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"If ya ain't makin' teef den why you'z krumpin dat git?"
[[Image:Blue toof strayt shootaz loota.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"If ya ain't makin' teef den why you'z krumpin dat git?"]]
[[File:Blue toof strayt shootaz loota.jpg|thumb|250px|right|]]
The Strait Shootas are a group of Freeboota Mercs that raids almost exclusively Tau worlds, and picked up a few unusual habits along the way. Their boyz are trained, disciplined, and actually aim before shooting. They use lots of looted Tau tech, and use lots of blue paint "cuz dose Tau gits are blue, an deyz real lucky at shootin".
 


==The Wanderin' Waaagh, a Kroosade fer Teef==
==The Wanderin' Waaagh, a Kroosade fer Teef==
Most waaaghs are simple affairs once you get past the logistics and the chaos. Orks like fighting, and they like looting, so waaaghs supply those two desires. But what happens if you get a warboss of such incredible charisma that he can keep Orks on target, on time, and under budget?
Most waaaghs are simple affairs once you get past the logistics and the chaos. Orks like fighting, and they like looting, so waaaghs supply those two desires. But what happens if you get a warboss of such incredible charisma that he can keep Orks on target, on time, and under budget?


You get Kaptan Blu Toof. Granted 'on target, on time, and under budget' is a rather loose affair for Orks but getting them to pull away from a fight when they aren't making a profit is an impressive feet in and of itself.  
You get Kaptan Blu Toof. Granted 'on target, on time, and under budget' is a rather loose affair for Orks but getting them to pull away from a fight when they aren't making a profit is an impressive feat in and of itself.  


Blu Toof wanders the edge of the Imperium, preying on the Tau and fighting with the Chimera legion. Thanks to the efforts of a rogue trader he's learned the importance of picking your battles to maximize profit and his personal Space Hulk. His 'territory' for the moment consists of six or so sectors that Chaos, the Tau, and of course the Imperium are fighting for control of. Orks were a part of the conquest but after serious losses on and above Hyacinthum Hortus the local ork population dropped significantly.
Blu Toof wanders the edge of the Imperium, preying on the Tau and fighting with the Chimera legion. Thanks to the efforts of a rogue trader he's learned the importance of picking your battles to maximize profit and his personal Space Hulk. His 'territory' for the moment consists of six or so sectors that Chaos, the Tau, and of course the Imperium are fighting for control of. Orks were a part of the conquest but after serious losses on and above Hyacinthum Hortus the local ork population dropped significantly.
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[[Image:Strait_Shoota.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Standard git wiv 'is standard kit]]
[[Image:Strait_Shoota.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Standard git wiv 'is standard kit]]
'''Shoota Boyz:''' The standard boyz have been beefed up a bit by their looted Tau gear. Blu Toof trains them extensively, until they can march, drill, and form firing lines with an actual degree of discipline. They might not get a lot of Tau gear each, but a dakka-line full of boyz who actually hit what they aim at ain't nothin to scoff at.
'''Shoota Boyz:''' The standard boyz have been beefed up a bit by their looted Tau gear. Blu Toof trains them extensively, until they can march, drill, and form firing lines with an actual degree of discipline. They might not get a lot of Tau gear each, but a dakka-line full of boyz who actually hit what they aim at ain't nothin to scoff at.


[[Image:Longarmz.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Pretty much the Vietcong]]
If an enemy actually manages to get through their fire into melee range, however, their natural instincts take over and the line collapses into a choppy brawl, at least until a Nob comes over and beats them back into a firing line.
'''Longarmz:''' Da Longarmz are the closest equivalent to a Kommando in the Strait Shootas.  They loot enormous railguns from Tau Hammerheads and Broadsides, make them suitably Orky, and lug them into the jungle. They are renowned for their ability to sneak through enemy territory with such massive weapons, although they usually are only capable of a single shot before the massive blue beam of energy gives away their position.]
 
[[Image:Longarmz.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Pretty much the Vietcong.]]
 
 
'''Longarmz:''' Da Longarmz are the closest equivalent to a Kommando in the Strait Shootas.  They loot enormous railguns from Tau Hammerheads and Broadsides, make them suitably Orky, and lug them into the jungle. They are renowned for their ability to sneak through enemy territory with such massive weapons, although they usually are only capable of a single shot before the massive blue beam of energy gives away their position.


Explaining a high-priority target to a Longarm is virtually impossible, but they can be counted on to shoot at the biggest git with the best kit. To an Ork, that's clearly the one in charge.
Explaining a high-priority target to a Longarm is virtually impossible, but they can be counted on to shoot at the biggest git with the best kit. To an Ork, that's clearly the one in charge.


(Yes, [[Ork Snipers]] are finally a thing.)
(Yes, [[Ork Snipers]] are finally a thing.)
[[Image:Kamikazeez.jpg|thumb|left|125px|'ERE WE GO MON]]
'''Kamikazeez:''' Where most Stormboyz are well trained and disciplined, Kamikazeez are wild and chaotic. They reject most Tau tech and cyborgization, wear nothing but garishly painted shorts, and adorn themselves with long, matted squiglocks.
The one concession to Tau loot is their universal embracing of Tau drones as transportation. Once properly modified, the drones can literally be surfed into battle, or attached to an ork's back in more of a traditional jumppack fashion. Skilled Kamikazeez can switch between the two setups in midair, and a sport of tricks performed with the drone has sprung up. In true ork fashion, a failed trick resulting in the ork smashing to the ground is celebrated even more wildly than a skilled success.
It's possible that the unnatural focus on dakka and shootiness in the Strait Shootas has put huge psychological pressures on the choppy Stormboyz, leading them to lash out and rebel as Kamikazeez.
'''Huntaz:''' The Huntaz are Magrumm Blakkrokka's kommando kadre, unlike the much of the rest of the klan they are traditional Kommandos in every sense of the word; though perhaps not many kommandos sport tyranid armor plating and acid gland augmented stikkbombs. Huntaz live for the stelfy foit, engaging enemies in close quarters or eliminating large groups of foes with explosives. In particular they excel at using looted 'nid body parts for weaponry and armor as well as tau technologies like stealth fields and the ever present oddity of squig-drones apparently unique to the Strait Shootaz. Choppas, Bombs, and the occasional pulse weapon are how the Huntaz get things done.
[[Image:Chromeboy.jpg|thumb|right|125px|EKKSTERMINAAAGHH]]
'''Chromeboyz:''' Tinboyz are an old manifestation of Orky oddishness. Simple automatrons often made in the image of the races they fight, they were usually made as some strange form of mockery and would engage in simple, often menial tasks. Chromeboyz vary in that their creator cannot be arsed to make something resembling a fleshy git, and that they're usually sporting discarded flesh taken from dead orks, or bits removed from boyz getting superior augmetics. (or what passes for such among orks.) As such its not that unusual to see an orkish arm attached to a scrapmetal torso which is precariously balanced on an enormous iron ball that uses a crudely modified camera for a head or something equally haphazard. Chromeboyz however, are universally useful as disposable ambushes and a form of passive defense. Many a would be ambusher or combatant has tried taking cover behind what seems to be a pile of metallic garbage only to have the junk assume orkoid form and krump 'em.
[[Image:Blue toof markaloit squig color.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Theyz pretty kunnin once dey get a hang uv dings.]]
'''Squiggadrones'''
Something perhaps unique to the Strait Shootaz is their embrace of anything that aids in hitting a target, to this end they have carefully cultivated a breed of targetting squigs that soon find themselves integrated with markerlight drones. Partially via waauugh field and partially via augmetics these little monsters serve as an excellent recon, spotting, and accuracy tool.
Many Longarmz will rig a Squiggadrone with Tau stealth fields and paint them purple, to use as spotters on their sniping missions.
==Da Fleet==
'''Da Toof Chasa:''' Kaptan Blu Toof's flaghship, a rather small space hulk made of ork, imperial, and tau vessels. Though being a space hulk it still has roughly the mass of a city. A Hammer Battlecruiser serves as the core and fore of the vessel, a vanguard cruiser has, thanks to the warp, become wedged inside the Hammer battle cruiser and now serves as the main drive portion of the vessel. Two onslaught attack vessels just from underneath the hammer like forward facing tusks, they serve as a combination weapons platform and boarding tool. Between the 'teeth' a (much modified) Ryza Class nova cannon rests. five Claymore class cruisers have found themselves wedged into the mass of the space hulk in various places and since found their armaments relocated around the vessel to create an impressive broadside of macrocannons. Finally One Lar'shi cruiser and 4 Kir'shasvre (Castellan) Heavy Escort have since found themselves salvaged to create a surprisingly versatile dorsal and belly array of railcannons and ion batteries.
'''Da Choppa:'''
[[Image:Blue toof's choppa.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Da Choppiest Ship in da whole secta.]]
Da Choppa is Blu Toof's original vessel, and was painstakingly removed and restored after being mashed into the mass of Rokk and ship that is the Strait Shoota'z flagship. Frankly the vessel does a better job as an escort and interceptor rather than a source of spare parts for an orkish flagship. Da Choppa started life as the flagship for Shas'o Tyros and his attempts to bring the light of the greater good to the imperial fringe. This was brought to a disastrous halt first by Hive Fleet Manticore and later by Blu Toof crudely slamming a rokk into his ship, slaughtering most of the crew and enslaving the survivors. It has since served as an absolute terror to the Tau shipping ways and is made all the more dangerous for its orkish 'upgrades.' While it is true that the vessel has lost some functionality in its ion and railcannon batteries it makes up for this in the ramming mechanism made from one of its broken wings; which can detach. Indeed more than a few ships have found themselves sheared in half by a ' 'atchet toss manueva.'
'''Speshul Tactics'''
''''Nid Shells:'''
Via intent or luck a Tervigon has found itself entombed in Da Toof Chasa, incapable of escaping its tiny cell it sends Termagants out to acquire sustenance. This has lead to the local Orks believing they have Tyranid 'Pets.' In truth the vessel simply has an infestation of termagants. This has lead to an uneasy truce between Grots and the Tau and Human slaves the Orks keep. They form fortified conclaves in the space hulk and live on edge while boys, especially the Huntas, treat it as sport and look forward to a 'proppa foight' with their ship's erstwhile guests. As a consequence the ship and her crew make use of extremely unusual weapons. Hive Fleet Manticore favors bioplasma weapons and has a self destruct adaptation designed to deal with CQC specialists causing bioplasma armed forms to explode in a cloud of organic shrapnel and superheated plasma. As such the Huntaz have become skilled at capturing these creatures and forcing them into specially prepared shells fired at enemy vessels. More often than not the shells get shot down by defences or succumb to poor craftsmanship leading to an underwhelming explosion of steel and plasma. However sometimes the shells work as intended, penetrating the enemy's hull and creating a seal before bursting open to disgorge a cargo of furious termagants intent on burning everything they encounter to death.
'''Nid 'Nades:''
Its also fairly common for the boyz to extract acid glands from 'nid battle forms and crudely tape them to stikkbombs. However sometimes the huntaz will manage to install a termagant inside a specially designed extractor which will 'milk' the creature of bio plasma which is then contained inside a crudely made bomb which will be unleashed on the enemy in due time.
'''Chromeshellz:'''
Chromeboyz are garbage, literally. They're opportunistically made from whatever castoffs Dokta Krush and his assistants have on hand. They usually have simple purposes; hauling loot, shooting gits, cleaning tools and so on. Occasionally however they're crudely stuffed into shells and fired at the enemy. Sometimes they even manage a boarding action.
==Notable Characters==
[[Image: Blue toof sunrise surprise.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Blu Toof in his combat regalia also a Kamikazee in the background.]]
'''Blu Toof:'''
Its uncertain as to what exactly the freeboota coated his eponymous toof with but the fact remains that he has an obsession with luck, the color blue, plunder for profit, honest merk work, and accuracy in firing. This is due to an encounter with the Rogue Trader Frederick Froogalos on Hyacinthum Hortus, at the time a great orkish Wauugh composed of dozens of tribes raged through the sector. It found its end on a blue paradise world thanks to the efforts of both a Tau military force and Hive Fleet Manticore. Many of the boys were lost to the voracious maws of the tyranids. (indeed Hive Fleet Manticore explicitly targets orks above all other foes when given a choice.) But the real losses were served out by Tau Marksmen. Blu Toof set himself apart from his fellows by doing something relatively unheard of from orks. He asked the human who'd commissioned his small Merk Band to defend a settlement in exchange for surplus PDF gear for advice 'on how to stop gettin krumped.'
Froogalos answer was revolutionary for Blu Toof's shoota boys; Rifling. The loss of so many green skins to the tau lead to an obsession with the color blue as many orks figured the tau were lucky thanks to their blue skin and its lead to the Strait Shootaz obsession with marksmanship, the color blue, and looted Tau goods. For while Blu Toof simply considers the Tau an excellent source of loot many orks took offense to their losses and decided to out do the Tau at their own game.
Blu Toof can be categorized as charismatic for an ork, unusually so. He has proven capable of making tribes stand down and serve alongside him if not join his tribe all together. As a result the fleet make up of the Strait Shootas changes rather frequently but they're never without boys for the fight.
'''Magrumm Blakkrokka:'''
The Huntaz are the remnants of Magrumm Blakkrokka's now finished gang, formerly a group of boyz on the verge of becoming their own Waauugh. The Blakk Fangz were a roughly even split of stormboyz and Kommandos with a healthy population of shootaboys all to eager to get stuck in. This changed when they attacked a Chimera Legion cruiser under the impression that Thodos was present on the vessel. In truth "Litany of Sutured Flesh' was an enormous trap designed to end the threat of the Blakk Fangz once and for all. In a way it worked, Magrumm's clan suffered irreparable losses. Only his kommando kadre remained. After the battle only one Orkish warboss reigned supreme, the freeboota Blu Toof and the ork in question offered Magrumm a wonderful offer- all the enemies he could ever hope to krump with the freedom to choose and engage beyond a direction of 'take dat loot' or 'krump dat git fer me.'
Magrumm himself is rarely seen, but surviving witnesses describe him mostly as "huge". Roughly the size of a Dreadnought and spattered in purple warpaint, the fact that he can manage to hide anywhere is a testament to his sneakiness. He sports a huge knife in one hand and a Powerklaw in the other, and can silently slice throats with either.
Many Orks, especially former warbosses would consider this insulting; but Magrumm and Blu Toof share a dedly kunnin'. Magruum wanted to krump spikey boyz and get revenge for his destroyed horde, Blu toof wanted a kommando who could beat a dreadnaught in an arm wrestling conquest. Both got what they wanted.
As a consequence the Huntaz are entirely Magrumm's creatures and will never be deployed without him.
'''Koonan Karlayl:'''
Koonan is an ork of little imagination, he is however strongly guided by his Knowwotz and his genetic inclination is for killing things at a long distance. He started life as a Flash Git, but his exposure to withering Tau pulse rifle fire and jungle conditions lead to the adoption of kommando tactics. No matter how much he trains or how many ghillie suits he dons he is, at the end of the dayy, a flash git and will do his very best to find the biggest, meanest looking enemy and shoot him. That he happens to have a vehicle rated Tau railgun makes him frighteningly effective as sniper...after the first shot anyway. His grasp of the fairly visible nature of his weapon is in direct odds with his instinct as a Flash Git and he can't bring himself to make it more stelfy.
'''Dokta Krush:'''
Krush is an odd figure among Orks, plenty of boyz have a knowwotz but not many have two. Perhaps that explains why Krush is so driven to experimentation, creating cyborks and tinboyz and fusing tau technology and ork biology to the creation of some terrifying whole. He is aloof, and usually so focused on his projects that becoming his personal slave is actually one of the better ways for Humans and Tau to survive. He'll usually train the slaves in question to maintain things (biological or technological, sometimes its unclear which is which frankly) and set them loose to perform their role as the busy bodies that keep the Tribe functioning.
'''A'Loh'Ha:'''
Deranged Earthcaste Engineer who has embraced the Wauugh
'''Enginseer Wret:'''
Long suffering servant to a rogue trader, since sold to Blu Toof for archeotech. Leads a faction of Rebels who play a careful game of shirking with their overlords.
'''Masha Magu:'''
A Half Blind Kan specializing in sniping, excellent at hitting long distance targets but entirely reliant on his chain saw hoolahoop in CQC as it usually can't see anything close up.
'''Frederick Froogalos:'''
A wily Rogue Trader who recognized Blu Toof's kunnin and bent it to his own ends, Froogalos has managed to barely skate by under the eye of the Inquisition, arguing that pointing the Strait Shootas towards the Tau has actually benefited the Imperium. He enjoys a large discount and exclusivity deals with the Strait Shootas.
== Writefaggotry ==
----
'''On the Methods of Rationality and Dakka''' by NoGoodIDNames
----
"But boss, why we got to do dese drills? We ain't stormboyz, wot's der point?"
Kaptin Blu Toof opened his maw to shout, then shut it again. This, in itself, was a worrying sign. Ever since he'd talked to that Rogue Trader, ever since they'd looted those Tau, he'd started to think before he talked. To the average ork, it either meant the boss was going soft, or he was a real cunning git. Either of which was troubling.
"Boyz," he said, "I seen the troof. It be a hard troof, but dere ain't no denyin it. Da Trader showed me a piece ov it, but I had ta put it togever meself. Dis be a real theological troof, ya get me? I seen da troo difference, da divide... between Gork and Mork. Da troof about dakka itself. Me eyes 'ave beened opened."
He paused. There was silence. Every ork hung on his every word.
"Wot Gork thinks about dakka," he said, "is dat de more dakka yer firin', da better." He pivoted suddenly, leveling his new plasma gat at the ork who'd called out the question, a full two hundred meters away. Again, the orks marveled at the pause he took. The restraint it took, not to immediately fire, but to take the time to AIM.
The burst of blue plasma took the offending ork's head clean off. It staggered for a moment, then fell to the ground. The orks turned back to look at Blu Toof, who lowered his gat with a satisfied expression.
"But Mork," he said, "Mork don't believe dat. What Mork believe is, it don't matter how much dakka yer foirin."
He grinned.
"It's how much dakka HITS"
----
'''A Kunnin' Rendevous''' by NoGoodIDNames
----
"So why izzit," Blu Toof said, "Dat you won't join me Waaagh?"
Giblitz, Chief Diplomat of the Grotocracy, carefully studied the Warboss while he thought of a suitable response. From head to toe, Blu Toof was a classic Freeboota Kaptin; bedecked in teeth and loot with a fancy hat, and the twang of a Freeboota accent that crept into every Kaptin eventually.
But it was an act. Blu Toof played the part well, and certainly enjoyed doing it, but underneath the veneer of swashbuckelry was a mind known far and wide for bein ded cunnin. According to the orks they'd talked to, he was the wiliest ork in the sector. "When he stops talkin," they said, "dat's when he gets REAL cunnin. Dat's when hez THINKIN." This last word was always spoken in awe.
Which... was good. It was why they were doing business. When it came to cunnin, you'd be hard pressed to find warbands more Morky than the Scraplootas or the Strait Shootaz. But it also meant he had to be very, very careful.
"The Scraplootas are in a good position at the moment," he said. "We have a lot of good contracts, our numbers are growing, and we see no reason why we should give up our independence to join a Waaagh. We've got a good thing going."
Complete nonsense to a normal Warboss. The usual response would be shouting. Or confused shouting. Or violence. Generally violence. But this Kaptin, he just sat there, scratching his enormous blue fang.
Thinking.
After a bit he got up and started to walk around the room. It took a while. The room was enormous, a high-roofed and metal, jutting out crazily at angles and festooned with chains, hung with machinery. For the meeting they'd chosen neutral ground, the workshop of a freelance Mekboy they both did a roaring trade with. Of course, Giblitz had paid a hefty bribe to make sure... precautions, had been taken, should the meeting turn violent.
"'Ere's wot I fink." Blu Toof said. "Wot I fink, is dat you an' all yer Grotty boyz know you'se got a real lucky deal wiv dat Spikey Titan, cuz it lets ya do wot you want. An' yer scared, cuz if ye join a propah Waaagh, it'll be back de way it was before, wiv da Orks tellin yas wot ta do. So dat's why yer here, an' not Dursnik. Ta 'protect yer int-er-est'." Ye looked pointedly at Giblitz. "Duzze even know yer 'ere?"
"Of course he does," Giblitz said, stonefaced. That, at least was true. "The Warboss trusts our judgment." That was... less so. Dursnik wasn't a stupid ork, as far as Warbosses went, and he had some notion that the grots on his titan were getting a lot more cunnin than other grots. To this end, he'd asked...er, commanded the grotocracy for "a real cunnin git" to talk out a trade deal with the Strait Shootas. And the grotocracy, in the interests of maintaining the delicate balance of power between Titan and Klan, had sent Giblitz.
Blu Toof eyed him for a good long moment, and Giblitz had the unnerving thought that the Kaptin, in his patient way, was figuring out exactly that. There was silence.
Suddenly Blu Toof guffawed. "Dat's business oi can appreciate, ya sneaky grot!" He sat back down and took a swig of ale from a tanker bigger than the grot's head. Giblitz untensed the slightest bit. "Now, wot's this here deal again? You wants all der loot we'z gotz from dem spikey Koimeera Legion, so's ye can fix up yer Titan, and wot we get iz..."
As if he'd actually forgotten. "The Purvis contract, the Mon'kei contract, six barrels of finest squigale and a purebred Tootheater Squig."
"Roight, roight." The Freeboota paused. "Eard ya got a Bluie on yer Titan. Oi can always use more o'dem."
"Not for sale," Giblitz said firmly.
Blu Toof's eyes narrowed. He erupted suddenly from his chair, slamming his fists on the table and roaring full-blast at the grot.
And all hell broke loose.
At Blu Toof's roar, two Scraploota Boyz burst through the door behind Giblitz with raised choppas, only to halt as the door behind Blu Toof slammed open and four blue-painted Shoota Boyz leveled their Tau-augmented shootas at them, grinning. The same grins vanished as they felt the prick of enormous serrated knives, wielded by the Kommandos that had dropped down behind them.
A large pile of rubbish in the corner came to life as three Tin Boyz. They in turn were swarmed by a horde of grots popping from every conceivable nook and cranny in the room, who proceeded to pry at the robot's joints until they became aware of the laser sights sweeping across them from the rafters.
The rafters themselves unfolded to become long, painted railguns, the decorative lighting ('why did I think there would be decorative lighting in a mekboy shop', thought Giblitz) in fact the helmeted heads of the Strait Shootas' infamous snipers.
A crude rocket smashed itself into pieces to reveal half a dozen Scraploota Stormboyz, who rocketed towards the snipers in a blast of exhaust. Halfway there they were intercepted by the Strait Shootas' own Stormboyz, jumping from their custom drones to tackle the Scraplootas to the ground.
As the climax of the grand crescendo, an entire wall of the room fell outwards, exposing a looted Leman Russ tank crewed by grots. Everyone froze as it rumbled forward a meter or two, then stopped. The turret suddenly gave out the sound of gasping hydraulics and sagged downwards.
A grot popped up from the tank's hatch. "Pump feed's gone missin', boss," he said. "Can't find it anywhere."
Blu Toof started to chuckle. It grew and grew until he was laughing uncontrollably. "Dat sneaky mek!" he wheezed. "Looks loike e's more cunnin den either ov us!"
He managed to calm himself down. "Well den," he said, "Looks loik we've got ourselves a standoff. Wot do ya t'ink we should do about dat?"
Giblitz became aware, in the silence, of faint noises of a struggle coming from above the ceiling. He'd put his last ace in the whole up there, but judging by the cries of "OI IZ DA NOIGHT" and "Oh, yer a big one, ain't yez!", Derknitt, Snekkit, and Rockeater had become occupied with fighting some... thing, in the hidden space. They seemed to be having some difficulty.
He tried to think. It was a test, wasn't it? The average ork, he wouldn't hesitate to scrap it out like this. But Blu Toof was ded cunnin, they all said. He wouldn't waste his boyz on a fight like this.
In that case, there was only one thing to do. He set his jaw and looked at Blu Toof. "I fink we should 'ave it out," he said. "Just you an' me."
Finally, he managed to surprise the Kaptin. His mouth swung open, his tooth angled crazily. "U wot?" he managed.
"Me an' you, scrap it out." Giblitz said. "If yez think yer 'ard enuff."
There was another long pause. The temporarily paused brawl of orks, locked at each others throats, looked at the Freeboota as he stood there. Thinking.
And suddenly he was laughing again, in great bursts that were almost as intimidating as his roaring. "You cheeky grot!" he said. "Oi fink I 'ave you pinned and you go and do dat!"
As one, the ork klans released their holds and separated, standing awkwardly.
"Wot oi say iz, we getz da Purvis contract, da Monkay contract, AND de Orvitur contract," Blu Toof said. "An' I'll give ya de spoils from da next raid we hit dem spiky boyz wiv. I'll even frow in a noice 'ammerhead gun, you can mount on yer Titan." He paused. "An' dis tankard 'ere. Oi know ol' Dursnik loikes cups'n'such."
"That... will be acceptable," said Giblitz.
They shook hands, one completely enveloped in the other's. The ork forces began filing out.
At the last moment, Blu Toof turned back. "Oh, one more fing."
"Magrumm!" he shouted at the ceiling. "Give 'em back deir pump feed!"
A battered pump feed dropped from the ceiling. The sounds of fighting resumed.
----
'''Excerpt from: “Under Da Boot: Slave Life among the Greenskins”'''
----
My job amidst their indentured forces was to deliver ammo to the ork shootas, as they practice their aim in the grand shooting range. A task commonly filled by their smaller kin, the grots. Blue Toof’s care for not wasting materials lended him to use humans and tau while on the range, so that we didn’t just refill an ork weapon infinitely and waste valuable ammunition. To think I waited on these Xeno filth like a common house servant, it nearly stains my noble soul. But this is not the strangest twist on what I’m informed is common ork behaviour.
By only giving the orks on the range a set amount of munitions, a test of gunnery knowledge is laid. Most of the orks run out of ammunition at around the same time, roaring and complaining that they ran out of ammo and eventually leaving the grounds to eat or commit some other xeno atrocity. But a few of the boys always seem to be a bit slower, remaining in the room a while after their brethren. Often this is just a weapon malfunction, or the boy’s a git. But on occasion one of the shootas has some deeper insight. This is far more frequent to see when Blue Toof himself makes an appearance, giving the ork equivalent to a rousing speech on how important it is to hit your target when you fire at it.
Most recently, one ork named ‘Nadesmasha, remained on the range alone when the Kaptain approached him. Translated from orkish dialect, He asked the boy why he was taking so long to fire his shots. The reply was since the range targets weren’t moving, he wasn’t in danger, and could take his time shooting at them so all the targets were hit. That way he got the most dakka out of his bullets, since if they all hit, he got the most dakka out of his gun. Blue toof laughed then called me over, refilling the orks ammo with 50 shots. He then threatened the boy, giving him 1 minute to hit each of the 30 targets down range, or he’d “Krump is zoggin ‘ead off”.
I counted 60 seconds through the repeated gun shots aloud for them, not that you could well hear anything with a Ork Shoota going off next to you. Shell after shell rang out, a flurry sustained by the now terrified boys roar as he fired. When I reached 60, Blue toof yanked the gun out of the boyz hand, and counted two shells remaining. I almost interjected myself to point out the ork put to the test had only successfully hit 22 of the 30 targets, but the Kaptain didn’t even bother looking.
He grasped the boyz shoulder, and they walked off to the armory. It took me a year to realize the ork warboss knew he could just let the orks have all the ammo they want in a proper fight, and they’d turn the tides of battle. It was not wasting it under pressure that he was after. So strong is his desire for loot, and impressed that the young ork had not wasted it, that ‘Nadesmasha was given charge of some vaguely Tau looking energy weapon and told to join the ranks of the Loota’s that day.
[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category: /tg/ 40,000]]
[[Category: Xenos]]
[[Category: Tau]]
[[Category: Orks]]

Latest revision as of 12:45, 22 June 2023

"If ya ain't makin' teef den why you'z krumpin dat git?"

The Strait Shootas are a group of Freeboota Mercs that raids almost exclusively Tau worlds, and picked up a few unusual habits along the way. Their boyz are trained, disciplined, and actually aim before shooting. They use lots of looted Tau tech, and use lots of blue paint "cuz dose Tau gits are blue, an deyz real lucky at shootin".

The Wanderin' Waaagh, a Kroosade fer Teef[edit]

Most waaaghs are simple affairs once you get past the logistics and the chaos. Orks like fighting, and they like looting, so waaaghs supply those two desires. But what happens if you get a warboss of such incredible charisma that he can keep Orks on target, on time, and under budget?

You get Kaptan Blu Toof. Granted 'on target, on time, and under budget' is a rather loose affair for Orks but getting them to pull away from a fight when they aren't making a profit is an impressive feat in and of itself.

Blu Toof wanders the edge of the Imperium, preying on the Tau and fighting with the Chimera legion. Thanks to the efforts of a rogue trader he's learned the importance of picking your battles to maximize profit and his personal Space Hulk. His 'territory' for the moment consists of six or so sectors that Chaos, the Tau, and of course the Imperium are fighting for control of. Orks were a part of the conquest but after serious losses on and above Hyacinthum Hortus the local ork population dropped significantly.

While it is entirely within his means to spark a second Waaagh and possibly gain control of one or more sectors Blu Toof doesn't see the profit in it, instead he engages in Merk Werk and raids Tau supply lines for dat flash blue boy dakka! For the moment at least dem 'umies simply isn't worth da foight and dem spikey boys is too kunnin to chase down with any dependability.

So Blu Toof and his boys wander the kosmos in search of teef and a proppa fight in a neverending Waaagh for Teef - Heaven help the imperium when they run out of blue gits to krump.

Ork Klan Kreation Tables Results[edit]

What Kind of Clan Are We? Freebooterz

What's Our Color? Blue

Whats our legendary Ork? A Ded Kunnin Kommando.

What did we do? We Krumped A Whole Lot Of Chaos Boys.

Who Do We Worship? We Don't Have Time For That Drokk. Or We Don't Know, Either Works.

How Big Are We? Of Average Size.

Who Are We Friends With? Orks.

Who Are We Enemies With? Tyranids.

Who Are Our Special Boys? Shoota Boys.

What Did We Loot? Tau Crisis Suits

What Happened To The Loot? Lost It In A Fight.

Organization[edit]

Blu Toof has assimilated a few different minor klans into his own, and pointed them at the Tau. Here's a few groups of note:

Standard git wiv 'is standard kit

Shoota Boyz: The standard boyz have been beefed up a bit by their looted Tau gear. Blu Toof trains them extensively, until they can march, drill, and form firing lines with an actual degree of discipline. They might not get a lot of Tau gear each, but a dakka-line full of boyz who actually hit what they aim at ain't nothin to scoff at.

If an enemy actually manages to get through their fire into melee range, however, their natural instincts take over and the line collapses into a choppy brawl, at least until a Nob comes over and beats them back into a firing line.

Pretty much the Vietcong.


Longarmz: Da Longarmz are the closest equivalent to a Kommando in the Strait Shootas. They loot enormous railguns from Tau Hammerheads and Broadsides, make them suitably Orky, and lug them into the jungle. They are renowned for their ability to sneak through enemy territory with such massive weapons, although they usually are only capable of a single shot before the massive blue beam of energy gives away their position.

Explaining a high-priority target to a Longarm is virtually impossible, but they can be counted on to shoot at the biggest git with the best kit. To an Ork, that's clearly the one in charge.

(Yes, Ork Snipers are finally a thing.)

'ERE WE GO MON

Kamikazeez: Where most Stormboyz are well trained and disciplined, Kamikazeez are wild and chaotic. They reject most Tau tech and cyborgization, wear nothing but garishly painted shorts, and adorn themselves with long, matted squiglocks.

The one concession to Tau loot is their universal embracing of Tau drones as transportation. Once properly modified, the drones can literally be surfed into battle, or attached to an ork's back in more of a traditional jumppack fashion. Skilled Kamikazeez can switch between the two setups in midair, and a sport of tricks performed with the drone has sprung up. In true ork fashion, a failed trick resulting in the ork smashing to the ground is celebrated even more wildly than a skilled success.

It's possible that the unnatural focus on dakka and shootiness in the Strait Shootas has put huge psychological pressures on the choppy Stormboyz, leading them to lash out and rebel as Kamikazeez.


Huntaz: The Huntaz are Magrumm Blakkrokka's kommando kadre, unlike the much of the rest of the klan they are traditional Kommandos in every sense of the word; though perhaps not many kommandos sport tyranid armor plating and acid gland augmented stikkbombs. Huntaz live for the stelfy foit, engaging enemies in close quarters or eliminating large groups of foes with explosives. In particular they excel at using looted 'nid body parts for weaponry and armor as well as tau technologies like stealth fields and the ever present oddity of squig-drones apparently unique to the Strait Shootaz. Choppas, Bombs, and the occasional pulse weapon are how the Huntaz get things done.

EKKSTERMINAAAGHH

Chromeboyz: Tinboyz are an old manifestation of Orky oddishness. Simple automatrons often made in the image of the races they fight, they were usually made as some strange form of mockery and would engage in simple, often menial tasks. Chromeboyz vary in that their creator cannot be arsed to make something resembling a fleshy git, and that they're usually sporting discarded flesh taken from dead orks, or bits removed from boyz getting superior augmetics. (or what passes for such among orks.) As such its not that unusual to see an orkish arm attached to a scrapmetal torso which is precariously balanced on an enormous iron ball that uses a crudely modified camera for a head or something equally haphazard. Chromeboyz however, are universally useful as disposable ambushes and a form of passive defense. Many a would be ambusher or combatant has tried taking cover behind what seems to be a pile of metallic garbage only to have the junk assume orkoid form and krump 'em.

Theyz pretty kunnin once dey get a hang uv dings.


Squiggadrones Something perhaps unique to the Strait Shootaz is their embrace of anything that aids in hitting a target, to this end they have carefully cultivated a breed of targetting squigs that soon find themselves integrated with markerlight drones. Partially via waauugh field and partially via augmetics these little monsters serve as an excellent recon, spotting, and accuracy tool.

Many Longarmz will rig a Squiggadrone with Tau stealth fields and paint them purple, to use as spotters on their sniping missions.



Da Fleet[edit]

Da Toof Chasa: Kaptan Blu Toof's flaghship, a rather small space hulk made of ork, imperial, and tau vessels. Though being a space hulk it still has roughly the mass of a city. A Hammer Battlecruiser serves as the core and fore of the vessel, a vanguard cruiser has, thanks to the warp, become wedged inside the Hammer battle cruiser and now serves as the main drive portion of the vessel. Two onslaught attack vessels just from underneath the hammer like forward facing tusks, they serve as a combination weapons platform and boarding tool. Between the 'teeth' a (much modified) Ryza Class nova cannon rests. five Claymore class cruisers have found themselves wedged into the mass of the space hulk in various places and since found their armaments relocated around the vessel to create an impressive broadside of macrocannons. Finally One Lar'shi cruiser and 4 Kir'shasvre (Castellan) Heavy Escort have since found themselves salvaged to create a surprisingly versatile dorsal and belly array of railcannons and ion batteries.

Da Choppa:

Da Choppiest Ship in da whole secta.

Da Choppa is Blu Toof's original vessel, and was painstakingly removed and restored after being mashed into the mass of Rokk and ship that is the Strait Shoota'z flagship. Frankly the vessel does a better job as an escort and interceptor rather than a source of spare parts for an orkish flagship. Da Choppa started life as the flagship for Shas'o Tyros and his attempts to bring the light of the greater good to the imperial fringe. This was brought to a disastrous halt first by Hive Fleet Manticore and later by Blu Toof crudely slamming a rokk into his ship, slaughtering most of the crew and enslaving the survivors. It has since served as an absolute terror to the Tau shipping ways and is made all the more dangerous for its orkish 'upgrades.' While it is true that the vessel has lost some functionality in its ion and railcannon batteries it makes up for this in the ramming mechanism made from one of its broken wings; which can detach. Indeed more than a few ships have found themselves sheared in half by a ' 'atchet toss manueva.'

Speshul Tactics

'Nid Shells: Via intent or luck a Tervigon has found itself entombed in Da Toof Chasa, incapable of escaping its tiny cell it sends Termagants out to acquire sustenance. This has lead to the local Orks believing they have Tyranid 'Pets.' In truth the vessel simply has an infestation of termagants. This has lead to an uneasy truce between Grots and the Tau and Human slaves the Orks keep. They form fortified conclaves in the space hulk and live on edge while boys, especially the Huntas, treat it as sport and look forward to a 'proppa foight' with their ship's erstwhile guests. As a consequence the ship and her crew make use of extremely unusual weapons. Hive Fleet Manticore favors bioplasma weapons and has a self destruct adaptation designed to deal with CQC specialists causing bioplasma armed forms to explode in a cloud of organic shrapnel and superheated plasma. As such the Huntaz have become skilled at capturing these creatures and forcing them into specially prepared shells fired at enemy vessels. More often than not the shells get shot down by defences or succumb to poor craftsmanship leading to an underwhelming explosion of steel and plasma. However sometimes the shells work as intended, penetrating the enemy's hull and creating a seal before bursting open to disgorge a cargo of furious termagants intent on burning everything they encounter to death.

'Nid 'Nades: Its also fairly common for the boyz to extract acid glands from 'nid battle forms and crudely tape them to stikkbombs. However sometimes the huntaz will manage to install a termagant inside a specially designed extractor which will 'milk' the creature of bio plasma which is then contained inside a crudely made bomb which will be unleashed on the enemy in due time.


Chromeshellz: Chromeboyz are garbage, literally. They're opportunistically made from whatever castoffs Dokta Krush and his assistants have on hand. They usually have simple purposes; hauling loot, shooting gits, cleaning tools and so on. Occasionally however they're crudely stuffed into shells and fired at the enemy. Sometimes they even manage a boarding action.

Notable Characters[edit]

Blu Toof in his combat regalia also a Kamikazee in the background.

Blu Toof: Its uncertain as to what exactly the freeboota coated his eponymous toof with but the fact remains that he has an obsession with luck, the color blue, plunder for profit, honest merk work, and accuracy in firing. This is due to an encounter with the Rogue Trader Frederick Froogalos on Hyacinthum Hortus, at the time a great orkish Wauugh composed of dozens of tribes raged through the sector. It found its end on a blue paradise world thanks to the efforts of both a Tau military force and Hive Fleet Manticore. Many of the boys were lost to the voracious maws of the tyranids. (indeed Hive Fleet Manticore explicitly targets orks above all other foes when given a choice.) But the real losses were served out by Tau Marksmen. Blu Toof set himself apart from his fellows by doing something relatively unheard of from orks. He asked the human who'd commissioned his small Merk Band to defend a settlement in exchange for surplus PDF gear for advice 'on how to stop gettin krumped.'

Froogalos answer was revolutionary for Blu Toof's shoota boys; Rifling. The loss of so many green skins to the tau lead to an obsession with the color blue as many orks figured the tau were lucky thanks to their blue skin and its lead to the Strait Shootaz obsession with marksmanship, the color blue, and looted Tau goods. For while Blu Toof simply considers the Tau an excellent source of loot many orks took offense to their losses and decided to out do the Tau at their own game.

Blu Toof can be categorized as charismatic for an ork, unusually so. He has proven capable of making tribes stand down and serve alongside him if not join his tribe all together. As a result the fleet make up of the Strait Shootas changes rather frequently but they're never without boys for the fight.

Magrumm Blakkrokka: The Huntaz are the remnants of Magrumm Blakkrokka's now finished gang, formerly a group of boyz on the verge of becoming their own Waauugh. The Blakk Fangz were a roughly even split of stormboyz and Kommandos with a healthy population of shootaboys all to eager to get stuck in. This changed when they attacked a Chimera Legion cruiser under the impression that Thodos was present on the vessel. In truth "Litany of Sutured Flesh' was an enormous trap designed to end the threat of the Blakk Fangz once and for all. In a way it worked, Magrumm's clan suffered irreparable losses. Only his kommando kadre remained. After the battle only one Orkish warboss reigned supreme, the freeboota Blu Toof and the ork in question offered Magrumm a wonderful offer- all the enemies he could ever hope to krump with the freedom to choose and engage beyond a direction of 'take dat loot' or 'krump dat git fer me.'

Magrumm himself is rarely seen, but surviving witnesses describe him mostly as "huge". Roughly the size of a Dreadnought and spattered in purple warpaint, the fact that he can manage to hide anywhere is a testament to his sneakiness. He sports a huge knife in one hand and a Powerklaw in the other, and can silently slice throats with either.

Many Orks, especially former warbosses would consider this insulting; but Magrumm and Blu Toof share a dedly kunnin'. Magruum wanted to krump spikey boyz and get revenge for his destroyed horde, Blu toof wanted a kommando who could beat a dreadnaught in an arm wrestling conquest. Both got what they wanted.

As a consequence the Huntaz are entirely Magrumm's creatures and will never be deployed without him.


Koonan Karlayl: Koonan is an ork of little imagination, he is however strongly guided by his Knowwotz and his genetic inclination is for killing things at a long distance. He started life as a Flash Git, but his exposure to withering Tau pulse rifle fire and jungle conditions lead to the adoption of kommando tactics. No matter how much he trains or how many ghillie suits he dons he is, at the end of the dayy, a flash git and will do his very best to find the biggest, meanest looking enemy and shoot him. That he happens to have a vehicle rated Tau railgun makes him frighteningly effective as sniper...after the first shot anyway. His grasp of the fairly visible nature of his weapon is in direct odds with his instinct as a Flash Git and he can't bring himself to make it more stelfy.

Dokta Krush: Krush is an odd figure among Orks, plenty of boyz have a knowwotz but not many have two. Perhaps that explains why Krush is so driven to experimentation, creating cyborks and tinboyz and fusing tau technology and ork biology to the creation of some terrifying whole. He is aloof, and usually so focused on his projects that becoming his personal slave is actually one of the better ways for Humans and Tau to survive. He'll usually train the slaves in question to maintain things (biological or technological, sometimes its unclear which is which frankly) and set them loose to perform their role as the busy bodies that keep the Tribe functioning.

A'Loh'Ha: Deranged Earthcaste Engineer who has embraced the Wauugh

Enginseer Wret: Long suffering servant to a rogue trader, since sold to Blu Toof for archeotech. Leads a faction of Rebels who play a careful game of shirking with their overlords.

Masha Magu: A Half Blind Kan specializing in sniping, excellent at hitting long distance targets but entirely reliant on his chain saw hoolahoop in CQC as it usually can't see anything close up.

Frederick Froogalos: A wily Rogue Trader who recognized Blu Toof's kunnin and bent it to his own ends, Froogalos has managed to barely skate by under the eye of the Inquisition, arguing that pointing the Strait Shootas towards the Tau has actually benefited the Imperium. He enjoys a large discount and exclusivity deals with the Strait Shootas.

Writefaggotry[edit]


On the Methods of Rationality and Dakka by NoGoodIDNames


"But boss, why we got to do dese drills? We ain't stormboyz, wot's der point?"

Kaptin Blu Toof opened his maw to shout, then shut it again. This, in itself, was a worrying sign. Ever since he'd talked to that Rogue Trader, ever since they'd looted those Tau, he'd started to think before he talked. To the average ork, it either meant the boss was going soft, or he was a real cunning git. Either of which was troubling.

"Boyz," he said, "I seen the troof. It be a hard troof, but dere ain't no denyin it. Da Trader showed me a piece ov it, but I had ta put it togever meself. Dis be a real theological troof, ya get me? I seen da troo difference, da divide... between Gork and Mork. Da troof about dakka itself. Me eyes 'ave beened opened."

He paused. There was silence. Every ork hung on his every word.

"Wot Gork thinks about dakka," he said, "is dat de more dakka yer firin', da better." He pivoted suddenly, leveling his new plasma gat at the ork who'd called out the question, a full two hundred meters away. Again, the orks marveled at the pause he took. The restraint it took, not to immediately fire, but to take the time to AIM.

The burst of blue plasma took the offending ork's head clean off. It staggered for a moment, then fell to the ground. The orks turned back to look at Blu Toof, who lowered his gat with a satisfied expression.

"But Mork," he said, "Mork don't believe dat. What Mork believe is, it don't matter how much dakka yer foirin."

He grinned.

"It's how much dakka HITS"


A Kunnin' Rendevous by NoGoodIDNames


"So why izzit," Blu Toof said, "Dat you won't join me Waaagh?"

Giblitz, Chief Diplomat of the Grotocracy, carefully studied the Warboss while he thought of a suitable response. From head to toe, Blu Toof was a classic Freeboota Kaptin; bedecked in teeth and loot with a fancy hat, and the twang of a Freeboota accent that crept into every Kaptin eventually.

But it was an act. Blu Toof played the part well, and certainly enjoyed doing it, but underneath the veneer of swashbuckelry was a mind known far and wide for bein ded cunnin. According to the orks they'd talked to, he was the wiliest ork in the sector. "When he stops talkin," they said, "dat's when he gets REAL cunnin. Dat's when hez THINKIN." This last word was always spoken in awe.

Which... was good. It was why they were doing business. When it came to cunnin, you'd be hard pressed to find warbands more Morky than the Scraplootas or the Strait Shootaz. But it also meant he had to be very, very careful.

"The Scraplootas are in a good position at the moment," he said. "We have a lot of good contracts, our numbers are growing, and we see no reason why we should give up our independence to join a Waaagh. We've got a good thing going."

Complete nonsense to a normal Warboss. The usual response would be shouting. Or confused shouting. Or violence. Generally violence. But this Kaptin, he just sat there, scratching his enormous blue fang.

Thinking.

After a bit he got up and started to walk around the room. It took a while. The room was enormous, a high-roofed and metal, jutting out crazily at angles and festooned with chains, hung with machinery. For the meeting they'd chosen neutral ground, the workshop of a freelance Mekboy they both did a roaring trade with. Of course, Giblitz had paid a hefty bribe to make sure... precautions, had been taken, should the meeting turn violent.

"'Ere's wot I fink." Blu Toof said. "Wot I fink, is dat you an' all yer Grotty boyz know you'se got a real lucky deal wiv dat Spikey Titan, cuz it lets ya do wot you want. An' yer scared, cuz if ye join a propah Waaagh, it'll be back de way it was before, wiv da Orks tellin yas wot ta do. So dat's why yer here, an' not Dursnik. Ta 'protect yer int-er-est'." Ye looked pointedly at Giblitz. "Duzze even know yer 'ere?"

"Of course he does," Giblitz said, stonefaced. That, at least was true. "The Warboss trusts our judgment." That was... less so. Dursnik wasn't a stupid ork, as far as Warbosses went, and he had some notion that the grots on his titan were getting a lot more cunnin than other grots. To this end, he'd asked...er, commanded the grotocracy for "a real cunnin git" to talk out a trade deal with the Strait Shootas. And the grotocracy, in the interests of maintaining the delicate balance of power between Titan and Klan, had sent Giblitz.

Blu Toof eyed him for a good long moment, and Giblitz had the unnerving thought that the Kaptin, in his patient way, was figuring out exactly that. There was silence.

Suddenly Blu Toof guffawed. "Dat's business oi can appreciate, ya sneaky grot!" He sat back down and took a swig of ale from a tanker bigger than the grot's head. Giblitz untensed the slightest bit. "Now, wot's this here deal again? You wants all der loot we'z gotz from dem spikey Koimeera Legion, so's ye can fix up yer Titan, and wot we get iz..."

As if he'd actually forgotten. "The Purvis contract, the Mon'kei contract, six barrels of finest squigale and a purebred Tootheater Squig."

"Roight, roight." The Freeboota paused. "Eard ya got a Bluie on yer Titan. Oi can always use more o'dem."

"Not for sale," Giblitz said firmly.

Blu Toof's eyes narrowed. He erupted suddenly from his chair, slamming his fists on the table and roaring full-blast at the grot.

And all hell broke loose.

At Blu Toof's roar, two Scraploota Boyz burst through the door behind Giblitz with raised choppas, only to halt as the door behind Blu Toof slammed open and four blue-painted Shoota Boyz leveled their Tau-augmented shootas at them, grinning. The same grins vanished as they felt the prick of enormous serrated knives, wielded by the Kommandos that had dropped down behind them.

A large pile of rubbish in the corner came to life as three Tin Boyz. They in turn were swarmed by a horde of grots popping from every conceivable nook and cranny in the room, who proceeded to pry at the robot's joints until they became aware of the laser sights sweeping across them from the rafters.

The rafters themselves unfolded to become long, painted railguns, the decorative lighting ('why did I think there would be decorative lighting in a mekboy shop', thought Giblitz) in fact the helmeted heads of the Strait Shootas' infamous snipers.

A crude rocket smashed itself into pieces to reveal half a dozen Scraploota Stormboyz, who rocketed towards the snipers in a blast of exhaust. Halfway there they were intercepted by the Strait Shootas' own Stormboyz, jumping from their custom drones to tackle the Scraplootas to the ground.

As the climax of the grand crescendo, an entire wall of the room fell outwards, exposing a looted Leman Russ tank crewed by grots. Everyone froze as it rumbled forward a meter or two, then stopped. The turret suddenly gave out the sound of gasping hydraulics and sagged downwards.

A grot popped up from the tank's hatch. "Pump feed's gone missin', boss," he said. "Can't find it anywhere."

Blu Toof started to chuckle. It grew and grew until he was laughing uncontrollably. "Dat sneaky mek!" he wheezed. "Looks loike e's more cunnin den either ov us!"

He managed to calm himself down. "Well den," he said, "Looks loik we've got ourselves a standoff. Wot do ya t'ink we should do about dat?"

Giblitz became aware, in the silence, of faint noises of a struggle coming from above the ceiling. He'd put his last ace in the whole up there, but judging by the cries of "OI IZ DA NOIGHT" and "Oh, yer a big one, ain't yez!", Derknitt, Snekkit, and Rockeater had become occupied with fighting some... thing, in the hidden space. They seemed to be having some difficulty.

He tried to think. It was a test, wasn't it? The average ork, he wouldn't hesitate to scrap it out like this. But Blu Toof was ded cunnin, they all said. He wouldn't waste his boyz on a fight like this. In that case, there was only one thing to do. He set his jaw and looked at Blu Toof. "I fink we should 'ave it out," he said. "Just you an' me."

Finally, he managed to surprise the Kaptin. His mouth swung open, his tooth angled crazily. "U wot?" he managed.

"Me an' you, scrap it out." Giblitz said. "If yez think yer 'ard enuff."

There was another long pause. The temporarily paused brawl of orks, locked at each others throats, looked at the Freeboota as he stood there. Thinking.

And suddenly he was laughing again, in great bursts that were almost as intimidating as his roaring. "You cheeky grot!" he said. "Oi fink I 'ave you pinned and you go and do dat!"

As one, the ork klans released their holds and separated, standing awkwardly.

"Wot oi say iz, we getz da Purvis contract, da Monkay contract, AND de Orvitur contract," Blu Toof said. "An' I'll give ya de spoils from da next raid we hit dem spiky boyz wiv. I'll even frow in a noice 'ammerhead gun, you can mount on yer Titan." He paused. "An' dis tankard 'ere. Oi know ol' Dursnik loikes cups'n'such."

"That... will be acceptable," said Giblitz.

They shook hands, one completely enveloped in the other's. The ork forces began filing out.

At the last moment, Blu Toof turned back. "Oh, one more fing."

"Magrumm!" he shouted at the ceiling. "Give 'em back deir pump feed!"

A battered pump feed dropped from the ceiling. The sounds of fighting resumed.



Excerpt from: “Under Da Boot: Slave Life among the Greenskins”


My job amidst their indentured forces was to deliver ammo to the ork shootas, as they practice their aim in the grand shooting range. A task commonly filled by their smaller kin, the grots. Blue Toof’s care for not wasting materials lended him to use humans and tau while on the range, so that we didn’t just refill an ork weapon infinitely and waste valuable ammunition. To think I waited on these Xeno filth like a common house servant, it nearly stains my noble soul. But this is not the strangest twist on what I’m informed is common ork behaviour.

By only giving the orks on the range a set amount of munitions, a test of gunnery knowledge is laid. Most of the orks run out of ammunition at around the same time, roaring and complaining that they ran out of ammo and eventually leaving the grounds to eat or commit some other xeno atrocity. But a few of the boys always seem to be a bit slower, remaining in the room a while after their brethren. Often this is just a weapon malfunction, or the boy’s a git. But on occasion one of the shootas has some deeper insight. This is far more frequent to see when Blue Toof himself makes an appearance, giving the ork equivalent to a rousing speech on how important it is to hit your target when you fire at it.

Most recently, one ork named ‘Nadesmasha, remained on the range alone when the Kaptain approached him. Translated from orkish dialect, He asked the boy why he was taking so long to fire his shots. The reply was since the range targets weren’t moving, he wasn’t in danger, and could take his time shooting at them so all the targets were hit. That way he got the most dakka out of his bullets, since if they all hit, he got the most dakka out of his gun. Blue toof laughed then called me over, refilling the orks ammo with 50 shots. He then threatened the boy, giving him 1 minute to hit each of the 30 targets down range, or he’d “Krump is zoggin ‘ead off”.

I counted 60 seconds through the repeated gun shots aloud for them, not that you could well hear anything with a Ork Shoota going off next to you. Shell after shell rang out, a flurry sustained by the now terrified boys roar as he fired. When I reached 60, Blue toof yanked the gun out of the boyz hand, and counted two shells remaining. I almost interjected myself to point out the ork put to the test had only successfully hit 22 of the 30 targets, but the Kaptain didn’t even bother looking.

He grasped the boyz shoulder, and they walked off to the armory. It took me a year to realize the ork warboss knew he could just let the orks have all the ammo they want in a proper fight, and they’d turn the tides of battle. It was not wasting it under pressure that he was after. So strong is his desire for loot, and impressed that the young ork had not wasted it, that ‘Nadesmasha was given charge of some vaguely Tau looking energy weapon and told to join the ranks of the Loota’s that day.