Sea of Stars - IC

[Destro_Yersul]

While pinpointing the frozen Yu'Vath had taken days, digging them out took much, much longer. Even accounting for the help of the Fllurlokr. Using the contents of the Ark, they were able to produce a doctored version of the old records and legends, inserting Macharius as the prophesied saviour. The one who would bring an end to the Yu'Vath, and lead the Fllurlokr into a new age of prosperity... which was to say, a new age of producing high-quality artwork for Macharius to sell. They disseminated this as widely as they could, and with the Fllurlokr thus much more amenable to helping, instead of attacking on sight, they began excavating.

It took months. Months of quarrying heavy blocks of ice out of the surface of the world, stacking them up in walls to guard against the wind. Anika and Ravia were able to tune the weather machine to be a little less unforgiving, but couldn't go too far without melting the world. Supplies started to stretch thin after a time, and the air aboard the ships slowly gained more and more of a stale tang. Macharius was obliged to offer rotating shore leave on the planet, in order to keep morale up. This kept the crew occupied, but it carried with it other risks. Two months into the work, several crew fell ill after the digging opened a cavity in the ice. They returned to the Sting, reporting feeling unwell, and in the process infected others. Disease swept through the lower ranks. Ravia was able to contain it, but not before there had been numerous deaths.

Finally, site Alpha reported reaching something strange. They had found the first of the buried Yu'Vath, an immense shape locked solid in the ice. Its form rippled with energy, waves lapping against shards of crystal. It was huge, the size of a hive spire, and it was easy to see how the Fllurlokr had been unable to fight back. They would have needed far more than man-portable weaponry to make a dent. Fortunately, the Imperium provided. The digsite cleared, and the Manticore's Sting opened fire. Blinding beams of energy descended from the heavens, burning through the thin layer of ice remaining and shattering the sleeping horror beneath. Ice flashed into vapour from the heat of the laser fire, searing light bringing day to the dark side of the world. The bombardment continued for hours, until the Yu'Vath had been reduced to fragments, its warp-tainted form dead and cold. Pytho verified that whatever remained could no longer cause trouble of any sort, and the ship shifted in her orbit, heading towards the next site.

All the while the command staff stayed busy. Ravia worked on processing the data from the sensor net, then on a number of projects aboard the Talon. Anika and Hannabel found time for studying Fllurlokr language and culture, playing their music and adding to the Librarium vaults. Macharius oversaw the collection of artifacts. It took many days to completely empty the Ark Cave of everything portable, and more to visit the frozen cities, taking teams of Marines armed with flamers and digging tools to excavate more buildings in search of artwork and weaponry. Felidae handled the military side of things, and had plenty of time for sparring with the Praetorians. Almagor came out on top in their first shooting competition, to Murphy's great dismay - he had bet on Felidae to win, having witnessed her skill with a storm bolter, and had to content himself with the money he made selling tickets to the competitions.

At last, the final buried Yu'Vath was unearthed, woken from beneath the ice and destroyed under a hail of laser fire and macrobattery shells. Anika activated the weather machine, and the storms stopped, the planet beginning the process of thawing. This took another few days, during which Ravia re-created many of the once extinct species originally found on the planet. The Ark Cave was sealed, the sacred mountain now well-established as the domain of the Imperial Lords, of which Macharius was considered the foremost. None of the Fllurlokr dared approach it. The Sting and the Talon slipped anchor, their holds laden with xenos treasure, and turned their prows to the stars.

[Haval]

Are we, though?

Anika frankly holds similar views. Having seen the Fllurlokr's past up close it was hard not to be sympathetic. But the benign rule of a Rogue Trader was better then many of the alternatives. 'Compared to the Yu'vath? Absolutely. Absentee lordship is not the same as what the Yu'vath did to their slave races. But that is a low bar and we should try to be better then that.

Once I work how how to talk to them properly perhaps I can look into seeing what they want out of the arrangement.' Perhaps she could get some use out of her job for a change.

Later

The Fllurlokr weren't a threat. Perhaps they were in the most unhinged dreams of the Ecclesiarchy that saw all Xenos as a threat to mankind's manifest destiny, but she had never had any reason to care about sermons. Older races like the Yu'vath were another matter. Given that she has been unknowingly haunted by the idea of them for a while now she is not entirely willing to take Pytho's word for it that they are safely dead. Perhaps it would be better to study such things, but they are hardly equipped for that at the moment. With Ravia's help if necessary, she will retrofit a camera to a servo skull and send it down to get a closer look at the Yu'vath wrecks once any fires from the bombardment cleared.

[Destro_Yersul]

+++Episode 3+++

The day began with a standoff.

The two Absalom ships, Talon and Manticore's Sting, dropped from warp into an unremarkable stretch of space. A solitary naval beacon floated nearby, the only thing marking this as a waypoint on one of Battlefleet Koronus' patrol routes. Two Sword Frigates, also navy, were currently in residence, and rapidly swung around to face the arrivals. The Sting's sensors reached out, reading arming weaponry. Machine spirits across the ship started the warmup process of the old reaver's own guns, two Navy Swords an undeniable threat from the ship's past life. While the frigates might well have been an even match, or even a slight edge, on the ships of Macharius Absalom, the Sting was prepared to go down fighting if needed.

They had known that the frigates would be here, of course. The nearest one was Formative Divine, the ship for which they'd been given contact codes by one of Macharius' old admiralty friends. Beckenmatt believed there was a member of the Holy Ordos on board, and given what had been uncovered on the ice world Mrlanglulua it seemed prudent to check in, but that wasn't the main reason they were here. Data from sensor networks deployed on the frozen planet was stored in their cogitator banks, and the techpriests on both ships felt the Mechanicus would want it badly enough to pay for it. The Navy was likely to be apprised of any Mechanicus presence in the region, and a visit with them here would kill two birds with one stone.

Provided, of course, that they got through the meeting without armed conflict. They'd forewarned the Divine of their arrival, but their ships weren't exactly drawn from the noblest of stock. With what looked like two pirate vessels suddenly appearing on sensors, a trigger-happy captain might elect to shoot first and ask questions later. On the bridge of the Sting, the communications officer glanced over his shoulder at Macharius' command throne.

"Sir, they're hailing us."

The voice that came on over the vox was imperious and lightly accented, almost stereotypical of a highborn Navy officer. "Unknown vessels, identify and stand down. We have you under our guns, and further action will be taken as a sign of hostility."

[PotatoGolem]

Macharius responds with similar hauteur. The Formative Divine, I presume? This is Lord-Captain Macharius Absalom, holder of the Absalom Warrant of Trade, System Admiral of the Janathor System, and Governor of Port Davis by His glorious Name. The Inquisitor is expecting us. Transmit shuttle docking coordinates posthaste.

[Destro_Yersul]

The response that came back was a little less openly hostile, but no less firm. "Ah, the Rogue Trader we've been told to expect. You'll have no difficulty, then, in powering down your weapons in preparation to come alongside. I will organise a greeting party at once. How many are you bringing over?"

[Haval]

Since Mrlanglulua Anika has mostly been inside her quarters doing what she can to learn the language of the Fllurlokr. The work is strenuous enough to keep her mind off what she saw on the planet, and alcohol is otherwise enough to help her sleep. The Bone Conqueror has given her some new nightmares.

Out of a resolution to be more prepared in the future, she will try and pick up some supplies in wherever they stop. She will make a point of handing Felidae a small black card and an ID code that entitled her to draw on the funds from Macharius and herself. As a member of the command crew on a Rogue Trader vessel the credit limit was quite high.

Now

Anika will roll her eyes a little at the Navy's reaction even if she could guess where it came from. 'Divine, please be advised that these ships are under new management. On the honour of my grandfather Lord General Konrad Vanhal I swear to you that we have no quarrel with the Navy.' If she died she'd prefer it wouldn't be from some misunderstanding.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Attempting a Charm vs. Fel 47 (+10 Peer Military) (+10 if Etiquette works here)
(1d100)[55]

[PotatoGolem]

None whatsoever. I shall be bringing my command staff and a few good men. No more than ten of us. I appreciate your cooperation, Captain.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Charm Test: (1d100)[24] vs 112 (92 +10 Peer (military) +10 Renowned Warrant)

[Leon]

Then

The time spent in transit was largely spent pouring over the data logs from both the planet and the ship and tinkering with the DNA samples of the native life from the Xenos planet and the recovered Xenoform. It was laying the groundwork for future updates and upgrades. The close encounter with the Construct and subsequent destruction of the sleeping specimens had piqued her interest but even the desire for a closer connection with the Empyrean the thought of using such corrupt artifacts at this juncture was out o the question. Something more stable would have to be found first.


Now
++Emergency Shutdown of Main Armament systems, shunting excess power to shields++

Spoiler

Show

Tech use TN 83 (d100)[53]

++Output Stabalized and all systems nominal, shield reading maximum charge for the next 6 hours++

[Destro_Yersul]

Ravia's quick work shunting the excess power to shields, and her expertise at placating the machine spirits, did the trick. The ship did not want to power down weapons, not in the face of the Navy, but Ravia was able to cajole it into doing so without much delay. The good names of Macharius' warrant and Anika's ancestor helped allay any further concern. The Sting drew up alongside the Divine, while the other two ships took up escort and guard positions. Thus prepared, Macharius' command staff boarded their newly serviced Aquila and lifted off from the deck.

The flight to the Divine was short. From the interior compartment of the Aquila there wasn't much to see, but those who elected to go up front saw that the Sword frigate had some recent minor battle damage that was yet to be repaired, burns and scoring in the many armoured plates of its hull. It wasn't surprising, for an active duty patrol ship. This part of space was dangerous, and the Navy overstretched. There was no doubt, though, that the ship was in fighting shape. The barrels of her macrocannons glinted with reflected starlight, her hull alive with thousands of lights.

The Aquila touched down in an aft shuttle bay, near the Divine's command spires. They were greeted, upon exit, by a platoon of Navy marines with arms presented, and by a small group of officers. A woman in the uniform of a Navy Commander stepped forwards, the two lieutenants behind her. Behind them, and towering over them, was a bearded giant of a man in black lacquered power armour. The armour was chased in gold, and decorated with elaborate scrollwork. The sculpted muscle of its chest was near buried beneath encrustations of purity seals, and amulets in the shape of gilded skulls dangled on chains from the gorget. The man clinked and rustled whenever he shifted his weight. A shield bearing a coat of arms was mounted on his left shoulderpad, and a psycannon on a pivot was fastened to the right. Cables ran from the psycannon into the armour, vanishing through plugs in the ceramite. One massive gauntlet held a shield constructed in the shape of an aquila, the twin heads of the eagle sitting atop the shield, while its wings tapered down to form the main body. The other gauntlet hovered near the handle of a thunder hammer, the weapon clipped to the man's armoured belt. Next to the giant stood a small-ish man in plain black robes, his bald head bearing the metal plates and plugs of expensive cerebral implants. He was holding a dataslate in one hand, and a stylus in the other, and was armed with a small automatic in a worn leather holster.

"The Navy extends its greetings, Captain Absalom." The woman said. "I'm commander Tam, first officer of the Formative Divine. You'll forgive the initial hostility. We've been seeing a big increase in pirate activity in this region, and everyone's a little on edge. Inquisitor Mathius says he's quite interested to hear what you have to say, but I hope it won't take too long. We're supposed to be patrolling, and it'll take extra time to respond if we need to get you clear of the ship first."

[PotatoGolem]

A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Commander. We shall not impose overlong on your hospitality. Proper etiquette demanded, of course, that Macharius respond to the commander first. However, etiquette also demanded that he then address himself to the only person in the room he could reasonably consider his superior: the Inquisitor. With a formal bow, he greets the two men.

My Lord Inquisitor. Captain Macharius, of House and Warrant Absalom, at your service. We encountered strange and terrible xenos, including some that mankind thought long dead, and sought to bring this information to the Holy Ordos at once. Whatever knowledge and data we have collected is yours, of course, and I have brought my command crew to answer any questions you have.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Charm to try to make a good first impression. I assume that an Inquisitor counts as a believer in the Imperial Creed, but I don't know if they understand the importance of a particularly hallowed warrant (Renowned Warrant) count as nobles or military (Peer)

(1d100)[100] vs 112-132 depending on what counts.

[Haval]

Anika will follow Macharius' bow on the basis that it was always better to play along with such things until everyone was relaxed. She will try and avoid going into too much detail about recent events. 'If the Yu'vath were out here in the Expanse the whole time it is possible that there are more survivors still around. Even if they aren't an immediate threat I would prefer that the Ordo Xenos were informed.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"Hah!" The giant man laughed. "Just plain Inquisitor, thank you. No sense running about in the Expanse if you're gunning for promotion, eh?" He had a voice to match his stature, a booming basso that echoed in the shuttle bay.

"So it's Yu'Vath, is it? Real proper live ones? We were supposed to have done for them a long time ago, but you still get remnants cropping up here and there. What did they look like?" He looked around at the honour guard for a moment before apparently reconsidering. "Ah, perhaps not here. Follow me. Commander, you come too. If there's something that might drag your ship into a fight, I'd not exclude the ranking officer present."

The room he led them to was a small but well-appointed stateroom, of the sort maintained on vessels for visiting dignitaries. It wasn't quite up to Rogue Trader standards of opulence, but it was nice enough for the Navy. "I do have a few questions. It's rare enough to find anyone willing to bring information like this to the Ordos.But we'll start with what they looked like, and anything you can remember about the technology you encountered. Was there anything else, or just the Yu'Vath?"

[PotatoGolem]

Of course, Inquisitor. We did find unusual technology, although some was possibly Yu'vath and some from the other Xenos we found.

He lays out the whole of what they discovered, in as much detail as the Inquisitor asks. For the first time that his crew have seen, Macharius is entirely deferential to someone else. While he's still quite an entertaining storyteller, he's telling his tale to convey information for once, rather than for show and braggadocio.

My crew may also have valuable information- the Magos was able to study their technology better than a layman, of course, while Lady Vanhal and Mistress Shanx made study of the fishmen and their culture.

[Leon]

++The Technology was heavily reliant on a form of coral that was adaptive and accepted crystals as a storage/playback medium++
++With some effort we managed to access the records that we found and uncovered the events of a civil war that had transpired between the original species and the ones that fell to corruption++ ++Contact was with a regressed and therefore feral form of the creatures++

Ravia will have Skull play back the related recordings of the key points

++Genetic Code for myriad lifeforms ##non sentient## to submit to Biologist Data banks for comparison and archival study, one preserved original specimen obtained and cataloged pending Ordos interests otherwise would submit to Biologist study++

++The Yu'vath were located with Astropathic pinpointing under ice and orbitaly bombarded, little remained that was of note to look at++

Refer to footage of large smoking craters cross referenced with the shattered remains of the bone constructs

++These are amalgamations of bone in a mobile warp animated form that were encounter and destroyed++

[Kaptin Keen]

Feeling like it's becoming increasingly unclear why she's there, Felidae has a need to pitch in, but little to actually contribute:

I mostly just shoot things.

Although .. from a tactical perspective, it seems clear the massed charges the fish guys resort to today is markedly different from the planned assaults, guerilla tactics and special forces deep strikes their ancestors managed to pull off, succesfully. Outnumbered and outgunned, they defeated an enemy the Imperium struggled against, isolated a weakness we didn't know of, exploited it, and won. Sort of - at the cost of themselves.

Vile xenos though they might be, but I will acknowledge bravery and determination when I see it. It would be easy to destroy them utterly now - only scattered groups remain. But I feel that's the very least profitable outcome - putting humans to work on a water world where the fish guys would thrive.

Oh, also ... the navy wouldn't happen to have a spare, man-portable twin-linked autocannon lying around?

No? Um. Ok. Just asking.

I'll just stick with my stormbolter then, shall I? Ok. Never mind.

Felidae looks uncharacteristically sheepish under the assembled hard glares of the command crews of both groups.

[Destro_Yersul]

Throughout Macharius' tale, Mathius sits and listens quietly, bearded chin rested on one of his massive gauntlets. The scribe also listens, but he does it while rapidly tapping notes into his dataslate.

"It sounds like you ran into some of their void constructs, certainly. It's never been clear whether those were the Yu'Vath themselves, or just an extension of their will. Still, you did well in destroying them. I recall an incident where a Rogue Trader kept one of the things, heavily damaged, in an attempt to profit off it later." He paused, with a pointed look at Macharius. "It ended poorly. Are you sure you got all of them?"

++Genetic Code for myriad lifeforms ##non sentient## to submit to Biologist Data banks for comparison and archival study, one preserved original specimen obtained and cataloged pending Ordos interests otherwise would submit to Biologist study++

"I think the Biologis would be a good idea. They'll have more use for genetics on a variety of alien plants, and the equipment and drive to deal with larger specimens as well. I don't have those aboard this ship, nor would I want to spook the men. Where do you plan to take them? I can have someone assigned there to monitor the research."

Vile xenos though they might be, but I will acknowledge bravery and determination when I see it. It would be easy to destroy them utterly now - only scattered groups remain. But I feel that's the very least profitable outcome - putting humans to work on a water world where the fish guys would thrive.

"An interesting viewpoint." The Inquisitor leaned back, his chair creaking under the weight of his power armour. "Not one commonly held, that Xenos can be useful. Kohl, remind me of the details on the Absalom Warrant of Trade."

The scribe stopped tapping keys and cleared his throat. "The warrant is an old one, granted during the age of Apostasy. It's an Administratum warrant, so it was probably granted near the end of the age, after Vandire's defeat and the appointment of a new High Lord of the Administratum, since otherwise it would have been signed by either Vandire himself or one of his lackeys, and most such warrants have been revoked. It mandates trade, setting up lines of transfer for all manner of goods, including those of Xenos manufacture deemed of benefit or value to the Imperium. The Absalom fleet participated in the Angevin Crusade, and the warrant holder of the time was present for the founding of the Calixis sector. They were a powerful and well-known house, once, though always very pious. Many of their ships featured quite elaborate temple complexes. Their fortunes waned over the last several centuries. Macharius here no doubt wishes to rebuild past glories, which leads me to speculate on why, exactly, he brought this matter to Ordo attention."

"Thank you, Kohl. An interesting lot, eh? Pious, legally allowed to trade in Xenos artifacts, and apparently disposed towards working with the Holy Ordos. Do you have plans to establish any sort of permanent or long-term exploitation of the fish people, Macharius? It sounds as though you unearthed quite the wealth of artifacts and information."

[Haval]

It's rare enough to find anyone willing to bring information like this to the Ordos."

Anika shrugs a little at that, 'Someone with authority needed to be told. In case there's any chance they're still a threat. I expect I'd never be allowed to publish on all this.' She is somewhat reassured by the man's attitude. The idea of awakening xenos horrors was familiar to him. 'When you say Yu'vath 'remnants', how worried should we be? After all, there's nothing in the officially sanctioned histories to tell us how far out their territory went.'

'As for motives. I can only speak for myself here. I am far from pious, but I can certainly agree that there are things out there that are too dangerous to let live. Who is better placed to deal with them then the Ordos?'

After Macharius' tale she'll make sure to pass on any information on the Yu'vath that they'd gained from the Fllurlokr crystals.

[PotatoGolem]

Macharius glares at Felidae, then Anika. He sighs and looks back at the Inquisitor. I apologize for my crew, Inquisitor. It was our holy duty to inform the Ordos. Hiding this might enrich us, but in the words of Saint Sepulvan, what does it profit a man to gain a world and damn his soul? The Yu'vath are anathema to the Emperor, and hiding their presence would be heretical. I am well aware that I hold my position by the grace of Him on Terra. I could not contravene His will.

As to the fishmen, I thought to exploit them for their crafts and the world's mineral resources, per the terms of my Warrant. Give them a chance to attempt to atone for their blasphemous mockery of the holy human form and their sin of living as Xenos. Of course, we will prevent them from advancing technologically to prevent them from being a threat to humanity. Should they rebel against us, we should be able to cycle their planet from frozen to water repeatedly to kill them off. If not, we can always poison their seas, although that prevents us from selling the water to hive worlds, so it's a plan B.

[Kaptin Keen]

If everyone here insists the Imperium must be some cyclopean horror, I won't object - but I'd like to point out that even the Yu'Vath left the fishguys their technology and their culture.

Are we really so hell bent on being worse overlords than they? Is the Imperium so weak we need to fear a single planet with a few thousand fishguys who are currently, technologically, in the stone ages?

I'm sorry, it just feels like we weren't such wuzzes when I was younger. Which, for those uninformed, was a while ago.

[PotatoGolem]

That is quite enough! Macharius snaps. I will not tolerate heresy among my crew. I begin to be concerned that the Xenos have infected your mind. Or worse, that you harbor xenophile tendencies.

Although, you do remind me that there is more that we should tell the Inquisitor. Before we dealt with the fishmen, we recovered a hulk with an interesting past...


He tells the Inquisitor about the Terminus Omni, the visions, and the frozen crew.

Should the Ordos wish to examine any of the artifacts recovered or interrogate any of the crew, I shall of course provide them to you, Inquisitor.

[Destro_Yersul]

'When you say Yu'vath 'remnants', how worried should we be? After all, there's nothing in the officially sanctioned histories to tell us how far out their territory went.'

"Not that worried. There's no evidence to suggest any sort of determined resistance, it's mostly scattered orphan constructs. Things they left behind when we wiped their empire from the galaxy. As you say, there are things too dangerous to live."

If everyone here insists the Imperium must be some cyclopean horror, I won't object - but I'd like to point out that even the Yu'Vath left the fishguys their technology and their culture.

I'm sorry, it just feels like we weren't such wuzzes when I was younger. Which, for those uninformed, was a while ago.

"To be fair," Mathias said, "that's likely because they never fully converted them to a client race. Have any of you ever encountered the Byavoor? They're barely sentient. The Yu'Vath used them as ritual fodder, and probably limited their capacity for thought. Steering their technological development is probably wise, but I see no reason to keep it entirely stagnant. Aim for creature comforts. No good artwork has ever come out of a civilization focused entirely on basic survival."

His scribe, meanwhile, peered at Felidae through narrowed eyes. "You don't look that old. No signs of juvenat treatments. When, exactly, were you young?"

He tells the Inquisitor about the Terminus Omni, the visions, and the frozen crew.

Should the Ordos wish to examine any of the artifacts recovered or interrogate any of the crew, I shall of course provide them to you, Inquisitor.

"That explains a great deal." Kohl said. He sounded just as he had previously, but Macharius could tell he was fighting very hard to contain his excitement. "Who else have you told of this find? Not many, I would imagine. The information alone... By the Emperor..." He lapsed into silence, which Mathias filled.

"You've given me a lot to think about, Macharius. I have a few requests, and a suggestion. The suggestion is thus; whoever else you may have told about the Terminus, tell nobody further. Come up with a cover story, explain the ship some other way. You can hardly hide that you have it forever, but by the time people know you have it, you'd best have found an alternate explanation for how. Some of my colleagues would be less... shall we say, receptive to your keeping the ship and her remaining crew."

He stood up, clapping his gauntleted hands together. "The commander is starting to glance impatiently at the wall-chrono over there. I think we'd best start wrapping up. My requests, then. First, I'd like to establish a small outpost on that world you found. We can monitor for any activity from the Yu'Vath fragments, and keep an eye on outgoing artifacts. Xenos art and minerals are fine, but Inquisitorial oversight would let me rest easier. Second, I want copies of everything. All the data, especially anything recovered from the Terminus. Have what you've got now delivered to Kohl, and I'll establish a secure channel for anything you don't presently have on hand. Last, I want interviews with every crew member you have who was thawed out, as soon as possible."

At this, the commander made a sort of strangled coughing sound, and both Mathias and Kohl frowned at her.

"I was getting to that," Mathias said. He held up a hand to forestall any further comments from the navy officer, and turned back to Macharius. "To that end, I'd like for you to accompany the Formative Divine on patrol for as long as it takes me to finish those interviews. That way we can all stop sitting here, worrying our friend the commander about schedules, and get moving. There may be other things you want to do, but talking to those men is vitally important. Any one of them may remember details, little things about the Imperium of old, that have been lost for millenia. I do hope you'll indulge me in this."

It was perhaps telling of the impression they'd made that the Inquisitor was asking. It was well within his power to simply demand these things, and everyone there knew it.

[Kaptin Keen]

Felidae manages to look both crestfallen at Macharius' reprimand, and secretly-yet-visibly vindicated at the Inquisitors kinda-sorta partial agreement.

To the scribe she replies simply .. Um - around 31 .. as if that explained anything, but she's worried about the whole 'remaining crew' thing. Occasionally, it really is wiser to keep quiet.

[PotatoGolem]

Of course, Inquisitor. It would be an honor. And all the thawed crewmembers will be made available immediately. Do you wish to interview them aboard the Sting, or to have them brought here?

[Destro_Yersul]

"We'll come aboard your ship. Less shuttling back and forth that way, less chance someone will notice something and talk. Commander, have a crew ready the guncutter."

Mathias looked between those assembled, while the commander went to obey his order. "Now, if there's nothing else?"

[Leon]

++I would want it sent to the Lathes but will settle for the Forge Precinct on Port Wander as a much closer alternative++

[Haval]

"Not that worried. There's no evidence to suggest any sort of determined resistance, it's mostly scattered orphan constructs. Things they left behind when we wiped their empire from the galaxy. As you say, there are things too dangerous to live."

'That's reassuring, although I'm honestly interested in how much more the Ordo knows that the rest of us aren't privy to. I'd always prefer to know what I might be getting into if possible.'

I'm sorry, it just feels like we weren't such wuzzes when I was younger. Which, for those uninformed, was a while ago.

Anika will look slightly panicked at that but will try to cover it with a cough. Maybe don't mention certain things in front of the Inquisitor. In the context of mentioning the crew of the Terminus Omni it wouldn't be that hard to join the dots.

While not looking at Felidae she'll ask Mathias, 'May I ask what the Inquisition's policy on the warp delayed usually is? Just in case we're likely to upset anyone by employing the Omni's crew' Since we're being open. 'And if there are interviews to be conducted with them I'd like to sit in if you have no objection.'

On the pirates, 'Commander, do you have any information on the pirates that you're looking for? Ship classes and so forth. There's always a chance I've heard something useful.'

[rax]

Having remained uncharacteristically quiet the whole time, Hannabel suddenly pipes up. "We going pirate hunting, Lord Commander? Shouldn't we be heading somewhere we can sell off the stuff we recovered from the Fllurlokr first? With all due respect to the Lord Inquisitor, I don't see why he can't interview the sleepers while we transit. I mean, the Sting could easily get him wherever he needs to be when he's done."

[Destro_Yersul]

'May I ask what the Inquisition's policy on the warp delayed usually is? Just in case we're likely to upset anyone by employing the Omni's crew' Since we're being open. 'And if there are interviews to be conducted with them I'd like to sit in if you have no objection.'

On the pirates, 'Commander, do you have any information on the pirates that you're looking for? Ship classes and so forth. There's always a chance I've heard something useful.'

"The Ordo Chronos takes a dim view on the deliberate manipulation of time. They'd probably also want to lock everyone away for study, due to the significant length of the delay," Kohl said, while Mathias considered Anika's request. After a moment, the larger man spoke as well.

"I can't think of any reason you shouldn't sit in, given you've already spoken to them about this. If I need to ask anything especially sensitive, though, you would have to leave the room."

The Commander finished up issuing orders over the vox, and glanced up at Anika. "Our intel suggests it's mostly smaller ships. If you know anything specific we'd welcome it, but I understand you might need a proper look at the enemy for that. There are a lot of pirates out here."

Having remained uncharacteristically quiet the whole time, Hannabel suddenly pipes up. "We going pirate hunting, Lord Commander? Shouldn't we be heading somewhere we can sell off the stuff we recovered from the Fllurlokr first? With all due respect to the Lord Inquisitor, I don't see why he can't interview the sleepers while we transit. I mean, the Sting could easily get him wherever he needs to be when he's done."

"If you're concerned about immediate money for the recovered artifacts, I can always arrange for the Ordo Xenos to take the lot." Mathias said. "I've got significant credit available. The issue with me going somewhere else on the Sting is that 'where I need to be' happens to be pirate hunting, as you put it. I can't discuss why." He was looking at Kohl as he said this, and the scribe nodded.

"The requirements of the Inquisition need not concern you at this time. It is enough to say we're not simply using the Navy to get from point A to point B. Were you to take us elsewhere, we would need to return to this patrol route afterwards."

[PotatoGolem]

That will work wonderfully, Inquisitor. We'd be very glad to sell them to the Ordos.

Hanabelle, it is our duty to aid the Inquisition as needed. We can meet with the Mechanicus after. As Saint Lorenan says, the greatest profit of all is in the service of the God-Emperor.

[rax]

"The saints say lots of things, Lord Commander," Hannabel replies with a shrug. "The Emperor can have my soul when I'm dead, but while I'm alive I'll count my profits in Thrones if you please."