Part 15: Day 16, Thur'Abis Catacombs, Attack (Part 1)

This is it, then, we attack the Necron! Although, since the War Council hasn't shown much interest in playing defensively, we don't have a lot of requisition to spend on a forward base. I've opted to NOT bring up our new Kroot Alpha Pack Honour Guard, to instead give ourselves a Barracks, Path of Enlightenment, and a single Plasma Core. Hopefully our combined forward base and Honour Guard can hold off the infamous Necron first assault. It will be a difficult first fight.







O'Kais, our scouts are reporting back. They have yet to return from the catacombs, but are giving us reports in real-time, if you'd like to listen in.
Sure, punch it through.
Shas'o, something calling itself the "Voice Of The Necron" is calling.
Uh, okay. I thought the Necron didn't speak?
I'll add it to the call.
H-hold on!
Am I speaking to Shas'o Kais The Doomed?
Who is? Is that--Thomas Macabee? That's you, isn't it? Is this your fault? Are your asinine archaeological expeditions the reason the Necron woke up in the first place, starting this whole "Dark Crusade" thing?
Shh, shh, shh! You must listen--




Ethereals protect us!
Sh-Shas'o? There's an awful lot of Necron down here, and an awful lot of weird green lights and robot pyramids.
We're bugging out!






Ha, they're pretty damn slow! It looks like we're gonna make it out alright.
Seriously? You're gonna say garbage like that? I swear, you've just killed us all. The moment some idiot opens up their mouth to say something like that it winds up ending poorly for the whole group.
Fire Warriors, what are you babbling on about?
They can't hear you, O'Kais. We have blocked your signal.
Are you some kind of bargain bin horror movie monster now?


Uh oh.




St'eve?
Yes?
You're a dick.


I regret everything.


...








Lucky creatures. At long last you have found the tranquility of death.
Don't quit your day job, Macabee, you always were a bad poet.




I was like you, once--
Oooookay, here we go.


--clinging to life, and blind to the truth.
I'm going to get a drink. Here, hold this.
Uh--


H-hello?


When I uncovered the truth, I too shuddered and paled with fear.
...yes?


Deep in these catacombs, I was remade. Here, my brethren slumbered for eons while the living grew like weeds.
...ok?


My Lord knew this day would come.
Is this--this is some kind of religious thing, isn't it?


He had plans for us all.
Haha, this is a religious thing! Unbelievable!


We would purge this world once more.
And here I thought the Necron were some sort of eldritch abomination, incomprehensible to mere mortal beings. All this time, you've just been Space Jesuits!


Or am I totally off? Space Jehovah's Witness? What sort of religious doctrine do you have?
Stop.


So come, poor victims of life--
No, I swear, I'm actually interested!
--we will--stop, please--


I majored in religious studies, I find it super interesting.
--will grant you tranquil--stop--tranquility in--
I am very open-minded, I just want you to know that.
--in--stop--in these crypts.


Is he still talking? Here, pass me the comlink.
Did you know this was all just a religious thing?
Kronus will--
Hello?


--be a Tomb World once more!
Hello? Macabee? Huh, he hung up.


O'Kais, allow us to give you a quick review of our forward base. There is only a single entrance into the Necron catacombs, so we've chosen to entrench ourselves there to prevent them from controlling the exit.


It is a large cavern. It's going to be a nightmare finding our way through all the old Necron technology and relics, but at least we'll have the relative safety of the base to retreat to.


We've lost contact with most of our scout squads. This suggests that the Necron are already mobilizing. One thing to take note of is that there are three deactivated Tomb Spyders within the base. They could be a problem:






Oh, incoming message from Aun'el Shi'Ores, patching it through.
The Necrons are an offense to the Greater Good, Commander. We must destroy them here and now.
I concur, Aun'el, and I have a plan.The Earth Caste--
I AM HELPING.
--has discovered that these catacombs are unstable. If we can place a fusion bomb at the deepest point, we can bring the whole complex down on top of the Necron.
I see. The fate of this planet depends on your success, Commander.
I understand. I will plant the charge myself.
Very well, but this is no suicide mission, O'Kais. There are battles still to fight even if you succeed here. I expect you to survive this day, Commander.
Of course.




O'Kais, the Necron are here!
Ahh, Necron Immortals. Good anti-vehicle, but useless since we didn't bring any. They lack the same defense most Necron have and will fall easily. Do not become complacent, Fire Warriors, the Necron are infamous for their ability to overwhelm any force that dares intrude upon their crypts!


Flayed Ones rise from the ground too! This is it! It's starting! This will be one of our most difficult fights yet!


Actually, that was it, Shas'o.
W-what? No, that can't be. That's impossible. I've played this mission a dozen fucking times and I always get rushed by the Necron here.
You've been here before?


The Tomb Spyders, are they reactivating?
No, Shas'o. Maybe the Necron are really under-prepared?
Are you fucking kidding me?
No.
After all that build up? After all the warnings? The thread is going to think I'm nuts!
You aren't still talking to me, are you?
This is shameful. This is the single most pathetic Necron Stronghold I have ever seen.
Uh, no, you aren't. Okay, then.


There's, uh, another squad coming up the hill if that would make you feel better?
No, it's not enough. This Stronghold is usually difficult, even with an Honour Guard. We should be getting our asses kicked!


Scout squad reporting in! We're the last survivors, O'Kais, but I think we can make it back to the forward base.
What? Oh, sure, whatever. That's fine.










What? No! Shas'o, we're surrounded!
You are? Hey, that's great!
You have penetrated but the very surface of our catacombs.
Macabee?


Oh Ethereals save us, they're killing us! They're killing us! They're--
Haha! This is great!
More and more of us rise from the depths with every passing moment.
Yes! Own it, you lame-ass robot man, give us your best!



O'Kais, they're dead.
That's good! This Stronghold is supposed to be a challenge!
...
No, no, this is great! They'll be sending another wave to attack us!


Flayed Ones attacking from within the base!
Yes, it's all going according to plan! Then a bunch of Necron Warriors will show up and the Tomb Spyders will come back online and there'll be a really intense skirmish that requires some quick squad management to survive!


They even drove in one of their lame Destroyers! Save your EMP Grenades, Stealthsuits, you're going to want them for when the Tomb Spyders come back online.


I, uh, I don't see many reinforcements, but--ah ha! Look! A Pariah squad! And they are, uh. Huh. They're unenforced. Just a couple of them, no, uh, no reinforcements. It's not even at full strength. Are the, uh, Tomb Spyders coming back online yet?


No, Shas'o, and all the Necron attacks are dead. We're safe now.


OH NO! YOU SPOKE TOO SOON! IT'S A BUNCH OF WRAITHS!


Yeah, no, it's fine, Shas'o. We got'em before they could even get within the base perimeter.


All the War Council's talk of the Necron being cranky old grandparents, and they turn out to be just as effective as an army of geriatrics.
But it was supposed to be challenging!
I know, Shas'o, I know.



Commander, there are malignant energies concentrated at certain locations in this cavern. Dangers certainly away at each one.
These locations match up with where we lost our scout squads, O'Kais.
Better we scout and eliminate them before planting the bomb. Any surprises while escaping could prove deadly.


The War Council has a decision to make.
Okay, so Strongholds are going to play out a bit differently. They are long enough that they will get multiple updates, so the War Council will decide our actual battlefield tactics. Right now I need two decisions from you. 1) the Earth Caste Drones want to know whether to build a Mont'ka Command post or a Kauyon Command post. 2) I need to know if you want us to strike at the nearest northern energy source, or the one just to the south of us.
O'Kais can attack with the full brunt of the Tau Strike Force if we go north. South is also an interesting proposition, but it is beyond cliffs, so only O'Kais and his Stealthsuit Teams will be able to provide reconnaissance.
Bear in mind, the full Necron force is coming from the north, so we could leave the bulk of the Honour Guard to fight on that front while I go with the Stealthsuit Teams to attack behind enemy lines to the south.
Yes, it does provide us with an interesting opportunity. Whichever route we choose, we will eliminate that danger.
To be absolutely clear to the War Council: these "malignant energies" are currently creating localized gameplay effects. That is to say, within the immediate vicinity of whatever that Necron relic may be, it will exert a specific force. HOWEVER, once we plant that bomb, the Necron will fully reactivate them and whatever ability that relic produces will effect the entire map in an attempt to prevent us from leaving the catacombs. In our journey to the deepest part of the catacomb, it will be up to the War Council to decide which of these locations we neutralize. We can neutralize all or some of them. It's up to you. (Hopefully it gets more difficult further in).