Army Fluff Guns of Sotek

Second battle report. 500pt battle between the GoS and Sisters of Battle
Sorry its been a long time coming, I've had a lot of stuff going on recently and I've been struggling to find the energy to write

Spoiler: Battle Report

The next location for artefact retrieval was deep in human controlled space. They would have to be careful here, a quick in and out. The target world looked like it had once been populated, but now lay in half-occupied ruins. The Adepta Sororitas held a garrison on it too. For this mission Xi-Boc selected a commander with some battle experience. Yuq'rok-muntoa was one of the highest decorated Temple Guard Champions who managed to make it off the Old World. Since their arrival on their new home world and with no Slann to watch over it had been training and drilling its troops and studying the few battles and engagements they had had so far.

For troop selection Yuq'rok favoured a more traditional approach with a strong infantry backbone and some light supporting units to provide flexibility. Of the two infantry squads he chose, he selected a unit of Old Brood and New Brood to see how well they performed.

Skink scouts had shown that there was a small force of humans patrolling the area but not exactly where moving. With scant intelligence, Yuq'rok advanced with caution. The device the Skink priest had given him for detecting the artefact guided him towards an outcropping of ruined buildings. Between two buildings rang out the heavy thudding of a big gun. The shots landed amongst the small squadron of Saurus Death Riders. A detachment of the Itzl's Claws cohort. They were already feeling somewhat unnerved about their deployment given the fate of the previous squadron that saw action.

Under the withering fire of the heavy bolter three of their number fell. The flesh and bones of mount and rider alike were shredded by the massive rounds. Only two managed to reach cover behind a building. Surely the god to whom they rode in the name of had abandoned them.

A missile slammed into Tank Commander Huitiq's Chotek tank, almost throwing him out of his seat and shaking the crew badly. The huge vats of flammable liquids the tank carried took centre stage in his mind. He'd felt somewhat cavalier in training and weapons testing but since being deployed, but was now feeling somewhat uneasy about his position. The enemy vehicle that had fired at them was directly in front, he gave the order to take aim and unleash thermal weaponry on it. Though the shots were impressive, they achieved only moderate damage. Something was wrong with the vehicle's primary weapon.

Tet'chi and Ti'y-ainchi both ordered their transports to race forward, towards the artefact locations with their cargo of warriors keen to be in the fray. Tet'chi stopped almost on top of the objective, next to the Chotek tank and ordered the warriors out. Ockda, the New Brood squad Champion leapt out, roaring and leading his Saurus warriors forward to secure the artefact.

Ti'y-ainchi dived into an alleyway between crumbling buildings, but with the enemy directly up ahead, stopped short. Maq'zal-kutak, the Old Brood Champion lead his warriors out with Yuq'rok, the commander taking point. The opened fire all at once on the human squad in front of them with such ferocity that almost half of them went down. They were, of course backed up by the hull weapon of their transport too. With a shout to their own heathen gods, the humans returned fire to avenge their fallen comrades. Two Saurus went down, their natural scaly armour not holding up well to sustained bolter fire.

Yuq'rok, having spotted the enemy vehicle that had already taken the lives of over half his Cold One riders and shook one of his own vehicles ordered a focus fire on it. Each vehicle shot its hunter-killer missile, however only one scored a hit. Ockda's squad and their transport vehicle turned its weapons on the enemy missile tanks and, having been weakened by the sheer onslaught of weapons, it burst into flames.

Yuk'rok called for Maq'zal's squad to take cover as the humans opposite took up firing position. There was only limited protection available in the narrow alley. They took up their own positions. In the proceeding firefight another three Saurus were killed and the enemy flamethrower engulfed a fourth. Return fire took out all but one of the humans.

At the same time an angelic figure soared down from behind a ruined building with a glowing long sword. Taking Champion Ockda's young Saurus squad by surprise, she slew three of them, the foul blade cleaving through scale, sinew and bone with ease. Ockda roared a counter-challenge but it proved almost ineffective as her unnatural speed and skill left her with only light wounds from their obsinite clubs. With his squad in disarray he called for them to fall back and take up a better position.

Tet'chi spotted another squad of human warriors emerging from the same ruins the mighty angel of death flew out from. He ordered all guns from his vehicle to open fire but the range was too far. Only a couple of them fell. He radioed out the human squad's location out to warn of surprise attacks

Commander Yuk'rok, ordered Death Rider Champion Tocy to lead his much reduced squadron around the outside of a dilapidated building and engage the squad taking cover behind it to prevent them from pressing in further. With a roar of confidant defiance, Tocy lowered his spear and charged. The combination of ancient Obsinite spear tips and the rending claws of the Cold-One mounts bested the humans power armour and took down two of them.

Yuk'rok himself lead a charge from the alley they had been pinned down in towards the remaining humans. With the core fighting instinct of the saurus engaged, they pulled out their traditional weapons and fought as they remembered back in Lustria. The humans never stood a chance.

The angelic human # cast an explosive at Huitiq's Chotek tank. The explosion damaged the turret and blew off the secondary sights. The concussion killed one of the Skinks crewing the tank, splattering blood over Huitiq's face. He ordered all guns turned on her. The malfunctioning turret weapon still failed to do anything by the mighty heat from the hull mounted multi-melter hit her directly in the chest, finally downing her.

Ockda's New Brood squad were gathering themselves for an assault on the squad the remaining humans. They watched in utter disbelief as the downed angel begin to rise. A light, almost blinding, shone out as she was lifted by some unholy force. Raising her sword to the sky, she took on an ethereal and terrifying aspect. She gripped the glowing sword in both hands and brought it down, cleaving one of the Chimeras in two. The wreckage burst into flames. A few burning Skinks tried crawling out but did not get far.

In the ugly melee of Cold-One riders and human warriors, Ox'enhu, one of the remaining riders fell from his mount and was set upon with knives. He fought to the end though, killing one before he died.

With cold-blooded rage Champion Ockda raised his Obsinite club to the sky and roared a defiance. He was echoed by the rest of the squad. They unloaded everything they had at the glowing human before charging in. In one swipe of the shining sword she sliced a Saurus warrior in half. They rained down blows but a combination of agility and armour prevented the human from taking any serious wounds. A quick thrust ran the terrible blade into the chest of another saurus and a swing to the right cut through the weapon and lower body of one more.

Seemingly exhausted, the glow of the sword faded and, realising her forces were also exhausted, the human ordered a fallback.

As they disappeared amongst the ruins the lizardmen cheered. They had won their first victory. Although looking at the mass of broken reptilian bodies strewn across the battlefield, it had come at a heavy price. They quickly secured the artefact and gathered their dead and injured before leaving.

Back on board the Star Canoe the Artefacts were paraded through the main deck to much cheering and rejoicing. A procession of the forces Champions and surviving warriors was lead by Commander Yuq'rok. General Xi-Boc himself greeted the procession and butted heads with both champions and the Commander. He ordered his adjutant Aktaka to go with Yuq'rok to make a report on the battle for later study.

Note: There was a real technical problem with the hellhound. For some reason Battle Scribe did not add the special keywords for the melta-cannon so I completely missed the additional effects

 

VICTORY!

Well done. Showing those warmbloods who the real champions are.

 

I need to work on lowering my casualty rate next

 

I have a bunch of overhead ones. Most my infantry units here were armless as I am still cutting and modding guns onto them so they don't look great. I can post them though if you are interested.

 

A sequal to my previouse Necromunda story.
Note: I'm not sure where these stories fall in the Guns of Sotek timeline, or even if they are cannon at all to it. Just a fun little tale about cyberpunk lizards.

Spoiler: Underworld: Redux

"That's a stupid plan. It'll never work!" Ka'rah hissed. She paced the dank room restlessly. The armoured scales of her reptilian body reflected the dim light from the single lamp.

"I dunno, sounds like it could be fun." Ruk-Gar said with an air of mirth. His own bulky reptilian form draped bonelessly over a collapsed sofa.

"Yeah, because you know it'll fail and you'll get an excuse to light the place up with the big guns again." Ka'rah spat back.

"Will both of you shut up! Listen, the place is in on the surface level. The don't allow 'mutant' types up there. We'd be have the Enforcers on us within minutes." Ital grunted, "Te'al'k assures me that the illusion spells she's been working on will work flawlessly, at least for a few hours anyway."

The smaller, lighter built lizard turned around and picked up his cigar case. He opened it, took out one and slowly clipped it before lighting it. He breathed in, held the smoke for a couple of seconds and let it out again

"Now, we have another chance, a good chance to pick up one of the artefacts. The deal is going down at a nightclub. Elysiums' Edge, some classy joint. We've got an idea what the dealers look like, you've seen the photos. The idea is that we intercept the deal as its taking place and get out in the confusion."

"OK, so who's going?" Ka'rah asked.

"Well we want some heavy hitters, so that'll you and Ruq-Gar. Then we'll need someone who knows what they are doing and some magical support if things go sideways. So that will be me and Te'al'k."

The Skink took a long drag on his cigar before blowing a huge cloud of blue-grey smoke.

"The hit goes down tomorrow night. I've got a few maps of the place that we can go over but I don't know how reliable they are. Most important thing is figuring out the entry and exit points…"

###

The four lizardmen stood in the centre of the basement room, shifting uneasily. A few magical trinkets hung with feathers hung from walls and looked incongruous against the mouldering concrete. A small burner set up on a pile of bricks and fashion magazines emitted scented smoke.

"OK, Te'al'k. Lets do this. Ruq-Gar, you're first." Itar said.

The Saurus nodded and stepped forward. A circle of geometric sigils had been scratched onto the floor. Te'al'k closed her eyes and concentrated, summoning up a composite of human males she'd seen. She pressed her will into Ruq-Gar, felt the magic flow through her arms and out into the world. There were a few gasps and when she felt she could open her eyes again, she gazed upon the form of a human, looking very confused. Ruq-Gar stretched his arms out, stating at them. He started making some uncomfortable noises with his mouth. Some words sounded like Saurian but they were poorly formed.

"So, it occurs that the human mouth is not great at talking our language. And Ruq-Gar here, scholar that he is, does not know the human tongue. Is there anything we can do about this Te'al'k?"

"Hold on! I'm working on something!" the little Skink priest said. Her eyes were closed and she was waving her hands through the air in a way that looked like she was very slowing clearing away cobwebs. A blue glow fizzled on the end of one clawed finger and she brought it close, touching on the human's throat.

"What the hell was that, wait, what am I saying?" Ruq-Gar said, in passable human language.

"Well that's better at least." Itar said, "Can you understand me Ruq-Gar?"

"Yes. It sounds strange though."

"That's good enough for me." The Skink Chief turned back to Te'al'k, "Lets get the rest of us changed."

Ital was next. For him, she cast the form of a gruffer, rougher looking human. While Ital marvelled over the height gain, she moved on to Ka'rah. This time she envisioned a slimmer human with more of the athletic build. Then she moved onto herself, closing reptilian eyes and opening the piercing blue eyes of a tall, well built human with an extremely fashionable haircut.

"Hey, could I get something a bit more, fitting?" Ka'rah started. Te'al'k roller her eyes. She closed here eyes and concentrated. Opening them she saw a slim woman.

"That's better, but could you just-"

"Come on! We've got a tight deadline" Itar said.

###

Ter'an drove them close to the elevators to take them to the market levels. From there they could access ones that would take them to the surface levels. They looked respectable enough not to be challenged by the heavy men with the heavy weapons guarding the elevator lobby for the upper levels.

"Well, by Sotek, it worked." Ital said once they were inside. "How long did you say we had again?"

"The spell should last a few hours at least, maybe three. But it will also break if you do anything excessively… saurian. " Te'al'k replied.

Twenty minutes later and the four of them were walking in a world as alien to them as anything they had seen before. Expensively dressed people walking through the resplendent neon-lit streets. Unfamiliar music and unexpected scents springing from every new establishment they passed. Elysium's Edge was up ahead, across the street. Huge golden neon lights stretched up at least twenty stories on both sides of the building. Holographic displays of dancing women and fine cocktail drinks were projected into the air over it. There was a line in front stretching off around the next block. Two enormous men stood at the entrance. Muscles rippled under their ill-fitting suits, threatening to burst out at any moment. Itar walked directly up to one of them and pulled out his wallet, a credit stick, tucking it into the mans suit jacket. The man pulled it out, saw the number displayed on it and gently pushed it back.

"Me and my friends here", he gestured to the bewildered looking people behind him, "we don't like waiting around. We're important people and you know, time is money." He flashed a knowing smile.

The meat-wall of a man remained immovable, but after a moment he rolled aside and opened the engraved gold door behind him.

"Thank you very much" Itar said, tipping his shades and proceeding in. The others followed.

###

"As Oxyotl once said, when you are closely observing, be sure that you, yourself is not closely observed" Ital said. He then nodded to a man who was taking an interest in their little group. "I think that's Rico, the buyer for the artefact." Te'al'k drummed her fingers on the table nervously.

"The idea was for us to not draw attention…" she muttered. "He's coming right over."

"So, are ya guys new in town or somethin'? Not seen ya around before." He said, taking a sip while looking intensely at Ka'rah.

"Yeah, we're new around here. What of it?" Ital responded, gruffly.

"Are these guys friends of yours?" he asked Ka'rah after briefly smiling at Ital.

"Yeah…" she said, glowering.

"You out?" he gestured down at the empty glass in front of her, " What are ya drinkin'? Let me get you a top-up."

"Maybe I'll be drinking your blood soon, if you carry on" Ka'rah growled.

"Hey, whoa, easy there. I'm just tryin' to be friendly." He downed the rest of his drink. "You know, I like a woman with spice, c'mon. I'll get you something nice. My names Rico by the way"

He held his hand out, looking at Ka'rah. She pretended not to notice, waiting for him to leave. He didn't. "I'm Ka'rah." She offered out her hand and he took it, shaking it gently.

Rico gently let got and then turned to head back to the bar, he looked over his shoulder with a certain cast of expression, beckoning her to follow him.

"Go on, use your feminine wiles to charm him. See of you can get more info about this deal." Ital whispered.

"I'm a saurus warrior, Ital, designed by the great Old Ones for the task of making war, I don't have feminine wiles!" Ka'rah hissed.

"But you read that book right? By that Skink diplomat- "

"It was one passage in one book about self-expression. It wasn't a detailed guide to the social rituals of the warmbloods!"

"Hey, ya, coming toots or am I gonna have to lasso you?" the man called out.

"Get to it, toots." Ital said. Ka'rah, fuming, got up and walked over to the guy.

"Right, Ruq-Gar, you stay here and keep an eye on Ka'rah in case things go sideways. Te'al'k, and I will go and scout out near the entrance. We'll see if they even have the artefact with them before we commit to anything."

"Right, and what happens if it all goes sideways?" Ruq-Gar asked.

"I'll page Ter'an and we'll fight our way out."

###

"-and that's why the call me the boss man now! See, I feel the need, the primal urge to take charge of any situation... "

Ka'rah rolled her eyes, and looked back to the table they had been occupying. Ruq-Gar, was still there but the Chief and Priest vanished. Typical Skinks, always wandering off when they get bored.

"- like tonight for instance. The boss man, the actual boss man, said there was an important delivery coming and I said, don't worry about it. Rico has it all under control. I'll take care of it. I know these are punks we are dealin' with so I posted two of my guys on the roof and have another few out front posing as street scum."

"What about out back?" Ka'rah asked, suddenly now at full attention.

"Oh, well don't worry about that, toots, I thought of everything. I got good ol' Harry the Ham out back in case they try anything funny. Speaking of out back, why don't we go and wait for our guests somewhere a little more comfortable, eh?"

"Oh, no, I can't. I've gotta get back to my friends-"

"Eh, don't worry about it, they can have drinks on the house until we're finished."

"Finished what?"

"Well, first my deal, and after, well we'll see about that."

###

Ruq-Gar, nodding along to the music, zoning out when he was was suddenly aware of a spike in Ka'rah's anxiety. Being a spawn-mate of Ka'rah he shared a very weak psychic connection with her. He saw her get lead away by that guy she was talking to. He got up to follow, pushing his way through people to reach the door they had slipped into.

"Hey, no way man. This is private." said one of the two huge men standing either side of the door.

"That's my friend, she's, uhh-"

"Looks like she scored big tonight, friend. Now why don't you go get yourself another drink. Rico said it's on the house for any friends of hers tonight."

Ruq-Gar fought down the urge to tear the man apart. Ka'rah could absolutely handle herself if anything went wrong. He backed down, took a few breaths and went to go find Ital and Te'al'k.

###

"So how is it that I've never seen you or your friends around here, really, toots?"

The man was fussing with some kind of glassware in a fine, mahogany box. The room he'd taken her into was dimly lit with dark red and black furnishings, accented with silver details. An incense stick burned in a decorated bowl on top of a long dresser against one wall. The top of the dresser was a gun cabinet with an array of unlicensed weapons.

"We're not from around here. Really." she said, slowly wandering around the room.

"Well where are you from? Somewhere exotic, I can tell."

"Some place off-word. Some hot and steamy place…"

"Well maybe we could try and recreate that hot and steamy place later, toots" Rico said, winking and handing her a crystal glass of golden liquid. She could smell the alcohol strongly. The comment passed completely over her head.

There was a knock at the door. Rico set his own glass down on a large desk and walked over to open it.

"Hello boys, ma'am, looks like ya right on time." Rico said exuberantly. He stepped back, picking up his glass and sitting on a large, black leather armchair. Three rough looking street punks entered the room. Ka'rah was immediately on alert. They looked uneasy, they smelled nervous. Each one was dressed more wildly than the next with their hair gelled into a variety of spiky shapes. Bright yellow accents on their outfits united them though as members of one street gang. Rico seemed relaxed as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

"Alright, lets see the goods, boys." he said.

"Not until we see the money" the largest of the punks said. Rico sighed.

"Does this look like one of ya back ally dealer locations?" he asked, waving a hand vaguely to indicated the plush room and everything in it. "I'm in the middle of entertaining a guest, lets not mess around. Show me the briefcase."

He stood there for a moment, but, being unnerved by Rico's calmness and the fact there was a woman standing in the corner, waiting. He relented. He took the briefcase from another of the punks and placed it on the huge desk. He swiped the thumb-scanner and opened it up. Even Ka'rah could feel the magic emanating from the briefcase, though she couldn't see in it. Rico stood up and loomed over. The glow reflected off his forehead. Whatever it was, he knew he'd have to move it on quickly before the Enforcers or even the Inquisition came to investigate.

"Yep, that looks genuine enough. I'll give you 12 thousand." he said, taking another long drag on his cigarette. The effect was immediate. The two punks that had come in behind their leader were astonished. Their leader however was outraged.

"Your man promised fifteen at least!" he growled, slamming the briefcase shut.

"With finders fees, handling charges, taxes, export dues, you're lucky you are getting 12. Tell you what, I'll give you boys free drinks and a discount to the VIP area."

"Don't mess me about. We didn't come all this way just for you to shaft me at the last minute!"

"Twelve thou is more than you make in a year's dealing. Take it."

Rico held out a cred stick. This made the punk crack. In an instant he was holding a knife, the concealed blade flipping out from the handle with a quiet metallic sound.

"Either we get fifteen or we are walking out of here." he said with an ugly grin

"Whoa, now hold on Vincent, Vinny, Vin. You are in the lion's den now. If you look at those blocks on the ceiling there, and there. Those are Rayham Industries Mk. VI smart turrets. If my heart rate goes above a certain bpm, they drop down to investigate. And how many of my men did you walk past to get here in the first place? I don't think you saw them all did you?" He took one last drag on his cigarette before stubbing it out in the basalt ashtray on the desk. "Now then boys, take the money, go out and party. Then we can all get back to doing business and making money tomorrow."

Once again there was the hesitation. The situation could go one way or the other.

"C'mon boss, lets just take the money and scram." one of the other punks said. It made sense. Vincent knew it made sense. He put the knife away and snatched the cred stick, scowling and maintaining eye contact with Rico the entire time.

"Lets scram" he said and left the room, followed the other two. The door was closed behind them.

Ka'rah, who knew just how few actual guards there were also gave a sigh of relief as the tension left the room.

"Oooooooo, yeah! Did you see that? Did you see the look on that guys face. Heart rate linked turrets, hah hah! They ate it all up!" Rico laughed. He was striding over to the drinks cabinet to pour himself a generous amount before throwing himself back onto the sofa. "Come here toots, we've got some celebrating to do."

Ka'rah walked over and Rico pulled her down to sit on the sofa.

"So they aren't linked to your heart rate then?" she asked as she was handed a full glass of something.

"They aren't even real turrets! Just some scrap we stuck up there. Do you know just how expensive those would be?"

"But you got your artefact though?"

"Yeah, at a heavy discount. The boss man is going to be happy about that. Or maybe I'll pocket the difference and say we got it for fifteen? Doesn't matter. Come here." Rico threw himself onto her, kissing her messily and grabbing at her. Ka'rah panicked, trying to push him off. When he shoved a hand under her dress she snapped.

The spell broke and she bit hard into his neck with her powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth. She tasted his blood as he gurgled and struggled. She tore a chunk of flesh from him and threw the body to the ground as she stood up. Her dorsal spines had ripped up the sofa and her powerful tail crashed into expensive ornaments, knocking them to the ground. She went to the gun cabinet, tore it open and grabbed a sub-machine gun, then picked up the briefcase. It was time to go. The door slammed open.

###

Ital and Te'al'k returned to Ruq-Gar after seeing the punks leave the club.

"No artefact detected when they left. Its here for sure." Te'al'k said.

"We should probably put the second part of the plan in action. Where's Ka'rah?" Ital asked.

"She went out back with the mark. Hasn't been back since. Tried to get back there but guards stopped me. Didn't want to create a scene and blow cover." Ruq-Gar replied glumly.

Without warning the two main doors to the club were thrown open and Enforcers poured through them. They opened fire on the few guards and bouncers that turned to challenge them, not caring about others getting caught in the crossfire. Chaos suddenly reigned supreme as people screamed and ran in every direction. The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and breaking glass.

The saurians had ducked under the table as it began.

"Alright, new plan," Ital began, "We are heading out back to find that artefact and, hopefully, Ka'rah. Don't worry about cover, we are now grabbing and going. Ruq-Gar, you take point on this. I'll support. Te'al'k, call Ter'an about getting here for an escape."

He took a look out from under the table and saw the Enforcers advancing quickly.

"Alright, move!"

Ruq-Gar ran to the door to the back area. The two guards either side were too busy fighting the Enforcers to notice until he was right on top of them. They turned, raising their weapons and he changed. The hand heading towards one of them now ended in sharp claws. They tore into his face and slammed his head against the wall. Ruq-Gar's massive jaws then closed on the head of the other guard. He pulled and twisted and dropped the limp body in a moment. The massive Saurus then shoulder-barged the door which resisted for a moment before being torn from its frame. The guard on the other side raised his weapons to fire but was gunned down by Ital who had snatched up a weapon from one of the fallen guards. He looked left and right down the corridor, several doors were on each side.

"Which way?"

Ruq-Gar his eyes for a moment, concentrating, then pointed out the passage to the right. The sound of automatic gunfire echoed from around the corner. They ran towards it. On turning the corner they almost ran directly into Ka'rah.

"I've got the artefact. What the hell is going on out there?" she said.

"Enforcers are here. We gotta leave." Ital answered.

"Lets go out the back. Rico said there was only one guard there."

"Which way is 'out back'?" Ruq-Gar asked. Ka'rah pointed behind her, further down the corridor.

They ran, following the exit signs. A firefight had already broken out behind them. Ruq-Gar burst through the door at the end and was confronted by two Enforcers arresting a man. They looked up, momentarily confused. Ital used this moment to charge around Ruq-Gar and launch himself at one of them, his Obsinite blade cutting through their armour and deep into their throat. Ruq-Gar and the other Enforced locked eyes and opened fire but the Saurus was quicker on the trigger. Two rounds hit him but most ricocheted off the building as he went down. The rest of the saurians spread out into the alleyway, taking up defensive positions.

"It's your lucky day" Ka'rah said the the man in the handcuffs, propped against the wall. Though, with a mouth and throat now incompatible with human speech, all the man heard was a set of grunts and clicks.

"Ter'an, where the hell are you?" Ital yelled into the radio, "We're out back of the club."

Te'al'k was tending to Ruk-Gar, wrapping some bandages on tightly to stem the bleeding from his arm.

"Police cordon, just blasted through. Get ready, I'm not going to hang around" Ter'an said over the radio.

"Alright, lets get to the road, our pickup is on the way" Ital yelled.

Within seconds Ter'an's truck screeched to a halt. They threw themselves inside and he speed off. Ital looked up to see half a dozen Enforcer cruisers on them. Then the bullets started flying. Ka'rah aimed out the rear and opened up on one of the cruisers but with Ter'an taking evasive manoeuvres, it was impossible to aim. Te'al'k closed her eyes and started chanting something under her breath.

"Hey, can this thing go any faster? We're getting surrounded here!" Ital yelled.
Ter'an didn't answer, he just concentrated hard on not crashing as he swerved this way and that. Two cruisers were coming alongside the truck, one to cut them off, one to take a shot at the cab.

Te'al'k pressed her hands together as they started to glow.

"Look out!" Ital called as an Enforcer leaned out his window and aimed at Ter'an.

The little Skink priest slammer her hands down on the floor of the truck and a blue light engulfed them.

Ruq-Gar was the first one to spot it but Ka'rah wasn't far behind. The entire world was passing in slow motion.

"Hurry, I can't hold it for long!" Te'al'k cried.

The two Saurus got to business, taking aim and picking off car tyres and Enforcers. Ter'an set himself up for a sudden left turn up ahead.

"I'm losing it!"

Ter'an looked right at the Enforcer aiming at him, looked to his left at the cruiser pulling up on the other side and ducked.

With a snap the world went back to normal and everything happened all at once. The Enforcer aiming at Ter'an let off a few rounds before tumbling from the vehicle. The shots passed through one window and out the other side into the other cruiser. The two cars themselves were careening out of control with burst tyres. The four other cruisers behind almost simultaneously swerved into each other or flipped over and rolled.

The saurians themselves were almost flipped as their truck took a hard turn into an alleyway, smashing through boxes and fences before emerging into another road. They narrowly missed a head on collision, smashed through another fence, dropping several meters and swerving into a giant storm drain and finally taking a side-tunnel that lead back to the hive's underworld.

###

The arrival of their truck was heralded with celebrations. Ital had radioed ahead to make sure they were prepared to offload the artefact somewhere secure. Ka'rah helped Ruq-Gar out and, with Te'al'k, walked him to the medical surgery. Ital held the briefcase up to hisses and roars from the other saurians in the safe-house.

Drinks were handed around along with a few home-made fermentation and songs sung at cross-purposes. They had done it, they had retrieved their first artefact. There were certainly more to go but this was one to celebrate for sure.

Ital pulled himself away from the festivities to head to the communications room. He dialled in the encryption system and scanned for an open channel as he sipped his drink and crunched through a few fried cockroaches. Once the channel was secured he picked up the microphone to make his report.

"This is Ital (strong runner) of the (soteks house) detachment. After a successful mission today we are now in possession of an artefact. It has been stored in our vault and we await instructions for its extraction." He took another sip and swallowed down a writhing worm, "In the meantime we will be planning and executing missions to retrieve additional artefacts."

###

"Did you get all that?" the Sargent asked.

"Yes sir, it appears that their transmission has ended. The decryption can begin."

"Good, the translation is going to take some time however. I think we have enough here to start an investigation. It's not every day that you come across mutants with such consistent mutations and precision of organisations. They are usually sad, shambling things, longing for the Emperors purifying fire. No, I think, Sargent, that we have some as yet unknown type of Xeno scum that has somehow infiltrated the heart of the Emperor's holy domain."

"Xenos? On Necromunda?"

"Yes, its not unheard of. The scum of the lower levels will mix with all kinds of unsavoury creatures. But we cannot perform an exterminatus with that level of precision." The narrow and upright man sighed heavily at the inability to perform selective genocide. "Keep monitoring the channels Sargent"

 

I meant to get this out Christmas Day at the latest. I am sure it is still Christmas Day somewhere so it counts.
Here is a set of converging tales about the festival of the Winter Solstice as celebrated by the Guns Of Sotek

Spoiler: Mid-winter festival

The chill winds bit into Tik'ol'tec's scaly hide. Winter was upon them.

As much as their magic and terraforming attempted to emulated the warm Southern climate of their lost homeland of Lustria, they were unable to alter the planet's tilt or distance from the sun. That was Slann magic. And, while Slann existed in this realm, they were trapped behind some impenetrable veil of reality. A veil which they hoped to eventually penetrate, but for now, that too was beyond their grasp.

Mapping out their new home's solar system, it's planet's moons and distances from the sun had been something of a warm-up exercise for a race of start gazers as advanced as the Itzatecah. Their religion had held the Winter Solstice as a time of great magic and heightened danger. The turning of the year would be heralded as much with reverence and revelry as bloodshed, at the periodic rise of Chaos. Rituals and sacrifices are made as demons and the disease-ridden ratmen were beaten back.

The lack of the ever present danger of Chaos on this new world did not discourage the rituals and celebrations however. There may come a time when it would be needed again and it was never a good idea to miss the opportunity to appease the Gods.

Great Starseer Tik'ol'tec looked towards the Southern Observatory, wreathed in morning light. The mists gathered in the streets and plazas of the capital making it appear as an archipelago of pyramids and smoke stacks floating upon a ghostly sea.

He turned and walked back towards the temple that surmounted his pyramid. He had to prepare himself for a very busy week ahead.

###

Mission preparations did not pause for the imminent coming of the mid-winter holy day. Old Blood Xi-Boc, oldest and highest ranked military General of this world was overseeing the training and logistics of another expeditionary force. He drew up divisional plans in his mind and barked out orders to a small staff of Skink administrators, who would write them down, offer calculations or disappear off to deliver messages or locate some key piece of information. He summoned Scar Veterans to assign them troops, equipment and expectations. All the while his personal Adjutant kept meticulous notes on his datapad, and would sometimes chirp in with his own advice.

The Solstice celebrations would be a minor interruption to his plans. Still, he would have to lead a procession of decorated warriors who had already seen combat. It would help to charge the spirits of those who would be departing on the Star Canoes a few days later. His ceremonial armour lay neglected and gathering dust in a corner of his chambers. He was a firm believer in a warrior cleaning their own equipment and would set an example, as soon as he could find some time to do so.

###

Pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders, Ka'rah watched as a Skink nailed some wires around the top of a nearby structure. It was probably one of Huan-Ty's technicians. They had been doing a lot of that lately and their purpose was, as always, unfathomable to anyone outside of her technology priesthood. She was thankful for the heat lamps that had been installed in the barracks though. The only major downside was that she had to get out from under one, eventually. Especially when the days were getting colder.

"Lets get going" Ruq-Gar said, pushing Ka'rah gently from behind. It was their squad's turn at hunting. While the Saurus of the New Brood were very much urban animals, it was important to keep their predatory instincts sharp. They were being sent into the tangled jungle around the city to hunt game using only spears, teamwork and their animal cunning. It was to be a multi-day expedition in order to find and hunt down prise game for the festive feast to come.

###

The coals in the fireplace crumbled to glowing ashes. Fifteen Skinks were hunched over rows of desks, scratching industrially on slate tablets as Huan-Ty, in a tabard of once fine but now well-worn fabric marched up and down the rows in silent observation. Her head would flick this way and that as her yellow eyes focused on each Skink in turn, and then, up to the intricate clock on the sandstone wall. After completing one more circuit of the room, the Skink Chief Engineer perched at her own desk and turned to the datapad propped up on a dock. By performing some simple gestures, she navigated back to some schematics that needed her review.

Seeing Huan-Ty back at her desk, Telek risked a glance up at the clock. They were already halfway through the allotted time. He, along with the fourteen other Skinks were apprentice engineers. This was one of their final examinations to compete for a place at the side of Sotzalzan's Chief Engineer. Thirty five had started down this course four years previously. Those who dropped out would take up positions of foremen, workshop managers, skilled craftsmen and project coordinators. Respected positions in and of themselves, but ultimately cogs in the machine of Itzatecah society. The coveted position of Engineer offered the opportunity to become master of one's own destiny. An Engineer had the freedom and trust to pursue their own projects, appoint their own team and command their own resources and maybe, one day, take up the mantel of Chief Engineer themselves.

Telek, born in the Second Spawning six cycles previously had worked many long hours to be in this position. As the final moments of the exam passed, he continued to work, determined to utilise every drop of time. Out the corner of his slitted eye he saw Huan-Ty slide out from behind her desk and walk to the front of the room.

"Cease writing! The examination is now over. As before, place your slates at the end of the desks and I will collect them." She said.

After the slates had been collected she returned to the front of the room. "Now then, as you are well aware, for religious and superstitious reasons there is going to be a day of mirth in a few days. Your choice to partake in this or prepare for the next test I'll leave entirely to your own discretion. However it does mean that the next examination will be four days away, not three."

With that, they were dismissed. Telek would, in fact take part in the Solstice celebrations. He had been looking forward to it almost all year. He would try to go easy on the drink though.

###

The sun rose slowly over the complex mix of ruins, new construction and jungle canopy that made up the skyline of Sotzalzan. It glinted off the scaled hides of the early risers as they made their way to the many rivers, canals and lakes to cleans themselves for the upcoming celebrations. Many thousands of citizens would conduct such cleansing rituals over the course of the day.

Tik'ol'tec entered his chambers after washing himself in the canal that ran though the apartment complex where many of the Skink priesthood resided. His assistants had laid out the elaborate ceremonial costume he was to wear for the day. The garments were woven through with fine gold thread and were resplendent in the most vivid dyes the jungle could provide. Two Star Priests helped him dress, whispering prayers and blessings with each piece. Once the full ensemble was finished, they proceeded to paint his arms, tail and head with sacred symbols. Finally, an ornate headdress, sprouting huge and colourful feathers of the most rare jungle foul was lowered onto his head.

Escorted by these Star Priests and a procession of lesser Priests, Tik'ol'tec walked solemnly to the grand Sun temple. On the way he passed by the shrines of many other gods and spirits of the city, stopping to ask for a blessing from each one. Finally, he stood at the foot of the steps to the Sun temple. From there he gave a short sermon to those in his entourage and any others who happened to be in the area.

The senior priests then ascended the many stairs to the temple proper at the summit of the pyramid. After catching his breath, Tik'ol'tec, the Great Starseer entered the temple. At its centre was a courtyard, open to the sky. An elaborate curved silver and bronze mirror caught the light of the low sun and reflected it down to a shrine dedicated to Chotek, the sun god. There were, in fact, two such mirror arrangements. One aligned with the sun on the summer solstice, and the other aligned perfectly for winter solstice. The shrine glowed with an unnatural ferocity as the intense sunlight shone down on it and through the crystal decorations around it. The assembled priests made their own prayers and small offerings to the shrine before preparing the rituals to honour Sotek that would ultimately take them into the longest night of the year.

###

The hunt had been more than successful. Ka'rah and Ruq-Gar held between them two long poles from which hung two jungle elk, a dozen fowl and more than twenty fish. Another similar load was carried by the other squad members. They marched on the city, reaching the gates by mid morning. To the cheers of the growing crowd, they marched through the temple quarter to deposit the game with the feast kitchens who's fires were already hard at work, roasting whole carcasses. Arranged around them were various other meats and fishes that did not require such intense and sustained heat. A platoon of Skinks were working on a variety of pastries and dumplings with every manner of filling imaginable.

Scur't'kah, the squad's champion selected the finest fish from their haul, along with two dazzlingly coloured birds of paradise. It then lead it's squad up to the shrine of Sotek at the foot of the Temple of Serpents. Supplicants had already gathered at the shrine. Ka'rah gnawed at a minor wound she'd received on the hunt, Ruq-Gar tossed a dagger in the air, catching it again. The wait took a good half hour before they were called forward. Here, Scur't'kah knelt before the Skink priests attending the shrine and offered the fish and birds on behalf of the squad.

"I bring for sacrifice, the finest pike we could wrestle from the waters, and the finest plumage we could catch from the air. With these I ask the great god Sotek to bless us, his humble warriors. Bless us, that we may vanquish our enemies and see yet another cycle where we can offer sacrifice once more."

The fish was, reverentially placed on the flaming alter. It took both priests to lift its weight. The birds were then carefully placed within the alters flames. The priests thanked Scur't'kah and it's squad for their offerings and called out to the heavens for Sotek to recognise them and their prayer. A large bronze pot sat under the flaming alter, catching the ash as it fell. From this Scur't'kah was anointed on it's head. He stood, nodded at the priest and moved to one side. One by one each Saurus warrior came forward and knelt before the priest to receive the blessing and anointing of ash.

###

The engineering hall rang out to the sounds of power tools, welding machines and the hammering of metal on metal. Huan-Ty walked from station to station, inspecting the work and giving direction and advice to foremen and line leads who came to her with questions. The entire facility was new, just over half a solar cycle had passed since its commissioning. The ruins it had once been had been fully restored to working condition along with the machinery within. The strange, occult symbology and overtly fussy architecture the humans had left had been patched with good solid saurian symbology and design. Although in many places, it was practical and simple sheet metal construction. Its completion had meant a tripling of the capacity of vehicle restoration and repair. Xi-Boc had been very pleased at the amount of armoured vehicles that were now being made available.

While she was tapping out a message on her datapad a young Skink foreman tried to catch her attention. He was new to the job and somewhat nervous. She looked at him and tried to remember his name.

"Great Chief Engineer, today is the height of the Winter Solstice." he trembled. Huan-Ty stood, tapping her chin with a claw. Still trying to remember him.

"We have been working long days, which, of course is per our duty to The Plan. But it would also be in accordance with The Plan for some of us to take some time out of our day to venerate the gods."

Rah'chet was his name, that was for sure. Recently promoted.

"The other engineering plants will have shut down in preparation for the grand feast later, we will surely be out of key parts to perform our work soon." The Skink foreman reasoned.

"Sorry, Foreman Rah'chet, what are you asking of me?" Huan-Ty asked, focusing on him and trying to pretend she had been listening.

"Time off to visit the shrines and, perhaps, if it would be acceptable, an early finish so we may prepare for the Winter Solstice feast." The foreman was a little annoyed at having to repeat himself a few times now. Although he hoped it would not show.

"The other plants have shut down? I was wondering why I wasn't getting replies to my messages." While having granted independence of plant management to trusted and trained Skinks, it was somewhat frustrating that they would make conclusions different to her own. Stopping production for the veneration of nothing but ghosts seemed foolish in her eyes, though, she was perhaps unique in their society for not holding the gods in high regard. She knew the Old Ones to have existed, their technology and creations were hard to miss, but did they need or deserve worship? She didn't worship her screwdriver, but she did respect the work it allowed her to do.

"We're probably going to run short of some key materials soon, so, if you can wrap things up by mid-day. Then, I suppose, you, your entire shift can have the rest of the day off."

The young Skink's crest rose sharply and changed colour into a vivid red.

"Thank you Grand Chief Engineer! I'll let my staff know."

"Chief Engineer should suffice." she replied, but he was already scooting off to his section. She would now have to do the rounds to let every other foreman know. Time off. Good grief, what would the be asking for next. Still, it would mean a bigger audience for what she was planning later. The kind of show to really cement the engineering team's position at a similar level to the priesthood.

###

Night had fallen over Sotzalzan. Thousands of saurians were gathered around the main plaza in front of the Temple of the Sun. The streets and causeways around the plaza were packed. Many reptilian bodies occupied the steps and terraces of lesser pyramids, shrines and other stone structures arrayed around the plaza. Hundreds of fired dotting darkness like stars, showing where individual cohorts had gathered to share the evening together.

Ka'rah held out a glazed earthenware cup as Ruq-Gar poured an overly generous amount of Mescal from a large flask, spilling quite a lot down the sides. She raised her cup to him and took a swig. Scur't'kah, tried to organise another run down to the drink stalls to get some top-ups while it was chided by two other squad champions. This Saurus cohort was perched two steps up on the Temple of Serpents, standing one side of the main plaza. They had been drinking for an hour or so and only two of them had ended up taking a tumble off the edge, mostly being saved by their tough build. Five squads made up the cohort, all spawned from one pool under the Plaza of Moons in the south part of the city six solar cycles previously.

The sound of a gong broke through the noise all around them. Its brass hiss spread out, turning talk to whispers. A second gong silenced the whispers that followed in the wake of the first.

Fires sprang up all around the top tier of the Temple of the Sun, throwing the central platform into bright, evening light. The tiny figure of a Skink walked out onto the platform, the enormous carved pantheon of the Old Ones atop the temple's main building stood behind him. The stone recesses dancing in the firelight. He threw his hands up and blinding white light briefly flashed before huge fires erupted behind him, lighting up the pantheon and the whole front of the temple itself.

Tik'ol'tec stared out at the tens of thousands of saurians hidden by the darkness. Practically the whole city was gathered before him. More so, as he knew there were delegations from the five other major temple-cities. He flicked his forked tongue nervously and adjusted the headset.

"In the name of Sotek, I bring blessings upon us" he called out, his voice echoed by hidden loudspeakers placed throughout the plaza and beyond.

"This has been an auspicious year for our civilisation." he continued. "For many years we have acted as the serpent, coiled and patient, building our strength, building our capabilities, waiting for the right time to strike. And this year, we have struck out, uncoiling into the stars to snatch back what is ours."

The Starseer began pacing back and forth on the platform, gesticulating wildly.

"Our Star Canoes have carried our finest warriors deep into the territory of our hated enemies and have brought back the holy artefacts of the Slann. We now have seven in our possession. But even now, even now, great Generals like Xi-Boc Tlazimund are preparing for further expeditions to the stars as we begin to flex our might as we did so many decades ago…"

As the speech and pronouncement went on, shadowy figures dodged and weaved amongst the masses, finalising the grand display to come.

"and with the blessings of the Old ones, of Chotec, of Itzl, of Tepok, of Quetzl, I will had the evening, this most holy night of the Winter Solstice over to the celebrations of the gods." he concluded. "For Sotek!" he shouted, punching the sky.

"For Sotek!" the audience called back.

"For Sotek!" he echoed.

"For Sotek! Sotek! Sotek! Sotek" the chant built and built.

Ka'rah was on her feet with the rest of her cohort and the hundreds of other around them, thrusting their fists into the air and chanting. They started stomping their feet and drums beat to the chant as it reached a fever pitch before finally the drums ceased and the gong sounded out.

A second Skink wandered out onto the platform, her head held low. She stood and waited as the chanting and noise died down to a mere whisper. Huan-Ty looked up, gazing out at the darkness, counting down the seconds to its banishment. She nodded to another Skink to one side, hidden in the shadows.

"Choloqmaz!" she called out. Bright lights shone down on her from mounts on top of the temple. The whispering died down again as silence once again filled the plaza and surrounding temples.

"Choloqmaz!" she called again as the low beat of drunks began. The drum beat was taken up and spread out. Each drummer picking up on what the other was drumming.

"Choloqmaz!" the Skink called out once more, as the entire top level of the temple platform was washed in electric light. The drum beat increased in tempo and complexity. The Chief Engineer could feel the thousands upon thousands of slitted, yellow eyes on her. She held them in a trance-like grip. She felt a smile creep across her snout. As the drumbeat built felt her own heartbeat quicken.

"Tlaq Tepozolo!" Huan-Ty called out. The entire Temple of the Sun lit up. Tiers upon tiers of lighting shone out and up, illuminating the hundreds of carvings on each layer of the pyramid.

"Tlaq Tepozolo!" she called a second time, the vast space of the Sun Plaza lit up. Huge spotlights mounted on surrounding temples shone into the middle of it. Thousands of tiny lights lit up the major contours on its surface.

"Tepozolotlaz!" she called, punching the air. "Tepozolotlaz! Tepozolotlaz! Tepozolotlaz!"

The chant was taken up slowly at first but was spreading quickly. The drums built to a crescendo as the chant quickened.

"Tepozolotlaz! Tepozolotlaz! Tepozolotlaz!"

Huan-Ty, aware that she was in danger of upstaging the worship of the gods here savoured the moment and waited for the perfect time. She took a deep breath and then, as loud as she could, bellowed, for the final time "Tepozolotlaz!".

With that, the entire city, or at least its main thoroughfares and the temple district lit up. Thousands and thousands of coloured lights strung around buildings, coiled around shrines and temples and lining the major roads. There was an audible gasp that could be heard from all the way up here.

The lights on top of the Temple of the Sun faded and the Chief Engineer slunk away, hiding the giddiness she felt with a stern expression.

A procession of dancers streamed out into the plaza and began the first of that nights entertainment as the final dishes were brought out to the feasting halls.

Ruq-Gar eyed the steady stream of those moving towards the food. They would wait for the initial rush to die back, there would be more than enough for everyone tonight. What was more important now was refilling his cup with more fine mescal.

One of the Old Brood Saurus in the cohort next to them, those spawned on The World That Was and escaped it terrible fate, was making a fuss about the lighting being nothing but common trickery. It started ranting about the lack of proper sacrifices. Hundreds would have be put to the blade for the terrible glory of Sotek back in the day. Something about something called Skaven and the three horned rat. It gestured at Ruq-Gar and the rest of his cohort, their fiery orange dorsal spines marking them out as a New Brood cohort.

"Your kind, with their painted faces and fine fabrics know nothing of the Eternal Enemy You know not of the vile Skaven, of the pestilence we endured, of the plagues we bared and of the glory we sought. You wouldn't be able to-"

"That's enough!" A voice boomed out of the darkness. A commanding voice that could not be disobeyed. "The so called New Brood fight and die as much as us. More importantly, they make the enemy die with as much efficacy as we did."

Striding forwards into the light of the fire, Xi-Boc's towering scared form was revealed. "And on that point, I have reviewed your cohort's recent marksmanship performance. If you want to see combat again, you need to spend less time bitter about what has been and focus on what is here and now. Sit down, enjoy this evening and then get on with your weapons training tomorrow."

The Old Brood Saurus turned away and sat back with its spawn-siblings. The great General turned to look at Ruq-Gar and the others who were now standing at attention, or as close to it as the alcohol would allow.

"At ease. No need to stand on ceremony, I was simply taking a walk. I was spawned as a common warrior such as yourselves. It took centuries to become what I am now." He noticed they were still standing respectfully, staring at him. Xi-Boc sighed and sat down heavily. He indicated that the others should join him in sitting, which they did.

"Is that Mescal? Please, pass me a cup." he asked. One was hastily filled and handed over. The Old Blood took a long draw from it, smacking his lips and settling into a more comfortable position. "It has been a long time since I have sat and talked with the rank and file. You may look upon me with awe now, but that is nothing compared to the honour I had when fighting alongside the legendary Kroq-Gar. I had been an Old Blood for only a century. Hardly any time by comparison. He was over a thousand years old before I was spawned. We fought against the Dark Elves, it was a terrible battle. Hundreds died in the worst ways possible. They had brought with them many tentacled monsters from the abyssal deep. I watched as he single-highhandedly fought one of these colossal beasts. Holding his own as other mighty but lesser warriors were torn apart. When he plunged his spear through the beast's one mighty eye I was almost frozen in wonder. But it was he who came to my rescue when two devilish tentacles seized me in their mighty grip and threatened to pull me in twain. But we fought the Elves, we beat back their great tentacled beasts. We mourned our dead and we celebrated the victory with an elaborate five day festival. I tell you, after the amount of mescal I drank then, I wished the beast had spilled my entrails before Kroq-Gar could intervene!"

Xi-Boc drained the cup and set it back down before getting up, nodding to the cohort and walking off into the night. Ka'rah stared at Ruq-Gar in utter bewilderment before turning to watch the display of complex high-speed manoeuvres of a squadron of Cold-One riders on the Plaza bellow.

As with everything, feedback is treasured.
I hope you all had a great Christmas and have a good new year ahead.

 

Amazing piece! And all the same to you too

Grrr, !mrahil

 

Happy new year everyone!

 

Now for the first part of my tale about the Guns of Sotek returning to Lustria somehow

Spoiler: Time and Place - Part 1

The Star Canoe, caught in a gravity field that wasn't there moments before tipped and turned, losing control and losing altitude. The command deck, a place of utterly reserved calmness and deliberateness was sent into chaos. Skinks ran from station to station, sometimes colliding with each other. Star Priest Tel'aqua Barked commands to get the ship righted as it tumbled through the atmosphere. The two temple guard who kept watch on the two doors to the command deck tumbled and slid across the floor as the entire craft went sideways.

"Brace for impact!" was the final command yelled across the ships radio system before it crashed into the planet with bone shattering force. The roar of sound temporarily deafened everyone aboard, the crunching of trees, the shattering of rock, the screech of metal and the cries of pain and death.

Then silence.

Water from a burst pipe sprayed over blue-green scales, washing away the blood. Something moved and debris fell away as Ka'rah struggled to her clawed feet. She checked herself over, finding a deep gash on her leg. She grabbed some fabric from the floor and tied it around, tightly. She looked around the ruins of the Saurus barracks. Furniture, chests, weapons and all sorts of debris lay scattered around, or piled up against one wall. The floor was at a steeply slanted angle which made walking difficult. Others were coming to. Most in a better condition she was, some were a lot worse. A few were clearly never getting up again. On instinct alone she and a number of others started digging at the piles of debris to unearth their comrades. She barely noticed Ruq-Gar beside her until they both hefted a heavy piece of furniture out the way.

Xi-Boc had gathered a few Saurus and Skinks to force the doors of the ship open. It wasn't until two Kroxigors could be summoned that any headway could be made. Their huge muscular forms were able to force one of the doors open. An in-rush of hot humid air met them. For Xi-Boc and two of the Saurus with him, there was something very familiar about it. Something they had not experienced in decades. The green speckled light, filtered through the jungle canopy above mixed with the dank smell of decaying vegetation and the alarm squawks of tropical birds in the distance. A sense of emotion threatened to overwhelm him. He ordered a force assembled immediately, to secure the perimeter. He didn't know how but he was back on the Old World. Back in Lustria.

###

As the sun slowly slid behind the green horizon, Old-Blood Xi-Boc surveyed the situation. A perimeter had been established, trees had been cut away from ships hull to make it easier to see and repair the damage. The wood had been heaped up where it would form a funeral pyre for those that died in the impact. The majority of the casualties had been moved to a make-shift hospital and the dead had been set out in temporary morgue. Amongst the infirm was Star Priest Tel'aqua. He had hit his head hard and was currently in critical condition in the infirmary. This left Xi-Boc the ranking officer. He didn't really know anything about Star Canoes, he was a military general, so when the remains of the engineering team asked him for orders, he simply told them to get on with whatever they thought would be best.

Patrols were making circuits of the crash site and told to report back anything unusual. He had ensured that each patrol was made up of Old-World and new world saurians, two to one. The Lustrian jungles could be deadly to anyone who had not grown up in it.

A few of the older Skinks had set up a telescope and other equipment to make observations of the skies. The news of them having landed on Lustria had gotten around but the sceptical still wanted confirmation. The observations should hopefully reveal exactly where they were on the continent too. Tomorrow Xi-Boc would assemble a team to try making contact with the lizardmen here. How they would react to their technology and mannerisms was anyone's guess. Perhaps he'd just bring the Old Brood to avoid any confusion...

###

The expedition assembled. They had a long way to go. The nearest city, Xahutec was nought but ruins but it would provide a useful way point and allow them to pick up the causeway system that would make for more rapid progress. Their ultimate destination would be Tlaxtlan, The City of the Moon. According to the astronomical observations, they were confirmed to be back in Lustria at around the year 1300 IC. Well before anyone on the Star Canoe had been spawned, even Xi-Boc.

For the expedition Xi-Boc brought with him a personal retinue of temple guard and senior warriors. He also brought a regiment of mixed Saurus and regiment of mixed Skinks, both with Old and New Brood members. The idea was to give the impression that he represented a sizeable contingent and not just some lost group of nomadic lizardmen. Finally, he included a couple of star canoe engineers who could articulate their esoteric needs for their repair work.

Old Blood Xi-Boc called for his regiments and auxiliaries to line up for inspection. The early morning mists swirled around them.

"What is this? Where are your service weapons?" He bellowed at a contingent of Old Brood Saurus lined up in front of him. They carried spears or macuahuile and shields and nothing more.
"Lord Xi-Boc, we have returned home, surely this is a time to regain our traditions and old ways?" One of them spoke up. It was a squad champion with a gnarled head crest where an old wound had healed oddly. He was extremely experienced and well on his way to Scar-Veteranhood.
Xi-Boc growled. This one, while a fine and fierce warrior, had struggled to accept the new ways, even after his three decades out of the stasis chamber.
"We are not home!" He barked, "This is more than a millennia before you were even spawned. This is an alien world to you! Where is your loyalty to your temple-city? You dishonourable worm!"
The champion stood, steadfast and defiant.
"Go and get your service weapons and equipment, now." He ordered, locking eyes with the Saurus Champion. The stare lasted for long and uncomfortable moment before it relented and slunk off back to the ship, with the other Old Broods following.
"Everyone check your equipment, and make sure you too have not forgotten anything." He added. A few of the Skinks, carrying javelins broke off to head back to the ship too.

###

The sun was above the horizon and the palpable humidity of the Lustrian jungle was beginning to thicken the air. The expedition was finally on its way. A combination of obsinite and industrial steel blades were cutting swathes through the greenery where it blocked their march. It was slow, but steady progress. The leading row of Saurus were rotated out on a regular cycle to maintain fresh muscle to cut a path.

They took a mid-day break to rest and rehydrate. Come the evening time, they made camp. A hunting party was assembled while others built cooking fires.

They slept either in trees, on blankets or directly on the ground, depending on preferences, and a watch was set up.

This same cycle continued for three days. Each evening a radio report would be given and any developments on the Star Canoe would be received.

Midway through the morning of the fourth day, they broke through into an overgrown plaza. They spread out, taking up defensive positions. The New Brood couldn't help looking up to the crumbling pyramids and ziggurats. The only ones they had ever seen were gleaming in white limestone with bands of bright paint around them. There was something disturbing about seeing such grand structures in this state. And so many of them. This city had once been home to over a hundred thousand lizardmen at least.

"This place, Xahutec, is know as The City of Echos." Xi-Boc noted, in answer to unspoken questions. He had his weapon lowered and was looking around, for something in particular. "A dark rift exists at its heart whence the blight of Chaos pours through its daemons time and time again. In approximately twelve-hundred solar cycles, I myself will be called upon to face the foul things as they poured out with every rise of the accursed Chaos moon."

Silence once again reigned over the plaza.

"What are your orders, my lord?" asked one of the Scar veterans, keenly aware that they were standing out in the open.
"We wait. They'll be here soon enough…"

The lizardmen stood in the eerie silence amongst the ancient ruins listening to the distant alarm calls of tropical birds. Then something came. All guns were turned to face east. Shortly after, a small squad of blue-green Saurus emerged, shields and macuahuile held, ready to charge. They faced off, locking eyes with each other.

Xi-Boc walked forward, pressing down on the gun of the lead Scar Veteran.

"I bid you well." he said, approaching the new Saurus. "I am Lord Xi-Boc of the temple city of Sotzalzan. We are simply passing through on our way to the great temple city of Tlaxtlan. It has been all quiet here I trust? We have not heard of major incursions for a number of years."
"Hail, Lord Xi-Boc" the largest of them said, his gold and bronze pauldrons as well as his size indicated that he was his regiments Champion. "You are correct, by the blessing of the gods, we have not seen an incursion in this city for a number of years now. And long may it be so."

The two Saurus gently butted heads in greetings.

"Lord Xi-Boc, do you require an escort?" the Champion asked.
"Only as far as the causeway to Tlaxtlan. We should be well suited to make the march to the city in a few days."
"Very well. If you will follow me, we will take you to the city's Western gate by the most rapid route."

They walked in solemn silence. The champion walked up front at the head of the procession, two other Saurus followed behind and one each walked either side. It was unclear if they were guarding Xi-Boc's delegation from Xahutec, or the other way around. These warriors paid very little attention to the delegation however. Ka'rah looked down as her claws kicked aside old bones scattered on the path as it passed under some huge, unknowable construction. Finding old bones in ruins was nothing unusual for anyone, but these bones were horribly misshapen. She thought she saw a skull too, one side stretching up into a single horn or spike, broken off at the tip. But it was out of sight soon enough. The walk through the city ruins took almost an hour. The passed through underground tunnels, abandoned barracks and workshops, past hastily constructed cemeteries and crossed over a wide, murky canal on a partly reconstructed bridge. The wooden poles tied to the crumbling stone piers creaked ominously. The sun had reached its zenith by the time they reached the cities edge. They passed by another patrol, watching the West gate. Several sets of eyes watched them closely, especially the New Brood. Ruq-Gar gave a cheery salute but got nothing but stone-faced stares in return. Their escort peeled away as the passed through the gate.

"This road will take you to Tlaxtlan. There are stations in which to rest along the route." the champion said by way of parting words.
"May Tzcatli guide your strike." Xi-Boc answered.

The causeway ahead was uneven and overgrown. Tree roots pushed between the enormous paving stones and it was hard to discern the edges. Still, a narrow path had been kept relatively free of vegetation and its stones were mostly still flat. They picked their way through it.

"So, what are the chances that us coming here would affect the flow of events?" Ka'rah asked Te'al'k who was marching in front of her.
"Well, its certainly possible. But by no means guaranteed." she replied. "Although, if we are in the same timeline from which we departed, anything we do now would have already happened in the past and so we are already living in the future we created from whatever actions we did or did not take here." the Skink Priest added.

Ka'rah moved her lips as she parsed this. Saurus minds were better equipped to react quickly on the battlefield, not ponder the metaphysical.

"So… anything we do now, we already did?" she asked, eventually.
"Something like that. Although, if we are dealing with more of a multi-world hypothesis then the past we are in now is not our past, but just another past of yet another future that is yet to exists." Te'al'k replied. "Though there are some ideas that postulate that for each and every action, a new future exists wherein every possibility of that action has its own separate reality which is manifest into existence at the very point at which a bifurcation in the possibility matrix may occur."
"I, err, I. Wait, what?"
"Never mind."
"Alright then."

 

I seem to be having issues uploading my latest story here now :/

 

The time traveling laser lizards meet with a Slann, for some of them, it is the first time. A challenge is issued, who will die?

Really looking for some feedback on this one so don't hold back on comments, good and bad.

Spoiler: Time and Place - Part 2

As the afternoon stretched into the evening, a bivouac was located to the side of the main path. A fire pit sat in the middle of a clearing surrounded by wide logs. A crude arrangement of stone slabs and logs made up a number of shelters.

A hunting party was organised, several others were tasked with preparing the fire and the rest of the expedition took the time to rest and figure out a sentry rotor for the night.

Ka'rah dropped her pack and unfurled her bedroll under one of the shelters. She then hung up a little charm of Sotek, whispering a prayer to the god before fishing out her datapad from its belt-mounted case and sat down on one of the logs, tapping away at it.

Ruq-Gar had been tasked with helping the radio operators. He was holding up a long pole with an antenna tied to the end and being given very specific instructions on where to turn it.

Amongst the bustle of activity Xi-Boc watched, pacing around the camp slowly. He was paying particular attention to the New Brood now that they were beginning to relax and unwind for the evening. A few kept shaking their heads, or grasping at them them. Ka'rah was massaging her temples between trying to write out something on the datapad.

The Old-Blood let out a few grunts that called attention to him. "You feel it don't you?" he said, "Those who have felt it before will find comfort in its familiar grasp. For those who haven't, what you feel is the strength of the Geomantic Web. Powerful rivers of magic, anchored in place by the great Temple Cities of Lustria. Part of the mighty works of the great Old Ones." He circled the fire as it rapidly came to life.

"When you are acclimatised to it, you will be able to sense your direction. Those of us who grew up with it can even navigate by it. " He paused for a moment before continuing, addressing the concentration of New Brood Saurus and Skinks around the shelters.

"Now that you are on the world that our kind was originally designed for, you may find new aspects of your body or minds begin to activate or work differently. Stay attuned to that."




After another two days on the march, the high ziggurats of Tlaxtlan began to come into view. The fires burning atop their summits twinkled in the night sky like stars. They would reach the city tomorrow.

###

As dawn broke, Xi-Boc called the entire expedition to him.

"We will enter the City of the Moon today. This will be our first contact with a major regional power. First impressions count for a lot. We want to project the power and prestige of our great city of Sotzalzan. I want everything on display, plumes, armour, weapons, everything. And I want it gleaming. You have an hour. Then we will form up and march in parade formation. Get to it!"

It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that the old Saurus general had been so much more vocal and animated these past few days. His normal stoic, reserved demeanour had been shifted aside as they had closed the distance with the temple city. In fact, he'd been somewhat agitated since their arrival on this world.

Ka'rah pointed this out to Ruq-Gar as they bathed in one of the brooks that ran near the camp. He simply shrugged. "The guy is maybe happy to be back home at last. If someone stole me away from Sotzalzan for thirty, fifty years, I'd feel happy to return."

"I don't think that's it. He's always saying how this isn't home, how this is an alien world. I thought he and Scar Veteran Ataxor were going to have fight about it before we left."

"Are you two done?" a disgruntled Skink chirped.

"Sorry"

The two Saurus rinsed themselves before leaving the brook.


###

The column of lizardmen looked impressive. Their scales, armour and weapons gleamed amongst the riot of colour from feathered headdresses, cosmetics and accessories. At the head of the column marched Xi-Boc and his two Scar Veterans. Just behind them were the Skink Priests and engineers. Then came the five Temple Guard of Xi-Boc's retinue. Finally marched two columns of Saurus side by side, each lead by a Champion. Each column were flanked by a column of Skinks.

The anticipation of entering the legendary city of Tlaxtlan was making many of the lizardmen restless. While the marched at a decent rate, to some, it did not seem fast enough. Ka'rah could feel her heart pounding under the colourful shawl she wore around her shoulders. Tlaxtlan did not have much in the way of city walls. It began as small, utilitarian buildings scattered amongst farms, animal pens and fishing ponds. But gradually they build up in density and grandeur. They were in the city proper when both sides of the road were surrounded by strong, brightly painted stone buildings. The road itself had become a wide, processional way, lined with tall trees and stelae. It lead directly to the towering pyramid temple of Tlazcoatl which sat on a immense platform.

Ka'rah and Ruq-Gar looked around constantly, taking in all the sights and sounds. Their tongues flicked in and out almost constantly, picking up as many scents as possible. They were somewhat oblivious to the attention they were getting. Xi-Boc kept a watchful eye though. He didn't know how anyone would react to seeing them in their strange outfits, carrying strange weapons. He tried to think about how he himself as a younger Saurus may have reacted. The truth of the matter is that he had been good at adapting and had adapted over time since arriving to the new world too. While he was seen as a crusty old hold-out of the Old World there, he was hyper-aware of the ways in which he no longer fitted here in Lustria. Especially the idle thought that scudded across his mind that the great central Pyramid in evening light would make for an incredible painting. He'd have to sent Aktaka, his scribe back here to take a few pictures for him later.

Te'al'k was feeling extremely light-headed. She had never experienced the presence of such reserves of raw magic flowing under the streets. She turned to look at the other Skink priests who were taking it in their stride. They had all been on Lustria before though, well, except for Te'al'k herself. She could also feel the presence of some great intellect, somewhere on the edge of perception and completely inscrutable to her.

To the surprise of the expedition and Xi-Boc, an honour guard of Temple Guard lined the main thoroughfare and an Old-Blood Saurus in it's ceremonial wear waited for them. Xi-Boc ordered the column to stop as he met with the Old-Blood. It raised its fist to its chest, pounding it once and then held it up in greeting.

"I am Old-Blood Gox-Krok of Tlaxtlan. You are the far-travellers I presume? We received word that you were travelling through Xahutec on your way here." it spoke with carefully pronounced high-saurian.

"Well met, that is correct. I am Old-Blood Xi-Boc of Sotzalzan."

The two mighty Saurus bowed, touching their bony crests for a moment.

"I have been asked to escort you and your delegation."

Without waiting for a reply he turned and started marching. Xi-Boc gave the order to follow. He noticed that the Temple Guard took up station either side of his own column. He was unsure of what they might do if they deviated beyond the path Gox-Krok was taking them on.

They were lead down a number of wide roads and across a wide plaza decorated in fine mosaics. A lesser pyramid temple stood at the other side. It was still tall enough to rise above the treeline. They were lead directly up the many stairs to the top of the ziggurat.

At the summit stood a Skink Starseer and two more Star Priests. As Xi-Boc approached, the Starseer muttered something to one of the Star Priests who turned and walked into the large stone temple that occupied most of the platform at the top. Gox-Krok moved to one side letting Xi-Boc and the Starseer meet face to face.

"I have brought forth the far-travellers." the Old-Blood said, bowing.

The Starseer looked Xi-Boc up and down. It was clearly very old. Every movement seemed to be executed with deep consideration. It stretched out it's scrawny arms, the many gold bands on them must have weighed them down considerably.

"Welcome far-traveller. Welcome to the Temple of Tepoc. My master has been looking forward to meeting with you. "

Xi-Boc had the horrible realisation that they were being prepared for a direct meeting with one of the cities Slann mage priests. The New Brood had never experienced the presence of one of those magnificent and terrifying beings. Lizardmen, or lizardmen as he knew them had an instinctual deference and need to worship the almighty mages. How would the New Brood react?

The delegation had spread itself out along the full width of the staircase, looking up at the Skink priests and their colourful feathered headdresses. Te'al'k took hers off and began examining the gold for any dirt and preening the feathers in it. A few of the Saurus started examining their own weapons. Xi-Boc stood stolid and impassive as the two Skink engineers started whispering to each other behind him. The wait continued.

Finally, the Skink Star Priest returned.

"The master will see you and a section of your delegation now." it said as it bowed low before the Old-Blood.

Xi-Boc turned, nodding to two of his own Temple Guard, and both of his Scar Veterans. He also indicated for the engineers and Skink Priests to follow and then scanned the others. Finally he pointed to two each of Saurus and Skinks from the New and Old Broods to come to the top of the platform. With his selection made he turned back towards the Starseer who slowly blinked in acknowledgement and then lead the way, slowly into the temple building.


{Continued in next post}

 

So it turns out there is a hard limit at how much you can put in a Spoiler tag. Adding more than that causes LO to shit a brick it seems. Anyways, here is the rest of the story...

Spoiler: Time and Place - Part 2 (Continued)

{Continued from last post}

The chamber they entered was impressive, while the ceiling soared upwards, they descended a staircase making the size of the room even more striking. A faint glow emanated from behind numerous raised panels on the walls, highlighting the complex geometric patterns carved into the walls and ceiling. The floor itself was a maze of blue tiles and gold filaments running this way and that in arcane arcs. Where the arcs intersects, glittering gemstones surrounded by circles of gold were embedded into the floor. Ahead of them stood an enormous basalt platform and thrown. Itself, decorated not ornately, but very finely in traceries of gold and emerald. A great arc of feathers was raised over the mighty chair where sat the mighty form of the Slann Mage Priest. A huge ruby-studded emerald pendant hung around its neck rose and fell slowly with the Slann's slow and steady breaths. Its round and toad-like body seemed fully asleep upon its stone thrown as the delegation filed in and spread out around it.

Ka'rah could feel a strange sensation deep in her that she had never felt before. The feeling felt so ingrained that it was a part of her physical form. If that bloated beast upon the thrown ordered her to march into an inferno she would do it, unquestionably. But it was more than that, she, it felt that all it's worries and fears and hopes were as insignificant as that of a grain of sand. But a grain of sand next to millions of other grains, each as important as the next in forming a great slab of stone, which itself was only one of many forming a mighty edifice of the gods of such power and complexity that it was incomprehensible to mortal minds. It was both terrifying and comforting.

"Lord Chuqa-xi, I have present to you the far-travellers as requested." the Starseer said, prostrating itself before the Slann.

Slowly, very slowly one eye opened, then the other. Lord Chuqa-xi gazed upon the outsiders from a distance of thousands of years. With a slight movement of one hand the walls on one side of the chamber shuddered and began lowering into the floor. A wave from the other hand had the walls on the other side lower too. The bright, mid-afternoon light flooded in.

Xi-Boc lowered himself to his knees, head bowed and one fist clenched over his heart. The others followed, the New Brood being somewhat slower on the uptake. The Old-Blood recognised that this was one of the younger Slann, a mere administrator compared to the great Starmasters, but still, a figure of almost god-like consideration for anyone who was not a Slann.

"Your Lordship. I am Xi-Boc, General of the great temple city of Sotzalzan.", his voice boomed through the chamber. "Our vessel was caught in a storm and we have wrecked upon your domain. I humbly ask for accommodation and assistance in repairs. Then we will depart to continue on our voyage."

the Old-Blood could feel the Slann's mind boring into his own. He felt that his every thought and memory was being turned over and picked through, as a giant anteater overturns rocks an boulders, looking for morsels. Even down as far as his deepest regrets and fears. And he knew that every member of his party here was undergoing a similar examination.

Finally a response came, ponderously, as a voice in their heads.

"The event of your coming had been foretold. We were, of course, watching the coast for a ship from the Southlands. Our interpretation of 'kin not of this realm' was, of course, incorrect." The immense Slann took an enormous, brightly coloured grub, proffered by one of his Skink attendants, looked at it carefully before slurping it down.

"Old-Blood Xi-Boc, I can see that you and a few of your retinue are in fact kin of this realm. I welcome you on your return. But, there are others that you have brought, with wild, untamed minds. Minds that have never been shaped by a Slann. I can feel them, I can shape them to what they should be."

"Your Lordship. While I thank you for the welcome, you must understand that we are no longer of this realm and cannot truly return. And those of my retinue not born of this realm are still mighty and obedient soldiers. I would trust my life to any of them."

"Is that so?" the Slann vocalised, "I would like to test that". Lord Chuqa-xi turned to one of his Temple Guard and blinked slowly. The Temple Guard nodded and marched off. The Slann then turned to one of the Skink engineers. It slowly raised the Skink into the air with but a gesture of a finger. The Skink was brought closer and rotated in the air in front of the Slann who examined it closely.

"I see that you have amongst you, those whom would masquerade as holy priests, but who's robes bear no holy glyph of any gods. Who's minds are not turned to towards the heaves, but the ground. Mere tinkerers of mechanisms and trinkets."

The Skink tried to maintain a dignified stance as it was slowly rotated upside-down and back again.

"Your lordship," the other engineer interjected after a careful moment, "We concern ourselves with the learning and operating of the technology of the great Old Ones. Our ship is borne aloft by the will of the Gods through the rituals we must perform to operate it."

Slowly, the other engineer was lowered to the floor

"You give a good accounting of yourselves, Skink, even if you do speak out of turn."



The Temple Guard returned with two Saurus warriors in tow. Lord Chuqa-xi turned to them.

"Old-Blood, will you indulge me in a little experiment? To satisfy my own curiosity?" It was not a question. The two Skink engineers returned to their line.

The two Saurus warriors from somewhere outside the temple walked reverentially in front of their master and bowed.

"Rise, my warriors."

They both stood, and awaited whatever ordered that had summoned them here.

"One of you, kill the other."

The two Saurus turned to face each other. One of them lowered the spear it carried while the other stood, presenting its chest. To the horror of Xi-Boc and his delegation, the spear was thrust forcefully forward. Its razor sharp obsinite blade cutting deep into the chest of the Saurus. The room was utterly silent except for the visceral sound of the spear being thrust further through bone and flesh. Its tip eventually emerging from the back of the Saurus, dislodging one of its dorsal spikes. The first one let go of the spear and stood to attention. The second one stood for two more shaky breaths before topping sideways. The clang of its heavy macuahuitl hitting the floor echoed around the chamber.

The Slann turned to look at Xi-Boc. The Old-Blood let out a reluctant growl.

"Ruq-Gar, Ka'rah, to me." he called, without looking at them.

With a horrible sense of inevitability, the two Saurus came forward. They both looked at Xi-Boc, hoping that they weren't being given the order that they knew must come. He refused to meet their gaze.

"Ruq-Gar!"

The Old-Blood boomed, the Saurus stood to attention.

"Kill her. "

Ruq-Gar saluted and took aim with his laser rifle. Ka'rah, her mind racing, stood before Ruq-Gar. At least she was dressed well to meet the gods this day. She stood to attention and waited. Ruq-Gar released the safety catch. Ka'rah closed her eyes and took what might be her last breath. No. Her eyes snapped open. She was a warrior, she will face this head on. She stared ahead into the gun barrel. And then, Ruq-Gar clicked the safety back on. He lowered the rifle.

"No, my lord. That would be an unconscionable waste of manpower." he stuttered.

Xi-Boc allowed himself a brief smile before adding. "That was a direct order from your chief commander."

"Yes, my lord. Ka'rah's death would be better served facing the enemy on the battlefield."

"Very well. Ruq-Gar, Ka'rah, you can stand down."

The two Saurus returned to the rest of the delegation.

"An impressive show of defiance. Now then, I see that you have your own Starseer with you, aboard your craft. I will speak with it as soon as possible. There is little more I can discuss with a Saurus. My Starseer Ockchi-iktotl will see to your material needs."

Lord Chuqa-xi closed his eyes. The Starseer lead the delegation from the chamber and into another, lesser chamber. Ka'rah caught a glimpse of two Temple Guard dragging away the dead Saurus. Several Skink attendants were already scrubbing away the blood.

 

Any particular reason you opt to put the stories behind the spoiler tags?

 

It makes scrolling up and down the page easier.

 

Can't argue with that.