CYCLE 0
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! By the will of our munificent Lord Helmawr and diktat of the illustrious Guilds Mercator, the long-cycle quarantine on Sector H8 has been rescinded. Sector H8 remains designate: alpha hazard. Sanctioned reclamation will commence beginning cycl-
+++ ALERT ALERT
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+++ Is this thing on? Aye? Right, enough all that shift-boss jarg-talk, here's the downlow – the plague's passed (we hope), the powers that be have opened up the Hacked Knee again, and every scummer from Dust Falls to Down Town is asking one question: where the scut is Mags's treasure? They say she left a spiretop fortune stashed in her bar, and it's there for the taking. Of course, the hive's quaked and shifted since the lockout, so things ain't quite how they used to be in Sector H8. Pure badzone now... Who knows where the bar's ended up, and what downhive horrors have made their lairs in the wastes? And let's not forget that every upstart crew this side of the Great Heat Sink is gonna want a piece of the action before the stuffy-ass Guilders start sticking their noses in.... So what are you waiting for, gang-dogs? Get yer boots on and grab yer guns – it's boom time, in every sense of the wo-
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+++ought for the day: beware the mutant. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
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CYCLE 1
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! Collated reports indicate unauthorised incursions into Sector H8, in direct contravention of recent edicts. In response, multiple Palanite Enforcer units have been assigned to the sector to-
+++ ALERT ALERT
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+++ Yeah yeah, so it seems our new boom time in the Hacked Knee hasn't gone unnoticed by the powers that be.... of course, if they're mobilising the Palanites, it can only be because there's something worth having in Sector H8. All the more reason to get your looting boots on, hivers!
+++
+++ Word is that there's been some bad blood spilt this cycle as gangs crossed paths on the sector fringes.
+++
+++ Representing for House Escher, the TALONS OF MOTHER INDICA and the KNIFE WHISPERERS scrapped with mutie crew MA BAKER'S BOYS this last cycle. Deathmaiden Kayathar of the Talons tore her way through a whole swathe of Baker Boys – not bad for a woman who's not only dead, but also thinks she's a cat! While the Whisperers lurked in the shadows, the Talons and muties flung felines and fire at each other, but the scrap was inconclusive and all three gangs backed off in the end.
+++
+++Knock back a slug of wildsnake for poor Talon wyld runner Bindki, who's corpse-farm fodder after the fight. Says Mother Indica, 'Bindki knew the risks when she joined the hunt. She was fast but her instincts failed her. She should have kept her head down when I yelled. Now she's feeding the Phelynxes. She wouldn't have it another way.' But a little sheen bird tells me that it was Indica herself that fired the krak grenade that laid Bindki at death's door.... with sisters like this, who needs enemies?
+++
+++ Elsewhere in the zone, the YOKUM SUMP SAINTS, VEILED CARTEL, XXXX and Enforcer PRECINCT 9 faced off in a four-way scrap. Y'all may have heard of Lucien of the Cartel, the so-called Spectre of Foulnest, and he sure made an impression with his meltagun from what I'm hearing of this battle, with the Delaques blasting their way to victory. 'That Cartel’s a gonna git it! Arma pur faith!' said Sump Saint boss Herbert Arsenault, and from the way he was waving his chainaxe, this reporter believes him!
+++
+++Y'all may also have heard of the Genges of E-Sec. It seems like Precinct 9 Patrolman Genge is a chip off the old block – not so much the long arm of the law as the heavy ass of the law, as he took a four-storey tumble and landed smack bang on Nello of the Sump Saints. Patrolman Genge was somehow unhurt, but it's only a matter of time before he follows in the family tradition of losing various body parts to unfortunate injuries.
+++
+++That's all the scrapping your humble reporter has heard about this cycle. Who knows what the next few shifts will bring? I'm not usually the gambling type, but I'm willing to bet that, whatever happens, there will be bullets and blood!
+++
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+++ust be respected by all hive citizens. Lethal force will be deployed against non-compliants without warning or hesitation.
+++ Thought for the day: An open mind is like a fortress with its gate unbarred and unguarded. . Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
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Attention hive citizens! Interdiction of Sector H8 is now designated alpha-critical: sanctioned and unsanctioned exploration of the sector has identified lingering spore infection which
+++ ALERT ALERT
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+++
+++ Nah, never mind all that spore sickness – the lurgy may have slowed a few fighters down this cycle, but the blood was flowing as fast as ever!
+++
+++ Once again, the uneasy Escher alliance (if it can even be called that) held as the TALONS OF MOTHER INDICA and KNIFE WHISPERERS scrapped with a nefarious bunch of outcasts calling themselves KHORNE'S KRUSADERS. Somehow, the Whisperers walked away with the win despite Queen Akazia being repeatedly pinned in place by the spire-sharp grenade play of Krusader Eric. The Talons were mostly stuck on the outside looking in: turns out relying on phyrr cats to operate door consoles is not a savvy strategy. As wyld runner Tylda told this reporter, 'Next time we're jus' gon' force them dang doors. Buttons is skuttin' hard!'
+++
+++ Elsewhere in the zone, the YOKUM SUMP SAINTS turned up the heat in their self-declared crusade against all sinners in Hacked Knee. The Cawdors attempted a daring raid on the HUSH CITY SWINDLERS. Things started well for the Sump Saints as they got the drop on the Delaques and Reverend Arsenault got to work with his chain axe. But the Swindlers dug in and brought their big guns to bear, driving the Sump Saints off in the end.
+++
+++ And Reverend Arsenault just kept his crew (and axe) revving, leading the SUMP SAINTS into not one but two scraps against the VEILED CARTEL. Both times, it boiled down to a duel between the Reverend and Lucien of the Cartel, and the gang bosses came away with one win apiece. There's no doubt in your humble reporter's mind that these two gangs will face off again as the bad blood between them just keeps getting badder!
+++
+++ The HAWKTOWN TYRANTS took on the RATHOLE BOMBERS, with Goliath muscle prevailing over Cawdor zeal despite the big lugs being outnumbered more than two to one. Word is that Tyrant bossman Savage's use of his missile launcher is as reckless as it is effective – expect this guy to cause a hive quake before too long. The Bombers also lived up to their name and laid on the explosives – although they did manage to blow themselves up pretty thoroughly in the process. 'Sorry, lads, next time let's try not to be so bunched up!' said one unnamed (and slightly smouldering) Ratholer.
+++
+++ You're probably wondering why the powers that be aren't honking warnings about Palanite action this cycle. Well, they're probably too embarrassed to tell us that the enforcers are turning on each other, with PRECINCT 9 and PRECINCT W4R7 coming to blows. My sources report that a simple intel exchange went sumpwards when 9er Captain Adebayo turned up sloshed on wildsnake and said something appalling about W4R7 Captain Apone's mother. The crews opened fire on each other, with Adebayo and Apone brawling it out until the W4R7 boss was taken out courtesy of 9er cyber-mutt Duke's steely jaws. All this reporter can say is keep it coming, officers! The more you're turning your shock batons on each other, the easier it will be for the rest of us to loot Sector H8!
+++
+++ So, that's the skinny on what's been occurring. The Sump Saints look like the gang to beat, with their reputation for enthusiastic violence making them the talk of every dive bar and bullet-mart on the Sector H8 fringes. No word yet on the location of the Mags's fabled drinking hole, but with all this gang activity, it's only a matter of time before someone hits the jackpot!
+++
+++ That's all from your humble reporter for this cycle, hivers. Remember, keep feeding me the tattle you've got on the scrapping you hear about! And whatever you're up to out in the badzones, make it violent!
+++
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+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++urgation teams have been deployed to eradicate all known repositories of fungal infection, but the sector remains strictly out-of-bounds for any unsanctioned operations.
+++ Thought for the day: only the insane have strength enough to prosper; only those that prosper truly judge what is sane. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
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+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! By the gracious goodwill of House Helmawr, Sector H8 has been declared permissable territory for limited search-reclamation activity, subject to licence. A deviation of 0.0073% from baseline violence will be
+++ ALERT ALERT
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+++
+++ Scope that, hivers! You know we've got the powers that be on the back foot when they 'permit' what any loot-minded ganger is doing anyway, namely scouring the dead halls of the Hacked Knee for anything of value, and drawing iron on anyone who gets in their way! This humble reporter is proud of you all, you lethal skutheads!
+++
+++ Are the HAWKTOWN TYRANTS on an unstoppable rise to the top of the heap? Maybe so, as they took on the KNIFE WHISPERERS in a jungle dome this last cycle. Bossman Savage showed uncanny canniness for a Goliath, dominating the domespace with his fearsome missile launcher. Says Whisperer Queen Akazia, 'Frag it, we need better chems!'
+++
+++ The TYRANTS went on to scrap against the combined Enforcer crews of PRECINCTs 9 and W4R7. Well, not so combined - the Palanites attempted to out-heist the Tyrants, laying into each other once again as they did so. Your humble scribe has heard reports that W4R7 Sergeant Vasquez stood shoulder to shoulder with the Tyrants as they attempted to stop 9er Sergeant O'Rourke escaping with the loot. O'Rourke made off with the prize thanks to the valiant intervention of Patrolman Genge, who took a knife to the head for his troubles – an inevitable continuation of the Genge family tradition. W4R7 Patrolman Crowe is apparently one to watch – and I mean carefully, hivers: he's such a bad shot that he couldn't hit the front of a Goliath at point blank range, and was brutally beaten in return. If you run into this rookie out there (once he's out of the infirmary) and he's pointing his stubber at someone else, duck!
+++
+++ Elsewhere, the YOKUM SUMP SAINTS took on the TALONS OF MOTHER INDICA, the gangs fronting off nose-to-nose before the Cawdors laid an appalling firestorm on the Eschers, killing juvie Kush outright. The Talons scored some heavy creds for escorting a wealthy hiver out of the danger zone, but Mother Indica was none to pleased about the defeat: 'Those sump-suckers got the jump on us this time, but we got their scent now. Blood pays for blood!' And word is that Kush herself is looking for some payback, having been revivified to fight again. How is it that those Escher chymists know how to bring a fighter back from the dead but can't brew up a decent hangover cure?
+++
+++ The SUMP SAINTS were busy beetles this cycle, smartly fending off the KNIFE WHISPERERS when the Eschers tried to sneak in and pinch some salvage from under their hooded noses. The Whisperers benefited mightily from Sump Saint Anais forgetting to reload her heavy stubber at a critical moment, but dogged (or should that be ratty?) Cawdor resilience won out in the end, with the Sump Saints reminding everyone why they've got such a brutal rep around the zone.
+++
+++ Speaking of Sector top dog contenders, the VEILED CARTEL fought the muties known as KHORNE'S KHRUSADERS, a match-up of slick inhive battle-tech versus crude outhive desperation. Lucien's Delaques overpowered the Khrusaders despite the best efforts of Eric and his explosive potatoes. Khrusader Spooky Steve was last seen charging into a cloud of smoke, brandishing his rifle like a bludgeon. Apparently, a few gangers from each gang later ran into each other in a H8-fringe drinking hole – unsurprisingly, a brawl ensued, with Savage Andy trying to batter the location of his brother Steve out of the Delaques, who were just there to quietly collect protection dues. Spooky Steve's location remains a mystery, but according to Mom of the Khrusaders, 'He's on the warpath!' Let's hope said warpath leads him straight into a door – based on past form, he'll have trouble opening it.
+++
+++ And in a climax of carnage that brought this cycle to a close, PRECINCTs W4R7 and 9 tussled with the YOKUM SUMP SAINTS, KNIFE WHISPERERS and HAWKTOWN TYRANTS over a relic statue of immense spiritual significance (or more likely, immense scrap resale value). Yet again, the Enforcers couldn't keep their guns off of each other – what do they teach these Palanites in the academy? Seems like W4R7 patrolman Hicks has a particular appetite for violence, as he effortlessly took out Whisperer juve Needelle before turning his concussion cannon on 9er Captain Adebayo (who was reclining on the deck at the time – reports are unclear whether he'd been shot or was just drunk). 'Game over, man! Game over!' yelled Hicks as he blasted the rival captain with a seismic charge. Meanwhile, the Sump Saints applied pressure to the Tyrants, but no-one could peel big bossman Savage off the relic (maybe they just wanted to steer clear of his missile launcher?), and the Goliaths won the fight.
+++
+++ So there you have it, my downhive friends – the VEILED CARTEL and YOKUM SUMP SAINTS continue to dominate, but it looks like the HAWKTOWN TYRANTS are on the ascendant... Will the Palanites get their act together and stop shooting each other long enough to bring some law and order to Sector H8? Your humble reporter certainly hopes not!
+++
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+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++re reminded that all gang conflicts must remain within the parameters detailed in the preceding feed-commands.
+++ Thought for the day: serve the Emperor today – tomorrow you may be dead. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
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+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! Combined action by the Guilds Mercator and Palanite Enforcers has successfully limted violence in Sector H8 to well within acceptable parameters. This has enable enhanced exploratory action by approved agents and
+++ ALERT ALERT
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+++ What's this? A bullet drought? So the Guilds put the squeeze on supply of ammo into Hacked Knee, and, wouldn't you know it, there was a marked drop-off in violence. Of course, some gangs still found the time to get their scrap on despite the lack of gun fodder...
+++
+++ The HAWKTOWN TYRANTS, YOKUM SUMP SAINTS and KNIFE WHISPERERS tried to get round the bullet drought by hunting down a valuable blueback sumpspider that had been spotted in the zone – the critter would be worth enough creds to restock on ammo, whatever the price. The Saints and Tyrants tore chunks out of each other, with Savage driving his meatheads on the offensive even after his notorious laUncher had fired its last missile. Sump Saint papa Herbert Arsenault once again proved that strapping a bomb to a rat is a sure-fire recipe for carnage. And for the Whisperers, Zsazh Ryme tested out some experimental chems, a nasty brew called 'furnace breath' that sprays far and burns fierce, while Akazia Kazkazia's claims to be queen of the underhive fell short as she found herslf on the receiving end of some angry Cawdor punching. Everyone's favourite simpleton juvie, Sump Saint Nils, got his hands on the spider for a few seconds, but it sprang away and into the clutches of the Tyrants.
+++
+++ Elsewhere, the Palanites of EPSILON 451 took on the HUSH CITY SWINDLERS – enforcer action against a non-enforcer crew that will surely confuse the hell out of Precincts 9 and W4R7. The Delaques must've had their goggles on back to front as they struggled to hit anything (although their ammo seemed plentiful – hardly a surprise that these creeps seemed to have some way of beating the drought), unlike the 451er Omega 3, who proved quite the sniper with his boltgun. Swindler Charles Ponzi made a valiant effort with his webber, gumming up no fewer than three enforcers, including Captain Gozo, over the course of the scrap, but in the end the Delaques were overcome by sheer brute force, mostly courtesy of Sergeant Heavyside, who ploughed through the Swindler ranks like a raging bullkrok. As the smoke cleared, Captain Gozo remarked: 'Another set of tunnels are safe for the law-abiding citizens of the sump. At least, we think that's what he said – his vox grill was still all gunked up with webby stuff. Take note, Captains Adebayo and Apone – this is what your job actually is!
+++
+++ Well, word is that so many gun runners have found gaps in the ammo blockade that the Guilders are abandoning all efforts to keep it up, so this reporter fully expects the mayhem to return to its original levels this coming cycle. And remember, hivers – even if your gun runs out of juice and your knife drops down a garbage vent, don't forget that you still have two good fists to work with. Hell, some you have even got three!
+++
+++FEED OVERLAY TERMINATED
+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++iolence is now well within acceptable limits; thus, controls will be relaxed and licensed exploration of Sector H8 may now be sanctioned where deemed appropriate.
+++ Thought for the day: pain is an illusion of the senses, despair is an illusion of the mind. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
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CYCLE 5
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! The reclamation of Sector H8 continues apace – here follows a full accounting of resource availability and increased output potential: here follows stat-feed 1 of 234
+++ ALERT ALERT
+++ DATA FEED CORRUPTED
+++ FEED OVERLAY DETECTED
+++
+++Blah blah blah, output potential, resource availability – change the vox, you hive city drudge-beat! What these spirewards number-crunchers never quite get about the downhive life is that it's really all about rep and creds, ain't that right, my scummer friends? And how do we earn rep and creds? By scragging anyone who gets in our way, that's how! And with the bullet drought over, there's been scragging aplenty in the Hacked Knee...
+++
+++ This past cycle, the TALONS OF MOTHER INDICA fought MA BAKER'S BOYS down in the tunnels. The two crews faced off for possession of a rogue servo-drone of valuable provenance. Speedy Jack Baker lived up to his name, his fast reactions stopping half the Talons' swarm of phelynxes dead in their tracks while Bernie Baker brought the burn, setting fire to the other half of the cat-pack. The fragulous Baker Boys thought they had the scrap sewn up, but they'd reckoned without the icy claws of the deathmaidens – Kaythar and Kush pounced, tearing their tox-laden way through the mutie ranks. This was enough to send the Baker Boys packing back to their gloomy lair, and the Eschers claimed the archaeotech. Your humble reporter sure hopes not to run into the deathmaidens, the phelynx swarm – hell, any of the Talons - in any dark tunnelways anytime soon!
+++
+++ Elsewhere in the zone, there was a ferocious four-sided fracas as the HAWKTOWN TYRANTS, RATHOLE BOMBERS, KNIFE WHISPERERS and PRECINCT 9 faced off. Whisperer chem-wielder Zsazh Ryme caught the Tyrants clustered up in a corridor and showered them with 'furnace breath' gas. The Goliaths weathered the chem storm well, but Savage made the tough decision to withdraw his crew – after all, even gene-smithed lungs can only take so much damage. Whisperer newbie Jaggy Ryme followed her sister's example and chucked a gas grenade that clobbered none other than 9er Officer Genge. Sources tell me that the luckless enforcer has been brain damaged by the toxic exposure – but really, who'll be able to tell the difference? The Escher's poisonous rampage was stymied as the Cawdors swarmed forward, with Father Raeven leading an advance that had Akazia Kazkazia turning tail and running, along with her girls. But the dogged Palanites of Precinct 9 had chipped away at the Rathole Bombers' rearguard, and in the end the long arm of Helmawr's law prevailed.
+++
+++ Tough Imperial justice was also in effect as PRECINCT W4R7 took on current Hacked Knee hot dogs the YOKUM SUMP SAINTS. With corrosive acid drizzling into the dome throughout the scrap, the gangs got a reminder (as if it were ever needed) of how brutal the badzones can be. W4R7 Sergeant Drake learned this lesson the hard – and terminal – way: having survived being set on fire and taking an explosive crossbow bolt to the chest, he was finally laid low (or more precisely, melted into reddish mush) when the acid downpour seeped through the cracks in his battle-worn armour. Meanwhile, remember rookie Patrolman Crowe, he who couldn't hit the side of Hive Primus even if you stood him ten paces away? True to form, his attempt to blast two Sump Saint zealots who were attacking Captain Apone went awry when he somehow managed to unload a stub slug into the back of his dear Captain. Apone survived the shot, but has since assigned Crowe to latrine duty (now watch as Crowe cleans the precinct canteen by mistake). But somehow – and your humble reporter can't quite believe he's typing this – Precinct W4R7 prevailed despite the calamities, and the Sump Saints were routed. Strange things happen out there in the wastes, eh, hivers?
+++
+++ So that's how things stand at the end of this cycle. A steady simmer of battle between the notorious clan gangs, but with two wins under their belts, could it be that the Palanites' new policy of shooting other gangs rather than their fellow enforcers is actually paying off? Throne forbid uphive order is restored to Sector H8 so soon after its reclamation! Come on, scummers, get out there and make some mayhem!
+++
+++FEED OVERLAY TERMINATED
+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++s expected to rise by 56.345352% over the next long cycle, provided order is established and maintained in Sector H8.
+++ Thought for the day: hope is the beginning of unhappiness. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
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CYCLE 6
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! Extreme caution advised when conducting reclamation activities in the core domes of Sector H8. Guild-employed dome runners report infestation of highly lethal predatory w
+++ ALERT ALERT
+++ DATA FEED CORRUPTED
+++ FEED OVERLAY DETECTED
+++ What what? There are nasty gribblies lurking in the badzones? Tell us something we don't know, you mealy-mouthed midhiver! A little bit of horror in the dark ain't going to put the brave gangs of Hacked Knee from going about their business!
+++
+++ A sharp skirmish between the YOKUM SUMP TABERNACLE (formerly SAINTS) and the Enforcers of EPSILON 451 gave a fine taste of the carnage to come. The Cawdors were reminded once again that pure faith is not a viable substitute for armour of the flak and mesh variety (not that they are likely to take the reminder to heart) as the Palanites clobbered seven shades of sumpwater out of them. And as if any clearer demonstration was needed, the 451ers armour soaked up everything the Saints' ramshackle weapons could throw at them. Looks like Enforcer Omega 1 is a name to look out for – not only is he a deadeye shot with his boltgun, he also throws a mean punch, as Father Arsenault of the Tabernacle found out when he was unceremoniously knocked unconscious. Take note, Precincts 9 and W4R7 – this is what Palanite professionalism looks like!
+++
+++ Lo and behold – a new gang is top dog! Or should that be top cat? The TALONS OF MOTHER INDICA have finally found their feet and laid claim to the title of Sector H8's most fearsome crew after taking down the HUSH CITY SWINDLERS. To the Delaques' credit, Jonas Law fought like a daemon, enduring a whole clawload of bloody wounds but still seeing off Talon Tylda and her three phelynxes with his trusty webber. Tylda's fellow wyld runner swarmed the Swindlers' snipers, and once again, the Talon's deathmaidens tore the heart out of the opposing crew. Just as well the Talons were acting spire-sharp – Mother Indica herself was otherwise occupied, having been sniped off a tower with a four-storey drop, and then fighting off one of these unseen hive critters that our noble endeavours have provoked. Says Indica, 'It was white, and its eyes glowed like diamonds. Came straight out of the dark and disappeared the same. The hunt is on!' We believe you, Mother!
+++
+++Elsewhere
in the zone, no fewer that five Hacked Knee crews came together in
the name of all-out combat! The Palanite enforcers of PRECINCTs 9 and
W4R7 set aside their ongoing rivalry to launch an raid on a gathering
of Cawdor faithful in the form of the YOKUM SUMP TABERNACLE and the
RATHOLE BOMBERS. And wouldn't you know it, the HAWKTOWN TYRANTS
rocked up looking to inject some musclebound carnage into
proceedings. The fragile alliances didn't hold (yeah, I'm as
surprised as you are!) and a five-way free-for-all ensued.... not
since the old days of the Ba'Kings' great tournays has Sector H8
echoed with such battle noise. Reports indicate that the Palanites
busied themselves with beating lumps out of each other while the
Cawdors got to grips with the Goliaths - and each other: 'The Emperor
is great!' declared one Rathole juve before blowing himself up in
close proximity to two Tyrants and Father Herbert Arsenault of the
Tabernacle. Arsenault's dogged determination and fervent oratory paid
off – bloodied but not broken by blows inflicted by the Tyrants,
Bombers and his own chainaxe, he finally came face to face with
notorious Goliath boss Savage and got the better of his rival, who
was severely injured. As Father Arsenault put it,
“And
by the light of The Emperor were the sinners smote and their ashes
used to make the bread of the Faithful!”
Sure, whatever you say, Herbert. Is this the end of the Tyrants'
rise to glory? It takes more than a grievous chainblade wound to put
a Goliath terminally down. Somehow, Precinct 9 outlasted all the
other crews, allowing Captain Adebayo to make the highly questionable
claim that all is going according to plan with the pacification of
Sector H8.
+++
+++So
that's how things stand as the turf wars wage on. Five gangs in one
mass scrap – news like that warms this old hiver's soul. Can the
mayhem be cranked up to even greater heights? Anything's possible in
the underhive (well, anything violent, that is).... And with Mother
Indica's Talons rising to supremacy, will we see pushback from the
likes of the Sump Tabernacle and the Veiled Cabal? And where have all
those creepy muties and outlanders gone – we've not heard much from
them this cycle? As ever, your humble reporter will have an ear to
the vox, an eye on the feeds, and a shot of wildsnake ready for
anyone who's ready to talk.... Stay deadly out there!
+++
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+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++ecialist purgation teams have been deployed to eradicate the infestation with all due haste.
+++ Thought for the day: the loyal servant learns to love the lash. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CYCLE 7
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! Mechanicus advisory agents report that structural integrity in core areas of Sector H8 is 36.7563% below mean performance metrics for underhive levels of thi
+++ ALERT ALERT
+++ DATA FEED CORRUPTED
+++ FEED OVERLAY DETECTED
+++
+++ What the feed dweeb is trying to say is that all the old bulkheads in the heart of Hacked Knee are buckled and rusted to pieces. But any dome runner could've told you that, right? And you probably found out the hard way when a bullet (or six) came busting through the wall next
to
you, right? Speaking of bullets...
+++
+++ The RATHOLE BOMBERS took on MA BAKER'S BOYS in a furious battle that saw fire, fire and more fire flung fearlessly about the tunnels. Notable pyromaniacs included Bomber bossman Bunsen, who set alight no fewer than six muties in one fell sweep of his polearm, roasting the heart out of the Baker Boy advance. Of course, in true underhive fashion, he was promptly knifed in the neck by a mutie juve and died right there and then. Bernie Baker lived up to his name by, well, burning for most of the fight, and was one of three muties who breathed their last that shift. Ma Baker was last freak standing, though she too was – surprise surprise – on fire. Though they'd suffered losses of their own, the Bombers won out in the end, and the tunnels echoed with the sound of their holy war chant: 'Burn, baby, burn, burn!'
+++
+++Meanwhile, the TALONS OF MOTHER INDICA and PRECINCT W4R7 battled for possession of a Palanite intel package that, as your humble reporter was reliably informed, contained an embarrassing ombudsman's report on the simmering feud between the enforcers of Sector H8. Captain Apone was keen to stop this incriminating evidence reaching his superiors, and never let it be said that Mother Indica will pass up the opportunity to embarrass a rival. The enforcers fought ferociously – Rookie Patrolman Crowe went some way to redeem his Goliath-missing, superior-officer-hitting bad name by blasting a hole in a wall that Indica herself happened to be on the other side of; Captain Apone distinguished himself by sending two Talon wyld runners and their attendant phelynxes packing. But despite the W4R7ers best efforts, the Eschers made off with the intel in the end – and on clocking the dataslates' contents, juve Siolim was heard to remark, 'This is big... o yeah, this goes all the way to the top!' Maybe a glittering career in pest control awaits Apone if he ends up getting demoted?
+++
+++Of course, as is the downhive way, revenge was on the cards. Thanks to some old fashioned bootleather policing by Sergeant Vasquez, PRECINCT W4R7 located the TALONS' drinking hole lair and went looking for some payback. And wouldn't you know it, PRECINCT 9 rocked up with much the same plan in mind – Captain Adebayo had evidently got word of the incriminating ombudsman's report. Of course, the rival Palanites started laying into each other before they'd even crossed the bar's threshold; inside, a few of the HAWKTOWN TYRANTS happened to be enjoying a quiet drink, which was made all the more enjoyable by the prospect of it becoming a noisy, violent drink. General mayhem broke out, with fists flying fast as the no-guns code of the underhive bar prevailed. Talon Panaji was on barkeeping duty, and her bodyguard was none other the notorious deathmaiden Kush, who proceeded to run riot and sliced the Goliaths and Palanites into submission.
+++
+++ So, that's this cycle's scrapping.... And it sure was a brutal one for some Hacked Knee stalwarts, with Ma Baker's Boys and the Rathole Bombers inflicting some telling fatalities on each other. And, as this humble reporter predicted a few cycles ago, the Hawktown Tyrants have muscled their way to the top spot, nosing ahead of the Talons of Mother Indica as the crew most tattled about around the dives, chem dens and bazaars – there's sure to be a few gang bosses out there with something to say about that.... And what is going on with our resident Enforcers? Is it really bitter enmity between Captains Apone and Adebayo that's fuelling the W4R7-9 feud? Talon Siolim ain't convinced: 'It's a set-up! They're being paid off to make it look like it's chaos down here! They don't know what they've done! They're gonna get us all crushed!' Sounds to me like the rantings of a chem-addled juve, but we'll see – here in the underhive, there's always time for one more twist in the tale, one more knife in the back....
+++
+++FEED OVERLAY TERMINATED
+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++s expected that, upon the full reclamation of Sector H8, Mercator-funded sanctioned work parties will be able to reinforce key superstructural elements.
+++ Thought for the day: even a man who has nothing can still offer his life. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
+++Attention hive citizens! It has come to the attention of the Sector H8 Reclamation Board that there is scurrilous material of counterfeit provenance in circulation in the sector, and said material is fuelling baseless rumours regarding the integrity and authority of the Palanite enforcers charged with bringing order to the zone.
+++The Reclamation Board therefore issue the following statements of incontrovertible truth:
+++PRIMARIS: Captains Adebayo and Apone, respectively of Precincts 9 and W4R7, enjoy a cordial relationship of the utmost professionalism. Never has Adebayo uttered any statements along the lines of 'taking that punk Apone down a peg or three', nor has Apone ever stated that he wishes to 'knock that stupid hat off Adebayo's head and ram it up his [REDACTED]'.
+++SECUNDUS: Precinct 9 does not, has not and will never have any associations with illegal wildsnake/blindsnake production. Moreover, reports of Captain Adebayo being inebriated on duty merely mistook an acute case of starch-ration poisoning for drunkenness.
+++TERTIUS: There have been no incidents of insubordination within Precinct W4R7. Injuries sustained by Captain Apone resulting from the discharge of weapons registered to Patrolman Crowe were purely accidental, resulting from temporary nerve gas exposure which caused Patrolman Crowe's trigger finger to twitch unexpectedly.
+++QUARTUS: Precinct Epsilon 451 is in no way, as some recent rumours have claimed, orchestrating violence between Precincts 9 and W4R7 to further the career of 451 Captain Gozo. Reports of Gozo and his officers liaising with House Delaque operatives are mistaken: live rounds were fired in the aformentioned encounters, and Gozo – like Adebayo and Apone – is a model of Palanite professionalism.
+++Residents of Sector H8 are hereby warned that the further promulgation of inaccurate and defamatory rumours concerning our noble Palanite law-enforcers, whether verbal or written, will be classified as omega-level breaches of Imperial law, punishable by on-the-spot execution. You have been warned.
+++ Thought for the day: the dissident invites only retribution. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CYCLE 9
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
+++Attention hive citizens! Praise be to Terra! To celebrate the restoration of the Pax Helmawr to Sector H8 following eight cycles of intensive reclamation work, the Guilds Mercator decreed a shift of sanctioned violence in the form of a Grand Tourney of the gangs of Hacked Knee.
+++
+++The Tourney was attended by representatives of the YOKUM SUMP TABERNACLE, KNIFE WHISPERERS and HUSH CITY SWINDLERS, as well as the GRIMBRIGHT PIONEERS and STEELWORKS BROTHERHOOD.
+++
+++Two bouts were fought, both of which were live-fed to pict-screens around the sector by grave of the Guilds Mercator.
+++
+++
The first bout was THE BATTLE OF THE JUVES, with younger members of
the participating gangs doing battle. Fighters from Knife Whisperers
and Nils of the Sump Saints fared poorly, particularly as Sky, the
Grimbright wrecker, showed impressive lethality with his hand flamer.
But Sky's luck ran out alongside the power in his jump booster, and
he, along with the mysterious Swindler prospect, fell foul of Steel
Brother Nihil's storm welder.
+++
+++So, the first bout was won
by House Goliath, and proceedings promptly moved on to the second
bout, whe
+++ ALERT ALERT
+++ DATA FEED CORRUPTED
+++ FEED OVERLAY DETECTED
+++
+++Alright, it's your friendly hab-hood newsmonger, here to set the record straight – something got clipped out of the pict-feeds....
+++
+++The powers that be want to gloss over some top-hab carnage that happened in between the two 'official' fights – the rest of these five gangs were watching the juve scrap from the sidelines. They'd all been hitting the wildsnake pretty hard, and when that Steel Bro juvie won out, there was a mass pitch invasion, a full-on fist-flying riot!
+++
+++But everyone was as sauced as a sumphole second-bester, and the drinking continued while they tried to lay into each other, so no-one was on particularly spire-sharp form. You should've seen it – gangers so hammered they could hardly see straight, swinging wide with almost every punch. And even when the punches hit home, the punchees were so tanked up, they couldn't even feel it!
+++
+++ The Steelbros took out most of the Whisperers, and Queen Akazia, smashed as she was, still had enough sense to realise she was the last Escher standing – she staggered out of the brawl pretty soon after that. Likewise, the Pioneers and Sump Tabernacle were ground down by sheer boozy attrition, and by the time the Guilders flooded the battle zone with kalma gas, only the Hush City crew and the Steelworks Brotherhood had any fighters left standing (well, more swaying and staggering than standing, but you catch my drift).
+++
+++ Word is the Goliaths had skipped a few drinks, which kept them in the brawl – but the Brotherhood themselves are damn adamant it was their hardy vat-bred constitutions that won the day.
+++
+++Anyway, that's what the man didn't want you to know. Pax Helmawr my pox-raddled ass! Misrule rules in Hacked Knee, same as ever!
+++
+++FEED OVERLAY TERMINATED
+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++
+++rein a single veteran of each gang contended in a BATTLE OF THE CHAMPIONS. First blood went to the Swindlers, whose claw-fisted assassin (named Cruella according to unconfirmed reports) took out Grimbright arms-master Nathan and his trusty hound. Meanwhile, the Sump Saints' representative – an eviscerator-waving dervish of a man of uncertain name (he mostly screamed about pain and the Emperor's justice) went toe to toe with Steelworks boss Kharn. But the Goliath felled the Cawdor in short order.
+++
+++ The Delaque assassin pounced at Kharn, but the Goliath was on fine fighting form and took Cruella out. Whisperer champion Slacy Cutter had been lurking in the shadows, but, when her needlegun ran out of chems, charged forth to fight Kharn. Stiletto sword met chainaxe in a nailbiting duel that stretched over several minutes. But in the end, Kharn cut Slacy down, earning his gang their second laurels of the shift.
+++
+++The Guilds Mercator extend their congratulations to the gangs who took part in this fine tourney.
+++
+++ADDENDUM: logisticians report an 0.003345 decrease in productivity in factoria in zones neighbouring Sector H8 in the cycles following the Grand Tourney. Enjoyment is no excuse for laziness. Continued lapses will be met with mandated Palanite beatings. You have been warned.
+++
+++Thought for the day: a wise man learns from the death of others. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++
+++END DATA FEED
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! The Corpse Guild reports interruption of supply to their processing factoria in the Sector H8 region. Consequently, there will be new limitations on starch rations, as follows: each eligible person is entitled to cl-
+++ ALERT ALERT
+++ DATA FEED CORRUPTED
+++ FEED OVERLAY DETECTED
+++ Ah, the price of peace, am I right? There's been a lack of action of late in Sector H8, which means a lack of killing, which means a lack of dead bodies, which means.... well, you know. No worries, though, my scummy friends – there's been some fresh feuds a-brewing in the Hacked Knee...
+++
+++The KNIFE WHISPERERS and GRIMBRIGHT PIONEERS scrapped twice this past cycle. The first clash saw the tox-toting Eschers bring the pain to the Orlocks, just for the fun of it. Whisperer juve Needelle distinguished herself by knifing Pioneer bossman Big Daddy out of the fight – but the House of Iron hit back hard before they backed off, with arms master Nate Detroit firing a savvy shotgun blast which killed chem-flinger Zsazh Ryme stone dead! The Whisperers went looking for revenge less than a cycle later, with the two gangs clashing in a pitch-black underdome. Slacy Cutter's infra-spex meant she could keep popping with her needler even as everyone else blundered around in the dark, and young wrecker Sky did his best to lighten things up by setting Queen Akazia on fire – but the Escher boss proved as tough as old boots, cutting down two Orlocks who had the nerve to attack her even while she was all ablaze. Still, no gang's going to stick around when their leader's been half-barbecued, and charred Akazia ordered her crew to retreat not long after. Nathan Detroit was the last man standing, dayglo duds bright in the dark. We asked him for his thoughts on the Whisperers, but he's got other feuds on his mind – all he said was 'The HUSH CITY SWINDLERS still owe me a dog...'
+++
+++Another deadly double-scrap happened between the STEELWORKS BROTHERHOOD and YOKUM SUMP SAINTS. Forge-born fury versus fiery faith, and again, the emphasis was on fire as Steelbro bossman Kharn spent most of the two battles ablaze thanks to the Cawdor's tender ministrations. They call Kharn 'the Unforgiving' – well, he sure as sump ain't gonna be forgiving Herbert Arsenault and his flock for this in any hurry! And there was yet more undignified death, as a creepy Sump Saint cherub somehow managed to murder a Goliath prospect – according to unconfirmed reports, the very same Nihil who won glory in the Guilders' big juve fight last cycle. O, how the mighty fall... Anyway, despite all this, not to mention wayward blasting charges clobbering the Goliaths that threw them (the Emprah must've really been smiling on the Sump Saints this shift!) the two gangs came away with one win apiece. Kharn was scathing afterwards, calling it a 'shameful display of fighting spirit by Goliaths', while a jubilant cyber-cherub was spotted floating around trilling '*bzzetch* the unshriven shall be blessed through blood letting *bzzetch*'. It's enough to leave you breathless (which the gangs actually were due to the cripplingly bad air in the dome for their second fight)!
+++
+++So there you have it - the fearsome fires of war burn bright in Hacked Knee once again! And it looks like those starch-ration shortages won't be lasting too long... as my old mama used to say: chew hard, swallow fast, and don't think too much about where it came from.... Stay deadly out there!
+++
+++FEED OVERLAY TERMINATED
+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++epeat, do not consume fungi that are growing in sub-sec G150. You have been warned.
+++
+++Thought for the day: the fear of death is to be more dreaded than death itself. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++ COMMENCE DATA FEED
Attention hive citizens! Mandatory extra prayers are to be said at the start of each shift-cycle following reports of an unhallowed pr
+++ ALERT ALERT
+++ DATA FEED CORRUPTED
+++ FEED OVERLAY DETECTED
+++
+++ Scope straight, my scummy friends – no doubt you'd rather be hearing about the cycle's scrapping than all that creepy stuff. And what a cycle it was, with new blood on the rise, looking to shake things up in the Hacked Knee...
+++
+++ When word got around that a rare vent cobra was slithering about in the tunnels, the KNIFE WHISPERERS and HUSH CITY SWINDLERS sprung into action to claim the prize. The Eschers wanted the snake's venom, the Delaques... well, you'll see. In typical sneaky fashion, the goggleheads surrounded the Whisperers, whose attempts to break out played into the Swindlers' cold hands: Frenzi Ryme blasted Charles Ponzi with a face full of hallucinogenic chems, but his subsequent spell of insanity had him scurrying right after the cobra. Meanwhile, Queen Akazia tried to counter-ambush the Swindlers' sword-swinging nacht-ghul but found her usually-deft bladework rendered sluggish by uncannily grasping shadows. To make matters worse, juvie Needelle, victim of cruel rumours and shunned by her gangmates, slammed a door on the close-quarters combat, stranding Akazia and Frenzi to be cut down by the assassin's shivver sword. In the end, the Swindlers claimed the cobra, and bossman Victor Lustig remarked, 'These new agents from the Star Chamber are proving mightily effective, although I do have reservations over their penchant for skinning live animals.' Look out for your pets when the nacht-ghuls are on the prowl, hivers!
+++
+++ Elsewhere, the STEELWORKS BROTHERHOOD, currently top of the heap in Sector H8, clashed with the RATHOLE BOMBERS in a dead hab dome. The Cawdors were every bit the underdogs – or should that be under-rats? - in the encounter, but Father Phelonius Raven showed just what delirious faith can do for a downhiver, shrugging off an improbably large amount of gunfire to stay resolutely in the fight. To make matters worse for the Goliaths, bossman Kharn was, against all odds, taken out of action. But the tides of battle didn't all run against the Steelbros – seems like the Emprah was looking the other way when two Cawdor bomb rats went astray, attracting unlikely Goliath shooting and detonating off-target, blasting a Rathole ganger and juve out of the fight. In the end, the sheer persistence of the House of Faith prevailed, and the Steelworks boys came away without the win.'How'd that grenade feel, Kharn?' crowed Bomber brother Gad after the battle... Gad, you might not like Kharn's answer – it's liable to be delivered by two fists and a spud-jacker!
+++
+++ And this cycle's bloodshed was taken to another level when the YOKUM SUMP TABERNACLE, RATHOLE BOMBERS, KNIFE WHISPERERS and Orlock newcomers the ROWDY JACKERS scrapped large down in the lower domes. But there was wychwork afoot, with a terrible malign presence in the stale air, leaping from fighter to fighter and filling them with a fury most unholy - not that our good ol' Sector H8rs needed any encouragement to bring the heavy violence!
+++The Sump Saints and Jackers went at each other like rabid phyrr cats in a barrel, exchanging fire between two tall towers – Sump Saint Alette went so far as to try to leap from one tower to the other, which didn't work out so well for her as she plummeted two storeys and got a brainful of rockcrete for her trouble. Jacker wrecker Ondrills kept the Cawdor swarm at bay for precious seconds, allowing the rest of the road crew to get into prime firing positions, but paid for this heroism with his life.
+++Over on the other side of the dome, the Whisperers and Bombers took lumps out of each other as the evil spirit leapt from ganger to ganger, with Escher champ Slacy Cutter going on a stabbing spree that she later described as 'more intense than a triple-shot of slaught'.
+++By the time the supernatural terror had body-hopped its way across the killzone, only Father Herbert Arsenault was still standing for the Sump Saints – Road captain Kwengface's steady stream of grenades had whittled away the Cawdor ranks. The daemonic presence possessed Jacker champ Do Road and carved its way through various foes, meaning that, at the end of the shift, the Rowdy Jackers were widely recognised as most violent crew in the dome – and violence equal victory, am I right, hivers?
+++No fewer than three of Father Herbert's flock were dropped off at the corpse grinders' after the scrap, but as Herbert himself said, 'Well... at least we can keep their guns.'
+++Special mention for Tabernacle ganger Cedric, who somehow missed most of the spirit-wracked conflict as he was having trouble reloading his rusty autogun – hey Cedric, a word to the wise: turnips ain't ammo!
+++
+++ So that's that, my louse-ridden readers! Youre humble scribe is ever more humble when he hears of each cycle's scraps and scraggings..... whatever you do out there, keep it deadly!
+++
+++
+++FEED OVERLAY TERMINATED
+++DATA FEED RESTORED
+++eport any suspected heretical behaviour to the local palanite precinct, and then hand yourself in at the same precinct for the crime of harbouring impure knowledge.
+++Thought for the day: The Emperor knows, the Emperor is watching. Praise be to Terra and House Helmawr!
+++END DATA FEED