From the Clutches of the Cultists - a Pulp Alley Game

In our story so far, our heroes have temporarily escaped a chaos uprising, only to be captured while on the run.

Now they wake (unarmed) in an empty room.

Forcing the door open, they see a crate and a small robot in the corridor beyond.

Romulus Decima decides to get rid of the robot.

Decima curses as it dodges his attack and skitters down the corridor, emitting a mechanical whine. Meanwhile trooper Burns prises open the crate, discovering weapons inside.

Tension mounts as the heroes here a heavy clumping from the other corridor. A servitor appears, carrying a drum.

The marine scout, Farov Payne, asks the servitor if it knows the way out. The servitor nods and continues walking.

Decima finally catches the droid and smashes it into the concrete.

The heroes reach the outer door of the building. Peering out cautiously, they spot someone.

A chaos cultist!

Payne drops the cultist with a silenced round from his rifle. However, another cultist appears.

At this point, the heroes begin to bog down. The first cultist recovers and has to be put down again (and again and again!) 

Decima is rushed by another cultist.

He drops him, but only temporarily.

This cultist (quickly dubbed Kojak) was a tough proposition: 4d6 Brawl is not a massive skill, but proved troublesome for shooting characters.

Trooper Burns leads the way, but faces a growing number of cultists.

The servitor has by now become confused in the fighting and attacks first the heroes, then Kojak.

Trooper Burns, still in the lead, spots something good at last.

But on closer inspection...

A grenade knocks down both cultists, but only momentarily!

In the meantime, Kojak continues his inexorable progress.

As the heroes struggle to down the cultists by the fence, more reinforcements appear.

And Kojak is coming. One of the players played the 'Bleeding' card on Kojak: running forces a Health check. Kojak ran, fell down and got up again!

He rounds the corner to attack again.

Down again...

By now though,the heroes have managed to force their way through the fence and start the engines on the shuttle. As the engines warm up... 

(Notice Kojak is back? Again!)

The hoard rounds the building and prepares to lay down a fusilade of fire on the shuttle. But even as they take aim, Farov Payne calls out, "Wait a second, can't we just talk about this?"

Momentarily confused, the cultists look on as the shuttle's engines roar to a crescendo.

Escape!

A different game, but a lot of fun. The first part of the game had a real role-playing feel, which the guys seemed to quite enjoy. I may have to revisit that down the track. The rest of the game was marked by the resilience of the cultists. There were only Allies on the table, but most figures recovered at least two or three times. None more so than Kojak: we didn't count, but I'm guessing he recovered at least six or eight times. I have a feeling he'll be back in coming games!

Postscript
The heroes successfully escape Sinastras IV, flying three hours to a Marlow's Reach, a dingy spaceport. Within a fortnight, the Lamenter marines destroy Sinastras IV with a sub orbital bombardment. The cultist rebellion is defeated, but the brutal destruction of a once thriving city is hardly a propaganda coup. Perhaps to deflect attention, Decima, Payne and Burns are feted as heroes of the Imperium: the glorious survivors of Sinastras IV.

What glittering careers await such heroes?

Continued...