Necroes

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@BCTheEntity What are you talking about? Vespin was trained on Cadia. They literally fight chaos daemons on a daily basis there. He knows what chaos is, he's seen and fought chaos cultist, and he knows who the traitor legion are. The Imperium might like to put up the charade that it's in control, but knowledge of their enemies is well and widely known throughout the majority of Guard forces. After all, denying the existence of the Alpha Legion is what brought on the the Night of a Thousand Rebellions.

They may not hand out pamphlets discussing the fine details of their enemies, but Astra Militarum soldiers know how to spot a cultist. Besides, it was more of an insult than actual accusation. Xeph's recent 'additions' have got Vespin thinking of chaos.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@Klomster Well, as I said; a Cadian armored company, which the group of guard on this ship would have to be, as Vespin is a Cadian officer, would have at least a half-dozen leman russes. They wouldn't use an entire ship to transport anything less than a company, as anything less wouldn't be worth making the trip. If the ship was alongside a larger retinue of ships, as part of a larger group, then I'd be inclined to agree with you. However, it's not.

As for why the tanks would be in there; The guard company itself would need somewhere to keep Its weaponry. No point in having guardsmen packing lascannons and heavy bolters to their living quarters, after all. So, the logical place to store the weaponry of the entire Cadian armored company would be in the ship's armory, as that's exactly the kind of things its made to hold.

And the tanks would be in there for the reason I described in my original post of the room; so that the heavy weapons platforms being stored in the room could be lowered down into the vehicles waiting below.

However, I could very well be wrong. JB has provided next to no detail about the group of guardsmen (note, guardsmen, not Imperial Navy troops) that are being transported on this solo ship. We don't know why they're being transported, or where they're going. However, I'd assume any group of guard requiring an entire ship as transport, as well as having an attached penal legion, would be carrying enough weaponry and artillery to outfit the entire company, at least to the point of making worth the effort of moving around the man power. After all, not a lot of sense in hauling a bunch of soldiers to a battle field, if you don't bring their guns, armor, vehicles, etc. with them.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

Ignoring Oskar, Vespin only had eyes for the marines. He trusted his men to deal with the single man on their own, so they didn't need his attention. Things as they were, it was unlikely they would be able to help with the two astartes, so that had to be on him. When one of them started talking to the air, though, he had a sneaking suspicion he might be dealing with a possible fourth invader.

As the marine talked, though, Vespin's eyes began to get big, as his face slackened a little. Whoever this marine was, he was a few rounds shy of a full clip. "Okay, big guy. First of all, I'm a corporal in my regiment, and I'm on speaking terms with the captain of this vessel. Hell, I made him dinner, less than a week ago. I also know that he's got a giant stick up his ass, and is the kind of guy to personally know every member of the Commissariat that steps on this ship. So, no, trying to pass Oskar off as an officer wouldn't be a good idea. That said, there are plenty of guns we can hide under clothing, so no need to go yelling about going in unarmed."

"Second, I don't know who you think you are, but Astartes don't hold authority among either the guard, or the navy. Especially ones with busted armor, no armor, and whatever the hell your little chaos-cultist lookin' friend is, tagging along. Hell, I'd be surprised if they didn't throw you in the brig under suspicion of being traitor legion. No forewarning to your showing up, not even a full team of you, no superior officer with you. Then, you just kind of appear from nowhere, during the middle of a space battle? Hell, I'm not entirely sure I trust you myself. For all I know, you could be Alpha Legion spies."

"In any event, whatever we do, we need to start doing it now. That dead commissar is going to be drawing a lot of attention when he doesn't report back, so we need to make our move. I gave you lot your options. You don't want to do things my way, fine. We throw down, and alert the whole ship. Or, you swallow your fucking pride, do what this 'ratling' says, and when we get where we're going, I help you lot find a ship, and a crew that won't ask questions or go running off to the Inquisition. Now, do we have a deal?"

To emphasize his point, he ducked a bit lower behind the gun shield. He had his sights lined up on the one acting like he was in charge. The other one would be weighed down by his armor, and be easier to get a bead on after he started moving. As it was, all it would take is a twitch of his finger, and there'd be one less mouthy Astartes Asshole making his day complicated.

@BCTheEntity@Sophrus@Wraithblade6

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@Klomster Tanks would be completely reasonable. The ship has more than enough room for a full company of guard, which would include at least a dozen or so Leman Russ battle tanks. Assuming it's an armored company from Cadia, they would bring their own vehicles with them. A ship capable of holding 10k+ troops could easily transport full blown tanks. Heck, chimeras aren't that much smaller than Russes, anyway.

But, yea... a company of guard would have their own vehicles, including tanks, especially one from Cadia. Given the lack of any other ships traveling alongside ours, said tanks would Have to be on this ship.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@BCTheEntity Some things of note;

1.) They're in the armory. It's got tanks in it, and there are guns hanging from the ceiling. It's very obvious. The space marines and Vespin are on a catwalk, about the height of a normal room above the floor below, where Oskar is.

2.) The only people besides Vespin and Oskar in the room with the space marines are all ratlings who very clearly take orders from Vespin. The ratlings all have weapons, and are on the floor of the armory below the catwalk, ready to shoot Oskar.

3.) Lucian has yet to see or hear about anything that happened in the prison, save that everyone who escaped is now lying outside dead, dying, or wounded to the point of needing medical help. They were made that way by the aforementioned ratlings.

4.) Vespin, the ratling whom Lucian seems to think so poorly of, currently has an anti-tank weapon trained on him. Xeph's techmarine armor wouldn't save him from a well-placed round from that gun. Lucian would literally have his chest turned into paste by the first shot.

5.) It is not wise to try and assert your authority over someone who just gave the order to have his direct, and much higher ranking superior murdered right in front of you, only to then offer you a part in his bid to mutiny.

If there are any changes you would like to make to your post before I offer a reply, I'd be happy to wait.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@Sophrus I wasn't going to say anything, because I had been hoping things were picking up speed, but it's not quite as easy as 'Oh, these guys? Guard. Don't worry about it.'

If any of the soldiers on the bridge, or even on the way to the bridge, know any of the convicts and see they're not locked up, we're hosed. If anyone notices that all those men aren't wearing uniforms, but instead are wearing prisoner outfits under carapace armor (if we can even find enough) we're hosed. If anyone notices that, strangely, they're All carrying special weapons (because guard keep their lasguns on them, so the supply in the armory is probably going to be limited) and asks questions, we're hosed. Why? Because anything that alerts the the soldiers on the bridge that things are screwy could cause them to raise the alarm, which will bring down a LOT of guard on us. Vespin's influence only goes so far.

However, all that said, Vespin and Oskar have both made their cases, so it's up to the space marines to decide how they respond.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@Sophrus Yea, no, Klomster is right. It's going to be Very not-easy. We'll still have to actually take the bridge, which will be a pain in the ass, considering we're in a space battle so the captain probably has guards at the ready in case of boarding attempts.

The idea is that I lead the lot of you, as captives, to the bridge. I'll use the excuse that I was unsure of how to handle dealing with the marines, and thus brought them to the captain. The death of the Commissar will validate bringing it to the attention of the head of the ship directly, instead of climbing the ranks as we go.

Once on the bridge, we use the prisoners and the ratlings to help stage a coup, with the two tech masters going to work immediately to cut communications to the rest of the ship so no where else is put on alert.

When all That is done, Vespin will inform specific members of the upper ranking crew (the ones he either has on the take, or has black mail on) that the ship took a small hit on the bridge, which resulted in the disconnected coms, as well as the captains sudden inability to directly issue orders. With luck on their side, no one will grow either a conscience or curious enough to challenge Vespin being the one chosen to issue the captains orders.

So, yea... that's the going plan Vespin has. There's a 101+ ways it could go ass-up at any point during any of those steps. But, it's A plan, that ultimately leads us to where we want the group to be. So, I figured it would work for now.

Good luck on your finals, @Sophrus!

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

Edit: Actually, screw it. I'm just going to go with the group and deus ex machina my way into the superior position. Once there, I can put us in a position to be heading towards the goal. Which seems to be what everyone is so gung-ho for.

@Necroes

That's exactly what I said I'd do. The whole point was to get us to where we were going. I didn't want to, but you all seemed so hellbent on doing whatever was needed to get us to controlling the ship, I Literally said screw it, and did that.

Which you then thanked me for saying, I'd like to add, @Sophrus.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

I didn't say they were on his payroll. I said he was in a position to get them to believe him if he told them the captain had issued orders through him. That's a somewhat odd thing to occur, and normally people would question it. However, Vespin knows which officers won't question something odd happening, because the ratling is involved.

You're right, he can't get them to ignore a mutiny. He can, however, convince them everything is fine, when the captain suddenly has him issuing orders to the crew when that normally wouldn't happen.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

At first, things seemed to be going ass-up for old Vespin. When Oskar had said the prisoners were released by a space marine, that just sounded stupid. But then, low and behold, out of nowhere a techmarine appears. Of course, the first thing he does is start spouting off like he's better than the next soldier. By the time he's done, though, another one arrives, along with someone who looks like he's gone a little too long without a fix. To top it all off, Oskar goes talking to them like he knows the group.

As luck would have it, though, at that moment the sound of shotgun fire could be heard from the corridor behind Oskar. The pained screams that followed gave a pretty clear picture of what was happening, too. Taking the moment's distraction, Vespin jumps the gun shield of his gun turret, then grabs the barrel to throw it around, swiveling it until it's pointed at the marines. Now, with a thick gun shield, as well as plenty of distance, between him and the marines, he's ready to pick back up.

Just then, though, his men walk through the door. With their shotguns trained on Oskar, the Commissar in the group steps forward. 'You there, ratling! What's going on here? Why do you have that gun trained on Astartes, and where did they come from? More over, I heard your little conversation. I assume this is the man you were talking to, so he will be giving testimony at your court-martial.'

Turning his head back to look at the group of ratlings on the floor below, Vespin smiles. Each and every one of them was on his take. There wasn't a man among them he hadn't saved on the battlefield a half dozen times or more, not to mention how many came through him to get their various fixes in the evening. They were his men, his own personal squad that he led as a corporal.

With a tilt of his head, Vespin gives his second in command the order. "Shoot him." Without hesitating, the second ratling takes aim, and unloads a solid slug into the Commissar's head. With that, he returns Vespin's nod, letting bim know he's taken control. Things had gone from exciting, to interesting, to say the least.

Looking back at the marines, Vespin squares his shoulders. He'd dealt with the blue boys before, but he wasn't entirely sure these two weren't traitor legion. "Listen up. We can do this one of two ways. I can kill you three, and my men down there will kill old Oskar. I walk away with your corpses, throw you out the airlock, and be about my business reporting that I found the commissar dead when I arrived to help my unit."

"Or," he continues, putting his head up just enough to look at the two marines, a somewhat empty show of good faith, "you can let me put the three of you in cuffs. I can then take you to the captain of this vessel as captives, along with the prisoners my men only inflicted superficial wounds upon," At this point, he turns to confirm that was what had occurred with his second, who acknowledges that to be the case. Then, he finishes, "at which point, we can use the man power to take control of the command deck. Enough officers on this ship owe me favors, they'll look the other way if I give them orders I say are from the captain. With that, we can commandeer this vessel until such a time as we can acquire our own."

Looking between the two marines, having realized from their body language the human behind them was of no importance, he asked one last question. "That is what you want, isn't it? To take control of the ship? At the least, Oskar over there seems to be under that impression, and I happen to be in need of a similar outcome."

@Sophrus@BCTheEntity@Wraithblade6