"You do not need to ask for forgiveness on an intrusion when I ask for questions, Atellus. Hives are excellent places to lose oneself, especially criminal ones, a tactic that has proven useful in the past. And, with foresight, it is possible the man knew that this place would come under Chaos attack, making it all the more promising for a traitor to flee to. He has no prior links to this raiding warband, that investigation has unveiled, and an artifact like this requires resources and knowledge above that of a solitary Navigator. He would need manpower, and backing, the kind that would have no problem using an artifact of this nature. I suspect he intends to parlay with their leader and trade information for a patronage of sorts. I intend for us to stop him before then, if possible." The Inquisitor smiled, and not in the friendliest manner, when the Magos suggested merely asking for access to the Guard vox network. One would quickly figure out that, in cases like this, an Inquisitor didn't need to just ask for something, he made a demand, and it was met. Or consequences were severe.

"Magos, we will not have to ask for access. I already have the Vox access codes for every useful organization and Guard regiment on this planet, and I have both the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers and additional Guardsmen on stand by, should the need arise. And we are going to go for the precise location he was last sighted, Hab Level 12-S of the hive, a poor section that has seen little fighting until recently, due to its lack of strategic worth. We will receive more recent information, Emperor willing, once we arrive at the Hive." He showed the Magos, on the holo display, the level he was speaking of, it was near an apparent dead end section of the Hive, with industrial levels in the direction generally opposite of the Guard forces encroaching on the Chaos forces, while the front lines were in several mercantile levels, with highlighted Temple areas as well. It would be a fair amount of close quarters, and at times hand to hand fighting, once they got to the Guard front lines within the Hive and penetrated the Chaos lines as well. It would be, to a military eye, obvious that there would be a good bit of fighting to get through hostile lines and deeper into the Hive to pin down the renegade Navigator. If no more questions were fielded then, Xersus shut down the holo display, nodding once to the assembled group. "You all know what we seek now, as far as opposition to us shall be concerned, chaos cultists and renegade gangers are the largest threats we have met. If any Traitor Astartes are present, there have been no reports made of them. The true chaos invaders are trained soldiers, so caution will be warranted."

Inquisitor Xersus motioned for the group to follow him as he strode out of the command center, several PDF troopers snapping to attention and directing the Inquisitor and his retinue in the direction of the tunnel transport network entryway. The network had been developed by a Krieg siegemaster when the planet fell under Xeno influence roughly several hundred years ago, to deny any advantage that air superiority gave towards harassing supply lines on this planet, and even after the space battle swung into Imperial favor, the tunnels were more viable than surface travel, mostly, so they were kept well maintained and well used, even after the fighting ended. And now they were used to conceal troop movements and the like, although tunnel fighting happened quite a bit between Hives, especially after failed attacks out of them. Hence the heavy Guard presence at the tunnel, which while part of them were deploying to the front lines, a fair number were guarding the tunnel entrance, both from unwelcome people trying to get into the tunnels, and potential raiders trying to assault their way out of them. The tunnel was large enough for several Chimera's to travel side by side, and admit Lemun Russ tanks with room to spare as well, and obviously had the look of Krieg handiwork, should any of the present Retinue recognize such things.

Transport was a dedicated Chimera, the same that the Inquisitor had used, and it was well armed and armored, more so than the Chimera's other Guardsmen had been travailing in. Equipped with additional armor plating, a searchlight, dozer blade, autocannon, and hull mounted flamer, the transport was more than ready to get them to the frontline in one piece, and provide fire support as far as it could follow them as well. Xersus boarded the Chimera first, and since it would only be them and no additional Guardsmen, it wouldn't be as packed as it might normally be, giving them some breathing room at least. Once everyone was aboard, the Chimera's engine roared and kicked into action, sending them hurtling into the dimly lit tunnels, searchlight showing the path ahead for the driver, while Xersus looked at each of the men and women in the vehicle in turn, before speaking one last time, checking the storm bolter on his wrist as he did. "We will be at the Hive in a matter of minutes, barring tunnel collapses." The rumble of artillery above them cut the Inquisitor off, and once it ceased, he continued. "We will have to breach Chaos lines and drive into the Hive, which the present Guard forces at the Hive failed to do. But they are not expecting us, and that will be their downfall. If you have any last minute questions, ask them, for the time for talk and discussion is almost at its end."

Warhammer 40,000: Tales of the Inquisition

Alrighty, I'll try to have a post up either tonight, or friday at the absolute latest. Hopefully that will give Matt some time to post.

Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Rings

Hmm, consider me interested, sure as sure.

Eldar: The Path to Eldrad (WH40kRP) Part 1

Ranger Matial

Name: Matial Ultain

Age: 3442

Gender: Male

Role/Aspect/Path: Path of the Exile/Ranger

Equipment:
Ranger Long Rifle
Shurikan Pistol
Power sword
Wraithbone Armor

Personality: Matial is a quiet specimen of the Eldar species, speaking only when warranted, and is not one to bluster on and on about ancient prophecies and foresight. A simple summation will suffice, as the Eldar Ranger has spent enough time wandering and waiting to tolerate the long winded explanations that are often times unnecessary and done solely to make things seem more dire and elaborate than they need be. But patience is a key strength in the mentality of Matial, as he has spent many years hunting single targets, and knows the risks of hastily executing a target, only to alert his allies and bring their wraith down on his head. So Matial will advocate patience and forethought before acting, as an action made rashly will rarely end well in his mind, and the Eldar race can ill afford such things.

With the heart of a wanderer, Matial is more comfortable in the company of his own mind and heart than that of his brothers and sisters of the Eldar race, and can always be found on the outskirts of any camp of Eldar he may be aiding, whether on guard duty, or just musing on this planet's climate, comparing it to the other places he has walked, and to some, even accused of daydreaming, but he is merely a reflective being, thinking often on his past experience,which he can be convinced to share with his compatriots, when aiding a larger group of those from his Craftworld, and can provide an interesting insight on the climates and creatures he has crossed paths with, and draw comparisons between them and whatever situation he might find himself in.

History: Matial Ultain can trace his origins to the Craftworld Ulthwe, which he can remember walking many other of the Eldar paths, and often times will reminisce on those times, simpler and easier as they were compared to his chosen lot in life, but he has no regrets, knowing why he chose what he did, and stands by how long he has walked his chosen Path in his long lifespan. In his early years, he rotated between the Aspect Shrines of the Path of the Warrior, not finding any one that called to him for overly long, and the other paths of the Eldar eventually held nothing that interested him, and Matial gathered his meager belongings, was gifted a weapon fitting of the path he was going to embark, and left for the life of an Exile, a Ranger of the Craftworld Ulthwe, and it was expected that, like many, he would return to their embrace of Paths, and keep cycling for his life or get lost on a path, like others of their kind.

Matial left the Craftworld, and thus began hundreds upon hundreds of years of wandering. From the most frigid, sun deprived worlds upon the rim of the galaxy, to the most verdant Maiden Worlds that he was privileged to set foot upon, Matial found himself enraptured by the majesty of some places in the Galaxy. He also faced unspeakable perils, from the Mon'keigh of the Imperium, who would prove hostile more often than not, though under the Coven of Isha he did find himself aiding them on rare occassions, groundwork placed by Eldrad that would lead to his eventual involvement with his rescue many, many years later. From fighting off Orks and Dark Eldar corsairs, evading the Great Devourer, the forces of She who Thirsts and other dark Gods, the unspeakable threat that was the Necron found themselves discovered in places, and well timed warnings thwarted their plans, all of this in his wanderings, and Matial never felt the fear or urge to return home for the sake of resuming his wanderings of the Eldar Paths.

Matial did not participate overly much with the 13th Black Crusade, in which Eldrad would find his defeat, but he heard of the legendary Farseers fate without delay. This was a startling and demoralizing turn of events, as few had expected such a legendary and powerful figure to fall in any of their lifetimes. Matial found himself compelled to make a return to the Craftworld Ulthwe, although not to forsake the Path of the Exile, but to investigate further what befell Eldrad and if there was any hope for the Farseer, convinced in total his part in Eldar history was far from over yet. And, sure enough, shortly after his arrival, a call for volunteers, to act upon the visions of a doomed Seer, and the Ranger offered his skills and experience to the expedition. His offer was accepted, becoming one of the two hundred who would seek out a way to restore, or at least, save Eldrad from his fate, and found it odd to be in the company of so many again.

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