Tales of Rimworld

Shameful Ambush (Timur colony)

It was a slow afternoon in the Spa Resort, with everyone going about their day. Trumpet's adopted grandson Victor was casually bartering with the passing trader, buying some components while selling some fur rolls. Between sharing some gossips about the nearby settlements, Victor heard some rumors of imperial deserters infiltrating trading caravans. However, the colony was small enough to not worry about those deserters, so no one really tried to see if those rumors were true. Since they mostly targeted imperial nobles, there wouldn't be any need to worry about the only noble in the colony. Should there be any issues, the security guards Whitaker and Chapaty would be near the throne room.

Moreover, the Spa Resort was in a good state, with its founding members being alive and well. The period of strife was over, and what was once broken began to heal. Trumpet was slowly mending his strained relation with his ex-wife Singh after a petty argument gone awry, and the two had begun to spend more time together, agreeing on drinking together.

Baron Trumpet was deep in his meditation state that he didn't notice the armed intruders in his throne room. Replenishing his psyfocus in his usual routine, the old man was oblivious of the danger prowling in broad daylight. His old tired hands were resting on the sculpted throne while his back slumped against the backrest, his mind was in state of psychic attunement. When he slowly emerged from his focused state, he opened his eyes and was met by the sight of a mind-devourer who quickly shot him with a rage inducing blast. Violent and chaotic imagery invaded the old man's mind like an unrelenting wave of madness. Trumpet clutched his head with a screech.

Thinking that the maddened noble would be an easy prey, the deserters opened fire with their charge weapons. However they didn't expect Trumpet to fight back with a flesh burning plasma sword. Hardin's deserter armor melted at the point of contact, scorching his body with a horrific wound. The first deserted fell on the ground while writhing in pain, his body being distorted by the intensity of his suffering.

Unfazed by his comrade's demise, the deserter Happy fired his charge shotgun, dropping the maddened noble. Trumpet dropped his sword, his consciousness having deserted him from the pain shock. He fell on his knees before slumping on the ground in a pitiful sight. 

Happy and Ali advanced towards their downed target to finish him off. But the gunshot didn't go unnoticed and Trumpet's son quickly arrived on the scene, having been nearby when the attack happened. Barging in while firing with precision, Timur managed to make his father's assassins flee after wounding them gravely, but not without sustaining sever injuries in return. His injured body held the door open, with his assailants walking over him to escape.

At this point, subtlety was out of the window and the two remaining deserters rushed out of the throne room, only to be intercepted by the two security guards. Happy ran past Whitaker who ignored him, only to hear his comrade Ali getting shot down by that same colony defender. Happy didn't get far either as he felt his deserter armor shattering from the force of a charge shotgun in his back. In his fall, the deserter saw in his periphral vision the smoking barrel of Chapaty's charge weapon. Sprawled on the floor, Happy didn't have time to suffer as the sever internal bleeding made him pass away in mere seconds. Still in the heat of battle, Whitaker took a few more shots at the deserter, quickening the death of the assassin.

In the end, the assassination attempt from the imperial deserters had been a catastrophic failure as the squad was wiped out without killing anyone in the process. These former soldiers, equipped with cutting edge weapons and sturdy power armors had been defeated in their failed ambush. Against unprepared foes who lacked any military acumen.

As for the Spa Resort, it was barely a mild inconvenience as it meant more work for the cleaning crew. Those who grumbled the most were the injured father and son who were being treated at the hospital, the colony's best doctor having already stabilized them. At least they got their hands on some equipment from the corpse of the deserters. And said equipment would end up being sold to the passing trader in a fit of irony.

After all, what doesn't kill you, only ends up being sold to passing traders.