A slightly smaller Mess

Screams erupt from the chimera as the claws shred several of its occupants and bisect the gunner. Still it drives onward, the surviving crew desperate to escape.

The sergeant is liquidised by the shells, his body almost evaporating entirely into a pink mist.

Hera: "Slowly. and i am acquiring a deep hatred of books."

The man leaning out of the truck shields his face from the sergeant's pulped mist, sights the missile, and fires, a trail of smoke following the missile as it careens towards the heldrake.

Chard: *smiles* You'll make a great inquisitor ma'am. one of the best, I'm sure of it.

the drake evades the missile, but in doing so ruins its angle of attack, as it swoops past them

The truck driver puts his foot down, and roars away at top speed.

Hera: "I doubt it, but the confidence is welcome."

the heldrakes are both climbing again, preparing for another attack run

Chard: Ma'am, you've got something most inquisitors don't have.

The truck is tearing away at a fair clip, and hurling up a huge plume of snow behind it, making an attack run from the rear a dicey prospect.

Hera raises an eyebrow.

the heldrakes switch target, the autocannon drake now breaking off towards the chimera, while the baleflamer drake turns for the truck

Chard: Can you think of a single inquisitor save yer man charles, who would have taken that girl in instead of leaving her in that hellscape?

Hera: "I don't know many inquisitors... But... I suppose there will be those that would... Also don't call Charles 'my man'."

A man climbs out of the trucks hatch, and mans the main weapon, some kind of industrial equipment turned to its new use.

The damaged chimera simply accelerates, unable to do more than run.

Chard: sorry ma'am *he smiles earnestly* but point is, its almost unheard of. You're compassionate beneath that hardened surface ma'am. You came up from the lowest to the highest. You care.

The drake closes in on the truck, bit by bit, like it's toying with it.

the drake following the chimera continues to harass it for a while, but breaks off before it enters the downed transport's AA range

Hera: "yeah, i guess... Probably get me killed at some point, but, its a nice thought."

The man on the gun has it aimed steady, muttering under his breath. "Come on.... come on...."

Chard: Proud to serve under you, ma'am.

its getting closer, closer, mouth open, baleflamer ready...

Hera: "Alongside."

At the last moment, he fires, unleashing a beam of energy designed to cut through solid bulkheads, and turn walls of rocrete to smoking slag. The beam would be blinding if seen with unprotected eyes, and the sound it produces by ionising the air it passes through, is painful to hear.

Chard: with respect ma'am, you're an inquisitor, I'm not *he chuckles* But I appreciate the sentiment.

the beam gouges a chunk out of the drake's shoulder. the creature lets out an inhuman, blood curdling howl as it breaks off the attack, climbing high once again.

Hera: "I'm not really, though. Charles has promoted me beyond all reason."

Gunner: "HA! FUCKIN HAVE IT YA TRAITOR CUNT BASTARD!"

Chard: forgive me for saying this ma'am but that's bullshit. He saw something in you. And I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think I see it too.

with daemonic, red smoke billowing from the wound, the heldrake simply climbs...athough before long the smoke stops, as if the damage was lessening already

Hera: "I'm a soldier, yes, a commissar, Certainly. Not an inquisitor."

The gunner, seeing this, slaps the top of the cap, urging them faster

Chard: And that's why you'll make such a good one, ma'am.

the drake seems to break off after a while, returning to the downed transport

The two chimera return to the transport and disgorge their passengers before creeping into its hull for repairs. All across the landscape the cadian scouts search for a well hidden landing zone for their transport, somewhere sheltered and safe from the circling helldrakes.

OOC: You still hve enough helldrakes to crush my forces with no losses :p

OOC I know :P

Hera smiles, a little sadly. "I don't think so. But i'll give it my best."

Chard: *smiles and puts a hand on her shoulder* If you're ever feeling unsure, I'm always around for a chat.

Hera: "Thats... Not really appropriate."

Chard: maybe not ma'am. Then again, you're the one who gets to decide what's appropriate.

Hera: "I'll keep it in mind."

he nods
"Anyway, sorry to keep you ma'am."

Hera just nods, and leaves chard's room.

chard salutes her again as she goes

back on the planet, the bombardment continues, as do the air raids, with fresh squadrons of air units relieving active ones every few hours or so. it is relentless and unending

The SDF is swiftly being torn down. Running out of aircraft, running out of pilots. The thunderbolts are prioritised, proving themselves repeatedly to be the more effective aircraft. A few pilots, however, distinguish themselves, becoming, if not feared, at least known, by the traitor forces. These few combat proven aces spend more time aloft than any other pilots, with little more than recaff fueling their efforts.

The PDF, rather than be broken by the continual attack, is hardened by it. This first taste of true combat tests their nerves, and the weak links are rooted out with brutal efficiency by the commissariat. Sleep is stolen in the short lulls in the aerial combat.

Although as many realise. this isn't true combat. It's just bottling them in. If they dare break from their trenches or bunkers, they're dead and they know it. And so, they sit there, helpless, as the traitors begin to establish their own emplacements all around them

The earthshaker batteries, the most jealously defended pieces of the line, continue to fire, located in the lee of hills, safe from counter battery fire, and with multiple flak emplacements to hold aircraft at bay, they continue to fire, lobbing their great shells at the traitors. But it is a token effort, the guns too small and too few to halt the progress, merely slow it.

worse, the titan is continuing to keep the earthshakers somewhat pinned, so their fire is even more sporadic

On the fifth day of the siege, there is movement on the sea horizon. Two great ships and their escorts, massive ocean going vessels, with guns beyond even a titan's capacity.

Lyanna sees this, and has a look of dread emerge on her face
"what...the fuck...are they doing?"

Laurence bursts downstairs, and hurls a vox handset at the wall, with force enough to shatter it upon the wall. "FUCK!"

Under constant surveillance and hounded by helldrakes the command staff of the two companies are locked in fierce debate, the armoured company believe that they have the armour and firepower to successfully escape and meet up with local forces. While the infantry commanders believe that such an action is foolish and will only cost the lives of their men.

The transports crew focus now on keeping the ship ready, her fuel lines are checked constantly and the techpriests work tirelessly to make see the machine spirit is sated. Her augur arrays ping the surrounding landscape, while the vox men contact every known imperial frequency to get in touch with native forces.

Lyanna:... so you didnt order this

Charles is sat in his study, reading the Iliad

Laurence: "No I didn't fucking order it! Those ships are supposed to be sitting in safe harbour on another continent under a fucking VOID SHIELD!"

Charles feels someone above him suddenly drop to the floor behind him. Interestingly, he only feels it. He doesn't hear it, rather good amesac, in a fine cut glass by his left hand doesn't so much as wobble. But someone is there.

"God damn it"

Charles: *without looking up from his book* Hello Jack

Laurence: "They're the only things on this bastard planet with guns big enough to down that titan..."

There's silence for a moment "How did you know I was here?"

Charles: Don't get me wrong Jack, you're good at what you do. But even the best of the Eldar cannot hide from me.

On the command deck of the renegade battleship Ares' Contempt, the visage of the naval ships upon the planet below, appear upon the tactical screen within the tactica control. Around it stand four astartes, clad in the gunmetal armour of the IV legion. A techmarine, a fleet officer, an air commander and an infantry commander respectively, judging by their insignia.
"The fools" speaks the fleet officer "They think this is enough to fell the titan? They have exposed themselves to our orbital guns..."
[Wait] the techmarine speaks, his voice cold and mechanical due to his various augments [What you suggest would be incredibly wasteful. It would be a trivial matter to turn those guns to our advantage]
"He speaks truth" the infantry commander interjects, his own voice rhasping from chemical burns to his throat "Computer. Analyse their armament."
+CONFIRMED. 16 38 INCH GUNS, 6 14 INCH GUNS, 72 10 INCH ANTI AIRCRAFT GUNS, 380 3 INCH ANTI AIRCRAFT GUNS+
the three pause for a moment, in contemplation, before the Air commander speaks up.
"We will have to board them, of course. But that much anti aircraft will make a raptor strike unlikely."
"In that case" the fleet commander retorts, somewhat mockingly "Since you are 'unable' to do your duty to the warsmith, we shall have to go for the obvious method. My assault pods stand ready to claim them in the warsmith's name."
"My men will be happy to see action at last. I'll assemble a task force of 50 astartes and two dreadnoughts to capture the vessels."
the techmarine nods in agreement. [Very Well. I will have two of my people accompany you. A simple scrap code should be enough to bend the machine spirits to our will. Make it so, brothers.]
Within thirty minutes of this meeting, laurence sees several objects descending from on high towards the naval vessels, burning through the clouds with meteoric speed, but manoeuvring and steering their trajectories as they do so.

Laurence: "... I have to get to those ships..."

Jack: "...hmn." He pads over, footsteps now just barely audible now. "How though..?"

Lyanna:... How?!

Charles: various ways.

Laurence: "I could make a tear... but they'd know I was here the moment I did."

Jack: "if you don't tell me, I can't improve."

Lyanna: its too late for them.

Charles: unless you can stop me hearing the blood in your veins, or smelling your skin, I don't know how you really could."

Laurence: "We need those ships."

Jack: "...Can I do that?"

Lyanna: you'll just get yourself killed. If they fail to capture them, they'll destroy them from orbit. It's too late.

Charles: don't think so.

Laurence: "We... cannot... loose... those... ships." He paces to the left, before another outburst of anger. "We can't loose them!" His fist connects with the rocrete wall, cracking the surface, and several bones in his hand. A smear of blood is left on the wall. "Think damn you!"

Jack: "Hmn..." he lapses into silence for a time again "has Anne spoken to you?"

At that point, laurence senses some kind of...warp activity. Directly above him.

Charles: not yet. I can tell something's wrong though, but I feel she's entitled to her privacy. *he puts down the book* this involves you doesn't it?

meanwhile, the pods continue to thunder towards the ships, adjusting their trajectory as the ships continue to sail