LeonidasAndCollin

The following article is a /tg/ related story or fanfic. Should you continue, expect to find tl;dr and an occasional amount of awesome.

Leonidas And... "Collin" is a tale told to /tg/ by a Deathwatch Game Master, relating to the adventures of a Kill Team involving two That Guys which started out pretty fail but ended up kind of awesome.

The story

I originally posted this as part of another thread that dealt in THAT GUY's. People seemed interested, but the thread seems to be being given a cold shoulder now, so I thought I'd make a thread specifically about it.

I was DMing a Deathwatch campaign. First session, peeps all came with their character sheets. We had two Space Wolves (made by two friends who were best mates) called Fenrir and Wulfgang. We had a Novamarine named Angelion (played by a 13 year old who, I swear, was the most mature member of the group). We had a Black Templar called Karel.

I'd like you to know, /tg/, that we had not one, but two THAT GUY's in our group. These were: Leonidas, a Dark Angel who I swear was lifted straight from the film 300, and an Ultramarines scout who, I shit you not, was called Collin.

Leonidas' player was a friend that I'd known for a long time, so I thought he'd be cool, how wrong I was. "Collin's" player was the younger cousin of Fenrir's player, who insisted on jumping in a quarter of the way through the plot.

I had a good campaign sorted, and I was confident everything would turn out fine... After the campaign, I wanted to tear my own leg off and beat the above THAT GUYs with it.

I will use the names of the characters involved, for privacy's sake, rather than the actual names of my players.

The campaign I devised revolved around some rapidly disintegrating negotiations between a Planetary Governor and some Tau ambassadors who had been trading with the planet until a year before the start of the campaign.

The Astronomic Array

The very first mission I devised involved capturing an Astronomic Array on the edge of a canyon, which had fallen into the hands of feral Orks. Leonidas, of his own accord, had decided right from the start that he'd rather destroy the Array, rather than letting it stay in Ork hands for even a small majority of the game.

As soon as the group were in range, he completely ruined the silent approach we had decided on by shouldering his missile launcher (He was a Devastator) and demolishing the Array, despite the protests of other players. Fenrir, one of the Space Wolves, was a THIS GUY, and being the opposite of Leionidas, suggested that the party get to the Array anyway to see if they can save any of the technology.

So, they reach the Array, and the Tau diplomat trapped there (rescuing him would have helped to balance out the failing negotiations) was trapped in the rubble. Wulfgang and Angelion lay down fire to keep the feral Orks back while Fenrir pulls the diplomat from the wreckage.

After the combat has ended, I expect my players to question the diplomat on why he was there, what he was doing, etc. As soon as the conversation starts, Leonidas declares that "We should not speak to the xenos filth!" and spartan kicks him over the edge of the cliff (I can't believe I allowed him to roll for this, but it was the first game, and he was still in my good books then).

The team never found out who the diplomat was, and shit only went downhill from there.

Return to Base

Second session now, and due to the Array being destroyed, the team now cannot call in an airlift. What's more, they also encounter a Guardsman, the last survivor of a patrol that fell prey to the Orks, who informs them that since both the Array and the diplomat were destroyed/killed, the Imperials and Tau are at a stand-off at a nearby Hive City.

So, the team now have to trek across a desert to reach the city, taking the lone Guardsman with them. This was my first attempt to guide the team via an NPC. It failed miserably.

In this game, the team were to fight more Ork patrols, and Kroot carnivores who were scouting for the Tau forces. Fenrir was now the group's acting leader, and declared a strategy in a bit of dialogue.

Because the terrain was fairly flat, the team would divide into three groups, one would lay down a barrage of covering fire against the Orks and Kroot who weren't occupied with killing each other, whilst the other team would advance to another point, and the third group acted as a rearguard. The Guardsman also suggested that the teams alternate, so as not to put too much strain on one group.

The teams were organised thusly: Fenrir and Wulfgang (of course) went on approach, sprinting to the next piece of terrain on the board while Angelion and Karel laid down covering fire, and Leonidas brought up the rear.

Things went well for the team the first few turns. Then Leonidas decided to play hero.

As stated before, a good majority of Kroot and Orks were satisfied with fighting each other, and the Deathwatch were only picking off those who had broken away from the fight. But as we got nearer to the engagement, shit unavoidably hit the fan.

As soon as the group were within range, Leonidas charged the group, swinging his missile launcher like a blunt weapon. The rest of the group kind of shrugged and followed suit.

(I ought to point out, at this point, that out-of-game, Leonidas is quite casual about his Xenos hate, and usually jokes about it. However, when he gets his game face on, he really hates anything non-Imperium. And practically worships SM.)

The injured Guardsman, despite his wounds, went into the fray to help the Deathwatch (I felt they could use all the help they could get), and was unavoidably dropped to single-digits pretty quickly. As their only guide, the stranded team (most of them, anyway) fell in to defend the Guardsman. Angelion was separated from the group, and was cut down by a large number of Kroot.

The Guardsman continued to take hits, and, determined not to see my players slaughtered in the second game, I announced that the Imperials had been tracking the Deathwatch, and had called an air strike to fend off the xenos. The Guardsman, unfortunately, was severely wounded and close to death (I felt like being dramatic), and pleaded with Leonidas to help him back to the Hive. Leonidas decided the Guardsman was a liability and would lsow them down, and decided to instead shoot said Guardsman in the head with his bolt pistol.

The group boarded one of the Valkyries sent to pick them up, and made for the Hive City, where they would receive further instruction from "A warrior of some repute", as well as receiving reinforcements. (The reinforcements were to be Angelion's new character, and -sigh- Collin).

VIP Capture

Third mission, and the group are at the Hive City, in a docking area where the Valkyries belonging to the local PDF and Guard regiments are housed.

(I'll give a little bit of a back-story to Collin. Out-of-game, Collin is home tutored, likes the sound of his own voice, and can't get along with a group consisting of more than three people. He knows very little of 40K background outside of the Ultramarines, and his characters are all invariably Ultrasmurfs. Fenrir had approached me during the week, and said "Look, I'm looking after my cousin this Saturday. I don't want to leave him alone in the house, and he can't go off on his own. Can he come to the next session?" I was assured that Collin "Knew his stuff", and so I said "Yeah, okay.")

Big mistake, right there...

So, Valkyrie hanger, and the group are introduced three new characters. The first is Angelion's new character, a Blood Angel specialising in close combat. The second is my second attempt at a party NPC, a Deathwatch Black Shield sent to oversee the group and prevent a repeat of the Astronomic Array calamity.

The there was Collin. Collin was an Ultrasmurf scout, armed with a sniper rifle, who had committed deeds high beyond his station (In his background, he took on a Slaaneshi sorceress single-handed and came out on top, then "did things" to her while waiting for reinforcements.I should, then and there, said "No, you can watch instead.")

Angelion's intro was simply this: "I stand in the corner, observing the new arrivals with a cold, unwavering gaze." (< This from a 13 year old! The kid's amazing.)

I introduced the nameless Black Shield as a man of little words, who briefly explained the situation in the city to the team members (The Tau were preparing to mobilize, and the Imperials had their guns trained on the forces gathered outside the city).

Collin introduced himself as follows: "I hide under the wing of a gunship, and jump out and scare the shit out of you all as you go past!"

After Collin does his intro, a collective sigh goes up amongst the group, but I figure its only for one game, so we can put up with his shit.

The Black Shield gave the group their briefing for the next mission, and, as things had escalated so quickly, the Imperials had decided that the best course of action was to capture a Tau representative, specifically an Ethereal, to use in a hostage situation and throw the Tau onto the back foot. This would give the Imperials a distinct advantage, as the Tau wouldn't make a move while the Imperials had one of their spiritual leaders held captive, and would be forced to negotiate.

It was a bargaining chip, and I thought it was a brilliant idea, so did the group. But I guess some people just love killing too much to consider the possibility of staving off a mobilised Cadre with minimum losses.

The Ethereal had fled the Hive Spire where negotiations had failed, taking his bodyguard of XV8's with him, and was now heading for the nearest exit to the Hive. The group were shipped out in a Rhino APC to a point where they could directly intercept the Ethereal, and capture both him and his bodyguards in an ambush.

The ambush site was a Hab district near to the city's southern entrance. I had given all of the squad jump packs (Bar Leonidas, cuz Devastator, and Collin, cuz dickwheel scout Ultrasmurf). The plan, devised once again by Fenrir, involved Collin manipulating the Ethereal into taking the route through the Hab district (which he would have taken anyway, fyi), and once in, the others would jump down from the rooftops and block the exits whilst Leonidas, having traded his missile launcher out for a heavy bolter, would lay down an arc of fire as a distraction while the others closed in.

Shit happened right from the start.

Here's an idea of the map for you.

The Hab district is shaped like a T junction. To the north, where the road splits, Leonidas is hunkered down behind some cover thrown together from bits of Hab block (I allowed the group a little setup time before starting the scenario. On top of the east building is Karel, the Black Templar. On top of the west building is Angelion's Blood Angel. On top of the North building, (Who would have guessed?) are Fenrir and Wulfgang. Collin (God! such a stupid name for a Space Marine!) is stationed to the south, armed with demolitions to hem the Tau in.

So, the scenario begins, and Collin voxes the others that the Tau have entered the ambush site. This is a direct quote "Three mother-fuckin' mechs, and an ugly goat man." (Ultrasmurfs are the NOBLE sons of Robot Gillettemuff, right?)

Bear in mind the firepower of XV8's, and our group knew that the best chance of taking them out was to get close and strike quick. Instead of using the demolitions to bring down the hab block at the far end of the street, Collin, without voxing the rest of the group, picks up his rifle, takes aim and fires...at the Ethereal.

Dumb fuck.

So, the Tau are now prematurely alerted to the Deathwatch's presence, and the Ethereal is still alive anyway (Collin failed his crits, amongst other things). The marines jump from their positions to intercept the fleeing Tau, and what followed next was pretty much carnage. Leonidas could have salvaged the situation by laying down suppressive fire, but instead focusses fire on the Ethereal, managing to kill him but not in time to help the others. One of the battlesuits fires at Collin, and fails to take him down, instead setting off the detonations he was meant to set off. This collapses a Hab block on top of Collin, Fenrir and Karel. No-one is dead, but to replicate the utter fuck-up they made, I ruled that they were all incapacitated for the rest of the scenario.

Collin, Fenrir and Karel are out of it. The latter two know who to blame.

This leaves Leonidas, Wulfgang, Angelion's Blood Angel, and the Black Shield.

Now that the Ethereal was dead, the XV8's were making for the gate with haste. Leonidas is now taking his role seriously, and is laying down covering fire for the others while they pursue the battlesuits. Wulfgang and the Black Shield are charging, Wulfgang with his two-handed chain-axe, and the BS with his shield and power sword. Angelion is firing off pot shots with his plasma pistol, hoping to glance the retreating battlesuits.

We follow them all the way to the southern gate (I had to extend the map using cardboard boxes and books, FML!) in what can only be described as a very close game of jump-pack leapfrog. After fleeing through the gate, the Tau turn and collapse said gate on top of Wulfgang and Angelion, leaving Leonidas and the BS the only two not buried under rubble or wounded.

Now, I try to stay out of group decisions as much as possible as a DM, and I asked Leonidas if he wished to dig out his fallen comrades. He denied, stating "We should avenge their deaths, that they should not have died in vain!" The others tried pointing out to him that they weren't dead under the rubble, but he was having none of it.

None of the group were dead, a spectacular accomplishment considering the fuck-up that Leonidas and Collin made of the ambush, but a few were injured, and most were buried.

It was here that the group split up, and we played out three different scenarios before getting to the climax (those who were part of a different group played temp characters.)

Imperial Highway

This event takes place immediately after the Hab District ambush. Leonidas and the Black Shield are in hot pursuit of the XV8's, the rest of us are a group of marauding Ork Lootaz looking for gubbinz ter sell.

The board for this was basically a long, narrow one that consisted of the Highway and a thin strip of the surrounding desert. The Highway had been abandoned in a hurry, leaving things like bikes and vehicles loaded with ammunition supplies scattered along its length. The Deathwatch started at one end of the Highway, and the Battlesuits started a little way ahead.

We said for the sake of a fair game that, seeing as Leonidas had no jump pack, and the BS' was probably ditched in the pursuit, that the Tau battlesuits had sustained enough damage to cut off their jump packs.

The Ork Lootaz started out on the ground below the highway, and would have to climb a flight of stairs to get onto it. If the Tau were quick enough, they'd be able to squeeze by the Orks and make it home with no trouble. The Deathwatch weren't about to let that happen easily, though.

Leonidas once again had a missile launcher, this one salvaged along the way. The BS was armed with a combi-bolter, underslung plasma gun. We opted that, rather than weaving out way through the maze of abandoned vehicles, we would instead climb up and over the vehicles. In the meantime, the Orks had become distracted in blowing up some of the oil barrels down at the side of the Highway.

We made good speed climbing over the vehicles, and even managed to fire off some pot shots at the Tau. Leonidas obliterated a Chimera right next to one of the suits, causing it a decent amount of shrapnel damage, whilst the BS managed to get the shield of another down after a few shots.

Unfortunately, by the time we got near to the Tau, the Orks were up on the Highway and right in our path.

We decided, ultimately, that the BS (Me, if you hadn't already realised) would stay and deal with the Orks, leaving Leonidas' character to run on alone.

I took position atop a battered old Land Raider, and started to fire at the Orks as they surrounded the vehicle. (These Orks were our other players, Karel, Fenrir, Wulfgar, and Angelion, each controlled two.) Making a good start, the BS managed to take down two in the first turn of engagement, leaving a total of six left standing. But I know you're more interested in Leonidas.

He jumped a few more vehicles over the course of the game, and even managed to down one of the battlesuits with a pot shot while the BS was picking bits of Ork off his Power Armour, but it wasn't enough.

As the game's end drew nigh, we saw that there was no way Leonidas would catch up to the Tau. He opted for a different approach instead.

The Imperial Highway is supported by colossal struts jutting out of the ground, and at that point in time, the Tau were over one of those struts. I won't go into detail, but what happened next is as follows:

Leonidas ran to the side of the Highway. Leonidas jumped over. Leonidas fired his missile launcher in mid air. Leonidas passed his crits. Leonidas blew a massive portion of the highway and sent two battlesuits and a metric fuck-ton of ammunitions supplies, along with two transports, plummeting to the ground, where they exploded. Leonidas lands with minor injuries.

And that was the Imperial Highway.

Scout's Promise

We pick up roughly a day after the Hab District incident. Wulfgang and Angelion have voxed in at the eastern gate, and are joining the defence. Nothing has been heard from Leonidas and the Black Shield yet, though a large explosion was noted a little way south-east along the Imperial Highway at around midday the previous day

While most of the Cadre is attacking from the east, a small detachment primarily consisting of drones and Pathfinders has cut around the Hive to strike at the city's heart through the southern gate.

Now, we'd all put up with Collin's shit for an entire scenario, and several dialogue sessions. We all agreed prior to that saturday (even Fenrir) that it was time to say farewell to Collin.

Now, in this scenario, a detachment of Adeptus Arbites had come by request of Wulfgang and Angelion to dig out the Space Marines. Unfortunately, Karel had died in the rubble, leaving only Collin (yeuch!) and Fenrir. Now, I haven't highlighted any of Karel's achievements, but I may do so at a later date, in honour of his memory.

In one strenuous bit of two-way dialogue, Fenrir and the five Arbites managed to convince Collin to stay at the gate and defend it while Fenrir made a dash through the city to reach the Eastern gate and inform them of the collapse at the south (they didn't know that Wulfgang and Angelion had already gotten there).

Collin jumped at a chance for command of the Arbites. Unfortunately, he wasn't that great, his plan consisting of setting us all out in a line and letting him pick off the enemy while we functioned as a human meat shield. So, we followed this plan on the basis that it would get him killed as well as the dispensable Arbites characters.

Turn 1. Collin, armed with a shotgun, manages to down a Pathfinder, and damages two drones. Two Arbites go down (Fenrir's and Angelion's). Leonidas' and Karel's Arbites move into charging range, and do just that, taking three pathfinders down and damaging another drone.

Turn 2. Collin fires, taking down one drone, damaging another, and manages to make a Pathfinder jump about a foot in the air. Wulfgang's Arbitus goes down, after being riddled with plasma fire. Leonidas and Karel continue slaughtering the Pathfinders in close quarters, and are joined by my own Arbites.

Turn 3. I neglected to mention Collin's wounds. Although a lot of us have gone down due to overwhelming numbers of Pathfinders, Collin has still taken a lot of fire, and is on single-digits. He isn't phased by this, and hasn't caught on yet that we're conspiring to get rid of him. So he continues fighting, failing miserably to kill anything (He added another wound to a drone). Mine and Leonidas' Arbites are downed, after taking down a good few Pathfinders with us.

Turn 4. Collin brings down one more Pathfinder, before being vaporised by the sheer amount of plasma being poured into his body. At this point, the dialogue proceeded as follows:

Me: "The enemy finally overwhelms you, peppering you with pulse fire until-" Collin: "What?" Me: "You're dead." Collin: "Fuck you, no I'm not!" Fenrir: "GM knows best, man..." Collin: "Fuck you all! Its a shit game anyway! You all only play it because you can't get laid!"

At this point, he threw his scout across the room and stormed out. We had pizza.

I asked Karel afterwards if he'd like to build a new character for next week's game. He declined, asking instead if he could play the Arbites, his being the only one to survive.

Sewer Rats

Sewer Rats was a little different than the other games, in that the map represented more of a Space Hulk than anything else. It was basically a massive, winding system of corridors with ladders at two ends, and a chamber where a cult of Genestealer hybrids were located.

Basically, the main objective was for Angelion and Wulfgang to reach the opposite ladder, ploughing through as many enemies as possible along the way. They decided to do this by taking the left passage from the ladder, which, when followed along, would lead them directly into the main chamber, where the majority of the cult was situated. From there they would take another left, then a right, and then would follow that corridor along until they reached the ladder.

The whole game went according to plan, proving that the two things that were wrong with our campaign were out of the way. Once they reached the main chamber, shit really went down.

But think on this...

A Blood Angel, and a Space Wolf, easily two of the most terrifying chapters in the Imperium, and this poor Genestealer cult has the misfortune to have one of each charging into their sanctuary, screaming at the top of their lungs and armed with roaring chain weaponry. Suffice to say, most of the cultists failed their Don't-shit-your-pants rolls. Those that didn't were summarily cut down by the two enraged Space Marines, who then proceeded to chase the other cult members through the sewers instead of going straight for the ladder.

None survived the onslaught of the Blood Angel and the Space Wolf. Twilight? Bitch please!

In a nice, summary little bit of dialogue, the two emerged to find the Imperials being hard-pressed by the Tau, who were making their final assault as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky as red as the ground.

The Eastern Gate

This scenario was simply called The Eastern Gate.

It was kind of a big thing for the players, as their characters were all being reunited. Half the board was a cityscape, whilst the other half was the beginning of the east-bound branch of the Imperial Highway and the surrounding desert. The gate itself was bang-on center of the board, and being defended by twenty Guardsmen along with an entrenched Basalisk. Wulfgang and Angelion started the game at a sewer hatch just inside the gate. Fenrir and Karel's Arbiter started at the far end of the cityscape, and would have to run to join the defence. Leonidas and the Black Shield were outside the gate, on approach from the south.

The Imperial Guard were faced with a little over twice their number in Tau Fire Warriors. Add to this four Stealth Suits already inside the walls and three Devilfish with two Gun Drones each, and you could tell that the odds of surviving weren't great. You might be thinking "But they have a Basalisk...", well, here's the catch...

The Basalisk's targeting cogitators have been taken out via a Tau disruptor signal, effectively rendering it useless. This is what leads me to the objectives. Each team of survivors had different objectives, which were essential if the Eastern Gate were to hold.

Wulfgang and Angelion: As the first two to make it to the Eastern Gate, Wulfgang and Angelion were tasked by Imperial command with helping to bolster the Imperial defence, and to keep as many Tau as possible from breaking the line. As both were armed with melee weapons, I placed two twin-linked heavy bolter turrets on the gate's battlements, to allow them a little extra "pow".

Fenrir and the Arbiter (Karel): After a dash through the city, the destination was in sight for the lone Space Wolf and his exhausted accomplice. But after establishing contact with Imperial command, the two were made aware of the Stealth Suits already in the city, which were headed for the power generators keeping the gate shut. Thus their objective was to track down and kill the Stealth Suits before they destroyed all the generators.

Leonidas and the Black Shield: I decided that the only way to truly make Leonidas happy was to let him do what he did best: Hating Xenos and blowing shit up. So, I made his objective a simple one. Destroy the Devilfish. This would strand the Tau, take out their support, and prevent them from making an organised withdrawl, meaning that their only way out would be through the desert, or along the Highway, where they would easily be tracked by the Imperials. As Leonidas' Missile Launcher alone wouldn't be enough, I stated that he had established contact with the Imperial defenders, and could manually call in an artillery strike from the otherwise useless Basalisk.

The setup was ready, so were the players. It was truly the beginning of the end.

Fenrir and Karel's Arbiter took their go first. Moving north through a foundry, the first Stealth Suit came into view, just on the other side of a wall from a Generator. Fenrir strafed and launched a hail of distracting bolter fire, while the Arbiter closed in with his power mace and storm shield. The Battlesuit took a few wounds, but nothing major, and responded with a burst of fire that Fenrir shrugged off.

Wulfgang and Angelion moved up the battlements, but could do little else this turn, save for lobbing a few grenades that failed to cause any more than a few wounds and one death. The Guardsmen holding the gate fired off a couple of volleys of las shots that did little damage to the Tau overall. In retaliation, the Tau opened up fire on those Guardsmen (roughly half) stationed on the battlements of the gate, killing three of them outright and wounding another couple.

Leonidas and the BS moved north, keeping close to the wall until they came within range of the nearest Devilfish. There was no cause for subtlety here: The BS opened fire with his combi-bolter, downing three Fire Warriors, while Leonidas shouldered his missile launcher and fired, damaging the Devilfish, which was shortly finished off by the Basalisk destroying one of its engines and sending the vehicle ploughing sideways into the ground. The Tau's return fire wounded the BS, but not enough to worry anyone at this time.

Over in the city, Fenrir continued to distract the Stealth Suit until Karel's Arbiter got within melee range and finished it off with a well-placed blow from his power maul. Seeing as the generator (One of two) hadn't been touched, they decided it was safe to actively seek out the other battlesuits, instead of waiting on that one.

Wulfgang and Angelion reached the heavy bolter emplacements, and began to lay down some punishing firepower, killing roughly four Fire Warriors and wounding a fifth.

Another exchange happened between the Imperial Guard and the Tau, with the Guardsmen coming off the worse for it. Two more dead, and another two wounded; It seemed the Guardsmen were dropping like flies, with a quarter of their forces already dead.

Leonidas and the BS advanced once again towards the Tau line, and opened up once more. The BS managed to wound a few more Tau, but Leonidas' missile went wide of its target, killing three Fire Warriors instead of the intended Devilfish. The Tau returned fire, battering the Marines a little but causing no drastic damage.

Fenrir and Karel move closer to the wall and intercept another two stealth suits. Faced with two enemies, Fenrir hunkers down and spreads a wide arc of fire from cover while Karel's Arbiter takes a longer route around to take them with surprise. Fenrir manages to damage one of the stealth suits, but also takes a few wounds himself as they hammer away at his cover.

Wulfgang and Angelion continue to spread fire amongst the Tau, but Angelion's bolter placement is destroyed, relieving him of a few wounds and denying him an effective means to continue fighting.

Leonidas makes up for his earlier fault by calling in an artillery strike, which hits home at the front of the Devilfish's hull, making the vehicle plough nose-first into the dirt. Then, for the sake of killing, him and the BS lay waste to another five Tau. Things seem to be going okay for the team, despite a few minor fuck-ups.

Karel's Arbiter reaches the stealth suits, and manages to fuck one over with his power mace. However, the other quickly takes note and turns its attention on the Arbiter, who is both lightly armoured and out in the open. The Arbiter is quickly reduced to just a few wounds before Fenrir manages to gun the stealth suit down.

Angelion, now deprived of his twin-linked heavy bolter, decides to jump the battlements with his chain sword and start laying waste to more Tau while Wulfgang offers support from the battlements above.

The game pretty much lies with Leonidas' group and Fenrir's group at this point. At this point, Leonidas and the BS are slaughtering their way into the range of the third Devilfish, which is currently chewing up the Guardsmen lined along the wall. Unfortunately, both are taking as much damage as they're dealing now, and only just get within distance of the third Devilfish. Leonidas calls in the artillery, but the blast goes completely wide and doesn't hit anything.

Fenrir and Karel's Arbiter manage to track down the final stealth suit, but not before it does a good deal of damage to the second generator. Fenrir opens up, dealing damage to the suit, but before the Arbiter can get close, he is gunned down by the stealth suit, leaving Fenrir to fight on alone.

As Angelion slaughters his way through the Tau lines, more of their firepower is directed at him, and the fearless Blood Angel's health begins to deteriorate rapidly. At this point, Wulfgang also says "Fuck you" to his twin-linked bolters and leaps the wall to join his battle brother, taking a wound from the fall along the way. Unfortunately, the Devilfish switches targets to Wulfgang and opens fire, taking a good chunk of his HP in one go, due to the unforgiving nature of the dice gods.

As they continue to advance, the BS is shot down by the superior Tau tech, leaving Leonidas alone to destroy the Devilfish. By now, Leonidas was well within firing distance of the Devilfish, and we were all waiting for him to loose off another rocket. Instead, he did something completely unexpected. Leonidas charged the Devilfish, leapt onto it and dumped a missile directly into its top hatch, detonating the entire vehicle. Leonidas the Dark Angel miraculously survived this ordeal, being blown up with the tank, but dropped so many wounds in the process that he would effectively be out for the rest of the game.

This was effectively end-game, but we decided to carry on, just to see how the other two groups fared.

In the city, Fenrir continued to pound the stealth suit with bolter fire, before finishing it off with a krak grenade, ensuring that the generators were safe and the gate held.

At the gate itself, Angelion and Wulfgang were chasing down the retreating Tau. OOCly we were beginning to congratulate each other on what had been an entertaining game, but fate wasn't done with the Deathwatch yet. Wulfgang had been taking serious damage from the Fire Warriors and the Devilfish, and had lost almost as much health in the previous turn as a lot of characters had all game. As the Tau retreated, some remained to cover their comrades. It just so happened that they focussed their fire on Wulfgang, killing him in the final moments of the engagement. It was an Imperial victory, but at the cost of two good Space Marines and one Adeptus Arbiter.

Epilogue

In the following weeks, the Imperials received reinforcements and mounted a counter attack that drove the Tau off the planet. The Planetary Governor was summarily executed for dealing with Xenos and bringing war down upon his people.

Brother Fenrir of the Space Wolves personally escorted the remains of his battle-brother, Wulfgang, back to Fenris so that the proper rites could be administered by the Wolf Priests before burial.

The unnamed Black Shield was given a marble memorial stone in the plaza just behind the Eastern Gate, along with a second, smaller marble memorial dedicated to the lone Arbiter who later became somewhat of a saint to the people of the city.

Fenrir returned to his service in the Deathwatch, and never saw home again.

Angelion's Blood Angel returned to Baal after his service time was up, and went on to become a Captain, and eventually joined the Honour Guard, before his death many years later.

The original Angelion (Novamarine) was sent home, where his Gene seed was used to create a battle brother who bore Angelion's name, and went on to commit countless acts of valour before he too signed up with the Deathwatch.

The remains of the Black Templar, Karel, were dug out from the ruined Hab Block, and were picked up by a Black Templar ship passing through the system.

Leonidas was severely wounded, and underwent bionic enhancement in both legs and an arm, and returned to active duty within the Dark Angels, earning the rank of Devastator Sergeant soon after. He never forgot the looks on the xenos' faces when he dumped a primed explosive in their vehicle.

Collin's remains were never recovered. The Ultramarines sent a communication saying that they trusted the planetary officials to give him a good send-off. It is speculated that he was burnt along with the Tau corpses.