Sacrificing for the Kill
We make it to the genestealer broodlord's lair. There is blood, ichor, and bodies everywhere. Everything I learnt from playing D&D helps now that I'm a space marine. I look up, giving us enough time to notice the broodlord dropping down from the ceiling, and ensuring we're not surprised.
Our bolters chatter, spewing explosive rounds in to the broodlord's toughened hide, and although obviously damaged the broodlord is far from hurting. Attacks come raining down on us.
Brother Anatolias is missed, Brother Gregor parries the blow heading towards him, and I manage to dodge the incoming attack. Is that all the broodlord's got?
Not having being attacked, Brother Sepheran isn't in melee with the broodlord. Our devastator marine is in an excellent position to unleash fully automatic bolter fire.
'Balls, I rolled 94. That's a jam on a fully automatic weapon.' The situation looks bad, as the jam cannot realistically be cleared during combat. But Brother Sepheran's decision to save a fate point to avoid such a jam, instead of recovering some health from the previous fight, now looks to have been a sensible precaution.
Brother Sepheran looks fate in the eye and rolls again. 97. His heavy bolter jams and he's effectively out of the fight. But a space marine knows his fate. Brother Sepheran stands tall and goads the broodlord, preparing himself to make a heroic sacrifice.
Brother Sepheran's sacrifice would have been more heroic had he been able to make it before the broodlord ripped him to shreds in a single combined attack. But his loss won't be in vain. The three of us took the opportunity of the broodlord concentrating on our fallen comrade to withdraw to different corners of the room.
Now Brother Gregor sees his chance for glory. He charges valiantly towards the broodlord, calling on his Storm Warden's Thunder's Call, provoking the broodlord to attack him and only him. I don't think the xeno needed such encouragement. But by placing himself in such a position, Brother Anatolias and I can get take full advantage of our bolters' semi-automatic fire outside of melee combat.
Brother Anatolias gets a couple of solid hits. By the time I get to fire on the broodlord, I am not even encumbered by having to fire in to melee combat, Brother Gregor's corpse no longer counting as an opponent. And the hits I inflict are just enough to drop the broodlord. We are victorious.
All that's left to do is recover the glands of our fallen Brothers, so their seed may live on. This is easier than normal for Brother Anatolias, with no surgical tools required. Just a dustpan and brush.