+ inload: Intrigue at Warehouse CCLIX – Part V and conclusion +

+ A  Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition battle report – part V+

+ This inload concludes the story of this clash between the Hangman's Rope and the Church of the Astral Ascension – Part I of this battle report can be found here [+noospheric inloadlink embedded+]+

+ With no time to investigate the mysterious stasis pod, Veck reluctantly ordered it destroyed – on the basis that it was clearly precious to the xenos hybrid abominations. With that objective achieved, the team still had to extract – but this was going to prove tricky... +

Hearing Veck's shouted order, Cymgin and Toria descend the stairs from the walkway, firing from the hip.

Along with potshots from hybrids nearby, a member of the Church carrying a heavy stubber opens up on the two.

Toria is somewhat protected by the obscuring rail, but Cymgin takes a hit and is spun over the side. Taken out of action, he scrambles away from the battlefield on Toria's orders.

Not even the transhuman power of the Astartes can stand before the might of the brood. Fending off the attack of the first, the Scarlet Blade is overwhelmed as the second leaps on his back. The beasts' claws punch through the ceramite, washing the cobblestones with Arcimboldo's blood.

+ The background for Space Marines has shifted a lot since the second edition of the rules, and this was a great demonstration of the updated rules we chose to use, I think. They're powerful enough to face down a purestrain genestealer one-on-one, but the result wasn't really in doubt when he got mobbed! +

Thorna Tempest is no coward; and leaps forward into the fight to rescue Arcimboldo, alongside a clearly more reluctant Ferlinghetti. Heroically, the wiry sergeant turns the purestrain's strike, her parry sending one of the chitinous beast's arms spinning away. Momentarily taken aback, the beast is open to Tempest's strike, which sends it to the floor. Ferlinghetti breaks open his medkit and attempts to stem the flow of blood from the Space Marine.

Veck rushes forward, his laspistol searching for a target; but the combatants are too close. Seeing the situation turn, he calls again for the retreat.

As she darts forward, Toria is winged by a lucky long-range shot from a hybrid with an autogun. Wincing, she dives into cover, surrounded by the other injured members of both factions.

Veck's agents are almost all down, and the Church advance grimly, furious at the destruction. Oospore gathers the group, determined to bring down Magos Manderghast, who is beating a hasty retreat.

Ferlinghetti is caught a glancing blow as the surviving genestealer leaps past him, and is knocked to the floor.

Hearing sirens wailing, Oospore curses. There's no time to administer the coup-de-grace, so he reluctantly orders his followers to recover the injured purestrains, helping them to limp away before the Arbites arrive. Waving his group back, they melt into the shadows, their prize lost – but their secrets intact...

As the smoke clears, the floor is scattered with injured combatants.

 Veck and his old ally Manderghast are the only two members of the Rope to survive unhurt. They wave down the Enforcers and order the recovery of his agents. Perhaps there is something to be learned from the damaged Stasis Pod, but neither is optimistic. This had been a bloody and ill-starred expedition.

+++

+ This was a really fantastic game. It brought back a lot of fond memories of second edition skirmishes and Necromunda, and was a real treat to look at, too. After years of bigger games, it was refreshing to return to a game where the focus was more individual and personal. +

+ As always, Bob Hunk was a great sport with a great group of models to fight against, and I'm looking forward to more games in the setting of Grovsenor. +