Refugees of the Storm - Chapter III

The Crash

Pax Tyrannis vs Titanes Profundorum
(Venators vs Goliath)
Location: Debris Field Theta-9, outskirts of Roadport Omega

The air hangs thick with powdered metal and scorched rubber. Towering wreckage looms in every direction—rusted hulls, collapsed fuel lines, broken cranes, and a labyrinth of armored containers that stretch to the horizon like tombstones for a dying city.

Two scouts of Pax Tyrannis—Ersta Kalt and Gunter—had ventured into this desolation, combing for supplies or survivors. They found neither. What they did find was a shifting container stack, and a moment later, several tonnes of plasteel crushed down, burying both under a twisted slab of war freight.

Now, Pax Tyrannis advances—wary, determined, methodical. Marshal Otger von Vossfeld leads the squad in, issuing terse commands. Captain Oren Brandt takes point, his volkite charger humming. Beside him, Kurt Falkenrath unslings his bolter, scanning the wreckage for movement. Behind them, the sanctioned psyker Marcia Nacht walks stiffly, her mind already whispering around the broken edges of reality.

But they’re not alone.

The Titanes Profundorum arrive from the eastern rise, moving through dust clouds. They too have men trapped—fellow gene-brothers buried under debris. Both warbands want the same thing: rescue and retreat. But peace never survives contact.

A grenade arcs across the broken ground—Murn of the Titanes lets fly, and the blast flings Oren Brandt backward, his armor dented, a bloody line across his brow. Oren recovers fast and answers with volkite fire, pinning Murn behind a slag heap.

Elsewhere, Varn, the hulking stimmer of the Titanes, cracks open a supply crate with the rare application of restraint. Inside: 10 credits’ worth of valuable salvage. A quiet win.

Otger and Marcia reach the first container pinning their scouts. They drop to their knees and begin digging, prying, pulling. Kurt covers them with sharp bursts from his bolter, chewing through nearby cover and keeping the Titanes at bay.

But the next moment changes everything. Gorr, the Titans' Leader charges, roaring, relentless and slams into Marcia Nacht. The psyker barely raises a hand before she’s crushed beneath his blows.

Otger, seeing Marcia turned into a bleeding mess, falters. He stumbles back, shaken, eyes wide, and flees. Only once behind cover does he stop, steady his breath, and turn back with fire in his veins.

Oren rises, fury on his face. Volkite beams sizzle across the air and strike Gorr, boiling through armor. The giant staggers, bleeding now, but still on his feet.

Otger returns and fires an overcharged plasma blast across the wreckage. Inflicting two flesh wounds, Gorr only winces, his body refusing to fall.

Elsewhere, Xarr of the Titanes ignores orders and smashes open a sealed crate. It explodes in his face. Smoke and fire bloom; he staggers away, his armor cracked.
Murn also tries to open a casket and is luckier: 30 credits worth of salvage pulled from the flames. But his luck runs out quickly. A sharp crack echoes across the battlefield as Oren’s final Volkite volley cuts him down. Murn falls still, unconscious.

The Titanes don’t relent. They drag two of their own from beneath the rubble, armor dented but alive. These warriors rise with a groan, ready to rejoin the fight.

Xarr, still bloodied, tries another crate. It explodes—again.
Lesson not learned.

Pax Tyrannis finally hauls free Gunter and Ersta. Coughing, bruised, but alive.
With their scouts rescued and the enemy bleeding, they press forward with concentrated lasgun fire.

But the Titanes have had enough.

With losses mounting and no more gain in sight, Gorr signals retreat. The Titanes Profundorum fall back into the smoke, dragging their wounded and carrying what they can. Pax Tyrannis does not pursue far. They’ve made their point, and the wreckage still hides more to salvage.

In the silence that follows, Otger orders his men to collect Marcia and patch her up.
One of her eyes couldn't been saved, and a long recovery awaits her.
Falkenrath reloads, wordless. Oren lights a Loh Stick and watches the haze swallow their enemies.

Victory, in the ruins of another graveyard.

++++++++++++++++++++

Rating: 1485
Supplies: 2
Credits: 110
Loot from Caskets: Respirator

Convoy:

Road Engine Daphna -> 10 Credits after each game.
Medicae Trailer: Counts as a Rogue Doc

Lasting Injuries:

• Marcia Nacht -> Eye injury -> Recovery

Advancements:

• none