Storms of Judgement - Voidspan fights back

The roaring, thundering presence of the machine-spirit echoed everywhere. Janus slipped through the next layer, and its anger hit him like a tidal wave. It was hot and vibrant, a shocking terrible mass of emotion to come from a machine spirit that had been so quiet for so long. When the Warpsmith had first entered Voidspan's Machine-Spirit he had known it only as a chained storm, its power and the potential energy of its great intellect and knowledge contained in the metal shell of the station. Now it was open and raw, all of its centuries of corruption powering its fury, and its pain. Waves of pure agony hammered off it. Janus forced his mind to conceptualise the machine-spirit as it loomed up from the darkness of the space station's higher systems. The storm clouds were angry red, and they rained blood. Currents of hot, toxic pain flowed around the storm, lashing Janus with black lightning of pain as the machine-spirit raged.

“Tell me!” cried Janus. “Tell me what I must do!”

The emotion that howled on the electronic gale was not human, but it could not be mistaken. Pain, anger and malice mixed into one, battering against the Warpsmith’s mind.

The Station wanted him to die.

Janus wrenched his mind out of the space station's information systems. He snapped back into his body and turned to face Nestor.

“We must hurry my Lord. Defence protocols have re-established themselves, if we don’t reach the inner level to stop it, the outer ring will detach itself and we will be cast adrift.”

As if to emphasise the Warpsmiths point, rivets, the size of a man’s fist tore a section of panel away as the station shook violently.

“Move out!” ordered Nestor.

Continuing our battle for Void Span, we played another game of Zone Mortalis using our own scenario, here’s how we got on.

Repelling Boarders
Both sides are attempting to secure the control room and prevent the automated defence systems from blowing the docking ring into the endless void. Unfortunately for the invaders, Defence Servitors stalk the corridors attacking anybody seeking to prevent this.

Objective
At the end of the game the player who has secured the control room wins the game. If no player has control then the docking ring has been destroyed and both players must abandon the Space Station. The winner also gains an advantage in the next scenario.

Game Length
The game lasts for seven turns.

Special rules
10 combat servitors stalk the corridors.
4 with Heavy Bolters and Powerfist.
2 with Multi-Melta and Powerfist.
2 with Heavy Flamer and Powerfist.
2 with 2 Powerfists.
To simulate the outer docking ring shaking itself apart the Catastrophic Damage Table is in use.

Armies

Death Guard
Lord Festus Blightmaster, MoN, powerfist, Burning Brand of Skalathrax & Sigil of Corruption.
5 Plague Marines, 2 Flamers. Malodourous with power Axe.
5 Plague Marines, 2 Melta, Tosis Mire with Power Axe.
5 Plague Marines, 2 Plasma, Septicus with Power Axe.
5 Nurgle Possessed.
4 Nurgle Spawn.
1 Obliterator, MoN.

The Castigators
Lord Nestor Lustheart, MoS, Steed of Slaanesh, Lightning Claw, Burning Brand of Skalathrax. Sigil of Corruption.
Squad Sublime – 5 Noise Marines, Blastmaster, 3 Sonic Blasters, Nephran Lustviper with bolt pistol and CCW.
Squad Rapture – 5 Noise Marines, 4 with Boltgun, Boltpistol & CCW. Darius Lewdgrip with Lightning Claw & Doomsiren.
Phobos – Helbrute, missile launcher, fist.
Shaithis – Helbrute, missile launcher, fist.

N'kari  - Keeper of Secrets

The Soulreaper - 17 Daemonettes

Deployment

Rob Deployed two Plague Marine Squads, his Spawn and Festus with his Possessed in his deployment zone like so.

While I deployed both squads of Noise Marines, Nestor and the Keeper of Secrets in mine.

Blips, representing the Space Station's combat servitors were deployed like so.

Turn 1

Tosis led his squad of Plague Marines through the side door into the corridor, revealing a Heavy Bolter and a Heavy Flamer combat servitor.

The Spawn moved through the double blast doors to reveal a Multi-melta and a Heavy Bolter combat servitor waiting for them.

The servitors opened fire on all available targets stripping a wound from a Nurgle Spawn.

The Spawn charged into the closest servitor ......

.....Tearing it apart with their teeth and claws.

The Keeper of Secrets smashed through the double blast doors to reveal two Heavy Bolter and a Heavy Flamer servitor waiting for them....

All three Servitors opened fire on the Keeper but failed to wound it, while Nestor led his Noise Marines through the doorway to surround them.

The Keeper, Nestor and his Marines and the Noise Marines who took up position through the side door, opened fire on the servitors wiping them out.

Turn 2

The Servitors moved towards the Spawn, spraying the corridor with shells and killing one of the monstrosities.

Two of the Servitors charged in and although one fell, the other inflicted a wound on the Spawn.

The third squad of Plague Marines arrived moving on behind Tosis' squad....

Tosis move down the side corridor which led to the control room as Festus and his Possessed moved towards the servitor.

The Plague Marines with the Spawn, moved around the combat and opened fire on the lone servitor, blasting it apart with their melta and boltguns, denying Festus the chance to charge it and forcing them to sprint into cover.

The Spawn continued to attack the servitor but failed to cause any damage, while the servitor stripped another wound from them.

Both of the Castigators' Dreadnoughts arrived, one moving on behind the Noise Marines whilst the other entered from the deployment zone.

Nestor led his squad to cover the doors while he drew a line of sight to the Nurgle Possessed.

Daemonic fire incinerated a Possessed as the Keeper of Secrets sprinted forward.....

.....whilst the Noise Marines opened fire with their Blastmaters killing a Marine from the newly arrived Plague Marines.

Turn 3

The floor trembled beneath feet and rivets filled the air as the Space Station shook violently. Ceilings collapsed trapping many beneath tons of rubble as we rolled a 12 on the Catastrophic Damage table. As the dust cleared, 7 Plague Marines, a Possessed and four Noise Marines were taken out of the battle!

Tosis continued unopposed towards the control room with the remnants of Malodourous' squad following behind.

Festus and his Possessed opened the door and headed for the Slaaneshi Lord and his squad....

......bathing them in daemonic fire from his burning brand and killing two.

Festus charged in, bellowing a challenge to Nestor which the Slaanesh Lord readily accepted. The Possessed surrounded the lone Noise Marine.....

......the Noise Marine hacked apart a possessed before the Possessed knew what was happening but hopelessly out numbered, he fell to their blows. Nestor's lightning quick reflexes took Festus by surprise and the wound he took unsettled him so much that he failed to land a blow onthe Slaanesh Lord.

The Spawn finally finished off the servitor and consolidated towards the control room.

The Daemonettes arrived for the Castigators.

The entire Castigators army rallied to Nestor, determined to help their Lord out....

N'kari charged in as did Shaithis the Dreadnought.....

N'kari smashed into the Possessed tearing apart two of them, as the Dreadnought released his rage upon the other. In a flurry of blows Nestor tore into Festus hitting him 4 times, his lightning claw danced across his armour causing two wounds, but the Nurgle lord's Sigil turned aside all of the blows. In his haste Nestor had left himself wide open and the Blightmaster smashed him to the ground taking him out of the battle. Before he could administer the killing blow N'kari and Shaithis pushed forward to protect their unconscious Lord.

Turn 4

The servitors moved around the perimeter taking up positions to cover the doors.

The Spawn moved towards the Control room tearing apart the Blast Doors....

.......As Tosis opened the other blast doors to face the servitor guard them.

The combat servitor charged into the Plague Marines tearing one apart, Tosis calmly stepped forward and hacked it apart with his scythe.

The Spawn charged the other servitor.......

......hacking it apart and consolidating towards the control room.

Festus fought valiantly with the Keeper of Secrets, his Sigil of Corruption turning all blows bar one aside and wounding the Greater Daemon in return!

The Noise Marines moved aound the corner to get line of sight on the Plague Marine squad, whilst the Daemonettes and Dreadnought headed for the control room.

The Noise Marines shot at the Plague Marines dropping one of them with their sonic weapons......

......As the Daemonettes ran for the control room.

Turn 5

The last combat servitor moved out of the control room and rushed towards Tosis and his squad.....

......the servitor failed to hit the marines but Tosis stripped a wound from it.

The Spawn moved across the perimeter towards the Daemonettes, supported by the plague marines who gunned one down with their boltguns.

......as the remnants of Malodourus' plague marines caught up with Tosis.

.....And charged into the combat with neither side causing any damage.

The Spawn attacked the Daemonettes causing one wound each.....

........as Festus finally succumbed to the Keeper of Secrets.

The Castigators moved up towards the combat.....

Wiping out the Plague Marines but unable to help out the Daemonettes in combat, who lost three of their number and failed to cause any wounds to the Spawn.

Turn 6

The Daemonettes shredded a Spawn with their talons and lost four of their number doing so. Tosis hacked apart the last combat servitor and consolidated towards the control room.

The Noise Marines moved between the Daemonette and Spawn combat closing in on the control room....

N'kari and the Dreads looked on in frustration, unable to help out the daemonettes with their combat. The two Spawn models had only three wounds left between them, if they could kill one spawn then the Keeper and Dread could move in and finish them off. Fourteen attacks slashed against the Spawn hitting 6 times. I needed to roll two 6's to kill one off. Not one bloody six! The Spawn fought back rolling 5 attacks each, and hacking three down, Slaanesh was displeased and I rolled double 6 for their instability! The Spawn consolidated back towards the Noise Marines.

Turn 7

Tosis opened the door to the control room and both Plague Marine squads moved in to secure the console. The Spwan charged into the Noise Marines....

....with neither side causing any damage.

N'kari and the Dreads moved forward to help out the Noise Marines. The Keeper charged in......

Tearing the Spawn apart and consolidating towards the control room.....

......but it was too late for the Castigators. Tosis and his Death Guard had control of the data-console. The Death Guard win.

The view screen glowed its sticky green light....System reboot and scourge in T minus 14 cycles...
Looking over the shoulder of his interface operative Tosis leered at the monitor.
"What in the name of Mortarian is a scourge?"

"I cannot ascertain that from here sire.... I have re-routed power to the nearest logi-index, unfortunately as soon as it comes online it will be immediately visible to everyone in the station...."
Tosis caressed his head with the talons on his left hand, the acolyte let out a small sigh as blue motes of etheric energy danced across his bubbling eye sockets, Tosis lifted the techno savant from the floor by his misshapen skull and squeezed, dropping the lifeless body he motioned to his squad

"Then we get there first and find out the source of this scourge, it may be useful."