++ S19 - The Breach ++

"Scoop" Yurik, freelance News-agent

Hello, dear readers. Continuing with my back-log of stories, I present the first part of the tale of The Breach.

-"Scoop"

+++ ARCHIVAL ENTRY FOLLOWS +++

Through the past several months spent below the walls of Sector 855, this reporter has seen things that have defied simple description. The abject barbarism, violence, and cruelty made infamous by explorers' tales and gang legends is indeed founded in truth (although it is also apparent that a penchant for exaggeration is shared by many an old-timer), as many of my reports have shown.

Something that many denizens of Necromunda do not realize, however, is that outstanding examples of pure wonder and awe exist in the depths of Subsector 19 (and elsewhere in the reaches of the hive, I'm sure), and these unusual sights are perhaps more fantastic than the feats of battle and daring-do, if less widely-known.

Today I bring you a tale of both intense wonder and terrible violence. In my last report I remarked upon the possible outcomes of the rivalries between several gangs within the subsector. KFC's Voodoo Posse, the 7th Ash Waste Rifles, and Nex Manus Imperator have all found their way into numerous battles, and no gang has seen fit to call truce or to lay down arms in the face of opposition.

This is not surprising given the fierce pride that accompanies the gang lifestyle, but as our caravan followed the paths of these three groups we were surprised to find all three gathered in what seemed to be a flag of parlay. Father Benedictus of NMI, Orion of the 7th AWR, and KFC, leader of his Voodoo Posse, had traveled with a single bodyguard from their gang under a cease-fire agreement to an old roadway junction, bounded on all sides by a wide clearing which precluded ambush or covert aggression. As this reporter observed from a distance thanks to an amplified tele-vox receiver, the leaders worked out the terms of a ganger's agreement. The terms of this agreement followed the discovery of a former settlement known only as "The Breach," and the rumored riches housed within its borders.

The final terms were as follows: each faction would furnish a scav-team of no more than four fighters, who would arrive at the walls of The Breach at an agreed-upon day-cycle and hour. At this point, each team would enter the area via one of the four gates, with no team using the same entrance. Each group was then honor-bound to dispatch one juve (a member of the scavenger party) into the heart of the old settlement in search of the treasure within, while the other three gangers remained at the entry points, safeguarding the portal for the juve's return. The juve would be allowed to defend himself against any and all threats, including the juves of the other gangs, but the support team would serve only to protect the loot and perhaps help to clear the way if the local flora or fauna proved insurmountable.

Rumors flew freely between the leaders regarding not only the riches, but the threats that might lay in wait for the scav-teams. Orion, as if briefing his rivals, spoke of the large, violently hungry rats that had been spotted by his reconnaissance men; KFC's hushed voice made mention of unusually mobile plant life and fungus capable of ensnaring a full-grown man; Father Benedictus's scathing sermon of damnation was aimed at the plague carriers his crusade had burned down outside the ancient walls. Each leader tested the mettle of his opponents, whilst carefully weighing the conceivable benefits of a successful excursion with the potentially ruinous consequences of a botched raid.

Finally, it seemed that all were satisfied, and each man made a point of sealing his end of the agreement in a fashion common to the Underhive. A flask of Wildsnake was produced by each man present, and passed to their counterpart on the left. Each man then drank deeply of the liquor, ensuring that trust had been given and that none would attempt to double cross any of the others. The flasks were returned and each delegation retired to their respective hideouts; teams to be chosen and preparations to be made.

It would be three days before the scav-teams traveled to The Breach, and after the gangers departed, our caravan determined the location of all four entrances, determined to follow the action via the fourth, unused entrance upon the return of the three rival gangs.

-Yurik out.