Sea of Stars - IC

[Blarghy]

Post-Op

"A hallowed Mind Impulse Unit Mind Impulse would serve you well, serve well Lady Vanhal Vanhal Vanhal. Perhaps also our Helmsmadam Hannabel also also Hannabel."

Echo left further details to the Magos; understandably, he wasn't in the mood for much conversation.

Spoiler

Show

Seriously, a Good-condition MIU is awesome. Lots of bonuses that pretty much all of us could benefit from, but especially Anika and Hannabel.

The Terminus

Again he went quiet, but now the Navigator was thinking, with great interest. "What do you mean what what do you mean?" If Felidae accompanied them, he looked toward her for an explanation.

[Kaptin Keen]

Felidae looks pensive a moment, then replies:

Bit of a long story. I served on the Terminus before it became the wreck you see before you. Adjudant to the Admiral, recruited straight from the Imperial Guard due to .. mostly luck, I suppose. We were mostly doing sweep-up operations at the end of the Great Crusades, when we ran into an actual fleet of traitor marines. They gutted the ship, killed the Admiral. Life support was failing, atmosphere leaking, drives gone and powersupply dwindling, and there was a stasis pod. So .. presumably the oldest, meanest hag you ever met.

She smiles, hard and fierce - maybe trying to intimidate .. but quite possibly just still coming to terms with having been on a ten thousand year hiatus.

[rax]

"There, there, don't be so hard on yourself. I know hags aplenty that'd kill for skin tone like yours!" Hannabel notes with a wicked grin.

[Kaptin Keen]

.... but none meaner, or older, I'd wager.

[Blarghy]

Today was a good day for stunned silences. Echo and his entourage stared at Felidae in a new light: here was a rare living human from one of their empire's peaks, a walking memorial to the accomplishments of their species. She remembered a time when the Emperor Himself dispensed wisdom not by psychic whispers to a chosen elite, but in glorious speeches to the masses, bringing enlightenment and unity from the bridge of unequaled voidships. And Felidae herself, it seemed, had faced the devils of her age and survived. The times, events, heroes, and villains Kennoch knew of only through scraps of surviving lore--the Great Crusade, the Horus Heresy, pride and pain and glory and dishonor--she had witnessed firsthand.

How was he supposed to respond to that?

He walked slowly to the Navigator's well, rested against its outer shielding, and slid down the wall to sit. "...We must seem we must we must like hollow shadows hollow shadows of the galaxy you knew galaxy you knew. Children at play children amid the rubble rubble rubble rubble of giants giants. How do you bear it bear how how how?"

[PotatoGolem]

Macharius whistles. The best for last indeed, my friend! These are a princely find. I'll take the shirt- never know when I'm going to need some subtle protection, what? Maybe it'll come in handy if Quinn tries to knife me at the party, hoho!

That's fantastic news about the planet, as well. It seems like we've landed on a gold mine. And possibly a silver and iron and more, hoho! We'll have to start setting up operations. And the fauna and flora may be worthwhile as well. Quite the little treasure trove. Macharius grins broadly. What say we take a look down there in person? Breathe the air, tread the ground, take it all in firsthand.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

Kennoch's letter was answered, not long after he had sent it, by Remalia Brabazon. She expressed thanks for his letter, but declined a meeting in polite but firm terms. She never left the confines of her Navigator's tower, she explained, and would not be comfortable having another visit her space. She did, however, display interest in exchanging correspondance regarding warp routes or other professional items of interest. It seemed Remalia was something of a recluse, and hardly ever spoke to anyone.

Spoiler: Echo Only

Show

Aboard the Terminus, he opened his senses, reaching out for the warp. His eye skittered over the hull, turned away by the ancient runes of warding woven into the very fabric of the ship, but still he saw much. This ship was old. Age hung from every rivet, every coupling, like a thin cloak over a crone's shoulders. She had sailed the Galaxy before he was born, before his distant ancestors were born, and she had a long, long memory. Even without power, he could feel her thirst for exploration, the desire to ply the void once more, yet underneath... something else. Not necessarily a darkness, though he could feel the remains of one, recently excised. But perhaps the ship was a little too eager, a little too steeped in ancient knowledge. She had no eyes, yet if she did Kennoch was almost certain he would be able to find the steely glint of near madness deep within them.

He felt no malice, though. The ship wanted to be sailed, and wanted a competent Captain to sail her, like the old days. If he looked, carefully, he thought he could see ghosts of her past, standing to attention at their posts. One was a tall, bearded man in an ancient Admiral's uniform, standing next to the command throne. He seemed to see Echo, smiling and raising a hand in salute to the Navigator.

Macharius

"No doubt," Jonell laughed. "The compass suits me fine, so I'm happy to take it. As for operations, I completely agree. I've a small task to that effect, and I hope you'll take it up. I need to do the rounds of my own colonies before the party, but if we divide and conquer, there should be plenty of time for both."

As they left the room, heading for the shuttle bays once more, the ship pulled in to dock at the station. Outside, the Fury was distantly visible, slowly towing the Terminus in to dock as well. They were taking it slow and steady, being careful not to accidentally crash the larger ship into the Station. A handful of miniscule station tugs had deployed to assist, their engines flaring like tiny stars in the void. Jonell stopped for a moment to watch, then resumed walking. As they went, he briefed Macharius on the details of the task he had mentioned.

"We didn't know about the metals when I prepared for the colony, excepting the ones in the asteroids. I figured we'd exhaust the surface deposits first, and that would give us time to get a mining ship put together to start exploiting the asteroid belt. So I didn't bring more than basic mining equipment, enough to feed the manufactorums until the surface deposits ran out, but no more. Now that we know the extent of the wealth here, we need more equipment, and people to run it. Sooner the better. And I know a place we should be able to get some cheaply. Place called Viatrames. Heard of it?"

Planetside

Macharius' Aquila swept down over the planet, passing through the thin cloud layer and coming in over a broad mountain range. The land spread out beneath them, the tips of trees tinged yellow by the setting sun. It would be hours yet before it was truly dark, still lots of time for sightseeing. Two huge mountains loomed above the little cluster of buildings that marked the fledgling colony, a vast roiling storm suspended between the two peaks. The shapes of enormous birds could be seen swooping in and out of the storms, wings extended, riding the heavy winds for extra speed. A river tumbled down out of the mountains, passing near to the colony before continuing on its winding course out to the sea. Jonell had picked a good spot, near to a small forest for wood, and close enough to the mountains for mining, but dominated by wide, undulating plains that would be perfect for farming. Waste from the colony could be pumped downriver, and water from upriver treated and used for consumption and irrigation.

A herd of bright blue, scaly quadrupeds, some of which bore large silver-white antlers, roamed the plains nearby. They raised their heads at the passage of the Aquila, but seemed otherwise unconcerned by the intrusion of the colony. The lander set down on the edge of the colony, in an area that had been clearly marked as a temporary landing pad. Currently, the colony was a bunched-up group of prefab shelters, with the single exhaust stack of a modular manufactorum station rising above them like a finger pointing at the sky. Red-robed adepts of the machine god clustered around the sturdy structure, working on installing a series of exterior power relays. The other colonists hurried about on their own tasks, making the most of the available daylight. Getting things fully running would take a lot of work, and all of the colonists knew their work. It was somewhat fortunate, really, that Jonell was an old hand at this.

Macharius' colleague was in his element, here, striding out of the Aquila and breathing deep the air of the new colony. All of them noticed the increased gravity from shipboard standard, the sheer size of this new world pulling them down. Jonell paid it no mind, assuring them it'd be no major concern in the long run. "What would you like to see first?" He asked, gesturing broadly to the colony, the plains beyond, and perhaps the planet as a whole. "Lots to explore, and plenty the surveyors likely haven't got a look at yet, eh?"

[Blarghy]

Pen-Pals

From the comfort of his spire, Echo stripped down to his personal robes, sat at his desk with a little amasec, and prepared his response to Remalia.

I sympathize with your desire for privacy. Had I more personnel and the support of trusted family, I might do the same. As is, I manage as best I am able. Some of my crewmates are more understanding than others, but of course, none beyond our clans can truly comprehend the struggles, responsibilities, and consequences of our station in life. It is a comfort to have a new, sympathetic ear, I must say.

But enough of that. My thoughts turn toward the intersection of warp lanes near our captains' colony. Should Port Davis ever open herself to the public, this nexus will be of great use. I have only just visited this system for the first time, so my experience is surely inferior to yours, but I made notes of my voyage...

Spoiler

Show

Maybe if Kennoch and Remalia put their heads together in the background, they could figure out some of the best, simplest paths to Port Davis and indirectly increase future profits a bit. If not, then it can't hurt for our own safety, at least.

Navigation (Warp) (Int 51, +10, Talented [I assume Warp Guide doesn't apply here, but if it does, that's another +5]): (1d100)[2]

Dirtside

The voidborn didn't look too happy. This gravity wasn't pleasant--especially since Kennoch insisted on bringing one of his stasis-cages; the Rings had to work in pairs and took turns lugging it behind him. Who knew what those xeno-beasts might be thinking? And was that weather? Simply preposterous. How the ignorant land-dwellers tolerated it, they'd never know. A few of the more adventurous Rings unhooked their air hoses to sample straight oxygen, but they still kept their helmets attached, and for his part, Lord Castermire remained fully suited, with spare air canisters in the hands of his entourage in case this trip ran long.

He'd been quiet so far. The Terminus gave him much to think about. Occasionally, Echo would stare up into the atmosphere, searching for that ancient ship. In a way, his lingering thoughts crowded out the anxiety he'd usually feel at descending to a planet. It helped that this was (probably, hopefully) just a brief excursion. A holiday lark, even, and one that might have a prize at the end.

Those birds may be too large for my purposes, Kennoch thought as he looked toward the mountains. As are, I expect, the horned lizards. A shame; their coloration is quite appealing. Blue and silver, the colors of my house. Even if I cannot bend one to my will, perhaps I'll take it as a trophy to adorn my spire.

"What of those beasts, beasts beasts what Captain Jonell Jonell Jonell Jonell?" The Navigator pointed toward the quadrupeds they'd seen from the air. "Any clue clue as to their behavior to their behavior or nature nature? Perhaps they could they could they could be tamed tamed tamed tamed. Beasts of burden, burden mounts, or food mounts food food."

[Haval]

Anika follows Echo off the Aquila with more confidence then the Navigator seemed to have. To Echo, 'Just remember Lord Castermire, if there was anything wrong with the atmosphere down here we're not the first to have breathed it. I think we'll be fine.' She'll fish a pair of sunglasses out of her greatcoat. This was perhaps the most natural light she'd been exposed to since that planet with the Eldar ruins and it usually took her a while to get used to it.

She didn't know much about xenos wildlife but she had picked up some things. 'If they aren't carnivorous I think it's often true that there's something else around that might eat them instead. Perhaps it's those big birds?' The colonists were presumably already prepared for the possibility that something might try to eat the humans.

She'll answer Jonell, 'I admit I'm curious about whether the mapmakers left any other sign of their presence here, but I have little idea where to start and there's every chance the planet was only an outpost in the first place. We probably should go look at those larger animals on the other continent at some point, assuming we go prepared of course.'

[Leon]

Ravia having heard about a planet side trip will make sure to attend

++What genetic wonders those beasties might hold++
++Will have to see about cataloging all the native life on this planet++

[rax]

Hannabel stays safely under the wing of the Aquila, peering out suspiciously at the sky, the land, the mountains, the river, the animals...everything, in truth. "Yeah, place looks fantastic. Congratulations an' all, Lord Commanders. So, when are we going back up?"

[Leon]

++We shall have to build you a ark dome ~ a sample of all the planets wealth and fauna in nice enclosed space++

[rax]

"You'd do that for me? Aww, you're the BEST, Magos!" Hannabel squeals in delight.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

The response to his second letter arrived just before the party was set to depart for the planet. The preamble was short, agreeing with his assessment of the station of the Navis, and moving rapidly on to the meat of things. Remalia was quite excited to see the excellent notes he had taken, as she had already been working on charts of the surrounding warp lanes. The area was ripe for exploitation, Port Davis placed well to become a new hub of commerce in the Expanse. Perhaps not necessarily a new Footfall, but with good leadership it ought to be able to turn quite the profit as it expanded. Remalia had some doubts as to the value of selling charts to an expanding, barely formed colony, but suspected that disseminating charts could be part of an effective strategy when they decided to 'open to the public.'

Planetside

Jonell stopped the tour on a hilltop overlooking a herd of the blue-scaled creatures. "They've got quite the defence mechanism, actually. Quite discourages any but the largest predators, I should think. Watch." He pointed at two of the beasts, likely males given the horns, which were circling each other. They stamped their hooves, lowered their heads, and charged at each other. Sparks of electricity flew as they clashed, arcing between their antlers and scales, a corona of crackling energy surrounding the two combatants.

"Seems to happen to anything that hits them, or anything they hit with their horns. If they can be tamed, we'd need to come up with insulated saddles before they could be ridden. That said, one of the colonists shot one the other day. Taking them down at range seems to be safe, and I'm told they're quite tasty. They're herbivores, so at least we don't need to worry about them attacking us."

Turning away from the spectacle of the two beasts fighting, he glanced at Anika. "Unfortunately, the mapmakers seem not to have done much more than surface exploration here. The artifacts my team recovered were found on an ancient skeleton. I think it was probably a surveyor who got separated from the group and killed, by something or other."

++Will have to see about cataloging all the native life on this planet++

"It would take quite a while," Jonell responded, "but would be a worthy task. This space here is nothing compared to the diversity of life in the southern jungles."

[Blarghy]

Letters

Upon his return (assuming he does return) from the planet below, Kennoch again relaxed in private and read his newest correspondence. He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed talking to a fellow Navis; they were in short supply during his youth. With a shake of his head, he tried not to think about the past. These were--could be (would be)--better days.

I agree completely. We must use discretion for the moment and take care if we ever share our findings. Nonetheless, I am pleased at our strong start. Please inform me of future discoveries in these matters, and I will do the same.

Planetside

"Impressive, impressive impressive" Echo murmured as he watched the beasts do battle in their own thunderstorm. "However, such abilities such imply to me to me to me even more fierce predators more fierce predators. Have you documented have you any nearby nearby nearby? And how is the colony colony defended, may I ask may I defended?"

Aside from the good Lieutenant Colburn, the site appeared a bit vulnerable to Kennoch. This might be one of the planet's safer regions--so far--but he worried about complacency. Too many legends and rumors ended that way, with colonies lulled by easy days until a sudden, final transmission filled only with screams.

[PotatoGolem]

Fantastic display! Truly marvelous creatures. We should see about taming them. I'm sure there's many nobles that would be keen to own one.

Macharius claps Hannabel on the back. Chin up, Hannabel! Breathe in the fresh air! Feel the wind in your hair! This place is splendid. Let's have a walk around, see the sights. It's a whole, untamed world, here for us. Shall we take a look the colony first?

As they walk, he turns to Jonell. So, you mentioned a place called Viatrames. Tell me about it. I'm sure we can go investigate, once my stalwart crew has had a few days' rest.

[Haval]

Watching the creatures, 'You have to wonder what that charge might do to a person. As long as everyone knows to stay out of their way.' To Jonell, 'Then we'll have to see where the map takes us.'

And how is the colony colony defended, may I ask may I defended?"

'That is obviously a concern.' She wasn't sure if any part of the Expanse was perfectly safe and they were now partially responsible for these colonists. 'We could always leave one of the ships here until we can get some defence platforms set up.'

[rax]

Hannabel stares daggers at Macharius' back as he walks away. "Untamed is the problem, you...." she mutters.

"Hellooo? Armed space station up above, yer ladyship," she answers Anika, pointing her arm straight up. "This colony's so tiny, anyone wants a piece of it has to come through the station. But other than that, the best protection the people here'll get is keeping this place secret until we're ready to receive visitors."

[Haval]

"Hellooo? Armed space station up above, yer ladyship," she answers Anika, pointing her arm straight up. "This colony's so tiny, anyone wants a piece of it has to come through the station. But other than that, the best protection the people here'll get is keeping this place secret until we're ready to receive visitors."

'Perhaps it's more of a long term concern then, but I feel like you can never have enough massive orbital guns. Just in case they're ever needed.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"I'll give you an overview of the colony," Jonell said, "and we can talk as we go."

Walking down off the hill, he addressed Kennoch's questions first. "This continent doesn't seem to have any very large predators, from what we've seen. There are those birds, which could carry away a young animal, or something smaller. I think there's some large-ish omnivores in the forests and tundra up north, some pack hunters, and that's it for anything big enough to take one of the Blue Caernun - I named them, Macharius, hope you don't mind. Plenty left for you to name, eh? - which is why, I suspect, there are so many of them. None of those are like to bother us, which is one of the reasons the colony is here. The colonists are armed, rifles mostly, and are going to be building some walls over the coming months. Then all we'll have to worry about is claims jumpers like Quinn."

They reached the main streets of the colony, and Jonell spent some time pointing out what was an essential service - the temple, the Manufactorum, the generatorium, where they planned to sink wells, where the administration buildings would be built - there was a large space that would be left clear in front of the temple so they could build plazas and statues, a small ring street where most of the admin would go, and so on. Most of the colony buildings for now were prefabs that had been brought down from orbit, hab domes and the like, but that would change. The manufactorum had a section dedicated to producing building materials, but in the short term a lot of things would be built with wood from the forests.

"The station, as Miss Shanx has so ably noticed, will form the backbone of our orbital defenses and capabilities. I wouldn't say no to more, of course. We should have some time to build up before we open for business." As an aside to Macharius, he added "you might consider directing the station crew to start work on some upgrades, before you leave. We can direct the colony to provide some metal for expansions. I'd also suggest leaving the Talon. You can keep her away from anything Quinn has planned, and give her some time for repairs in the bargain."

That done, it was back to the colony tour, heading towards some of the land marked for crop fields. "We could use some extra machinery here, as well," Jonell said. "you might be able to find some on Viatrames. Speaking of, you'd asked for some details. It is, or rather was, an established colony on its way to becoming a manufacturing world. It's mostly desert, with one big city and a few smaller settlements. The main reason it's interesting is because it's packed full of metal and archeotech - part of the reason it was originally settled, I think. Maybe something crashed there, a long time ago. Who knows? Anyways, there's some bureaucratic limbo regarding who has claim to the place, it's a backwater anyways, and nobody's stepped in to take it over in ages, so the people have been left to their own devices. They've got a lot of equipment, and a lot of people with nowhere else to go, all of whom have a little bit of technical acumen. It's a good place to pick up cheap equipment, if you don't mind the condition too much."

[Kaptin Keen]

Felidae looks pensive for a moment before speaking:

Hm. You know, we should convince some ecclesiarchy big-wig to appoint us peace keepers on this Viatrames place. Use that as a stepping stone to give us legitimacy for taking over the planet. You know ... for the good of the Empire.

The ecclesiarchy are about the only ones with the pull to move the administratum. Of course, the ecclesiarchy might not be swayed by just our humane concerns for the colonists - can we find some saint or other who visited in the past? Propose to dedicate it to his glory, once peace reigns once more.

[Blarghy]

"Archeotech archeotech archeotech?" Kennoch repeated, his interest pulled away from the colony and back to Jonell. He listened to Felidae's plan; since the Terminus, he wasn't sure how to feel about or address her, other than with respect. "A clever tactic clever tactic," the Navigator nodded his bulky helmet. "I am certain I am the Ecclesiarchy Ecclesiarchy disdains the present state of events disdains. A colony unguarded and unguided unguarded unguided colony. But also, perhaps the Mechanicus the Mechanicus perhaps would assist us would assist. Recovery of ancient technology must continue ancient ancient technology. And those poor Tech-Priests poor poor poor. It is not right not right to abandon them abandon."

And this ignored an even greater asset that Echo wasn't aware of: Macharius had an Inquisitor, if not on his side, then at least within theoretical reach.

[rax]

"I don't know why we need to involve the Ecclesiarchy? If there's archaeotech and a Mechanicus presence, then maybe they'd like to be the ones running the place. We cut a deal with them, and we can probably get access to whatever we need from the planet without having to put down any of our own people there."

Interjecting into Jonell's conversation with Macharius, Hannabel says: "The Talon is pretty banged up, Lord Commander. She's still got more holes than a Scintillan blight cheese in 'er. If we want to put her in the line of fire again, she's going to need some serious repairs. But the same's true for the Fury. Before we go anywhere, we should work on getting her properly repaired as well."

[Kaptin Keen]

I have little knowledge of the weight of the Macharius name - but somehow I doubt it is enough to swing either the Administratum or the Ecclesiarchy. But I figure if we give the priesthood something they want, we might succesfully get them to ... suggest to the Administratum an equitable solution. As in: Offer the Ecclesiarchy to bankroll and equip a peace keeping mission, with the express intention to dedicate the world to .. Saint Cognatius for instance.

And rather than say 'and in return, we'd like the claim to the planet' - a better wording would be 'and House Macharius would like to offer to maintain the peace and sanctity of this place in perpetuum.

We could even make some sort of claim that we suspected his tomb was there, on Viatrame. She ponders Macharius' personality very briefly - then adds: Not that I would suggest lying to the ecclesiarchy. But it seems a decent enough theory, right? Someone crashed there, with tech from when the Imperium was young. And propably someone important, too.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I have no idea whether Felidae would know of Cognatius - but it feels like they may have been alive at the same time, back in the day.

[Haval]

'I'm honestly surprised that no one has tried to dig up or claim to have dug up a Urussalin heir and used them to take over the planet. There are usually distant branches of the family lying around somewhere even if they're not aware of their ancestry. But I suppose lying to the Administratum about paperwork is probably dangerous.'

'Politics aside I wonder what the different Viatrames factions would have to say about some off worlders coming in. If we're going there we should probably find out if they want anything in particular. Beside the option of leaving the planet. It doesn't seem like the type of place you'd want to stay on if you had any choice.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"Power cells, lasweapons, food, and vulcanized rubber," Jonell said. "I've traded with them before. They've got some sort of bizarre, merit-based system of government, or something, so whichever clan is in power at the time may want more specific things, but those four things will always be useful to pretty much all of them."

If he knew anything about why nobody had stepped forwards to claim the title of Urussalin heir, he didn't offer the information.

[rax]

"That sort of stuff can be sourced anywhere," Hannabel notes in some surprise. "If there's a planet full of archeotech with no bigwig claiming it and a bunch o' folk who just want basic stuff to give some of it up, how come every two-bit chartist from here to Malfi isn't already running a regular route to Viatrames?"

[Haval]

"That sort of stuff can be sourced anywhere," Hannabel notes in some surprise. "If there's a planet full of archeotech with no bigwig claiming it and a bunch o' folk who just want basic stuff to give some of it up, how come every two-bit chartist from here to Malfi isn't already running a regular route to Viatrames?"

Anika speculates, 'I suppose it's a long way out to the Heathen Stars. Maybe that's a problem for some people. Otherwise if the planet is that starved for resources what are the chances that some of the people living there have gone a bit feral and might take issue with visitors. Not that that's a reason to avoid it.'

'Anyway, food and cheap guns should be fairly easy to pick up. We can stop off somewhere on the way.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"That, on top of there being no proper spaceport, and all the easily accessible caches long plundered." Jonell shrugged. "Rest of it's buried somewhere under thousands of kilometers of shifting dunes."

[Leon]

++The less the "church" has to do with anything is better for everyone involved++