Spires of Piety I: The Governor's Evacuation

In the grim darkness of the far future, on the hive world of Piety in the Calixis sector, the blessed order of the Emperor is collapsing. Numerous food and water shipments have been lost in local warp storms, which has quickly created famine conditions in the lower levels of the hive cities. After weeks of fighting, Imperial reinforcements begin to arrive. But in the capital city of Baidun, the forces of Chaos and disorder are already reaching the highest levels of the spire. Governor Alaryxx waits with her personal bodyguard in the hope of a speedy evacuation to orbit, fortifying the last bastions of the city with any troops she can muster. The mutants and heretics seem to have their own agenda however, delaying the final assault for over a week now. After seeing peculiar apparitions and fiery lights in the sky, rumours abound of dark rituals and sacrifices to the chaos gods, or the covert involvement of xenos factions and their human agents.

In the early turns, a group of Dark Eldar corsairs crossed paths with the mutant rabble moving up from the underhive and a brutal close range firefight ensued. The corsairs also clashed with a group of smugglers, whose sniper took caused some serious ranged damage before being taken out in a hail of bullets. Meanwhile on the roof of her palace, the Planetary Governor was challenged by the Ordo Hereticus investigators while trying to reach the evacuation point. The tense situation was calmed slightly as the PDF troops were stood down and the governor moved onto the East Platform to explain herself and await rescue. At this point another Inquisitorial team arrived on the platform unannounced, from the mysterious Ordo Hydra. Another tense standoff was avoided when a Crusader arrived with the new warband, making their affiliation clear.

The mutants and corsairs finally broke off their battle after taking a brutal toll on each other, and moved off towards their different objectives. The Ordo Hereticus observed, recorded and engaged both, with their Lexicaner recording significant data. Meanwhile the Ordo Hydra found evidence of chaos taint amongst the mutants and the smugglers stumbled upon an altar to the Chaos gods - which they promptly left alone, in favour of more lucrative endeavours. Tempers flared again on the landing platform when the Inquisitorial teams moved off to investigate the increasing shooting down below. The governor unwisely tried to get physical with the Inquisitor's Medicae who had remained behind, leading her PDF lieutenant to throw his lot in with the inquisition instead and rally his two surviving troopers to himself. The mutants now demonstrated remarkable abilities to sprint across the board, seeking to reach the altar of Chaos and summon a Daemon. However they were now under fire from all sides as the threat was recognised, and never reached their goal.

As the transport ship finally arrived, the governor was unceremoniously dragged aboard by the Medicae. The PDF lieutenant elected to save his own skin whilst the Imperial Guardsmen on board gunned down the PDF troopers trying to force their way on board. The order to take off was given, but at the last minute the Lexicaner managed to transmit his observations to the rest of the Ordo Hereticus team, and two of them held up the transport until they could board. Elsewhere the corsairs were planting demo charges and also discovered the archaeotech hoard the smugglers were trying to 'liberate'. The first of the smugglers' containers exploded when opened.

The Eldar braved a withering hail of fire from the landing platform and finally planted their demo charges, destroying the communication tower and surrounding walkways. Their final act of destruction was to bring down a pylon and blow up the remaining archaeotech crate before the smugglers reached it. At this point the whole centre of the board was filled with the rubble of destroyed buildings, the eldar revelling in the carnage even as they themselves were crushed beneath the plasteel girders.

One remaining cultist made a desperate attempt to reach the chaos altar but was beaten down by the leader of the smugglers gang, who was now more aware of the Mutants' intent than the Inquisition were. The smugglers retreated almost empty handed to their own shuttle. As the Imperial Guard shuttle prepared to take off, the Inquisitor's crusader discovered a scroll recorded by Inquisitor xxx who had previously disappeared on the planet. It detailed the extent of the influence of the Ruinous Powers in the hive city and the location of the Chaos shrine. However despite the best efforts the discovery came too late; the Inquisitor, the Crusader and their Squat hired gun (still recovering from a plasma gun overheat and fall from the landing pad) failed to transmit their findings to their Medicae aboard the shuttle. The other Inquisitorial team, from the Ordo Hereticus, managed to force two people on to the shuttle at the last moment, with detailed data about the mutants and Xenos they had encountered - but with no knowledge of the influence of Chaos in the city.

As the last shots were fired the Ordo Hereticus investigator went down in a hail of long range bullets from the Corsairs, the transport doors closed, and the governor was evacuated. Both Inquisitorial teams took away valuable information about the mutant infestation and Xenos interference in the city, but neither informed their masters of the true risk of daemonic incursion. Inquisitor Aquellare of the Ordo Hydra remained battered but alive with his crusader bodyguard and squat hired gun. Whether they escaped the destruction to tell the wider Imperium of the chaos cult they uncovered, only time will tell. The smugglers lost their sniper just as he drew a bead on the governor - because who could resist that shot? - but otherwise retreated intact after seeing their loot destroyed. The dark eldar lost many, but caused utter carnage in the city, and will no doubt be back in greater numbers. The mutants failed to summon a Daemon but will be back in greater numbers. The governor survived, but as a captive of the inquisition, which may not be preferable to death. And lieutenant Grimwold of the PDF fancies a new career for himself as an acolyte of one of the Inquisitors active on the planet...

As the evacuation transport took off, leaving the injured and dying strewn around the spires of Piety, the ruins of the towers and pylons signified the end of the battle to escape, but certainly only the beginning of the struggle for control of the world...