Deathwatch: The Undeath of Zanatov's Harbour

[Ascension]

The vast and winding corridors of Watch-Fortress Erioch contain dozens, if not hundreds, of briefing rooms and strategiums, nearly all built to heroic proportions. The chamber to which you've been called is among the smallest, but, even so, its low stone benches could still comfortably accommodate a squad at least twice the size of your kill-team, and a Dreadnought could stand to full height beneath its vaulted ceiling. At the front of the chamber, behind a large metal podium cast in the shape of the Inquisitorial I, stand three figures, two Astartes and one unaugmented human.

The marine at the center of the trio is immediately recognizable as Watch-Captain Horsa, the man who has supervised you all since your initial induction into the Deathwatch. For most of you, that has been a somewhat trying experience. Watch-Captain Horsa hails from the Mantis Warriors, the Chapter which offers the second-largest tithe of personnel to the Deathwatch, behind only the Crimson Fists, and, far from holding the elder children of the Primarchs in reverence, he tends to view marines sent to the Deathwatch from First Founding Chapters as arrogant interlopers treading on his territory. He does make an effort toward concealing his biases, but you spent enough time in his care during Deathwatch training to see them shine through. Rafen and Karael, particularly, always seemed to be on the receiving end of his harshest assignments and worst tongue-lashings. Still, for all his flaws, his skill as a warrior and as a commander is undeniable, and he has earned every bit of his authority through blood and sweat.

The marine at Horsa's right hand is an imposing figure, no less intimidating here in the Watch-Fortress, with his skull-faced helm clamped to his hip, than he is in the heat of battle. Some of you have seen another side to Chaplain Haman of the Salamanders, being privileged to witness the pearly grin behind his ebony mask. Chaplain Haman is always watching the battle-brothers under his authority, and takes care to confer privately with those who show signs of doubt or worry, or of friction with their brothers. In those one-on-one meetings he showcases great compassion and a surprising sense of humour. Today, however, he is all business, here solely to lead you in the sacred oath-taking before you depart upon your mission.

At Horsa's left, dwarfed in the company of the Astartes who surround him, is a man in black robes of soft velvet, robes embroidered with the symbol of the Inquisition on their trailing sleeves. He looks shockingly young at first glance, with a full head of jet black hair slicked close to his scalp, but a certain world-weariness in his eyes, and the crows' feet picking at their edges, suggest that an extensive regimen of juvenat treatments is the cause. His fingers have the ink-stained look of a dedicated scribe's, though the simple fact that he stands in such rarefied company suggests a position of much higher stature. None of you have worked with him before.

"This is Inquisitor Jiang Liu," Watch-Captain Horsa says, preempting any questions you may have been about to ask about the stranger. "He has come to us from the Realm of Ultramar... by the direct route. Through the Warp storms."

That even a mean old cuss like Captain Horsa sounds awed by this feat should give you some indication of its rarity.

"Unfortunately, the news he brings us is that our enemy has learned to do the same thing. He's here following a trail of evidence which strongly suggests that there is an active Cold Trade route smuggling xenos weapons straight from the Jericho Reach into the Realm of Ultramar... right under the Ultramarines' noses."

Captain Horsa calling them "Ultramarines" is a concession to the fact that you have company. In private, he's more likely to refer to them as "those blue Codex bastards," or occasionally something even more colourful.

"Now, he and Watch-Commander Scarion assure me that he has further narrowed the range of worlds which could be the source for these xenos artifacts to somewhere in the immediate vicinity of Zanatov's Harbour. Now, you don't need me to tell you that ought to be impossible. Zanatov's Harbour was historically a center of the Cold Trade, but it was lost to Hive Fleet Dagon decades ago. It ought to be nothing but a ball of barren rock now, devoid of anything of interest to anyone. Nevertheless, when Inquisitor Jiang sent a group of acolytes there to follow up on his leads, sometime late last year..."

Captain Horsa begins a dramatic pause, but Inquisitor Jiang cuts through his attempt at rhetoric with a clipped, efficient explanation.

"They failed to make any further contact, despite having a skilled astropath among their number and having been ordered to make frequent reports. Something must have gone badly wrong. My most trusted Interrogator was their field leader, and nothing trivial could have stopped her. Thus, I turn to the Deathwatch."

"Just so," Watch-Captain Horsa agrees, not seeming displeased (or at least no more displeased than usual) by the Inquisitor's interruption. "The objectives of your mission, as far as we understand them, are laid out on the dataslates each of you have been given. If you have any questions for myself or the Inquisitor, ask them now, not when you're halfway across the Reach."

Spoiler: Your Dataslate

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Known Mission Objectives:

> Primary:
Locate the point of origin of the Jericho-Ultramar Cold Trade Route [Recon]
Identify the conspirators behind the Jericho-Ultramar Cold Trade [Recon]

> Secondary:
Recover samples of the traders’ xenos artifacts for study [Recovery]
Rescue Interrogator Feinmann and her Acolytes, should they yet live [Recovery, Conditional]

> Tertiary:
Recover the bodies of Interrogator Feinmann and her Acolytes, and any data they may have collected on Zanatov’s Harbour, in the event that they have perished [Recovery, Conditional]
Check the logs of the automated warning buoys left in the Zanatov system [Recon]
Slay or capture the conspirators behind the Jericho-Ultramar Cold Trade [Assault]

"You must also decide who among you will lead your kill-team in this mission," Chaplain Haman rumbles, breaking his silence, "and determine the oath which you will swear to ensure its completion, in the name of the Emperor, the Deathwatch, and the Holy Inquisition."

Horsa and Haman's words open the floor to discussion. Have at it.

[Koris]

Karael carefully reads through the dataslate with a glance to his fellow kill-team members to gauge their body language on who should take command on the mission. Had this been before his seconding to the Watch, he would have eagerly thrown his name in, hoping to show his ability by leading them for the first time. But he can't help but feel that a recon mission is almost made for the like of some of the other chapter members gathered. It was never easy to sneak up on any enemy formations with the signature red armor that the sons of Sanguinius wore.

Lowering the dataslate, Karael looks towards the Watch-Captain ''What are our means of transport towards Zanatov's Harbour, Captain?'' he says with a measure of respect that would be expected towards one's superior.

[Inspector Valin]

Jaden hums to himself, not bothering to look down at his dataslate again. The Stormseer stands easy, relaxed even in the company of their senior officers, his mind still slowly turning over the information given. He tries to keep the smile off of his face, but it's hard to resist after hearing the briefing. This is... exciting! More than he'd expected, honestly: a mysterious mission, a dead world, agents of the Inquisition in need of help. This is a task worthy of the Deathwatch, and of a son of Chogoris. His eyes dart briefly to either side, noting the fellow members of his kill team but not studying them at length. That can come later.

As Karael speaks to the Watch Captain, Jaden turns his attention to Jiang Liu, smiling at the unarmoured human and bowing his head. Just a touch; best to be polite. "Do you have any records of Zanatov's Harbour, Inquisitor? Reports of investigations carried out before Dagon?" Forgetting himself a little, the Stormseer starts to ponder aloud, still considering possible justifications for this scenario. "It's too much of a coincidence that the new Cold Trade route comes from an old port. If the smugglers had some kind of safe area for storage, warded in such a way as to fool the Hive Mind..."

Spoiler: OOC

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(1d100)[92] Forbidden Lore, Xenos 47 considering that idea, though Jiang probably has a sharper answer.

[Ascension]

"Good question," the Watch-Captain grudgingly admits. "Unfortunately, with our current allocation of strategic assets, I can't offer you support from our own fleet... unless you should need a kill-ship, Emperor forfend, and if you do, that'll be a sign that this mission has grown way bigger than your green-ass kill-team is equipped to handle. Therefore, I'll allow Inquisitor Jiang to give you your answer..."

"One moment, Stormseer," the Inquisitor apologises, showing at least a cursory knowledge of the White Scars' traditions, and turns his attention to Karael's question.

"I borrowed the assistance of one of the younger scions of a Rogue Trader dynasty to help me break through the Warp storms to get here," he explains. "His ship, a modified Sword-class called the Gallant Blade, is built for speed, not for firepower, but it will get you to Zanatov's Harbour. Additionally..."

The Inquisitor trails off, glancing back at Watch-Captain Horsa, and the Watch-Captain picks up the thread.

"We wanted you boys to be prepared, so, as we speak, some of the more creative Tech-Marines are rigging up a makeshift launch apparatus for an Astartes boarding torpedo underneath the prow of the Gallant Blade. Just in case you need to intercept those Cold Traders as they try to escape the system. You'll only be able to fire it once, though, so make it count."

"As to your question, Stormseer," the Inquisitor now says to Jaden, "I was not in the Jericho Reach myself at the time when it was a hub of the Cold Trade, so I do not have any personal records on that subject, but I have spent the past few months looking over what records I have been able to prise out of the cogitators and catacombs here in the Watch-Fortress. Unfortunately, records are piecemeal. Zanatov's Harbour was largely beyond the light of the Crusade at that point, which is why the Trade was able to flourish... and why Dagon reached it before we were even aware the Hive Fleet had come to the Reach. The records do identify some of the traders active at that time, but I have not been able to link any of those names to the current activity. In fact, most of those named in the records are now dead or presumed dead. There are few places one can safely flee when the Inquisition is aware of your heresy."

Spoiler: OOC

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Unfortunately, Jaden himself can't think of any way the smugglers of that time might have protected their caches. Well, he can, but all of his ideas are extraordinarily silly. Such is the cost of four degrees of failure.

[Toxic Mind]

Corlis Vahn said nothing for some time as he perused the data-slate, memorizing objectives and relevant points. "The Hive Fleet has moved on, has it not? There should be no Tyranid bioforms left on a planet that they have harvested. The question then is left to be asked - are we expecting to fight humans?" The question was mostly redundant, but Vahn asked it all the same. He found engagements with humans to be rather boringly one-sided, the enhanced physiology and biology of his Astartes frame deciding those contests long before the battle even joined.

After the answer, Vahn speaks again. "I believe my skills the best suited for this task, as my chapter extensively trains in stealth and recon." The truth was, he didn't want to lead - his skills were better served firing from afar, and a leader could not do that. Still, the mission seemed tailored to his abilities. It would be remiss not to mention it.

[Ascension]

"Humans, or possibly mercantile xenos, such as the Stryxis," Inquisitor Jiang says, agreeing with Corlis's assumptions, "but I would caution against underestimating your opposition. The weapons they have been smuggling into the Realm of Ultramar have been unlike anything I have ever seen before, in my experience or in Inquisitorial records. I could hardly begin to speculate as to what further devilry they may have reserved for their own personal use."

[Koris]

Karael frowns at the idea of chancing a lone boarding torpedo against any ship with decent defensive capabilities, wondering if perhaps the Watch-Captain doesn't value their lives as much as he perhaps should. ''Can this Rogue trader be trusted, Inquisitor? Or will he cut and run at first sign of a challenge?'' he says with poorly disguised distaste at the thought of working with anyone absorbed more in profit than anything else.

Turning to Brother Vahn, Karael nods and says ''I second Brother Vahn's suggestion! The Raptors are well known for their silent efficiency when it comes to destroying their targets before they have time to cover their tracks.'' he gives a wolfish smile that shows of the Blood Angels long canines. He then says in a lower voice ''I look forward to see if the rumors are true with my own eyes.''

[Toxic Mind]

Vahn merely nods his assent. He had seen few things that could survive a turbo-needle to the skull, but he was not about to say that to an Inquisitor's face.

[Inspector Valin]

So, an unknown world, with an unknown band of cold traders, who're smuggling unknown xenos artifacts into Ultramar?

Jaden doesn't seek an answer from the Inquisitor. Even by his standards, that would be facetious. It's clear that there is little to no information available: this is primarily an investigative mission after all. Jiang's use of his correct title makes the Chogosian's eyes flash wide for a moment, before he gives the human a firm grin and nod in thanks. Jiang is prepared, knows the culture of Astares chapters, and treats marines with respect. Such was perhaps natural in one not of the Astares, but after so many nights being berated by his own elders, Jaden would be hard pressed to ask for more in an Inquisitor.

Perhaps a flicker of doubt crosses the young Seer's mind at that realization. If this mission fails, they'll be failing a good man and his friends. But Jaden's mind doesn't dwell on this possibility. He learned long ago to discard thoughts of failure. A psyker can afford them about as little as a hero can.

At Vahn's suggestion, the talkative's White Scar's smile twists a little. That might be the most passionless declaration of skill he's ever heard. What he should've expected from so dour a Chapter, really. He turns to the fellow Marine, shaking his head. "Your Chapter probably trained you well, Brother. But I've got a few tricks of my own that might be useful here." From a belt pouch, the son of the Khan produces a set of fine cards, decorated with the Throne and Aquilla on the back of each. Jaden slowly shuffles his deck, eyes closed but still facing the Raptor. "I am a Stormseer. I've read the passage of spirits, the ways of fate, and can tell the path the Emperor has laid down for us through the tarot. My cards are as sharp as your eyes, and when faced with unknown dangers, I am just as qualified to lead us."

Seer Jaden opens his eyes, swatting an errant strand of dark brown hair from his face with a quiet chuckle. He glances around at the rest of the team, lingering on Ogedei, Aldwen and Rafen in turn, and sharing a friendly smile with each Marine. "Anyone else?"

[Morovir]

The ruination of his face not changing from its dour expression, Ogedei's face turns from Jiang, to Karael, to Jaden and finally to Vahn. When he opens his mouth to speak, his voice comes out as a mechanical wheeze, a legacy of the mission that led to him being sent to the Deathwatch.

"I agree with the nomination of Brother Vahn. This mission suits his kind best." He turns to face the Stormseer. "We have no need of fate, or joy at this task. Exact planning and heavy firepower will lead us more successfully than any spirits."

[Toxic Mind]

"My thanks, Cousin, for your support."

Vahn did not know much of the White Scars, save that his progenitor chapter, the Raven Guard, and theirs had an old feud. The Raptors took no part in this, but were aware of it all the same. He had been worried for a moment that their chapter allowed psykers to lead, but it seems that was not the case.

"I would be happy to have you as my second, Cousin Stormseer, if you would accept. Your aid and advice will be invaluable, given the hidden nature of our foes."

[Inspector Valin]

Jaden snorts at his 'brothers' decision and the explanation for it, waving it away with a laugh. "Says The Joyless! I'm starting to wonder if your soul comes from Medusa, old one. All sand and moondust. No loyalty to the Brother who shares your geneseed?"

Rhetorical question. A Marine of the Deathwatch should be above such bonds, and Jaden was showing little of them himself. Still, the psyker turns back towards Vahn and for the first time, that annoying grin of his fades back into nothing more than a slightly upturned lip. He even speaks a touch more quietly, "That's sense, cos. And you have a little more life in you than Ogedei at least. So long as you're willing to listen to me, I'll be happy as your second." Offer made, the seer holds out a hand, looking at the son of Corax expectantly.

[Toxic Mind]

Vahn nods and grabs the Stormseers outstretched forearm in a warrior's handshake.

[Haval]

Aldwin is impassive, but is inwardly disappointed. He has spent too much time lately being prodded by Apothecaries and Techmarines, which left him with barely any time to train. When he was called to this meeting he had hoped for a chance to fight in earnest and so prove his worthiness to be amongst the Deathwatch. Hunting cold traders was a neccessary job, but it was a job for the Inquisition. To use Astartes seemed like overkill. Perhaps he could take his frustration out on their targets when they found them.

When Jaden addresses him he will reply with a voice that is scratchy from disuse. 'I fear that I lack the skills to take the lead on this mission.' With a smile that's barely there. 'I am told that I lack subtlety.' Other than ruling himself out, Aldwin will not express an opinion one way or the other on the choice of leader.

[Koris]

Karael grins at the handshake taking place. It is good to know that they weren't at each others throats immediately, something that would surely have been unlikely had a son of Guilliman been part of the squad. Pointing to Vahn with his whole hand, he says ''I believe the majority is in agreement then! Brother Vahn, it is your right as the squad lead to decide what Oath we shall swear for this mission, so let's hear it!''

Not wishing to show any sign of the Kill-team being divided in front of the Watch-Captain nor the Chaplain even before the mission had started, Karael decided it was best to simply go with the flow of things for the moment. The practice cages had shown what the others were capable of, and he was sure they were all capable to accomplish this mission with little trouble. Even so, it was hard not to look at the Librarian with anything but suspicion. Even the strongest of their kind would eventually be overwhelmed by the powers of the Immaterium. And when they fell, they were likely to bring those closest down with them.

[Ascension]

"Pardon my interruption of your... conference," Inquisitor Jiang interjects, voice smooth and even despite the fact that he is interrupting a conclave of giants, "but I do not wish to leave a question without a response. You asked if the Rogue Trader could be trusted, Son of Sanguinius. I can assure you, you need not worry. Captain Virlin Smith is a young man, and his father is far away. In his position, he fears the Inquisition and the Astartes far more than he does the enemies of Man."

The Inquisitor's small smile is anything but pleasant.

"That fear makes him eminently controllable."

[Koris]

Karael turns to look at the Inquisitor, bowing his head gently to the side to acknowledge the answer. Still not convinced, but seeing the benefit of an agreement based on fear towards the Holy Inquisition.

[Inspector Valin]

Jaden tightens his grip, but his strength is lesser than Vahn's, something both men can likely tell. Still, the Stormseer gives his Battle Brother all the force he can, stepping forward and meeting Vahn's gaze with a surprisingly intense look. He might be the lesser, but he's still a son of the Great Khan. Honour demands nothing less than his best.

The moment lasts, but then it is gone, the White Scar breaking away and offering his squad leader a bow before turning back to their three seniors. Best not to forget about the masters of the Watch. The great and the good tend to take such things personally. "You say the Cold Traders are bringing xenos weapons into Ultramar, Inquisitor Jiang. Can you say any more than that? What these weapons have been used for so far, their rough strength, any unusual properties we should prepare for?"

[Ascension]

"The weapons they have peddled in the Realm of Ultramar thus far appear to all be of a very similar type," the Inquisitor answers, "though we have captured but a few. They are roughly rifle-like, recognizable enough as guns to suggest that the xenos race which manufactured them is, or was, humanoid. The technology, however, is beyond our comprehension. Our psykers have not been able to detect any sign of Chaos taint on them, but neither have our tech-savants been able to identify how they produce the energy beams they project, or indeed what manner of energy comprises the beam. Their action on a target is unique... the tech-priest among my own acolytes described it as breaking the surface of the target apart on a molecular level. They can flay the skin off a man's flesh... and then the flesh off his bones... from lasgun range."

He smiles grimly.

"You can understand why we might want to keep such weapons from finding their way into the hands of every xenophilious noble in the Ultima Segmentum."

[Toxic Mind]

"Do we have any record of such xeno weapons amongst the archives of the Deathwatch?" Vahn directs his question to the Watch Captain. He will wait until the questions are finished before giving his oath. Such things are sacred rituals, and should be done with all solemnity.

[Ascension]

Watch-Captain Horsa sucks in a breath and runs a hand across his stubbled head before replying.

"In sealed records in the catacombs... in the private journals of the Dead Cabal... locked away in the Omega Vault... possibly. This Watch-Fortress harbours more secrets than it has shadows. But I've never seen anything about any such weapon in the course of my own service to the Deathwatch."

"Nor have I," Haman agrees. "This threat is new to us."

[Haval]

Aldwin looks sickened at the description of the xenos weaponry. Technology that did not work to mankind's understanding was not to be trusted, and there was every chance that it was as much a threat to the fools that were trafficing in it. But had they dug it up somewhere or worse, been supplied it by the weapons creators. Were the builders of such infernal weapons still active as a species somewhere? His superiors seemed as uncertain as he was.

[Toxic Mind]

"Then we shall endeavor to capture our targets alive. If they are getting these weapons from somewhere, we will learn that supplier. The, and only then, will we deliver the Emperor's justice to these heretics." Vahn says passionately, placing his hand to the Aquila on his chest.

[Morovir]

Ogedei nods, hammering a fist across his chest once, a doleful knell ringing out as he does so.

[Inspector Valin]

"Here here!"

Jaden raises his fist at Vahn's words, as enthusiastic as ever. It seems the White Scar's mood is hard to dampen.

[qechua]

Studying the dataslate at length, Rafen allowed the conversation to continue without him, keeping notes upon it to determine it's path while being somewhat worried of his brothers bravado at facing these unknown weapons.

"My Lords, I have some questions. Firstly, these weapons you describe, do you have any records of their effects? Autopsies, mission debriefs, corpses, and the like? Given that if we encounter them they will most likely be turned on us, I would rather be prepared for any wounds that need treating. Secondly, and perhaps more tellingly, if these operations are occurring in Ultramar, why are the Ultramarines themselves not handling this matter, or at least involved in it's resolution? I would expect them to know these places better than us, and certainly if someone was smuggling weapons onto Baal, I would consider it a matter of Chapter honour to handle the situation within the Blood Angels. I can only presume the Ultramarines would feel the same."

[Ascension]

"The fact that the Ultramarines have not come here to the Reach is simply a matter of practicality," Inquisitor Jiang explains, his manner still very matter-of-fact. "Aboard a Rogue Trading vessel geared for perilous transit through the Warp, with an expert Navigator hand-picked for the task, I myself had a very difficult time making it through the fierce storms in the Immaterium to reach this sector of space from Ultramar. To risk a strike cruiser of Ultramarines on the same transit would be foolhardy, and if they wished to come safely through the Jericho-Maw Warp Gate they would have to cross the entire galaxy first."

Again the Inquisitor's lips twitch into a thin smile.

"That is not, of course, to say that they stand idle. They are pursuing the traders' activities and connections on the Ultramar side of the storms quite vigorously. But it falls to us to match their fervor on this side of the investigation if we are to eliminate this threat once and for all."

He reaches into his robes, pulls out a dataslate embedded in a thick leather cover, and begins scrolling through his files.

"I have already described the weapons' flaying effect, but to help you render effective medical treatment, Priest, you would be better served by pict-captures. To give you those I will need to access my data-safe archive, which I've left in my quarters. So I can't get that to you now, but I'll be sure to make all that I have available to you before we arrive at Zanatov's Harbour. I'm afraid it isn't much to go on, but it should be better than going in blind."

You may note that the Inquisitor said 'Priest' rather than 'Apothecary,' just as he called Jaden 'Stormseer' rather than 'Librarian.' It seems he's done his homework on your kill-team.

Spoiler: OOC

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Practically speaking, the information which Inquisitor Jiang will provide Rafen (probably offscreen) will be enough to make sure he definitely faces no specific penalty in treating gauss weapon wounds, but won't be enough to give any kind of bonus, either.

[Inspector Valin]

"Talking of, Inquisitor..."

The young stormseer steps beside Rafam, gesturing back at their company. "We don't have a Techmarine on this squad. And we're dealing with powerful xenos weaponry that we're still trying to understand." The psyker bows his head, moving to the centre and addressing their three superiors as a group. "We might want to look at bringing some experts along on the Gallant Blade. Xeno-archeologists, or someone from the Mechanicus. We can talk about it once we're done with the swearing, but..?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Looking to shift my requisition to include Mechanicus Tech Adept, or Xeno Archeologist. We'd have to babysit them, but looking at what we're doing here, having someone able to actually tell us about xenotech seems too big to ignore.

[Ascension]

"Each additional person brought in to consult on this problem is an additional risk to operational security," the Inquisitor reminds. "You would also be responsible for safeguarding any experts you wish to bring into the field. I could call in favors to provide you with such assistance, but it's not something any of us should take lightly. Is your team willing to shoulder the responsibility of bringing mortal men, scholars and technicians, on a mission of the Astartes?"

Watch-Captain Horsa scowls.

"We ought to be able to offer you an expert from within the ranks of the Deathwatch, but unfortunately, our tech-savants are spread thin right now. We can't spare a Tech-Marine with the proper training. If you want anyone versed in the arts of Mars to come along to advise you, you would have to take the Inquisitor up on his offer."

[Haval]

Aldwin is torn between a natural distrust of experts in xenos tech and a desire that their mission should have the best chance of success.

Yet he will speak up in support of Jaden.'Inquisitor, I admit I would rather see such devices destroyed than brought back here, but if there is value is studying them then any assistance might be useful.'