The Emperor's Heroes -- Magistrates Log CLXXIV CMXXV.XLI

The Emperor's Heroes -- Magistrates Log

Necromunda: 174 925.M41

Scavenging Trip 112

As is our custom we set off this morning to explore the nearby territories looking for prospective foraging grounds where we could establish a new lair. Some of the brothers are becoming over zealous even by Cawdor standards and I think it would be a good idea to spread out. The Emperor in his beneficence led us to a perfectly defensible grouping of desolated buildings in district 8745B. 

Imagine my surprise when our scout Brother Claudius indicated that he had spotted Gorok the Mad up ahead!

The Beastly Bastards of Madness have been spotted skulking behind a few buildings.

We knew that a new gang named the Beastly Bastards of Madness (appropriately named) had been assembled by Gorok. They had established themselves somewhere nearby but I had not expected them so close. The acid rains had barely stopped falling an hour ago meaning they could not have been wandering long. They must indeed be close to our own haven...

Though they were a relatively new gang word had already spread about Gorok and Trak the Violent, two demented and unpredictable beasts, so we were not taking any chances on this unexpected encounter. I sent Father Maximus with his heavy stubber and Brother Typhus up to one of the highest level to lay down some covering fire as they were two of our best shots.

Maximus (left) and Typhus (right) getting ready to engage the enemy.

Bother Claudius took Adept Peloneus and peeled to the right to try and outflank the enemy. The rest of the gang fell on me as I led them cautiously ahead. 

Magister Titus (left) Brother Psycus (middle) Adept Kraucus (right) ready themselves to flank to the left.

Brother Claudius (back) stealthily moves to the right with his trainee Adept Peloneus.

As we cautiously crept ahead we could here the raucous clamor of Gorak ordering his men into position. They had seen us. 

Gorak whips his men into a frenzy as they take position behind cover.

The gangers prep themselves to assault.

Contact was made and the first shots sounded loud in the frigid morning. We opened fire with all we had! Typhus' sharp eyes spotted three tangos crawling out of the vents on the second floor of one of the buildings. As soon as he had pointed them out to Maximus, the big man leveled his heavy stubber and let out a steady ktchac ktchac ktchac as he sprayed the wall around the window trying to hit the would-be ambushers. It was a fiasco, no one hit a single target. The Emperor must mean us to finish this one up close and bloody. Very well then...

I decided to see what my greenest man was made of as I ushered him up to the front lines with me. Adept Kraucus had joined us a week ago and the whole gang saw him more as a meat shield than an asset. He was meant to be the replacement for Brother Aurelius who had fallen a few weeks before during one of the nastiest ambush I had the misfortune to be a part of. Kraucus had some big boots to fill and I was ready to give him a trial by fire.

Titus (left) and Kraucus (right) ready themselves in the ruins of a small house as they hear the enemy moving outside.

We could hear some of the Beastly Bastards outside, they were getting ready to storm our hiding place, though they may not have realized how close we were. Suddenly there was a loud whoooop! and I heard Maximus call out from somewhere to my right "that's two for me Titus! Let's see you do better." 

Gorak orders his men to stack up at the entrance to the building in preparation for an assault.

I peeked around the corner of the wall and saw at least three ruffians only a few steps away. I began to consider the best course of action that would allow me to make a strategic retreat back towards the rest of the gang. I could put up a good fight but ever since that hand injury I took a little while back I simply wasn't feeling as confident. I still do just fine with my brace of pistols though. I was about to order Kraucus to fall back slowly when the dimwitted imbecile rush towards the wrong end of the building! I felt only slightly guilty as I began to move back, I didn't know what he expected to accomplish besides getting himself brutally murdered though it would offer me a few extra seconds to re-position myself. To my greatest surprise Kraucus through aside his laspistol and pulled out an ancient looking hand flamer! I had seen the thing before but dismissed as it didn't look fit to use it combat, but the fool man leveled it at the four men who were lined up perfectly. He squeezed the trigger and an enormous orange gout of flame erupted from the end of the small instrument.

Adept Kraucus runs up and opens fire (literally) on the four unsuspecting enemies.

The Wooosh! sound that the ignited fluid made as it swallowed up the baddies was followed by a loud yelp from Kraucus who dropped the over heated (and slightly melted) gun. I was surprised and glad the relic had actually worked. Kraucus peeked around the corner, then turned around grinning like an imbecile holding four fingers up at me. He had taken down four of nine enemy gangers!

Kraucus starts out his career by taking four guys out in one shot. 

At that moment while Kraucus still had his back to the enemy a grenade erupted right behind him. Gorok was sputtering with fury reaching for another grenade; apparently he did not appreciate what my man had done to his. Kraucus was down and I moved back up to support him (I figured he might be worth his salt after all). There were a few more exchanges between my other guys and the rest of Goroks men. A few yards away the half burned point man was still fidgeting on the floor so I decided to light up his world a second time and chucked one of my plasma grenades at him and that seemed to do the trick. That also sealed the deal for Gorok and his men, they fell back leaving two downed men. Jorak the Unsightly who would no longer offend anyone as he was quite dead; and Hemlock the Deadly, one of the men who had crept in through the vents was now groaning after having taken two round from the heavy stubber. He was alive! I was going to force another Heavy into unending slavery in my mines!

Kraucus has now earned the right to be called Brother Kraucus. And I suppose I could take a closer look into those hand flamer things...

Weapon of the day.

GANGS INVOLVED:

• The Emperor's Heroes
• Beastly Bastards of Madness

The Ambush, Take 2

Band of Brothers: Leaders Log

ENTRY 001: 
I've been advised that it is good leadership to keep a journal of my battles, and so I begin with this. Our House hasn't asked much of us, to date we have only been tasked with basic recon and patrol work. No one is really expecting the Band of Brothers (they laughingly call us the orphan brigade) to do anything important.

A few weeks ago, we were patrolling the Slag Pit and were ambushed by a Cawdor gang that call's themselves The Emperor's Heroes. Yea, real heroic, jumping out of nowhere, unprovoked, and attempting to slaughter us. They beat us down hard, and we pulled out as soon as we could.

Unfortunately, Bronze Zombie couldn't keep up, probably weighted down by the Plasma Gun, and ended up captured. Mighty Midget is all shell shocked and skittish now, and Shadow Sword got his hand mangled bad.


We attempted to rescue Bronze, but no luck. We snuck in and I thought things were going well, we managed to beat the mess out of their gang leader, the Magister Titus. Had him down good, and then things began to fall apart, and my boys just couldn't hold it together .. we bottled out.

Two, humiliating defeats, and I lost two good brothers. The boys wanted blood, and I was determined to help them find it.

ENTRY 002:
We found one of their territories, a Holestead! I had the boys scout the surrounding territory, and particularly the old ventilation systems. We observed the pious "heroes" going in and out of the holestead a few times. They seem pretty confident, and although they cover each other well, and move with solid cover, never out of range of each other, they don't appear to pay as much attention as they should. I mean, they haven't noticed us!

They have better guns, better gear, and more men then we do. But we have surprise on our side, and Magister Titus has convinced me that ambushing the unwary is the way to go. We will take them out tomorrow.

ENTRY 003:
We did it! We successfully ambushed the suckers! Although, it didn't quite turn out the way I expected. It turns out they were paying more attention than I thought they were. I'll need to learn to not under estimate this Titus. The sneaky "hero" had three of his men stealing up behind us to ambush the ambusher's. This guy is creepy good!

Fortunately, our recon of the ventilation shafts came in handy, and I was able to have two of the boys drop in on their counter-ambush team for a surprise party! When I gave the word, we unleashed all our pent up rage on them boys.

Bone Spider was epic with that Heavy Stubber, he wounded two juves (I think they call themselves adepts, all hoighty toighty religious like) in the first two seconds, taking them down.

Then Liquid Warrior pops a frag grenade on Brother Aurelius, I mean he couldn't have thrown that better, it landed right between the gangers feet! Not only did he wound Aurelius, but some dude named Typhus was running up to support Aurelius, and he ran smack into a brick truck when that frag grenade when off. Two more gangers down, thanks to Liquid Warrior!

Mighty Midget took a pot shot at Raucus, but Raucus just hit the dirt, he didn't seem harmed at all, so I stepped up and put a white hot star from my plasma pistol in his chest leaving him wounded and down for the count.


Black Troll got a bit crazy, stupid juve, and ran up on their leader, Magister Titus, and took a pot shot. That boy can't shoot for nothing, needs more time on the range. He missed, and just flat out aggravated their leader.

All in all, it was a perfect opening, we had five of their nine man team laying in the dirt and our surprise party dropped in on their counter ambush.

The Magister charged Black Troll and just knocked the mess out of him. I thought for certain he was dead, and if he don't learn not to poke monsters with pointy things, he probably will be next time.

Their counter team laid into our boys, and one of them wailed on Dead Phantom with a maul. Knocked him upside the head and captured him. I told him to be careful, but these dang juves ain't got no sense at all.

Shadow sword did a bit better, he was engaged by some psycho name Psycus and managed to hold his own for a while, despite that left hand of his. I'm gonna have to get that fixed for him. In the end tho, the Psyco beat Shadow down with his maul. He was looking pretty rough when we pulled him off the floor.

In his rage of charging Black Troll, the Magister left his back wide open for Liquid Warrior. I'm glad I bought him that Plasma Pistol he's been wanting, because he knocked the mess out their leader with it. I don't know if it wounded him too bad, but any shot square in the back from a Plasma Pistol has to knock the wind out of you.

As soon as the Magister went down, their whole gang bottled out. They just grabbed up Black Troll, their wounded, and disappeared while we were regrouping to try to handle the counter ambush team. I hate knowing Black Troll is held captive, and we will have to decide what to do about that. I'm fairly certain we killed one of their guys as well.

However, I'm fairly pleased with the result. The seven of us faced nine of them, we were out gunned and almost out-witted, they clearly have a lot more experience than we do. We put five of them in the dirt, and once again managed to beat on their leader a bit.

I'm going to do some more research, and see if I can find another opportunity to ambush them again, I've decided I really don't like them at all, and the boys are all in agreement.

GANGS INVOLVED:

• The Emperor's Heroes
• Band of Brothers