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Post by Darko on Mar 12, 2014 15:19:03 GMT
"Thus do we invoke the Machine God. Thus do we make whole that which was sundered." He recited the Hymn of Reforging, his hands deftly reassembling the boltgun on the work station before him. It had been damaged in battle and required maintenance, which he had provided with the utmost reverence and care.
His name was Idaeus Xanatov - Tech Priest & Explorator. His duty was to travel the stars in furtherance of the Quest for Knowledge in the name of the Omnissiah, Machine-God of the Cult Mechanicus. It was a task he relished, vigorously and tenaciously traversing the void in search of archeotech.
Currently, he was aboard the vessel of a Rogue Trader by the name of Lady-Captain Elane Petrova von Goshawk. He paused, frowning slightly as he considered Lady Petrova. Although he had been aboard her ship for some time, he had yet to really get to know this woman. She seemed content to leave him be provided he lived up to expectation.
The ship itself was a beautiful relic from the dawn of the Imperium. It was a conquest-class Star Galleon, a hybrid between full-sized cruiser and merchant vessel. While it couldn't quite compete with navy cruisers, it was not a warship but rather an obscenely powerful transport ship. They were gifted to the original Rogue Traders by the Emperor himself and to see one fully-functional after ten millennia was a great honour and pleasure for Idaeus.
Despite possessing a keen sense of adventure and being viewed as troublesome at best by his more traditionally-minded peers in the Adeptus Mechanicus, even he had been dubious about joining the crew of a Rogue Trader. At least, until he'd stepped on board the ship that is.
Since arrival, most of his time had been spent getting to know the immensely ancient ship. It was seemingly lumbering yet more heavily armoured than he had expected. It also featured unusual technology that fooled scans, showing certain components as far less sophisticated or threatening than they truly were.
As he continued to ponder these things he mag-locked his boltgun to his side and turned his attention to his power axe. Although it appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, lacking any gilding or ostentatious heraldry, it was a finely-crafted weapon of a much higher quality than many of its standard counterparts.
As he carefully and thoroughly examined it, his mind was cast back to his time in an Explorator Fleet. Upon discovering certain artifacts, many of the Priesthood became corrupted by them and a vicious war had broken out amongst the fleet. Idaeus had made several vaunted discoveries himself, all of which were stolen or destroyed along with all of his research data and many of his colleagues by the fallen Dark Mechanicus forces.
In all, the war had lasted five months throughout uncharted systems. The axe had served him well and surely without it he would have been lost many times over. Nonetheless, the loyalists had lost, their numbers diminished beyond recovery. Once it was calculated that the cause was hopeless, Idaeus and several others had been ordered to escape while the rest remained behind and perished that they might report the vile heresy. All Tech-Priests find the corruption of the sacred Machine Spirit and holy code deplorable but ever since he had lost so much, Idaeus had reserved a special hatred for the Dark Mechanicus.
Many had actually suspected him of corruption as within certain circles he was known as a radical, which in the eyes of certain Tech-Priests was close enough to impurity to warrant execution. Yet every test he had been submitted to - flesh, machine and mind - all proved his purity, despite his unorthodox methods and to some, questionable interest in unsanctioned technologies.
His servo-skull hovered nearby, diligently guarding against foes, despite the fact that they were quite safe here. Still, the war with the Dark Mechanicus had taught him to never risk letting an enemy, or worse one masquerading as an ally, have the chance to stab you in the back while your guard is down.
With an uncharacteristic sigh, Idaeus refocused on the present. It felt good to be back on the path of the Quest for Knowledge. He had been a soldier for too long and yearned to uncover archeotech once more. After all the research and artifacts he lost, all he had to show from his time in an Explorator Fleet were combat augments - sub-dermal armour, an internalised augur array and of course his baleful eye. No ordinary bionic, this rare and highly coveted augment concealed a powerful laser weapon, more than capable of penetrating even ceramite plate.
Lady Petrova seemed quite amicable and understanding of his situation from what little he had revealed to her. His eagerness to explore beyond the borders of the Imperium, picking through dead xenos worlds or locating ancient tech vaults had clearly not gone unnoticed. In fact, the captain seemed rather excited by the notion of seeking out lost treasures. It seemed she would be a useful ally for furtherance of his own goals. As for the rest of the crew, whom he'd yet to meet, whether they would prove to be a help or a hindrance was yet to be seen.
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Post by Darko on Mar 13, 2014 20:31:23 GMT
Session 0.5 (mini session: Harrab, Darko & Jack)
+++Explorator Journal+++ ++New Entry++ +Day 1+
The Eternal Scion has docked here at the Navy strong-point Port Wander. It stands as the gateway into the Koronus Expanse and was naturally our first stop in the sector. The rest of the senior staff were unavailable, assisting with the repair of minor damage suffered in a meteor shower several days prior or attending other tasks.
Myself and the half-breed Void Master Mordecai were summoned by the captain. She required advisement as to what our first order of business should be and we decided upon learning the layout of this large station and making contact with other ship captains. The fact that an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor resides aboard the station in order to locate and stop any cold trade activities - the market of Xenostech - could prove troublesome should I locate any such technology.
As we ascended within a holy elevatus I keenly noticed we were being watched - a man was observing us and raised a vox and spoke into it before the doors sealed. Cautiously I unholstered my boltgun, despite the security staff accompanying us I was not reassured by the Lady-Captain's nonchalance when I relayed my suspicions.
Upon exiting the holy elevatus (after applying the sacred unguants to ease the journey of course) onto the promenade several tiers higher, we were confronted by a most disagreeable individual. From one of the sleazy bars this man called out for our Lady-Captain by her first name before approaching, wearing power armour and accompanied by several body guards with boltguns.
Our Lady-Captain expressed her disdain for this individual before turning to face him and they exchanged several quips, with the newcomer quickly established as another Rogue Trader with a penchant for posturing and boasting. Our Lady-Captain mocked him for having only a small freighter ship and wasting the power of his Writ of Trade by unimaginatively limiting himself to delivering cargo year after year, which perturbed this individual, whose name we learned is Marcus.
Never having cared much for status or pomposity I addressed this individual and he did not deign me worthy of a response. I took a measure of pleasure in spiting him afterwards, commenting on his boasts of having a huge fleet that perhaps he had expanded from one sluggish ore hauler to an entire company of them, much to his chagrin. A piece of gak is still a piece of gak even in higher quantities, after all.
It was noted that this Rogue Trader's house utilised a particular symbol or crest, which would become important further into the day in the escapade which would follow, despite us not knowing the name or any details of his house. The two Rogue Traders stepped up close until they were in each other's faces, their rivalry blatant. The Lady-Captain lifted her eye patch - which she does not require and simply wears for the look of it - and squared up to the taller man, undaunted. I mused to Mordecai that unlike the captain's 'false eye' mine is able to shoot high-powered lasers, a far more efficient method of intimidation.
Moments later and the encounter concluded, as such we made our way towards a local area that high-ranking navy officers and noble captains regularly frequent. It was required that we surrender our firearms before entering which we reluctantly acquiesced. Inside it was a semi-artificially maintained environment, somewhat imitating a planet's surface with trees and shrubbery. There was also a bar and as we passed the Lady-Captain seemed to overhear something from a conversation several navy officers were discussing, however myself and Mordecai were unable to listen in.
The Lady-Captain secured a high-class suite where we could talk privately and as the door closed behind us it became evident that the room was sound proofed. Silently, the Captain attempted to communicate with me and after a moment of confusion I realised she wished me to check for listening devices, something I had been planning on doing regardless. I dispatched my servo-skull and it easily located something amiss with a statue. Upon examination I found that there was indeed a listening device and I disabled it before destroying it underfoot. It was unsubtle however the establishment surely would not dare risk the ire of a Rogue Trader over something so minor.
The Captain proceeded to explain that she had overheard the navy officers discussing rumours of a chaos cruiser that had plagued the nearby sectors for many years. It apparently hunted alone and was a major source of concern, particularly for shipping lanes.
I was inspired and explained the basis of a plan to falsify a report that would lead the Rogue Trader Marcus to a remote system which would be a highly tempting target for the chaos raider. Once the vessel sprung its ambush on the unwitting rival of our Captain, we would attack from concealment and disable one or both ships as necessary. It could be a particularly profitable venture, whether we salvage the ships or simply gain notoriety for the deed. After some discussion, the captain approved the idea and dispatched us to see to it while she chased up a few of her old friends in the Imperial Navy. Potentially, she may secure the secondment of several navy frigates to her command for this operation.
Making our way to the lower levels and onto the docking area - which is an incredibly vast part of the station - I pulled a worker to one side and demanded he direct me to the specific location we were trying to find. He said he had no idea and simply moved packages which was useless information. As such I released the man and we spent some time searching for the correct directions, utilising my servo-skull to locate them faster. Eventually we made our way to the right place.
I accessed a cogitator alcove and began accessing the ship manifest data. With some help from Mordecai I quickly found the information we required. Mordecai also checked some nearby shipping containers but was unable to open them.
Marcus had several ships docked, two freighters and a Lunar-class cruiser. We decided the cruiser was the best bet, however they were all docked quite far away. I located a small personnel transport buggy parked nearby and we took it. It cut down the journey vastly as it was much faster than simply walking. On the way I stopped at a nearby Mechanicus workshop as there was the problem of infiltrating the cruiser, as Mordecai's flight uniform bore the iconography of our Rogue Trader's house.
I was allowed entry into the workshop but Mordecai had to remain outside. Several lay-priests and a full Tech Priest were within. The Tech Priest seemed relatively unconvinced by my explanations when he inquired as to my purpose here. I managed to convince him with a great deal of effort to let me into their storage room and using my multikey I opened one of the lockers, retrieving spare robes and boots as well as a welding mask from within.
The Tech Priest said he'd be forced to report this unusual incident to his superiors and I attempted to distract him with impressive talk of our ship. I revere the ancient Star Galleon but to a simple Priest who never left this station, the idea of a ship that the Emperor himself may have once stepped foot on was unbelievable. However he stated he could not leave his post and as such he unfortunately wouldn't be diverted from reporting my presence here.
I decided it was of no real concern and left, giving the disguise to Mordecai who changed into them behind some cargo containers. He also had to reluctantly give me his power sword and bolt pistol as if the disguise as my assistant was to work, he couldn't possess such powerful and expensive equipment.
I drove us to where the Lunar-class cruiser was docked and we noticed several entrances. One was an officer's entrance to the higher levels on the ship and as such we instead went through one of the maintenance accesses. All the entrances were guarded however the guard let us pass without so much as questioning us, seeing as Tech-priests had been affecting repairs on the vessel all day.
We were making our way towards the rear of the ship when we were intercepted by a high-ranking officer. He had been dispatched to find us and wanted me to ensure the encryptions on the bridge cogitators were secure. I of course agreed and we were escorted there in short order. The officer watched me closely however I convinced him that it would be easier to work given space, I also cited that it was standard protocol to erase any memory of private data found on board foreign ships, as the officer was worried about me uncovering certain sensitive data important to Captain Marcus. He believed it completely and seemed relieved by it.
I leant in close to Mordecai, handing him my unguant censer as if directing him to spread it around the room. I instructed him to investigate the other terminals and also taught him a simple benediction to the Omnissiah to chant as he did so, a convincing enough guise which also shifted attention away from myself.
I began working on the cogitator and discovered several interesting things. Firstly, the starcharts and courses the cruiser had plotted previously, both of which I downloaded to my datapad. I then proceeded to fabricate data which would fool anyone into thinking a transmission had accidentally been sent from outside the ship on an insecure channel, which described a potentially very profitable venture to be had in a remote system. This is of course one of the ones known to be raided by the chaos cruiser, however although it is unlikely Captain Marcus knows of it, the man appears brash and reckless to a fault and I would not be surprised if he travelled there regardless. I believe I made the information sufficiently appealing.
There was also data which showed they had been tracking the movements of our own ship, the Eternal Scion, for some time. This was a worrying but not entirely surprising discovery which I also downloaded onto my datapad. I then attempted to sabotage the ship, programming it to shut down main power when the weapons were next fired however I was locked out of access to the weapons control systems. Finally I updated the encryptions, which is the job the officer had originally asked me to do, also attempting to leave a back-door into the system. I failed in this endeavour unfortunately, however I believe that if necessary I could remotely hack into the system as the encryptions are of course of my own design. I also downloaded a schematic of the ship to my datapad, as it may prove useful in a confrontation. In total the 'repairs' had taken four hours, local time.
Mordecai informed me that he had discovered that the cruiser seemed focused towards planetary bombardment and that they seemed intent on using their weapons for this purpose in the near future. We decided to go to the lower decks of the ship and I attempted to enter the engineering section. Another Tech Priest stopped me and questioned me. We briefly exchanged words in binary-cant and he seemed satisfied, if frustrated by the incompetence of the rest of the crew whom were not members of the Adeptus Mechanicus and their irreverence for the sacred Machine Spirit. I concurred and left under the guise of still being part of a maintenance crew. It is notable that the power systems in the engineering section seemed heavily modified to provide increased power, but to what end I cannot be sure.
I had my servo-skull scan the surrounding decks for anything unusual, in particular any cargo which stood out from the ordinary, however nothing could be found. As such, we duly disembarked the vessel. It seemed prudent to check at least one of the other two ships in Marcus' small fleet, so we made our way to the nearest one. We got on board under the same guise, our assumption that security would be even less tightly regulated here apparently correct. Making our way to the cargo holds, I had my servo-skull once again for unusual items.
This is where things went wrong. There were four ratings in one of the cargo holds and they must have been very paranoid for some reason, which only increased my suspicions. One of them pulled out a stub revolver and began firing at my servo-skull at which point I directed it to return to where we were standing. The four ratings approached with weapons drawn and began questioning us. When it was obvious they weren't going to believe our cover story and one of them began moving to vox security, Mordecai and I realised what we must do.
He agilely unsheathed his power sword from where it was attached to my person and I unclipped my power axe, activating it. We charged them, Mordecai's own sword swing parried by some great deal of luck on the ratings' part. My own axe easily cleaved through the arm of another one, killing him instantly. My servo-skull fired its laspistol at another one, but missed. Perhaps its targeting sensors require recalibration. Mordecai continued to duel with one of them as I attacked another, who ineffectually fired at me. In a similar manner to his colleague, I chopped off this one's arm as well, also instantly killing him.
The one not in combat with us called for security on his vox and began retreating towards the doorway. My servo-skull opened fire, once again missing. I utilised my baleful eye, producing a las-shot that also missed as the target fled. Mordecai finally managed to overwhelm his opponent and skewered him with his sword as the last rating neared the doorway, almost out of our sight. I took aim and shot with my baleful eye, mortally wounding the escapee, however he was not felled until my servo-skull finished him off with its laspistol.
The fight lasted mere moments yet we did not hesitate in our escape, sheathing our weapons and running down the corridor and passing a security team as we did so who did not stop us, seemingly not suspecting us of anything. We were able to escape the ship before it was put into a security lockdown, passing the guard at the entrance on the way out without incident. We made our way back to the upper levels and I suggested to Mordecai that in our report to the Captain we omit the incident aboard the freighter, to which he concurred. Upon reaching the high-class establishment where our Captain had remained and upon examination it became apparent she was intoxicated from socialising with her old friends.
We have yet to report back to her on the success of our rather interesting escapade, however I am more concerned with the potential repercussions of our actions aboard the freighter. If security is tightened and an investigation is launched it may prove troublesome if in some way either of us or our Captain is implicated. However, I am doubtful that this will be the case, nonetheless I shall remain vigilant in the near future.
+Log End+
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